I am very happy to report that Dreamclue.com has been chosen by First Coast News, an NBC affiliate out of Jacksonville, Florida (USA) as “website of the day“! FANTASTIC!

Dreamclue.com was chosen as a “Cool Pick of the Day” for April 15th by CoolPick.com… cool!

I have a number of, what you may refer to as, pet peeves. Sure, mortality ranks up there as number one but a very close second is the effect that passion has on the passage of time.

Passion: The Good

Passion is a wonderful thing, if you are lucky enough to have found yours, then pat yourself on the back… you have found something that some spend their whole lives without. Passion can be described as things that you do, either for profit or for fun, which you simply cannot do enough of. If you are a musician, then your passion is playing instruments, composing songs and playing your next gig to screaming fans. If you are a gardener, then your passion is planting seeds, mending a garden and sharing the great bounty which you have created. If you are an entrepreneur, then your passion is developing something that has been in your mind and somehow turning it into a profitable enterprise. Passion is a wonderful thing!

Passion: The Bad

The problem with passion, especially if you have quite a few of them is that it becomes an addiction. I have never taken hard drugs but I can assure you that passion can be just as detrimental to relationships, finances and common sense as a cocaine addiction. How? Well, when you focus all your energies into something that gives you so much joy and a sense of accomplishment, things begin to fall apart in other areas of your life. I can honestly say that if there was a way for me to get married to my company and have kids with it, I would do it in a heartbeat… the love I experience for my companies is the same found in deep relationships, the same found in a chef’s eyes when you take a bite out of a food they have prepared and the same found in the eyes of somebody you want to spend the rest of your life with.

Passion: The Ugly

Luckily, or unluckily, depending on your perspective, I have developed a number of passions for myself. When I get worn-out of one, I just jump right into the next passion… and there goes my day! Am I addicted to my companies? Absolutely, I actually have to remind myself to take a break to do such menial tasks as eating, sleeping and exercising. I might be starving and as soon as I begin one of my hobbies, the hunger pains disappear! I am so involved in the cocoon I have created for myself that everything else seems to fade away. The worst part about all this is time, I will begin working at, let’s say 9am then I will take a quick look at the clock and realize it’s 2pm! This happens far more often then I care to admit.

Passion: Perspective is Key!

I am fortunate to be able to pursuit my passions despite the limitations imposed upon me by others and my lifestyle. I am most fortunate that one of my passions is my body… specifically, working out and pushing it beyond it’s limits. This actually works rather well in my case because my other passions involve sitting in-front of a screen and typing, animating, modeling or composing on a computer. I found out a while back that passions themselves aren’t the problem, they should have a life cycle, the problem is when they are in unhealthy endeavors. If you are lucky enough to experience the joy that comes with exercising a passion in your life, always remind yourself that it will be there the next day and the next… you need to take a break (complete one) every once in a while in order to refresh your batteries and enjoy the other experiences that life has to offer.

The Bottom Line

Passion is wonderful, but like other things in life, must be balanced.

I have spent over a decade in the 3D industry under various roles in my company. It’s a field that continues to compel me to create and explore where your only limitation is your mind. Here are some really cool animations I have found!

Doll Face by Andy Huang

This is a powerful animation illustrating how the endless pursuit of beauty is not only crazy but also harmful. Harmful to your pocket book, self-esteem, health (chemicals in cosmetics aren’t good for you) and generally take away from a persons uniqueness.

Morula by Propa

Great animation that is highly stylized that expresses the growth of the human spirit and love leading to rejuvenation.

The Hiccups by Jordan T. Caylor

Sure it’s political as hell but it doesn’t take away from how original I find this… really nice and simple!

Fabulas: La Lampara by widam

Although I have no clue what they are saying, the message is clear and the character animation is very well done. I especially like the flame effect in this animation.

The Bottom Line

3D is cool!

Let me state emphatically, ignorance doesn’t equate to stupidity nor mental defects but rather a systematic choice to, purposefully, choose irrelevance in the place of true knowledge.

Ignorance comes in many shapes and sizes

I am sure you know people who, if their life depended on it, couldn’t find a country like Iraq or even Canada on a map. There are others who still believe the planet is flat and that the sun rotates around it. Still others who, for some crazy reason, believe fervently in the supernatural which, by its very definition, cannot come from natural processes (thus cannot exist). Yes, I bump into these types of people every once in a while, although I enjoy a good debate when ever I can get it, there is no way of debating anything based on facts when a mind is full of ignorance. It’s like trying to break down a solid brick wall using nothing more then a hammer made out of paper mache… it’s a futile effort.

Ignorance isn’t hard to find

Anybody who has lived long enough soon realizes that there seem to be more ignorant people out there then otherwise, you can see them “reporting” the news through various media, you can talk to them while at your local shop buying supplies and even while driving down the road. I am sure I am not alone in wondering where the heck did all these people who wouldn’t know a dime from a quarter keep coming from? Is there some alien spaceship dumping people at will on our planet in the hopes of creating a super human race as tame as a herd of farm animals?

Why are people ignorant?

I can easily state that the reason why there are so many ignorant people all around us is because they have become mentally lazy. It’s far easier to sit in-front of a television for a few hours a day then to actively work towards making ones life better or of others around us. As well, it’s easier to follow tabloid journalism and read-up on the latest fads created by marketers then to truly become a student of history and human nature. Why are people ignorant? Because there is NO COST for them to continue being so. Put another way, societies around the world are less interested in developing intellectuals then they are consumers. The era of great debates still exists but its popularity has faded in the minds of the masses who absolutely must know why celebrity “who cares” got red shoes instead of black ones. This statement is no truer then today, regardless of the type of government you choose to live under.

