Wiretapping: Going Too Far?

Recently, a website called Information Week, which specializes in technology news, reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has made attempts to increase their ability to wiretap telephones.

I'm sorry, WHAT?

The article goes on to list several substantial reasons why this is a good thing, it can help us avoid security threats in the future, get us important information more quickly, ect.

However, just the mere fact that the government is now going to be able to listen in on our phone converstations more easily than ever is more than a little alarming to me.

How do you feel about this? Are you concerned as well?

I put the article below so you can read it and form your own opinions.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/security/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229218950&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All

all 3D all the time

Comcast has stated that starting Sunday at 3pm they will have a 24 hour 3D channel. It will start by broadcasting the 2011 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic and then by broadcasting a Kings of Leon Concert from Germany.

With this comes questions and concerns. Will more people start buying 3D TV's now that there is a whole channel devoted to 3D programming? 3D TV sales are apparently on the rise, but some people, including myself do not think that 3D is enough reason to buy a new TV. Obviously, I'm a college student, so spending money on excessive things isn't in my budget at all. However, I still don't think 3D TVs are useful enough to be considered a standard household device, yet. Maybe in the future, exactly how long I do not know, 3D will become the norm. And maybe the same technology that is in those glasses we wear while watching these larger than life movies will be put into normal glasses, and maybe even contact lenses. Who knows, maybe in a few years we'll be driving downtown only to see a 3D billboard advertisement.

Time will tell just what the fate of this 3D fad will be. Will it become a standard? Will it change how TV companies market their programs? There are a lot of questions and answers that hopefully will come to a resolution sooner than later.

for more: CNET

Celebrities + Internet = ?

Note: I am NOT a Miley Cyrus fan and this post will be slightly biased.

With today's technology, news has become more current and attainable to the average person. Go to any major email site such as Yahoo!, AOL, etc., and there will be news articles and trends covering the home page. In these days, knowing the current trends is important to keeping up in today's society and conversation. Old news can be anywhere from a week old to a day because of how quickly something else can come up or become updated. I like to keep up with the headlines and articles about science, any drastic catastrophe (such as the Gulf oil spill), and anything else that catches my interest. For some reason, I decided to read the article concerning Miley Cyrus and her father and it brought some interesting questions to mind.

First, by reading the article you find that Billy Ray Cyrus is having trouble in his life with his daughter and wife. Celebrities are always surrounded by reporters, photographers, and avid fans and anything that goes on in their lives is easily seen or found. There is hardly any privacy in their lives or of their closest companions. Because of this it can be very stressful or can get to a person's ego. Some celebrities will act out just to get a little fame and keep their name in the news. Miley Cyrus started acting/singing at a young age as her persona Hannah Montana. She became every little girl's idol, just as in our generation it was Britney Spears, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys and Christina Aguilera. Well, this idol had to grow up sometime and now she has hit the age of 18. Now being a legal adult, she wants to change her style of music to something more mature, act more mature and basically get away from her younger persona. My first guess is she's going to be the next Linsey Lohan.

So Billy Ray Cyrus is informing the reporters and fans of his relations with his daughter but why? Is he trying to inform the public or has this become the only way to get through to his daughter? In this generation, the populace get everything from news to texts through their phones. Walk around any college campus and it is guaranteed that every other person will be holding a phone in their hand. This is what brought some interesting questions to mind. Ask yourself these questions: When was the last time you sent a text? a personal email? called someone? spoke to someone face-to-face? wrote a letter to a friend or family member?

Are the times for each question becoming farther and farther apart? We seem to be coming into a digital age where staying connected is vital. We all want things now or even yesterday. We don't want to wait the few days for a letter to get to someone and another couple of days for a response. What are your thoughts on this?

Reference:
http://www.freep.com/article/20110216/FEATURES01/102160319/1025/rss05

Technology Takeover: E-reader edition.

Am I the only one who still loves the feel and the smell of a real book? Am I the only one who still loves to curl up in bed on a rainy day with a novel that contains pages that need turning, not finger swishing?

