So I was thinking...

When I was supposed to be doing my math homework, about my math homework. It came about the first week of the semester. The teacher told us we would not be needing the $150 book I bought,  because we could purchase it online. However, even that would be unnecessary.  Hold up, Teach. What's the scam? A math class without a book? So we are going to listen to you talk and take notes and then just take tests? Does this mean no homework?!

Needless to say, I was stoked.

But then he kindly informed us that in turn for not buying a book, and all, we need to buy the homework online. Wait. What did this fool just say?! Yup. We have to BUY our homework. wait. ONLINE? how are we supposed to do math homework in Calc 2 online? Well I was upset, and unsure if I would like it. But now, being 9 weeks into the semester, I find that i like it better than the conventional form of Math homework. Although there are some glitches that if you input the answers into the wrong format or use the wrong variable because of habit or something it will count you wrong, but the teacher has the power to override the system if you bring it up. So this nifty little website gives you the question, and a spot to put the answers. It also offers help on some of them including a read about it- where it shows you the pages in the book where the topic is covered, a watch it- where you can see the instructor doing and explaining a similar problem, and a master it- where you actually do another problem that is graded step by step. Its actually a sweet program that i'm sure will be seen in more classrooms in the future. 

Go math!

The introduction of the iPad...

should be a holiday! psych...

Look, we've all already decided, and I have already blogged about this. But why not look at it from a different angle? From that of a dedicated college student.

Can you see me, there, in the background? No? You have to look through the back window... I'm not in the library, I'm outside... Still can't see? Let me zoom in...

(At least I spelled 'College' right)

So what I'm getting after here is that the iPad, if programmed a little better, and switched around for the new audience, could be brilliant for a college student. Its about the size of a standard laptop, but with no flipping, it is a bit lighter, but still the size of any folder. So it fits easily in any drawstring bag or backpack, or can be carried by hand. So if the price was dropped down a little, this could be an essential to any college life. With the downloading of textbooks being so much cheaper than buying them hardcover, as long as they are all available online, this could be a huge moneymaker for both Apple and textbook companies. with the Wi-Fi enabled, the students could access their work from just about anywhere and not be dragged down by the weak wireless connection of the University or the constant switching of networks. I don't think the iPad will do well as a computer, but if students could use it as an electronic textbook and a presentation board, this will be a homerun hitter for Apple and textbook companies. But goodluck getting them to work together. Even if the schools want it. Especially seeing as the schools could make these necessities and run their programs through these 'laptops'.

It takes two to tango...

IT IS MARCH. And everyone knows what that means, grab your brackets, your favorite pizza and nachos combo, a cold one, and a bunch of friends- it is time to dance! That's right folks, step right up and watch 65 teams full grown college boys aided by old old men run up and down a 94 foot wooden heaven for 40 minutes. Could it get any better than this?! Well it could if my team was in it...

They played awful this year, even as defending champs.

"What is this, Amateur Hour?"

No, well, yes, actually. This is a college tournament, so technically...

Bottom line- This is the greatest time of the year. Why? Because basketball is everywhere. No- not the garbage that they sell tickets to and call the NBA, and its more structured than even the summer league at the Rucker, this is basketball at its finest. The competition is fierce, the intensity is high, and the fans are crazy. 

I hate Duke, but that shot by Laettner? Well done.


CBS is the television home for the NCAA Men's basketball championship this year, as they have been the past few years. So yes, we have to put up with the terrible commentating and play by play that consists of obvious observations and wrong analysis. But they have a website. Why is this good? scratch that... Why is this superb? because then I can have a game on my tv, as many as I want running on my computer, and not have to pay attention to anyone thats talking. Turn up the music and announce the game in my head. That's the best part about college basketball. Even if your team isn't in it, it is still college basketball. There is still that excitement in everygame, still strategy, still emotion, still the feeling like you are there. No matter what the game is, wether it be my Tar Heels playing at home vs those duke-boys, or if its Oakland against Rockford two schools nobody hears about in D1 basketball, I still love to watch. So with that said, thank you technology and thank you CBS for using it to put all the games online... With a mute button. 

Tell us, Mr. Vitale- Who is the cinderella at this ball?

Oh you can't? Because CBS isn't worthy of your basketball expertise?

Shame.

Smart Mobs

Smart mobs, a bunch of wise guys. I had heard about these groups a year or two back. I was told about Improv Everywhere, a group that performs theses flash mobs and freeze mobs. They have been spotted all over the world doing dances or "pausing" real life. There isn't much of a purpose other than for entertainment for this group. However, these massive groups as a whole can be very persuasive and very powerful. Jaw dropping numbers showing up randomly at places can have an incredible effect on the event they are protesting.






