Journal #15, Aug 10

Text Benefits

Text messaging is probably my favorite thing about cell phones and this article tells about some of the great things benefits of using text messaging but it forgot a few. I’m not one for staying with my face pressed up against the phone for hours upon hours. I’m a say what you’ve got to say type of girl. I hate it when people call and have absolutely nothing to say. I also use text messaging when talking on the phone just won’t work. Like when my mom needs my account number to put money in my account but I’m in class. I just shoot her a quick text and call it a day or when I’m at work and need a friend to drop off my lunch.

Text messaging is also great for keep track of your life. I get my bank account updates text messaged to me. When I get a message on MySpace or Facebook it comes right to my phone. When there’s an emergency announcement on campus it comes straight to my phone. If there is bad weather heading in my direction I get a text giving me the heads up.

Text messaging is also great for socially situations. You need to tell someone something but don’t actually want to talk to them or be lured into a conversation, you send them a text message and keep it short a simple. If you don’t want to talk to someone you simply don’t answer their text. Maybe you have something you need to tell a friend but don’t need everyone else around to hear it ( i.e. I can see your underwear through your dress), you just send them a text and no one knows what it says but you and her. Sure text messaging just may be the death of correct spelling and grammar in America but man do I love it!

http://luludates.blogspot.com/2006/06/text-messaging-necessary-convenience.html

Journal #14, Aug 10

Mobile Junkies

When I saw the title of this article I thought it was going to be about how the demands of the public have changed the way people do things such as market items. The article was actually about a man, Howard Rheingold the author of Virtual Reality believes that the rise of cell phone use and text messaging has created these “underground” and “secret” communities. Well, please excuse my language, but his theory seems like a bunch of bull to me. Before people used cell phones to signal each other that the cops were coming they were using secret calls, gestures, and signals. Yes cell phones have made it easier to bring people together but people are going to find ways to communicate with each other with or without cell phones. As far as cell phones making teens believe its okay to be late, that’s a bunch of bull. I, an admitted cell phone addict, know it’s not okay to be late. Yes, it does make the situation a little better if you can call in advance and say you are going to be late but it does not make tardiness acceptable. Time is precious and not something you can replace or get back. Once time is gone, it’s gone and until a time machine is invented no amount of technology can make wasting or disregarding someone’s time acceptable and this is coming from a teenager.

Cell phone also, as stated in this article, contain a lot of tracking devices and can give away a lot of information so as far as cell phones aiding criminals….I think not. Only a stupid criminal would use a cell phone. Most cell phones have G.P.S technology and can be used to pinpoint your location where landlines have to be traced and can only tell where you were when you made the call not where you are at currently. Cell phones are all about connivance not crime rings!

http://www.wired.com/culture/education/news/2002/09/54771

Journal #13, Aug 10

Technology and Connecting

This article was, once again, another article about how technology is hindering society socially. We all know we are social creatures but we are letting society keep us from our nature. First it was, as the article mentioned, phones and now its email, instant messaging and text messaging. We don’t talk in person or write letters anymore. We send e-mails and message each other and even those messages are short, direct, and to the point. We have lost touch with the beautiful and romantic art of communication. This art that strings words together to make dreamy sentences using expressive language. Even the author of the article does so. His first few sentences were all choppy and short; five words or less sentences.

Now, it all bothers me, instant messaging, e-mails, and text messaging because I am a lover of words and a hopeless romantic when it comes to letter writing (I wish it was something people still did.). But text and instant messaging get to me the most because people let it flow over to other parts of their life. I absolutely, positively hate it when people use i.m. and text messaging slang in every day conversation. (i.e. Did you really just say LOL?) Or when they’re writing notes and they spell later, L8r. Why? So not only are people using as few words as possible but they’re also using acronyms and “creative” spelling.

Now as far as cell phones and being hooked to the internet goes: I’m guilty as charged. I keep my cell phone with me at all times and if I don’t have it with me I feel lost, like a part of me is missing. I even sleep with my phone in bed with me. I also get on the internet when I wake up and before I go to sleep. I even use my cell phone to keep me up to date on my Facebook and e-mail and to go to websites if/when need be. It’s horrible I know, but hey at least I know of my addiction and at least when I text I spell everything out and use correct grammar (or at least try to).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2005/nov/10/newmedia.research

