New Look; New Everything

Just a quick heads up, I am in the process of finalizing something interesting, but as you may notice, I did some remodeling around here.

Not only are the colors a lot more striking, but I have cleaned up the tabs to be more cohesive with less repeat offenders. I had one post that was tagged with four different labels. No matter what I did, I kept seeing the same post.

No wonder you folks have been griping at me on my email.

Also, to those of you who like my FB blog fan page, I saw these instructions online and duplicated it for my own private usage. It’s a way for you to keep up with my posts by getting notifications, rather than you risking having them get buried under your feed.

Getting Notifications Puts You In The Game!

To the right, there is the FB widget to share this page. At the end of this post is a FB widget to share this post. Take your pick, either or both…I won’t mind.

Go ahead...click it.

If you have g+, feel free to add me in your circle, etc. etc.

This blog is about to take a turn with something really spectacular (if I must say so myself), and I wouldn't want any of you to miss the content.

Always, feel free to comment either on the post, FB, or on G+.

Intravenous Drugs and the Battle for the Iron Throne

For the most part, I would have to say that I truly despise blogs that end up being used as a device for sharing feelings, or just ranting with no general focus what-so-ever. I have tried to keep this blog constrained to a few topics; however, I did include a “Personal” tab on this page in the small chance that if I ever wanted to share anything about myself, it would be there. As many of you have noticed, the only content on that particular tab is a thank-you to my close friends and family who are supporting me in this venture.

Wow, that sure was long winded.

I find myself in a vulnerable spot right now as I write this, reflecting on a great many things. One of those things is: What should I write about on my new blog? How ironic, I start to include content on my blog that I despise while deciding on content. Don’t be discouraged dear reader, I don’t plan on having too much of this drivel on a regular basis, but I find myself in a vulnerable spot…

At least I'm warning you.

Around the age of 30 or so, I got diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that manifests itself through arthritic symptoms and gastrointestinal bleeding. Google image search “Ulcerative Colitis,” it cannot be unseen.

It can be safe to say that I spend at least 1/3 of my life in chronic pain, coping with pain or just flat out medicating myself to a certain degree with NSAIDs or steroid therapy. There are many biopharmaceuticals prescribed to treat autoimmune diseases such as this by inhibiting what is called TNF or tumor necrosis factor.

By my best understanding, and without getting tooooooooooo boring, TNF is a group of proteins that cause cell death. In a normal conditions, these are the proteins that help knock out infected cells to allow healthy cells to replace them. Well, for a person who has a disease such as mine, those TNF are killing healthy cells, not infections; therefore, a TNF inhibitor or immune suppressant has to be introduced to stabilize the immune system.

That was a mouthful.

The one I take is called infliximab or commonly called Remicade. I have an IV infusion of Remicade every two months. A good description of it would be an artificial antibody recently reclassified as chemotherapy that effectively lowers the immune system to allow affected areas of inflammation a chance to heal.

I'm not an infusion patient, but I play one on TV.

Just in doing a bit of research on this as I write it, the side-effects include:

More common
Abdominal or stomach pain
• chest pain
• chills
• cough
• dizziness
• fainting
• fever
• flushing of the face
• headache
• hives
• itching
• muscle pain
• nasal congestion
• nausea
• runny nose
• sneezing
• sore throat
• tightness in the chest
• troubled breathing
• unusual tiredness or weakness
• vomiting
Less common
• Back pain
• bloody or cloudy urine
• cracks in the skin at the corners of the mouth
• diarrhea
• difficult or painful urination
• frequent urge to urinate
• pain
• pain or tenderness around the eyes and cheekbones
• skin rash
• soreness or irritation of the mouth or tongue
• soreness or redness around the fingernails or toenails
• vaginal burning or itching and discharge
• white patches in the mouth or on the tongue
• Rare
• Abscess (swollen, red, tender area of infection containing pus)
• back or side pain
• black, tarry stools
• blood in the urine or stools
• bone or joint pain
• constipation
• falls
• feeling of fullness
• general feeling of illness
• hernia (bulge of tissue through the wall of the abdomen)
• irregular or pounding heartbeat
• pain in the rectum
• pain spreading from the abdomen or stomach to the left shoulder
• pinpoint red spots on the skin
• stomach pain (severe)
• swollen or painful glands
• tendon injury
• unusual bleeding or bruising
• weight loss (unusual)
• yellow skin and eyes
Incidence not known
• Area rash
• bloody nose
• burning, tingling, numbness or pain in the hands, arms, feet, or legs
• change in mental status
• clay-colored stools
• continuing vomiting
• convulsions
• dark or bloody urine
• difficulty with speaking
• difficulty with swallowing
• fast heartbeat
• general feeling of tiredness or weakness
• heavier menstrual periods
• hoarseness
• inability to move the arms and legs
• itching, puffiness, or swelling of the eyelids or around the eyes, face, lips, or tongue
• light-colored stools
• loss of appetite
• loss of bladder control
• lower back or side pain
• muscle spasm or jerking of all extremities
• noisy breathing
• painless swelling in the neck, armpits, or groin
• pale skin
• red, scaling, or crusted skin
• redness, soreness, or itching skin
• seizures
• sensation of pins and needles
• severe abdominal or stomach pain
• severe muscle weakness, sudden and progressing
• slow or irregular breathing
• sores, welting, or blisters
• stabbing pain
• sudden loss of consciousness
• sudden numbness and weakness in the arms and legs
• unpleasant breath odor
• upper right abdominal or stomach pain
• vomiting of blood

