McDonalds closing Hundreds of Stores

    McDonald’s shuttered 350 poorly performing stores in Japan, the United States, and China the first three months of 2015 as part of its plan to boost its sagging profits. Those previously unannounced closings, disclosed on a conference call with Wall Street analysts on Wednesday, are on top of the 350 shutterings the world’s largest restaurant chain had already targeted for the year. While those 700 store closings this year represent a fraction of the 32,500 or so restaurants worldwide, they show how aggressive McDonald’s is getting in pruning poorly attended locations that are dragging down its results. Those previously unannounced closings, disclosed on a conference call with Wall Street analysts on Wednesday, are on top of the 350 shutterings the world’s largest restaurant chain had already targeted for the year. While those 700 store closings this year represent a fraction of the 32,500 or so restaurants worldwide, they show how aggressive McDonald’s is getting in pruning poorly attended locations that are dragging down its results. On May 4, the company will start detailing its turnaround strategy.

Youtube App Stops Working on Older Devices

     Like burning down a forest to make sweet nutrients for new growth, YouTube is winding down its service to myriad older devices today. spotted by MacRumors, YouTube notes that "select" devices that were made in 2012 (or earlier) will find that any special-made YouTube apps will no longer work. That's thanks to a change in YouTube's Data API, which Google says opens it up to features like comments, captions, RSS push notifications, and flagging videos. So far, the list of devices that the update puts out to pasture includes older TVs and Blu-ray disc players from Sony and Panasonic, Google TV devices running version 3 or 4, game consoles without support for Adobe Flash or HTML5, along with iOS devices running anything less than iOS 7. The update also impacts the second-generation Apple TV, requiring users to start videos on their iPhones, iPods, and iPads then stream them using AirPlay.The change is likely to have the biggest impact on anyone who hasn't purchased a dedicated streaming device in the past three years, and that relies instead on apps built into Smart TV sets.

     

Sword Art Online

      Sword Art Online (SAO) is another anime I just started this year. It's right behind Fairy Tail as my favorite anime. 

     SAO is about  a Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG), released in 2022. With the Nerve Gear, a virtual reality  helmet that stimulates the user's five senses via their brain, players can experience and control their in-game characters with their minds. On November 6, 2022, the players log into SAO for the first time, and later discover that they are unable to log out. They are then informed by Akihiko Kayaba, SAO's creator, that if they wish to be free, they must reach the 100th floor of the game's tower and defeat the final boss. However, if their avatars die in-game, their bodies will also die in the real world. One of these players is Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya, who was chosen as one of the 1,000 beta testers in the closed beta. Since he had previous experience and knowledge of the game, he felt that he could beat the game easily. As a result, he set out to beat the game on his own. As the game progresses for two years, Kirito eventually befriends a female player named Asuna with whom he ultimately falls in love. 

     The first season is on Netflix, but SAO 2 is on Toonami, a series of shows that appear at specific times on adult swim, and is still on.

Frozen vs The Snowman

     In its second attempt, the Walt Disney Company failed to have a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by The Snowman creator Kelly Wilson dropped on Thursday. (Cue “Let It Go” jokes.) Wilson filed the suit last March, claiming the teaser trailer for Frozen boasted many similarities to her short, 2D computer-animated film. Disney first tried to have the suit dismissed in July; California federal judge Vince Chhabria, however, said “the sequence of events in both works, from start to finish, is too parallel to conclude that no reasonable juror could find the works substantially similar.”

     I really like Frozen and other Disney movies because my family likes them and going to Disney World, they are entertaining. The Snowman and the Frozen teaser trailer look similar but I think they are different. The characters are not the same animal or the same size snowman. There is no dialogue in The Snowman unlike like in the teaser trailer there is. The only thing that is the same is the setting.

     The first video is the Frozen teaser trailer and the second video is The Snowman.

AVATAR sequals

James Cameron has delayed the first sequel of one of his hit movies, AVATAR.Three sequels are planned, with the releases staggered across three years. The first sequel which was originally intended to open in theaters in later 2016 would have been the perfect spring-board for the Disney's Animal Kingdom AVATAR land opening in early 2017. Disney and Cameron are expected to be using elements from the sequels in the new land, which now will open before the movies hit the screens.The original AVATAR movie is the highest grossing movie of all time, taking nearly $2.8 billion at the box office.