Journal #12, Aug 3

Reboot Society

This article was about a number of things. In actuality in jumped for topic to topic, many of which had nothing to do with each other, but what caught my interest most was about the United Kingdom using blood sensing cameras to catch those who use dummies to fool police in order to use the carpool lanes. Now while I do believe that is wrong and shouldn’t be done I think there are better thing to use technology and money on. I believe that people, governments, especially should use technological advance that do the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Why not put the gps technology that is available on cell phones into use when emergency calls are placed but the person calling is not aware of their location. Let’s use these blood sensing cameras to find lost children and the bodies of those missing. IN the grand scheme of things is riding in the carpool lane when you are the only passenger in the car the worse crime a person can commit? And is using government money to install blood sensing cameras the best use of the technology we have available? I don’t think so and I’m sure there are many people out there who’d agree with me. Why don’t we focus on simple things first like getting more electronic highway signs out there to warn drivers of upcoming bad weather or Amber alerts? Why don’t we use all this new found technology to create jobs for the millions of people who are out of work or develop plans for feeding the billions of starving people in the world? Maybe I’m living in a fairy tale world and think that the answers to my questions are easy but I’m darn sure that blood sensing cameras in carpool lanes aren’t the answers.

http://www.greenforall.org/

Journal #11, Aug 3

EULA!!!

When I was looking up the iTunes EULA for the number four discussion topic I found a couple of articles on EULAs in general and after reading about some of my classmates discussions on the EULAs they chose to look up I decided to read up on EULAs. I didn’t think that EULA for iTunes was shady or deceitful but I did think that it was a bit excessive. This article asked the exact question I was asking, but for a specific product. Are EULAs that bad? The author of this article seems to agree with me: they aren’t. I think that EULAs are a necessity for the companies that make and sell software. A company can’t possible know what some insane, sick, maniac is going to use their software for and has to protect itself from lawsuit. The lawsuit is the American way. Americans are quick to sue and want to get as much money as possible. So if a crazed man uses iTunes to interfere with a plane’s navigation system and the plane flies into the side of a mountain then the families of the victims will not only sue the man who caused this horrible accident but will also sue the company, which in my opinion, is not truly at fault. Plus the federal and state government always overrules the “contract” of the EULA.

Also a company has to be able to make a profit off its product. If a person is making copies of the software and giving it out to all of his buddies then how is the company expected to make money. Sure your own the copy of the software on your computer but not the concept behind the product or the product itself. To say you own the product is to say that just because you drive a Chevrolet Cavalier you own the rights to the blueprints of the car and can then start making and selling/ giving away Chevrolet Cavaliers. It just doesn’t work that way and the EULA is just letting you know that.

EULA= Protection

http://graphicssoft.about.com/cs/faq/a/eula.htm
http://what-is-what.com/what_is/eula.html

Journal #10, Aug 3

Data Deluge

Once again I’m writing another journal about what I’m calling the word/ invention/ tool of the year if not the century: Google. When the author of this article goes into the different eras and how first computers changed the way we use and look at data, and then the internet, and then internet search engines, I just couldn’t relate. I’ve grown up using computers, the internet, and google. I’ve never really had to do any type of research without the use of the internet and the ideal of it scares me. And as far as those cards people used to use in the library to find books….I still can’t quite grasp how they worked. I mean how could use possible be able to search for books using genres or keywords with cards? But I digress, in the article they speak very much so of models and how they are now, in my words not the author’s, passé. Even growing up in this information age I can’t possible understand how models, what I’ve been taught is the basis of most of what we know to be true in science, can be put to bed and a thing of the past. Yes data lies what you already see out, but models are what make them make sense and shows you what the data means. Data by itself is not information but the basis for information. I can look at a table of data on anything for hours and hours but it takes a model, a theory, to make it make sense to me, to explain to me what this data is saying. Without a model I can take what I want to take out of data, not what is meant to take out of data. I understand the way we view and use data has changed, and for the most part for the better, but to absolutely wipe out the model to me is absurd to say the least.

http://amundblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/rebirth-of-confounding-and-theory-in.html