Me after I read that list.

Mine are always, always, always soreness, aches, headache, sneezing, fever and sore throat.

O hey! Higher chance of tuberculosis and lymphoma with Remicade too! Awesome!                        
(I actually did know that.)

Not to mention, I have zero ability to fight off viruses or infections. It’s always a fun time, especially during cold and flu season. After my infusion this last Sunday, I had company over for my normal Game of Thrones get together, and I am certain that I picked something up from someone.

So, I’m sitting here thinking about my last infusion, and even though I am lucky and blessed in my life, I can’t help but sometimes feel sad. It was a lifestyle change that I was not necessarily ready to make 10 years ago. At the time, it was just misdiagnosis, one after another. Finally, a treatment plan was decided on, and here I am.

This last one was the worst. I had told the nurse that I preferred to not have my IV placed in my wrist, because my veins there tend to move. She, however, had different plans. She must have stuck me three times, and that vein rolled every time.

Insert.
Roll.
Retract.
Pinch.
Repeat.

The bruise on my wrist is a lovely shade, I must tell you. By the time it was placed in my forearm, I just wanted to go home, but all I had was that old familiar burn and waves of nausea. I just wanted to sleep once it finally ended.

I know that the grammar on this has been reprehensible, so I apologize.

In the Apostle Paul’s letters to the early church in Corinth, as well as Galatia, he speaks of a condition that he has to deal with. In 2 Corinthians, Chapter 12, he uses emotive words such as Thorn, Infirmities, Weakness.  In Galatians 4, he wrote (paraphrased) that he was sick with an ailment the first time he visited them. There are many theories out there concerning this. Some same it was a spiritual attack, others agree that it was truly a physical disease that he had to manage while traveling.

Inspiration.

I have always held true to the latter. It has always given me a sense of hope and peace knowing that the man who God called to reach “the ends of the Earth,” had to deal with a condition that may have been like mine. It gives me strength in knowing that God wants to use us all, regardless of our physical conditions or how we view ourselves.

It is those times that I recollect my head and keep moving forward.

Psalm 26:2 – “Examine me, O Lord, and try me; Test my mind and heart.”

There is no point to this, dear reader. I am normally not like this, but I am this time.

I promise that either later this week or next Monday, there will be something more entertaining to read.

Routine Procedure

This week is going to be something different. Instead of talking about current events or creating some social commentary on a relevant topic, I decided to just write some fiction. 

In one of my circles, there is a weekly writing exercise/challenge that I like to participate in. Some inspire me more than others, and I was particularly pleased with how this one came out. So, this recently was done as a writing exercise.

The rules were pretty simple actually. Sometimes there are more rules and guidelines, but this week’s were pretty flexible.

A) Be inspired by the picture below.

B) Make sure the piece  is 600 words or less.

Enjoy!

Read.

Comment.

Share.
Follow.

Thanks.

D

Routine Procedure

It had been two years since it had become visible. A speck. It was merely a speck on the horizon in the night the sky, a glowing sphere that gave a glimpse of something larger than ourselves. Things have changed quite a bit since then though.