Back home, a group of us almost got one of these organized. There was a farmers market downtown and we were all going to perform a dance or try the frozen approach, there were about 40 of us. But we got the dates wrong on the market, so we missed out. 
Oh well. Maybe next year?

Networking

I watched the Social Networking War video recently that was on Moodle. It was very interesting. It was well done and clever.




There was a lot of truth put into this short little skit. Social Networks temporarily take over the world. The way Xanga dominated 7 years ago, followed my the ever-so-popular Myspace 5 or 6 years ago, and currently Facebook. It seems like everyone wants to be the next big tool to interact with people technologically. They all seem to start well, but eventually become too overrun, too complicated, or too unorganized in an attempt to continue to put out new things or add on. Myspace became a place for "skanky pictures of skanky people doing skanky things" in addition to the reckless amounts of pointless bulletins, Myspace hit a wall. However, Facebook seems to be doing much better. There are people who claim addiction, and in some cases it seems true. I like this video's ending because it shows the ease at which you can release yourself from the virtual world. Simply logging off will take away all the distractions, all the things popping up, and all the people that are virtually your friends. The video suggests moving to the real world once again, and I think there is a need for this. Hooray for facebook, its a great tool. But some people never log off. Sometimes, there are better things you can do with your life. 

Like prepare for the next Nathan's Famous July Fourth International Hot Dog Eating Contest!

"There's no crying in baseball!"

So what is it with crying in athletics? I'm an athlete, I know how emotions rise real high in competition. I understand losing and shedding a tear as you come up just a bit short especially at the olympics. 4 years of training to just come up a few points short? I even understand crying when you win a big game or event. The overwhelming power of emotions that overcome you. The realization that all the hard work and all those people involved have paid off and you have reached the pinnacle. But What is this Danish Girl's problem? Get a tissue honey, and step off the ice.


So the fans try to mess you up a little on their turf, while your competing against their countrymen? What did you expect? a standing O when you do well? I don't care if it is curling or golf or football, at this level, you should be able to deal with some crowd noise. There should be a level of concentration where you can tune them out or at least focus primarily on your next move rather than worrying about the mean old fat man said from the 12th row.

Ok, he might be a little distracting. But this is an Eagles fan, not a Canadian curling fanatic. Call me crazy, but Miss Danish Lady, you are at the Olympics. Be happy you made it. Be happy you have that ability. And have the composure not to let a couple knuckleheads get you so worked up that you miss two potential game winners. You had two opportunities, don't blame the fans for you not being mentally prepared. GO CANADA:

--A Canadian bloke is walking down the street with a case of beer under his arm.
His friend Randy stops him and asks, "Hey Dave! Whatcha got that case of beer for?"
"Well, I got it for my wife, you see?" answers Dave.
"Wow," exclaims Randy, "Great trade."--

Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin is an interesting woman. I have not seen the movie, so I am not all too familiar with her life other than what was said in the presentation and from the murmurs I overheard while there. I think there were two main points I really took away at a personal level from her presentation:

1. I learned a little about myself. Now I'm not saying there is anything life altering in this, but she spoke a lot of visual learning, seeing pictures and watching movies in your head. That is how I am. That's how my brain works. So a lot of what she said, I could relate to. Some of the things she suggested, I can use to train my brain as well.

2. Problem solving with the application towards learning. When she was answering questions, there were a couple about how to get disabled children to learn, and she simply said have them learn in relation to their interests. I figured, just because they are mentally handicapped, we are not that much different? So if I need to learn something, why not relate it to basketball? I think she had a point. And i think that if done correctly, with practice, it will only be beneficial.

BUZZBUZZBUZZ

So Google launches this new program- Buzz. Interesting. These social networking tools always seem to start off wonderful. There was Xanga, until that became the middle school place for generating fights and posting awful stories and wanna-be forms of expression. That was followed by Myspace, which blew up until it became a place where boredom became an overflowing amount of questionnaires and too much glitter on each page. Currently, there is Facebook. A network that used to be solely for college students, needing an ID and everything to get access, it is now open to anyone with access to the internet. Now with the increasing popularity of groups and fan pages, feeds become cluttered. Facebook, although it gains members daily- seems to be losing its popularity from its customers, if you will. All these networks have their eventual downfalls because they serve to such great masses. This new idea, Google Buzz, with the technology involved, according to Google, is going to be a huge success. The way I see it, after reading an article on how it works a little, it will soon become commercialized and quickly become a thing of the past. With such technology that it can determine that since you were at the bar last night, it will wake you with articles on curing hangovers, as great as that sounds, I feel there will be corruption. Advertisements will take over. Companies will pay to be that website you wake up to. They will give money to flood your inbox with offers and reasons to eat at their restaurant, shop at their store, or buy their product. Good luck, Google. i will not be signing up.

