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This article is about how Microsoft is planning to make a low-cost or free version of windows 8.1 for windows 7 users to upgrade to. The main goal of this from Microsoft, is to boost the number of people using windows 8.1 I think that this is a really smart idea because it will let someone test out windows 8.1 for a small cost or even no cost at all, without having to spend over $100 on the full version of windows 8. I myself like Windows 8 and use it on a daily basis, but I know many people who find it hard adapting to the new operating system. That's why with the free version, if the person likes it, they can buy it, if not, they can just re-install Windows 7. This is one of the few experiment like projects Microsoft are doing. They also plan to release low-cost, or free versions of their Windows Phone operating system, and also plan to merge their tablet OS, Microsoft RT, and Windows Phone together into one version.

A new hardware leak is made official this week, the Chromebook 2. It runs a Chrome OS. This article says that it's exterior  includes stitched leather, and a full HD 1980x1080 screen. Some cool hardware jammed in there, is an Exnos 5 Octa processor which clocks in at 2.1 GHz. Also includes 4 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage available. It's expected to have eight hours of battery life. The chromebook will cost either $320 or $400. For a machine that is internet dependent, and is mainly used for web surfing and storing on the cloud, $400 might actually be too expensive. I don't need this right now, nor do I want to get one, but I think this is a step forward in the field of cloud computing by google. I think there are definitely some better options to pick from, some being microsoft's version of this. Microsoft office is more widely acclaimed, and has the popular vote over google docs. About the specs, it does its job for what it's worth.

This article talks about how hackers have been scamming netflix users into believing that there is a problem with there netflix account. when the user calls the 'tech support line" (which is also fake) they are transferred to a scammer who will prompt you to download a program that allows them to search your computer for any valuable information. These scammers have also charged these innocent people with a fake bill of $400. So do not fall for these tricks or else you'll be dealing with your information stolen and $400 down the drain. This article reminds us how careful we have to be while enjoying our computers.

This article talks about how in recent years, politicians have been reaching out to young voters through social media. In recent years, social media has become a major part of many young peoples lives, and the fact that politicians have caught on and have started to campaign online is a smart move in my opinion. With politicians on popular social media sites, young voters will be exposed to politics a lot more. Not only will this idea motivate a lot of young people to vote, this will also make them feel more connected to their politicians on a personal level. This article also says that in 2011 Barack Obama used Facebook to his advantage as one example of how much social media can effect modern day elections. this just goes to show how much one can do with the help of social media.

California passes a bill that allows children under 18 to delete any posts that they may regret in the future. Some people, such as James Steyer, agree with this idea and say that it is a way to put "privacy in the hands of kids, teenagers and the parents, not under the control of an anonymous tech company," however big social media networks who already lets everyone delete their posted items which make people complain about this new law. This also is a burden to some social media networks due to the problem of having to find the people who live in California. This relates to my tag because it is a bill passed by the government for children in social messaging systems, so it includes both politics and politics. My thoughts on this are the same as the people arguing against this, because there is no point in creating a bill only for people under 18 when almost all social media networks can do this for all ages. < SORRY SIR I FORGOT TO SHARE THIS TO THE GROUP LAST WEEK!!!!

Daylight saving time might say that it helps make our lives nicer and help us save energy, but in reality it is completely pointless. Daylight Saving Time was actually first suggested by Benjamin Franklin in 1784 but the idea was shot down by everyone stating that it was pointless. The Germans then used it the First World War to save coal during war time. After that everyone started using it and didn't think to change back. Today, people state that this change of time helps to save energy, promotes a healthy lifestyle, and reduces traffic accidents. First off, Daylight saving time does not in fact save energy. Recent studies show that it might reduce the US electricity usage during March and April, but only by 1%. Secondly, this does not help us to become any healthier. In fact, the clock shifts disrupt our circadian rhythms and actually spike the suicide rates and increases the number of recorded heart attacks. Daylight saving time also does not reduce traffic. Some studies show that the time change makes no difference at all while others suggest that traffic is reduced by 0.7 which is pathetic and makes no difference. I personally do not like Daylight saving time only because I loose an hour of sleep and it screws up my whole schedule because everything is off by one hour. I much prefer the clocks changing an hour behind so I get an extra hour of sleep.

In September 2012, the Pakistani government passed an order to ban the access to YouTube because of a single video that slashed their control and decisions for their country. Although I'm pretty sure that there are far more offensive videos shared and posted on that site about other countries, their government has decided to to block everyone in their country from potentially seeing that video and went for drastic measures (surprise, surprise). It is not just YouTube that one country has boycotted, but others have requested content take down on Google as well with the threat of banning all of Google if they do not comply. The act of banning these sites may not be such a big deal, but I see it as placing filters, surveillance, censorship and controlling what people see.

AllSee, a new piece of technology that will probably cause a lot of problems. This product is very similar to the XBOX Kinect, but it does not use the camera that kinect does. Personally, i have not used the Kinect myself, but many people say that it does not respond to movement very well. AllSee, on the other hand will match what Kinect does but without the camera. In my opinion, i think that this product will be very effective. It will probably do better that the Kinect did. This will probably change the way the gesture control is used.

This article is about how Apple plans to increase its music sales by bringing iTunes to Android and launching a paid music subscription service. Google has already brought their Google Play Music to iOS devices. Even though Apple takes up about 40% of the U.S. digital music market, it has declined in the double digits in the past few years. They plan to expand to Android and open its store to hundreds of millions of users. I don't think this will work good for Apple because there already so many other music services such as Spotify, Pandora, Beats Music and Google Play Music itself on Android, and most people these days just download their music online because they do not want to spend lots of money to buy a song or an album.

