The clip starts out with a happily married couple enjoying a beautiful summer day at the park with their 2 young daughters and their dog.  They are having a picnic, sipping on champagne, and generally enjoying each other’s company as well as the gorgeous weather.   And then, things start to get a little weird.

First, we see hubby pop the cork and start pouring the champagne into the glasses.  As the woman is looking away, she hears another champagne cork pop.  When she looks back at hubby, he is just getting ready to pour the champagne again – even though he just did that – with no indication of the “first” bottle that he poured.  It’s almost like a record skipping that goes back to an earlier part of the song.  She questions him, but he has no clue what she is talking about.

Next, the bizarre echoes begin.  Voices and sounds go in and out of distortion.  Soon thereafter, things start to repeat themselves, much like the skipped record analogy I used previously.  Things rapidly spiral out of control from there, and seconds later she screams and wakes up in some sort of virtual reality terminal.  We see several other people there as well, all of which are sleeping and hooked up to virtual reality gear in their own individual terminals.

In comes a repair technician who tells her what’s going on.  It turns out that she’s an employee in a futuristic factory, and apparently employees can purchase idyllic virtual dreams on their lunch break as a way to relax.  Unfortunately her specific terminal was in need of repair, and that’s what caused the strange skips and echoes.  The repair tech then proceeds to fix the terminal, or so he thinks.  But as she goes back to sleep, something within the terminal short circuits, and she dies while happily engaged in her virtual dream state.

As you can see, there are a lot of similarities between this episode of the Twilight Zone and The Matrix.  The only thing missing was Neo, Morpheus and Agent Smith (along with their Neo sunglasses, Morpheus sunglasses and Agent Smith sunglasses, respectively)!

Obviously before you do anything, check to see if your sunglasses are still under warranty.  If so, then exercise your rights under the warranty rather than trying to repair sunglasses yourself, because doing so will invalidate the warranty.  But if your sunglasses are not under warranty, and they are expensive, it’s usually worth the time and effort necessary to try and fix them yourself (or for non-repairable damages, take your sunglasses to your local optician).

The video starts off by showing some of the supplies that you will need to repair the most common problems.  These include duct tape, needle nose pliers, an eyeglass repair kit (can be found at most drugstores), a few small rubber rings, some spare screws, a miniature flathead screwdriver, glue (super glue plus regular glue), wooden toothpicks, paper towels, clear nail polish and a metal staple.  You also might want to use a magnifying glass if you’re having trouble seeing when trying to repair sunglasses.

To repair an overstretched hinge attached to one of the arms, you will need to use the needle nose pliers.  Wrap the tips of the pliers in duct tape to avoid inadvertently scratching the lenses, and gently bend the hinge back into place as shown in the video.  If the hinge is still lose or “soft,” use one of the rubber rings to tighten the hold.

If a hinge or arm has broken off the frame, you can try and glue it back on.  Put a dab of super glue on the end of a toothpick and carefully apply it to the frame and hinge at the point of breakage.  Put the pieces together and hold for a few minutes, or until the glue has completely dried.  Make sure you check the lenses for glue, and wipe off any splotches with a paper towel immediately.  Make sure that everything bends normally after you are done.

If one or more screws have fallen out, replace them with the screws that will come with your eyeglass repair kit.  Once the screw is inserted, dab some clear nail polish over it to ensure a continuous strong fit.  If the screws don’t fit, instead try inserting a metal staple covered with glue into the screw hole, bending the staple around the hinge to hold it in place (no this is not particularly attractive, but perhaps it’s better than shelling out a couple hundred dollars for a new pair of designer sunglasses).

Finally, the video recommends saving your old sunglasses for spare parts.  This way, you’ll have a better shot of successfully repairing your sunglasses in the future.  And that is all there is to it!  So the next time your sunglasses get damaged, check the warranty, try to fix them yourself, or for major problems like warped screw holes, multiple breaks or heavily scratched lenses, take them to an optician for repair.  Whether you wear Neo sunglasses, Morpheus sunglasses, Oakley’s or Ray Ban’s, it’s definitely worth it to try and repair sunglasses before forking out money for a new pair!

From that point on, it’s all-out, in movie trailer form.  We see scenes of Neo and Trinity wearing their sunglasses and shooting guards at a warehouse, as well as a lot of miscellaneous acts of Kung Fu and acrobatics.  We also see replicating Agent Smiths, regular people morphing into Agent Smith, a helicopter crash, a motorcycle chase, a fight between Morpheus and Agent Smith, and a giant robotic death machine.  It ends with everything freezing up because…wait for it…The Matrix runs on Windows XP.

So overall, there are enough funny parts to make the video worth watching.  My only beef with it is that the Morpheus sunglasses were incorrect.  The real sunglasses clip onto your nose, but the ones in the video had the complete frames like most sunglasses.  They actually looked more like Seraph sunglasses than Morpheus sunglasses.   But other than that, there are definitely a few funny parts of the video so I recommend you give it a quick watch.

