"an astounding 45-minute wait for ... 90 seconds of flying through the air.. . My husband and I launched our own commando operation, trying to distract our poor boys from the most popular attractions. Let's just say we spent an inordinate amount of time clambering around the line-free Goofy's Playhouse and Donald's Boat."
For the whole story:
http://www.npr.org/2011/01/01/132529557/disneys-new-attraction-the-happiest-lines-on-earth
We've all been to those theme parks where the long lines drain the excitement from the adrenaline-provoking roller-coasters, but if you haven't had that experience with young boys age 11 and under, the line hasn't been nearly as draining. Their impatience makes you more impatient. They get bored and restless more quickly than you do. Then, they try to find things to occupy their time like food (which you better not run out of) or video games (hope the battery doesn't go dead) or climbing rails (last resort if there is no food or video games and you have to hope that they don' t fall off). This generation (that I am glad to be a part of) is indeed impatient. If my cell phone doesn't get me to the internet fast enough, I say it's time for a new one with more space. We do need constant entertainment; that's why my cell phone is in my hand about 85% of the day (and that may be an understatement). It's just the way we are. I wouldn't say it's good and I wouldn't say its bad; it's a fact of our lives. Technology and society complement one another. They push each other forward. If a society is impatient, technology is created to accommodate that societal flaw. Sometimes societies have to catch up to the technology. In Web Tech, we've talked about this many times. I am glad Disney is adjusting to our lifestyles. Now, our video games can be played in the cat on the way back to the hotel or home and they can provide us with the entertainment. I hope Carowinds and King's dominion catches the hint. Right now, Disney does have the happiest lines on earth.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
French Device Could SolveParking Woes
As always, there are pieces of a story that stick with you more that others. Here are those pieces that stuck with me:
"New technology being tested in France, lets drivers find free parking spots in real time. The technology, which uses cell phones, is being developed together with the French space agency. There is a downside, however, the system also tells the authorities when your meter has expired."
We've talked about the pros and cons of various technologies in our class, Web Technologies. No device is going to have great benefits without having some flaws. If you know you have a system that tells authorities when your meter expires, don't let your meter expire. It's that simple.Majority of the time, you have other things to do anyway so this device just may be the motivation people need to make their day productive. No one wants to spend an hour looking for a parking space. It's frustrating and has to be one of the greatest wastes of time ever. holiday shopping was a pain: crowded malls and shopping centers and no parking spaces. I would love the device. I get stuck in malls when I know I should probably on my way home so I can get schoolwork done. I know the device would help me. If I get a ticket, I'll have to pay for that instead of a new pair of shoes. (Not a good situation)
"A piece of French technology may put an end to headaches with parking. This new device can help drivers locate free spots by contacting them on their cell phones. The technology was developed to deal with a slightly harder problem. It was first developed to help send scientific equipment to the planet Venus"
I would like to know specifically who would be contacting me. Would they be using photographs, text messages, or a phone call? How fast would the device work (Can't have anyone else taking my parking spot)? How far away can I be from the parking spot before it is detected? The general idea sounds nice. Its amazing how the devices we use here were first created to solve much more difficult problems. Science and technology are wonderful in that way; you can be exploring one thing and find the answer to another.
"New technology being tested in France, lets drivers find free parking spots in real time. The technology, which uses cell phones, is being developed together with the French space agency. There is a downside, however, the system also tells the authorities when your meter has expired."
We've talked about the pros and cons of various technologies in our class, Web Technologies. No device is going to have great benefits without having some flaws. If you know you have a system that tells authorities when your meter expires, don't let your meter expire. It's that simple.Majority of the time, you have other things to do anyway so this device just may be the motivation people need to make their day productive. No one wants to spend an hour looking for a parking space. It's frustrating and has to be one of the greatest wastes of time ever. holiday shopping was a pain: crowded malls and shopping centers and no parking spaces. I would love the device. I get stuck in malls when I know I should probably on my way home so I can get schoolwork done. I know the device would help me. If I get a ticket, I'll have to pay for that instead of a new pair of shoes. (Not a good situation)
"A piece of French technology may put an end to headaches with parking. This new device can help drivers locate free spots by contacting them on their cell phones. The technology was developed to deal with a slightly harder problem. It was first developed to help send scientific equipment to the planet Venus"
I would like to know specifically who would be contacting me. Would they be using photographs, text messages, or a phone call? How fast would the device work (Can't have anyone else taking my parking spot)? How far away can I be from the parking spot before it is detected? The general idea sounds nice. Its amazing how the devices we use here were first created to solve much more difficult problems. Science and technology are wonderful in that way; you can be exploring one thing and find the answer to another.
