Android Lollipop Update - The Desktop

At first I thought it was going to be okay...then the more I use the desktop, the more confused I felt because there were too many "noise" on the screen.  I wish they would just use the same icon format like they had with Kit Kat.

Android Lollipop Update - Installation

Here is the Installation screen when Android is going to update you from Kit Kat to Lollipop. 

Is "Fresh off the Boat" For America? Is it for me?

It’s the week after the ABC premiere of Fresh Off The Boat and there has been a lot of racket—both strongly for and against the program.  Those for the sitcom speak about how accurate the story describes their lives or how they can identify with the characters.  One in particular is the main character, young Eddie Huang as played by Hudson Yang—base on the life of celebrity chef Eddy Huang.  Those arguing against the sitcom speak about the racism and stereotyping fear it reinforces.

As an Asian American--more specifically, a Southeast Asian American--and anthropologist—more specifically, an Hmong American ethnographer, I would like for us to consider some of the socio-cultural dynamics.  I would like to relate how Fresh Off The Boat is not a narrative exclusively for Asian Americans only.  Yet, I would also like to differentiate how it is not necessarily the narrative of all Asian Americans.

From an Asian American perspective, the Fresh Off The Boat story is a narrative we can all relate to.  Coming from families with strict upbringings, many of us have felt envious of our “American” friends.   We struggle with conforming to the cultural norms our parents place on us. We are also struggling to define ourselves in an individualistic and more self-expressive larger culture.

In a sense the Asian American narrative may be something that many can relate to.  Some subgroups of Asian Americans include Japanese Americans, Korean Americans, Chinese Americans, Taiwanese Americans, Indian Americans, South Asian Americans, and  Southeast Asian Americans  to name a few.  Still, there are others who feel the same frustrations of finding themselves in two cultures—one being their own and the other, that of the predominant majority.  These would include those from Native American, Hispanic American, African American and Middle Eastern American cultures.  Of course, even European Americans have historically struggled with the same socio- cultural frustrations. 

In the first two episodes, we saw how young Eddie struggled with what was considered cool (or uncool) in at school and what he thought was normal at home—ie. Lunchables vs Chinese noodles.  What school age immigrants and children of immigrants have not had the same struggle?  The question here is, “How does one define him or herself, straddling between a minority or subordinate culture and the dominant culture.  The struggle is between trying to please both worlds and yet remaining true to one’s self.  So in this perspective, the Fresh Off The Boat story is a story of all Americans—if not that of all internationally or ethnically dispersed people.  In the light of globalization then it is a story of humanity.

Some would say, “Wow.  My Asian American friends must have gone through this, too.”  This would be a generalization, especially because there are various Asian Americans coming from various backgrounds, including those whose ancestors came earlier and are more established, those who are recent migrants as well as those who may be Asian by descent but adopted into families of other ethnicity—mainly white families.  As a Hmong American myself, I would fall under the categories of Asian Americans as well as Southeast Asian Americans.  And if you want to be specific, I am a 1.5 generation Hmong American who grew up in the central Midwest. 

An example is that we did not bring Chinese noodles to school, the more embarrassing dish was the whole chicken—head, feet, and inners intact.  We were supposed to tear into the chicken and leave nothing behind except for the bones.  Talk about setting oneself up for ridicule.  Another example is the culture of CLCs (Chinese Learning Centers).  For us as refugees, we had ESL afterschool and summer programs to help us catch up academically, though we can relate to young Eddie’s envy of his White American friends.  From this Multi-Asian American perspective, however, the story being told is not necessarily a story of all Asian Americans.  Each Asian American group has their own (sub- or even counter-) narrative, as well. 

In terms of the “racism” or stereotyping, it may be offensive that generalizations are being made.  Some juxtapose Fresh Off The Boat to Blackish, stating that they are Asian and African-American sitcoms based on stereotypes.  However, we need to understand the socio-historical developments of stereotypes—that they may not be true for everyone of that sociological group but that it is true for some—if not most.  An “educated” (or holistic) interpretation or representation would acknowledge the variety of racial and ethnic experiences.  Another socio-historical dynamic to consider is that some stereotypes have been grossly exaggerated and a careful interpretation and representation would acknowledge this as to not lead ourselves to discrimination, which takes stereotyping another step further based on exaggerated observations.  This topic would invite a conversation on the difference between something being rightly depicted versus something being wrongly exaggerated.  But that would warrant another conversation on its own.  The caution here would be to not overgeneralize a social-economic group base only on what the media presents about that particular group.

