ballerassshit

28 posts

Brunei vs Singapore: A Case Study

There are two countries that are always going to be linked in the Southeast Asia region due to their similarities, and the key choices that turned one into an economic powerhouse. Brunei and Singapore are the two smallest and wealthiest Southeast Asian nations, and have a currency interchange agreement. Sixty years ago, both set out to diversify their economies and become leaders in the region. The result is a real-world model lesson for developing nations. Continue reading

How to Survive a Long Distance Relationship

OK, so, full disclosure, I’m a serial Long Distance Dater. I’m in my fourth long distance relationship at the ripe age of 25. It’s not that I seek out women who move away, it just seems that we fall for each other, and then life’s circumstances make it impossible to stay together when you’re both trying to start out your lives.

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Rooting Your Android Just Became Easy

cyanogenCyanogen Inc., is a newly created company that has been producing the slowly adopted, but somewhat popular CyanogenMod custom Android ROM. They just released a new app called the CyanogenMod Installer which will unlock the user’s boot loader, root their device, and flash CyanogenMod to their phone with almost zero extra effort. The app is free over the Google Play store and after downloading their free desktop software you can have a very user friendly, highly customizable version of Android. Continue reading

US Supreme Court Reasoning Slipping Away

scThe internets, how do they work?

The already ridiculously old and technologically impaired Supreme Court of the United States of America has come down with a bad case of link rot. The NY Times brings us news of a new study by the Harvard Law School that finds almost half of all hyperlinks referenced in Supreme Court decisions are now defunct. Now what the hell does that actually mean? Continue reading

Fracking Your Way to the American Dream

Hydraulic fracturing and the natural gas that it helps to procure gets a bad rap in lots of circles in the United States and abroad. The process of sending sand to create fissures in shale rock involves lots of chemicals, huge amounts of labor, and extremely expensive equipment. It’s a tough and imperfect industry, but it is one of the last places where the American Dream can be a reality. Continue reading

Johnny “JFF” Manziel’s Slow Descent into Madness

Johnny Manziel is a legend and he’s 20 years old. In his opening season with Texas A&M last year, he lead the team to an epic win over Alabama during the season, demolished Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, and capped off the season as the first freshman Heisman trophy winner.

Manziel is a hero around Aggieland and all over the country, but just being an athlete isn’t what makes you a legend. The guy rolls around town with multiple fake IDs in case one gets taken up. He could have spent the offseason training and working in his game, but fuck that noise, then he’d just be another quarterback. Manziel is anything but just another quarterback, he’s Johnny F’n Football. Continue reading

Minimalism, Expatriation, and Getting Rid of Your Crap

As some of you know, I’m about to embark on a trip to become an expatriate. I turned twenty five a few days ago, and I accepted a job offer overseas a few days before that. I am a long time resident of a smallish college town in Texas, made famous by the college, football stadium, and its small string of bars just north of campus. I moved here at eighteen and have never really looked back. I worked on my degree and never really thought that I’d stay here forever. I ran the off campus BONFIRE for a couple years, and traveled all over the tri-state area speaking at former student clubs, and meeting people from all walks of life. I got a job just outside of town immediately after graduating, and just kind of never left.

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Photo Phriday: What Have You Built?

BTHOB Ags Build the Hell. A-Whoop

Are you crafty? Are you inventive? Are you a builder or a craftsman? Have you ever devoted your life to a project or task that you will always be proud of? For this week’s Photo Phriday show off what you’ve built from the ground up.

That is Student Bonfire from 2008. Student Bonfire is a 501(c)3 corporation that I helped created. It is based off of the Aggie Bonfire that fell in 1999, and it helped me create who I am. I was quoted in an AP article featured in major newspapers around the country (including the New York Times) because of this college project of mine. There are over 1300 people who sacrifice their fall weekends in college to get together and Build The Hell Out of Bonfire. Continue reading