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I can not count how many times already that I have had something spoiled for me, be it a television series I have yet to watch, a book I have yet to buy and read, a movie still left to watch, or even a new music video for a certain Korean boy band that I follow and cry over. And all of these disgusting spoilers, that ruin my entertainment, come from the single source that is the Internet. I can't even innocently scroll through my dashboard on Tumblr to update my blog anymore without discovering five plot twists in which I have not yet been pleasantly surprised in, a death scene I least expected before it was my time to watch it, and maybe even a leaked practice video to a supposedly secret EXO comeback. Not only does this infuriate me to no end, but it also fuels the fires of my happiness in that someone created the "Spoiler Shield" app - a way to specifically block all of the spoilers you will find while going through your social media sites. Just simply input the subject you would not like to previously see before you invest the time to actually watch it, and the app will block all spoilers relating to it in real time so that going on your social media daily will never be a problem again. At last, I have found an app that will keep my eyes innocent to .gifs from Game of Thrones Season 4 so that I can now watch the show without it being ruined. The idea that this app will prevent me from stumbling over random spoilers greatly pleases me.

The above article (by Cyrus Favriar) details various interesting facts about the concentration of cellphone subscriptions on the planet - over 6 billion. At first the idea of 85% of the global population having access to a mobile phone seems outrageous, but 6 billion subscriptions does not necessarily mean 6 billion individual mobile phone owners. Many people living in third world countries will have multiple phones in order to take advantage of cheap calls within the carrier to and from a specific other party. Another interesting fact detailed in the article is that over 1/3 of the world's cellphone subscriptions is attributed to China and India, with over 2 billion subscriptions combined. A study from Gartner predicts that 1 billion smartphones will ship worldwide in 2014, and data from Canalys showed that more smartphones were sold in 2011 than personal computers. Between July 2011 and June 2012, Americans used 1.1 billion GB (> 10 000 TB) of mobile data, and over the last year Americans collectively spent 2.321 trillion minutes on the phone and have sent 2.273 trillion text messages. So, why should we be interested in all of these arbitrary facts? We understand that as smartphone prices become exponentially less expensive and other parts of the world gain access to data services, mobile broadband continues to grow at a rapid pace. There is a global trend from fixed-broadband to mobile-broadband subscriptions, simply because it is more cost-effective. As global bandwidth increases we can supposedly pump an infinite amount of data to billions of customers around the world. This relates to eLifestyle because it shows that although we talk about poverty and oppression around the world, one thing unites us: technology. This relates to Economics because of the decreasing cost of smartphones and the accessibility of cheap subscriptions becoming more prominent. This relates to the ICS20 class because as most of us own mobile phones and have mobile plans with various car

Computers were first created in the 1940's and by the end of 2002, one billion computers have been sold worldwide. The increase of computers being sold each year has been creating large amounts of electronic waste and can be a source of toxins if not treated appropriately. The problem that we are facing is that an average 24-kilogram desktop computer requires at least 10 times its weight in fossil fuels and chemicals to be made. Compared to automobiles or refrigerators that only require 1-2 times their weight in fossil fuels, computers have become a serious problem for our environment. By throwing out your old computers, it adds to the mountain of electronic garbage that helps to increase environmental pollution and global climate change. Since this is a problem, most people today are encouraged to recycle computer components so they could be used again. The recycling not only helps the environment but it also eliminates the need to dig out the fossil fuels from nature. I personally believe that the act of recycling these old computers is great for the environment and will help us to save the natural fossil fuels that we so very often use up. The other good news is that companies are now creating their computers from recycled materials to help out on the recycling process.

According to this article, when it comes to computers and the environment the main concern comes from the consequences created when disposing the machine. Overtime, the amount of computer sales have been skyrocketing. This increase, coupled with changing technology, led to large amounts of electronic waste. The metals commonly found in PC's are aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gallium, gold, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, palladium, platinum, selenium, silver and zinc. Eight of the metals are listed as hazardous. I think that this article is true. Many people don't understand that computers need to recycled properly. If people were to start recycling their computers, i think our environment would look better.

The main concern with computers is the process of creating and disposal. The number of computers being made increases as demand goes up, and this has lead to mass electronic waste. This waste tends to be toxic and damaging to the environment. An average computer will use up ten times its weight in fossil fuels to make. As this is a big issue, the UN decided to review the complications it may have in the future. Significant energy use, long term health affects on people, and long term impacts on the environment are all problems. Solutions to this are viable though. Recycling from people and corporations go a long way. Selling of unused parts is always an option, or even a charity donation. This is a problem now, but might not have to be. Computer recycling is a big motion being taken by businesses, because it happens to be cost-effective and good for the environment. Only good things I have to say about the progression of environmental impacts of tech. Let's hope for a continuing trend.

Don't you always want to become famous and show other people around the world your photos? Now on facebook, you are now able to promote your posts on facebook.  This "Promote" button makes it able for you to put your photos or statuses at the top of all of your friends' new feed.  Of course you have to pay, just to have your posts higher in your friend's new feed, it only costs $71.  I believe that this is a waste of money because just because you have to pay facebook to have your posts higher on your friend's news feed and frankly not that many people actually care what you post most of the time.  The creators of facebook say "Sometimes a particular friend might not notice your post", if your certain friend wants to look at your posts you could just go to our profile and look at them and wouldn't that certain person be interested and look at your pictures instead of paying facebook.

Social media has exploded over the years and become a huge part of all of our lives. From facebook to twitter, from instagram to tumblr, everywhere we look there's some kind of social media being thrust in front of us. It has appeared so often that we have grown used to it. It's not unusual when someone stops to update their twitter or upload a picture of their lunch to instagram. There's that sense of excitement when your phone buzzes to tell you that you've been retweeted or your post has been liked. Social media has become part of our lifestyle and it's a great benefit to have. It allows you to keep in contact with relatives and friends and stay updated on the lives of those around you, but have we started to become too reliant on this advantage. This article had provided a look at various social media addicts, like 'the liker' and 'the constant checker' and despite the humorous aspect to it, you can still see a slightly more serious question behind it. This article brings to light an issue that we all knew existed, but never really paid much attention to. It had referred to the different types of reliance's on social media as addictions. It's a strong word to describe what most might usually think of as just small habits or pastimes, but maybe addiction is the right word to use. This post not only highlights the different types of social media addicts, but it also tells us the 'symptoms' and downfalls that can come out of each one and it raises some fair points. It draws attention to the fact that the addiction to social media can not only annoy those around us, but also hurt yourself and waste your valuable time. I mean, it becomes very hard to concentrate on the work at hand as soon as your phone or computer buzzes to tell you that someone has mentioned you in their tweet. Social media makes procrastinating so much easier, not that we wouldn't find our ways to without it. This article is just proof that the world around usis growing, especially the cyber world

Many things are replaced by electronics and machinery for our convenience. However, in 2012, why is the majority of people still using the traditional form of payment-cash. In the past few years, there were a few developers, who were interested in this topic, began to explore and brainstorm a variety of creative ideas of payment for the convenience everyday consumers. These determined developers may not have created new methods, but they have provided us with options that we may consider depending on our positions: people buying or selling products, or exchanging funds. For each category, mobile apps and online websites were recommended. Since we have easy access to our cell phones, it is not difficult to complete our payment tax with ease. As a result, it is not necessary to carry around cash or credit cards too often when going out to.    For example, Google Wallet is relatively efficient since it supports most or all major credit cards and can be used to pay for restaurant or shop purchases. Microsoft Wallet (similar to Google Wallet) is also another option for those who do have Android phones since Google Wallet is available to only a few Android phones.     

This post is about a new app made by McAfee which is meant to be an extra security for people's photos on Facebook. We know that even if we put our privacy settings on "only friends" there are ways through comments, likes and mutual friends that people you do not know can come across your pictures and download, print or upload them on a different site. This app helps protect by asking users to list who will get to view their photos. Only those people on the list will get to see the photo no matter who is friends with who, or who likes or comments on it. People not on the exact list will only see the photo blurry and barely visible. In addition to that nobody will be able to grab, print or download the photos even if they are on the list of people who can see the photos. This app is only in its development or "beta" phase, but it is already free to download and use on Internet Explorer and Firefox. The company is still working on versions for Chrome and mobile devices. Before concluding they did mention that there are still ways to photograph the photo with your phone, if you have a clear picture. I believe this app is a big step to having online security. This app can help stop the spread of your photos before it starts. People may not think about their internet security very often but it is important to know that once it's on the internet it's on there forever. With internet popularity growing and growing we must also know the dangers of posting photos and protect ourselves. Facebook allows so much public information to be revealed this app can ensure you have a more private account. In my opinion this is a great app and considering that it is free while it is being developed I think people should try it out. Although it's only available on Firefox and Internet Explorer it is already a leap in the right direction. However, as it was mentioned earlier you can still have people take photos from their phones. Nevertheless, if you chose the correct people on your list

This article is introducing a new product that could possibly be put on the market soon. It is called AdTrap. You buy this device for $120 and it sits between your modem and router and blocks all kind of ads on the internet for all kind of devices. This device is in its working prototype stage and is on a crowd-funding site Kickstarter. If $150,000 worth of devices are pre-ordered by December 8th they will start shipping the device. It is like a small computer running the Linux OS and can be easily updated to black new kinds of ads. You can also have a list of websites where you do not want the ads blocked. This device is great for those who despise ads and just 10 hours after being launched they raised just over 10 percent of its goal.  This advertisement has to do with eLifestyle because this device can possibly change the way we spend time on our computers. Those who hate ads in front of videos and other side and popping up have an alternative for $120. Most people that use technology have at one point complained about advertisements and constant bombardment with these ads this is a way to protect yourself and possibly your kids from advertisements at least on the web. This also has to do with eLifestyle because if enough people buy this device and it becomes huge it can change the way websites make money or not make money because most websites rely on ads in order to be able to give people their services and posts.  If this device is shipped for those who pre-order it may be a big fail in the market because ads just may not be as annoying to some as they are to others or this can be a big success but in the long term be devastating for web sites because they will not be making money from ads anymore. I personally would not buy this device for $120 dollars because ads do not make me that mad and I have gone long enough without this device I can continue this way for a while. Also can change the websites that run because of ads and I wouldn't want that. 

This article describes weather or not Windows 8 tablet like the Surface really replace any ordinary laptop. The surface would be able to make a decent laptop replacement because it is thin and lightweight, comes with a keyboard, it can run the traditional windows desk top, and its decently cheap. However, Windows RT does have a very small selection of apps, it doesn't even have a facebook app. Without having a good selection of apps, you may miss out on a bunch of other fun stuff. Windows RT is the toned down version of Windows 8. This is very good for low powered, cheap tablets. But it won't replace Windows 8. So at the moment, the tablet will not be good replacement but that could change. Early 2013 the Surface Pro will be coming out and it runs Windows 8. So you will have access to all the apps, and take advantage of more powerful hardware. In my opinion, if you don't need as much features as a laptop offers, and you are looking for a cheaper device, go with the tablet. But if you need access to all the apps, and more powerful software, the surface at the moment is not a very reliable replacement.

This article talks about the problems Facebook could have if it were to be breached by a hacker. Facebook is one of the biggest social networking websites to date and is the biggest holder of personal information, and yet they have been able to keep this information safe from hackers. Comparing to Twitter who had 250,000 accounts accessed by hackers, Facebook has done a remarkable job to keep our information safe, and although they have been able to do so for now, eventually they will have to face the problems of hackers. When you look at Facebook over other social networking sites like Twitter and Tumblr, there is a big difference when it comes to privacy and security. Twitter, for instance, is a more public social networking site with the odd soul that locks their account from the public. Facebook has privacy by default, which means Facebook has a lot more to lose if they were to get hacked. The physical damage that would pertain to us would include some of our photos and messages might be stolen, and the worst that could happen would pertain to credit card information, but Facebook would jump on and respond to these problems with password changes and other stuff. The real damage that would hit Facebook hard would be the psychological damage, and it would nearly destroy them. When something big happens in our society, the media jumps on this and will twist the truth in the story to give us, the viewers, the best story that will manipulate us into thinking an entire wrong. Facebook would be all over the media, whether it be on the radio, on the internet, on the news or in newsprint. The world would know about what happened, and fear would sweep across the globe.  People would start asking questions about what is safe on Facebook and if it is safe at all. Facebook already has a problem with people not being sure if everything is safe on Facebook, and this would just ruin everything for Facebook. No matter how much Facebook tries to keep its network safe, i

TL;DR

TL;DR

This article is about having too many emails, messages, etc. on your gmail, this prevents you from having space to receive or to send messages to other people. You will need more storage for you to receive more emails. But its not just emails that take up space. Its also your junk, and your spams. There are a couple of solutions for this. You can delete the emails that are not important to you anymore. You can also buy storage, so that you can have more space on your gmail. And you can also Archive your gmails to Google Drive. This would be the most helpful way of doing it. A group of people thought of the idea of making a script that archives old gmails to Google Drive. They also made a website called jellybend.com that shows you a tutorial video and useful scripts that work on Gmail and goggle apps. By archiving your emails, you can free up your inbox space, allowing you to receive and send emails to other people. Even though those emails arent relevant to you anymore, it might be useful to someone else. To do this: you have to make a copy of a Google Spreadsheet that has the script built-in. It makes a special label in Gmail. You add things to that label, then you return to the spreadsheet, click a button and those messages are archived to Google Drive.

my opinion on the Google glasses are that they are not good because they are making people rely on technology way to much. people are relying on technology to much and when they don't have it, they will feel lost. i think people rely to much on technology that they can't have a proper conversation with a person face to face or use a paper map to find their way when they are lost. We have to teach the kids of this generation how to survive in life without technology and not letting them rely to much on technology, because when they don't have it they will not no how to use their brain or books to get info and will be to lazy because the information won't be at the tip of their fingers. this my opinion on the Google glasses

On February the 23rd, Microsoft made a few announcements on their Windows Phone. The new update 8.1 will have more flexible support for hardware and the phone will be able to use dual-SIM, apps on microSD and virtual softkeys instead of the original capacitive keys. The Windows phones will also not be required to have a hardware camera shutter key which people are excited for. The new update is refreshing and the updated hardware opens up more ability for the market to grow. I personally think this is a great move for Windows because it adds the options that their customers have been asking for. It has also been said on a similar article that the new update will allow Windows hardware to work on other phone companies such as Android. This might not be a good idea because people might not find the need to use the hardware if they already have one on their phone. Personally, if I wanted to use the Windows hardware, I would just buy a Windows Phone instead of downloading it on my existing one.

FreedomPop has come out with a new phone that will protect your phone calls and data from hackers. The phone is nicknamed the "Snowden phone" but is actually a Samsung Galaxy S2 that FreedomPop remodeled. The phone is selling now for $189 and comes with unlimited voice and texting. They also throw in 50MB of monthly data access for the first three months and then charges the users $10 a month. FreedomPop's Chief Operating Officer Steven Sesar says: "In light of recent violations in consumer's privacy across social networks and mobile devices, privacy is becoming increasingly important to many Americans and we all have a right to communicate anonymously. Large carriers don't have the flexibility, desire, or creativity to invest in privacy." I think this is a great idea because today, so many people don't know if their information is safe. This will help people feel more secure and safe with their information and not have to worry about who could have their phone calls or text messages.

This article was about the leading android app on the Google store to be a scam. It was suppose to protect your phone from malware and spyware, it costed $3.99. Virus sheild just changed the logo from an "X" to a check mark with no effort needed. Many complaints have been sent it saying that this app did not work. Making the price high and having good image previews, and a good description will make people want to buy it because they trusted the rating's and reviews. The app ended up not working, and with other 10,000 downloads, the people that made this scam, made a large amount of money. Google took this app down, and has their eye closely on malicious apps, to prevent this type of scam from happening again.

AOL and Yahoo are considering merging, rumours say. Many have tried before to combine the two companies, to no avail. It would do Yahoo well to be led by AOL CEO Tim Armstrong, as they have been having issues with leadership after Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz was fired recently. I think this is a splendid idea, as it will solve Yahoo's problems with finding a CEO, while simultaneously having one of the best companies in the Internet business. This could turn out to be one of the best merges of all time, and we should track the progress of this developing merger.

this story starts off with a very simple and good analogy (if thats what you call them). one of the most import rules in software is to eat your own dog food. basically this means if you have confidence in your product even you, the creator, will use it. this isnt exactly how google executives act towards google+. out of 18 execs, 2 are active users with an average of 100 posts, 5 have posted several times, and the other 11 either dont HAVE AN ACCOUNT or have NEVER POSTED. that is all :)

We should all probably know that when technology starts upgrading as time goes by, we always want to get the new products. Our generation is getting more and more into technology and in this article, it explains a study of how we are digitally getting distracted in our academics. This study shows that 47% of teachers should make courses and content in digital literacy into a school's curriculum. I agree with this because as our generation spends our days mainly on our phones or on computers, we wouldn't be distracted on the technology if we have our work finished with it. The only back draw to this is that many students would just go on Google or Wikipedia for their answers as the Internet has a huge amount of information displayed for us to use. This article relates to portable computing because it's starting to affect how we do in our education. In addition, it relates to eLifestyle because we're using this technology as a daily part of our lives and if we start to use it as a method of education, we can use it as a form of gaining new information.

The article, by Neha Prakash, is about a study on the effects of technology on the current generation of students. The study concluded with 87% of teachers saying students were easily distracted and had short attention spans. This is most likely due to the internet providing such quick and easy access within a keystroke in search engines such as Wikipedia and Google. Students are used to having things accomplished and out of the way so quickly that they no longer have the attention span to complete more complicated and time consuming tasks. Due to this, students lack time management and also do not check if their sources are reputable. A solution to this problem could be to incorporate digital literacy and technology into schools' curriculum. With this additional knowledge, methods of education can be improved in today's technological environment. This relates to elifestyle in that we use technology so much that we can take it for granted. Normally, we do not acknowledge the consequences of repetitive and prolonged use of social media, search engines, cell phones, and so on. As the class of ICS2O, we learn to use technology in a healthy balance in our lives. We are at the forefront of electronic education, using sites such as diigo, Google Drive, and Google Reader to complete assignments and engage in the events of the outside world. While there are negative impacts to the overuse of technology, like most other things, technology, used in balance with other aspects of life, can be beneficial.

This article states that a new study has shown that more and more kids/teenagers are distracted by technologies which affect their learning.  87% of the teachers in this study have said that "technology is creating an easily distracted generation with short attention spans."  Other teachers also claim that "technologies do more to distract students than to help them academically."  Teachers, though, remained somewhat optimistic about digital impact, with 77% saying Internet search tools have had a "mostly positive" impact on their students' work. I think that technologies help out a lot in kids learning however it could still distract them. A lot of kids use the internet with homework and study help which could in some cases is a very beneficial thing. They would learn and find out more about the subject they are studying. Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet Project, says that maybe it is not the problem with tech, but the lack of digital literacy training in students that creates the problem. I agree with this also. 

This article talks about how they are thinking of making ATM machines that can read your palm. It can access your account just by scanning your hand. Then you can easily take out money without scrambling for your credit card. Now you don't need to worry about losing your credit card or even forgetting your pin number. I believe this is a good idea because it can make it easier for everyone to just scan their hands and get the proper amount of money out. I personally like this method better than using credit cards. This relates to the course because it takes a lot of programming to get these ATM machines to work, and also the actual ATM machine is a hardware.

Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank in Japan has revealed that it will introduce the nation's first ATM that lets you withdraw money just by scanning your palm. You wouldn't even need your credit card to verify that you can withdraw money from your account. I think this is a great idea. In Canada, we already have the device where it scans your chip, but it doesn't always work. For example, my dad had to send back his credit card 3 times before he finally got the chip to work. This is also very safe because every person has a different hand shape and "design" on their palms, no one would be able to imitate it. I hope that they come out with this machine in Canada soon, i'm sure it would be less stressful for many people.

This article talks about how in Japan they will soon have ATMs that let you withdraw money just by scanning your palm. This will come in handy when you have lost your card. Customers would first have to show identification for verification then they would scan your palm and can easily withdraw money from the bank. This new type of technology can be convenient because there would be less people stealing credit cards from other, and can withdraw anytime even when you forget your card.

With the popularity of social media growing rapidly everyday, so are the number of ways people are trying to steal your information. One such case is the Dorkbot or Ransomware worm that has previously attacked Facebook and Twitter has now began spreading through Skype. Criminals using Dorkbot infect it into computers through sending innocent-looking links to victims. Once a victim clicks the link, the worm blocks all files on the victim's computer from use  and uses these files as ransom for a set amount of money. Should the victim refuse to pay the ransom, all the files will be deleted.  This article shows that as easy as it is for our computer to collect data, it can just as easily have this data stolen, all it takes is a single opened link. It is always stressed to never open links that seem suspicious, yet many people will open links without any regard for their data. I think it's very low how online criminals will stop at nothing to find sneaky ways to steal other people's information and their money. Are they so lazy to make money on their own that they will just leach off of people who worked hard to make money to support themselves? People who don't take precautions while browsing the Internet are just as at fault as the criminals who plague the web. Since people are caring less about the safety of their data as the number of cyber criminals increases, it will be inevitable that web browsers will have to increase security or the government will have to make an effort to track down cyber criminals and set laws to punish cyber criminals more harshly.