There can only be one Buzz in my life.

IOC- What's going on?

This Georgian olympic luger flew down the track a little to fast. I'm sure you have heard the story- RIP. However, where should the blame be pointed? I think there are two different viewpoints. Obviously this is a somewhat sensitive subject, but I am curious. I will not find an answer because I do not have the means. But is this murder or suicide? The constant concern around the International Olympic Committee is that they desire for the world's best athletes to test their limits. How big can they go? Can they fly higher? go faster? But at what cost? Obviously the risk is higher. It is like going from a rural road onto a highway. From 45 MPH to 80. For these Lugers, they can reach 100 MPH. There is very little that can be considered safe at 100 MPH. But the IOC, the professionals, the supreme court of the Olympics, deemed this track to be safe. So could it be the fault of this olympian? The man was new to the games, he was inexperienced. He was not favored to win anything.  He had spoke on the phone with his parents a few days before. He spoke of the track and openly admitted that it was scary. He was quoted as saying that one of the last turns 'terrified' him. That turn, in the end, was fatal. So, you be the judge, blame the IOC and their high standards of competition and strive to push the limits? Or an overly ambitious kid with no intent to slow down for safety?

Still Sunday-

Ok so there's a little more about the big game.
Everyone knows about all the problems athletes and sports organizations and leagues have with social networking sties like facebook or twitter. When players take a personal time out at halftime to 'Tweet' their fans to let them know what's going on, leagues usually frown on these programs/websites. These networks usually do more harm than good for professional and college athletes. Collegiate level players are often suspended and professionals get heavily fined. However much the NFL is usually against Twitter, for todays' big game, they will be running a program with the social networking giant during the competition. By following the superbowl and using #SB44 your tweets or Flickr photos may show up on the official Superbowl website or on CBS during the game. Good luck to Chad Ochocino at getting a little more free publicity...

Super Sunday

Who is excited? This guy right here. Super Bowl Sunday is here. Hooray football. A day filled with pizza, wings, the final hours of pre-game analysis, and sappy chick flicks on every channel but CBS. It is pretty obvious what has the internet buzzing today, as well as what will be blowing up the good ol' World Wide Web this whole week- The commercials! Now I am actually one to watch the game for the game, and the commercials are just a little something extra. But for the other 90% that watch the game, call more timeouts! They need to see more beer ads and clever chip commercials and reminders of pizza deals. Who will be this years hit? I personally enjoyed last season's Career Builder spot:




The most interactive brand is Doritos. They will be airing another amateur ad, like they did last year, which was a huge success. They let the fans create an advertisement and then they show the one they feel is best during the Big Game.
Although there isn't 2 weeks of full out analysis and suspense for the commercials like the game, they do have sneak peaks and news the days prior to the showing. The big story is that Pepsi will not be airing a commercial this year for the first time in 23 years.
Enjoy the game!

Laptops

Now giving laptops to underprivileged kids is a wonderful idea. Hooray for learning right? However, I think there are better things this country can do. First off, if laptops is what we are set on giving away, how about we send those to kids in the US that struggle because they live in a poor school district? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for helping out the world, but I think its kind of like airline safety:

Always save yourself so you have the strength and resources to save others. In events such as the tragedy that happened in Haiti, we have to help out. But when its other countries facing the same problems we face- I think we need to look out for Number 1 first. There is a whole other world that many americans are ignorant to in regards to poverty and the standard of living. How about sending some laptops to the kids in public school systems that will probably end up being janitors for a company that sells laptops.

YEAH MAN! GO TEAM!

I guess I just don't understand...

So a company as big and as rich as Apple comes out with a supposedly ground breaking product in the iPad. Now, I'm no expert, but I feel like they are going about it all wrong. Touch screens are becoming huge. The iPhone is huge. Mac laptops are growing. Now when I use these words: huge and growing, I am speaking in terms of popularity- in fact, in size, these things are getting smaller. So why would Apple present this new product in comparison to the iPhone that is pocket size? Who would want a notebook sized iPhone that can't make calls or take pictures? This makes no sense to me. When I first saw it, I figured it looked like a laptop, minus the keyboard. But with a touch screen, a keyboard can be located directly on the screen. I liked that idea. However, the idea of it being an iPhone on steroids doesn't really get me all excited. And to make things worse, Apple is now having all sorts of legal issues behind the name "iPad". A Japanese phone has used the name since 2002... and also named the iPad, is a canadian lingerie company's product:

Why didn't Apple look into this?

Let's take this a little further- survey says: This is a dumb product.

Pope knows best

Pope Benedict XV is acknowledging the growing power of mass communications. He has become more open on the internet and other sources of widespread communication throughout the past years and urges other priests to do the same. this is wise in my eyes. I think that what's a better way to reach a lot of people easily, cheaply, and effectively? Putting a bible in their hotel room dresser? Nobody even looks at those. I think the Church is coming of age and becoming more modern. I think that's going to help the Church make progress. In my church back home, we utilize technology more than any other in the area. You can catch the sermons online. You can tithe online, automatically if you wish by the week or by the month. With a growing population, perhaps by the popularity of the online community, the single campus has grown into 5 locations, but staying connected with only a few pastors, they take turns visiting each campus and showing live video feeds on a huge screen to the others. It's like watching TV on a big screen. The use of technology and things such as Facebook and blogs by churches will greatly increase their popularity and community. It will help their followers become involved and know what is going on within the church. You go, Pope Benedict XV!

Greatest tool on the Internet

Obviously, one of the first things my roommate and I did when we moved in was hook up the TV. We were very disappointed to find that the TV my roommate brought in, although of decent size, is quite old and has problems with the cable hookup- which of course is what this school uses in the dorms. We started with only ABC Family and the Golf Channel. Hooray for watching old guys in funny pants and a whole lot of Full House. However, after some time and readjustments we were able to get a few more channels. We now can freely watch 2-24. Problem is, the only channel that shows us anything but golf, is channel 2, which is CBS, not exactly a true sports network. But through the beauty of the Internet, we are saved. Being a College Basketball enthusiast, I like to watch any and all games. So when I discovered sites such as ESPN360, Justin TV, and atdhe,I became hooked pretty quickly. I've found that as I return to my room from wherever I may have been, the first thing I do is head to these websites and find a game to watch. All for free. All in pretty good quality. Live streaming straight to my laptop. It may even be better than watching the TV in our situation, as my roommate and I support very different teams and follow different sports with different levels of enthusiasm. We can both watch whatever we want. I am completely addicted. When tournament time comes in March, all the games are able to be viewed online through the CBS or NCAA website... I dare you to try to get me away from my computer. 

Internet

It is pretty funny how things can change. Some things take millions of years for transformation, others, not as long.  Technology is advancing at such a ridiculous rate that its nearly unfathomable. In the time it took me to make sure I was using the word 'unfathomable' in the right context and spelling it correctly, there has been another huge advancement in technological progress. Its hard to think that only 40 years ago, the first bit of data was sent by computers, and in doing so, crashed and failed to send the full message. Those poor scientists...  and now, in not even half an average lifetime later, we can sit on the other side of the world, post a blog and instantly have access to it anywhere, full of links, articles, videos, and pictures. the world's information is at the fingertips of anyone with internet access. Is there anything in this world that has evolved that much in such a short amount of time? Computers that took up an entire room or floor of a building are unthinkable. I type this on a computer that is about the size of a folder, smaller than the average textbook. It goes past computers, cell phones can get internet access and you can talk on the phone and then check facebook, because we all know how important it is to change your status as your status actually changes every 3 minutes...

TXT Haiti to 90999

There is a new way of contributing to the reconstruction of areas hit by natural disasters. With the recent earthquake that devastated Haiti not long ago, the Red Cross has implemented a program in which people can quickly and easily provide help from anywhere at anytime. It is within human nature to help others when they need, if it is within capabilities and limits. The problem for Americans is that the event happened in Haiti, which is anywhere from 600 miles to 3500 miles from the continental United States. This makes for a difficult time commitment- making volunteer work almost impossible for the average American resident. The most connected we can feel is to try to promote awareness and give means that can be used to reconstruct the nation. Within the past years, the popularity of text messaging has skyrocketed. the American Red Cross is raking in the benefits of this with their program. With a simple text to 90999 with the word "Haiti", the individual contributes ten dollars to the relief fund for the disaster victims and contributes to all things needing financial support in Haiti. Americans have been generously donating money, sometimes hitting nearly $100,000 an hour, through these text messages. There is another number you can text to donate five dollars instead of ten. I think this is a great use of technology for Americans. There is no need to get up, no need to reschedule events, no need to document your spending, it simply shows up on your next phone bill. I find this as an intelligent way of incorporating ways that Americans communicate and fund raising in a simple and fun way.

My First Post

My first post.