blog

With the economy in a slump, consumers are spending less at stores. However they are finding the time to purchase virtual gifts. No, not like things from ebay but actual gifts that only exist online. Many come from avatar sites like Gaia but many also come from sites like Facebook.com. According to the article, consumers are spending more time at home and therefore more time on their computers. Tightening the wallet for expensive goods is understandable but when it comes to simple virtual accessories and gifts they think “what’s a dollar?” Sales on these items accumulate to over a billion dollars a year. If you were to ask me, I think the whole thing is silly. I have never used an avatar site, but I suppose that if you do it is important to make your guy look cool; however that seems like a complete waste of money. If consumers were to save the money they’re spending on their avatars they would probably realized that it would amount to a decent sum of money. Just like smokers who don’t think it’s a big deal to drop three or four dollars on a pack of cigarettes, but if they didn’t do that they would have hundreds more to spend. I am an avid Facebook user, but I do not understand the point of spending a dollar simply to send a friend a virtual gift. There are applications where you can send gifts for free. If I am going to spend my money I better be getting something physical in return. The only good thing about consumers purchasing these items is that it could help pull us out of this recession. I am taking macro economics right now and when the country goes into recession the market needs to be stimulated to pull out of it. With people saving more money it just hurts the economy, but with people not seeming to think that these virtual gifts are a waste of money, the economy is being helped.

Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/08/technology/internet/08virtual.html?_r=1&ref=technology
Sources: http://www.gaiaonline.com/
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/giftshop.php?ref=sb

blog

Last year I wrote a paper for my English class about how America is falling behind in math and sciences compared to countries like India and China. A similar situation happened after Russia launched Sputnik in 1957. At that time the government pushed for increased math and science education. My stance on the topic is that while math and science are very important topic, it is very important that we make Americans as well rounded as possible and continue to stress the importance of social sciences and languages, as all subjects in a way interact with one another. For example, where would a chemist be if he could write a legible lab report? Many are worried that with increased technology in other parts of the world America will fall behind. However, according to Amar Bhidé, a professor at Columbia Business School, America will actually prosper from other countries’ technological advances if we continue to be the best place to “commercialize” inventions. Though Bhidé makes a good point, many still believe that it is in the United States’ best interest to push for more funding in basic research. I agree with both statements. I have never thought about Bhidé’s opinion before, but it makes a lot of sense. In my macro economics class were are learning about international and how it actually benefits the U.S. because it keeps our economy stimulated and gives us a constant flow of goods. Accepting increased technological advances in other countries would cut some slack to U.S. inventors, and allow them to have to make fewer strides to keep technology moving forward. However I do feel that it is important for the United States to keep up with the rest of the world. We are one of the most powerful nations and we do not need to allow any other nation to do the bulk of the work for us. We are strong and we have the capability to stay that way if we try. I think that we should be pushing for better all around education for ourselves.

Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/business/30ping.html?ref=technology
Source: http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/

13

As we all know the economy has been in a slump recently. Many are getting laid off from their jobs every day and journalists are certainly no exception to the issue. Many journalist and bloggers have lost their jobs recently and a company called Six Apart is going to try to help them. The company’s vice president is Anil Dash. On November 14th the company posted a blog addressing laid-off or nearly laid-off journalists. Anil Dash has had more than 300 responses to the blog so far. The respondents are trying to earn themselves one of the 20 to 30 yearly memberships that Six Apart is offering. The memberships would include professional technical support, advertising, and placement on the company’s site Blogs.com. The free membership accounts are worth $150 annually. Many journalists are excited and want to be a part of this because journalism is a slowly dying art. It is becoming harder and hard for journalist to find work. Having one of these spots could help him/her get noticed. I have been doing journalism since I was in the 8th grade. I also did it all through high school and now I am in my second year of working for the University Times. I have known for quite some time that journalism is not a field that I would make a good career in. The jobs are becoming more and more scarce and more and more people are turning to their computers and televisions to give them the latest updates; print media is becoming obsolete. I think what Six Apart is trying to do is a cool idea, but I also do not fully understand it. It seems to me that with so much economic activity and national headlines needing to be reported on, there should be work for these individuals. However, there isn’t. Maybe they should consider a new career path, because earning one of those spots could be a tough task and it is not enough to make a living from.

Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/24/technology/internet/24apart.html?_r=1&ref=technology
External source: http://www.sixapart.com/blog/

blog 12

Parents should always be concerned with the safety of their children on the internet. It is so easy to stumble upon something inappropriate or something that’s bad news. There a several internet programs that parents can use that prohibit children from using certain sites all together, like those that block certain television channels. Parents have been requesting even safer internet use for their children. Companies have been trying to develop the perfect program to monitor for some time and they are still not done. The program that has been the most successful so far is eGuardian. eGaurdian has parents enter a child’s information and then that information is confirmed with a school. I think this method makes more sense that just having people enter birthdates in, a child can chose a year that would make them appear older, just as a pedophile can make him appear younger. Some companies were proposing a site, like Myspace.com, where people under a certain age are only allowed to interact with people under that age or with adults that their parents approve. However, there is nothing in that which would prevent a child molester to lie about his age to make himself appear younger and then be able to interact with the child, situations like that happen every day. Parents are concerned with the new programs like eGaurdian because they are going to use the information provided about the child to target advertising to them. People are questioning whether these sites are actually promoting the safety of the children or hindering them with their advertising. I think that using the safety of children to promote products like junk food and toys is not in the best interest of the children or society. I believe the best way to ensure child internet safety is through parents. It is important to teach your child the risks and how to keep themselves safe, because in the long run they’re going to be the only ones who can do it.

Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/business/16ping.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin

Source: http://www.eguardian.com/ourprocess.php

11/9/08

Youtube is a popular website. It has so many possibilities and chances are you find anything you want on there. Currently you can already look up movies on the website and they’ll be broken up in to segments, however this is very illegal. Google bought Youtube several years ago and has been disappointed with its profit returns since the purchase. Youtube is now in the works with MGM to be able to show full length movies on the site, legally. Google is interested in getting Youtube connections with a lot of Hollywood industries. Youtube is also making it possible for companies to spot illegal video on their website and either delete them or leave them up and sell ads on them. Youtube is competing with a site called Hulu. Hulu does not have amateur videos on it, but only television episodes and movies. I have never visited am unfamiliar with the site so I cannot compare it to Youtube, however many are thinking that it’s the next big thing. I don’t think that I would necessarily like Hulu because I do not like to watch movies or TV on my computer. My eyes are sensitive and they get strained when I stare at my computer screen for too long. I like Youtube because the videos are short. I also like the amateur aspect of it because it’s very personal, anyone can do it. I even have a video on Youtube. It’s a lot of fun to go through and find your favorites and share them with friends. It’s definitely a good plan on Google’s part to partner Youtube with as many Hollywood agencies as possible. With its well known name and millions of users Youtube would be a smart partnership for any company. I am interested to see these changes take place.

Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/business/media/10mgm.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin
Source:
http://www.hulu.com/

blog article

What is the world coming to? Do we really think that our time is so precious that we cannot wait 45 seconds for our computers to boot up? That’s too long? Of course I have had the experience of being in a hurry and my computer not seeming to understand my need for speed. However, life and time are both so precious that it really is just sad that people are throwing them away so easily. People are rushing through everything. Everything has to be faster and better.
Computer boot up times are being compared with that of smart phones. Consumers desire their computers to be ready, set, go as fast as their phones. What they are not realizing is that a computer has much more potential that a telephone, and a far greater memory. The phone has very little to load compared to a computer, especially if users a like me and have a lot of music and photos. Because such a large number of people are interested in rushing their lives away and are primarily using their computers for internet and e-mail purposes new gadgets called “netbooks” have arrived. Netbooks have essentially the same aspects of a smart phone as far as internet goes but they are as big a computer and have a keyboard. However, these books are still at least 400 dollars and it hardly seems worth it when you could have an entire computer for only a few hundred more.
What bothers me most about this article is that people are so impatient. There is really no need for you to have 40 extra seconds. Take the 40 seconds your computer needs to boot and take some deep breaths if that small segment of time is really that important then obviously you need to distress.

Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/business/02digi.html?ref=technology
Source:
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone.htm
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/computer-memory.htm

blog 9

Just a few hours ago I was in a meeting where we were discussing communication and it involved how men and women vary in how they approach and address people. It involved facts like men are more likely to interrupt during a conversation, and that they actually talk more than women do, but that women ask more questions, etc. The article definitely relates to that! After my meeting I really started to think about the way that I communicate with people and whether or not I’m setting the correct impression or if I’m making myself well understood. The article describes and MIT professor who has developed a device that can analyze the way we talk. The device has the capability to determine if we interrupt too much, or if we come off as though we don’t care because we don’t speak up enough. This software sounds really intriguing. I would love to have my voice analyzed. I am one of those people who you can tell exactly what I’m thinking from the face that I’m making so I’m sure it is obvious to tell from my voice too, but I never realized that any of this is happening. The device could help train us to be better at communicating which could have large repercussions for the entire world. Imagine if everyone could communicate on a high level, so much animosity could be avoided. People would be more successful in their careers, and have better relationships too! The software in the device has been used of college students and people in the work place before as a small chip that could be attached to a name tag, or something similar, and then the information was sent to a computer and analyzed. This technology can tell if you are talking to a person you like or if it’s someone who annoys you. I’m completely fascinated by it and would love to try it out.


Source:
http://www.simmalieberman.com/articles/menwomentips.html
Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/26/business/26novelties.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin

blog article

This article is hilarious! As a typical college student it goes without question that I will have encounters with people who are intoxicated. Just last weekend I was instant messaging with a friend and he was saying a lot of things to me that he normally wouldn’t have. The situation was entertaining but he was embarrassed about it in the morning. I think the idea that Google is creating with Mail Goggles is a good idea, and if nothing else humorous.

Mail Goggles has emailers who log on between 10pm and 4am on weekends answer several math problems correctly in one minute in order to send their message. An example of this can be found at http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/10/googles-mail-go.html .

Having this protection on email is smart, however I think it doesn’t cover the bulk of the problem. I don’t know if drunk emailing is more of a problem for the working, older generation, but I personally do not know of anyone who has ever sent an intoxicated message. The people I know are more prone to use text messaging, telephone calls, or instant messaging. I don’t see there being a way to put similar protection on all of these communicators. Email is such a slow process today compared to these the use of cell phones. People are almost always with their cell phones where as they are not always going to be logged into their Gmail account. Also with instant messaging many are likely to be logged in and stay logged in for much longer than you are your email, because email is instant but you don’t know when you’re going to get one, so why wait?

Kudos to Google for developing this program, I’m sure it will save many from regrets later in life. However I think that this program is just a small step in fixing a problem that has no cure.

Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/fashion/19drunk.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin
External Source:
http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/10/googles-mail-go.html

10/12/08

This story first caught my eye because it appeared to be about children being overexposed to the news, however there is very little of that in this article. Due to the current economic crisis and such a crucial presidential election right around the corner American’s are becoming more and more news conscious. The article tells the story of a number of individuals who are obsessively searching for the latest news update. Ironically, as I write this my family is in the other room watching the latest on NBC.

