Podcast on Copyright

Here is my podcast.

Online Privacy

Does the government really protect our privacy on the web? Do you feel safe giving out personal info? The answers to these questions are personal and based on your own opinions. Realistically speaking we do not have privacy when it comes to the web. This article from the Wall Street Journal goes further on this issue and explains ways to fix this.  

There is an ongoing issue with our privacy on the Internet. The Internet makes it easy for us to save our passwords and personal information like credit cards. In return it makes it easy for others like the FBI, hackers, or whoever to access out information via the Internet. Once you post it, it becomes public access for anyone who wants the information.  The freaky thing is your being watched and so is your personal information without you even knowing it. You’re being watched through things like your ISP on your computer (which identifies you), third party cookies that track your traffic on what sites you visit, and programs like spyware that literally spies on what you do.

Now there are ways around this invasion, unless you don’t mind being viewed under a microscope.  You can set your computer browsers security settings or buy security programs that constantly clean up and keep your computer safe.  This article talks about a company named Abine. Abine has created tools available directly on their website that helps us as consumers fully utilize our “online lives”. They’ve created products like DNT+ and DeleteMe.  DNT+ focuses on improving social networks and DeleteMe focuses on removing personal data.  Companies like Abine are out their looking to create a better online environment for everyone, they are working to help consumers with our privacy on the net.

In the current day and age we are in, this is not necessarily a concern among young people. Young people are used to living their lives where the world knows everything via social networking sites. For them it’s not a concern whether privacy is there or not, but for older generations that are learning their way around the Internet they are concerned for their privacy. Facebook does this to us without us realizing, they track what we view on their site and then what else we view on other sites.

The Internet is a great tool and can be used to our advantage, but when the fact of privacy for personal data is brought up that’s nothing to fool around with. We need to keep a close eye on this and find ways to fix this problem. We need high tech and cutting edge companies to come out with software that makes the government and sites like Facebook sit on the edge of their seat a little bit. We can’t make accessing our personal information that easy. I know we live in a digital online age where everything is easily accessible, but do you really want your entire identify and profile being found with the click of a button? 

Conflict in the Digital Age

          Today’s generation of children and young adults are learning and growing up around a different technology than our parents and grandparents did. Is this an advantage or disadvantage? Well there is no solid answer to that question it depends on who you ask.  The reality of it is us “kids” that “never know what we’re talking about” have a lot more access to information than previous generations. It’s all thanks to technology and the way it is changing or “converging”.  This article from ABC7 News goes into depth on exactly what I’m talking about.

            Technology is rapidly changing and growing at a warped speed that we can’t even control.  For example when I just got texting down on a keyboard the newest next best thing was a touch screen like the iPhone. Picture messaging in essence has turned into Face timing with the person you’re talking to live via the iPhone. Technology isn’t planning on slowing down anytime soon, so if you not with the times or you’re lost GET WITH IT!!

            This article brings up the point of how technology is converging.  This is by definition how things coming together, from that togetherness new possibilities cab be created. This article talks about Nokia possibly teaming up with the advancement of tattoo technology, possibly having your body  vibrate when you receive calls, emails, messages or alerts on your cellphone. "We will be living in a blended reality where information and biology merge," said high tech author James Canton. This just proves that almost any aspect you can think of combining is possible.

            At this point in time technology has no limits or restraints as to what it can and cannot do. The possibilities are endless, so until we get it right futurists and scientists will keep figuring out ways technology can benefit us and make things more convenient for us. Right how most people are for this rapid change, the only ones against are the older generations (who like things their way or just the way they are without new change).  In order for a full swing convergence to occur; where new devices entirely are created people will have to have a high demand for them and the content will have to be interchangeable.  Were still a ways a way from this happening but as far as research goes were not far off either. High tech people tried and failed at something similar to what the iPhone is today, so just because one attempt fails doesn’t mean years later they can’t succeed at the same concept.  

            So be willing to adapt to new change because so far technology has provided us with endless ways to get information and has provided numerous new ways of getting things done quicker. Technology has its ups and downs like anything, and like anything else is always working to get kinks out. The reality is that the future will be technology or the technology will be the future. Futuristic things are unfolding before our eyes it’s how we interpret it and use it to our advantage whether we will be a fan or not!