Monday, December 6, 2010
iPad-Only Magazines, Newspapers Debuting Soon
A publication just for the iPad. Why? Why would you do something that is specifically for one device that just, frankly, not everybody in America is going to have, as much publicity as it may get? "Sitting with it in your lap and turning pages, as we have for hundreds of years." Why? This podcast is an interview of David Carr, a media columnist for The New York Times by Steve Inskeep, host. They talk about the new magazine, only avaliable on the iPad, British entrepreneur Richard Branson is unveiling and the iPad only newspaper billionaire Rupert Murdoch plans to launch early next year.
For more on this story visit:
http://www.npr.org/2010/11/30/131687816/ipad-only-magazines-newspapers-debuting-soon
Let's zoom in to this conversation a bit more.
Mr. CARR: Well, a couple of things you have to keep in mind, Steve. One is there's - what - 10, 12 million iPads and iPad-like devices out there. A lot of people say that four years from now there'll be a hundred to 120 million of them. The other thing you have to think about is it's not just a unique visual environment, it's a unique business environment. Out on the web, if you use the word subscriptions people flee in droves. They can't stand it.
INSKEEP: People expect it to be free, sure. Sure.
Mr. CARR: Right. But in and iPad environment, you expect to pay for the good stuff. And I do think that nomenclature is very important. When they get away from the word subscription and into the word application, well, that's a much sexier, much more friendly term.
Just a few things that struck me right away.
1. Granted, there are 10-12 million iPads and iPad-like devices "out there" but I wonder what percentage of these people are interested in the things featured in the magazines. what exactly will be featured in the magazines? Why will iPad users need the magazine if they can just surf the web for whatever information is offered. What is so unique about the magazine that would make the iPad user want to buy it? Who would want to flip a page when they could click a link? If I wanted to flip a page I would pick up a hard copy of a magazine but when I'm using the iPad I prefer to click.
2. A lot of people say that four years from now there'll be a hundred to 120 million of them. Who is "a lot of people"? Should I count "a lot of people" as a reliable resource? Is this the same "a lot of people" that predicted that the effects of global warming wouldn't "be that bad"? (I mean it snowed during my spring break two years ago. I live in the Southern States of America.) In Web Technologies, we have had discussions about trusting on the internet i.e. trusting your sources and trusting the people who send you internet messages (phising). One of the major faults of the internet is how fast faulty information can spread.
3.The internet is a unique business environment. In Web Tech, we have talked about this as well. If we have to begin to think about how copyright laws are going to be revised of course we have to think about revising business strategies. The Internet allows a business to reach a bigger market, a wider range of people from all over the worls. The internet allows one to connect and collaborate with people they wouldn;t generally collaborate with. The internet is indeed a unique business environment.
4. Last but most striking . . . "sexier"? "That's a much sexier, much more friendly term"? Is he equating sexy with friendly. (That may explain a bunch of societal problems especially those among teenagers. You can't equate friendly with sexy. They are not the same thing!) and is sexy the correct adjective for this situation? i never expected to see the word "sexy" in an article entitled "iPad-Only Magazines, Newspapers Debuting Soon"
For more on this story visit:
http://www.npr.org/2010/11/30/131687816/ipad-only-magazines-newspapers-debuting-soon
Let's zoom in to this conversation a bit more.
Mr. CARR: Well, a couple of things you have to keep in mind, Steve. One is there's - what - 10, 12 million iPads and iPad-like devices out there. A lot of people say that four years from now there'll be a hundred to 120 million of them. The other thing you have to think about is it's not just a unique visual environment, it's a unique business environment. Out on the web, if you use the word subscriptions people flee in droves. They can't stand it.
INSKEEP: People expect it to be free, sure. Sure.
Mr. CARR: Right. But in and iPad environment, you expect to pay for the good stuff. And I do think that nomenclature is very important. When they get away from the word subscription and into the word application, well, that's a much sexier, much more friendly term.
Just a few things that struck me right away.
1. Granted, there are 10-12 million iPads and iPad-like devices "out there" but I wonder what percentage of these people are interested in the things featured in the magazines. what exactly will be featured in the magazines? Why will iPad users need the magazine if they can just surf the web for whatever information is offered. What is so unique about the magazine that would make the iPad user want to buy it? Who would want to flip a page when they could click a link? If I wanted to flip a page I would pick up a hard copy of a magazine but when I'm using the iPad I prefer to click.