HD sunglasses, as you might imagine, are designed to improve visual acuity while wearing them.  Just like HD TVs, HD sunglasses are made to enhance contrast, sharpen brightness, and reduce glare.  But unlike HD TVs, HD lenses are not equipped with computerized technology; rather, the lenses are specially treated to filter out blue spectrums of bright light to improve contrast and vividness. In addition to making things more vivid, HD lenses also offer protection from the harmful UV rays of the sun.  Like regular sunglasses, HD sunglasses cover the full gamut of price points, from $20 all the way up to hundreds of dollars for a single pair.

Now the burning question – do they work?  Well, from what I read, the answer is “yes and no.”  While HD lenses do make things appear more colorful and vivid, they do not contain the HD technology found in TVs and as such the term ‘HD’ is a bit of a misnomer.  That said, from the reviews I read, most consumers seem to be satisfied with the enhanced visual acuity that these puppies provide.

In the final analysis, HD sunglasses are not really high def, but they do enhance colors, brightness, contrast and vividness, the sum of which improves visual clarity.  And since they can be purchased for as low as $20, they seem to represent a decent value for the dollar.  Thus, although the marketing of the term ‘HD’ seems a little aggressive, I’d have to say that HD sunglasses are worth looking into.  And who knows, in the not-so-distant future perhaps we’ll be selling Neo Sunglasses, Morpheus Sunglasses and Agent Smith Sunglasses with high quality HD lenses!  Stay tuned…

This last point is really the basis for today’s post.  There are some life lessons that can be garnered from some of the more philosophical elements of the trilogy.  The first lesson is that sheer determination and willpower can lead to opportunity.  Neo is a classic example of this.  Before being introduced to The Matrix, Neo was a computer hacker, and a damn good one at that.  Neo, or anyone else for that matter, would have had to work extremely hard to achieve this level of expertise.  Thanks to Neo’s hard work, Morpheus took notice and the rest, as they say, is history.

The second lesson is that you can do what you believe you can do.  I strongly believe in the idea of “mind over matter” when it comes to things such as your health, your productivity, and your overall happiness in life.  The difference between success and failure many times comes down to taking action, and taking action requires a belief that you can successfully do the task at hand.  Once again, Neo is a good example of this, as it was his mind that allowed him to break the perceived laws of physics within The Matrix.  By putting aside his fears and disbelief, and trusting himself, he was able to free himself from his preconditioned need to follow the “normal” laws of physics within The Matrix.  This allowed him to have something akin to superhuman powers (while also looking extremely cool wearing his Neo sunglasses!).

The final lesson is that knowledge is power.  When Neo uttered the now famous quote, “I know Kung Fu,” he felt empowered.  This is why successful people strive to constantly learn new things.  Learning does not end after graduation; it must be a lifelong endeavor.  By constantly learning new things, you’ll be better equipped to make previously unnoticed connections to spot new opportunities, you’ll generally be more competent, and you’ll have an easier time adapting to change.

In the final analysis, The Matrix offers some excellent life lessons that we should all adopt.  To sum it up, if you are determined and hard working, have a strong belief in your ability to succeed, and strive to continuously learn new things, you’ll be better off in life.  Period.

The channel currently consists of a total of 8 videos.  Each video involves a unique scene that juxtaposes a variety of thematic and narrative elements of the franchise.  The overall goal is to honor the original product while concurrently presenting something entirely new.

For example, one of the videos, entitled “We Don’t Have a Little Time,” mixes scenes from the video game, the animated series, and the original trilogy.  The video begins with Neo’s dream about Trinity getting shot, paralleling with his conversation with the Oracle.  The parallel effectively sets up the conflict that Neo experiences between saving his true love and saving Zion, the dichotomy of which represents the climax for The Matrix Reloaded.  The video then cuts to the climax of the Animatrix series entitled “The Final Flight of Osris,” which sets up the plot for The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, and even Enter the Matrix.  Paralleling that is the opening scene from Enter the Matrix, where Ghost and Sparks talk about how to intercept the final transmission of the Osris.

Whew, ok as you can see what the author is trying to do here is very complex, but the videos are extremely entertaining and well done nonetheless.  Plus, there is nothing else like them online at the moment, at least in relation to The Matrix.  So, if you have some spare time, I would suggest you put on your Matrix sunglasses and spend an hour or so watching all the videos!  Enjoy!

Scientists have recently been working on technology designed to implant neurons into the brain to enhance cognitive ability and memory capacity.  The goal is to someday provide the ability to easily retrain people that have lost much of their cognitive ability, such as people with Alzheimer’s disease or people who have suffered a major stroke.

After 10 years of research, a breakthrough was finally made in June 2011.  The scientific team was experimenting with implanting microchips into the brains of lab rats.  These microchips were essentially hard wired into each rat’s hippocampus, which is the part of the brain that processes long term memory.  The microchips were designed to encode the brain patterns for simple commands – in this case, pressing the correct lever to get a drink of water.

The theory is that if brain patterns can be encoded, they’ll be able to be stored and re-uploaded into the brain at a later date.  Basically, by encoding information in a way that the brain can decipher, computers can then directly “talk” to the brain in its own language, for lack of a better term, allowing for a literal brain dump.