As I lifted my wine glass to my mouth, I looked up into the sky and gazed at it once more. The planet seemed to take up the entire sky, and it appeared roughly twice as large as the moon. It hadn't moved in three months, and the hysteria surrounding its appearance had turned into a sense of wonderment mixed with acceptance. I mean, it isn't every day that a planet of the same size, mass and atmosphere just appears and then begins orbiting. It really hadn't affected our gravity or climate as initially feared. “Experts” said that was because the planet was virtually identical to our own. It didn't add up in my mind, but when important people say things on the TV, you tend to just accept them. Well, I do at least.

The entire situation reminded me of a movie I saw once. I really can’t remember the name of it, but it was about a mirror planet that appeared, but scientists suspected that there were actual doppelgangers of the inhabitants on each planet. What was the name of that movie? Wait – what movie?

My phone rang while I was daydreaming, drinking wine and staring at the planet. I didn't even hear it, but I noticed when my voicemail chimed. It was the call that I was expecting. Maybe I didn't want to hear it. It was all moving so fast, and I really just wanted to be left alone. Why bother calling back, I knew where I was going.

It took about twenty minutes to get to the facility. The guards saw my face and recognized me instantly, so they waved me in. The building was surrounded by armed soldiers. It struck me funny that I was literally just walking up to the front door with how tight the security was for this place. I could feel my heart rate quicken as I entered the building.

I sat down and the interview began. Before he spoke, one of his assistants came from behind me and pushed a shiny device onto my neck to make it click. The pinch took me by surprise even though I was expecting it. Funny how things like that work. You know what something is going to feel like, but you still jump when it happens. Well, I do at least.

“As mentioned in our initial conversation, The pinch you just felt was the insertion of a microscopic device that will test aspects of your blood to determine any variables. Let’s begin the interview. 

"So, how do you feel?”

“Fine. How do you feel?”

“Please, stay on topic. How would you consider your health?”

“Good, thanks. I feel good man.”

“How long have you felt, good.”

“Wait, what? Uh – forever. I feel fine, man.” 

I was taken back by where this was going. It felt like there was a stirring inside. What had they injected into my body?

“Who are you?”

“You know my name. Hansen, Will Hansen.”

“How did you get here?”

“I drove. You saw me drive up in my car.”

“How long have you been here?”

“What…Like ten or fifteen minutes. What?”

“Why did you come to this planet?”

“This is my planet.” 
I looked around, and a growing sense of unease surrounded me. 

This was my planet. Wasn't it?

The Gloves Come Off

Over the last couple of days, I have been really trying to formulate my approach on this subject, and in the process, I have garnered a little bit of popularity from general frivolity. Here comes the test then.

Pamela Geller. A month ago, you could have mentioned her name to me and I couldn’t have told you who she was at all.

“I don’t know, was she a cousin of Ross and Monica from Friends?”

Just a quick intro, for those of you who may not know. She is the co-founder of the American Freedom Defense Initiative, an “extreme-right” political activist organization that has been recently labeled as an anti-Mulsim hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (full list of SPLC hate groups here). Full disclosure, I am not going to go down the road of supporting Pam Geller’s point of view, nor am I going to argue against it. It is clearly pointed out on my profile that I am a Christian, but I am not a bigot, racist, or xenophobe. Today I want to talk about the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

As many already know, on May 3, the AFDI held an art contest in Garland, TX, offering a $10,000 prize for the best depiction of Islam’s prophet Muhammed. It should be noted that, according to the rules of the contest, “While engaging in criticism of and mockery of Muhammad and the belief system and ideology that underlies global jihad terrorism, they must not be threatening or libelous or contain any content that is inappropriate, indecent, profane, torturous, slanderous, discriminatory in any way, or that promotes the denial of human rights to any group or person, or otherwise does not comply with the theme and spirit of the Contest.” (full rules) It should also be noted that according to the rules, the picture should not violate any local, state, or federal laws. The contest was to follow the Law of the Land, working within the parameters of the First Amendment.

During this contest, two gunman approached to commit a heinous act of terror against American Citizens expressing their Freedom of Speech in a free country. These artist were not breaking any local, state, or federal laws, but according to Islamic Law, or Sharia, they were committing a blasphemous heresy punishable by death. Specifically, depicting any “Prophet of Allah” in a graven form.

Thanks to brave local law enforcement, these barbaric terrorists were stopped before any serious problems could arise. The terror group, ISIS has taken responsibility for this action, and has not only threatened future attacks, but has put out death threats on Pam Geller.

OK, current events class is over.

