For me the driving concept behind my curiosity is the origins of things, or how they came to be. Whether it is the evolution of reptiles from amphibians or the stylistics shifts of punk rock from the Ramones to Blink-182, it is these forces that produce change that foster my obsession and curiosity. My first obsession, evolution, more specifically the evolution of reptiles, is derived from my innate desire to understand how organisms are related taxonomically. My second major obsession is punk rock and how musicians take, change, and build upon the music that inspired them to make something new and unique. To me, origins teach us how things came to be; they show us why they the way they are and help us to better understand what makes them unique and incredible.
I’ve had an infatuation with reptiles since I was a small child; from dinosaurs to snakes they always amazed me. However, as I got older, this infatuation morphed into a driving passion to learn more, specifically to learn more about reptile taxonomy and evolution. I wanted to know how they came to be and why some remain largely the same as they were millions of years ago (snapping turtles) while others have completely changed (saurischian dinosaurs to birds) and some have gone extinct (pterosaurs). This drive to understand the origins of the animals I love has lead me to find books on reptile osteology, field guides, cladograms, and to peruse more education in genetics. Each of these tools acts like a piece to a puzzle that helps one understand the life history, ecology, and behavior of organism. This understanding has helped me to better appreciate and communicate about the importance of these organisms and their conservation. When it comes to reptiles the origin story that is evolution is a rich history book showing the rise and fall of an empire and the subsequent retreat to the wild regions of the world.
Although music and even more so punk rock are far cry from science or evolution the same process of beginning and changing has also driven my curiosity for punk rock music. My journey into the exploration of punk rock started with the band Blink-182 back in my senior year of high school. Blink-182 was different than anything I had ever really listened to before, sometimes serious, foreboding, and angsty and other times juvenile, silly and rebellious. As I listened to more and more of their work I began to explore how they evolved and changed as a band from their first album Buddha to their last EP Dogs Eating Dogs. In that exploration I saw Blink-182 go from a fast, loud punk rock band that didn’t take anything serious (Buddha-Dude Ranch) to a “pop-punk” sensation taking over the radio (Enema of the State - Take off your Pants and Jacket) to a foreboding and emotional alternative band (self-titled - Dogs Eating Dogs) and back to a “pop-punk” sensation (California). This change in style and return to form inspired me to seek out their influences and see how the overall genre of punk rock has changed and evolved over the years. This investigation into the influences of my favorite band has lead to my discovery of one of my now favorite bands, the Descendents, as well as some of their peers like Fugazi, the Screeching Weasels, and the Cure. These bands then led me to trace the genre further back to innovative punk rock acts like The Ramones, The Clash, and Black Flag and eventually all the way back to bands like the Beach Boys, the Who, and Iggy and the Stooges whose musical styles and destructive attitudes helped spur the birth of punk rock. Not only did this curiosity of the origins of my favorite band lead me to trace their influences in the genre but it also lead me explore the overall punk genre and culture leading to my discovering of other bands like Pennywise, NOFX, the Misfits, and Alkaline Trio among others. Finally this drive of discovery helped me discover newer bands that have been influenced by bands I love like the State Champs and All Time Low.
In closing, regardless what the topic is I always find my curiosity for discovering how things came to be and where they came from to drive me to an obsession to learn more about them. This deep dive into the discovery of the origins always leads me down a path of discovery ultimately arriving at new levels of passion, excitement, and curiosity for the world around me.
Dan Guinto, Ohio
Student, Wildlife Technician, Amateur Herpetologist
I’ve had an infatuation with reptiles since I was a small child; from dinosaurs to snakes they always amazed me. However, as I got older, this infatuation morphed into a driving passion to learn more, specifically to learn more about reptile taxonomy and evolution. I wanted to know how they came to be and why some remain largely the same as they were millions of years ago (snapping turtles) while others have completely changed (saurischian dinosaurs to birds) and some have gone extinct (pterosaurs). This drive to understand the origins of the animals I love has lead me to find books on reptile osteology, field guides, cladograms, and to peruse more education in genetics. Each of these tools acts like a piece to a puzzle that helps one understand the life history, ecology, and behavior of organism. This understanding has helped me to better appreciate and communicate about the importance of these organisms and their conservation. When it comes to reptiles the origin story that is evolution is a rich history book showing the rise and fall of an empire and the subsequent retreat to the wild regions of the world.
Although music and even more so punk rock are far cry from science or evolution the same process of beginning and changing has also driven my curiosity for punk rock music. My journey into the exploration of punk rock started with the band Blink-182 back in my senior year of high school. Blink-182 was different than anything I had ever really listened to before, sometimes serious, foreboding, and angsty and other times juvenile, silly and rebellious. As I listened to more and more of their work I began to explore how they evolved and changed as a band from their first album Buddha to their last EP Dogs Eating Dogs. In that exploration I saw Blink-182 go from a fast, loud punk rock band that didn’t take anything serious (Buddha-Dude Ranch) to a “pop-punk” sensation taking over the radio (Enema of the State - Take off your Pants and Jacket) to a foreboding and emotional alternative band (self-titled - Dogs Eating Dogs) and back to a “pop-punk” sensation (California). This change in style and return to form inspired me to seek out their influences and see how the overall genre of punk rock has changed and evolved over the years. This investigation into the influences of my favorite band has lead to my discovery of one of my now favorite bands, the Descendents, as well as some of their peers like Fugazi, the Screeching Weasels, and the Cure. These bands then led me to trace the genre further back to innovative punk rock acts like The Ramones, The Clash, and Black Flag and eventually all the way back to bands like the Beach Boys, the Who, and Iggy and the Stooges whose musical styles and destructive attitudes helped spur the birth of punk rock. Not only did this curiosity of the origins of my favorite band lead me to trace their influences in the genre but it also lead me explore the overall punk genre and culture leading to my discovering of other bands like Pennywise, NOFX, the Misfits, and Alkaline Trio among others. Finally this drive of discovery helped me discover newer bands that have been influenced by bands I love like the State Champs and All Time Low.
In closing, regardless what the topic is I always find my curiosity for discovering how things came to be and where they came from to drive me to an obsession to learn more about them. This deep dive into the discovery of the origins always leads me down a path of discovery ultimately arriving at new levels of passion, excitement, and curiosity for the world around me.
Dan Guinto, Ohio
Student, Wildlife Technician, Amateur Herpetologist