Walter Martinez, IT manager and Instructor of Robotics at California State University, Long Beach, and Bob Barboza, Barboza Space Center in Long Beach California, talk with Jesus Figueroa, @Thisfunktional of Thisfunktional.com, about robotics during an event at East LA Rising inspired by “Pacific Rim Uprising.”
Martinez talks about wanting to inspire young minds to go into a STEM field, having been very young when he decided robotics is what he wanted to do and a few easy tips for starting off.
Barboza talks about some advances in robotics, the great feeling of working with youth and a fellowship at the Barboza Space Center in long Beach for students interested in the field of Robotics.
Shawn Mendes dropped two new singles this week in preparation for his forthcoming album. “In My Blood” was released at midnight on March 22 and “Lost In Japan” was released at midnight this morning. The internet has lost its chill, ladies and gentlemen.
“In My Blood” is the first single from Mendes’ upcoming third album. The singer/songwriter’s last LP, Illuminate, came out in September of 2016. It debuted at Number One.
On a personal level, I don’t think I’ve ever related to a song as much as I do with “In My Blood.” In the clip below, Shawn discusses the song with Zane Lowe (full interview will be up on Apple Music soon) and says that despite the song sounding sad, he’s actually ok. I think a common misconception regarding people who experience anxiety is that they’re not ok. That they’re always reclusive and in this state of sadness. I’m sure some do experience it in that way, but not everyone is in a constant state of anxiety. I appreciate the fact that Shawn wrote a song about that sort of battle with feeling anxious and like things can’t get better, but that it’s not in his blood to just give up.
I’m not sure when I started experiencing anxiety, but I was triggered when my grandparents passed away within 5 months of each other. Within the next two years, I lost my Abuela (my last remaining grandparent), my golden retriever and my father. Anxiety does something to you that is hard to explain to someone who is unaware of what it feels like. I’ve had friends disappear because they can’t understand why I don’t want to be with a large group of people I don’t know. I’ve had friends not invite me to baby showers and birthday get-togethers because they assume I’ll decline the invite. What they don’t understand is that I don’t always feel like that, but when I feel unappreciated and unloved by those that I care about, it puts me back in that anxious mood. Anxiety is a tricky thing to manage. It’s important to listen to those around you. Don’t dismiss their feelings just because you don’t understand them. Listen to them. Try and learn ways that help them through whatever it is they’re going through rather than telling them to just get over it. That doesn’t help.
“In My Blood” encompasses those feelings with a sound that is very Shawn Mendes/Kings of Leon and it’s absolutely fantastic. Not to mention the fact that he’s been working with Ryan Tedder, Teddy Geiger and other legends on the new album. Here’s a note that Shawn posted on his social media prior to the release of the new track:
You can check out the track on Apple Music and anywhere else you stream music. Let me know what you think. Do you relate to the song as well?
According to Kristin 