So, before we continue, let’s look at the First Amendment specifically:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

According to the Legal Information Institute (LII) out of Cornell University, the Establishment Clause at the start of the Amendment prevents the government from not only creating an official religion of the Nation (i.e. COE or Islam), but it also prevents the government from favoring one religion over another. Let’s stop and talk about the second part of this clause.

According to Sharia, it is unlawful to depict their prophet; however, it is not unlawful to do so in the United States, because of this clause in the First Amendment.

There is a music band out there called Christian Death (lovely name right?). One of their albums is “Sex, Drugs, and Jesus Christ,” and the album cover of this record is a depiction of Jesus Christ wearing a crown of thorns shooting up heroin. As a Christian, this is not only offensive to me, but as functioning part of society, I find it vulgar and tasteless. However, I am not going to go to the record company’s headquarters and gun down a bunch of record execs because of that image. Furthermore, if I did, I would be condemned for infringing the band’s freedom of speech if I did so. I would also be looked at as a murderer and terrorist if the act was successful.

As well I should.

The disturbing societal tone concerning the incident in Garland is how the American citizens who were potential victims of terror are being vilified for hosting the art contest in the first place. They are well within their rights as Americans to host the event, and yet they (not the terrorists) are receiving inflammatory comments, because of how insensitive they are to the Muslim faith.

Huh???? WHAT?

Check out this video…

I can’t even begin to understand the logic behind this. The wave of political correctness, which has permeated our cultural identity, has reached a tipping point so much that we have created a protected class for anything, including certain religious groups. This goes in direct opposition to what the Framers intended for this country, and this is specifically why they put the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment.

Both of the television shows of South Park and Family Guy have irreverent depictions of Jesus. Where is the uprising from the media saying that it is insensitive to Christians to have these shows? Moreover, just by Googling the phrase “Jesus cartoons and depictions,” I get tons of blasphemous and irreverent images of Jesus too numerous to count. One in particular shows an image of Jesus kissing what appears to be a Muslim man (presumably Mohammed) on the mouth with the caption “Road to Tolerance.”

Here’s what is funny, only Jesus’ face is shown, with only the back of the head of the other man being shown.

Now, because of the sensitive nature of this subject, I’m not going to show some of the things I Googled. This is because I don’t want to offend any religion, including Christians, with tasteless or crass things that aren’t necessary to prove my point.

Just know that overwhelmingly, it seems to be perfectly acceptable to offend Christian iconography, yet, this art contest is deemed inflammatory, racist, insensitive, and xenophobic to depict Muslim iconography as a political cartoon.

So, on to the second part of the First Amendment, “or abridging free speech.” Cornell’s LII outlines the various ways that abridging, or limiting, free speech is actually permitted (read more here). One of the ways it can is through the term Obscenity, and quite frankly folks, that is what we are talking about here, something that is deemed to be obscene by a group of people.

So, here is what the LII states obscenity judgments are based on:

“Currently, obscenity is evaluated by federal and state courts alike using a tripartite standard established by Miller v. California 413 U.S. 15 (1973). The Miller test for obscenity includes the following criteria: (1) whether ‘the average person, applying contemporary community standards’ would find that the work, ‘taken as a whole,’ appeals to ‘prurient interest’ (2) whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law, and (3) whether the work, ‘taken as a whole,’ lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.”

Without getting to “lawyer-esque,” because (a) I am not a lawyer, and (b) because it’s boring, obscenity is not protected free speech. I didn't know that, to be quite honest. However, let’s go back to the rules of the art contest.

The depictions were to adhere to local, state, and federal law, as well as not be… promot(ing) the denial of human rights. If you want to read them again, just scroll up…

Right?

Obscenity is determined by state law. Obscenity has to do with sexual content. Obscenity has no literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

The picture in question, the winner of the contest (which can be viewed here) by this legal definition, was not obscene. Was it political? It most definitely was, but under our laws, not obscene.

Another standard for basing free speech upon is something that is referred to as the Brandenburg Test. This relates to inflammatory speech that is intended to advocate illegal action. The definition falls as such: The standard developed determined that speech advocating the use of force or crime could only be proscribed where two conditions were satisfied: (1) the advocacy is “directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action,” and (2) the advocacy is also “likely to incite or produce such action.”

Remember, it would be inflammatory if both conditions were satisfied.

Sure, the contest may have been “likely to incite” illegal action, but it was not designed to “directly incite or produce imminent lawless action.” Now, I am not a lawyer, law student, and certainly not a judge. I am an educated person though. I hold two degrees, and would like to consider myself well read. As I read this, I see no violation by this art contest that shows that it was blatantly created to incite the terror attacks.

