I Love The Internet, But ...

Editor's note: I've been profiled in the Charlotte Observer - check it out!

Mashable is reporting that the United Nations Human Right council has declared the internet a human right. From the article:

The resolution says that all people should be allowed to connect to and express themselves freely on the Internet. All 47 members of the Human Rights Council, including notoriously censorship-prone countries such as China and Cuba, signed the resolution.

The internet has changed the world as I wrote about earlier, but I wouldn't equate it to a human right. These rights tend to be intangibles such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I view the internet as a utility, like electricity, gas, and water - very important things that a civilized society needs, but not a right.

If the internet stopped operating tomorrow, I'd have a tough time.  But I could also live like - oh, I don't know, how I did the first 14 years of my life before I discovered the web in high school.  I can still read, play video games, program, and enjoy life. I couldn't say that if I lost access to freedom.

A Year Since the Launch

One year ago, I was lucky enough to see the last NASA Space Shuttle launch in person. I joined over 100 other participants in the NASA Social program (formerly NASA Tweetup) as we had exclusive media access to the best seats in the house in Cape Canaveral, Florida.. We shared laughs, knowledge, and more laughs as we celebrated all that the US has done with the space program in the last few decades.

Amazingly, we've come a long way since then, with SpaceX's Dragon becoming the first private spacecraft to dock with the International apace Station and China launching its first woman into space. Space exploration will continue, even without the shuttles.

For my thoughts at the time, check out the following posts:

- Initial announcement of my trip

- Philadelphia Examiner interview

- WHYY interview

- Recap of the first day of the two day program

- Video from the Shuttle up close

- Video of the final liftoff (also embedded above)

- Post Launch thoughts

- Writeup for Media Tapper

A Boy, a Man, and a VHS Player

Check out the hilarious video below of a filmmaker who left a video for himself 20 years ago. He obviously takes some editing liberties, but he's allowed to since he's talking to himself!

I never had a camcorder as a kid, but this is something I definitely would have done. I did, however, own a VHS player, and would often record my favorite shows and movies of the time. I was talking to my mom the other day and she still has her dedicated VHS rewinder, which I remember using especially for avoiding the extra charge that Blockbhster would penalize you for if your returned tape was not fully rewound.

Thank You, Internet

The internet has changed my life. I've been able to easily keep up with old friends, find new friends that share my interests, and keep myself educated on everything from history to electronics. And of course, this blog would be nothing more than a personal journal if I couldn't share it online.

The flag shown above was created by Google and is comprised of several quotes about what makes the internet awesome. Check out some of the quotes in detail in the video embedded below, and add your quote at Google's site.

#ScienceLooksGood: This July 4th Could Explain Everything

This July 4th can explain everything. And I mean EVERYTHING, as in how the universe works. Scientists have been puzzeld for decades as to why some particles have mass and some don't, and they have hypotehsized the existence of something known as the Higgs Boson particle that would explain why. It's rumored that scientists will announce the discovery of the Higgs Boson, or "God particle", on July 4th.

Ezra Klein made me SO happy by geeking out and going into the importance of the Higgs boson. It's a great primer - check it out!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

There are many other videos on the history of the Higgs boson on a very helpful MSNBC page. 

The Minute Physics YouTube channel that Ezra refers to is also beyond awesome.  Here's a quick one, which covers the equation called the Standard Model that predicts the existence of the Higgs Boson:

Check out Minutephysics on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+!