Why I Think Adobe Sucks: Pt. 1

After two years without a new version, Adobe has finally released a Beta version of Photoshop CS6. Now, even though they have overhauled the UI and added 65 new features (most of which were user suggested), I still consider Adobe behind the times. Here is why:

It’s pretty obvious at this point that conventional computers are on their way out the door. Apple’s Ipad was the start of the tablet craze and even the new version of Windows is mainly meant for touch-based computers. So why, after two years, would Adobe release a new version of Photoshop—their flagship software—that is not set up for touch? I realize most professional institutions are going to be slow to pick up touchscreen computers/tablets for their business, but it is inevitable that it is going to need to be done. I’m not saying they should abandon the mouse setup, but they should at least leave way for touch-based operation through updates or some sort of hybrid system such as how Windows is doing their new software. As fast as technology moves, large software companies are slow to adjust to new systems. Flash is on its way out the door, but it will be years before it’s gone. Same with mousepads. But the change is coming. Adobe should have recognized this by now and started planning. Now would have been the perfect time for them to start a slow transition.

I used to be such a huge fan of their products. But they have been so slow to get with the times that I have come to find they are no longer the best option in anything BUT their Photoshop product, which still remains the industry standard (there’s a reason people say, “Photoshop it”). But unless they start moving forward with the changes in technology, they are going to find themselves moving to the side for some other photo editing software which has. Maybe they can get away with it. Maybe no one else will be able to take them off their mountain. But sooner or later people are going to start realizing how behind they are and the frustration will start to set in. The second the mouse becomes a secondary item on our primary computers, people are going to hate going back to using them.

By the end of this year Windows 8 will be out. By this time next year, there will be a slew of touchscreen computers; not tablets, computers. More and more companies will begin making new versions of their software which works with the touch of a finger instead of the point of a mouse and the Windows 7 side of Windows 8 will start to get used less and less. The change will happen much quicker for consumers than for businesses, which will buy Adobe some time, but inevitably the change will be at their front door. Two years from now most computers on the market will be touchscreen computers. By then it could be possible for Adobe to have a version out, but will the major change be able to be a smooth transition? Now should be their “touch beta testing.”

But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I don’t know anything about computers and the software is already set up for touch. Or maybe people will hate Windows 8 and the entire idea will be scrapped. Who knows? 

Expectation

Expectations tend to lead to disappointment. A plan of imagination can cause great harm to a person’s reality. Let life unfold as it pleases and enjoy those unexpected moments with all the thrill they bring. As I sit in the somber of my evening relishing in the possibilities of my reality, I can’t help but allow expectation to creep in. But those ideas can bring pain and sadness if allowed to creep too far. Trust in your ability to not see the future. Sit there in the moment and leave all other tenses in their proper times. The Bible says to not worry about the future. But it makes no mention of expectations, sadly, for those are the true sins of the heart.

The Artist

Tonight and went and saw The Artist and OH MY GOD IT’S AN AMAZING MOVIE! I loved every bit of it. In case you don’t know, it’s a black & white silent film about an actor in the silent movie era who has to come to grips with the changing business as sound makes its way into the film industry. It was so well done. The cinematography, the directing, the actors, the music (Oh! The music!)…

If you have a chance, find a theater playing it and go check it out. I’m sure you’ll hear plenty more about it come Oscar season.

Ok, Brace Yourself…

Whenever I hear a lot about a musical performance before I actually get to see it, I assume it’s over-hyped and not going to live up to what people are saying. I just watched Adele’s performance from the Grammy’s (something everyone’s been talking about) and it didn’t disappoint my assumptions. A good performance, yes. But it was nothing amazing.

I think people have gotten so used to such shitty live singers that they have forgotten what musical artists are supposed to be like. The bar has been set WAY too low these days and, although Adele is talented, she’s not as good as everyone says she is. Sorry to have to say it, but it’s how I feel.

The Civil Wars, on the other hand. They are it.

