iPad, State of the Union, Zinn

Well, today was pretty damn interesting in regards to headlines. For me, anyway, since they were on topics that interest me. I don't even know why I'm drawn to certain things, as I'm not one of those hardcore Apple elitists (honestly, the only Apple product I own is an iPod Nano), nor am I very into politics, nor am I a huge history nerd.

I guess I always find new gadgets fun to learn about. I think I just like the idea of maybe owning them one day. I spent the majority of my time during my morning philosophy class keeping up with the long-awaited official announcement of the new Apple tablet, the iPad. I must say, the specs are pretty cool and I'm digging the fact that it (supposedly) has 10-hour battery life. I don't think the iPad is anything... new, since it's been talked about so much. Though, it's definitely steps up from the Amazon Kindle, and pretty much exactly what I expected to come out of Apple: an oversized iPod Touch (BTW, I hate when people refer to it as an iTouch, as there's no such thing as a fucking iTouch) with a few more capabilities. It's still pretty cool, and I wouldn't mind owning one. I wouldn't recommend getting it instead of a Macbook, though. Instead of a Kindle, definitely. Also, the name "iPad" made me picture a feminine sanitary napkin with white earphones attached to it. And once I got over that, it reminded me of pad thai, which made me a bit hungry.

Now, on to the State of the Union address. It was pretty much what I expected. I mean, the only thing that really pertained to me was Obama's announcement of an increase in Pell Grants. Though, this might mean they'll be denying other students of such grants in order to accommodate for those who could use the increase. Sucks for them. Less important things to comment on: Nancy Pelosi blinks a heck of a lot, Obama makes too many jokes about the rivalries between parties. (And by "too many," I think I meant, like "two.")

Lastly, I found out that the noted author and political activist Howard Zinn passed away today, and it actually saddened me a little. I'm not sure if I can call myself a fan of his, but I definitely respected the man. ("The man" as in "Howard Zinn," not society.) Honestly, the only things I know of his opinions come from his book, "A People's History of the United States." It's very biased and leftist, and definitely not something one should read if they want what would be the most accurate account of United States history. Nonetheless, it is a very interesting and good read. (Interesting and good? Really, Reyna? Could your adjectives be any more dull and generic?) Anyway, I didn't think his death would make me feel bad seeing as how I was never that into history and activism. Then I realized that I cared about this because of what I associate this man with. Naturally, when I think of Howard Zinn, I think of "A People's History." I remember having read a chapter or two my sophomore year of high school when I was doing research on God-knows-what. Then junior year came around, and I had to read it for A.P. US History. I found it so much more fun to read than the actual textbook we were using. At the end of my senior year of high school, I asked a few of my teachers to sign books for me. Books I'd read in their classes, that is. There was a teacher, Mr. Woessner, whom I took three classes with. I told him to sign my copy of my Zinn book. I was always fond of this teacher, especially since I was never supposed to have taken A.P. US History with him at all to begin with (but that's a story for another day). Anyway, he signed my copy of "A People's History" and wrote a very endearing note on it. I always respected Mr. Woessner. And, I guess Zinn's death saddened me because I always associated Zinn with Mr. Woessner... which made me feel like part of Mr. Woessner was gone, too.