I don’t go to killer whale shows at Marine World for the same reason I don’t go to tiger shows in Vegas. I don’t really enjoy watching animals that were designed to do something specific (like kill) in an environment where that’s the last thing they’re doing. These aren’t just wild animals- they’re predators.

Yesterday a trainer at Seaworld was grabbed by one of their biggest killer whales and dragged underneath into the water to her death for no apparent reason. Oh there’s a reason.

Let me put it in perspective- they’re called killer whales. If the only killer whales you’ve known are the ones at Marine World dancing on top of a table for your entertainment, then educate yourself. Killer whales in the ocean kill everything. They don’t care who they kill- they eat blue whales for breakfast, great white sharks for lunch. Now, the reason why they’re called “killer” is cuz they’re known to toy around with their prey while they’re killing them. That’s why they’re not called hunter whales- because their mentality is beyond hunting.

Now imagine something with those kinds of genetics…  imprisoned inside of a bathtub and forced to do stupid tricks. I’m not a killer, but even I’d kill someone if that happened to me long enough. You’re talking about something that kills mako sharks and not even eat them. Any animal who’s killing habits almost fall under “hobbies” you should never trust.

It’s naive for anyone to think that it’s possible to domesticate every animal- you can’t put a leash on some animals, that’s just the way it is. Even dogs for example, you can tame a Maltese or a Pomeranian, but don’t bring a Pit Bull into your home with your kids. I don’t know much about the Pit Bull’s origins but I know a predator when I see one. And some dog owners will debate you that every dog is in fact, wild to some degree and can turn on you at any minute but the fact remains: a Maltese cannot kill you. If it turns on you, kick it. I am quite sure you can punt a Maltese pretty far. If a Pit Bull turns on you, grab your gun because it has the ability to rip your head off.

I feel the Seaworld thing is a pretty big lesson. You can’t tap dance on top of a killer whale’s head for 10 years and be surprised when he finally loses it and tries to kill you. “Tilly (the whale in question) is so big that he most likely didn’t know he was playing too rough- he doesn’t understand how fragile the small human was.” says another trainer. Oh foolish trainer, the whale knows he killed someone. He knows. Don’t think that animals are that dumb- they know when something’s dead. The error lies in expecting something that was built to kill, to learn that it’s not ok to kill. Tilly’s moral values might be different, but Tilly’s not stupid.

Come on, Seaworld- free Tilly. You’re gonna lose more money the more people Tilly kills (this isn’t the first trainer he’s killed). Free Tilly.

There is this mysterious complex that’s been bugging me- a curious phenomenon of unknown origin. And it’s about people who put protective screens on their iPhones. It’s the idea of masking something that’s beautiful, in order to retain the beauty. The purpose of beauty is to be appreciated observationally- hiding it behind a mask to maintain that beauty doesn’t make any sense.

Some people use a protective screen to make it fingerprint proof- or like I once did, some use the matte finish ones to make it feel nicer. But that’s something else- I’m talking about people who buy a couch and leave the shipping plastic on, forever. Like why not get a sleeve? A sleeve will keep it from getting scratched when traveling, but won’t detract from the beauty of the device when you take it out to use it.

Could also be that the person who bought the device is not intending commitment towards it, like they bought it keeping in mind they may want to resell it again. But that’s no fun- worrying about something being back on the market. Ride or die. Just ride or die. Commit to your purchase worry-free, and use that thing until it breaks. Everything eventually gets worn, gets scratched, gets broken- so let it happen.

It’s like the guy down the street who owns a sports car in mint condition because he never drives it. It stays in his garage the whole time and he runs the engine on idle once a week just to keep the oil from rotting. It’s a sports car. It’s like putting an eagle in a cage- that thing was designed to fly and you chain it to the ground to protect it. So sad =(

Wanna-be Racers

Here’s a quick tip for you noobs out there with rich parents: Race car drivers don’t tint their windows because you need to be able to see all angles clearly in order to do something called “driving fast without hitting someone”.

Sure, you might’ve done it just for style’s sake, but you’re still a noob.

You know what’s interesting about my iPhone? I use a lot of the apps I buy from the iTunes store, sure- but the interesting thing is I never listen to music or watch videos on it. And the reason is: the iPhone and iPod Touch are primarily app devices. Playing music and movies have taken second place for iPods as we now see that the media features on other players (like the Zune for example) have advanced a lot farther and dare I say a lot better than Apple’s interface.

You may say it’s just the little annoyances of iTunes but playing music and videos isn’t rocket science and so it is indeed the little annoyances that makes other interfaces better. Like why is it when you turn your iPod sideways when playing a song, you lose the ability to go back to the overall media menu? Yeah it can be undone by turning the iPod vertical again but it’s pretty annoying when your iPod is connected to your car’s iPod holder and the holder keeps the iPod sideways. I’m pretty much at the point in my life where I want to say to Apple, screw your philosophies and what you think is best- give us the option. I’m paying you money, let me decide what is best, ok? If I have to wait every few months for Apple to “listen to its customers” and then come out with a better product that we have to buy once again, it’s really not worth the time or the money.

When I get an iPhone firmware update, it’s usually some security thing that I don’t notice. When I got a Zune update, I got better games, longer battery life (the bar literally stays full green for another hour) and I got my quick list feature back. Nice, Microsoft listened and I didn’t have to pay extra. Heck even on my Sony PS3, the last time I updated they added a built-in Facebook thing, TV options, and a cool grid interface for media. It seems like when other devices get updates, they really get updates. Not really so on my iPhone- I think the last time I updated the firmware, the iPhone merely fixed an issue that was caused by the last firmware update. O__o

And one more thing, I have an iPhone so I know this said issue doesn’t affect me… but is it true that Apple charged iPod Touch owners for the 3.0 upgrade? Who charges for firmware?? In contrast, I remember when I first bought my Sony PS3, it didn’t do anything except play games and Bluray movies. A number of firmware updates later, the same PS3 is now a media box that can stream content, includes a virtual environment, a chat feature along with better social networking features, and when idle can be utilized to research cancer. And it does all this without me paying an extra penny. Why is Apple charging for firmware updates like iTunes Genius. What if I’m an iPod Touch owner and I don’t want Genius (cuz nobody cares about it really) but I do want future security updates? I’m screwed into paying then, aren’t I?

If there’s one thing Apple doesn’t do well, it’s keeping old customers up to date with new customers for free. Hopefully, the Zune phone will be a wake-up call for Apple to stop charging people for nothing, and get back into the business of making state-of-the-art products.