It’ been a long time coming.  I finally joined the ranks of ultimate dork-dom and bought myself a pocket protector…oops, I mean Bluetooth headset.  Yes, I have now completely integrated myself into the digital world of communications by attaching technology to my body.  It’s already bad enough that I’m walking around with my BlackBerry hanging off my hip at all times.  Now I feel like I just had an implant inserted into my brain…which will likely be the next step after my new Bluetooth headset.

Why Ryan would ever do such a thing?  Like pocket protectors, it definitely isn’t to make a fashion statement.  It comes from my need for function and the desire to decrease the odds of getting brain cancer from excessive cell phone usage.  There is much debate over cell phones causing harm to our bodies.   Even if it is false and they are totally safe, why take the risk.  I can’t get rid of my phone and want to live a long and healthy life; so if I can take some preventative measures, why not?

The only problem I’ve had so far with the new Bluetooth headset is the overwhelming insecurity I feel wearing it in public.  I’m told by fellow super dork Lee that my insecurities will pass once I embrace the true dork that lies within all of us!

Even if my cell phone won’t kill me, the car accident I may one day have while driving with my knees, with a phone in one hand and a drink in the other will probably get the job done much quicker!

I have just recently bought my first HDTV, it is cool!  Although I would like something a little bigger, the Sony Bravia 40 inch LCD with 1080p S series is good for a first flat panel television set, it was cheap (was on sale), and our living room is not very big for a home theatre.  Another reason for a new TV set is because the old 37 inch Tube TV is too heavy to move to the new house, and someone was willing to take it for a few hundred dollars.  I was a little critical of the new flat panel televisions, but came to like my new TV.  I feel like I have made a good choice.

The two new technologies out there for HDTV are 1080p (full high definition screen resolution) and 120 Hz (to eliminate motion blurring) — not a very technical explanation, but a layman’s definition.  I am happy that I have at lease one of the two, since the 120 Hz feature the newest, therefore, the same 40 inch LCD with 120 Hz is doubled in price of my LCD TV.  I read a few discussions online and heard from everyday conversation about Plasma versus LCD technologies that are common nowadays; Japanese brand of electronics like Panasonic and Sony versus the recently popular South Korean electronic brands like Samsung and LG.  I’ve based my decision solely on these bias opinions and what my wallet permits — trying to search for the “best bang for the buck” as Lee would say — I ended up with the Japanese branded and the LCD technology.

Don’t take me wrong, the Samsung and LG LCD televisions look very modern, sleek, and very pretty, but their lifespan is very short.  Most online reviews and my father’s friend who owns an electronic repair shop indicates so. Furthermore, I’ve once saw a YouTube video clip that compared the different flat panel technologies for televisions, and they indicated that Plasmas technology TV’s are very clear, but still images left on the screen for a long time (hours), the image (like a logo of a TV channel)  will burn right into the screen permanently.  Moreover, Plasma TV’s has shorter lifespan than LCD’s as well.

Finally, my cable subscription starts August 10th, so I use the TV as a monitor for my laptop, and watched streamed online TV, DVD’s, and anime on it.  The picture looks great, I still have to try high definition cable; I know basic cable doesn’t look good on my new TV, but as Bill Gate says, in the future, everyone will be using their PC’s and internet for programs, no one will use regular cables anymore.  Looks like the future is here!  LOL