Feeding The Bird

Everyone keeps making a big deal out of M.I.A. flipping off the camera at the halftime show. There is a group of people who are upset it happened, but it seems there are even more upset with the fact that flipping off a camera is still a big deal in this nation while misogyny, violence, drug use, and other forms of sexual innuendos seem to show their ugly little faces without a problem. Now, I agree that television has been very lax on a lot of those subjects (especially violence), but it seems as though people are defending the bird flip more than condemning the others. Wil Wheaton wrote on his Tumblr about the situation saying this about the use of the middle finger:

For fuck’s sake, America, it’s not the 1950s any more. Grow the fuck up.

Now, maybe we do have it backwards on what is okay for the media to share, but I think it’s more of a problem that we are okay with them sharing any of it. I realize times have changed since the ’50s and that you have to move past the fears of showing couples in bed or saying curse words, but there is a line that television has crossed. But because it was crossed for entertainment, it’s okay. The reason people still freak out about middle fingers and curse words is because they aren’t a direct form of entertainment. They don’t tell a story. Violence makes up a large part of Primetime TV nowadays but, without it, these shows couldn’t exist. It has its point, as does sex. Everyone knows sex sells, but there is no market for curse words and crude gestures. Not on television, at least.

So sure, you can get upset about people getting upset about some silly thing as what happened, but the fact of the matter is, until it becomes a regular part of our everyday lives, people will still get offended. After all, offense comes from being caught off guard from things you don’t have to deal with very often. You wanna take away this issue from both standpoints? Flip more people off. But please, don’t defend the middle finger; such a crude, tasteless, and weak form of expression.

The Moments Of Life

“We’re all puppets, Laurie. I’m just a puppet who can see the strings.”

I feel every day I become more like Dr. Manhattan from Watchmen. I see so many situations in life that people fret and fear and obsess over that, to me, are so minuscule. I look at the big picture while others focus on the distraction in front of them, blinding their foresight. It confuses me—their inability to understand. Sometimes I pity them—other times I am annoyed—and I feel bad about it. I want to let people know when situations are going to be okay, but they seldom understand. I learned a long time ago not to worry about things like love or money. Even when I had nothing, I still felt as though I had everything I needed. Maybe I have been set outside the situations too long. Maybe I have forgotten what it feels like or am even naive about the ordeal entirely. But I don’t feel as though that’s true.

I’ve learned that relationships are a silly thing to worry about. I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter where you live and that your friends only influence you if you want them to. I’ve lost the understanding of addiction and how people struggle with it; or with sleep for that matter. I’ve come to understand that knowledge is the most important thing and words are both the most powerful of tools and the weakest of weapons. Insults and offenses are issues of those being affected by them and should be seen as nothing but feeble attempts to bring out the worst in you while it simultaneously shows the weakness in them. How can people care about the opinions of others? They are wrong, whether true or not, in your mind. All these things that people focus on are pointless. 

People are so set on improving their lives that they don’t realize it’s not their lives that need improvement. Improve your self. Life doesn’t change. It moves on its path and will continue no matter what you do to affect it. People somehow have got it in their brains that there is something wrong with their lives when the majority of the time there is not. It’s about how you perceive your situation. Comparing it to that of others will give you a jaded perception of how YOUR life is supposed to be. But the fact of the matter is it’s not supposed to be anything. It just is. Enjoy it as that. If you don’t like something, you have the ability to change it. Improve upon yourself for the sake of yourself and others. Yes, I said for others. Your life is only half for you, remember that. But don’t be held up by what is wrong or right about your life.

Problems such as cutting, alcoholism, drug addiction, and depression make no sense to me. If I want to quit something, I just quit it. I’m no different than you. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to do the same. This is how my mind works.

When I was younger I had anger issues. I went to a psychiatrist and took medication and felt no different. At some point, I decided I was done with it all. I stopped the medication and I stopped the anger. I don’t remember when that day was or if it was an immediate thing or gradual. I just know it stopped. I’ve been depressed and sad and every other emotion under the sun, but I’ve learned to accept those emotions as being human and, to a certain extent, enjoy them now. Nothing is permanent if you don’t want it to be. But still, people can’t give up cigarettes. Why? Because they don’t want to. If they truly did, they would never pick one up again. 