Obviously I am no scientist, so my explanation is in layman’s terms; if you want to understand the full technicalities of the experiment I would encourage you to read the findings published in the Journal of Neural Engineering.  The bottom line is that the scientists were indeed successful in their endeavors with the lab rats.  The next step is to test the concept on more advanced life forms like monkeys, and then ultimately on human beings.

Of course, these findings are preliminary and must be fleshed out further.  Our memory is extremely complex and is influenced by genetics as well as our own environment and experiences.  So even if we could encode the brain patterns associated with knowing Kung Fu, would this code be interpreted by everyone’s brains in the same way?  In my humble opinion, the answer to that particular question is the ultimate key to cracking the code on this.

These days, you can buy prescription sunglasses at just about every major optical retailer (for example, zennioptical.com).  This is a terrific development for people with less-than-ideal eyesight, because you no longer need to worry about carrying multiple eye accessories everywhere you go.  In fact, many prescription shades are now equipped with varifocal technology, which alters the lens properties depending on whether you are driving, reading, or working on the computer, for example.  And Rx sunglasses can actually be relatively stylish, featuring designer frames and a bunch of lens shapes and colors.  So you can actually wear these in public now without the fear of extreme embarrassment.

Prescription sunglasses are especially important to wear while driving. The glare from the road, especially when there is snow on the ground or the road is wet, is one of the leading causes of vehicular accidents.  Therefore, when you’re behind the wheel it is critical to wear sunglasses that meet the unique optical needs of your eyes.

You’ll also want to wear prescription sunglasses if you like to read outside.  When the sun is shining brightly, trying to read can put a serious strain on your eyes.  This can lead to discomfort as well as actual eye damage over the long haul.  So again, if you like to engage in this activity and you require Rx lenses, you will definitely want to start wearing prescriptive sunglasses for this purpose.

The bottom line is that prescription sunglasses are an important accessory for anyone who wears Rx eyeglasses or contact lenses (assuming you are not a recluse and you like to hang outside occasionally).  And prescription sunglasses also come in kid’s sizes, and thus they should be worn outside no matter how old you are.  And as an added bonus, these days Rx sunglasses actually look stylish (not as cool as Neo Sunglasses or Morpheus Sunglasses, but you get the point…).  Thus, you do not have to worry about looking like a total douche while wearing them!

The 4-minute video is funny because of Tebow’s facial expressions.  The video creator did his or her best to find the goofiest Tim Tebow facial expressions possible.  His facial expressions are particularly funny when Morpheus is trying to explain to him the “rules” of The Matrix as it relates to the training program.  One word sums up his facial expressions: “duh!”

It’s also funny because well, let’s face it, it’s Tim Tebow.  No, I’m not a fan, but not for the reason you may think.  You see, most of the people (in my opinion) that do not like him take issue with his seemingly extreme religious beliefs.  But that is not my issue with him.  My issue is that he throws his beliefs in your face every time he talks.  The bottom line is that no one likes to be preached to, and I am no exception.  My problem is not with what he believes, but with how he expresses those beliefs.

But, I digress.  The point of this post is to share a funny Matrix-related video with you so let’s stick with that.  It’s pretty funny so I definitely recommend watching it.  The only thing that would have made the video better is if it featured the Neo sunglasses and Morpheus sunglasses during the Kung Fu training session.  But hey, can’t have everything right?

The video starts out by describing the various tints available.  The first type shown is solid tint, which can be applied to just about every type of lens.  Solid tinted lenses, as the name implies, offers an evenly-distributed tint throughout the entire lens. Many people prefer solid tinted lenses because they are inexpensive yet effective.  The next type of lens shown is the gradient tinted lens.  Unlike solid tinting, gradient tinting is not evenly distributed across the lens.  Instead, these lenses are generally darker at the top and gradually get lighter toward the bottom.

The next type of sunglasses shown is those with photochromic lenses, which are sometimes known as transitional lenses.  They are clear when worn at night or within dimly-lit environments, but they darken up in bright sunshine.  This darkening is generally triggered by the UV rays of the sun.  The main downside of transitional lenses is that they are not effective while driving, as the vehicle’s windshield usually blocks most of the UV rays that otherwise would have triggered the darkening effect.  Another downside is that these lenses do not get as dark as regularly tinted lenses, and thus they may not work for people that are extremely sensitive to bright light.

The next type shown is polarized lenses.  This type of lens helps diffuse reflective light that bounces off of horizontal surfaces, and as such they are preferred by skiers, drivers, surfers, and fishermen, to name a few. The only real downside of this type – aside from the fact that they tend to be more expensive – is that the polarization can sometimes interfere with a driver’s ability to view dashboard LCD displays.

The final type discussed is “Drivewear” lenses, which as you might expect are specifically designed to be used while driving.  These lenses combine the benefits of polarization with photochromic lenses for maximum visual acuity while driving.  The lenses actually change color depending on the driving conditions.  For example, they turn green when it’s overcast, medium brown in bright conditions, and extra dark when in bright sunshine but NOT in the car.

So, I hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial on the various types of sunglass lenses available.  The bottom line is that no matter what your hobby or lifestyle, there is certain to be a style of sunglasses that will match your needs perfectly.