Disney Secrets

   I love going to Disney with my family there is always something new and something we never knew before. There are many secrets hidden throughout the Disney Parks in Florida and California. In one article I read, it showed 25 Walt Disney World Secrets(some of the facts aren't true anymore). These are some of my favorite secrets from this article that I found interesting:

• Of the 3 Presidential Seals in this country, one is located in the Hall of Presidents in Disney World. The other two are in the Oval Office and the hall where the Liberty Bell is housed.
•  The plane from Casablanca part of the Great Movie Ride is actually the front half of the crashed plane from the Jungle Cruise ride. Efficient huh?
• When Pirates of the Caribbean was being built in 1967, Disney Imagineers didn’t like the look of the false skeletons placed around the ride. So, with the help of UCLA medical school, they were able to place actual human skeletons about the place. Most have since been removed, though the skull and crossbones on this headboard are still human.
• On the signage for Animal Kingdom, a dragon can be seen amongst other less fictional beasties. There was originally going to be an area called the Beastly Kingdom, which was going to be dedicated to mythical animals. 

If you would like to read the rest of the secrets here is the link to the site: http://www.disneyfanatic.com/25-walt-disney-world-secrets/

Airplane Home

     If you happened to stumble across this home, you'd be forgiven for thinking there had been a terrible airplane accident. That's because Bruce Campbell, a retired electrical engineer, lives, believe it or not, in retired Boeing 727 fuselage. The industrious recycler Bruce has had his old plane placed in woods near Portland, Oregon, where he lives happily amongst some of the original seating and even the airplane-style toilet. Bruce believes every old plane should be 'upcycled' like his has been, declaring on his website, "Jetliners can, and should, be transformed into wonderful homes – retirement into an aerospace class castle should be every airliner's constructive fate. They should never be mindlessly scrapped."
He has transformed the inside of the plane into a workable living space.

There are more pictures, here is the link to the site to see them:http://www.awesomeinventions.com/boeing-727-conversion-home/

Fairy Tail

I like to watch anime, but only the english versions so I can understand them. My favorite anime so far is Fairy Tail. It is a manga(comics that are made in Japan) written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. The television show came out October 12, 2009 in Japan, in America it came out April 15, 2011. The world of Fairy Tail, called Earth-land, is populated by humans and numerous other races, including catlike creatures called Exceed, dragons, celestial spirits, and giant beasts. The majority of the series takes place in the Kingdom of Fiore, a fictional country in Earth-land populated by 17 million people, 10% of whom able to perform magic. I've heard about this show for a while, but I never got around to watching until last week. There are only 175 episodes of the english version, but there are 229 episodes all together so far. If you want to start watching anime, or want another series to watch, I suggest Fairy Tail or Soul Eater.

Anonymous Attacks ISIS

ISIS is facing massive attacks on its web forums, Twitter accounts and other social media outlets, purportedly from Anonymous, the loosely affiliated online activism group. Over the past few days, most of the prominent jihadi forums used by ISIS members and supporters, such as AlPlatformMedia.com, have been taken offline and since stayed that way. Anonymous members have been boasting about their digital campaign against terrorists, squarely focused on ISIS. Its unclear whether Anonymous is 100 percent responsible for the digital blackout—but for an organization like ISIS that relies so heavily on social media to spread its propaganda, it’s likely to be a critical blow. Anonymous claimed responsibility for targeting dozens of websites, forums and social media accounts used to broadcast ISIS propaganda and recruit new fighters.

Your Zodiac Sign

You May Have Been Born A Completely Different Zodiac Sign Than You Think.

The zodiac was born about 2,000 years ago. Since then, as you might imagine, the world has changed quite a bit — but so has the sky.A report from BBC’s “Stargazing Live”points out that even if your horoscope always seems accurate, you’ve actually been living a zodiac lie.Thanks to a little thing called precession(the Earth’s wobble on its axis), the way we see the stars has slowly shifted.

