Scary or Not Scary

Ana Banana

So I'm not sure if having technology advancing in such a short amount of time is scary to many people or not. Or even if people have stopped and actually thought, why is it that technology has advanced so fast? I don't know about anyone else but when i think about how technology has changed how this world thinks and acts, it scares the crap out of me. 

Well to tell you guys a little more about myself and how technology entered into my life. Well I'm a 1988 baby and the first computer that i first saw was in my elementary school in Seattle, WA. I had never touched one or played with one until 5th grade when I had to stay in an after-school program. In that after-school program they had us playing games on the computer like Math Blaster and other kid games. I remember that i would have such a hard time figuring out how to work that machine. Well to quickly flash forward through my life in middle school 6-8th grade, I still had a type-writer at home to write my 1-2 page essays for school. (Did anyone else use a type-writer for school?) Well I remember that in 8th grade is when a lot of my friends had computers at home and were IMing each other all the time. I hope people still remember what IMing was/is, but if you don't know what IMing was it was Instant Messaging on AOL which it is exactly like FaceBook Chatting or what is now TEXTING. So during that time that my friends were IMing each other and were able to surf the Internet on their dial-up, I was still living a life with just TV, radio and a home land-line (where you had to memorize all your friends and families phone numbers, which now I can only remember my mom's, brother's and boyfriend's cellphone number.) So finally High School came and my freshmen year I made sure that I signed up for a computer typing class because I did not want to be the only one that did not know how to type or use a computer. So basically that is how it started out and I finally got a cell phone when I was a Junior which it may be shocking to the many of you but that was in 2005-2006. And since then I have been hooked to being on a computer. Even though I am always late on what is "in and new" I have been hooked on the technology line and cant free myself from it.

So if anyone wants to share how they got hooked to technology leave a comment, I would love to hear your story! :)

Kastle:

7 Privacy Concerns For Facebook
If you click on the link, it will take you to a news article about 7 privacy concerns for the new Facebook timeline. Facebook is tracking your every move, everywhere your going, what your listening to every moment. According to Facebook’s privacy policy: “We receive data from the computer, mobile phone or other device you use to access Facebook. This may include your IP address, location, the type of browser you use, or the pages you visit.” This data is collected every time, even when a friend of yours has GPS turned on and tags you in a picture she’s uploading from her mobile phone.

This should be a concerning matter. Yet none of us even seem to care we're being tracked. What if someone who works for Facebook decided to use our personal information for their own benefit? What if they sent your phone number or email to different advertising websites? There are so many different scenarios! We all need to start paying more attention! :)

Kastle: 
This pretty much says it all :) This is everyone on their first day of discovering Facebook!

Megan

Tumblr's Impact

I've been making several posts on tumblr lately (a few original, but many interesting reblogs as well; you're welcome to check them out). My most recent original post discusses the negative effects of tumblr, and I'm going to make a post soon about how tumblr has such a huge impact both on our lives and on media. It's really intriguing to surf the web to see what other people are saying about social networks!

While you're at it, I would definitely suggest watching some of the videos I've posted. Interesting stuff!

Ally: That little blue bird.

Now, please tell me. Do you see any similarities between these two? Maybe the fluffy hair on top of the head? Anything else? Please, some one enlighten me.


Okay, the reason you are looking at these two is because, well, that little blue bird all of representing Twitter... yeah he is named after Larry Bird. A hall of fame basketball player.

There you go followers. A random piece of information about Twitter that I can almost guarantee you didn't know. You're welcome.

Ally: What came first-- Twitter or Facebook?

To answer Kastle's question on what came first.... the chicken or the egg scratch that.... Twitter or Facebook... :)

The answer......

Facebook. Launched in 2004.

The beginning of twitter was....
created in March of 2006. But wasn't launched until July 2006. It took about a year for this social networking site to hit it's tipping point. Here is a great graph of the content of tweets. Pretty great representation if you ask me! What is it about that damn pointless babble that we love so much?

Alison: Skype- What is it?

Skype is an online application that is free to download on any computer.  If you don’t have it, then you’re missing out! The most popular feature that Skype offers is free calls to any other Skype user. Not only do you have the privilege to make calls to your friends and/or family for no cost at all, but you get to actually see the person you’re speaking with via webcam. So, in order to hear, speak, see, and be seen, you and the recipient will need the following tools: Microphone and a webcam.  However, even if you don’t personally have a webcam or a microphone, you can still Skype with others that have these tools, but know that you will not be seen or heard without these two specific requirements. If you are one of these people that lack a webcam or microphone, you can still utilize the benefits of Skype by using the chat feature, which is ultimately instant messaging. 

Stay tuned to learn more about the benefits and awesomeness that Skype has to offer.