What To Do?

What to do is the question Mark Zuckerberg, creator of social giant Facebook, is asking himself. If he were to make the decision to sell the 2nd most popular social-networking website, he could become the next rich-kid of Silicon Valley. The struggle that Zuckerberg is facing is the fact that he would rather build the website and better his creation, instead of sell it, even though it is worth around 1 Billion dollars. If it were my company and I truly loved facebook and what I had created, I would stick with it, because I bet the offer would only get bigger, and when the price was right, I would sell, but until then…I would continue to do my thing.

The Japanese and Thier Robots

According to CNN.com, the Japanese have made an important step in the creation of their most recent robots. Researchers at the University of Tokyo have taken an important step, they have programmed one of their robots with camera eyes, to pour tea and serve it. What they went off about was the fact that the Japanese say that it won’t matter if you say thank you or not because the robot is serving the tea, and not a human. This is a big step, not only for the Japanese, but for robot builders around the world. I personally feel that in the not so far off future, we will have robots doing a lot of the daily tasks that we currently do now, but do not enjoy. Nice work Japanese!

Recap of Class

So I just thought I would post my thoughts about the "online" class we had. I'm glad that Prof. Castle divided it up into two parts. In the open discussion, I had an extremley hard time following the conversations, and by the time that I was ready to post or talk, the topic I was writing about was obsolete. The second part when we had to raise our hands was much better. I was able to follow the conversation plus when made a comment, it was still relevant to the conversation.

What do you guys think? Which did you prefer and why?

What were they thinking?

I know what you are all thinking by the header of this blog post, Not another post about sexual predators, but this one isn't, I promise!

When Microsoft came out with Vista, you would think that they would want to maximize their profits, but instead, they made what I consider a poor decision. As most of you know, Apple Computers' newest machines have the intel chip in them, which allows them to run Microsoft Windows as well as Apple OS10. With the release of Vista, windows made it that in order to run on the MAC, the consumer must buy the most expensive versions of Vista. Now to me this doesn't make sense. I think Microsoft would make more money if they allowed their smaller versions to work on the MAC. Now MAC users that wanted to run those Microsoft programs can't without paying upwards of 350 dollars.

More about this can be found at:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/02/23/virtual.vista.ap/index.html

Kids with Cell Phones

I got my first cell phone when I was 14 years old, 8th grade, and it was because My brother was not driving to school, and My mom wanted to have a way to contact both of us in case of an emergency. Also, the events of 9-11 had a major part in why I got a cell phone, but anyways, I was reading an Article from Time.com about a company that is making cell phones for kids. Currently in their Beta testing, they have given phones to kids from ages 9 to eleven, and are showing how responsible these kids can be. I find a 9 year old with a cell phone COMPLETELY stupid. Why does a 9 year old need a cell phone? Here is the link to the article, let me know what you think about it?

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1590955,00.html?cnn=yes

Facebook & MySpace - Living on Forever

So everyone knows that once the make a Facebook Profile or a MySpace account, they are addicted. Every time they log onto the internet, they have to check their profile, add or delete information or pictures, and check their "Wall" to see if there are any new postings. I'm not going to lie, I am def. one of those people.

An article posted on CNN's Tech website this past Thursday, explains how prominent these social networking tools really are. The article tells about a teenager that was killed when he and 7 of his friends were driving in his big SUV when they hit a utility pole. Everyone in the car passed away. Within just a few hours, there were posts on his wall, one being "I Love You, I'll Miss You."

This shows how important these websites are to today's internet users, especially teenagers. After this teen's death, his wall became a memorial to his life, allowing his friends from all parts of the world to grieve his loss. One family of a fallen soldier in Iraq discovered her MySpace account, and saw how may people commented on her life, and have decided to keep the page up, because they feel it is easier for her friends to share personal stories and personal grievences on the web, rather then having to stand up at a funeral and speak in front of a crowd.

If you would like to view the article, here is the link: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/15/myspace.mourning.ap/index.html

More Predators

So again, I was watching Dateline NBC on Tuesday Night, and they did a follow up episode to their past "To Catch A Predator." One guy questioned the person he was talking to to being a fake girl working for the cops, and he continued to ask questions, but he met the person anyways. STUPID. This whole sexual predator relates to Stacey's Online Psychology topic she talked about in her blog because the young girls that are harassd could have emotional problems.