2. A lot of people say that four years from now there'll be a hundred to 120 million of them. Who is "a lot of people"? Should I count "a lot of people" as a reliable resource? Is this the same "a lot of people" that predicted that the effects of global warming wouldn't "be that bad"? (I mean it snowed during my spring break two years ago. I live in the Southern States of America.) In Web Technologies, we have had discussions about trusting on the internet i.e. trusting your sources and trusting the people who send you internet messages (phising). One of the major faults of the internet is how fast faulty information can spread.
3.The internet is a unique business environment. In Web Tech, we have talked about this as well. If we have to begin to think about how copyright laws are going to be revised of course we have to think about revising business strategies. The Internet allows a business to reach a bigger market, a wider range of people from all over the worls. The internet allows one to connect and collaborate with people they wouldn;t generally collaborate with. The internet is indeed a unique business environment.
4. Last but most striking . . . "sexier"? "That's a much sexier, much more friendly term"? Is he equating sexy with friendly. (That may explain a bunch of societal problems especially those among teenagers. You can't equate friendly with sexy. They are not the same thing!) and is sexy the correct adjective for this situation? i never expected to see the word "sexy" in an article entitled "iPad-Only Magazines, Newspapers Debuting Soon"
When You Care Enough to Send ... An E-Card
This podcast uses the perspectives of Wanda Wen, owner of Soolip, a paper card and invitation store in Los Angeles, Gregg Spiridellis, CEO of JibJab and Ron Miller, owner of greeting card company Village Lighthouse to explore the positives and negatives of the increased usage of E-Cards.
For more on this story visit:
http://www.npr.org/2010/11/19/131441437/when-you-care-enough-to-send-an-e-card
I don't send E-Cards for holidays, birthdays or any other occassion, I write a nice message in a person's Facebook inbox, on their wall or send a heartfelt text message. Bottom line --- I use technology to express my holiday greetings. If I wish to give a person a card, usually a family member or close friend, I would send them one. I spend about $20 a year on cards. I know, it's pretty cheap and what I write inside of them is much more personal than the generic greeting in a card. Sending E-Cards (or some other form of digital messaging) would not stop me from sending traditional cards or vise-versa.
"It goes hand in hand. If you have a really important loved one that you really care about, you're not gonna buy them an e-card. You're gonna go into a store and buy them a card and you're gonna write that personal sentiment in addition to the way that they're doing it on Facebook," says Miller. Basically, I agree.
And For Wen's comment, "It's a little bit sad. It's sad that our existence, our community is losing its human touch, humanness", not so much. She's over-thinking it, being overly sensitive to the rise of the usage of technology. We aren't losing our human touch, we're just touching in different ways, through computers and cellular devices opposed to phone calls and sending cards by way of the US Postal system. We communicate with each other more because our means of communication is easier. A lot of people who never sent Christmas cards in their life have done so in the past couple of years or will probably send greetings to people this year because it is easier and a lot more efficient. I can say "Happy Holidays" to hundreds of people with the click of one button. No postage stamps or finding street addresses involved.
For more on this story visit:
http://www.npr.org/2010/11/19/131441437/when-you-care-enough-to-send-an-e-card
I don't send E-Cards for holidays, birthdays or any other occassion, I write a nice message in a person's Facebook inbox, on their wall or send a heartfelt text message. Bottom line --- I use technology to express my holiday greetings. If I wish to give a person a card, usually a family member or close friend, I would send them one. I spend about $20 a year on cards. I know, it's pretty cheap and what I write inside of them is much more personal than the generic greeting in a card. Sending E-Cards (or some other form of digital messaging) would not stop me from sending traditional cards or vise-versa.
"It goes hand in hand. If you have a really important loved one that you really care about, you're not gonna buy them an e-card. You're gonna go into a store and buy them a card and you're gonna write that personal sentiment in addition to the way that they're doing it on Facebook," says Miller. Basically, I agree.