Although exact dates have differed in the past, here are the new signs as reported by BBC’s Stargazing Live:

Sagittarius: 19 December – 20 January

Capricorn: 21 January – 16 February

Aquarius: 17 February – 12 March

Pisces: 13 March – 18 April

Aries: 19 April – 14 May

Taurus: 15 May – 21 June

Gemini: 22 June – 20 July

Cancer: 21 July – 10 August

Leo: 11 August – 16 September

Virgo: 17 September – 31 October

Libra: 1 November – 23 November

Scorpio: 24 November – 29 November

Ophiuchus: 30 November –  18 December

I don't know if this is true, but this seemed interesting to share. If it's not true I am still a Pisces, if it is, I am now an Aquarius. 

RoosterTeeth Animated Adventures

I like watching Roosterteeth because they are funny and entertaining. When they make videos they tell weird stories of what happened to them or just talk about random stuff. The animators make animated adventures about those stories, this is probably my favorite one when they talk about how easy it is to get achievements on the Xbox One and 'The Adams Family'.

Trolling Videos

I like watching these kind of videos they are really funny. I usually see annoying kids playing online when I am playing and they are always yelling about some stupid thing or making annoying sounds. The guy making the voice of ANONYMOUS is trolling a little kid and you should watch the video and listen to the conversation.

Why Do People Like Loud Music?

Why Do People Like Loud Music that Shakes the Room?

Every time I'm in my dorm room doing work or watching TV, there is always one room that blasts music so loud that it shakes the walls and about to blow out the speaker in my headphones. Even when I don't have my headphones on the bass from whatever they are listening to hurts my ears. Why do people listen to music that loud? Do they do it to annoy other people or just because they can? It annoys me when some people go ask them to turn it down because you can hear it down at the other end of the hall and the people who are blasting the music do turn it down and the next song they turn it up twice as loud as before.

Ikea "Home Smart" Furniture Wireless Charging

Ikea announced Sunday March 1st, 2015 at Mobile World Congress it is introducing its first furniture line that offers wireless charging for phones, tablets, and other mobile devices.

Ikea’s furniture, which it calls its “Home Smart” line, will integrate the popular Qi wireless charging technology into special “charging pads” on the furniture. People will then be able to buy and assemble the furniture and leave their Qi-supported devices on those pads for a quick battery charge.

Smartphones that don’t support Qi will be incompatible with this furniture. The Qi wireless charging technology is controlled by the Wireless Power Consortium, which boasts 200-plus members including Samsung, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, HTC, Verizon Wireless, and others.

More than 80 different smartphones offer support for Qi, which is currently the most used wireless charging standard in the world. It works thanks to embedded magnetic coils that generate a small electromagnetic field — smartphones and tablets that support Qi then convert this field into energy to replenish the device’s battery.

I thought this was interesting because people are always hanging over their chairs and sofas to charge their electronics. I think charging cords are getting shorter every time something new comes out and with this furniture you can just put your electronic on your table and it will charge and you don’t have to forget to plug it in or forget that you plugged it in.

Chainsaw Carving

Griffon Ramsey Makes Groot

Griffon Ramsey is an artist with a passion for chainsaws. She work out of the FORT, a beautifully raw warehouse art space in east Austin, Texas. Although wood is her medium of choice at the moment, she likes to experiment with a variety of materials. She's inspired by fantasy, magic, tarot, tattoos, pop and alternative culture. 

I found out about Griffon through Roosterteeth because her husband, Geoff Ramsey, works and is the boss of Achievement Hunter for them. She makes a lot of cool sculptures like Elsa from 'Frozen' and other pieces that are put in courtyards of museums. But, my favorite one is Groot from 'Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy'. I always liked stuff from Marvel because the characters in Marvel entertained me more than characters from 'DC'. 

Facta about Video Games

This are a few facts facts that I found about video games that I thought were interesting:

1) They May Help Dyslexic Kids Read Better

In February, the Italian researchers presented evidence that playing fast-paced video games can improve the reading skills of children with dyslexia.The team separated children age 7 to 13 into two groups, one of which played an action game called "Rayman Raving Rabids" while the other played a lower tempo game. When the reading skills of the children were tested afterwards, those who played the action game were capable of reading faster and more accurately.