It is hard for me to relate to the growing desire to always know what’s happening in the country. I do not believe that many college students really keep up with the news. I almost feel as though I’m oblivious to what is going on in the world around me. With the election coming up I still have absolutely no idea whom to vote for, and I do not understand the current economic crisis. I am definitely concerned about it I just do not have the desire that these people do to rely on news programs and the internet to be constantly updated. What is truly alarming is when “economic crisis 2008” is Googled, over 38,600,000 results appear. There is so much information to be kept up on and it is understandable that people are becoming so crazy about getting the latest information, however it gets to a certain point when the TV just needs to be turned off, or the computer. When we have doses of anything that are too large eventually it’s going to get to us. Though I am not up to date on all of my current news events, knowing that people are getting this worked up over all of it kind of scares me.
Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/fashion/sundaystyles/12news.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin
External Source:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=economic+crisis+2008

blog 6

Acceptance into college has become more and more competitive in recent years as the importance of attending college has increased. Athletes have for a long time running been important assets to universities. Recruiters from colleges can start selecting potential athletes in their sophomore year of high school however they can begin looking much sooner. Videos of children’s athletic performances are now being posted to the internet for anyone to see, and colleges are definitely looking. Some even go as far as to directly email a video to a coach.

The growing desire to be a college athlete is causing some kids to work exceptionally hard to get good videos. And those that do are certainly getting noticed. For example, Jashaun Agosto, who is only 11 years old, has several videos on YouTube and many have more than 15,000 views. UCLA has even been considering him. To me, it is crazy that parents are allowing their children to be this directed. It seems that driving your child to be good at sports simply so that he can get into college is not the way to do it. Sports can often go wrong and they’re only one broken limb away from losing their future. It’s great that these kids are having these opportunities but it gets to a certain point when they start to lose their childhood. Besides it is silly for college recruiters to be considering them when they have never seen them play in person and they do not know their academic situation, their ability to play with a team, or their personality. It is worrisome that stage parents maybe just become coach parents. Only a small portion of people really make it to the big time, and mean while I think we should be encouraging kids, not only to follow their dreams, but to be as well rounded as is possible.


Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/sports/ncaabasketball/02youtube.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin
External sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_Athletic_Union
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Jashaun+Agosto&search_type=&aq=f

article blog 5

Facebook is a commodity for a large number of people. It is the most trafficked social media site on the web, and is used by more than 100 million active users. It originated for college students but they now only make up half of its current users. It comes in more than 15 languages and allows the entire world to communicate. I love Facebook. I rely on it to keep me updated with the lives of my friends, to entertain myself, and to invite people to functions. It is a simple and easy way to contact people. Over the summer Facebook released an updated version. It was strange, everything was moved around and I didn’t like it, so I stuck with the older version. A few weeks ago I saw a memo that said that soon the new version was going to be the only version. I switched over then to try to get used to it. At first it was confusing and I didn’t know where anything was located. Now I am pleased with the new version. I no longer have to scroll all over a person’s profile page to be able to find their wall. The tabs are so convenient for finding what I need I just didn’t know how to utilize them before. Since the transition from the old version I have received a lot of invitations to join groups like, “1,000,000 Against the New Facebook” or “I HATE the New Facebook.” There are so many people who are unhappy with Facebook’s change. If you were to search groups for the updated version there are over 500 and they are all negative like the ones I mentioned before. I think everyone is just disoriented by the newer version, like I was, but if they really give it a try they would see that it was made with good intentions and that it really is handy. Just like the Zack Coleman says in the article, “The new Facebook may upset a lot of people at first, but eventually we will get used to it and probably enjoy it more than we used to. I’m sure that in a few weeks everything will die down and in a few months everyone will have forgotten completely about the old Facebook.”

Article:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/09/22/facebook.facelift/index.html
External sources:
http://www.new.facebook.com/s.php?n=-1&k=200000010&init=s%3Agroup&q=new+facebook&sid=aefdc7bdd37d8110d3e565c7c6b98820
http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

blog assignemtn 4

It is obvious that cell phones are a staple in today’s society. This point is proven when my statistics professor questions the class for an example, he says ‘raise your hand if you do not have a cell phone on you right now,’ and of over 120 students not a single hand is raised. They are a commodity and we use them to communicate, to listen to music, and to go online. A cell phone craze that came out only a few years ago has now surpassed the popularity of the phone’s original use, making calls.

