Sorry

...about the lack of updates. My bad, seriously.

School has been a bit rough lately. Forgive me.

Drinking Tips (and how to prevent a hangover!)

As a college student, it isn't really that much of a shock to come across alcohol. I'm not a drinker myself, but I don't judge my friends for what they chose to do. I just encourage safety.

So here are some tips to help you stay safe.

Watch how much you drink.
Try to keep it to one ounce or so of alcohol per hour. That's a 12 oz. beer, 5 oz. glass of wine, or a shot. Pacing yourself is always a good choice.

Mix it up.
To me, alcohol smells like jet fuel. I don't really know how people DON'T mix it, really.
Anyway, mix your drinks up to dilute the amount of alcohol you're taking in. Try to use JUICE, as carbonated beverages speed up absorption.

Ladies, watch out.
With less fluids and more body fat, women have less enzymes to process alcohol than men. Alcohol will affect the finer gender faster even if they weigh the same or drink the same amount.

Eat.
It's not good to drink without other stuff in your body. So snack on some chips, maybe a sandwich or two, and get some food into your system. This helps slow down the absorption. Eat before and during drinking, not after.

Stay happy.
Alcohol is a depressant. Don't drink when you're already feeling under the weather, physically or emotionally. Don't drink your problems away--alcohol will just make it all worse.


There's nothing wrong with having a good time, but always try to stay out of harms way. Go in groups to party (seems obvious, but lots of people go alone), designate a driver, and have a plan. Know when and where to go when you're done.



How to Prevent a Hangover

I know, how strange that a kid that never drinks would know how to prevent a hangover. Give thanks to my human physiology teacher back in high school for this one.

Most people assume that drinking water will help prevent that crazy headache in the morning, but you'll just pee it out with the alcohol and still end up dehydrated.

The key is to take a tablespoon or two of salt! This helps keep the fluids in your kidneys and prevent that nasty dehydrated headache that so many people get.

So try and remain sober enough to remember to get some salt in. But don't forget to drink lots of water, too! That's still important.


Have fun and stay safe everyone! :)

T-Mobile's New G1

Congratulations to T-Mobile for finally doing something right and picking up the first "Google" phone.

First things first, before we go into the full analysis of this quirky new phone, let's talk basics.

This HTC-made phone has a lovely 3.2" touch screen and slides to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. (as you can see) It's got the same resolution as an iPhone and it's the same length, but it's a bit less wide and a bit thicker.

It also has quad-band GSM/EDGE and dual-band UMTS support, GPS, Wi-Fi and a built-in accelerometer. (Pretty neat, ya?) The camera is 3 megapixels but unfortunately does not record videos.

The G1 sports Bluetooth but it seems that it only supports headset connection so far. Rumors have been spread that this function will expand, so let's keep our fingers crossed on that one.

The most interesting thing about this phone is that it is the first to feature Google's Android software, which will make it extra easy to get to all of Google's nice little online apps (e.g. Gmail, Amazon MP3s, YouTube, Google Maps...) There will also be an Android "market" that allows users to download third-party applications.

That all sounds snazzy, but there's tons of bad stuff too. Let's start right at the beginning: This phone is ugly.

Face it, that's a pretty ugly phone. T-mobile isn't exactly known for making the best looking phones, but HTC is, and yet we get this? Pity. I am a lover of a QWERTY keyboard instead of the exclusive touch-screen but jeeze, they could have worked it in better. (Hint hint: LG Voyager)

Now, I'm happy that T-Mobile has finally hopped on the 3G bandwagon, but when this phone comes out the new 3G network will only be in a few cities! So even though this phone supports 3G use, it's not like you can really use it everywhere.

Another lame deal is that though you can sync this phone to your Google apps, you can't sync it to your computer.

In conclusion, this phone is a major disappointment. I've been a loyal customer to T-Mobile for who knows how many years and I've been desperately waiting for an alternative to the Blackberry in terms of a smartphone. I owned a Sidekick Slide and that worked for about half a year (with lots of kinks) and so that retired.

I'd wait a while when it comes to this phone. Wait for a better interface, better 3G network, better apps, and maybe a better price. Though it doesn't put a hole in your wallet, this phone is being released mid-October (but there is presale if you're interested enough) at $179 with a 2 year contract.