In our technologically advanced society, which seems to still be progressing at a very high speed, a lot of traditional media has been, well, put on the shelf. With the release of the Kindle by Amazon, then the Nook by Barnes and Noble and the Ipad by Mac, E-readers have become the new craze. They are absolutely a fabulous idea, they are lightweight, portable, aesthetically pleasing and their pages don't rip or yellow because they are perfectly preserved on a screen. However, I refuse to believe that reading from an 8 inch screen is as pleasing as reading from a book.

Tangible pieces of literature are what tell the story of our society. Think about everything we have learned about ancient civilizations by what they wrote down. I have always been captivated by libraries and leather-bound books, but maybe I am missing something. Maybe having a flat piece of technology with my book stored in it is equally as great as having a real book.

So exactly what are the benefits of an E-reader? According to the "Global Green Guide" some of the advantages of the e-readers is that they limit waste, which makes them more environmentally friendly because they use less paper. They don't become "antiquated" and they are convenient. Honestly, those benefits, other than limiting waste, will not convince me to give up my books. But that is just me.

Don't get me wrong. I am all for advances in technology and some of them have been incredibly helpful (the cell phone, the internet) however when, if ever, does technology go too far? Is there a limit to what we can do, or a line society will draw before technology takes over everything? Will our grandchildren have textbooks, or will they study from e-readers or maybe even a more advanced piece of technology. Is the Book era coming to an end? Is our legacy going to be preserved by Ipads and Kindles? Are we okay with that?

http://www.globalpost.com/notebook/global-green/100305/global-green-guide-the-benefits-e-readers

"Good Night & Good Luck" Project Group Numbers

This project is due Friday, March 4, and once again, here are the instructions.

Group 1: Laura Baronet, Courtney Covert, Sarah Flynt, Matt Hamann, Dekotah Moreno

Group 2: Grayson Akerly, Courtney Bishop, Cherice Hereford, Tia Runion, Rachel Wilder

Group 3: Larkin Briley, Jacob Early, Christina Morris, Ayla Rinkenberger, Alyssa Wittmaier

Group 4: Lexie Adams, Monica Boes, Scott Boughner, Marie Lemma, Elizabeth Vorholt

Group 5: Beth Goforth, Julie Harmon, Katie Kendall, Kiah Rinehart, Amanda Zelenak

Group 6: Whitney Cooper, Jordan Korn, Tori MacDonald, Jared Patterson, Missy Peters

Digital Confessions

A new app has recently been released in Apple's App Store. It's not the latest game craze. It's not an awesome utility app that will change the way we do business overseas. It is, however, religious.

"Confession: A Roman Catholic app" is thought to be the first to be approved by a church authority. It walks Catholics through the sacrament and contains what the company behind the program describes as a "personalized examination of conscience for each user."

My first thoughts upon reading this was something along the lines of "really? is this even necessary? But apparently Pope Benedict XVI put an emphasis on the importance of Christianity in this digital age.

So I'm interested in different people's opinions on this. I'm not a Catholic, so personally I'm not a big fan of the need for cerimonial confessions in the first place. And normally I would love new apps like this that allow things that used to be only done in person to be accomplished on the go. But does this take the action of confessing sins to far? This is proof that our world is truly become digitalized.

Link To Original Article: Fox News

Scientists Spar Over 2036 Asteroid Apocalypse

I'm sure many of you have heard of the ending of the world in 2012. I'm not one to believe that it is really the end of the world. The guy being interviewed about the aestroid says that the Mayan calendar states the 2012 is a rebirth, not a disastorous event. In the case that we survive the end of the world, we may have something else to worry about.

There is apparently a huge asteroid, about the size of the Rose Bowl floating around in space. In 2029 we will be able to see because it will come closer to Earth than the satellites. It is suppose to make another appearnce in Friday, April 13, 2039.