Text messaging is everywhere. People walking, people driving, people socializing, people doing anything are texting. It has become the go to communication for teens and adults alike and it’s taking over the world. Texting is direct and to the point and that’s why many people prefer it to the pressure of calling someone.

Recently the dangers of multitasking with a cell phone have become more evident. Though specific statistics of text messaging involved in car related accidents have not been calculated, there are a number of accidents related to cell phone use reported every day. Each state has its own laws as far as driving and cell phone use but many fail to control it at all. According to the Government Highway Safety Association, only 5 states and Washington D.C. have a ban on driving with a handheld phone; as well only 5 states have a ban on text messaging while driving. Alaska, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Washington are the only states who have taken initiative to prevent text messaging related car accidents. If you ask me this is a good start however it is going to be difficult for a police officer to be able to spot a driver text messaging. I am startled to know that the same number of states bans driving and talking on the phone as driving and texting on the phone. Texting is much more dangerous than just talking because it requires you to take your eyes off the road.

Recently the most tragic locomotive accident occurred and it is said to be linked to the operator text messaging. Also five teenagers in upstate New York were killed recently in a text messaging related car accident. Currently legislators in that area are passing a text messaging ban. Texting while driving is dumb. I do not have text messaging, but I would never dream of thinking it would be safe to do so while driving. People need to start using their common sense, and they need to realize that taking their eyes of the road for even a millisecond can have serious repercussions. Vito J. Pinto, chairman of the Public Safety and Security Committee of New York’s Westchester County Board of Legislature agrees saying, “It may be cool in their minds, but it just distracts, I think even more than a cellphone. There are an awful lot of young people who feel that it’s O.K. to put the machine on their steering wheel and drive.”

Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/20/us/20messaging.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=technology
External sources:
http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/14legiswe.html?ref=us

Assignment 3

Our technological world is about to become and little less private! DEMO technology has invented a software program to prevent cell phones from being stolen. When you sign up with the software you give the company two numbers, yours and one of maybe your spouse or a friend. Once the phone is stolen and the thief replaces your SIM card with his the software gets to work. It immediately copies all of your information (phone book, pictures, and text messages) and sends them to the other number you have provided. It also hides all of that information so that the thief can’t access it. The phone also sends you a text message of its exact location. From this point the software gives you a number of possibilities. You can set off an alarm within the phone that will drive the thief crazy and you can eavesdrop on conversations and see texts being sent from the phone.

According to TIME, “The statistics are unsettling. In Am-sterdam last year, mobile-phone theft rose by 80%; in the U.K., it jumped almost 200% from 1995-2000.” Cell phone theft is clearly a rising issue in the world. I think that this new software is going to be great for stopping phone theft. It is innovative and seemingly successful way to catch or prevent people from committing the crime in the first place. The end of this article really struck a note with me though. It suggests that parents use the software to keep track of their children. Ideas like that really bother me, to a certain extent kids just need to be kids. Kids do need to be monitored but if they think or know that you are always spying on them or eavesdropping on their conversations there is going to be even more desire for rebellion. There needs to be a certain level of trust in child-parent relationships and it’s about time that parents realized this.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/someone-stole-your-cell-phone-tell-it-to-phone-home/?ref=technology

Blog Assignment 2

According to the article the CIA, the FBI, and the National Security Agency are going to take part in a new social networking site similar to Facebook or MySpace. The intent is to make communication about national security quicker and more proficient. The article used this example to explain the benefit, “Missing crucial data can have enormous implications, such as an FBI agent who sent an e-mail before September 11, 2001, warning of people learning to fly airplanes but not learning to land them.”

A lot of research has been done about signs leading up the September 11th attacks. One of several examples found in the April 18th, 2004 edition of the New York Times follows: “…In late August 2001, George J. Tenet, the director of central intelligence, learned that the F.B.I. had arrested Zacarias Moussaoui after he had enrolled in a flight school. Mr. Tenet was given a memorandum titled “Islamic Extremist Learns to Fly.” But he testified that he took no action and did not tell President Bush about the case.” With any luck the new program, A-Space, will be able to keep the lines of communication between different sections of the government flowing freely and help to prevent future acts of terrorism.