Still, it confuses and frustrates people when I don’t see their problems. And it’s because I don’t have any problems. Sure, I wouldn’t mind more money, but I don’t need it. I could be in better shape, but the only thing keeping that from happening is me. These things aren’t problems. They are just things about myself that I could improve upon. So when people ask me things like why their relationship didn’t work out I want to say because they didn’t want it to. Or the other person didn’t want it to. Either way, who cares? Why would you want that relationship? It’s obviously not going to work out, so why waste time? I’ve used that for a lot of almost-relationships. “This isn’t going to work out, so why waste our time?” It doesn’t tend to go over well.

My point is, stop focusing on such little setbacks in life and you’ll see that none of them really matter. When I was in school I would stress over a test that I didn’t feel prepared for. But then I thought that, no matter how it went, it would be over in an hour. One hour and I won’t have any control over it anymore. Do you know how short an hour is? It’s over in an instant. Why am I stressing over an instant? I now look at all negative situations that way and because of it they don’t have any more control over me than I do of that test I finished my freshman year. This life is no different than a movie. You can comment on the little inconsistencies or you can just sit back and enjoy.

…And the universe will not even notice.

A Piece Of An Opinion

The point of religion is not about following some invisible man in the sky. It’s about finding meaning and reason in our morals and good intent. Man does not want to go through this life not knowing the reasons for his being any more than he wants to eat because he’s bored. He may do so, but he will always be looking for justification. Religion is that justification. It is a hunger for meaning.

Why do I do this to myself? Why do I go and find the worst possible thing on Netflix and then sit through it by myself as if I’m going to find some hidden jewel of a movie that was wrongly put at 2.5 stars? I understand the directors point in this movie, but it wasn’t even well enough done. It made the mistake of thinking it could take a ridiculous plot and turn it into an 82 minute ironic satire on a type of film that has already been played out in the spoof department. Part of me just wanted to see how bad it could be and, I’ll be honest, if it were made as a short film, it might have succeeded, but it went on way too long for anyone’s idea of a good time. The one shining moment was the monologue at the beginning. Watching that I almost bought into the whole idea and found myself starting to think, “Okay, this could actually be good.” But it all went downhill from there.

This movie was made with the premise of, “Why? Just because.” But when it comes to why I gave it one star, it’s for a reason.

Taking It To The Macs

I never understood “Too soon.” I don’t get how time apart from a tragedy is what makes it funny. Or how people can be so fixated on one emotion that they can’t experience another. For me, there is no wrong moment for a sense of humor. I like comedy. I encourage people to have a laugh at me when I die. Sure, I want people to miss me, but miss me in a way that represents who I was. I understand that a lot of people are upset over the passing of Steve Jobs, but people die every day and still the world finds time to be happy. Why should this be any different of an occasion? I purposefully did not make any jokes yesterday upon hearing the news for two reasons; the first being that I just couldn’t think of anything. He was a good man who cared very much about what he did and there is no joke there. Second, and more importantly, I didn’t make any jokes out of respect. I realize now in my life that the majority of people do not find humor in sadness. I pity those people. But, out of respect, I won’t thrust my humor upon them when they are not prepared for it. I understand it though and don’t condemn those who use it at all. As for this particular joke, I was okay with posting it because it does not actually poke fun at Steve or Apple in any way. It’s using the situation to make a mockery of Fox News, which is always acceptable in my opinion. I do wish I had thought of this joke because it’s genius. And if people are going to be offended by something that is not even directed toward the person we have lost, then they are just too easily offendable and that is their fault, not mine.

A few months ago, Randy Savage past away. This once great wrestler was a popular figure in the 80s and 90s and was considered a hero to many young boys (and probably some girls) whom grew up in that era. His campaigns became synonymous with Slim Jims leaving very few able to hear the product name without yelling, “OH YEEEAAH!” His death was followed by a barrage of jokes ranging from Slim Jim jokes to how he was going to heaven to stop the end of the world, which Harold Camping predicted would take place the very next day. Not once did I read anywhere of people being offended by these jokes, not on Facebook nor Twitter. People did not respect the Macho Man in the same way they did Steve Jobs, but his death was just as tragic if not more. Steve died of pancreatic cancer, a disease he had been battling for years. He had left his position as CEO of Apple in August citing he was unable to perform his duties due to his illness. He spent the next two months with his family. Randy Savage died suddenly from a heart attack while driving his car. He did not have time to say goodbye to his family and loved ones. To me, that is a far more tragic story. But still, it was Steve’s followers who demanded the respect and fairness of not hearing jokes. And maybe the right thing to do is to not make jokes about anyone’s deaths. But there are those out there that disagree with that just as much as the other side of the coin.

