I am a frequent customer of the New York MTA subway system, and lately, I've been pretty observant as to what's been going on. How can things be improved to make traveling via the MTA a more pleasurable and (most importantly) desirable experience? I figured I'd be a bit productive on the train instead of just listening to my music or watching my podcasts. This is the list of things I've come up with that could possibly reshape the MTA into something amazing!

Before reading, I just wanted to say that I do realize that some of these might be a lot to ask for, but as time goes by, and as the MTA piles up on their multi-million dollar surplus, it would be easier to achieve them - eventually. Would you like these improvements in your city, too?

This is an age old topic that's been on my mind for the longest time. Magazines - are they really worth subscribing and holding on to? In the past I've subscribed to a single video game magazine, and now I am subscribed to MacLife which is an Apple oriented magazine. My main concern here is the fact that there are million of magazines being distributed around the world every single day. All this paper comes from somewhere (trees!), and goes somewhere when they're disposed (landfills!).

These days with the internet, the moment you receive your magazine in the mail, the news and articles are already history - that's the disadvantage. The advantage of magazines, though, is the fact that you can take it anywhere and read it without the use of an electronic device. Also, on the plus side, if you're not exactly the news-junky, some outdated info won't hurt you too much.

So yea, the magazine business is a multi billion dollar industry ranging from Hollywood gossip to Pornography, and Automobiles to the latest Tech stuff. How much of an effect is this all having on our environment with all the paper that's being used? Chances are, most recipients of these magazines don't dispose them properly. Portable Readers are becoming pretty popular these days, being able to carry everything from the latest news, to your Harry Potter collection. These are worthy investments in the long run, and reduce your carbon footprint by a good deal - although, when will our world be ready for the conversion to digital, if at all?

Well, it's that time of the year again - April 22nd, the day we recognize as the one to spread environmental awareness, and knowledge on how to be friendlier to our earth. For over 30 years, Earth Day has been promoting progressive actions towards our environment, letting everyone from children to educators to the average person know about what's going on, and how to help the problems of our Earth come to a screeching halt.

This day, a lot of people are doing many things different, but I will continue doing exactly what I've been doing to be green and environmentally aware, plus a little more. I post on this blog sharing my feelings, thoughts, and ideas about global warming, being green, and caring for our environment to get the word out to as many people as possible. Today, I will try to avoid having unnecessary equipment turned on even more, like my speakers, and so forth.

Remember, people! Shower efficiently, shut the water flow when brushing, flush as less as possible, shut unnecessary lights off, switch to CFL bulbs, avoid stand-by mode on electronics, and look out for energy star compliant products. Bonus: Walk if you can. Cycle if you can't. Use public transport if you can't cycle. Save on gas & money all while reducing your carbon footprint.

If you ask most people about sustainable living, they'll respond saying "sustainable what?" Of course, this whole idea of "green living" is still very fresh, and organizations around the world are beginning to recognize it more. This type of living means using solar technology as your primary source of energy, and having your house built with materials such as a bamboo floors, recycled steel and wood, etc.

Some people wouldn't care for this the slightest bit because it's a bit more expensive than standard materials, but I think that the aftermaths outweigh the cheaper and not-so-green side. Thankfully, there are blooming companies out there (amongst already existing ones) that are recognizing the beauty and significance of green design and living. I read an article over at Inhabitat.com talking about a company developing living quarters complying to LEED's Gold eco-compliance standards.

If more companies simply started doing things just like IBIS (Intelligent building = Integrated + Sustainable), it would kick in and become mainstream faster. This way, "green" housing and living would be a standard, and on top of all that, extremely afforable. More after the jump...

After an unreasonably long wait (about 1.5 weeks), my silver iPod Shuffle finally arrived and I love it! I've heard so many great stories about it and its awesome audio quality and tiny form factor. I primarily bought this for the gym but I know I'd be carrying it around anyway, albeit having an iPhone.

The battery life on this little thing is great, and the built in clip is probably the best feature of it - other than playing music and sounding great. I thought that I'd fuss over the lack of an LCD screen, but I realized how much I don't even care. The only songs that go on here are the ones that I'd listen to all the time, and not have to nitpick to find a song that I like. I didn't believe it when I read that the shuffle had a better bass response than the other iPods up until now. That's a nice one-up for me.

