Group items tagged

Facebook is now offering the option to disallow all applications from sharing and/or accessing your information. Currently, there is a lot of talk about privacy on the internet and how a lot of people don't like having advertisements and notifications shoved into their face every time they use social networking sites or play games.  Nowadays a lot of games have 'share' options built into them that allows you to share useless achievements such as how many cows you bought or how much wheat you need to feed them. This annoys many people who use social networking sites to just talk with friends and get up-to-date information from pages they liked.  The 'nuclear' option will allow people who do not want to be bothered by friends' status updates on games and also people who don't want applications to share what they are doing to others without them knowing or without their consent. This may cause many game developers to change tactics on how they want to attract users from sites such as Facebook because they don't want to risk getting blocked by everyone. 

From the time social networking rose sharply in popularity, everyone has been sharing their lives to the Internet through pictures and statuses. Since then, users' news feed has been filled with things they really don't care about. Whether it be someone telling the world what kind of cereal they are eating or posting a celebrity's quote even though they have no idea what the quote means. Facebook's co-founder Mark Zuckerberg says that the amount of pointless garbage we see now will increase 1000 times more in the next 10 years. Yes that's right, more pictures of people making duck faces and statuses giving every detail of someone's life. This ties in with eLifestyle because even if we don't want to admit it, logging on to social networking sites to see what pointless information people are posting is a part of most of our daily lives. This daily ritual is good for giving us something to do to pass the time. However, our constant obsession is sometime placed before our education by people spending too much time checking on what their friends are doing therefore depriving them of the time to finish homework. I think Mark Zuckerberg's claim that the rate of sharing will increase dramatically is highly unlikely because once the amount of sharing reaches a certain point, social networking users might be fed up and quit using it because any posts that actually seem intelligent will be drowned out by other more dull posts. I personally don't like meaningless statuses like how someone just bought an apple at No Frills, which is part of the reason why I lost interest in social networking sites.

What is Microsoft thinking!? You can't release a major version of an OS that is used by about 90% of the market and just remove something everyone has been using for the past decade. I tried the Windows 8 Developer Preview and Metro is OK, but it's not something you seriously want to use with a mouse, which is a problem for business that don't spend money on touch screens, mainly because their employees don't need them. But now they go ahead and remove the start button completely, making it a hot corner instead, which can be really hard to use at times. When I'm at my computer, I want to be productive, and the standard start menu is the way to do that. I like pretty interfaces, but I also like things that just work, and that's what the start menu is to me. Long story short, if you have an OS as big as Windows, don't make big UI changes like this, because it can really turn out bad and confusing.

What this article is trying to say is that in life, if you don't reach a goal that you have put yourself into having, then you shouldn't take failure of reaching that goal and decide since it didn't happen, you are a failure. Instead, prepare yourself for those times in life when you will be great, or you will reach something you wanted, because one day it will still happen. This will show and help you reach your future goals in life, which is why it relates to my tags. I agree with this article because I believe also that its not what happens when you don't win, or you don't do something, it is what happens when you do reach what you're aiming for, because when you finally do reach it, it will be something amazing < SORRY SIR I DIDN'T SHARE THIS TO THE GROUP LAST WEEK, I FORGOT!!!!

This article, by Somnini Sengupta on the New York Times, is an in-depth look on free speech on the internet, and drawing the line between free expression and hate speech. An anti-Islamic video recently posted on YouTube has brought up the debate over where internet companies decide to draw that line. After the killing of a US ambassador and three other Americans, Google has restricted access to the video in Egypt and Lybia. Google continued to restrict the video in five other countries where it violated local laws. The question about free speech proves to be a problem where it can lead to hate speech. There are continual debates over whether hate speech includes speech that can lead to violence, or demeans a group by race or religion. Politically unstable countries, such as Pakistan, have blocked YouTube altogether. Many internet companies such as Facebook and Twitter, receive the same problems on content as well. Social networks of communication and freedom of expression can also become outlets and channels of hateful and demeaning speech. However, it is also difficult to screen such large amounts of user uploaded content at a time. Although these social networking sites may not condone the views expressed by their users, they can do little to prevent the upload and viewing by hundreds of millions of daily active users. As represented by the anti-Islamic video, these views can affect events, actions, and the lives of people the world over. This can relate to us as students because we can see how widespread the internet is, and how much larger it will become. Everything we post online is recorded and forever preserved; once it's out there, it's out there. Whether what we post reach the desired recipient or a nation, words, coupled with the internet, have immense power, and should be treated with respect. This reflects on smaller scale issues such as cyber bullying, where what we post may intentionally or unintentionally harm our peers. Yes, I believe that free spee

   Today's society uses  technology to communicate by email, and social networking. But now that we think about it, we don't use the old-fashion way of doing things, and some people don't know how we ever did communicate back then. This cartoon shows us  the way we communicated way back. It shows us in a comedic way in a cartoon picture how we ever caught up with old friends, check our location, track professional contacts, publish our thoughts for others to read and look at cat pictures before the internet. 