Admit it, if you have a smartphone, you're probably glued to it. It goes everywhere with you, and you use it all the time, even in school, where it's a big distraction. In South Korea, the most wired country in the world, some schools are remotely disabling students smartphones in school via an app called iSmartKeeper. With the app, teachers can lock all the phones in the school, only allow emergency calls, only allow texts and calls, disable specific apps, and unlock the phone during breaks. The app also uses geofencing that puts the restrictions on the phones when the students enter the school premises. Parents are also provided with a management app that allows these restrictions to be put in place when their teens are doing their homework. In Seoul, the app has been trialed in 11 schools, and the results were mixed. Many students rooted their phones to avoid the restrictions, and the geofencing sometimes didn't leaving the phones to be locked after the students left school. This app is for Android only due to the popularity of local brands like Samsung, however, iOS users should beware, as an iOS version is coming next month.. I think some advantages are it minimizes distractions and encourages students to be more focused on their studies. However, it may anger many students initially. No word yet if the app will be available outside South Korea.

The XBox One's Kinect is always watching. As you watch TV through the XBox One the camera watches you and the system knows the channels you are watching. The Kinect is an easy way to allow Microsoft to watch us in everyday activities. This spans from watching TV, playing games, and whatever else you do where the Kinect is.

This week, pro-russian hacking groups have said that they have took down many of NATO's websites. The group that claimed attack was Cyber Berkut a hactivist group. The type of attack was a DDOS attack (distributed-denial of service). The attacks came when Ukraine decided if its Crimea region was to join Russia. The Russian government has also ordered ISP's (internet service providers) to block certain anti-Putin websites. I believe this hacking is just a less violent form of Ukraine vs Russia. I still do not believe why Pro-Russian hackers would interfere with a referendum that would actually co-inside with their very own beliefs.

The law on hate speech being used on the internet does not interfere with freedom of expression, according to the courts. The penalty you get for doing this action clearly is a violation, but courts have not taken that into account. This happens to be section 13, a currently defunct law. A penalty for hate speech on the internet can result in up to a $10000 fine! This penalty is what gives people the reason to argue. Wouldn't fining someone for stating an opinion on something (no matter how bad it is) still be a violation of someone's freedom of expression? Unless you were under employment and did something of that nature within your job, you should be fired. But, the internet seems to be much different than real life. When something is written it must have more power, because saying your opinion in real life out loud, will not result in any fines. The problem is that section 13 violating free speech is right politically, but wrong legally. Section 13 is being removed in June of 2104, and for good reason. No internet hate speeches are being made in which a victim should recieve $10000 in compensation. Personally, I would never say anything to offend a large group of people to such a degree, but I still think section 13 should be removed, if it goes against a constitutional right under reasonable grounds.

A survey reviled that more than nine out of ten teenagers lose sleep because of their smartphones. They lose a few house checking their phone, texting, or watching videos. I find that these kinds of reports are really saddening. These kinds of diversions from everyday life and sleep can be devastating. Another study proved that about one out of ten people had a present sleep after using their electronics before going to sleep. This will probably cause a drop in grade averages and destroy the future of great nations. I myself had been doing this last year and found myself almost missing the bus and my grades slipping. Although technology is good like everything it must be used in moderation so we don't harm ourselves.

The BentProp Project is a group which has been searching for WW2 relics in the Pacific Ocean for the past few years. Some of the things they find is downed aircraft and unexploded bombs, with a side of human remains. Recently they started using robots to create a 3D map of the area of ocean explored rather than towing a side-scanning sonar device behind their boat. Although progress is very slow the team will not give up. I believe that the employment of new technologies to find pieces of the past really interesting and important, especially when it is such an enormous event like the Second World War. This kind of history must be expressed and remembered so we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. I feel like this kind of practice should be continued and funded for the next couple decades

Do you ever want to know the way your cars works or how your driving habits affects your fuel economy? Then Dash is the app for you. However, it is only available for Android and in the US for now. For the app to work, Dash connects with an on board diagnostic that plugs to a dedicated port in your car and uses bluetooth to send data to your phone. Every car made after 1996 can use this app. The app requires an account and a diagnostics dongle. Once Dash is all set up, it will gather data about your car and your driving habits. Every time you start the car, drive around and turn off the car, it counts as a trip. For each trip, you will get a score which measures how safe you drive, and habits such as sticking to the speed limit. When you finish a trip, you get a breakdown of your starting and ending points, the total distance you drove, how long it took you, the amount of fuel used in dollars, and your average fuel economy. Dash also helps with repairs, and has many social features as added extras. New features that are on their way include a way to alert emergency crews that an accident has happened when the airbags are triggered. In my opinion, this app is a must have for drivers especially those who are still learning. With this app, your driving habits can improve a lot with its cool features.

Yelp's ability to provide detailed information and reviews of businesses is very impressive, and the free app gives you exactly what you need when you're on the go. You can quickly find out if a business is currently open or closed, get directions to the site, see photos of what's inside, and read reviews and tips about the business. And the design of Yelp's mobile app makes doing so surprisingly simple. Yelp is an Editors' Choice iPhone app because it makes life on-the-go better and more enjoyable. And the information it delivers is extremely helpful for anyone in an unfamiliar city.

For my bookmark on legal issues I found an article on the newest court issue where Apple wants Samsung to pay 2.191 billion dollars on the issue of another patent infringement. I found this article to be interesting because it is not the first time Apple and Samsung have gone to court over patents and I do not think this will be the last. It is interesting to see which two of the biggest tech giants will win the case. I like law and technology so combining the two into an interesting case attracted my attention.

Pidgin is a open source messaging program that allows your to use many messenger services at once just with this one program. The program is free and all your have to do it download it. it supports 17 networks with favourites such as AOL MSN and many more.  Other chat clients such as skype and facebook can be used if you have the plugin.