2) Video Games can be a Pain Reliever

In 2010, researchers presented evidence at the American Pain Society's annual scientific meeting that video games, specifically ones with an emphasis on virtual reality, have proven effective in reducing anxiety or pain caused by medical procedures or chronic illness. The study found that when people undergoing chemotherapy or other serious treatments were immersed in a virtual gaming world, they reported significantly less stress and fear.

3) Video Games can be as Effective as One-on-One Counseling

In 2012, researchers in New Zealand created a novel way to treat depressed teenagerswith "SPARX," a video game designed to give therapy to kids in a way that was more fun and active than traditional counseling.The study included 168 teens with an average age of 15 that had previously sought help or struggled with depression. Half of the group was randomly assigned to "treatment as usual,” which was usually one-on-one counseling over five sessions. The other half played SPARX, a fantasy game where the subjects created avatars in order to squash “gloomy negative automatic thoughts,” and restore order in the virtual world. Each level taught players basic facts about depression, strategies for dealing with intense negative emotions and relaxation techniques.The results for the SPARX group were extremely encouraging. About 44 percent of SPARX players recovered completely from depression while only 26 percent of the control group were no longer depressed.

Fact or Fiction

Video Games Are the Future of Education

As kids all across the U.S. head back to school, they’re being forced to spend less time in front of their favorite digital distractions. Or are they?

Video games are playing an increasing role in school curricula as teachers seek to deliver core lessons such as math and reading—not to mention new skills such as computer programming—in a format that holds their students’ interests. Some herald this gamification of education as the way of the future and a tool that allows students to take a more active role in learning as they develop the technology skills they need to succeed throughout their academic and professional careers.

Some people say that video games do not help your education and can decrease you knowledge. Some things I learned were from playing video games. Some games could help you learn about history or help you with a job you have.

The Inside of a Camera

I have been watching SlowMo Guys for a couple years and they are a very entertaining channel. Some of the stuff they do is dangerous and you should not try at home, but there are little things that you can do at home and somethings you never seen before. This video shows what happens inside a camera.

I am a Video Production major and this is a video that interested a lot. This is a camera that can take pictures if the object is going at a fast speed and not have a blur behind it. The person in this video is Gavin Free, he is a member of Achievement Hunter at Roosterteeth and he has done camera work for many shows and movies.

World's Biggest, Highest Hammock

Biggest Hammock, Must Slackline to it.

Ever wish your living room was 607 square feet? How about if it was suspended 492 feet above the ground, and 213 feet from the nearest piece of solid footing? That was basically the idea behind the "pentagon space net" – a slackline-suspended, over-sized hammock that hung above the Fruit Bowls outside Moab, Utah. World renowned slackliner, 'Sketchy' Andy Lewis, came up with the idea wanted to create a sharable space where everybody could meet in the middle of a canyon. The line suspended by five double-stacked slacklines totalling over 1,969 feet in length. The net itself required two 230-foot climbing ropes, 197 feet of line for the "ring" and 16,404 feet of paracord.The space net hung for over a week and well over 250 people visited the net, with quite a few spending the night. There were over 200 BASE jumps made through a circular hole in the middle of the net, where there was a safe, but wobbly, take-off. While it wasn't cheap – Andy estimates the material and costs to be nearly $50,000 – but, all in all, the project was a major success. “It was awesome because the BASE jumpers wanted to highline, the highliners got to see BASE in person,” Andy said. “It was really cool! And a huge help to all the Moab Monkeys – people like Brian Mosbaugh, Hayley Ashburn, who made it happen!” 

http://www.redbull.com/us/en/adventure/stories/1331698545913/discover-the-pentagon-the-best-multi-line-slackline?wtk=us000028&linkId=11725551

I started Slacklining at the beginning of the school year and I am still doing it twice a 

week, since it's winter time, I would do more if it was nicer out. I am starting to learn 

stuff on the trick line so I could do more than just walk and do yoga poses on it. 

Slacklining is a nice way to relieve stress and to hang out with people who know how 

to do it and learn how. I plan on getting my own line soon to practice more. I am not a 

fan of heights so I might not go as high as Andy Lewis and his friends.

