As you may have heard the world's tallest building is currently under construction in the oil-rich city of Dubai. The Burj Dubai will likeley surpass America's benchmark, the Sears Tower, by over 1000 feet. In other words, almost twice its height. The projected height of 2684 feet is only an estimate as the buildings designers and constructors have decided to keep it a secret until completion around this time next year. Already the building has set records across the board, keep in mind it is still one year from completion and very much under construction:
July 21, 2007- Burj Dubai surpasses Taipei 101 which stands at a height of 509.2 m (1,671 ft) and was the tallest building on Earth. [12]
September 12, 2007- At 555.3 m (1,822 ft), Burj Dubai becomes the world's tallest freestanding structure on land, surpassing CN Tower in Toronto.[13]
April 7, 2008- Emaar announces that Burj Dubai, at 629 m (2,064 ft), has surpassed the KVLY-TV Mast to become the tallest man-made structure on Earth.[14]
September 26, 2008- Emaar website states that the Burj Dubai had reached a height of 707 m (2,320 ft).
As you can tell this is truly a remarkable accomplishment not just for the citizens of Dubai but for mankind as a whole. In my humble opinion the building is a ray of hope in the turbulent Middle-East and shows how the people of the world can come together to accomplish something truly spectacular.
Also, this is not to distract from the Chicago Spire, which is set to surpass not only the 30+ year old Sears Tower, but the Freedom Tower in NYC as well.
I think I have a sinus infection. Other than that things are going swimmingly. ish. Had two tests today, prefer not to think about them or the haphazard paper I turned in. I'm likin the apartment. Have'nt had any major revamps done to it and have not run into any problems. I hope the roommate feels the same way. Also, I have this framed and hanging in the living room. That automatically makes it awesome. I've also cooked food once. And nobody died! Hooray for me! Something else noteworthy, my brother Nik and his wife Kate had twins a week or two ago and they are doing well. Congrats to them. I'm hoping that once I get better and set I can work out, like seriously. None of this mamby-pamby stuff. I'm gonna be more buff then superman on 'roids. Lookout ladies, somebody's on the market.
A Rose and an Amaranth blossomed side by side in a garden, and the Amaranth said to her neighbour, "How I envy you your beauty and your sweet scent! No wonder you are such a universal favourite." But the Rose replied with a shade of sadness in her voice, "Ah, my dear friend, I bloom but for a time: my petals soon wither and fall, and then I die. But your flowers never fade, even if they are cut; for they are everlasting." -Aesop
And i have a small cold. And classes started today. Never rains but it pours.
Ok first things first. I saw the "Clone Wars". My 4 year old nephew came along. Ton's of fun. It's by far a kid's movie, with Anakin's slightly obnoxious new paddawan who is an ok tagalong for the series. Assajj ventress, however, was pretty awesome. The movie had some cool visuals, my favorite being Anakin and Dooku fighting on Tatooine with 3 moons setting in the background The only problem I had was with the into, it comes up with "A long long time ago...etc.." but then this wierd technofied version of the theme comes up and it says "CLONE WARS" in big letters and the movie starts. No opening speel. Kind of sad about that. The background music had a decidedly metal tone, which was pretty cool. Also Anakin was a badass for the most part. Obi-Wan was meh, the entire time his voice was the "I'm being witty" tone, kind of got old.
More like a rant. I HAVE NO MONEY! GRAHH! So I've been saving up to buy a new laptop. Turns out I still need to pay first and last months rent for my upcoming apartment. I still also owe the school $700 in back owed stuff. That depletes my computer fund to zero. If that damn comp hadn't exploded I could have bought a new amp. And a cheap motorcycle. Or continued to save to buy a synth. Someone buy me this and make me feel better: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Korg-M3-88-Key-Music-Workstation-Keyboard-104501325-i1323974.gc
So. Where to begin. The Dark Knight was AMAZING! AAAAMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAZZZZZZZZIIIINNNNNNNNNNG! Heath deserves the oscar hands down. In fact I believe that performance, in a way, has chosen this years Halloween costume. I just refuse to believe he's dead. We need him for more Joker, and for more roles where he would do an equal caliber performance.
In other news. Phantom is coming back into the dark recesses of my mind. Consider yourselves warned.
WOW! I haven't been on here in a while. I would have been more regular if my alienware hadnt nearly burnt my house down. So things are well on the home front, the usual summer frivoloties: work, guitar, friends, movies, and vegging. So movies I saw. Indiana Jones- Good movie, maybe not the best in the series but still good and as far-fetched as ever. I equate it more to temple of doom. Hancock- It was good until it fizzled. Then it made no sense and just kind of died.
Seeing DARK KNIGHT on Friday! Yay for the mega-screen!
I'm still waiting for the new AFI EP. That will be glorious. And the F1 season is going swimmingly, its neck and neck at the top with Massa doing awesome! Go Ferrari!
Yeah I finally got to see my first movie of the summer on the list. Aaaand heres two reviews for the price of one!
So first the movie: Wow it was really fun! The first 1/4 of the movie was like, What? You didn't know what was really going on, but then it all came together the further into the movie you got. And you know, after the movie finishes you realize, thats what Speed was going through. A really cool film trick! I had a hard time adjusting to the real people/fake environment but the more into it you got the less you noticed and you eventually it didn't matter, which was cool. The colors were sooo great! Like, waay bright. And honestly, for the first live-action anime, i was impressed! Cuz you actually felt the best of both worlds! Yay fun times! I was a fan. There was definite homages to the anime, with funny/campy acting cues and some background allusions were fun. Also, the special effects were second to none! Spectacular crash sequences! Beautiful environments and scenes! Somehow futuristic and retro. If you like racing you'll like this. So I give it a septuplet A+. Oh thats right. I went there. NOW for the new giant screen. It was HUGE. Like 5 times the size of my house. It was on par with the $10.50 movie ticket. Not an every-single-movie occasion, but a good once-in-a-while-thing to do. Also, the theater had a really cool feeling of an airport terminal/older theater. Such a strange combo, I know, but thats the vibe I got. The seats in the screening room proper were really neat. They resembeled airplane chairs, with really high backs, rocking action, and retractable cup holders. Very nice! This is better then the palace IMO. Easily. More atmosphere, and I think the more people go the more people will realize it. It's so nice to have a really high-quality theater on this side of town!
I saw the last episode of the John Adams, the epic on HBO, tonight. Never before have I been so engaged in a live-action, historically based drama. Paul Giamatti made for an excellent 2nd president. I honestly can not wait to get this show on BluRay when it comes out. It's already out on dvd but to save me from buying both I'll just wait for the former. I feel that the show did an excellent job to both enlighten the public on the struggle of the founding fathers, and to also showcase the lax standards and lethargy of the current United States government. I daresay the founders of these nations would be very disappointed in the current functionality of our system, or lack there of. Anyway the show was very good so go out and buy it. It's nice to see an HBO original that doesn't involve some kind of naked livery. Ya... So anyway the show had excellent characterization, and it really lets you live through some of the gamut of emotions of the time. It also shows teh brilliance of President Adams' mind through both his actions, comments, and correspondance letters. It was nice. In other news, last day of school tomorrow, yay! So hit me up if you wanna do something.
I guess my last post was somewhat bigotrous of me. Yes, I just made that word up (yo whats the word aw word up). Anyway. I should be more open-minded. After all, I'm all for the SoulCaliber IV+ Vader. The idea gives me shivers its so awesome. Then again, I've never been a great fan of the SoulCal franchise. So I can see where those fans of said franchise would disagree with the aforementioned union like I'm doing with MK. I love Mortal Kombat. GET OVER HERE! Case closed. If I could do that in real life, the world would be a very strange place. So in light of light being brought to my inconsistencies I'm going to be more open-minded and accepting of the idea. So there.
Take some time off. From everything. My thoughts have wondered in and out of darkness for a while now, but recently they've gone straight to black. Forgoing the light they merge from black to dark and back again. I'll keep you posted, but as you probably guessed, things with me are not going well, in fact, they're not going at all.
I've been putting myself under a lot of stress as of late. Not sure why. I just need to relax. But relaxing too much is what got me into this pickle. Thing is I've been far too nonchalant with my schoolwork. Skipping classes here and there, letting assignments slide. Big mistake. Now I am freaking out. And the rest of my emotions are suffering for it. I hope that I'll pull through this and achieve the goals I set for myself. I've still got a month plus finals. I'm such an idiot sometimes, most times. Now I play guitar, but I want to stop because this sour mood swing is telling me that "I'm no good and I'll never get any better at it or anything else." I know thats probably not true but gosh it makes a convincing argument. Ive also become nocturnal. Could it be my dreams of becoming a vampire are true? Lets hope. Id be fine with night classes. It's gotten bad enough that I don't care if i go to the ocean or not. Not a good sign. But now that I think about it. I love it so. I miss sitting on the beach at night while the light of the moon dances upon the breaking waves, the odd far-away storm reflecting silent lighting across the endless expanse , the soft breeze caressing my face and the beautiful breaking of the sea calling me back home. Note: Pictures are property of their respective owners.
Well, Blood+ is over. I'm really sad about it. The ending wasn't as sad as the portents alluded to. That being said the whole show is sad. But so good. Pretty artwork, good and deep story, and good allusions. It was a real twist on the vampire stories we know. I feel like crap now that this is over. I can't wait to buy the series so that way it won't have to, but first I need to see the movie. Sigh.
I got my stuff figured out, thanks to those who helped out. On a lighter note, I am going to make a list of all of the good movies coming out this spring/summer/fall, tell me if you wanna go! I took the liberty of bolding important ones and added a pic here and there. Also the one with two pictures is being made into a ps3 game. YES!Speed Racer (NOSTALGIA)- May 9th Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian- May 16th Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls- May 22nd Get Smart- June 20th The Love Guru- June 22nd Wall-E- June 27th Batman: Dark Knight- July 18th James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace- November 7th Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince- November 21st
What do you do if you feel like you might have done something that some may regard as somewhat bad, and you kinda hate yourself for doing it and you don't feel sorry for it though. Like, even if you've covered all your tracks, or at least you think you did. It doesn't seem good that any feelings of guilt one might have is eliminated if they can't get caught. The logical answer would be forgive and forget but it doesn't seem that easy. Its almost like i want some retribution to happen, but that is the one thing i fear most. I pride myself at being able to weasel my way out of a situation, but then i don't really pride myself on priding that. Help! PLEASE!
Don't ask about the strange caps'ing going on up there. I don't even know. I'm kinda excited. Won't be home til Sunday/Monday though because I'll be visiting my Grandparents this impending weekend. Other than that I am free. So hit me up. In other news, my mom bought me GuitarPro, which was nice. So hopefully that will let my questionable-at-best guitar skills advance until the summer when I start taking lessons. You wanna know who I'm really looking forward to seeing when I get home? Well takes a gander at that them thar picture. Oh. Thats right. I went there. I brought out the Missy (Poopers).
As for as i am for just pulling out of Iraq and all world affairs and moving america as a land mass to the moon this comment has made the most sense, coming from everyone's favorite actress no less. I think i could vote her as president. As long as I got to be First Man.
Angelina Jolie: "It seems to me that now is the moment to address the humanitarian side of this situation. Without the right support, we could miss an opportunity to do some of the good we always stated we intended to do."
Well another one of my shows has come to an end. Not since InuYasha or Blood+ has a show made me stay up til ungodly hours feeling excited and wondering what comes next. This is a surprise to me because I mostly don't care too much for Mech. based shows but this one was different. It had the necessary subplots and a compelling love story to seperate it from the rest. I hate it when shows I like come to an end. It kind of leaves you feeling empty yet somehow fulfilled. It didn't have a great amount of closure, but I don't care. Maybe I'll start collecting the series though. It was that good. I mean it even made even me almost believe that love can save the world. Almost. Who knows maybe it can. I'm still skeptical of that complex series of hormones that was merely put together to ensure the continuance of the human race in perpetuity. Well regardless, heres to you Renton and Eureka, may you find your happily ever after.
I know when I talk of the greatness that is F1 the subject of money generally comes up. So heres some numbers for y'all to crunch. Also some performance #'s too.
F1 Teams Budgets: The total spending of all eleven teams in 2006 was estimated at $2.9 billion. This was broken down as follows; Toyota $418.5 million, Ferrari $406.5 m, McLaren $402 m, Honda $380.5 m, BMW Sauber $355 m, Renault $324 m, Red Bull $252 m, Williams $195.5 m, Midland F1/Spyker-MF1 $120 m, Toro Rosso $75 m, and Super Aguri $57 million. McLaren-Mercedes and Ferrari are estimated to have spent approximately $200 million on engines
Official figures from FOM for 2006, state Formula One television broadcasts were witnessed by 580 million unique viewers during the 2005 season[44] and average viewing figures for 1995–1999 were fifty thousand million.[45] It is a massive television event, the cumulative television audience was calculated to be fifty-four thousand million for 2001 season, broadcast to two hundred countries.[46]
In 2005, the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal was the most watched of the races, and the third most watched sporting event in the world.