See…I’m already fading away on all this law speak.

I would really like to explore this topic deeper. When has the protection of a certain religion’s belief system superseded the First Amendment? Tell me.

I would like to hear your comments.

Be sure to follow me on Facebook and. The button to do that is on the right.

If you would like to share this post on your timeline, the button is right below at the end of this post.

I Don't See the Big Deal

One word for you: Coulrophobia. 

In case you haven’t heard of this thing. It is simply the fear of clowns. This is a funny topic to me, because I personally don’t suffer from it. I figured since my last post was skirting around the different things that we as a society or culture might refer to as nightmare fuel, I might as well just feet first into something truly fascinating. Truth be told, someone very close to me does have a legitimate fear of clowns, but I have never known what it came from. I mean, I really don’t see the big deal.

How can this possibly be scary?

According to Wikipedia (which we all know is 100% believable), the term coulrophobia only started to appear in the 1980s, and has really only developed into the modern lexicon through its usage online. Bringing to the attention on whether this is a legitimate irrational fear or a made up irrational fear.

I think my head just exploded as I wrote that. Did I really just commit that sentence to paper? To the fray!

I should point out. I am NOT a psychologist, and I do not possess and degrees in psychology. This is a just an educated opinion and social commentary of this topic. Besides… lighten up!

Five Reasons Why the Fear of Clowns has Grown and is Perpetuated by Pop Culture

1. Clowns are a Popular Plot Device for Scary Stories

It is no secret that many scary stories use clowns as a plot device to make the unknown seem even more frightening. Stephen King popularized this trope with his iconic novel It. The popular thriller television series American Horror Story just recently had a “killer clown” as a character. To continue, there are many films where the villain wears a mask to hide his identity, but he isn't a clown specifically: Jason from Friday the 13th (hockey mask), Michael Myers from Halloween (plain white mask), Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as well as many others.

This guys looks like a plot device unto himself.

Even more famously, Batman’s ultimate nemesis is the clown prince of crime: The Joker. His portrayal has ranged from being a manic misfit, such as the original television series, Batman to a truly menacing agent of chaos, like Heath Ledger’s iconic performance in The Dark Knight.

This is so true!

Having a villain where his face is hidden really taps into a primal fear that exists within all of us. The unknown is always more frightening than the known, and a villain covering his face just makes it that much scarier. I really think that is what the appeal to using clowns as bad guys holds. Not only can you not see the face, but it is juxtaposed against an ideal that has traditionally been in settings that are meant to bring laughter or joy. With the brain trying to process what is unfamiliar and reversed, the viewer begins to gain a sense of uncomfortable dread. Much like what is caused when human perception enters into…

2. Clowns Enter into the Uncanny Valley Spectrum

 There it is again, that dang uncanny valley. It has been mentioned by “researchers” that because of clowns exaggerated features, determining a clown’s true emotions becomes difficult. Specifically, those who are afraid of clowns can’t tell if the clown is happy or if it is about to rip their face off. “Researchers” have also said that physical slapstick comedy that involves stunts that would normally cause pain confuse some people’s perception of the act because the clown’s face is painted with a smile while they are being “hurt.”

He's hurting me actually.

Now, from my previous entry, I talked on how the uncanny valley is becoming more and more acceptable by society with the over usage of CGI in movies, the inclusion of AI such as Siri in our phones, and dependence of robots in our day to day activities. So, why the hang up on clowns? Does it more fall into the “Zombie” realm of the dip? 

I couldn't really tell you… I’m not afraid of clowns, but I am terrified by some of those lifelike androids being cranked out of Hong Kong and Japan.

3. John Wayne Gacy

Pogo the Clown. I am not really going to give this man or what he did much attention. This was a sick man who did horrible things. It is not up to me to rehash or describe any of the monstrous things that this scumbag did, especially using a children’s character in the process. Google him if you must. 

The mere knowledge that there was a real life “Evil Clown” is enough to legitimize this fear, but let’s face it, we are talking about a fringe incident.

4. Clowns are Associated with Uncomfortable Circumstances

You know what movie I never really liked? Patch Adams. This is a stinker of a bio-pic that starred Robin Williams as a doctor who brought joy to his pediatric patients by dressing as a clown. The film currently holds a 25% on Rotten Tomatoes. I mean, this is one of those movies that either a) you have never seen, b) have no desire to see, or  c) regret seeing it in the first place. To those of you who enjoyed Patch Adams...my condolences.