I have yet to have any problems with the 12 hour battery life, and the 1GB storage capacity is more than enough to last me through many hours at the gym. I was strongly leaning towards an iPod Nano but I decided that I didn't need the screen, and I didn't have the nerve to buy extra accessories to strap it onto my arm, or whatever. iPod Nano Arm Band = Not so awesome. iPod Shuffle Clip = Awesome!

I've had my iPhone since the day after it came out, and I finally started having some issues with it. It randomly drops the signal and becomes inoperable in terms of data and voice service, and I would have to either reset it or toggle the Airplane Mode. I am a frequent user of the data network and when it randomly drops on me, I can no longer communicate with those on my buddy list, or check my email, etc.

I guess that having bought a "first batch" iPhone was destined to have problems at some point in time, but then again, this is technology - which is never perfect. I'll be making an appointment at the Genius Bar so they can replace my phone. There are other small annoyances such as my speaker volume being irrationally low, and that I can't ever hear it ring in any normal circumstance, or when I'm using it as a speakerphone. The UV coating on the camera lens plate also wore off and now my pictures are always blurred and overexposed. This is a big no-no for me as I love to take the best photos possible.

I've grown to be sentimentally attached to my iPhone and I didn't want to exchange it, but this has gone overboard and now it's a requirement for me to take action. I still love my iPhone, no worries!

Not long ago I was looking back at how things used to be in my household, and how things are now. One thing I can say is that things have definitely changed! Before the time when we all got cellphones, "getting the phone" was the most exciting thing - Now, it's the opposite. Nobody wants to pick up when it rings, and it's always passed on to someone else when there's a misc. number on the caller ID.

You know, landline phones were once considered one of the greatest inventions in history because of how it permitted people from all over the world to communicate at will, albeit at cost. Now, it looks like the second greatest invention has taken over - the cellphone. Now, I'm not against the growth and domination of cellphones over landline phone, but I'm just simply recognizing the change that has occurred so seamlessly.

There have been some companies out there that have attempted to make cellphones feel like landline phones by creating "docks" for the home where minutes won't be used up and so forth. I'm just curious though, will landline phones ever be completely replaced by mobile phones at some point in the future, or will it be one of those things that just lives on forever?

Lately, I've been listening to classical music. I've always found this type of music to be very relaxing, and emotionally powerful. There are definitely some amazing works from composers that most people have heard of. Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Haydn, and Chopin have all captured my heart in both similar and unique ways.

Because of my attraction to classical music even from a young age, I've always wanted to learn how to play the piano. Some of the greatest works of music have been composed and delivered on the piano, and I would love to learn and appreciate this master tool as best as I can. I don't plan on becoming an amazing player, but I want to develop a kind of comfort with this instrument so that I can be comfortable playing beautiful music, and maybe at some point, creating my own.

My interest in classical music started when I was very young and used to listen to my Mother play on the piano. I tried learning at one point, but due to certain circumstances, it didn't turn out well. I honestly hope that this turns out to be some kind of a "hidden skill" as I really do want to be able to play. These days, YouTube pretty much has everything I like listening to. One thing I find cool in particular is people's own interpretations of some compositions.

Hey guys! It's Earth Hour in 10 minutes, and I'm psyched! I hope at least some of you try as best as you can to shut off things that you don't need on. Rock on, guys! Everything will be going off in my house, except the fridge - I can't really unplug that one for several reasons. Have fun in the dark, guys!

So yea, everyone's been getting sick lately, and now I guess it's my turn. I got sick a couple of days ago and I was coughing, sneezing, had a runny nose, headache, and all the other good stuff. I was already sick about 2 weeks ago, and now it has returned to get the best of me.

Being sick has also thrown off my mood to want to write more blog entries, and every time I'd try to write something, I either can't think of what to write, or my writing would sound all weird, like it probably is now.I hope to get better very soon and post some more things. I've been putting together a list of things to write about, and planning some more Photoshop tutorials that I think many of you will find interesting.

I'll beat this cold in no time, and I'll be in full-blown blog action very soon!