This aestroid has asteroid has sparked a debate between American and Russian scientists. Russia believes that the Earth's gravitational pull will put it on a collision course. If this were to happen, the asteroid will affect the Earth's rotation around the Sun. There would be a massive aftershock, fire storms and meteor showers. NASA believes there is a small chance of this actually happening.

Take a look at the interview. What do you think? Is this something to actually be concerned about or something that is just another passing fad?

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4529325/scientists-spar-over-2036-asteroid-apocalypse/

AOL buys The Huffington Post

AOL, is to buy blog and news site The Huffington Post for $315 Million.

According to figures provided by The Huffington Post and AOL, the newly merged company will have one of the most read, online news notifications on the internet.

The Huffington Post, a predominantly liberal leaning news source, says it can bring new and upcoming ideas to the slightly stale internet provider and media source.

According to some online critics, the move was a good one for The Huffington Post. It has been said that the company was moving at a very slow pace and that they weren't willing to go public, so a buyout would have to be their best and only option.

From what I have seen in the comments sections of many articles concerning this topic, subscribers of the Post are fairly certain, that the buyout will equate to a compromise of integrity in articles published and will subsequently doom the website to the fate of other AOL buyouts, MySpace and Bebo.

It should also be noted that NBC has stated that it had been trying to purchase the Huffington Post for quite a while.

Do you think the buyout will succeed? How do you think that this buyout is similar to the Comcast-NBCUniversal buyout? Are you afraid of the compromise of integrity?

References:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/BUSINESS/02/07/huffington.post.aol.merger/index.html?hpt=T2

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/huffington-post-aol_b_819373.html

http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/07/technology/aol_huffington_post.cnnw/index.htm

Will.I.AM Changes Lyrics to Send Message to Obama

Hey Guys, I found this article on Yahoo, and I thought it was very interesting. I missed the controversial half-time performance by the Black Eyed Peas last night; therefore, I was shocked when I read about this today. Feel free to comment your thoughts about Will.I.Am changing the lyrics in the song Where is the Love. 

It wasn't quite a wardrobe malfunction, but Will.i.am had an off-script Super Bowl moment of his own during the Black Eyed Peas' performance on Sunday night. The singer delivered a message to President Obama by changing three lines to his band's hit "Where Is The Love?" during the 15-minute medley:

"In America we need to get things straight / Obama, let's get these kids educated / Create jobs so the country stays stimulated." 

As far as political protest subjects go, children's education and creating jobs aren't the most radical of topics, but I appreciate Will.i.am using America's biggest stage for a constructive purpose. Normally, stars treat their Super Bowl halftime appearance as an opportunity to promote themselves, their albums or partial nudity, so it's nice to hear a little non-controversial social awareness. I think we're all in favor of smart kids and people having jobs.

It's not going to make anyone bring back those strained comparisons to Bob Dylan that Pepsi tried to sell us on two years ago or earn Will.i.am forgiveness for "Boom Boom Pow," but it was something (and much preferable to Fergie shrieking). 

Is quest for supergroup a quest for talent?

Music manager, Johnny Wright has recently began a nationwide online search for the next "supergroup". Wright has partnered with Cambio.com to bring "On the Spot" to the internet each week, as a new episode appears. The main goal is to find the "next big thing", but is it really to find talent? Or is it just going to be a group of Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus wannabes?

Hopeful contestants must be between 16 and 30 to participate in the competition. They choose between a list of songs that go from Fall Out Boys "Dance, Dance" to Colbie Caillats "Bubbly", record themselves singing their choice song, either with an instrument or accapella, and eventually uploading their audition onto Cambio.com. Although the internet audience is allowed to vote, it is Wright's ultimate decision of who goes to the next round. The group will be announced live in June, after each round has been completed.

So who is Johnny Wright looking for exactly? Is he looking for a talent? Is he looking for stage presence, or personality? What is his definition of an "it factor?

Hopefully, in this case talent will overcome the possibility of having another teenage heart throb or America's next sweet heart.

What type of artists would you like to see in this supergroup? Do you think talent still holds a place in the music industry?

http://onthespot.cambio.com/