Hyrdo-Hybrid

As if the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic were not enough, the hybrid world is ever expanding, however it has expanded to an area I never thought I would see it in. Wakeboard boats.

Epic Wakeboats has developed the first hybrid boat ever. The Epic 23E (23 standing for how long the boat is in feet) will be on the market starting spring 2009, and will be the first hybrid wakeboat ever created.

While most boat these days are made to include low emissions, this boat is going far beyond the call of nature. By combining the traditional fuel combustion system with a huge battery, this boat will have 50% better fuel economy, something that will interest every boater, considering gas on a lake is normally increased by $1. 

Just something I thought was interesting, check it out in action HERE

10 Reasons Why Final Exams are not Needed

With the weight of final exams beginning to crash down upon the students of Santa Clara University, I sat here looking at endless pages of notes wondering why I really need to take a final exam. I have developed 10 reasons as to why final exams should be done away with.
1. It is not healthy for students to stay up until 4am studying for a final that will start at 9am
2. While cramming seems to be the popular method of study, research shows that information stored while cramming is gone in 15 seconds
3. Adderal abuse is big problem, and finals only contribute to this, as if the drug wasn't expenisive enough already. During finals, it is like a holiday for people with a perscription
4. Staring at a computer screen for hours may hurt eyes
5. Students don't pay attention during regular class, and will only study for a the final, thus making the teaching profession useless.
6. During finals, there is no where to sit in the library
7. During finals, no one wants to party (booooooo)
8. Pimples come out because of stress, and no one liks acne
9. All work and no play makes me dumb
10. No one liks finals, students, nor teachers.

Some stereotypes are true

This is footage taken from a security camera at crowded mall. Sometimes the stereotype that men and better drivers than women are correct, as shown in this video.

U.S. baseball gets slaughtered

Baseball is not America's past time anymore

Which One to Trust?

As I was reading the local news stories on yahoo from Los Gatos, CA, I came across two news stories that seemed to be describing the same event, but the two stories described the scene very differently. 

The first story comes from the San Jose Mercury News:

The boy was reported missing at 4 a.m. and had been at the beach, known by locals as Shark's Tooth Beach, having a barbecue with five others since 11 p.m., according to Kirk Lingenfelter, state parks superintendent. The beach-goers were drinking, and at some point in the early morning, two of them decided to swim out to the pinnacle in the cove. One returned, but the other did not and a 911 call was placed at about 4 a.m.

Now this article is full of information and details about the event, while a more household name, the San Francisco Chronicle wrote:

The boy, whose name wasn't released, was walking along Davenport Beach north of Santa Cruz about 4 a.m. with another teenage boy when he was swept into the ocean, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard and local agencies are searching the area by helicopter and by boat.

What one would you trust?

As If Finishing in Last wasn't enough

While this may not make national news, the bay area community is in a frenzy over the story coming out of Florida about missing Oakland Raider linebacker Marquis Cooper. Cooper, along with three other men were in Florida and took a 21-foot single engine boat out for a day of fishing. The boat never returned.

According to Coast Guard Captain Timothy Close, seas were well developed, and in no condition for a 21-foot boat to be tackeling. To give you a sense of that size, observe my picture of my wakeboard boat, which is 20 feet, 9 in long. With this boat being in seas of swells of at least 7 ft, is it really any wonder that the boat disappeared.

If you have 23 min. to spare

If you are having a bad day and want to laugh for 23 minutes straight, enjoy this.

WARNING: SOME ADULT LANGUAGE IS PRESENT

All Sun and No Rain makes California wakeboarders dull people

Everyday I log onto my facebook account, it seems like someone else is complaining about how "crappy" the weather is with the sudden increase in rain and dark clouds. But the truth is, this is well needed. Along with the economic downturn, Gov. Schwarzenegger declared a statewide drought emergency a few days ago. While many people do not realize we are facing a drought, some people, like myself, are doing our rain dance everyday and the looming clouds are a welcoming site.

My reason, I need the lakes in California to fill up so the wakeboard season can go as long as it can. This past summer, while I was staying up in the Sacramento area, I became very depressed when I heard the announcement that Folsom Lake, one of the largest in California, was being restricted to a 5 m.p.h. rule because there is simply no water. 

In a recent San Francisco Chronicle article, it was reported that:

The state's major reservoirs, including Lake Oroville, Shasta Lake and Folsom Lake, are at 46 percent of their capacity, Lynn said. While February was wet, January was one of the driest on record.

his While 46 percent does sound like a lot, the truth is that this will not remain. Most state reservoirs use hydroelectricity to power some small towns, so I expect those lake levels do decrease in time. 

So until I am receiving notices of possible dam's breaking, I will be outside every day with my coconut shells and sticks doing my rain dance.

Cheating Death

Many people have felt like they may have cheated death many times. Whether it be in a car crash or simply doing something stupid. I am one of those people who will see something extreme and want to try it. However, for the first time ever, I was actually afraid to try this certain activity more than once. 