Still though, while a certain amount of joy can be brought to a sick child through the use of clowns, I am going to touch on something different.

Who can remember going into the doctor as child, or parents, when can you think of the last time you took your child to the doctor – and saw this:

I really do actually love this icon.

This is Happy the Clown by Arthur Sarnoff. This image has been reproduced so many times and in so many forms, that it is a part of Americana. How is a child to feel if every time they get poked by a needle or need to get some nasty medicine, they see this image? Well, quite frankly, that image is going to be associated with the pain or discomfort.

I mean, I get it, but I don’t understand it.

5. There are No Reasons -  People Just Feel How they Feel

I guess that is it really. I just wanted to try and understand why this is.

Let me ask you a question reader: 

Are you afraid of clowns, yet you still read this?

Are you still scared of them?

Do you think that you could ever get over the fear?

At this point, are you getting irritated that I am just posting pictures of clowns for no reason or point what-so-ever?

I just don’t see the big deal.

Where Do We Go From Here?

A couple of things first. I have added a Facebook Like/Share button on the left there to open my fan base up and allow you to know when I update. Please click it. I would really appreciate it. Another thing, I enabled Anonymous comments to be allowed. This means that you…yes you, can make a comment here without having a g+ account. I am in the process of incorporating Facebook comments for the site, so if you do follow me on FB, you will be able to comment and it will be posted here.

So much work!!!

Well, I have been covering race relations and Baltimore with the last two posts, let’s do something a little lighter hearted. I mean, it’s Friday, it’s May Day – and I’m in a good mood.

One thing I have noticed in popular blogs these days, is that everyone LOVES lists. They are concise, they can be funny, and they keep your attention to a certain limit without boring you to tears.

So here we go: 

THE TOP 5 REASONS WE ARE CLOSER TO LIVING IN THE MATRIX

Before I really get into this. We need to explore the idea of how technology is being more and more integrated into our lives, almost to becoming a necessity. It was just recently reported by numerous sources that the heart monitor feature in the iWatch was being disrupted by wrist tattoos. The heart rate monitor is actually a smart feature that allows the iWatch to shut itself off when not in use, or when it doesn't register a heartbeat. To those of you that may have sleeves or wrist tattoos, this function won’t work properly. Basically, you just dropped $400 on a worthless device. Apple’s response – suck it!

No really, Apple said, “Hey, we don’t have a solution, but if you want to purchase some Bluetooth chest straps and monitor your heart that way, go ahead." Steve Jobs just rolled over in his grave.

YOU RUINED MY LEGACY!

Regardless your opinion on the First World Problem that is the defective iWatch, you can’t deny that technology is here to stay, and may be poised to take over.

5. The Uncanny Valley is Getting Smaller and Smaller

There is a phrase out there called “The Uncanny Valley,” and it is basically defined as: a hypothesis in the field of aesthetics which holds that when features look and move almost, but not exactly, like natural beings, it causes a response of revulsion among some observers. The "valley" refers to the dip in a graph of the comfort level of beings as subjects move toward a healthy, natural likeness described in a function of a subject's aesthetic acceptability. Examples can be found in the fields of robotics and 3D computer animation, among others.

Basically – nightmare fuel.

It’s illustrated by this graph:

I would hope that we are repulsed by zombies.

The more a moving likeness of something that looks human but isn't human, the more it is supposed to make you feel uncomfortable. With UltraHD TVs, High Frame Rate movies such as Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, and the extensive use of CGI to create realistic characters in our entertainment, our brains are getting more and more acclimated to the idea that something that was once repulsive, is now acceptable. The “dip” that creates the valley is a lot shallower and narrower now. I mean, Andy Serkis has made his entire career playing CGI characters such as Gollum, Caesar, and King Kong.

4. CGI No Longer Looks Like a Cartoon

Who here remembers Ang Lee’s Hulk? Who here remembers the unholy creation that was Tom Hanks in Polar Express? How about the entirety of Beowulf? There are countless examples of how CGI, in its infancy, was just a gimmick. It was perfect for Pixar or Dreamworks movies, such as Monsters, Inc. and Shrek, but anytime it was used for feature films that needed photo-realistic renders, it just fell short.

Hulk SMASH!