The wheel can be used to alter traction control settings, change gears, apply rev limiter, adjust fuel air mix, change brake pressure and call the radio. Data such as rpm, laptimes, speed and gear is displayed on an LCD screen. The wheel alone can cost about $40,000 Formula One Car Performance Figures
For a decade F1 cars had run with 3.0 litre naturally-aspirated V10 engines, but in an attempt to slow the cars down, the FIA mandated that as of the 2006 season the cars must be powered by 2.4 litre naturally-aspirated engines in the V8 configuration that have no more than four valves per cylinder.
As of the start of the 2007 season all engines are now limited to 19,000 rpm in an effort to improve engine reliability and to cut costs down in general.
Almost each year the FIA has enforced material and design restrictions to limit power, otherwise the 3.0L V10 engines would easily have exceeded 22,000 rpm and well over 1,000 hp . Even with the restrictions the V10s in the 2005 season were reputed to develop 960 hp . The new 2.4L V8 engines are reported to develop between 700 hp and 780 hp.
The engines produce over 100,000 BTU per minute which can reach temperatures over 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,800 to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit)
Race fuel consumption rate is 3.1 US mpg. Nonetheless a Formula One engine is over 20% more efficient at turning fuel into power than even the most economical small car
The end of the engine freeze (2009) has been suggested to be the beginning of both bio-fuel and the reintroduction of turbos
An average F1 car can decelerate from 62-0 mph in about 55 ft, compared with a 2007 Porsche 911 Turbo which takes 103 feet. When braking from higher speeds, aerodynamic downforce enables tremendous deceleration: 4.5 g to 5.0 g , and up to 5.5 g at the high-speed circuits such as the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Canadian GP) and the Autodromo Nazionale Monza (Italian GP). This contrasts with 1.0 g to 1.5 g for the best sports cars (the Bugatti Veyron is claimed to be able to brake at 1.3 g). An F1 car can brake from 124 mph to a complete stop just 2.9 seconds, using only 213 ft
0-60MPH= 2s (Theoretically less then 1s would be achievable but lack of traction control makes this near impossible due to loss of tire traction.)
0-120MPH= 3.8s
0-185= 8.5s
A Honda Formula One car, running with minimum downforce on a runway in the Mojave desert achieved a top speed of 258 mph in 2006. According to Honda, the car fully met the FIA Formula One regulations. Even with the limitations on aerodynamics, at 100MPH, aerodynamically generated downforce is equal to the weight of the car and the often repeated claim that Formula One cars create enough downforce to 'drive on the ceiling' remains true in principle, although it has never been put to the test.
So DAVEY HAVOK just answered one of my questions on the DF site! YAY!
Here it is:
Me: Hi all (Mostly for Davey), I was wondering, have you ever gotten a new pair of pants (or any clothes for that matter) and spilled something on them the first time you wear them? I just spilled hot chocolate on my new jeans. It's unfortunate. And also I wanted to know if you were going to get the Honda car that only emits water vapor, no bad stuff, and runs on hydrogen? I heard honda wanted to make it so you can power your car and your house with compost. I think thats a great move for the environment. Wow that was a long question. Good luck with the new album and whatever else you may be doing. Thanks So Much, Wil
From DAVEY HAVOK:
Woah, that Honda sounds killer. I'd love to see one.
In Nashville, I had a pair of sunglasses sent to me from LA because I decided that I needed them immediately (sometimes I'm a little out of control.) The first day I wore them I went to eat thai food and pushed them up on my forehead when I was in the restaurant. As I put my chin down to eat soup they immediately fell into the soup. It was pretty awesome.
I miss my home dogs. I really do. So heres a few pics. Sigh. I need more pictures of Missy. Hmm. Also this is of course meaning i miss my canine variety home dogs. I miss my home friends too. But it would be weird if i put pics of you up on the internet for all to see.
Finally I have some pics of this up. More will be on my Myspace and Facebook. In all it was a lot of fun. All of the car companies came, pressed and dressed, to show their best wares. However a few were curiously absent, like Aston Martin, and Porsche, if Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW are there, why not Porsche? That was a bad move on their part. The show itself was huge, even if in a smaller location then they have in Chicago. Surprisingly you could see just about everything in just one day. However I'm going to now show you the winners and losers, in my opinion, of the show.