While this is not a video I shot, that is pretty much the experience you get while riding this tool of fear. Sportstuff water sports released this Kite Tube in 2005, and was taking off the market in 2006. 

The U.S. Consumer Product Saftey Commision released this press statement:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Sportsstuff, Inc., of Omaha, Nebraska is voluntarily recalling about 19,000 Wego Kite Tubes.

CPSC staff is aware of 39 injury incidents with 29 of those resulting in medical treatment. Those injuries include a broken neck, punctured lung, chest and back injuries and facial injuries. Sportsstuff has received reports of two deaths in the United States and a variety of serious injuries. Sportsstuff has been unable to determine the cause of the incidents. Nevertheless, the company has withdrawn the kite tube from the market and is undertaking this voluntary recall out of an abundance of caution.

The Sportsstuff Wego Kite Tube is a 10-foot-wide, circular, yellow inflatable watercraft designed to be towed behind a power boat. A rider in the tube becomes airborne by pulling on handles attached to the floor of the tube. Model 53-5000 is printed on the tube near the product valve. The floor of the tube has black caution warning stripes. The cover for the product bears a skull and crossbones and the statement "Never Kite higher than you are willing to fall." The tubes were imported and sold through marine distributors, mail order catalogs, and various retailers from approximately October 1, 2005 to July 11, 2006 for about $500 to $600.

My family had this tube during this time, and we used it a total of 2 times during a summer. It is one of those rides where once you have done it, you do not have a need to go on it again out of pure fear. While I was riding this tube, I also caught a gust of air like in the video and was propelled 30ft into the air. Upon landing, I purposely threw myself off the tube because my nerves were too high. While it was fun, I would recommend people to never try this thing ever.

Not that they can ever ride it again.

An Outsiders Perspective to Greek Life

Hollywood movies and even music today depict college life as full of partying, drinking, random sex, and very little studying. While some may say that is far from the truth, my experience in college so far has actually been very close.

Inspired by Asher Roth's video, I Love College

Not to say I am not studying does not take up a bunch of time, but for most students, other things take priority.

The big party scene at most colleges is created from the Greek life. I am not apart of a fraternity, but many of my closest friends are part of the greek life, so sometimes I get a sense of what goes on. Now I attend a smaller university where everyone knows everyone, so I think that joining a fraternity or sorority at a small school really losses the closeness they brag to have. Most of the parties are open to everyone, and there is always new people around.

At larger universities, I fully support joining these groups. Many of my friends attend schools that are part of the UC system, schools that often have more than 35,000 students, so joining these groups are important to meet people that are more like yourself.

Two things I would like to say about Greek life:

1. Good in a large setting; however I think that it creates special clicks as one may find in middle school, with no room for so called "rando's" to be a part of.

2. These do serve important roles to students with connections and overall friendship.

As if Phelps on pot wasn't enough

When one hears the name "Alex Rodriguez", thoughts that come to mind may be, high baseball salary, divorce, and a certain pop star. Much like all of the great athletes of our time, there my have to be asterisk added to any statistic A-Rod has.

SI.com dropped an article citing 104 MLB players who tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2003 when the league was deciding if random drug screening was needed. Apparently, they were right. 

SI.com wrote:

Rodriguez's name appears on a list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball's '03 survey testing, SI's sources say. As part of a joint agreement with the MLB Players Association, the testing was conducted to determine if it was necessary to impose mandatory random drug testing across the major leagues in 2004.

When approached by an SI reporter on Thursday at a gym in Miami, Rodriguez declined to discuss his 2003 test results. "You'll have to talk to the union," said Rodriguez, the Yankees' third baseman since his trade to New York in February 2004. When asked if there was an explanation for his positive test, he said, "I'm not saying anything."

 Luckily for A-Rod, penalties for steroid use were not imposed until 2004, so A-Rod is safe from any legal action, for now. A-Rod has been free from such scandal for so long, probably because of actions of Barry Bonds, but the truth is that we really have no legit players in any sport now. It seems that everyone is tainted, and being the best you can be really means, being the best I ought to be with extra help.

Phelps on the Bong

As I was bored one day watching TV, I came across the women of the View discussing the images that have been published of Olympian taking a hit out of a water pipe.

The first question I suppose I have is, Who Cares? 

What people do not realize is that although Phelps is an athlete, he is still a basically a child at heart. He won olympic gold, he is not an ambassador to anyone, he is not making any difference in anyones life, he is a only a swimmer.

Phelps only smoke pot as it is. It isn't some performance enhancing drug that even affected his task in China. I actually feel bad for the guy. We have made him such an icon in our eyes because of the way he can move his body, not his mind. 

Who hasn't done something illegal? What most people do not remember that he is only 23 years old. Because of the of huge spotlight placed on him now, he is seen as more of a celebrity rather than an athlete. After the 04 games, Phelps was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. I am afraid he is tumbling into the world of Paris and Lindsay.