Another socio-cultural dynamic to consider is that of the speaker.  There is a difference between an Asian American sitcom as shared by an Asian American versus one where the speaker is of another ethnicity.  It boils down to the fact that one can call him or herself “stupid”—as an expression and not necessarily putting oneself down—versus someone else calling him or herself “stupid,” especially if one has had bad experiences with others of the same social group.  For course, we all know the voice here is that of Eddie Huang.  In some sense, the show results in a reflection of oneself and one’s cultural experiences and how it is like or differs from that depicted on the show—rather than someone else’s evaluation.

In terms of racism, some have stated that the stereotypes of “white culture” have been wrongly depicted.  It should be granted that we cannot group all European Americans into those characters on the program.  We can agree that to “rightly depict” the multiplicity of white cultures (and, thus, a proper representation) in America would take more time and resources than what the twenty minute program can squeeze in.  Some questions to explore here would be the ideas of “white privilege” as opposed to the expectations and challenges of many Asian Americans.  And in order to squeeze in and drive the point of these scenarios, it would require selecting only certain characters.  An “educated” perspective would consider that representing all White Americans would be an almost impossible feat—reserved more for documentaries or other research projects rather than something for the mainstream media.

So should we just outright write off Fresh Off The Boat?  Not really.  I think it would be beneficial to realize the daily struggles of many Asian Americans and learn to relate to and interact with them.  It is also beneficial for those who are Asian American to identify themselves with the characters as well as realize how they don’t identify with other certain Asian American groups.  A more “educated” stance on the viewing of the program would acknowledge the socio-cultural dynamics mentioned above and view the program in that light.

So is Fresh Off The Boat for America?  Yes!  A TV program that reveals part of the Asian American experience that identifies with the struggles of growing up in America has been long overdue.  If not anything, at least the show prompts us to probe into the multiplicity of Asian American cultures and subcultures, especially as it relates to those Asian Americans we see and deal with in our daily lives. 

Is it for me?  This would be a question each of us has to answer, considering the points mentioned above.  For some who may not be able to handle the stereotyping then it is their choice if they chose not to.  For others who are interested in seeing and learning more of the Asian American experience that many Asian Americans go through, it should be an emphatic, “Yes!”

On an interview with Time published 3 days later, Eddie Huang himself concluded his segment saying, “These conversations should be held in a public forum…so the rest of the country can learn and grow alongside of us.”  Resonating his words here, my hope is that the things shared above may be topics where we can all (as Americans and even the global humanity) can engage in as we live with and deal with one another daily.

What The Shaman Says About X-Men: Days of future Past

Watching the young Professor X, the Hmong shaman would react:  “Wow.  This guy knows the pain and suffering that we feel….and he knows the powers to travel through the spirit-space continuum and speak to the spirits of wandering souls.  He even has his own neng console to get there!  But there is one major difference...” 

And this is what we will be looking at in today’s blog.

My wife and I have been anticipating the viewing of X-Men Days of Future Past.  We were finally able to do it about a month after it came out late at night, after the kids were asleep (at least most of them—except big brother) when one of the students came out to babysit.

We did not know what to expect…only that the online reviews dramatized how crazy it was going to be.  With that, I delved into the movie with no other prior knowledge.

While watching this movie, I became very keenly aware that the experience Charles Xavier (The Professor), had, as someone figuring out his own telepathic powers and learning to embrace them, was no different from that of a Hmong shaman—at least for the most part.

Due to the nature of my blogs, I will not elaborate on the plot or movements—only those relevant to my points.¹  With that in mind, I hope you will join with me as we continue to be critical of one of the many media in our world today.  For those who have not seen it, I’ll try not to spoil it for you.  If your convictions are not preventing you, I would encourage you to watch it…and even better on the big screen.

The shaman (“the ones who the spirits call” or thawj) has to go through a number of ordeals, including sickness and pain. At a certain time in their life (ranging from young children to older middle-aged adults), these sicknesses would come to them often. Although the sicknesses can go away by themselves, to hasten and properly “cure” them, the young prospective shaman is set in front of the candle.  If she was really called by the spirits to be a shaman, her feet would react by shaking and she will find immediate healing from that sickness.  If she’s not called, the candle will have no effect on her.²  

The “real” and, thus, effective shaman, then, is one who the spirits calls (a vocation) to identify with the pain of others.  She will find that the pain of others is also painful to her and be moved with great love and compassion to help others. ³  This is the only way that she will find healing from her own pain. Thus, her only choice for immediate relief is to perform the healing ceremony to relieve the suffering of the patient…and, therefore, her own.³

This may be similar to Professor Xavier’s  experience of telepathy. However, there is a stark difference in motives here. Enduring pain as his mind wanders past other people’s minds, the elder Professor Xavier narrated about why they (the X-men mutants) do what they do:  “it is because of…hope.” However, as we have seen here for the shaman, it is (in addition to self-healing) because of…love.

