The end of 2013, and here's "what to expect in 2014?"

Today is the last “Friday the 13th” of 2013. There are only eighteen days left, and 2013 is over. It is hard to believe, that 2014 is almost upon us. Now, this post is about “the year in music” for 2013. RSG purchased some cds’ this year from the following artists: John Mayer, Jay-Z, and The Great Gatsby Original Soundtrack. Some other artists had new music, which RSG did not buy. Those artists were Drake, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, etc. For 2014, which current artist will have a new album? U2 is an artist, which should have a new album for the New Year. Currently, the rock/pop group has a new song titled “ordinary love.” This song is on the soundtrack for the movie, “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.” Hope 2014 is another year of good music. RSG hopes to see a concert next year also. Keep Rocking, and rapping! Hope you like the image above for 2014. :)

Thanksgiving Day, or "Thanks For Shopping" Day?

Today, Rahulio saw a blue Lamborghini Aventador driving away on the 101 freeway. Yesterday, a black Ferrari F430 Modena was driving past me in Scottsdale. All these fast cars are great to see. Maybe, it's time to purchase a red Maserati on Thanksgiving night. Wait, there are no car dealerships open on Thursday night (Thanksgiving day). Perhaps, these dealerships should be open as Target, Macy's, and other stores are open on Thanksgiving night. Hmm, maybe the car companies need to join the retail fray for "Thanksgiving (or "Thanks for Shopping) day." This joke has become a reality in 2013. The TV networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.) are calling Thanksgiving as "Thanks For Shopping" instead. Even though "Black Friday" is the start of the holiday shopping season, people continue to shop on Thanksgiving night. Here in Arizona, it is quite crazy that the Scottsdale Fashion Square Center will be open at midnight (12 am, Thursday night). In closing, people should spend Thanksgiving at home as opposed to roaming around Walmart. Check the picture above of Santa Claus arriving in NYC (at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2012). :) It is a friendly reminder of the upcoming Holidays 2013.

Return of Basketball: NBA & NCAA Men's preview of 2013-14 season

It's November, and the NBA (plus the NCAA men's) season started recently. In the NBA, the Indiana Pacers are undefeated. The 2012-13 Eastern Conference finalists have won their first eight games. They are the best team in the Eastern Conference. The best team in the Western Conference is San Antonio again. The Spurs continue their dominance in the West, as the Lakers are without Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash. Kobe is rehabbing his achilles tendon, after surgery. Nash is out for the next two weeks, with back problems. The Lakers record is under .500, but hope they win some games to go above .500. In the NCAA Men's season, the young college ballers have opened play also. The U of A wildcats are ranked #6 in the country, and let's hope they make the Final Four this year. It has been twelve years, since they accomplished this goal. They will have to win the Pac-12 division title to make it far this year. If you are a fan of Kobe like me, you will like the picture above. Hope the NBA and the NCAA men's seasons are fun as usual.

Checking out Butterfly Wonderland in Scottsdale, AZ

Today, RSG went to "Butterfly Wonderland" in Scottsdale. It is known as "America's largest butterfly atrium." This place opened in May 2013. As you enter the building, the patron encouraged us to watch the 3d movie. The 3d movie was alright, and it's about butterflies. After the movie, it was cool to see butterflies in the atrium. The atrium is hot & humid though. The butterflies are cool, and the atrium is worth checking out. Next, RSG checked out fish and stingrays in the aquarium section. Finally, RSG had to check out the bees (& and ants, etc.). Overall, Butterfly Wonderland is a fun place for family and people of all ages. The picture above is butterflies, yet they look like bats. RSG is not a fan of bats, but the butterflies looked nice. Definitely, check out Butterfly Wonderland since Rahulio recommended it. :)

Some National Parks have reopened. Government shutdown fixed??

In 1996, the US government was shutdown for three weeks (21 days to be precise). Now, let's move forward seventeen years to the present year of 2013. The government shutdown is on day 16. When will the problem be fixed by Congress, the POTUS, and other parties? In related news, Arizona, Colorado, New York, North Dakota and Utah have decided to pay for their national park operations. Originally, national parks (like the Grand Canyon) were shut down in these states. Here's a rundown on some other federal agencies news: 1. The FAA asked 800 employees to return to work last week. It appears that airlines are not shutting down anytime soon. 2. Immigration court proceedings scheduled before the shutdown are being canceled, impeding green card applications. 3. Five states had to close their Head Start programs, while other states relied on contingency funding. This news affects the education of young kids. Recently, a couple in Texas donated $10 million to Head Start as additional funding. 4. More than 12 million people who requested automatic extensions on their spring tax return must still file their returns. The government has to collect on taxes always. In closing, the US government must come to a decision before October 17. This day is the final day for RSG, and his friends (taxpayers of the US). That last statement can be an ultimatum! If the government shutdown extends past October 21, the GDP will decrease further. If GDP drops, it could be another recession. Hope it's not as bad as "the last Great Recession."

Pinterest: Is it the next big social networking IPO?

Back in May 2012, Facebook went public on the Nasdaq stock exchange. It opened at $38. But, the stock price dropped for many months. Recently, the company is trading at $47. This social networking company has had a successful turnaround in the stock price. Next, Twitter filed for an IPO a week ago. The 140 character response company mentioned that it would go public in December 2013, or in early 2014. This company may have a market cap of $10 billion, after its IPO. Goldman Sachs is said to be the leading investment bank on the IPO. Now, Pinterest could be the next big social networking firm to file for an IPO in the next three months. The company is third only to Facebook and Tumblr for the amount of time people spend on the site, roughly 98 minutes a month. This statistic is compiled by Comscore, Inc. The San Francisco based company's website gets 28 million monthly visitors. Pinterest is a tool, in which, people can "pin" their interests (or likes). Finally, this company could be worth $7 billion after its IPO happens. If you have not been to pinterest.com, see the image above.

New words, new acronyms lead to being "au courant"

Since 2004, technology has shifted so much that new words are developed. It is more than new words, but file extensions also. Here is a good example: Phablet is a combination of phone & tablet. Today’s tablet computer is a combination of a phone, & a tablet. Hence, the more common word is “phablet.” Here is an example of a new file extension, .aac. It stands for advanced audio coding. It is a file format, which is going to be the successor of MP3 format. It achieves better sound quality than the mp3 format, at similar bit rates. A good source for learning file extensions is www.filext.com. This website teaches the average human about popular file extensions in today’s technology driven world. In closing, using the right diction can lead one to become more informed about technology. Hope, the picture above serves as “a device that a person should or should not have.”