Better Late, Than Never

  "Fresh" is a documentary by Ana Joanes about sustainable agriculture and takes a deep look into the lives of farmers who are changing the way food is distributed and consumed in America's food system. The purpose of the film is to shed a light on the lack of sustainable agriculture in America and it's harmful side effects while also raising awareness about the surge of farmers who are shifting away from the old system and into a new system of sustainable agriculture.  The audience of the film is the general public, seeing as food and eating effects each and every one of us as human beings. Joanes does a great job conveying the importance of sustainable agriculture in America and after watching the film, it definitely left me thinking more about food, where it comes from, how we get it, and what it does to us once we eat it.  One of the most memorable moments of the film was not a when, but a who, and after watching Joel Salatin give us a run-down of sustainable agr...

MAYHEM We all know the familiar slogan; "Protect yourself, from mayhem...like me." Odds are you even have a favorite "Mayhem Moment" or, at the very least, have gotten a chuckle or three out of one of the famous Allstate commercials. But why are they so effective? Why do we remember them? Is it only the comedy? If so, why are these particular ads so funny? Well, let's take a moment together and break down one of these ads and examine exactly why these ads are so potent. The ad starts with the image of a social media post that reads "New Orleans, Baby!" and shows a couple in front of what looks like an out of focus backdrop of a sports stadium of some sort. The couple are also seen wearing sports jerseys, so we can assume this ad is targeted at sports fans. "I'm kind of a social media nerd. I'm also kind of a burglar." the actor who portrays Mayhem says. The camera now shows Mayhem sitting on a couch in a destroyed apartment. The knock...

  A.I.generated image of two alligators, a dog, a bunny, and a mouse playing poker. Illusion or Reality? Hello world. Everyday artificial intelligence gets better and better, and with this comes with the reality that everything we see or hear might  not be, well, real. "How is that, old man?" you might be asking? "If I see it, or hear it, it's real." And technically, you're right. This image of two alligators, a dog, a bunny, and a moose playing poker is technically real. It's an image. We can see it. It exists. But we also know that none of those animals are sitting around a poker table enjoying a bit of Texas Hold Em. So obviously  the image isn't real. It was generated by artificial intelligence.  If you've read my previous entries about A.I., you might remember the story I told you about the mother who scammers attempted to bribe for ransom with A.I. generated sound clips that sounded exactly  like her daughter. Scary stuff. Now again, we all...

      The foil wrapper crinkles as I peel it away from the packaging. Using my thumb, I push one of the small cylinders into my hand; then I pop it into directly into my gaping food receptacle. It clanks against my teeth before meeting its inevitable fate of being crushed by the same champers it just clanked against. Intense cooling overtakes my taste buds, almost to the point of pain, before my saliva gushes to the rescue, alleviating the burning sensation caused by the crushing of this cylinder.  "Pheewwww" I exhale, then quickly inhale, noticing the overwhelming freshness released from my mouth. The coolness of my breath once again caused a slight pain; a slight, but enjoyable pain. The sweetness of the piece outweighs the discomfort of the coolness on my throat and tongue. Knowing I probably shouldn't, I again use my thumb to maneuver a piece into my hand. I repeat the process; although  this time  accompanied by a small amount of guilt. I sit...

  A.I.: FRIEND OR FOE? Hello World     It seems like we can't go anywhere today without some sort of reminder of the ever-rapid growth and integration of artificial intelligence in our day-to-day lives. Whether it's our favorite search engine trying to persuade us to use their "revolutionary" A.I., or "Siri" wanting us to order a pizza by pressing a button and yelling "I WANT PIZZA" at our square pieces of metal, glass, and plastic. And no matter how we feel about it, it seems like artificial intelligence will have more and more of an impact and say-so on our day-to-day lives the more time passes. But with every revolutionary technology, we have to proceed cautiously because the faster we rush a powerful technology such as artificial intelligence into our everyday lives, the less we will be prepared for the inevitable downfalls of said technology.  The scariest story I've heard about artificial intelligence actually took place in Scottsdale, Ar...

  Hello World     Today, I would like to talk to you a little bit about blogs. You're probably asking yourself, "why am I reading a blog , about blogs ?" And honestly, that's a very fair question. But stick with me, and hopefully by the end of this  post, you will have a better understanding of what I think of blogs and bloggers.  I have been reading blogs before they were called blogs. In my day, we called them magazines (yes, I'm old). And while magazines are still alive and well, many of the major magazines, if not all, have adopted a web-based "blog" version of their product. It's just the times we live in, and honestly, I am all for it. No longer are the days of checking your mailbox for the latest edition of "Game Informer" magazine. Now, I can simply turn on a CPU or phone, press a few buttons or keys, and I have that very magazine at my fingertips. Instantly. On the exact same date every month. It's truly amazing. And I know you...

  Hello World     Welcome to my blog. My name is Justin Bullard and here you will find a collection of my thoughts and opinions on various topics over the course of the next few months. I look forward to sharing my viewpoints and life endeavors with all of you, and I hope that my escapades and wisdom (at least that's what I call it) can inspire someone out there to never give up on their dreams--no matter how "late" you may be. "If it's still in your mind, it's worth taking the risk." -Unknown      Let me start by telling you a little about myself. I am 37 years old, I've been married to my lovely wife Jeneva for 16 years, and we have 3 beautiful girls together. I am currently going to school full time at Glendale Community College where I am focusing on a degree in Visual and Performance Arts, with an emphasis on music. Speaking of music, it is one of my favorite hobbies, from listening to music to creating it; I just absolutely love  music and I...