Journal #7, July 27

Health 2.0

This article was basically speaking on the internet health craze. In this age and time when people get sick they want to find out as much as they can about their ailment, ways to be healed, and how others dealt with the same issues. The internet is the perfect medium for that. There are tons of websites, chat rooms, and discussion boards for people to discuss their various illnesses. A person can go to a internet search engine and type in the same of their illness and find websites giving information about it, as well as support groups to help them through their illness. People can also go to websites such as WebMD and search their symptoms they are experiencing and find diseases and medical issues that might be the primary cause of their symptoms.
This article mostly talks about the cons of this boom in the online health world but I for one think that this boom has also done some good. My mother was just recently diagnosed with Bell’s palsy. Before she got it I had never heard of it. I did a search on yahoo and found many sites about the illness and got a vast amount of information about the condition. I also have used these medical site support groups and chats. I have a brother with cerebral palsy and unless you have it, or have a family member who does it’s hard to relate to someone in my or my brother’s shoes. It’s nice to hear the stories of others in my shoes and to be able to share my story with others. Being able to do that alone is a healing in its own right.
But having all this access to medical information is a hypochondriac’s worse nightmare…or maybe his fantasy. I’ve gone to these self diagnosis sights and typed in the symptom I was experiencing at the time and gotten results varying from a simple cold to cancer. It’s bad for those who like to diagnosis themselves without getting medical help. Say you’re very sick but the symptoms you are experiencing are similar to those as the flu and you use the remedies you find online only to find out months later it’s not the flu you have, but lung cancer. Most of these sites, in fine print, tell you they don’t give medical advice but being able to type in your illness or symptoms and find diagnosis and therapy information allows a person to self doctor.
So in turn the internet health boom is a great but something that must be viewed and used with caution

http://www.webmd.com/brain/tc/bells-palsy-topic-overview
http://www.webmd.com/policies/about-terms-and-conditions-of-use#part1

Journal #5, July 20

O'Brien 'Stoopid'

Following up with the last journal I found another article about Carr’s article. One of the first things O’Brien mentions about Carr’s article is the title. He, in my words, says that if people didn’t actually take the time to read the article they would believe it was about the internet search engine Google’s impact on our collective intelligence. I thought about how tempted I was just to glance at the article and call it a day after I scrolled down and saw how long the article actually was. Like I mentioned in the last journal I have become a creature of convenience, a child of the microwave age. I want things when I want them and I want them to come quick and easy. It’s the mindset of my generation and those after mine. My generation is one of microwaves, internet search engines, TiVo, e-mail, instant messaging and a million other things that make like quick and to the point. Its part of the reason why I’m so impatient, I’m used to getting what I want right away or in minimal time.

I’m also used to having tools to make me life as easy as possible. Doing math in my head can seem so unreasonable to me on some days. I’ve grown accustomed to the use of a calculator, I even took four years of calculator based math and find math without it impossible. I mean with my cell phone always in reach, I always have at least a basic calculator around. Spell-check is another necessity in my life. My ability to spell over the years has decreased, like the O’Brien I can’t spell my way out of a bag. Technology has hurt me in these ways, but now that I have it, I can’t live without it. This ages technology is issuing a new way of thinking, yet it has me wondering is new better??

Journal #4, July 20

Is Google Making Us Stoopid by Nicholas Carr

I’m one of the first people to say that A.I.M (AOL Instant Messenger), along with other instant messaging services is making my generation and the ones that follow “stooped.” Everyday I feel as though I might scream if I see one more e-mail written in shorthand “A.I.M.-talk” or if another person says LOL in a face to face conversation. I’m also the first to admit that I’m hooked on spell-check. I’m a horrible speller and have no desire to learn as long as I have the spell-check tool on my internet browser, instant messenger, and word processor. So, I thought reading this article might be interesting. From the beginning I could relate and agree with what the writer was saying. I am and always have been an avid reader but as my use of the internet grew so did the difficulty of diving into a book and staying underneath the ocean of words, especially for books that aren’t necessarily my cup of tea. But instead of contributing this to my use of the internet I contributed it to my ADHD and general lack of interest. While finishing the article up I began wondering off into my own little world, as I often do when reading and I thought maybe there’s a link between the use of the internet and ADHD. While searching for information about links between the internet and ADHD I did find a study that says that internet addiction is associated with ADHD* (although not quite what I was looking for.). Hmmm..It’s easy to drift off when you aren’t interested or swept away by what you’re reading. After reading the article I began to think that maybe the convenience of the internet has affected my ability to focus while reading. Google makes doing research so easy. You don’t have to look up books, then read tons of information that is useless to you just to get to what you need. Internet search engines do all the filtering for you. They find sites closest to what you’re looking for then show you the specific area of the site that mentions what you are looking for. Google give you what you need when you need it and in many cases how you need it without the extra junk. Maybe Mr. Carr has a point.