The article i chose is about why Smartphone, Laptop, and Airplane batteries can explode. These batteries are lithium-ion batteries and are less expensive and more energy dense than than regular batteries which is why many people use them. These batteries don't just short circuit, they explode into flames and the batteries explosive tendencies are the result of a process known as thermal runaway. This means that the increasing temp. causes the system to get hotter which increases the temp. and so on. The causes of this are short circuits, temperatures exceeding 60 degrees C, repeated overcharging, or unauthorized modifications to the case. This occurs very rarely but just to be on the safe side all you have to do is make sure you don't repeatably overcharge, and replace the batteries every 36 months or so to avoid pushing a worn cell to hard.  This relates to the selected tag economics because some companies such as apple took out 1.8 million iBook and PowerBook battery packs after just nine reports of overheating. It also relates to Portable Computing because your computer can overheat and be damaged forever.   

When we're looking for new smart phones we often look at things like speed, convenience, size and other features. When we see all these new smart phone products in stores we don't really stop and think about who made it. All we see is this polished, new phone and that's all we ever try to see. However, this article forces you to look past those pristine products and see the hidden reality. This post shows the rankings of various phone brands based on their impact on human rights, animal rights, the environment and other ethics. Out of a possible score of 20, all the brands fell quite short with the highest score being 10.5. It brings up the various human rights violations of different companies and makes you wonder why such successful companies like Apple are still setting such a low standard for labor conditions. Living in our comfortable first world country, we don't see all the human rights violations and abuse that occurs in other countries. I was surprised to learn that in a Nokia factory, many people were hospitalized for lead poisoning after being told that lead wasn't harmful. The lives of these workers are put at risk every day, as they work to create our smart phones. This article makes you think a lot about our world's reliance on technology. In our country, we only see the positive side of technology. Around the world though, there's a whole other side to the story. People work in dangerous conditions and are abused often while they create our smart phones. It really makes you see these products in a whole other light. After reading this article, I see more when I look at a smart phone. I wonder what happened to the people that made this phone or how they're living now. Our world is changing because of the introduction of technology. It has made our life so much easier, but we have to remember that this can sometimes come at the cost of another human or animal's dignity and sometimes even their life.

This article briefly discusses the upgraded Twitter App for IPhone's and Android Apps. This will be at great use for those who constantly use this App to tweet for the following reasons. To commence, one is now allowed to copy the tweet while holding over the text which will be useful because when wanting to remember a tweet and save it in your notes per se, you don't have to constantly memorize the tweet and go back to read what it is if you forget. You can simply copy and paste the tweet. Also, it will be fast and easy to use without having to leave your timeline when viewing a profile. This will also be at use because you don't have to re-scroll through your timeline after viewing a profile and going back to see the timeline. 

Are you tired of taking out your earphones and they are a tangled mess? Well now they have a "winder" that allows you to roll up earphones, usb wires, etc. Now you will not have to worry about a mess of wires under your computer, or a bunch of wires in your pocket(earphones). You can also fit cellphone earphones with the microphones on them. You can get a medium or large one for $9-10. This relates to the course because earphones plug into hardware's and it makes it more easier for everybody.   

Don't you just hate it when your cord in your pocket gets all tangled up and it takes FOREVER to untie all the knots and stuff. well now you don't need to worry because inventor David Alden designed the Recoil Winder. Just a simple device, pull the middle cord, and it rolls up. Basically a spring mechanism inspired BY TAPE MEASURES! The recoil winder comes in three sizes. Small size for iPod earbuds, medium for the charger cord for an iPhone, and large is for a USB cord. Recoil Winder is funded by Kickstarter, for 8$ you can get the small recoil winder, 9$ for medium and 10$ for large. 30$ for all three along with the rack. Shipping will be in April.

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

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.

Think you're privacy settings in your social network accounts work? Think again. hundreds of third party applications may have gained access to your Facebook account, some of them are ones you never knew you installed.. This is what Leslie Canteris was shocked about when Sisler high school in Winnipeg had an exercise about online privacy. These third party apps can take anything from your Facebook account. Many Canadian students don't understand how to protect their privacy. They don't want to be tracked, but have no clue to avoid it. in fact, kids spend more time changing their privacy settings on their social networks more than adults. People should not use their real names when playing online games, and come up with tough passwords that are hard for outsiders to crack. I applaud Sisler high school for teaching their students about social media privacy. I think that more high schools should talk to its students about this issue since social media is a huge part of many peoples daily lives.

Computers are starting to recognize our faces. what does this mean? Let's find out. New and upcoming facial recognition technology like google glass will heavily integrate the face. it will be able to link someone's face out in the public, to an image of them on the web. In the future we would need to reformat exisiting legislation on privacy. Right now, by law, this potential action is not prohibited. This topic is already being discussed by people in positions of power who see the negative consequences to come. While people focus on the negatives, the positives don't get any real limelight! most of these include much quicker operating procedures for business, who can recognize potential customers. Security also becomes more efficient, which is a good thing when talking about the protection of people and business. It also seriously inflicts on an individuals right to privacy, though... for security in protecting people I believe this should be a mandatory, though. This might be something people will have to endure, whether they like it or not. But, it is better to embrace the future rather than reject it, so here's to computer tracking devices! One thing to point out is the younger generation will not be influenced by this at all. If we don't start to connect with newer technologies early, we'll end up like our grandparents!