And For Wen's comment, "It's a little bit sad. It's sad that our existence, our community is losing its human touch, humanness", not so much. She's over-thinking it, being overly sensitive to the rise of the usage of technology. We aren't losing our human touch, we're just touching in different ways, through computers and cellular devices opposed to phone calls and sending cards by way of the US Postal system. We communicate with each other more because our means of communication is easier. A lot of people who never sent Christmas cards in their life have done so in the past couple of years or will probably send greetings to people this year because it is easier and a lot more efficient. I can say "Happy Holidays" to hundreds of people with the click of one button. No postage stamps or finding street addresses involved.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The Cooks Source Scandal
Special Thanks for this video goes to Sarah Jacobson Purewal. I love your writing style. It is informative yet a bit sassy. It made for a great project in Web Technologies.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Cybersecurity Expert On China Net Hijacking
"A new security report says China hijacked 15 percent of global Internet traffic this past April — for 18 minutes. Melissa Block talks with Dmitri Alperovitch, a cybersecurity expert with McAfee Inc., about the implications of such a high profile router hijacking case. The report, released this week by the U.S.-China and Security Review Commission, claims China hijacked U.S. government and military sites, as well as commercial web sites. China denies the claims."
For the whole story, visit http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131423973
This story ensures me that the Internet is not nearly as secure as it should be. The Internet does what it is told to do no matter who gives the commands. China may not have intentially routed traffic through its servers, but it did. It could have been innocent, but it could have been done with malicious intent to impede progress of commercial organizations such as Microsoft and IBM or maybe even the government. This reminds me a question posed in Web Technologies on multiple occasions, "Should the government be allowed to intervene is internet usage?" Usually, I would say no. We have freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion. Why shouldn't we have freedom of internet usage? We shouldn't because at times our internet usage may compromise our safety. The civil agreement between the government and the people is that we follo their laws and they protect our life, liberty, and property. For all we know, during those eighteen minutes, our life, liberty, and property were all stake. It is the government's job to protect us. It is the government's job to do something about it. For safety purposes, the internet should have been shut down, put to a complete halt for those eighteen minuted. The Simultania Project has revealed to us that a lot of things can happen in one minute. Think about what could happen in eighteen of them.
For the whole story, visit http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131423973
This story ensures me that the Internet is not nearly as secure as it should be. The Internet does what it is told to do no matter who gives the commands. China may not have intentially routed traffic through its servers, but it did. It could have been innocent, but it could have been done with malicious intent to impede progress of commercial organizations such as Microsoft and IBM or maybe even the government. This reminds me a question posed in Web Technologies on multiple occasions, "Should the government be allowed to intervene is internet usage?" Usually, I would say no. We have freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion. Why shouldn't we have freedom of internet usage? We shouldn't because at times our internet usage may compromise our safety. The civil agreement between the government and the people is that we follo their laws and they protect our life, liberty, and property. For all we know, during those eighteen minutes, our life, liberty, and property were all stake. It is the government's job to protect us. It is the government's job to do something about it. For safety purposes, the internet should have been shut down, put to a complete halt for those eighteen minuted. The Simultania Project has revealed to us that a lot of things can happen in one minute. Think about what could happen in eighteen of them.
The Simultania Project: One World Wide Minute of Life
This podcast featured the results of the Simultania Project, an attempt to capture one minute played back from as many prespectives as possible. The audio version was played in real time. It is going to take the creator of the project months to edit so the video version will not be ready until April.
For the whole story, visit http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2010/11/18/131424416/simultania
I love the concept of the project. There are so many things going on in one minute. There is constant action, constant motion, all over the world. To have one minute recorded from different places is cool. The time, dedication and commitment it takes to edit a project such as the Simultania Project is absurd. In Web Technologies, we created our own podcast and are working on videocasts. The collecting data and the recording are compartively easy when you begin to think about editing. I struggled through about one hour of editing daily over a span of about three days. I would be in tears if I had to edit for months.To complete the editing, one must have a passion for their project. I admire her for doing this. The short time that the public will enjoy viewing the video will come from months of hard work. Its weird in a sense to think of how everything evolves from a simple idea. Technology evolves from a simple idea.
For the whole story, visit http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2010/11/18/131424416/simultania
I love the concept of the project. There are so many things going on in one minute. There is constant action, constant motion, all over the world. To have one minute recorded from different places is cool. The time, dedication and commitment it takes to edit a project such as the Simultania Project is absurd. In Web Technologies, we created our own podcast and are working on videocasts. The collecting data and the recording are compartively easy when you begin to think about editing. I struggled through about one hour of editing daily over a span of about three days. I would be in tears if I had to edit for months.To complete the editing, one must have a passion for their project. I admire her for doing this. The short time that the public will enjoy viewing the video will come from months of hard work. Its weird in a sense to think of how everything evolves from a simple idea. Technology evolves from a simple idea.
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