File-Sharing in today's age

One of the sources for my "Crossfire" paper is an interview with a current student at American Universtiy, that wishes to remain anonymous. When talking to this student about file sharing and downloading music on the internet, he responded to the following questions as follows:

Q: Did you ever download music from a file-sharing program, where you did not pay for the music?
A: Yes. I used all of the programs: Kazaa, Limewire, Morphious, Aires, and others.

Q: Did you download more than 1,000 songs illgeually?
A: No, never from more than one program.

Q: Do you know that you were breaking the law when you were downloading the music?
A: Yes. I continued to download the music because it was free, and I could get it on demand.

Q: Did you ever sell any of the music you downloaded for free?
A: No, Never; therefore I never felt like I was doing anything wrong.


This interview is with a student that used to download music illegally, but has since started using Napster, where he now pays for all of his music that he downloads. This is one of the sources I will use to argue for the right to file sharing.

Online Predators

OK, so what I don't understand is how people can be so stupid. I don’t know about you, but I have been watching the Dateline NBC specials “To Catch A Predator.” This is a study that Dateline has been working on where they set up in chat rooms with the local law enforcement and pose as teenagers, and wait for men to ask to meet up with them. Dateline has been conducting these hidden camera stories for over two years now, and they have had all sorts of men show up in their fake house to meet this fake teenager. Those caught include teachers (lower, middle, and upper school), Priests, Rabbis, police officers, bankers, CEOs of top companies, and even a New York fire fighter. Some of these “visitors” have even gone as far as coming into the house wearing only a towel. There was even one man who walked in to meet who he thought was a 13-year old girl WITH HIS 3 YEAR OLD SON. WHAT THE HELL IS THIS GUY THINKING. These people are freaking nuts. I guess if you have a true problem, then you can’t help it, but come on, go to meet a teenage girl or boy with your 3-yearold child? I don’t think so.

If you are interested in reading more about the studies visit:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11152602/

The iPhone

So, let me start by saying I am a MAC user. I love my mac, and would never go back to Windows Baesd Software for my personal use. But, I have some questions about the new iPhone. Macs have always been a great computer, esp. for people in the grpahic design field. Since Steve Jobs and his team released the iPod, the company has evolved greatly. Apple's stock over doubled since the first generation iPod, and their sales have skyrocketed. What I think attracts everyone to Apple's products is the fact that (one) they last for a long time (two) Apple has good technical support, where you don't have to talk to India, and (three) they have a really cool look.

The problem that I see with the iPhone is that everyone already has an iPod or some type of MP3 player and everyone already has a cell phone. I know this isn't going to stop people from buying it just because its the iPhone. I'm all for it, and personally the day Apple announced it, I told my dad that i wanted to get one. But now that I have read into it a little more, I realize it might not be the best investment. I look to the cell phone as a safety tool, and I need it in case anything goes wrong. I look at the iPod as a luxury, and I love to have my music with me everywhere I go. The battery life on this thing is going to be a problem. They say that if you listen to music and only make a few calls, you can get about five to eight hours out of the battery. Well I know people that use their cell phone a lot more than eight hours a day. Are people going to carry battery packs around on their backs so they can charge their iPhone?

In the end, I will prob. want to get one, but I want to see the market reaction to them before I invest my money in it.

Those darn' video games

First let me say that I am def. new to all of these MUDs and stuff, so i def. consider myself an outsider. So per our discussion today, I feel that there should be some type of regulation on these MUDs, but only for younger users. I believe that kids and teenagers should experience other "after school" activities such as sports, music, and even becoming a mathlete. There should be a time limit to how long these kids can spend on these MUDs. If these kids are introduced early to other activities, they might be spared from growning up and becoming "MUDies."

Discussion Question: Would limiting the amount of time kids and teenagers below a certain be constutionally correct, and do you believe it would provide them with other alternatives? Explain your opinion.

Test

This is a test post...