Simply, there are creepers on the internet that will steal whatever image you think yourself to be without hesitation and then commit mysterious, illegal, dangerous, suspicious activity under your name which could unfortunately get you into jail even though you are innocent. This is a fact. And you know what helps them create this problem of identity theft? It is the information people freely and openly decide to share on their social media accounts like Facebook. Just one insignificant status allows bad people to assume your identity - all they even need is a vague birth date and birth place, and you are basically done for. YOU COULD BE FRAMED. This goes beyond security issues and transcends what illegal is defined as. Say goodbye to your privacy laws and hello to a never ending game of pretend. Identity fraud is swarming on this site and people don't even realize the massive extent it goes to. People are oblivious and frankly don't care if someone is unfortunate enough to fall victim to identity theft.

Why is it that so much happens with Facebook and we rarely hear about Twitter? not two weeks after Facebook launched their shiny, new "hybrid news feed" (deep announcer voice), impressions are down. I don't have Facebook, so I don't know what that is. But it sounds bad. On the bright side, comments are up by 21% and likes by 9%, so Facebook is on the rise again. Good going, Zuckerberg & co.

A WARNING TO ALL TWITTER USERS! A Twitter phishing scam is spreading via direct messages. The DM will say "There is a rumor/blog going around about you (LINK) might want to read it." Do NOT click on this link. If you do, every single one of your followers will be spammed with the same message, and your account WILL be compromised, and you WILL be hacked. If you click on this link, whether by accident or because you don't listen, change your password immediately and often. Delete messages you never sent, and look out for links like the one you were spammed with. Revoke access to any suspicious applications. Follow the step-by-step guide provided by Twitter on what to do if you click on it. DON'T CLICK ON THIS MESSAGE!

This post is about Online Universities and why they don't compare to the real thing. Products like Saba LMS, Moodle, and iTunes U have made e-learning mainstream, and most universities offer and allow some or most of their coursework to be completed online. First off, the concern with many online universities and colleges is post-graduation employment statistics. Most have very low graduation rates. A government recruited states that "it's not ideal. It doesn't set a baseline expectation, for me or for the people he or she will meet in the field. If I just need to check off a 'degree' box on a requirements form, online will do, but if two candidates are similar, I'm going with the one from Stanford or UVA." Moreover, the differences come down to two things: brand and social interaction. Traditional schools can clearly understand reputations, strengths and weaknesses. Without historical data and a history of success or failure, the online schools' GPAs, class standing and other performance metrics are just numbers and statistics. The author of this article also states that "Giant online schools that accept pretty much everyone may be democratizing education, but they're not helping employers or anyone else separate out the best and the brightest." This can hurt the prestige, and ultimately the graduates of the school. This issue relates to the "eLifestyle" tag because in the end it will definitely affect not only the students, but the regular citizens of a country. The graduates of universities, online of traditional,  will be the leaders of the future, and I believe that traditional universities and colleges are better because professors can get to know and understand students at a different level. It is hard to judge or mark a student based only on online text. For instance, you will never be able to distinguish a student that truly tries and works hard but cannot understand the information properly to a student that understands it but is lazy and slacks off.

Cellphones play a huge factor in our everyday life.  Everybody uses cellphones nowadays.  However, the real question is, when should a child receive a cellphone?  Rather, when should a parent give their a child a cellphone?  Everybody is different, so they have their own opinion as to when they are ready to receive a cellphone/give a cellphone.  A recent report shows that nearly half of the teens surveyed say they can't live longer than a week without their phones, and 36% said they check their phones at least every 10 minutes.  Of course, these habits don't develop within a day of course.  An American research market company polled parents on what they thought the most appropriate age for a child to receive their first cellphone.  Twenty-two percent of parents polled said they thought 10 was the right age, while 43% of the parents fell within the 10 to 12 age range.  I find this ridiculous, because not even I have my own cell phone, nor will I be receiving one in the near future.   In today's society, a phone is like a miniature computer that you can take anywhere with you.  Phones were originally used for making phone calls and giving parents feel a sense of security knowing they can contact their kids whenever and wherever.  However phones can also be a whole set of challenges to a parent.  It is an Internet-enabled device with few parental controls, which could be one challenge.  It might also give a child access to inappropriate apps, the less-than-wholesome intentions of other people, from bullying to worse.   As a child's age increases, there comes many other challenges such as sexting or texting while driving. Personally, I feel the only time one can be ready for a phone, is when they prove that they are mature enough to handle such responsibility.  But that's just my side of the story.

 IPhone 5 is a the new phone that everybody wants. However is it actually everything we expected? Many IPhone 5 users are talking about how they have been noticing their phones flickering. The first reports were as soon as the device was launched. The main thread for the issue is over 12 pages long with reports of flickering screens. When people began investigating they realized that this issues seems to most frequently occur when a user accesses the virtual keyboard in the App Store. Because the users don't see flickering each time they use it , it only affects the virtual keyboard which means it is a software issue. My personal opinion on this topic is that if Apple doesn't want to lose the rank they have they need to fix this!