How to solve the problem of ignorance

The problem of ignorance comes from several circles but the most important way to solve this mental epidemic is to place a higher value on creativity, education and passion. A population that has found their reason for being is of far higher strategic and economic value then one based on herd mentality. Education is also key, from the sciences to the maths, I am not saying kids should be studying Shakespeare but what I am saying is that the mental faculties of critical thinking MUST be the foundation upon which knowledge is given. Lastly, creativity, an incredibly rational and passionate person is useless to all of us if they cannot have the creative abilities that allows them to see outside of normal thought patterns. A physicist who finds the solution to a Unified Theory is useless if he cannot explain it to a six year old, much less the general public.

The Bottom Line

Ignorance is a choice, stupidity isn’t.

I can’t think of any entertainer who has had more ups and downs over the course of a career that lasted several decades than David Hasselhoff. The “Hoff’s” career has spanned several industries from television to music, movies to now, the internet!

David Hasselhoff: The Early Years

Born David Michael Hasselhoff in Baltimore, Maryland on July 17th, 1952, little did his parents know they had just created a phenomena that would revolutionize an entire industry! He was born in a family of four sisters so he always had attention thrown upon him so at the age of seven, it seemed natural at the time that he began taking acting, dancing and singing lessons. By the time he got out of his teenager years, he was already standing at six foot four and was beaming to become a huge pop star. He has already stared in a number of school plays and did the rounds of several dinner theater circuits before being discovered in California.

David Hasselhoff: Television Career takes off!

Although he had planned on doing musicals on Broadway at first, he soon caught the attention of an “The Young and the Restless” scout while in California in 1973 and, in 1975 began his first role portraying Dr. William “Snapper” Foster, Jr. till 1982. He then struck gold when he got the role of Michael Knight in “Knight Rider” which shot him into cult status, he would play this role for four years till 1986 when the series ended. Although still in heavy syndication, this was the first show for “The Hoff” to be seen abroad, it played in over 80 countries and set the state for his success abroad.

David Hasselhoff: Musical Career takes off!

Not wanting to rest on his previous success, he was eager to transform his career into the pop world and, in in 1989 launched his “Looking for Freedom” song which stayed at the number one spot on the German charts for eight weeks! He toured extensively around Europe hundreds of concerts attended by millions of dedicated fans. He would later release 8 records which involved extensive touring and promotional events. He never let his extreme success get to his head, often capable of making fun of his image along the way.

David Hasselhoff: The Worldwide Phenomena that is Baywatch!

David Hasselhoff was approached by NBC on the heels of reviving his television career after extensive success with both his previous “Knight Rider” show and his developing his pop-icon status abroad. The name of the show was “Baywatch” and it changed his life forever in 1989. The show had a simple premise, he played “Mitch Buchannon” and the show chronicled the beach life full of beautiful woman and men running around with nothing but bathing suits. Although the show was canceled after the first year it was on television, he had a stroke of pure genius and acquired the rights to “Baywatch” to continue developing the show with a few partners. The show became an instant worldwide phenomena that lasted over a decade, had almost a billion weekly viewers and continues to be syndicated around the world even to this day through its various spin-offs. One of the huge breakout stars of the “Baywatch” show was Pamela Anderson who, herself, has been incredibly successful in creating a worldwide following of her own since the show ended.

David Hasselhoff: Other Roles

In between his busy television and musical careers, David Hasselhoff has appeared in a number of other television and movie projects. From “Revenge of the Teenagers” in 1976 to Anaconda 3 which is currently in production, he has amassed an extensive and impressive portfolio. (See more here)

David Hasselhoff: Awards and Recognition

David Hasselhoff has achieved incredible success and, as a result, a number of distinctions. In 1983, he won a “Peoples Choice Award” for his role as Michael Knight in “Knight Rider. In 1996, he was awarded his own star on the “Walk of Fame” in Los Angeles, California and in 2005, he won “International Star of the Year” by Bollywood!

David Hasselhoff the Humanitarian

His schedule might be loaded but he still finds ample time to spread good cheer to those less fortunate, especially children who are terminally ill or handicapped around the world. He also runs his own charity called “Race for Life” and has hosted numerous charitable events.

David Hasselhoff: Internet Phenomena

Having conquered the television, theatrical and musical scene, David Hasselhoff has recently began conquering the Internet, producing rather fantastical music videos and selling everything “Hoff”. Here is a glimpse of some of his works!

David Hasselhoff: Trivia

There are a number of very interesting facts about David Hasselhoff that you may not be aware of, here are a few:

• in 1994, his first heavily promoted, pay-per-view concert meant to ignite his popularity in the United States happened to be the same day that O.J. Simpson drove his friends famous white Bronco down the Los Angeles highway
• in 2004, he appeared as himself in SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
• he believes that Knight Rider was a larger worldwide hit then Baywatch, though both live on in syndication
• has a listing in Guinness Book of World Records under “Most Watched TV Star in the World” due to his roles in Knight Rider and Baywatch
• has a keen interest in politics, sometimes comparing himself to Tony Blair
• has appeared in South Park
• fought John Tesh in MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch
• 1989, New Years Eve, he performed “Looking for Freedom” on the Berlin Wall
• has a musical in Australia based on his life
• is an avid outdoors and sports fanatic

The Bottom Line

When success came to “The Hoff’s” door… he ANSWERED IT!

Buzvia: David Hasselhoff on The Internet Movie Database, David Hasselhoff’s Official Website, David Hasselhoff on Wikipedia, David Hasselhoff’s Biography on Sing365.com