It seems like everything in the medical field is trying to go towards technology that requires less human interaction. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley are working with a product called "CellScope." CellScope is a microscope that attaches to a camera-equipped cell phone and produces two kinds of imaging, called brightfield and fluorescence microscopy. This device can take images of disease samples and transmit them to medical labs throughout the world. Their goal is to use mobile communications networks as a cost-effective way for medical staff to screen hematologic and infectious diseases in parts of the world that lack access to advanced microscopic equipment. This is just another example of how technology is taking over the medical field. It seems like doctors are required to do less and less work as time goes on and technology becomes more advanced. This was very interesting to me because last week my uncle was emailing me about this. My uncle is a surgeon in Owensboro, Kentucky. He was telling me how he does still perform surgeries, but he can tell that in the future he won't be performing as many. It is obvious the medical industry relies on technology to assist them, and they will only rely on them more in the future.

A nutritionist, Jane Harrison, from MyOptumHealth writes this article discussing how and why obesity rates have doubled for adults and tripled for children since 1980. She gives detailed evidence as to why it happens. She goes on to say how there are other causes besides not exercising and eating healthy. Genetics, culture, emotions, age, and medical problems play a role, too. The scariest part about obesity is it raises the risk of chronic and deadly conditions such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. I picked this article because this goes hand-in-hand with what we have been discussing this week in lecture. The readings we have been reading in "They Say, I Say" are a lot like this article by Jane Harrison. She makes a terrific point when she says, "It's little wonder that we have an obesity epidemic. Food is everywhere, from roadsides and vending machines to television and overstuffed supermarket shelves. That, coupled with a life of sitting - in cars, at desks, on couches - has set us on the road to an obesity epidemic." If there weren't McDonalds and Wendys every 2 miles, Americans would be better off and so would their health. The best ways to become a healthier person are of course being physically active and eating sensibly. Ultimately, it is not up to the government and fast food companies. It is up to us, the Americans. We have to make the decision to implement discipline into our lives to become healthier people.

This is one of the sites that I used for my research on my topic for my technology article project: The future of netbooks. This article shows where netbooks could be going within the next 3 years. According to the article, shipments for netbooks are supposed to quadruple by 2012. iSuppli says that netbook revenue will top $1 billion this year! And by 2012, sales will hit roughly 50 million units per year. The 7"-10" netbooks are so popular because of their portability. They are great for on the go. Netbooks are everywhere. I chose this article because it pertains to my topic for my technology article. It also ties in to our class. I think netbooks will continue to grow in their popularity because many people want that "portability" factor when they look for a new product. Netbooks are the perfect solution. The future is bright for netbooks. I expect more and more brands to begin producing netbooks. Netbooks are here to stay.

I found this website while doing research for my CIT IS project. This is a government website that can provide people with the option to use an Occupational Outlook Handbook to look up a job or field he/she is interested in. It seems like it has every job I can think of. This is a great source I found. You can look up statistics of jobs and whether they are growing or not. I found it to be a big help with my project when I was searching for Network Administrators. It gave me a lot of insight into that career field. This is a great article for our class because we have all been working on our CIT IS projects. Most of us have been researching different jobs within the CIT field. This website will have what you are looking for. This Occupational Outlook Handbook can give us a good idea where each job is now and where that job will be down the road. This goes perfectly with our project. I think this site would be useful for any of us. It is a great way to research what you think you are interested in, and maybe decide whether you like that job or not. The amount of detail on this website for each job is incredible. This website was useful for me. It helped me out with my CIT IS project, and I think I will be using it in the future.

It seems like everything is turning to the Internet. Disney unleashed a new digital service saying it will "transform how children read its storybooks." For $79.95 per month, families can access their favorite Disney books. The website is geared towards children ages 3-12 years old. Disney reports that the website is arranged by reading level. Disney realized children are reading less and less, and this is their attempt to reverse that trend. I think this is a great idea for families. I think it could easily reverse the trend; like Disney thinks it will. But, I remember growing up listening to my parents reading me Disney storybooks before I went to bed. Would it be the same if they were reading you the same story from a laptop? That is the main concern I have. Reading Disney storybooks to young children is a tradition, in my opinion. It is a very tough decision for me to make; whether I like the idea or not. -Alan

A group of scientists at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) have discovered an unusual use for scotch transparent tape. They found that it can be used to generate X-rays. They realized that tape can create enough X-rays to take a hospital-style image. There is one catch concerning the idea. It only works using a vacuum. You are probably asking yourself why does it only work using a vacuum? The full X-ray effect using a vacuum is a result of the low amount of energy being produced in the tape-peeling process. Air by itself weakens that energy to the point where its undetectable. The group of scientists are not sure whether or not the intensity of the rays are high enough to produce a usable system. They are continuing to research the subject, but they say it could be used in the future as a portable X-ray device away from electricity. This article struck me as bizarre, but very interesting in various ways. It is a strange topic, but maybe this could come up in the future as a useful tool? -Alan

I came across this article this afternoon, and found it one to be one of the most interesting articles I have read in a long time. That could be a good thing or a bad thing, but I think it is a good thing. The U.S. Senate met and had a hearing Monday discussing the potential hazard of cell phones towards humans. Cell phones are a possible cause of brain cancer. A study completed by researchers in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the UK found that people who used cell phones for more than 10 years were at a higher risk of developing glioma, a usually malignant brain tumor, on the side of the head they had favored for cellphone conversations. According to the study, the Samsung Impression offered by AT&T is the safest cellphone on the market, while the worst is the Motorola MOTO VU204 offered by Verizon Wireless. This article is scary to think about. The article informs us that we should text message instead of calling. Supposedly, text messaging is less harmful to us. When signals are low, try to avoid using your cell phone to make a phone call because your cell phone transmits more radiation then. One day, could our culture move away from cell phones all together?

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