Flash Embed

Distractions while driving

Texting and Driving

     When I am in the car by myself and I am driving I do not touch my phone until I reach my destination. My family knows I do not do that and they know it is bad to do, but I still see them do it. When I am in the passenger seat and someone from my family is driving they will sometimes pick up the phone when it rings and it will make me nervous becaus ethey usually answer it when we are on a busy road. I do not tell them anything I just give them a worried look on my face. If they see my face they usually put it down and let me or who ever else is in the car with us answer it.

     I know a few people who got in crashes due to distracted driving, but it was the person who crashed into them who was distracted not the people I know. Many people overestimate how well they drive. Some people I know say they are good at driving(which they are), but not when they get distrated by their phone. I would usually see them slow down and almost make the car behind us hit the car because they are more worried about a text then the saftey of us and the car.

Netflix Is Developing a Live-Action ‘Legend of Zelda’ Series

Interesting series, Yes or No?

     'The Legend of Zelda' is one of the most popular video games ever made, and now there is a work in progress series made for 'Netflix'.     
     The video streaming service is in the early stages of developing a live action series based on “Zelda,” about an ordinary boy named Link who must rescue a princess named Zelda and save a fantasy world called Hyrule, said a person familiar with the matter. As it seeks writers to work on the show, Netflix is describing it as "Game of Thrones" for a family audience.     
      Netflix is said to be working closely with Nintendo, the Japanese game developer that has made about 20 “The Legend of Zelda” games since the original, which was released in the U.S. in 1987. Nintendo is very protective of its intellectual property and has allowed few adaptations over the years. An animated “Legend of Zelda” series ran for just one season in 1989. A 1993 movie based on Nintendo’s “Super Mario Bros." was an infamous bomb.

     As it is still seeking a writer to work on the series, Netflix has a long road to travel before a “Legend of Zelda” series actually becomes a reality. It’s also possible that Netflix or Nintendo will kill the project before it gets off the ground. A Netflix spokeswoman declined to comment. A Nintendo spokesman said the company “doesn’t comment on rumors and speculation.”

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2015/02/06/legend-of-zelda-netflix-series/

I like to play video games, when I am at school I don't bring my Xbox, but I do play Minecraft. When I am at home I play 'The Legend of Zelda' games sometimes. I think my favorite one so far is 'Twilight Princess' food the 'Wii'. I think it would be interesting to see a series about the game, but it depends if the series will be about a previous game or it will be different.

First Swimming Dinosaur "Half-Duck, Half-Crocodile"

Only Dinosaur that lived in water?

     The fearsome Spinosaurus is one of the icons of the dinosaur pantheon. It was larger than T. rex (and larger than all other carnivorous dinosaurs, in fact), and on its back it sported a sail taller than an adult man. Now, researchers have discovered something even more astonishing about this ancient beast. Spinosaurus was the only known dinosaur adapted to living almost entirely in the water. 

     Around 97 years ago, in a river system now known as Africa, the Spinosaurus sliced through the water, snaring fish in its cone-shaped, interlocking teeth. New fossils reveal that the 50-foot-long (15 meters) dinosaur had a host of adaptations for an aquatic lifestyle, including flat, possibly webbed feet and nostrils high up on its head.

     With a guide to lead them to the Spinosaurus site, the researchers discovered even more bones, all from the same individual dinosaur. They soon realized that these bones were very strange indeed. They were very dense, without the hollow medullary cavity found at the center of the long bones of the arms and legs in most animals. Dense bones like these are found in marine animals and function as a sort of buoyancy control.

http://www.livescience.com/47797-swimming-dinosaur-found-spinosaurus-was-adapted-for-aquatic-life.html

     I wasn't really big into science too much as a child, but when I see something that I think is interesting I'll read it. When I was younger I liked dinosaurs. I read books, magazine articles, and went to museums and I also watched then Land Before Time movies. I think my favorite dinosaur was the T-Rex because it was one of the most dominate dinosaurs back then. When I first saw this article it got me excited because I'm more it science now and it was cool to read about dinosaurs again.

What are your top 3 news websites?

1. CNN
2. New York Times
3. Journalist without borders

Which college do you attend?

SUNY Plattsburgh