As fake as it used to look, using CGI now is a standard in film making. We would not be able to have the sequel generating monstrosity that is Marvel Studios if it were not for CGI. I remember a time where if you were to say that they were going to make a movie about Thor without it looking cheesy, I would have said that you were out of your mind. And yet…..

Not only does it LOOK real, but it feels realistic. It almost feels so realistic, that if you watch older films where practical special effects were used, it looks fake. FAKE!

For example, if you were to watch Jaws, you would instantly be able to tell that the shark was robotic, and (not taking away from the genius that is that film) it would almost look comical. Our brains have to come accept that the artificial is the new reality, and that is the new standard.

3. Robots are no longer a thing from Science Fiction Novels

Check out these headlines:

“Experts predict robots will take over 30% of our jobs by 2025 – and white-collar jobs aren't immune”

“This humanoid robot can recognize and interact with people”

“The UK government is refusing to rule out building killer robots”

“A robot just started her job as the receptionist at Japan’s oldest department store”

That last one gives me the chills most of all. The headline actually personified an object by recognizing it with the pronoun “her” instead of the appropriate “it.” All four of these headlines come from BusinessInsider.com, which is a business and technology website that has been around since February 2009. I mean this is a fairly legitimate source for tech news and how it relates to business.

There was a time when robots threatened to take over the assembly lines of auto manufacturers, and it was disputed that it would never happen. Until it did. There was a time when the idea of having a robot in your home as a maid was only something in The Jetsons, until it wasn't (can you say Roomba…DJ Roomba if you’re hip!).

Pawnee was always using innovative technology to stay ahead in the game.

Not only have robots become a part of our lives, but we have started to accept the presence of them doing daily tasks that used to be jobs for people. Even our phones contain a robot in them that answers our questions when we need help. Apple even programmed certain responses and phrases into Siri to have conversational functionality. How soon before we become like Joaquin Phoenix in Her? Oh just for fun, click this link http://www.macworld.com/article/2915908/siri-says-the-darnedest-things-50-questions-for-apple-s-virtual-assistant.html and you will get 50 fun conversation phrases and lighthearted banter situations that you can have with Siri. She is adorable…I will admit that!

2. Virtual Existence is an Accepted Counterpart to Reality

About a year ago, Forbes reported that Blizzard’s World of Warcraft raked in over a billion dollars in 2013. Now rumor around the campfire is that WoW subscriptions have been dipping, but even so, that is a chunk of change. On ebay, while it has become a violation to sell virtual items for games such as WoW, the virtual reality simulator Second Life is not considered a game. Listed on ebay, there are literally hundreds to thousands of virtual items usable on Second Life available for purchase with real currency. 

Wrap your head around that for a second. 

Spending real money for virtual items. Items that you will never, ever use IRL (in real life). Well let me paint it through a different prism. How many “in game purchases” are on almost every game app out there. Buying more turns in Candy Crush Saga is not so uncommon. Video gaming and virtual existence has become so broad and accepted by most everybody in 2015. It is no longer just a hobby for neckbeards who live in their mother’s basement.

Selfie!

Many A-listers such as Mila Kunis, Vin Diesel, Dave Chappelle, and Mr. T have all confirmed that they have virtual lives within the realm of Azeroth. Even standard console games, such as The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and Fallout have become so in-depth in their RPG aspects. Living in these worlds can involve gambling, earning money, and even getting married. With the upcoming release of Elder Scrolls Online, Bethesda Softworks looks to give WoW a run for its money in creating a virtual realm that is accessible by the more mainstream console platform.

1.  We Don’t Care

Let me give you some stuff that cannot be unseen, which will haunt you for the rest of your days to come.

I bet you didn't realize until the end of the video that “Emily” was a virtual creation. I’ll let you watch it again. I’ll wait….

Now you notice the flawless skin, those dead eyes, and the facial expressions, that at first viewing made you wonder what you were watching, later chilled you to the bone. This video was made in 2008, and the tech is even better!  I watched an interview with the designer, and explained that the goal was to erase the uncanny valley. 

Terrifying!

Chew on this one now.

KILL IT WITH FIRE!

Kudos if you actually made it all the way through that one. If you didn't get to at least half, then you missed the pan of the camera.

This appears as if it is in a mall! AAAAAGHHHH!!!!!! Look at all of the people watching. Being entertained or fascinated…or I don’t know.

The pieces are already being put in place for artificial intelligence to take its next shape. I really hope that we end up having Frankenstein’s Monster turning against us.