* http://www.anxiety-and-depression-solutions.com/articles/news/internet_addicted_adhd_0607.php <-the article about the study

Journal #3, July 13

http://www.manifest-tech.com/society/voting.htm

Voting is one of the most valuable rights that Americans have. Voting is what allows each and every citizen to have a voice and hand in the people, laws, and polices that make up the system that governs out society. Electronic voting is something that many Americans are calling for instead of paper ballots and even being able to vote over the internet. It’s true that every system is flawed. But human error, for the most part, tends to cause more flaws than electronic voting. One of the problems with Florida ballots were that the people could not accurately match the candidate with the right area to mark. The same type of problems could occur with electronic voting. Many people, especially older people, are not technology literate. They don’t know how to work computers, they even have a hard time using the atm. Accidental problems and issues are bound to occur but what happens when the problems that occur with ballots aren’t accidental? When someone intentionally creates problems with ballots they are determined and I’m sure switching to electronic ballots would make it harder, but would not deter them. People would be able to hack systems, delete votes, create votes, or even place viruses in the systems that completely destroy it. Hackers would not even have to be “insiders” to hack into the system, they could do it from their home computer and cause an insurmountable amount of damage and community mistrust to the voting system. People could also use the identities of others and vote for them. Despite all that I’ve said I think if the proper amount of security measures were taken that electronic voting, especially voting via internet, could be a great thing. People wouldn’t have to leave work to vote, those unable to leave their homes, in the hospital, or away from home (i.e. on vacation, in school, in the military) wouldn’t have to go through the hassle of getting and turning in an absentee ballot. In the end I guess I’m pro- electronic voting.

Journal #2, July 13

http://www.enotes.com/technology-society-article

The first part of the article is something that I feel I can neither agree nor disagree with; it is simply the stating of facts about the internet and its use and progression so far. When it began to talk about how the Neo-Luddites felt that the internet caused fewer person-to-person relations, I was a little confused. I wanted to know if they were only against the internet, computers in general or all forms of technology like TiVo, digital cameras, cell phones, and etc. I searched Neo-Luddites on Google and found their website…it was simple an all black page that said “Hi;” So much for me getting information on the Neo-Luddites first hand.
From the information I did find on the Neo-Luddites I can’t help but partially agree with them about the digital divide the internet has caused. People don’t write letters, sealed with a kiss, anymore, they don’t visit their families and friends to share slideshows of vacations and catch up, they just send e-mails complete with smileys, and picture and video attachments. People hide behind their computers and use it to mask their issues and insecurities or even worse use it to vent what they can’t say in the real world. The internet also makes it harder for those who don’t have access to the internet to succeed in life. When I went out looking for a summer job I found that most places I went to apply at told me that all applications were done online. In high school most papers that I had to do were required to be typed and some type of internet research. Even networking is different, it used to be done at social events but now it’s all done through websites like Facebook. Just as the internet brings people together, it further sets people apart. It leaves out people who need voices the most.

Journal #1, July 13, 2008http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-technology-of-memory

As I read the first part of this article I recalled a project that I had to do in what I recall to be seventh or eighth grade. This project was one where I compiled information about myself up until that point in my life and one of the requirements was that I had to get a copy of the front page of a newspaper from the day I was born. Thinking back to all the memories I wrote about I realized that many of the earlier memories were not ones I remembered first hands but ones formed from stories I had been told so many times that they had materialized in my mind as my own memories, not the recollections of others.

As I continued to read about how videos, pictures, and blogs were “alienating” our memories I once again though back to this middle school project of mine. Is recalling events in one’s life through photos, videos, and etc. really that different from recalling them based on stories told to you by others? Then I thought it is different. A picture is worth a thousand words only because a picture cannot speak. A picture cannot explain itself and what is taking place within it. The greatest pictures, blogs, and videos are the ones that document great events in a person’s life. Although every year a person gets to see is a blessing, every birthday is not an exciting memorable one. I believe your mind remembers certain things for certain reasons. Forrest Gump says “I don’t remember the day I was born… but I do remember the day I met Jenny.” You meet so many people in your life, but isn’t it funny how you only remember the day you met the most important people in your life (i.e. your spouse, best friend, mentor etc.)

I believe I agree with the author of this article; these new technological advances make it easy for you to become a packrat vigorously holding on to every snapshot of life. You can’t remember where this picture was taken but it must be important, sure you have ten videos of Bobby’s little league games but this one is special too, yes this blog was just one where you vented but every day’s important even the horrible ones, right? I also agree with the author about these advances being hazardous to our memories, well mine at least. I can never remember where I’m supposed to be and at what time or a friend’s phone number I call every day, but it’s okay I have my PDA phone to remind me of my meetings… Maybe I will put down my camera and live life without worrying if I’ll remember it.