It makes sense that the agencies would want to adopt this new communication program. I use Facebook practically every day and it does a great job of keeping me updated on everything my friends are doing. I’m sure A-Space, is going to be of even better use to the Government.

One thing I do not understand is why this article exists. If this program is going to be used by spy agencies then why is the world even being told about it? Any terrorist has the capability to go to CNN.com and read this article. I think the sanctity of our national security relies in these agencies not publicizing how they do things. The article also does not mention who is developing A-Space. Is it the Government? Or a third party? Whoever develops this software is obviously going to know all of its ins and outs and be able to use it better than anyone else. If the software is being developed by someone other than one of these agencies then the things posted on it are not likely to be safe because there is the potential for it to be seen by the developer. From there it could even be leaked to the outside world. At least nothing about the program pops up when “A-Space spy agencies” is typed into a search engine, but I still do not think that information about what these agencies are doing should be public knowledge; there are a lot of bad people in the world.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/09/05/facebook.spies/index.html

Blog Assignment 1

Customers are complaining about their iPhones. The phones are dropping too many calls and having trouble connecting to the 3G network. iPhones have been quite a big deal since their release in June 2007. The iPhone is only offered with AT&T service. Apple initially introduced the product with a steep price tag of about $500. In just a few months, the price had decreased to about $300. The iPhone is now “starting at $199,” according to Apple’s website. Though I am always impressed with Apple products, I think that the iPhone has too much hype to its name. I do not see the growing desire to diminish one’s eyesight by staring continuously at a tiny little screen in order to check email or watch a video. In this day and age, people are becoming far too invested in their availability. I’m sure there are very few moments in all of our lives when we don’t have our cell phone with us. We are always allowing ourselves to be accessed through telephone, and now, with inventions like the iPhone, through email as well.

The cell phone I have now has an mp3 player. I do not see the purpose of this feature, I never use it and it doesn’t hold anywhere near the amount of songs that I have. As a whole, the American population (and those in other parts of the world too) are becoming far too dependent upon this technology. I believe that cell phones are used for telephone calls, iPods are used for music, DVD players are used for movies, and that computers are used to access the Internet. When all of these are combined, the likelihood of the product functioning at 100% is lessened, just as though anything being overloaded with tasks wouldn’t function at its peak.

The big debate over the failures of the iPhone is in determining where to place the blame. The options are either with Apple or with AT&T. It seems that the majority are placing the blame on AT&T. Ironically, the company claims to have the fewest dropped calls. Many think that the iPhone itself is more to blame than that network. Problems have also been reported in parts of Europe, which would not be a part of AT&T. Something that is always a little suspicious is when companies refuse to comment on the topic at hand. According to the article, “Jennifer Bowcock, a spokeswoman for Apple, said executives there declined to comment about consumer complaints.” The president of network services for AT&T wireless divisions, Bill Hogg, did acknowledge the complaints.

Verizon is quick to take any opportunity to diminish AT&T’s reputation for its own gain. From a marketing stand point that must be the big break they’ve been waiting for, however they need to wait for the facts to come through before placing judgment on the network. It’s like a bad rumor, being started without knowing any facts. The Verizon Company commented that “they’d rather miss a deadline than have a bad launch.” In years past Apple has gotten in trouble with missing deadlines that destroyed its reputation, according to lowendmac.com.

If I were an iPhone owner who was having these issues I would be upset. The iPhone has a lot of bells and whistles and consumers are paying for each and every one of them. If I had something so pricey in my pocket it better work. As far as who is to blame, Apple or AT&T, I’m not sure. The experts don’t even know. I do find it suspicious that Apple is not acknowledging the complaints and it making software patches for the product. However, Apple has made a comeback in recent years and has gained a strong following. A feat like that could only come from reliable product.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/technology/29phone.html