The Digital Divide

If you are unaware of the digital divide problem we have worldwide, let me inform you a little bit about this issue. The term itself, digital divide, is a gap between people with effective access to digital information and technology and those without. The article Bridging the digital divide goes into further details about the issue itself.

People that know about the digital divide problem think that there is some easy fix and it will solve everything, well they are wrong!! There are various reasons as to why we have a digital divide globally: economic equality, social mobility, social equality, democratic movements, and national security. These are just a few, but more specifically in this article they stress upon the fact that there needs to be more affordable technology that can be used by many and that keeps the use of electricity low. After reading this article I learned that yes there may be forms of cheaper technology but you also have to look into if it will keep the electricity bill low as well. This is especially true in India, where the article was about; India’s electric is nowhere on the cheap side. You may find cheap ways of technology but it could sky rocket the overall electricity bill, and you don’t want that. All of us globally want something that is cheap in every aspect for al of us.

By not mainstreaming countries like India into this technology revolution, it’s in essence hurting them. They are not as informed as they could/should be because they don’t have access for example like we do here in the U.S. Kids, teenagers, and even young adults don’t realize what an advantage we have to grow up with computers in our schools and homes, if we were that lucky. Some of us don’t realize that right here within the U.S. affordability is just as much of an issue as it is in a foreign country. If we could find this new form of technology and get it up and running worldwide we would not only be better in tune with what’s going on in the world, but we would be bettering the future of our children and possibly get them a better education by implementing these new advanced tools. Taking a step in the right direction would be to seriously educate those that have access to software that they aren’t using to its full potential. Also get some sort of funding underway for those who have no access whatsoever to the internet, and would benefit greatly!

In essence I agree with Manish Sharma, Vice President Asia Pacific, NComputing, Inc., who was narrating the article Bridging the digital divide. We need to put up more of fight with our government and get the funding rolling for this to make it more affordable for the public. Others have this access but it’s bigger companies that have the money to afford it and use it on a regular basis. We have the means and the ways to do this, we just have to get into action. Now I’m not saying there is any easy solution, but if we take the steps in the right direction we might just be on our way to accomplishing something to better our public. 

Podcast on Net Neutrality

Here is a link to my podcast.

Online Identity

With the rising internet era people feel the need to "identify" themselves online. Whether it's their Facebook profile page or their twitter account picture. Everyone feels the need to have what they think is "themselves" have an online presence be known. That's what this article from The Guardian  is saying.

Really the craze of everyone being online has created this buzz as to who we really are. This is a daily question we are faced with, and people are constantly trying to figure it out. Our true identities are made of two separate identities: reflexive and ascribed. Reflexive being who we personally think we are and Ascribed being who others think that we are. So its a combination of both and then when you get online a third element becomes involved and that's our virtual identity.

These identities we "create" can both good and bad. If you are trying to come out of the closet but can't because people in the real world will make fun of you, online community's are great for this. Now let's say your in high school and aren't the most popular, you can online and be the most popular pretty blonde their is. That's another thing with going online their are stereotypes as their are in the everyday real world. Plus if an online community rejects you, you can go as easily as you came. For some people talking with others online is as afar as they get socially. People creating a web presences is just seeping more and more as we as whole get involved with social media. The elements of sites like Facebook, Google, and Twitter you can be someone you aren't but really it's more of you showing us who you really are that we wouldn't know/see day to day. Your profile page is like you showcasing us your best qualities or what you want us to see about you. for example if your a dancer and singer you might have pictures of you at dance recitals and you make like Glee. With Facebook people believe others view them through photos, that's why companies like Instagram as fast and growing!

So as the internet age is buzzing it can be fun thing to be all these different people we wish or want to be. At the same time we don't want to forget who we "really" are on a day to day basis. Twitter, Google, and Facebook are not going away anytime soon if anything they will keep growing to stay current with the new technology we are finding out about. We can stay connected, be online, and have fun but just have to remember the online virtual world is not the reality world we actually live in!