  

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1. This blog is in no way an attempt to encourage, discourage, belittle or elevate the practice of shamanism.

2.  The candle is a part of the spirit world console (thaj neeb) used during a shamanic healing ceremony where the shaman would shake his body with his legs, jumping up and down—even on and off benches).

3. The information of this blog is based on the following research paper:  Yang, Wayne, An Interview With a  Hmong Shaman, University of Kansas, Anthropology

"Driver Power State Failure" for Network Techies & Multiple Drives

Ever heard of the "blue Screen of Death?"  On Windows 8?  This is different from the screens Ive seen with past versions.

(The new Windows 8 "Blue Screen of Death")

Ever since we upgraded our desktop from Windows 8.0 to Windows 8.1, we've been receiving this "Driver Power State Failure" error--even though our system was unable to upgrade at the end (tried three times already).  This became problematic when the system would not come out of sleep mode or it would just restart itself without warning into a frozen Windows start-up screen.  At this point, I would have to manually restart it.  Otherwise, it will lock itself up.  Or it would come out of sleep and freeze at whatever screen it was at before sleeping.  Sometimes, it would restart (or start) with a series of clicking noises before freezing on the Windows screen.  I Googled this up and tried everything that they recommended--from updating the driver files to deleting them.  I even did a complete system restore (in addition to the numerous system recoveries) to no avail.

(The frozen restart screen--nte the Windows window by itself)

At the same time, I also had problems with my Bluetooth connections.  After paring a BT device, the computer refuses to see or acknowledge that it is connected--even though the device properties says that it is connected to the device.  However according to the PC Settings, the device is registered as being offline.  Yes, basically, there are mixed messages.  I even tried adding a BT dongle to no avail.

Eventually, I called Microsoft about the BT issue (since it was still under the 1 year warranty).  This was an ordeal in itself--entering in my Model # and SN# to validate if I am still under warranty before giving me the customer service number and everything else that comes with customer service from India--no offense.  After some quick troubleshooting, they said that the problem was my device and not the computer.  If I want technical support for the device, I would have to pay.  I was sure it wasn't the device because my laptop, tablet and cellphone registers the BT devices are working now every time I try to connect.

I also tried calling them about the driver power error but their system said that I am no longer under the warranty since I had the system since...2012?  I just bought it this past year because my old one had a power failure.  So they wouldn't even show me the number for customer service this time (should have kept it somewhere the first time).

After being frustrated about these two issues, I packed the system for a replacement at Best Buy.  But unable to go that day, I had some time to think about the issues here (otherwise, it would be a 45 minute trek--with the family).  The night before I was scheduled to go, I finally figured out what it was.  Believe it or not, it was one of the drives (from an older computer) that I had attached to my unit.  And the clicking noises at startup was from one of those faulty drives.  After detaching those drives, I no longer had the error or problems.  The computer (Windows Explorer) wasn't even registering them anyway.  But I did leave an old drive that was working properly.  Plus, the Bluetooth devices are now connecting (almost) every time!

(The normal Windows start screen--note the Windows window with the twirling light (hour glass?))

Hope this helps you.

Unfortunately, my device will not be able to upgrade to Windows 8.1 (getting some kind of error) so I'll have to see what happens from here.  But at least my desktop won't be restarting without notice or freezing from sleep and the BT devices works!

What Are The Issues Around Blogging and Pictures?

You really don't want to get sued by someone because you are using their (hard earned) pictures on your site (copyright), especially if you're making some kind of money from the site.  But there are times that you just have to post some kind of picture because a blog without pictures can be unattractive and even a bore to read.  Well, I was able to dig up some articles about this and will share them with you.

Here's an article about the need to consider copyright:
http://dearauthor.com/features/letters-of-opinion/the-principle-of-fair-use-and-image-usage-for-bloggers/

It comes down to permission.  When putting up the pictures online, the author would have given or implied whether they give you permission (full or part) or not. Partial permission can be anything from non-profit use only to an embedded link.  And the safest thing to do is to ask the author.