My point here is, you should deal with tragedy in your own way and allow others to do the same. Just do it out of respect.

Plausibles Of Life

Inspired by Ryan Freitas’ 35 Lessons in 35 Years, I have compiled a list for the next generation of things you should know about life. These are just my opinion and may not be the same as everyone else’s, but a little help never hurt anyone. 

• Everyone has a place in their lives in which they should have stayed. Don’t be the one dwelling on that fact.
• Sorry, but you are not the most trustworthy person in your life.
• Marching to the beat of your own drum is okay. Just make sure that drum isn’t loud for the sake of attention.
• You should move away from comfort at least once in your life, if not for any other reason than to remember how easy you had it.
• Kids are bored, adults are relaxing. That’s the best way I can discern when you’ve become a grown up.
• No one really wants to hear about your dreams. But a good friend will listen anyway.
• Grammar is in no way important as a form of showing intelligence, but it is a great way of showing you care.
• Guys who respect women will always offer to pay. Women who respect men should only decline once.
• Guys, make the decisions. Trust me, they want you to.
• There is what you should do and there is what you want to do. Seldom do those things coincide.
• If you can’t make a decision, more than likely that means there isn’t a wrong one and your fretting is unnecessary.
• Everything your parents say will happen to you when you get older will.
• Letting someone become a friend when you want a relationship will more than likely ruin both.
• It is better to use your money for vacations than material items. In five years time you won’t be telling anyone about your new Ipad.
• Listening to music from the generation before yours will give you so much more perspective on the word “good.”
• Regret and Pain are both temporary feelings. But wondering, “what if” will last forever.
• Be smart. Always be smart.
• No one will tell you this, but who you love is actually a choice. It’s the stopping part that isn’t. Be aware of that but know it will make no difference when it comes to avoiding heartbreak.
• I have never gotten something I wanted without having to put in more effort than I originally anticipated. Giving up before trying a little harder is the only way you’ve wasted time.

Texas Has Decided To Stop Serving Death Row Inmates A Last Meal Of Choice

From now on the inmates will be forced to eat whatever the prison is serving that day. The reasons being that inmates have been choosing ridiculous amounts of food and not eating them.

I have kept my mouth shut about the death penalty and Troy Davis case, not because I don’t have an opinion, but because I feel everyone has already said everything that needs to be said and, frankly, I don’t think states like Georgia care what others think anyway. I believe the only way you will get the death penalty banned is if it comes from the Senate as a nation-wide ban. But in a time of large debate and scrutiny, Texas has metaphorically spat in the face of those that oppose it.

The decision to stop serving an inmate their “last meal” came Thursday after a state senator complained that Lawrence Russell Brewer—a white supremacist convicted of chaining a black man to the back of his pickup and dragging him down a paved street to his death—was given an extremely large meal of which he didn’t eat any of and of which Sen. John Whitmire considers an “inappropriate” privilege for a person sentenced to death.

But is this really the direction Texas should be heading? If the only harm left this man can do, and his last attempt at rebellion, is to waste some food, is that really worth making a big deal out of? You, Texas, are ending a man’s life; whether guilty or innocent, you are putting finality on the existence of someone and denying them one last indulgence before you do so.

In the city of Amarillo, Tx. there is a steak house called The Big Texan. This restaurant has a year-round challenge that anyone who can eat their largest steak, a 72oz Top Sirloin, in under an hour gets the meal for free.

The rules state a single person must be able to eat the entire 4.5 pound steak (including the fat), baked potato, salad, dinner role, and a shrimp cocktail in 60 minutes in order to complete the challenge. There are two cameras set up to show live footage online of the stage on which the participants will attempt the endeavor. According to their website, 1,584 people have succeeded out of “10s of thousands” since they started it back in 1961.

This is the state that is banning death row inmates’ last meal.

Just imagine if this trend was to be set throughout every state that still uses this barbaric form of punishment. Imagine how Troy Davis would have felt if, after being wrongfully accused and sentenced to death, he was denied the basic luxury of choosing what his last meal as a living person would be. The death penalty is inhumane, but Texas is showing no signs of changing their ways. In fact, they are only showing less remorse while the rest of the nation is still mourning their poor decisions.

Driving While Intexticated

The state of Nevada is set put in place a law banning the use of cell phones while driving. While this won’t be the first state (in fact, it’s the 34th to ban texting while behind the wheel), it does seem to be getting a lot of negative reactions. Now, I myself have been guilty of texting while driving on more than one occasion, but I am completely for this law. I see no reason why texting can’t wait until you get to your destination. If it can’t, it IS a phone and calling is an option (although talking on the cell phone was also put into the bill, so a hands-free device will have to be used).

The law is already in place and warnings will be handed out starting October 1st with tickets starting at the beginning of the new year. I heard a radio commercial for it and decided to go online to check the details (for instance, handheld devices such as bluetooth headsets still allow for talking while driving in California). While on handsfreeinfo.com, I decided to look through the comments and that’s where I saw the surprisingly large amount of people against it, all of which made very immature and downright bad excuses. Here is a list of some of them:

stefan on September 27th, 2010 11:05 pm

Don’t hate because u people can’t walk and chew gum at the same time,if u can’t talk on your phone and drive that’s your proublem if other people can take care of there matters while driving let the be and u go on a head with your boaring life and leave the texting and the phone talkers alone.

stefan J. on March 8th, 2011 7:17 pm

Like the first Stefan said,you always got somebody making somekind of f..k up law,first it was the seat belt, that don’t always saves lives now u telling us we can’t talk on our own dam phones just because some people can’t talk and pay attention 2 the road don’t take it out on everybody else.u people really need to go and get a life,and stop bitchin about your ( IT REALLY HIT HOME STORE ) everything hits home thats every body excuse well the Hell with u complainers there is no law passed in Nv and I will continue to text and talk on my cell phone,i mean that’s what it was maid for if u dum Ass forgot “MOBILE PHONE” oh my bad let me put this in to LAYMAN’s TERMS now do u get it. SJ.

Robert Johnson on April 18th, 2011 8:00 am

Bad idea to pass more laws and become MORE Like Kalifornia.

We already have distracted driving laws on the books.

I cant even tolerate talking while driving, I never do it myself.. but to pass more laws allowing cops into your vehicle because they “Saw you pick up a cell phone” is nuts

And thats exactly what is happening in California.. every day.

People getting tickets for putting their phones on the dash, people getting tickets for holding something “that looked like a cell phone”

So post your sob stories.. I am not moved.. we are a freedom oriented state and these laws just make us less free.

Bruce Pfeiffer on May 24th, 2011 9:00 am

The present bill forbids the use of Amateur radio in automobiles which in turn would limit the usefulness of Amateur Radio in all emergency situations.

ctoe on May 31st, 2011 5:04 pm

This ban will do two things: increase accidents and increase income to governments from the fines given. One other thing that may happen is increase the opportunity for police abuse. Not a good idea if you ask me. Please do not pass this new law.

Jamie on June 9th, 2011 5:43 pm

People are so obsessed with controlling other people. Its not the cell phones fault. What’s next, are we banning food, the radio, those pesky kids, our spouses, road side billboards, the guy walking on the sidewalk with the crazy pants, talking to passengers, our anything else distracting? Punish the destracted driver for causing the accident because they weren’t paying attention and stop trying to control others, what they do in their cars, homes and personal lives. Nosey Nellies!

Jamie on July 6th, 2011 7:09 am

Cell phones down, up next Im supporting legislation banning radios, gps devices and food from vehicles. After that children are extremely distracting, I dont think they should be allowed in vehicles….passengers either. Need legislation for all that too. Go regulation and prohibition of individual freedoms! I can’t wait until we have monitors in our bedrooms making sure we are not offending our nosey controlling neighbors.

How can people be so ignorant and careless? How do they not see that, although they think they are great at texting while driving, that mistakes can happen to anyone? I understand that cops can use it as an excuse for pulling you over and that they may give out tickets when you weren’t actually on a cell phone, but those are a small price to pay for my safety. It is not difficult to not use your cell phone while you drive. 

There were also a lot of comments stating that police officers are seen all of the time using their cell phones and want to know why they can get away with it but we, as civilians, can’t. But who is to say they will get away with it? As of right now, there are no laws against the use of cell phones while driving in the state of Nevada. They can currently use them as freely as anyone else. Come October 1st, they too will have to adhere to this new law. And I understand that kids can be distracting and putting on makeup can be distracting and eating while driving can be distracting, but it stated in the article that cell phones use is the number one cause of car-related deaths in the state of Nevada. Fact. You must go after the biggest safety hazard and not every little thing. Deal with it, people! It’s for your own good!

P.S. Anyone who doesn’t know when to use a period should never have their opinion recognized.

Why I Like Shia LaBeouf (And You Probably Hate Him)

I just read a great article about Shia LaBeouf that really showcases what type of person he is. Love him or hate him, he’s honest and I, personally, find that refreshing.

After reading it, I found myself having more respect for the actor. I was always a fan of his, but even more so now. Sure, he may get into trouble and maybe he isn’t the best role model; it might end up biting him in the ass for trashing co-stars and movies he’s done, but it’s an honest look into the person he is. After reading the article, I looked through a few of the comments and found that most people had taken quite the opposite away from it. Almost every comment was about how terrible of a person he is and that his “bad boy” image is more of a PR scam than anything. Some called him a terrible actor and even went as shallow as to say he’s ugly. And it’s those comments that make me understand why Hollywood is the way it is. People call it fake, but it has to be, for the sake of the people enjoying it. Personally, I would rather the actors be real. If Shia doesn’t want to take a picture with you, he has the right not to. You can comment about how it’s his duty, but when it comes down to it, it’s not. Who was it that decided that pictures with celebrities was an exciting thing to have, let alone a requirement of their jobs? I have seen some celebrities out in public and I have never even bothered them for a “hello” let alone a photo or autograph. I don’t want it. They probably don’t want to give it. I leave it alone. It’s those people that want those things—that require those things—that get angry when denied. Celebrities have every bit a right to turn down a photo with you as you do with me.

Ever since I first saw him on Even Stevens as a kid, I knew he was going to be a big deal. He had great comedic timing and charisma that could not be ignored. Now that he is older, he has shown skills in acting as well (and has even been compared to a young De Niro). He says in the interview that he is done making action films and wants to take on roles that would allow to impress himself, which he says he hasn’t done yet. I imagine he will only get better and, if people will just allow him to be who he is instead of who they want young actors to be, his career might last long enough for him to lead the next generation of great actors.

All Men Are Not Created Equal

I get so tired of trying to defend guys from girls who say we are all assholes/jerks. I would never blame the entire female gender for the acts of one, yet some girls do. I know they can’t mean it. They must know there are us good guys out there. So either they are being petty, being dramatic, or have dated THAT many jerk guys that they believe it’s true. And if it’s the latter, then I hate to tell you this, ladies but… 

It’s your fault.

In my experiences, girls don’t learn from their relationships. They always end up dating the same type. And in these cases, it’s that type that is the problem. You can’t blame me or any other good guy (and we are out there. You’re just not looking for us) for your bad taste.

And I’m not blaming women for these jerk guys, but you aren’t helping the situation by dating them. You are promoting assholery. Trust me, it’s true. Sometimes I fear letting girls know that I’m a great guy because I don’t want them to lose interest in me because of it. That thought literally goes through my mind. If they know I’m nice, they’ll think I’m “soft” or something and no longer will think of me as a dating option. If a girl tells me I’m sweet, it’s over. She will never date me. This is what you are doing to the nice guys. I’m not saying it isn’t our fault too, I just haven’t figured out how it is yet.

So if you are in this situation, step back and examine your life and your relationships and find what those relationships have in common. Maybe you won’t even like any other type of guy, but you should always give things a chance. I’m usually one to take these types of things with a grain of salt and not let it get to me, but you add enough grains and sooner or later it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Ok, I’ll get off my soapbox now. 

P.S. I do realize that this post is a complaint about generalizing men while I am generalizing women to make my point. This is truly about a select few. Most women I know do not fall in this category and just because you like “bad boys” doesn’t necessarily put you in it either. My point, in summation, is for girls to not give up on the idea of good guys. We’re looking for the same thing you are.