Winners: Smart- The ever-popular-in-Europe microcar is finally making its USA debut, and was possible the most crowded single area of the show. Everyone loved the car. And whats not to love? Honda/Acura- With Honda's stunning new Pilot, and Acura's location surrounded in black marble their presentation was 2nd to none. Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep- One of the best displays there, landscaping and really cool fountain drew people into their area. Mini- The single most British area ever. Shag carpeting, loud Euro-pop music, and cars on the walls. Great fun. Buick- Their Riviera was stunning, good on ya' GM. Mitsubishi- The concept RA was drawing some good attention. It was really cool. All we need now is a 3000GT to compete with the Nissan GTR.
Losers: Pontiac- The marque was tucked into a small corner in GM's area, so much more could have been done with. Along with Saturn, Pontiac has the most draw with the younger crowd. The cars themselves weren't bad. Spyker- Their beautiful ONE car was overlooked because of the fact it was only one car. The wood floors were a nice touch.
I personally was a big fan of the Hyundai Genesis. If the new Tiburon is to be anything in those lines, well that will be great. All failed to compare to the Ferrari F430 Scuderia. Gorgeous in every meaning of the word.
NOTE: The NAIAS and car logos and names are all property of their respective owners. Photo's taken and assembled by me.
How sad! I wasn't even that great of a fan. They finished filming Batman but thats not the point, apparently he was one of the good mild mannered movie stars. Figures. Well heres the news.
Heath Ledger Found Dead in NYC
Jan. 22, 2008, 5:11 PM EST
The Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan residence, and police said drugs may have been a factor. He was 28. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the Manhattan apartment believed to be his home. The housekeeper who went to let him know the masseuse had arrived found him dead at 3:26 p.m.
Hey to all those out there in the wide world of web. I'm not that tired. Yet it's 1:18AM. Paradoxical thought processes have arisen out of my conundrum. Well my first week of classes is over. I have to drop a class because I don't have the pre-req's AGAIN. Crazy people. I shouldn't have too much of a problem getting into a lower-level class. I forgot to mention that I also received AFI's live CD for Christmas (it's the audio of their I Heard A Voice DVD), and of course it is awesome. I can't wait to see them again. Maybe one day I'll meet them and they can sign my black Gibson which I don't have then I can drive home in a Ferrari to have dinner with Michael Schumacher. My hopes and dreams aside, things ARE looking up, the single room is going over quite nicely and my dad and brother came down for a b-ball game and it was fun. Also, this is big, I AM GOING TO DETROIT ON FRIDAY! Yay! Now you may be asking yourself why I would want to go to a place where I'm almost certain to get mugged, but I would refute with the fact that I am going to the world's largest car show! Yay! I don't know whats in store yet, I have been hearing that Honda will be debuting their new Pilot SUV which we currently own and it should be epic. Maybe I can get my foot in the door with the SpeedTV guys? Or even Ferrari? Let's hope. I hope to give nightly updates when the time comes.
So new developments. First I guess I should talk about my Christmas. Good overall. Got some good games, not least of which was Assassins Creed, amazing and beaten. HIGHLY recommend it. Of course spending time with friends and family is always great. I've also finally got my hairs cut in the fashion I've been waiting for. Also a new good thing: SINGLE ROOM. So nice. I know absolutely NO ONE on my floor. One of my neighbors is a really good guitarist. Makes me want to put mine away for fear of the shame. Dad did let me take the good TV so my room as a whole is pretty bitchin. I can't say how my classes are going to go. These professors are rather hard to read, I'm also taking 16hrs which is a few more then I'm accustomed to. My botany class looks like it can be hard, but I hope to work my ass off in it and then I can be done with science. Yay!
Photography I like to take pictures of anything and everything. Mostly cars. If you want to know anything about my equipment, editing techniques, or just want to share your own feel free to let me know.
Traveling My first and foremost love is traveling. My goal in life is to fill in more and more of my personal maps with different locales, cultures, and adventures.So here's a list of my top destinations I hope to visit, I'll put up a map showing where I've been and where I hope to go as well.
Egypt Cambodia (Angkor) Greece Japan Tibet/Nepal Australia New Zealand Peru UAE Germany and others...
To reach me, email me at carnut_88@msn.com, be sure to put a small subject explaining who/what you are lest I mark you as junk.
As you may have heard the world's tallest building is currently under construction in the oil-rich city of Dubai. The Burj Dubai will likeley surpass America's benchmark, the Sears Tower, by over 1000 feet. In other words, almost twice its height. The projected height of 2684 feet is only an estimate as the buildings designers and constructors have decided to keep it a secret until completion around this time next year. Already the building has set records across the board, keep in mind it is still one year from completion and very much under construction:
