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This article explains about the benefits and disadvantages of building and buying your own personal computer (PC). All computers that are sold are made up of parts that have been put together, whether by factory or by a specialist. The parts inside help us to tell apart other computers and their parts. The article goes into detail that building your own computer allows you to pick the parts that you want, such as the motherboard, processor, or hard drive, whereas, if you buy a pre-made computer, the parts inside are picked by the manufacturer and it will take you a long time to find the perfect package at the right price. Lastly, the article teaches you how to build your own computer, so that if you choose that path, you will see the difficulty of it and see if you have the know-how to do it. In my opinion, I would build my own computer, even if it costs more money, because I want to install the parts that I think are right for me based on what I use my computer for (eg. gaming, video editing, etc).

The University of Pennsylvania's Modlab builds a robot that can build and repair other robots using an insulating spray-foam. I think that this is cool because it's actually really hard to build a robot and by spraying insulating foam to create the arms and legs, that's amazing. 

Codeacademy upgraded its website because it has partnered with a number of established web companies to offer a host of new lessons that concentrate on the basics of building with their specific APIs. An API is an application porgramming interfaces that allows developers to build applications with sophisticated feature more quickly and easy. Codeacademy now has lessons for building APIs from twitter, evernote, box and grit. The twitter API lesson teaches users how to read twitter from the code editor and make their own tweets from there. While WePay and Dwolla (codeacademys API partners) lets the learners send money from the code ediotr and create invoices, for only some examples. This update isnt only just for beginners, but it can also be for people that are a bit more experience that just want to learn new things.

This article tells the readers about a new game app on the iPhone called "Life of George." This game involves building with lego blocks. The point of the game is to build the structure with lego pieces that shows up on the screen under a certain amount of time. It may seem easy but it is apparently difficult and designed for people ages 14 and up. You would also need this mat that acts as a green screen for the game. Once you are done building the structure you would lay it flat on the mat and take a clear photo of it. Then the game will rate how fast you completed, and how accurate it was built.

Many people, especially children my age are addicted to simple games that are frustratingly amusing which makes them even more determined to play it over and over and over again. For example, Flappy Bird. I see so many people investing x amount of precious time into it, just to get a pixelated bird through the most tubes as possible. This usually results in a) anger and humiliation for not getting pass at least 1 tube b) zero attention payed during important class lectures c) less study time and failing courses. However to at least stop more people from failure, neurologists are trying to develop another addictive game for people to play which secretly builds up your brain via subliminal messaging. By knowing the foundation of the addictive power of a game and manipulating it, researchers aim to keep people interested while subconsciously giving them a stronger and healthier brain. This is something that can be really amazing because the mass majority who wastes time on silly games like Flappy Bird might actually be receivers of benefit - gaining knowledge and useful skills without even realizing it.

"Back in the day, we had to use this thing called paper".  This statement could potential be used in the future.  During the American Music Awards on November 18, 2012, presenters used the Galaxy Note II to announce winners, instead of using the traditional paper and envelope. This is could change the future because in the future, there is a chance that we will not use paper any more, but we will use technology for literally everything, such as schoolwork, writing a letter (email), etc.    Instead of people carrying a book everywhere, they will be bringing around e-readers, and all sorts of mobile devices.  Paper could potentially become useless to us since we have technology which stores and organizes many different files in one machine, whereas papers could be organized, or it could be all over the place, depending on who you are.  So in short, technology is good, in a sense that is a great organizational tool. This is environmentally important because instead of destroying trees (which provide us oxygen, food, etc) for paper, we could spare the trees, and just use technology instead.  Sure, we would need to clear land to build manufacturing companies to create these devices, but it takes up less space and kills less trees, then producing paper, because using paper means that we have to take down the tree, ans well as clear land to build manufacturing companies, and writing utensils as well.  This relates to our class because we are a computers class, and we rely on technology for almost 100% of our work.  In the future, when technology does take over and paper becomes useless, we will have the upper hand because we know how most of these technologies work.  

This article is all about ChromeOS. ChromeOS has always been just a Chrome browser and very little else. With the latest development build, however, Chromebook owners can try out a window manager, a taskbar, and even desktop space. At the moment, only owners of Acer or Samsung Chromebooks can try out the latest Dev Channel build with "Aura," the new desktop scheme.

Apple finally building a real sized hd tv. Bloomberg didn't say much about it but it seems like it will be very interesting to see what it can do that is going to make people want to buy it. 

this is a problem because people are demanding more computers and phones now because life without them is hard, now you can only apply for jobs on computers or do homework on computers now, so more people need them. This is affecting the environment because to make all these devices are harming the environment, for example the pollution from the factory making the products and the precious metals and supply's we are using to make the devices are non-renewable. So we should find a way to make computers and phones without effecting the environment as much as we are now. this is how computers and phones are affecting the environment, and the demand on computers are just gonna get higher and higher, so we should find a way to build the computer without effecting the environment as much fast.

This is an article about how computers affect our environment, how we can help, and what computers can do to actually benefit us in the world. Some examples of computers ruining the environment could be usage of valuable resources and pollution due to computer waste. Some examples of how we can help would be sanitizing our hard drive, donating our mobile device, raising funds from techno trash, and re-using ink cartridges. Technology can help the environment by helping us develop and produce sustainable practices in the environment. It also allows for paperless communication which limits the taking down of trees. In my opinion I completely agree with what this article has to say. It expands on computers issues but also its strengths.

Many people do not know that just throwing away your old electronics can build up and create a lot of air and water pollution, as well as heat and noise pollution. In our electronics there are many different types of non-renewable resources, also many precious metals are used such as gold, and silver. All electronics contain hazardous  materials that can have a negative impact on our environment, this materials have to be disposed using special methods. You can help the environment by buying more energy efficient products, as well and products that have less hazardous materials inside of them. Also you can dispose your electronics properly and safely. But on the other side using computers can help the environment, because less trees will be cut down for paper. When disposing of electronics improperly can increase the amount of carbon emissions that are the main cause to global warming, also known as greenhouse gases.    

This article tells the story of Wei Xinlong, a student in China, needed a present to buy his girlfriend, but instead of paying retail price for a tablet, he built his own. This is a creative and effective way for Wei to please his girlfriend and he did it by saving a couple hundred dollars. This is realatable to my everyday life because I am in the situation wear I also want to buy a tablet but cannot afford the high price on the market. This man proved that by putting the effort and time into making your own tablet, you can create one that is just as good, in terms of it surfs the web, you can watch videos, and it is touchscreen compatible, all for just half the price.

linux is getting its big break. many big name companies in the entertainment industry are starting to take notice. samsung is going towards realeasing a linux based phone platform which will be called tizen. tizen will be made for smartphones, notebooks, netbooks, smart tv's and last but not least tablets. as for the smart tv's, fujitsu, and panasonic are looking towards investing into linux.

This post is about the price Americans paid over the past 5 years to fix their broken iPhones. With such a thin, glass design, the iphone has not been a very durable phone so far. Many Americans found this out the hard way by dropping it from their hand, plunging it into a body of water such as a toilet or a tub, or dropping it from their laps. The cost of all these accidents adds up to a whopping 5.9 billion dollars over the past five years in the United States. This issue relates back to the "Portable Computing" tag, because no matter how advanced the iPhone is or how it can improve you daily life in hundreds of different ways, it is not able to accomplish anything if it is broken. Reliability when it comes to withstanding drops is a major factor required in order to positively affect our lives. In my opinion, this is disappointing coming from such a prestigious company such as Apple. I think that for iPhone 5, they should build a more robust phone, without sacrificing its slim, thin design that everybody loves so much. You should not have to buy an expensive case in order to keep your phone protected, especially with a price like the iPhone's.

In early December of this year Intel is going to come out with a new NUC (Next Unit of Computing) mini-PC. This mini-PC has everything a normal PC except its more compact. Its motherboard is 4x4inches and held by four screws to put memory, its PCIe cards, and its power cord. The PCIe slots accommodate half height cards, for WiFi, mSata, and you can put a full height card. The mini-PC holds a core i3 processor, HD 4000 graphics, two SoDIMM sockets, mSATA and mini-PCIe interfaces, one to two HDMI and three USB 2.0 connectors. The DC3217BY model carries a Gigabit Ethernet which favours Thunderbolt and everything listed above. The mini-PC will be priced from $300-$320 and sold on Amazon and Eggdrop. This portable computing by it's so small that it fits in your jacket, blazer, and purse. Many people won't need to buy big bags for their computer. Its economics because more PC companies will have to come out with better computers than the mini-PC or join in the race to build the best mini-PC. PC companies will have to make their computers cheaper to compete with the mini-PC. Overall it's good for the consumer because you many companies competing and making their products cheaper and better.  

With all that's been happening with the Super storm, Hurricane Sandy, social networking may seem far from our mind, but it turns out social network sites, like twitter has become a common source for breaking news about what's going on in different places. At times like these, people often join together and find courage and compassion in one another, while others simply seek to make the problem worse. That's what happened when someone had tweeted false news about the hurricane, like tweeting about the New York Stock Exchange building being flooded and under three feet of water. The rumor had spiralled and even been repeated on CNN and the Weather Channel before being found fake. Normally, false tweets are simply overlooked or scoffed at, but at times like this those kinds of tweets can create mass panic and worry. They are definitely immoral, but what has come into question is whether it should be considered illegal. Some think that this type of tweeting was done to increase fear and endanger, but should his behaviour be considered criminal? After all, he does have freedom of speech and the freedom to lie is included in that, except in "rare occasions". Personally, I think that, normally, silly, fake tweets can be overlooked and just scrolled past, but in times of emergency, tweets like this that can add more fear and panic to an already troubled situation should be considered a criminal action. In times of crisis, everybody should be uniting and helping each other, not creating more danger and trouble. Freedom to lie in the face of disaster like this, about that kind of information is not something that should be tolerated. No matter how big or small the aftermath and reaction to those tweets, they should not be overlooked and in no way should the law consider it okay.

Since 3D printing is becoming more popular, workers can assemble anything by using it. In this article, this product could be the world's first 3D printed car called "Urbee 2". It is a three-wheeled hybrid assembled with pieces that is printed out from 3D printers. With this model, Urbee looking forward to changing the way we build cars today and in the future. Urbee is the invention of Jim kor and his group(Kor Ecologic) that is dedicated to future 3D vehicle manufacturing. Their goal is to make vehicles energy-efficient and is easy to assemble. The location where this first 3D car is being processed is at RedEye, where the first worlds 3D printed motorcycle was assembled. 3D printing is very helpful to workers that are making anything because instead of producing parts that would be assembled later, the 3D printer can print out a single part that makes manufacturing a lot simpler. Urbee is called for being a race car safety. 3D printing offers many possibilites but it is really expensive. But with it you can manufacture lots of things with it a lot easier and more efficient.

This article is rather interesting, because it talks about a patent Apple recently filed. The patent, "Sensing capacitance changes of a housing of an electronic device," - it sounds quite confusing, and the article described what it is.  Basically the patent is talking about the ability for our mobile devices to differentiate between how we hold our device, and react to it. For example, to open up our camera app, we have to unlock the phone and select it, but with this new technology we could simply hold our device with our fingers around its perimeter and have the app open up. Another example is turning on the device, instead of pressing a button we could simply squeeze the device slightly and it will turn on. We might also not need to lock our phones or have passwords if they are configured to recognize only our grip and fingertips. One last interesting feature is the ability to wave our hand over the device and reveal a keyboard that would later disappear when you wave your hand again.  It all sounds terribly interesting until you realize that it's only a patent and Apple hasn't even begun building a prototype. Right now it's an idea that I hope can exist in the near-future, so that accessing certain applications would be a lot easier and faster. Also, if the keyboards become tactile with thin, bendable metal plates that may solve a lot of the complaints about typing on most current tablets and smartphones. 

JavaScript is a well known programming tool that has been around for quite awhile. Many up and coming programmers start out with JavaScript based on it being flexible, maintainable, powerful, and very easy to use. However, once these startups start becoming larger and larger, many lines of coding are needed, and this is where the issue arrives. When being used on a larger scale, JavaScript is in no way the main performer as it is on the smaller scale. JavaScript's features previously stated are what attract programmers to using the engine. However, now that larger companies are using it, the limitations are becoming evident. Being described as an 'iron triangle', JavaScript's issues lie in the fact with an improvement in one area. another area suffers. If you want high flexibility and performance, it's going to be harder to maintain the code. If you want great performance and maintainability,  the flexibility and ability to adapt to change will be reduced. Big budget companies don't have time to be messing around with JavaScript's shortcomings, which is keeping them attracted to lesser engines, such as Flash. The article then continues to discuss whether or not JavaScript is on it's death bed. Some argue that a total revamp is required to keep JavaScript afloat, while others believe that the death of JavaScript will allow newer, more optimized engines to be developed and brought to the world's attention. I tagged this article as economics simply for that last point. Browser engines such as JavaScript and Flash have been around for quite awhile, with no threats to their status in sight. JavaScript is in no way broken, and it is still a very viable tool for web development. However, it may take the death of JavaScript and perhaps Flash for companies to be inspired to build from the ground up a new engine that will pick up all the short comings of the past years and completely rid of them. At the end of the article, JavaScript variants and languages are seen a

In science it is known that Graphene was the lightest material known to man but now graphene aerogel is the lightest material in the world. Aerogel is nothing new. China's zhejiang University made some aerographene and has a density of 0.16 mg/cm3 compared to the previous lightest material aerographite with a density of 0.818 mg/cm3 . Building chunks of an almost weightless material involves high-tech freeze drying. Aerographene is extremely resilient and can mop up 900 times its weight in oil making it potentially indispensable as a clean-up sponge. 

the iOS hackers who wrote the evasi0n jailbreak for iOS 6, the beta for iOS 6.1.3 will patch at least one of the vulnerabilities that the evasi0n exploits in order to work. After 6.1.3, Wang stated that they may have to build a new jailbreak from scratch. Reports indicate that iOS 6.1.3 will also fix the passcode bug that's gone unpatched since 6.0.1 as well as the newly-discovered passcode bug in 6.1. This will deny any access to free aps that people want to download. Apple has stated a more serious security issue to push out its latest update. The patch also fixes a bug discovered earlier this month that allows anyone who gains physical access to a phone to bypass its lockscreen in seconds and access contacts and photos

This article says how much speech recognition software has already grown. Ask someone 10 years ago if they thought it would be possible to ask your phone to call some or to remind you to do something at 2pm and they would say you were dreaming. A new company has come out for android called Dragon software which is going ti be used to compete with siri. There are rumors that apple was planning to build a tv with voice software and that so is Dragon software. How convenient would that be; just to ask your tv to pull up the walking dead .