Here are the basics on copyright:
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/blogbasics/6.4

This site basically covers definitions.

I also read in another site that a lot of it is contextual, depending on the nature of usage.  You can Google this, if you are interested in finding out more.

Hope this helps!

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RESOURCES

Free image sites (please see Terms of Service for each):
I Can Has Cheezburger
Flickr (Creative Commons)
Deviant Art
iStockphoto
BigStockPhoto
Stock.xchng
Wylio
morgueFile
IMDb (movies, etc.)
Stockvault
FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Wikimedia Commons
MS Office Image Gallery
Corbis Images
Photos.com
Fotolia

For videos (note that some be be removed after being posted):
YouTube
Vimeo

Columbia University Libraries checklist.

The Freezer/Fridge Won't Shut, Ice Melted and Our Food Has Thawed

Now, how do we fix that?  Or do we need to call someone who knows about fridges?

We came home, after a long day in the big city, and as soon as I opened my door, I could smell some rotten meat.  I thought it may have been some animal scavenging meat somewhere or one of the trash cans, which was full, and ignored it.  Then I walked to turn on the lights in the carport and as I looked over at the corner where the freezer was, I saw a crack.  We didn't close the freezer door properly and now all the food are thawed, including some that may have froze rotten.

Well, I Googled up "fridge door magnetic strip not working" and found out that it is called a "Door Casket."

Here is a conversation where I got the lead to some appliance parts websites:

• Yahoo Answers

To find the part, you will need the model # of your fridge.

Here is where you can find your model #:

http://www.easyapplianceparts.com/Model-Number-Locator+9+repair.htm

Ours, obviously, is on the left inside wall of the freezer (pictured here).

I saw some door casket options for $75 and as low as $40.  When I searched specifically for ours, it ranged around $100.  Here are some prices for ours, if you're interested in a price comparison.

• Repair Clinic
• PartSelect
• Sears Parts Direct
• Appliance Parts Pros
• A.P. Wagner
• Easy Appliance Parts 

Because it was the most inexpensive (part & shipping), we bought our door casket from Easy Appliance!

Now, wish me luck getting the pice on...  :-O

What About Frozen the Movie?

The movie, Frozen, has become quite a phenomena...among both adults and children.  The values demonstrated and delivered from this animated Disney rendition of a (possibly) Danish folk tale reflects that of today's American cultural values, which I will expound on later in this blog.

Ever since the movie came out in the theaters, I had wanted to take my son and (distant) niece to see the movie at the theaters (even though she had already watched it "seven times").  However, we never got that chance--between teaching and babysitting/family.  Before you know it, the movie had come out on DVD already--thank you Red Box!

While watching the movie, I was (in a way) inspired that the creators would emphasize on the principle of "being who you are made to be"--as indicated in the song, "Let It Go."  (Pause for the fans to finish singing the stanza).

(Permission by Fair Use at IMPAwards)

OK, now...where were we?  Oh yeah...

The idea here is that society may pressure you to keep your strong gifts/personalities to yourself--in fear of not hurting others.  For example Elsa, the main character, had to be locked up most of her life in order to not accidentally shoot a snow blast at her sister--or anyone else.  However, the struggle is that one would not be true to him-/herself.  Elsa realized what she was missing out once she ran away from the palace (and villagers) and created her own ice palace deep into the mountains.

At first, I was impressed with the movie.  However, further reflection on it lead me to become quite disappointed.  First, I was disappointed that the overarching theme (at least from my perspective) is to obtain self-control and channel one's strong gifts/personalities toward benefiting others but the problem is when you consider the point (or theme) of the theme song, "Let It Go."  How can you obtain self-control by just letting things go?

To make this short, personally, I don't think that self-expression will facilitate for self-restraint and, much less, self-control.  Those are different concepts.  Self-expression, in my opinion, can set things up to work towards self-restraint and self-control...because how can self-restraint or self-control be practiced, if there is no self-expression to work with in the first place?

My final disappointment is that, at the end, the "Snow Queen," Elsa, was the one who, not only brought snow and ice to the land (or stopped it from coming), but she also ushered in Spring?  I'm not trying to make something big out of something minute but...in order to be consistent with the dynamics of gifts and personalities, one tends to be more one than the other--not both and.

With that being said, I thought the movie was quite entertaining (and even hilarious at certain points).  It's entertainment value is quite high in my book...but in terms of philosophical value, it is indicative of the self-expressive culture that we live in today--one without any restraints.

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For those interested, here is the original folk tale version: