New Decade – New Way of Life

It is time to say goodbye to first decade of twenty-first century and welcome a new decade that looks like bringing a drastic change in how we live a life or spend our time. You may be surprised, by the word drastic instead of big or huge, used in the statement. In the first decade of twenty-first century we witness two big things that jolt our beliefs. On one hand we witness terrorism that is encroaching our way of living by spreading fear and on the other hand digital revolution expands our circle beyond the boundaries of culture and country.

In first decade of this century, we saw the demise of telegram; encouraged the snail mail to become an obsolete; and challenge newspapers to fight for their life. In this new decade we are going to see that we are living more in virtual world and not in real world. If anyone has doubt, please remember that it is already initiated  in this bygone decade. Marriage of Otaku and “Nene Anegasaki” is still young.

Now we accept it or challenge it but virtual communities will be the reality at the end of the welcome decade. We are going to see less physical interaction and more virtual interaction by and through electronic media. However, there is a sliver lining in it for environment lobby. Virtual world may translate into less bio fuel consumption by way of reducing number of vehicles on the road.

People, who either challenge this transition or not able to accept this change, will be ready to be a part of new community that will replace the caveman. It is not far away when GEICO may advertise like “so easy a real world person can do it”.

[Via http://umeshbajaj.wordpress.com]

Putting up the pieces together

Last night, I invited 2 of my friends to have dinner at my house cos I cooked Caldereta, a sumptuous beef recipe with thick sauce made from tomatoes and some carrots and potatoes. I bought some fried chicken as well to combine with this dish. After dinner, on a regular hang-out session, either we watch some DVD movie, eat some more, have a bit of drinking session or rent a computer altogether and play endless Facebook Apps.

Last night was different. Since I bought some puzzles in a local fair near my place, I encouraged them to help me build the puzzle pieces together. The picture is that of various Coke bottles and cans which I’ve posted here. Finally, after 3 hours of struggling to make all ends meet, we are able to create a masterpiece!

Life is like puzzle pieces. Sometimes, it is difficult to find the right match. You keep on searching where you will fit in. Be it about job, friendship, relationship or even personal satisfaction. At the end, we can find where we belong.

However, building a life is not as easy as making the puzzle. Sometimes, no matter how hard we tried to fit in, we really cannot push ourselves to be in that group, place  or situation.

On a positive note, as we are looking forward to a new year in a few hours time, let us put the broken pieces together again. What we can repair let us try to fix for once. Let us leave all the bad memories of the year that past be left behind.

Personally, I’ve had a lot of ups and down this 2009. I’ve gained some and along the way, I lost some as well. I’m wishing I can look forward to a better year ahead.

May all of us have a blessed and bountiful New Year! Be safe while we celebrate the coming year.

God bless us all!

[Via http://kikomatching.wordpress.com]

2009 – The Year in Status, Part II: Welcome to Buffalo

If nothing else, 2009 was the year of the zinger. A popular place to toss off snappy, witty one-liners is the Facebook Status Update. Over the next few posts, we’ll present to you the very best. Feel free to add your own below …

March 1 is tomorrow. Also known as Buffalonian New Year.

Almost everyone I find intelligent are people who don’t live here.

I just heard the Great Lakes referred to as the “Redneck Riviera.” It’s funny because it’s true.

I am going down to the First Ward to guzzle Guinness and punch a stranger in the jaw. It’s the Irish thing to do.

Memo to Cheektowaga drivers: Rotaries are put in place to AVOID a bottlenecked four-way stop. Those are yield signs.

It always amazes me that panhandlers choose a place like mid-Elmwood to scrounge for spare change. Dude … there’s thousands of spoiled college kids by Buff State, South Campus or on Chippewa. Location, location, location.

Trying to find enduring love at a bar in Buffalo on Saturday night is like trying to find a Lexus at a Ford dealership.

Buffalo: Urban Blight Done Right!!!

[Via http://endlessparade.com]

2009 - The Year in Status, Part I: People, Places and Things

If nothing else, 2009 was the year of the zinger. A popular place to toss off snappy, witty one-liners is the Facebook Status Update. Over the next few posts, we’ll present to you the very best. Feel free to add your own below …

Because a world where we can’t poke fun at paranoia and food poisoning is not a world I plan to create for my children.

Overheard: “I wonder if she sucks dick like she eats carrots.” Classic.

I think Wal-Mart, Target and Ikea are to retail what Journey, REO Speedwagon and Kansas were to rock. Discuss.

Listening to my guilty pleasure band …. Huey Lewis and the News. They’re the Pringles of rock-and-roll.

Arizona Jeans. Come for the stonewash … stay for the paralyzing fit.

My mailman talks to my cat when she’s in the window. Maybe he wouldn’t if he knew she was a diabolical alien mastermind with a penchant for clawing humans into 700 pieces. *HISS*

You know who I want to meet? Another Western New Yorker who prefers Dunkin Donuts to Tim Horton’s. My blood type’s Boston Creme.

Do you think Bill O’Reilly staggers home at night, pops on his DVR of Glenn Beck and says to himself, “Man, that sicko is a totally unhinged douchebag!”?

Delaware: The Wyoming of the Eastern Seaboard.

The Chinese will often say to me, “Your Chinese food here isn’t real Chinese food.” Listen … it’s delicious! Why don’t you just lie and take credit for it? Why must you destroy my gastronomical fantasy of a Szechuan Wok lining the streets of every city from Shanghai to Beijing?

Chinese restaurants could build a skyscraper made from prime rib and it’d still be ready in less than 10 minutes. How they’re not involved in our space program yet is a shocking mystery.

Seriously, when did the names of beer become more complex than metal band names? I swear I just drank something called Blueberry Deathbox Black Light Chernobyl Ale.

I wonder how call girls prepare their resumes to apply for openings at high-class escort services … “Relevant Work Experience: Wall Street (2002-2006), Blow jobs for day traders in exchange for stock tips.” or “Awards and Accolades: ‘Best I ever had.’ Eliot Spitzer, 2007.” Puzzling.

Cracked Rear View is the Breyer’s Vanilla of rock-and-roll. Bland as hell but ever so delicious.

Adoring cat needs home. New owner must be tolerant of: abandonment issues, language barrier, unprovoked domestic abuse, agoraphobia, spiral notebook fetish, hunger for human flesh.

MS Access: for when Spreadsheets just aren’t OCD enough.

It’s official, folks. Chicago: Paradise for people who love New York but hate New Yorkers.

Magic Hat Roxy Rolles is back in stores. I haven’t been this excited for winter since I was 14 and had backstage tickets to the Rockettes Holiday Spectacular.

Westchester County Winter Bingo: Black North Face fleece, Uggz, Black High-end model SUV, Venti nonfat Peppermint Latte, fake tan.

I’ll tell you, for my money, there’s no finer candy bar than the Twix. Just when you’re mourning the fact that you finished the savory chocolate, caramel and nougat … look in the wrapper! There’s always another one waiting in the wings for you.

Just got around to watching it (online!) but ‘Jersey Shore’ is inarguably the Sargeant Pepper of Reality Television.

All Time Low might be the most nauseating band of the decade.

jersey shore marathon. haven’t seen that many dysfunctional guidos since … wait … I’m in Da U. it’s been 20 minutes.

[Via http://endlessparade.com]

Why I Write About Sarah Palin’s Facebook Posts

Dave Weigel wrote a somewhat irrelevant post on December 23 stating why he does not write about Sarah Palin’s Facebook posts, so I thought I would just give him something to think about.

The phrase Sarah Palin used to define the mandatory end-of-life counseling services was “death panel.”  She used this phrase not only in this instance but also to indicate the panel that was called a committee who would determine what health care was available under certain circumstances.  I agree completely with her description and with her choice of words to describe the exact meaning underlying the phrases used in writing the health care bill under discussion at that time.

I also think the words “death panel” would fit in well with the Harry Reid Socialistic Health Care for a Socialistic America plan.  It concerns abortions.  Are you aware that States can “opt-out” of abortion coverage?  If an “opt-out” clause is required, it must mean that there is authorization allowing and/or supporting abortion.  In other words, I would describe a group of people known as a planned parenthood society as a death panel on an unborn life.  So, not only was the phrase right the first time, it is right in this instance as well.

As Mrs. Palin writes on her Facebook post of December 22, 2009, “Americans don’t want this bill. Americans don’t like this bill. Washington has stopped listening to us. But we’re paying attention, and 2010 is coming.”

Weigel states that “Palin has put the political press in a submissive position, one in which the only information it prints about her comes from prepared statements or from Q&As with friendly interviewers.”  Why is that, I wonder?

Could it be that Governor Palin was tired of her words not being listened to by the lamestream media?  Could it be that she was misquoted and misinterpreted so many times she found it necessary to correct the problems herself since the media did not show any sign of trying to correct their ignorance?  How can it possibly be correct to state that she is allowed to shape the public debate without actually engaging in it?

When people in the lamestream media start asking the same questions of liberals that they have asked of Sarah Palin, when they criticize any other politician the same way they have criticized her, when they quote her as correctly and explicitly as they quote liberal America haters, then I suspect the media including Mr. Weigel will find themselves able to engage her directly instead of having to rely on her Facebook posts.

Mr. Weigel cites an imagined feud Governor Palin has with former vice president and air polluter extraordinaire, Al Gore.  Had either Mr. Gore or Mr. Weigel read the post that Sarah Palin made on her Facebook page, they would have noticed that she never denied the global warming issue.  All she said was that there is a happy medium between being conservationally concerned and at the same time respecting the land and the right of citizens to use the land for full benefit.

Scare tactics work on many American people who either don’t have access or don’t have the desire to do their own investigating into an issue as complicated as global warming.  I personally have come to the conclusion that the entire global warming issue is made up using the solid scientific fact that the earth is moving continuously and steadily closer to the sun.  Being a planet of unimaginable heat, it seems very natural to me that the sun’s heat would be more intensely heating our earth.  There may indeed be other truths included in arguments to the contrary, but this one truth remains a constant.

I am well aware that my viewpoint does not agree entirely with Sarah Palin’s viewpoint, and I think that is as it should be.  If we all held the same viewpoint without any differences in opinion we would be no better than the liberals who continually attack her.

If Mr. Weigel’s reference to “the media’s indulgence of Palin’s strategy” means that she writes then the media writes, I think he may be very correct.  As for his suggestion that it cannot be proven that she does indeed do her own writing on her Facebook posts, I would merely suggest that he put the number of his readership alongside hers and compare the two.  I believe he might be rather surprised at what he would learn.

That brings me to my final point.  So many of us read every word Sarah Palin writes on Facebook or in her book, “Going Rogue: An American Life”, because we know we can believe what she says.  We respect the fact that she is knowledgeable in the topics she addresses.  She cites references that we can read ourselves to see that she used them correctly and quoted them correctly.  That is something the lamestream media, another of Governor Palin’s coined phrases, could take lessons doing themselves.

It keeps her from being misquoted when she does that.  I like that idea.

[Via http://marieacole.wordpress.com]

Bumble Reviews A Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

Sometimes ideas for blog posts just come to Bumble, others are thrust upon him.

As per custom, Bumble attended Christmas Eve service with the in-laws. This was year 10 of Bumble attending a Methodist church on Christmas Eve. No, the church does not fall down! Death to you! Ahem… anyway, Bumble digresses.

The annual service at this particular church culminates with the congregation lighting candles and singing Silent Night. It is moving and sounds almost ethereal. That of course is the highlight and finale of the evening. Prior to that, there is an hour and a half of singing, readings, the sermon, collection, and finally communion. No, Bumble does not partake of the Sacrament, but Methodist communion is open to everyone. In theory they are open to giving communion to angry Persian Islamic cats. Bumble still opted not to put theory into practice. Maybe next year.

Bumble is a veteran Christmas Christian now, with a decade attending service at the same church. With that experience comes a natural tendency to compare this year’s service to the previous years’.  There was one highlight this year for Bumble, which was probably a low point for everyone else, but that didn’t come until halfway through the night.

Bumble’s first impression was set when the pastor made his appearance. He was wearing a wireless microphone headset similar to something Justin Timberlake might wear to perform! Bumble honestly thought that was a good sign. I mean, this is the BIG show for the church. Christmas is money time, and Christmas Eve is the Wrestlemania and SuperBowl of Christianity. In short, it doesn’t get any bigger than this! That’s right, Bumble called Christmas Eve the Wreslemania of Christianity!

Ok, maybe not THAT halftime show...

Time to bring the A game, convert some Christmas Christians to weekly attendees and set the foundation for next year’s bake sales. Granted this was a small church that seated about 400 people. Bumble didn’t expect fireworks, celebrity appearances and guest singers. Still, somewhere in Bumble’s egg nog soaked noggin a spark of hope ignited. Maybe this year would be the spectacle worthy of the church’s equivalent of a Super Bowl halftime show!

The service began with a prayer and then right into the initial hymn. Just a side note, Methodists sing every verse for better or worse. Sadly that last sentence had more rhythm than the congregation. The choir was fine, but the “flock” literally sounded like bleating sheep. Even with the hymnals it seemed nobody knew the words. Bumble kept looking around for Simon Cowell, but tragically the beat went on. It may have helped if the chosen hymns were a little less obscure. Bumble is just sending that out there for next year. Star Child? Really?

Pie-tie? Pity? ummm

After that debacle a teenager wearing ripped jeans and doing his best to look like Edward Cullen did a reading from Luke. Apparently he went to the George W. Bush School of public speaking, because this was painful. He mispronounced piety. Again, this is the SUPERBOWL for you guys right? Maybe someone should have practiced a bit with the kid? Bumble is sure he was nervous, but it truly seemed like there wasn’t even a rehearsal ahead of time. Maybe (hopefully) he was filling in admirably for someone at the last minute. Bumble remains skeptical and judgmental.

Finally, on to the homily. That’s when the Pastor gets his fifteen minutes of fame to pontificate on the season. A good oratory here would at least breath some life into the congregation. In all fairness, Bumble actually enjoyed it. This would be Bumble’s high point, and again the low point for everyone else.

In a rather unconventional start, the pastor used FaceBook as a point of departure. No, really! Bumble wouldn’t go as far as to say FaceBook is bigger than Jesus, but the pastor did suggest Jesus is on FaceBook. The pastor began by explaining FaceBook to the congregation. He briefly described how you can accept or ignore someone with the click of a button. Bumble has to give him credit for trying, but he seemed to lose at least half of the audience. The average age had to be 50.

Then in what can only be described as “a stretch”, he explained accepting Jesus in your life through the context of FaceBook. Bumble really can’t add much to this. Instead we’ll end with Bumble passing along this new chestnut from Christmas Eve, along with the image that formed in Bumble’s head when he heard it. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Pastor: “This holiday season if you get a chance to friend Jesus, don’t click ignore.”

ooof, this is awkward... he'll probably know if I ignore him... but we were never that close in high school...

[Via http://infidelnation.com]

5 Predictions for Music in 2010

Mashable provides 5 predictions for the music industry in 2010. From the article:

” And of course, there’s Facebook (). The biggest country in the world (or soon to be), Facebook and music have always been awkward bedfellows. If Zuckerberg and Co. can figure a way to integrate music with the Facebook platform, the existing user base would guarantee a big chunk of the market overnight.”

[Via http://socialnetworkmusic.wordpress.com]

To the writer, a modest proposal.

“[ It ] is a sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own, which is the chief reason for that kind of reception it meets in the world, and that so very few are offended with it,” goes Jonathon Swift’s famous definition of satire and indeed spoken like a true Sagittarius.

But is there not a fundamental issue neglected if – be it polemic or poem, history or novel – the writer has connected the reader with the world and not himself? I mean, one can be imperialist England and connect with the world, ancient Greece and ancient Rome, the Conquistadors of Spain!- but if satire is, what Defoe describes as “reformation” or what Johnson describes as the “censure” of “wickedness and folly,” then what is reformed or (in Dryden’s case) ‘amended’ if left on paper once out of a readers hands?

Of course, in his definition of satire, Swift is emphasizing the trouble ‘human nature’ brings to a story in the form of its reader, which keeps the satire so entertaining. Kudos, Swift, for your insight into the ‘human condition.’

But again, that condition. Human nature and its condition.

Among ‘thinking’ writers there is a condition that the writer must only ask questions and never give answers. So, we may hack and re-hash those eternal questions driving the world to its grave (the worst of which is perhaps, ‘What does it mean to be human?’) for all eternity. But  what good is a question alone?

There is another element of society that is so conditioned to asking questions. They are called children. Not to diminish the imagination and wisdom of a child at all. Children often fail solely by the answers they bring, and this has more to do with the dynamic of an adult bestowing upon a child then any child’s fault. I tend to believe that children, given the most questions, are inclined to the best answers. Children, in fact, prefer answers to adults (grown children), who prefer the excuse of a question to the obligation that comes with an answer. The question, for an adult, becomes more entertaining, and given the charge of a failing mind and world, this entertainment may further delay the responsibility to answer – And the poor child is always pinned, condemned solely to her and his questions when discovering an answer an adult does not like, an answer that reveals his or her face in the mirror among everybody else.

Maybe writers got too proud with wanting answers, and so, the learned and anxious critic of the adult mind is now excusing writers to their questions alone, but I encourage writers never to neglect their inner child. A writer’s mind, after all, is a terrible thing to waste in a fictitious society.

Remember that children ask in trust, and that a child is never compelled out of trust by the question but by everybody else. So, let us bless the child’s mind and trust the question, because the reason for having children is the same for writing stories, to teach us all we have forgotten and to aid us in discovering what we alone could never know. Because, in children and in stories, will all searching questions become rhetorical. – N

[Via http://goesburningbooks.wordpress.com]

Sejarah Facebook

Facebook adalah website jaringan sosial dimana para pengguna dapat bergabung dalam komunitas seperti kota, kerja, sekolah, dan daerah untuk melakukan koneksi dan berinteraksi dengan orang lain. Orang juga dapat menambahkan teman-teman mereka, mengirim pesan, dan memperbarui profil pribadi agar orang lain dapat melihat tentang dirinya.

Facebook didirikan oleh Mark Zuckerberg, seorang lulusan Harvard dan mantan murid Ardsley High School diluncurankan pertama kali pada 4 februari dan awalnya hanya untuk siswa Harvard College. Dalam dua bulan selanjutnya, keanggotaannya diperluas ke sekolah lain di wilayah Boston (Boston College, Boston University, MIT, Tufts), Rochester, Stanford, NYU, Northwestern, dan semua sekolah yang termasuk dalam Ivy League.

Banyak perguruan tinggi lain yang selanjutnya ditambahkan berturut-turut dalam kurun waktu satu tahun setelah peluncurannya. Akhirnya, orang-orang yang memiliki alamat email universitas (seperti .edu, .ac.uk, dll) dari seluruh dunia dapat juga bergabung dengan situs ini.

Selanjutnya Facebook dikembangkan pula jaringan untuk sekolah-sekolah tingkat atas dan beberapa perusahaan besar. Sejak 11 September 2006, orang dengan dengan alamat email apa pun dapat mendaftar di Facebook. Pengguna dapat memilih untuk bergabung dengan satu atau lebih jaringan yang tersedia, seperti berdasarkan sekolah tingkat atas, tempat kerja, atau wilayah geografis.

Facebook menemui masalah dalam beberapa tahun terakhir seperti pemblokiran pada negara Suriah, Iran dan beberapa tempat kerja agar para pekerja tidak menyalahgunakan waktu kerjanya untuk membuka Facebook. Dan masalah tentang tuduhan bahwa Zuckerber mencuri kode program dari teman-temanya untuk membuat Facebook.

Facebook juga pernah ditawar oleh yahoo senilai $ 1 miliar dan kemudian oleh seorang anggota dewan Facebook, menunjukkan bahwa Facebook internal valuation adalah sekitar $ 8 miliar berdasarkan proyeksi pendapatan sebesar $ 1 miliar pada tahun 2015.

Peringkat Facebook saat saya tulis artikel ini menempati urutan ke 6 situs yang paling banyak di akses di indonesia dan urutan ke 5 untuk seluruh dunia.

*Kantor Facebook

Berikut data mengenai facebook:

Founded : Cambridge, Massachusetts(February 4, 2004)

Headquarters : Palo Alto, CaliforniaDublin, Ireland (international headquarters for Europe, Africa, Middle East)

Key people : Mark Zuckerberg (Founder and CEO), Dustin Moskovitz (Co-founder), Sheryl Sandberg (COO), Matt Cohler (VP of Product Management), ChrisHughes (Co-founder)

Revenue : 300 million USD (2008 est.)

Net income : 47.4 million USD (2007 est.)

Employees : 700 (November 2008)

Website : facebook.com

Type of site : Social network service

Advertising : Banner ads, Referral marketing

Registration : Required

Available in : Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (Hong Kong), Chinese (Taiwan), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (American),English (British), English (Pirate), Filipino, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, (bokmål), Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese (European), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovene, Spanish (Castilian), Swedish, Thai, Turkish,Vietnamese, Welsh

[Via http://rezaghautz.wordpress.com]

The Facebook Stalking

I am proud to say that I was one of the firsts to join the HBS Class of 2012 Facebook group, and I immediately began stalking my soon-to-be classmates.  I’ve always known how HBS seeks to diversify their classes tremendously, but from the first 50 members, I’ve already encountered people from Pakistan, China, Ireland, Columbia, and other countries across the globe.  After about 65 members joined, I began noticing ages ranging from 21 (the fresh-out-of-college newbies) to 28.  There was a married guy (I’m sure there will be more), people with medical, engineering, law, and hospitality (me!) degrees, and the prerequisite bankers and consultants galore.

Something worth mentioning: during my business school research, I noticed that HBS seems to admit more “military/army” people than other b-schools.  As of today, the FB group has 122 members, and from my cursory count, I’ve already seen 6, which is just under 5% of those of us in the FB group.  Not trying to draw any sort of deductions or calculate with any misleading/arbitrary statistics, but my theory is already proven.  Since I don’t know any military/army guys, this will be an awesome chance to learn from them and to understand their style of leadership.

Already, I am loving the way the class is shaping up, and I absolutely cannot wait to start meeting people.  As a matter of fact, on the Discussion Boards on the HBS Prematriculation website (I’ll update you all on what that’s about on a later post), a discussion has started about organizing a get-together for all NYC-area admits in January. Really looking forward to it.

Well, it’s late, and I’m signing off.  Be back soon.  Happy Holidays to all.

[Via http://hbsdork.wordpress.com]

Whose Responsibility Is Privacy?

The one thing that Facebook has consistently pissed users off about over the years is Privacy. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a 29-page complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), claiming that Facebook mislead its users with the recent updates to privacy. The complaint pretty much says that the changes are confusing to users so instead of keeping their information safe users end up losing jobs, being embarrassed etc…  While the social media giant has made some tremendous screw ups in the past in the realm of privacy, I think it’s about time we cut Facebook some slack (just a little though…)

I read through the complaint which pretty much goes over the history of Facebook’s Privacy changes pretty accurately (albeit with a pretty heavy bias). I encourage you to read it on your own. I’m going to skip going over all of that and skip right down to the basis on which EPIC is filing this complaint (towards the bottom of page 23):

98. Facebook is engaging in unfair and deceptive acts and practices. Such practices are prohibited by the FTC Act, and the Commission is empowered to enforce the Act’s prohibitions. These powers are described in FTC Policy Statements on Deception and Unfairness.

99. A trade practice is unfair if it “causes or is likely to cause substantial injury to consumers which is not reasonably avoidable by consumers themselves and not outweighed by countervailing benefits to consumers or to competition.”

One of the major complaints has been that Facebook’s new privacy settings reveal too much of a user’s personal information without giving them adequate controls to effectively manage the security of their personal information.  This is one point that I have to immediately disagree with. Facebook has always given some very granular controls on who can access every piece of information that you post. In fact, it gives you the ability to set specific settings for specific friends that you have… So if you want to allow your college friends to see certain pictures, but not your boss, you can do that. The argument has been made that these settings are too confusing or too hard for users to find or modify… To that I say: No, not really… And if they are then too bad.

Alright, that may have been a little bit harsh, but hear me out. I’ve been using Facebook for a good four years, and one of the first things I did when I started was modified my privacy settings so that I was pretty much invisible. My friends hated it because they couldn’t find me easily, and if they some how could they couldn’t even add me as a friend let alone see any of my information. This also meant that no one I didn’t want to find me or see my information could either. So, to be perfectly honest, when this recent migration occurred, I was fine. The system prompted me to “share my information with everyone” or keep my old settings. I kept my old settings and I was fine.

What I’m getting at is if users are going to get on the internet and share their information with websites such as Facebook, they should understand how to control such tools. Facebook is a company. Companies exist to make money. This particular company makes money by selling information (or advertising to you). While they haven’t made the best decisions in the past in regards to privacy, they’ve done a pretty good job of giving you control of who can actually access this information. So if you want to post pictures of you getting plastered on the company dollar, or engaging in illicit activities, then it is your job to make sure you control who has access to that information. If you decide to post on a friend’s wall about some illicit activity that you engaged in, and they don’t have their information blocked, then you’re the one that’s really at fault… not Facebook.

I really do not see this complaint going to far because the amount of benefit this site provides (as many users will attest) outweighs the injuries that its users incur due to it. Additionally, the injuries are self-inflicted. The argument comes up about the API and its access… If you have your controls set right the most that the API can obtain about you is your (Name, Profile Picture, Gender, Current City, Networks, Friend List, and Pages). Keep your profile picture clean. Other than that, the rest of the information is publicly available information. Any quick Google search could give me most of that and more “damaging” information.

The fact of the matter is, the responsibility of personal privacy resides with the user. If you have a problem with the way a site operates, then do not post your information on it. If you cannot read FAQs that are posted on a site that tell you how to protect your information, do not post it. Social Networking sites were not built for privacy. They were built for allowing users to network, and they do the best they can to help facilitate this… Okay, while trying to make money on the side, but can you really blame them. Here’s a thought. If you have such an issue with how Facebook handles privacy, stop using the site, and build your own that handles privacy in the most effective way.

I am not writing this because I firmly agree with all of Facebook’s privacy policies (or their others for that matter), nor do I work for Facebook, or support it 100%. I’m writing this because users need to start taking responsibility for the privacy of their own information on the internet. You can expect a bank not to release your current balance to public sources, or a hospital to not release your medical records, but when you post information on a social networking website that has specific terms and agreements about what can and cannot be done with the information you post, and how you control it, the responsibility lies with you.

[Via http://timt881.wordpress.com]

We Have Come Full Circle

The Post & E-Mail

by KJ Kaufman

The Battle of Charlestown (c/o The National Archives).

(Dec. 21, 2009)  —  Many of us were taught that the American fight for Independence began as a fight of no taxation without representation as the Colonists were being taxed by King George III when the Colonists had no representation in British Parliament.  Although this characterization is certainly true, the ultimate decision to declare independence was much more than that.  The colonists were developing a nation.  Today, we would think of them as modern day entrepreneurs.  At every turn they were being taxed so as to make their exports less attractive and imports exorbitantly expensive.  Their commerce was obstructed and they were sent goods of lesser quality.  American Independence truly began as a culmination of infringements of the colonists’ God given rights being usurped by a mad man in England and also by the British Parliament.  I use the term mad man, not in hyperbole, but in earnest as King George III suffered throughout his life from mental illness.

As many of you know, Tea was taxed.  In Boston, Patriots dumped tea (circa 1773) into the harbor in protest which sparked elevated tensions and resulted in the passage of the “Intolerable Acts” by the British Parliament, but there was trouble in Boston and elsewhere long before the dumping of tea.  The Revolution began as the result of numerous punitive actions against American commerce as well as taxation.  The Revolution began as the result of:

• English merchants enjoying a monopoly on raw materials and requiring importation of manufactured goods from Great Britain.

• Discriminatory trade practices where American exports were devalued and British imports were so highly valued that there was a never ending debt cycle for the American farmer and merchant.

• In 1765, seeking to alleviate their war debts, the British Parliament levied a Stamp Act tax which required all legal documents, newspapers and many other articles to have a Stamp placed upon them.  The colonists had no representation in the British Parliament and maintained responsibility for levying their own taxes that they sent to the British Crown.  This was the first tax against the colonists imposed by a government body in which they had no representation.  The Stamp Act Tax was repealed by the British Parliament just one year after it had gone into effect.

• Even though the British Parliament had repealed the Stamp Act, during the same session, they asserted their supposed right to tax the colonists.

• The colonists retaliated by general agreement to not purchase English goods that had taxes attached.

• In Boston, the colonists were unruly, and the King sent British troops to occupy the city.  By 1760, the occupation had so added to the tensions that a snowball fight between young boys in Boston against British soldiers culminated in the “Boston Massacre” where gathering Bostonians were gunned down by British soldiers.  Five Americans were killed while many others were wounded.

• Tensions remained in Boston for the next three years.  Even though the British Parliament repealed the Townshend Act which was the tax on tea, the British Parliament in response to the dumping of tea in the Boston harbor, passed the “Intolerable Acts” with its most restrictive measure being the closure of the port of Boston resulting in Massachusetts being under what can only be described as British martial law.

• By May of 1774 a grassroots movement began in the colonies against tyrannical rule.  Many meetings throughout the colonies sprung up to reassert individual rights.

• In the summer of 1774, the “Fairfax Resolutions” were drawn up and stand today as one of the first influential documents regarding American political thought.  The Fairfax Resolutions reiterated the limited powers of Parliament against the colonists and highlighted the rights of free men.

• The colonists began their Congresses later that year in 1774 holding the First Continental Congress in September of 1774.[i]

I have highlighted above the many events of the 1760’s and 1770’s to show the parallels to modern day America.  The above illuminates egregious regulations of commerce, taxation and usurpation of individual rights.  In American modern times, can the last century as well as the events thus far into the new millennium be characterized in different terms other than parallel to those described above?  Is history repeating itself a mere two and a half centuries later?

The United States government under liberal and progressive plans has resulted in the promotion of the collective against the individual.  There can be nothing more un-American than to subvert the rights and liberties of the individual in advancement of the collective.  There was a time in America where we understood that to promote a Marxist ideology, an ideology that failed miserably during the 20th Century resulting in the death of tens of millions of human beings, was simply un-American.  Today, our Democratic leaders readily accept this ideology in direct contrast to our founding and in direct violation of our Constitution.  Let me share with you just a few statements from our Democratic Senators, uttered on the Senate floor in yesterday’s health care debate soliloquies.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) – Quoting Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Hofstetter, Senator Whitehouse charged:  “a political environment in which the rational pursuit of our well being and safety would become impossible…Tumbrils have rolled through taunting crowds, broken glass has sparkled in darkened streets, strange fruit has hung from southern trees…”

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) – “And that’s really what we are trying to achieve here is to create that availability of a right.  I don’t know of anyone that disagrees with the statement that health care in America ought to be a right…”

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) – “We are talking about a revolution in primary care here…Doctors, dentists, nurses and other medical professionals who agree to work in areas where there are limited medical services get help paying off their school loans.”

I led off with Senator Whitehouse’s comments because they are so offensive, they ought to be rendered moot just on their face, but unfortunately Senator Whitehouse’s attempt to use another’s words to push the deceit that if you are against health care reform with respect to this particular bill, then you are rolling fellow citizens to the guillotine or are a racist is outrageous and repulsive, utterly offensive, arrogant and self-serving.  Senator Whitehouse, in our history, it has been those with opinions such as yours, that the individual and individual rights can be subverted by his fellow man through the ways and means of government, who are first to throw the rope over the branch of the tree of tyranny.  You are a despicable excuse for a leader, and you are in direct violation of our Constitutional protections.  Consider yourself on notice.  Your tyranny will not prevail in a country of free persons.

Ascertained from the remaining quotes, it is duly noted that the Democratic Party continues to push the philosophical position and moral imperative that health care is a right.  Nothing could be further from philosophical and moral fact.  Health care is not a right as rights cannot be obtained through the subversion of another’s rights.  Health care is not a right nor is it a privilege, rather, it is a good and service for which will all strive to procure.  We all have a right to live and pursue our lives.  In that pursuit, we may choose to take care of ourselves and avail ourselves of health care.  However, nowhere contained within our rights can we require another to provide for our own care.  We can readily accept the generosity freely given by our fellow men and women, but we cannot force them to make a contribution to ourselves.

Our Declaration of Independence assured us of our inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Our Constitution provided for us a bill of rights.  Neither document grants health care as a right, and there is absolutely no government empowerment to legislate such.  There is no philosophical moral imperative to the right of health care.  There is a moral imperative to resist at every turn the encroachment on another’s rights.

The Democratic Party is simply lost.  They no longer understand the American Founding nor the ideals and guarantees of our history.  To willingly, unlawfully and without authority expand the powers of government so that they resemble a Politburo more than our own Constitutional Republic was once considered tyrannical rule in this Country.  No more, today it is simply standard operating procedure for the Democratic Party.

Our commerce has been subjected to regulation where no enumerated power can be found for such encroachment into our free market system.  Our citizenry has been taxed in ways and by means that have no Constitutional founding and are in direct violation of our rights to our own property.  Our private businesses have been usurped through government infusions of money in total contradiction to its monetary powers contained in our Constitution.  We have been subjected to legislative act after legislative act in direct violation of everything we once believed and knew to be the fact of our inheritance.

As you can see from the events quoted at the beginning of this article, there comes a time in a man’s or a woman’s heart where he or she can take no more.  It is with this understanding that we know the time draws near when the masses will rise up to reassert their God given rights.  A free people will never willingly be subjected to tyranny.  It is only a matter of time before the citizens of these United States rise up as their forefathers did and declare that they have had enough.  Whether this revolution results in violence or continues through peaceful protest and redress remains to be seen.  What is certain is that the American People have only just begun to fight.

[Via http://socialismisnottheanswer.wordpress.com]

Top Ten Space Finds of 2009: Nat Geo News's Most Viewed

There’s water, water everywhere in National Geographic News’s most popular space coverage of 2009: A probe proved there’s water on the moon, a Mars lander’s leg got all wet, fishlike life may swim a Jupiter moon’s seas, and more.

10. Star Crust Is Ten Billion Times Stronger Than Steel

Move over, Superman. The Man of Steel has nothing on the collapsed cores of massive snuffed-out stars, which constitute the strongest known material in the universe, a May study said.

9. Could Jupiter Moon Harbor Fish-Size Life?

“I’d be shocked if no life existed on Europa,” one scientist said—and provocative research described in November suggested the moon’s seas have enough oxygen for fishlike animals.

8. 32 New Planets Found Outside Our Solar System

The massive haul of new worlds brings the number of known extrasolar planets to more than 400, astronomers announced in October.

• Interactive: Known Planets in Our Solar System and Beyond.

7. Liquid Water Recently Seen on Mars?

Mars pictures taken in Summer 2008 showed strange globs on the leg of the Phoenix Mars lander that seemed to behave like liquid water, a February paper reported.

6. Most Earthlike Planet Yet Found May Have Liquid Oceans

Measurements announced in April suggested that the planet known as Gliese 581d has a lot more in common with Earth than first thought—and it has a previously unknown sister planet that is the lightest yet found.

5. Particles Larger Than Galaxies Fill the Universe?

The oldest of the subatomic particles called neutrinos might each encompass a space larger than thousands of galaxies, according to new simulations described in June.

4. First Proof of Ancient Mars Lakeshores Found

High-resolution pictures of a Martian valley revealed three-billion-year-old shorelines along what was once a body of water about the size of Lake Champlain, researchers said in June.

3. Water on the Moon Confirmed by NASA Crashes

It’s official: There’s water on the moon—and a “significant amount” of it too, members of NASA’s moon-crash mission, LCROSS, announced in November.

2. Green “Two-Tailed” Comet Buzzed Earth on One-Time Visit

When it swung through our solar system in late February, the recently discovered comet Lulin seemed to have a second tail and a green glow—and the sight will probably never again grace our nighttime skies.

1. Sun Oddly Quiet—Hints at Next “Little Ice Age”?

In May the sun was still the most sluggish it had been in decades, prompting concerns about a cooling effect on climate—but the dip in solar activity wouldn’t be likely to fight global warming, researchers cautioned.

http://digg.com/d31BwAT

[Via http://ramanan50.wordpress.com]

Family's 15 hour nightmare trapped on Eurostar-Video

More than 2,000 people spent hours trapped inside the Channel Tunnel after four Eurostar trains broke down due to cold weather.

The trains failed as they left the cold air in northern France and entered the warmer tunnel.

These passengers spent 15 hours trapped on board the train and told the BBC’s Matt Prodger they had been treated ”like animals’

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8422286.stm

[Via http://ramanan50.wordpress.com]

Expectant Dads' New Job in Delivery: The Social Media Updates

Newborn Birth Announcements Go World Wide in an Instant

Within in the last week, I’ve had the pleasure of reading two expectant fathers give the play-by-play on the birth of their babies. They did it with facebook and twitter.

First on December 12th, my friend Chris whose wife was carrying twin boys announced as his status at 8:49 a.m., “Today is the day!” (God bless, Chris’ wife, Gina. She was just a few days shy of full term with twins!!!) Friends and family began responding with cheers and congratulations. At 1:51 p.m. Chris let everyone know his twin sons were born. Pictures of the newborn babies came an hour later.

I was working with facebook opened in another tab. Every update and warm wish that went the family’s way put a huge smile on my face.

Fast forward to December 18th sometime after 5 a.m., I notice an fb status update from a writer friend, “Tim Valentine is Zion (Baby) is on his way. I’ll be back.” The message was a better pick-me-up than the iced coffee next to me. It didn’t take long before friends and loved ones answered the news with heartfelt good wishes.

Tim was a tad more prolific online during labor and delivery:

Tim Valentine is @Baptist Hospital checking in

15 hours ago via Facebook for BlackBerry

Tim Valentine is and we are off

14 hours ago via Facebook for BlackBerry

Tim Valentine is in the room. this nurse is looney and its only 7:10 in the morning

14 hours ago via Facebook for BlackBerry

Tim Valentine is this is for those who may not know. expecting 2nd child (boy) today. that’s why we’re at the hospital now. more 2 come

13 hours ago via Facebook for BlackBerry”

He actually executed a two-prong social media blitz of updates with his trusty BlackBerry. After about 4 hours of announcements and well-wishing, my smile muscles were actually in pain. (It wasn’t all Tim and family. I spent time exchanging presents with adorable 5 years olds and other elementary school students in the same time frame.)

I realized this was the second time in a week, I had witnessed in near real time a father’s pride at the birth of a baby.  Dad’s usually keep their concerns to themselves regarding childbirth. Worries about “Will I be able to protect and provide?”, “Is my wife going to be okay?”, “Is the baby alright?” and “Am I useless just sitting here waiting for the baby?” go unsaid.   So, I thought it was fantastic seeing what actually should be said, and not just said, but broadcast for the world.

[Via http://writechic.wordpress.com]

Ketika internet mempertanyakan kedewasaan

Nge-twitter – dituntut, update status di facebook – dipenjara, curhat di blog – dilarang ?!

Udah banyak kasus di Indonesia sekarang ini yang muncul gara2 jejaring sosial tsb. Sebenernya apa yg salah sih dengan situs2 tersebut?

Apa karena melalui situs2 tersebut “sebuah sistem” tak lagi bisa berjalan? Apa karena melalui situs2 tersebut sekelompok masyarakat menjadi (atau merasa) terpojok?

Prita mengungkapkan kekecewaannya terhadap RS.Omni melalui blog, langsung dituntut penjara membayar sejumlah ganti rugi. “mengungkapkan kekecewaannya” dilarang?? Sadis!! Berarti kalau dipikir secara logika kekecewaan tersebut harusnya bisa membangun / memperbaiki pelayanannya.

Luna Maya, dituntut minta maaf kepada wartawan karena mengungkapkan kemarahannya kepada infotainment melalui twitter. Lalu sekelompok media menuntut Luna Maya. Kalau gw pikir, ada masalahkah seseorang marah dan diungkapkan?

Internet yang salah atau orangnya yg norak?!

Gw alumni sekolah IT yang sedikit banyak bergaul dengan dunia internet dan komputer.  Udah banyak kejadian seperti ini terjadi di luar negeri. Namun apa bedanya dengan kita? Mereka lebih mengambil sisi positifnya. Thats it!!

Kedewasaan dari pengguna internet dan komputer, bahkan pembuat aturan di Indonesia perlu peningkatan. Tidak sekedar “latah teknologi” dan akhirnya malah menjerumuskan. UU ttg Pornografi dan UU ITE adalah 2 UU yang memerlukan Kedewasaan lebih dalam proses penyusunan dan aplikasinya.

Lihatlah sisi positifnya, berpikirlah dulu dalam mengomentari, memposting, atau menyikapi sesuatu yang terjadi di internet atau situs2 jejaring sosial. Apakah si usernya yang kelewat batas atau si-”yang dikomentari” yang malu untuk mengakui kesalahan, hingga akhirnya mencari pembenaran??

Etika ber-internet bukan perlu dibuat undang2 tapi dipahami sendiri oleh pengguna internet tersebut. Mungkin sekarang bukan waktunya lagi menunjuk salah/dosa siapa… tapi sebagai orang dewasa akan lebih bijak jika: “oia ya gw salah…”

[Via http://febrisupit.wordpress.com]

Hey facebook? Fuck you. Die facebook die.

Facebook sucks.

I see links coming into my blog from facebook, but, because I’m not a member, I can’t see any context, why they’re linking, what they’re saying , etc. They’re in their little walled garden, linking to outside sites, but not allowing outsiders in, not without registering anyway, and going through the facebook bullshit.

Well, facebook, fuck you.

If I could delte your servers from all the routing tables and amputate the lot of you from the internet, I would. Tit for tat. You don’t let the rest of the internet in, the rest of the internet your amputate your dumb ass. Fuck you.

If you’re on facebook, you should get the fuck off that trainwreck. Facebook aims to destroy the internet. Kill facebook.

[Via http://scaryreasoner.wordpress.com]

Plastics Bisphenol A (BPA) component affects intestine

A CHEMICAL used in plastic containers and drink cans has been shown to affect the functioning of the intestines, according to a landmark French study.

Researchers from the National Institute of Agronomic Research in Toulouse found the digestive tract of rats react negatively to even low doses of Bisphenol A (BPA).

Published in yesterday’s National Academy Sciences journal, their research, also conducted on human intestine cells, found the chemical lowered the permeability of the intestines and the immune system’s response to digestive inflammation.

BPA is used in the production of polycarbonated plastics and epoxy resins found in baby bottles, plastic containers, the lining of cans used for food and beverages, and in dental sealants.

More than 130 studies over the past decade have linked even low levels of BPA, which can leach from plastics, to serious health problems, breast cancer, obesity and the early onset of puberty, among other disorders.

The French study focuses on the first organ to come in contact with the substance, the intestine.

The researchers orally administered doses of BPA to the rats that were equivalent to about 10 times less than the daily amount considered safe for humans, a statement from the Toulouse institute said.

They saw that BPA reduced the permeability of the instentinal lining through which water and essential minerals enter the body, it said.

They also found that newborn rats exposed to BPA in the uterus and during feeding have a higher risk of developing severe intestinal inflammation in adulthood.

The study “shows the very high sensitivity on the intestine of Bisphenol A and opens news avenues for research” including to define new acceptable thresholds of the substance for humans, the institute said.

In May this year, the six major baby bottle makers in the United States agreed to stop using the chemical.

AFP

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/plastics-bisphenol-a-bpa-component-affects-intestine/story-e6frg8y6-1225810534673

[Via http://ramanan50.wordpress.com]

The Golden Triangle and the Future of Social Media

In the near future, social media technologies, platforms and programs will advance and thrive as a major facet of contemporary culture and communication. Technology will continue to open up more opportunities for individuals and companies to connect with others, share and collect information, initiate dialogue as well as craft online identities.  This outlook calls for a change of approach in social media services as well as a willingness to commit to such progress.

Advancing technologies are challenging developers to create social media platforms and programs that continually promote cutting-edge points of engagement.  Worldwide, social connectivity is revolutionizing the way every industry connects to its stakeholders and supporting communities.

With this in mind, fresh possibilities and developments in social media will occur inside of the “golden triangle.” The Golden Triangle offers a visual metaphor of trends and characteristics that fuses together aspects of social media applications, devices, networks and relationships, regarding mobile, social, and real-time segments. This illustrative example encourages agencies and businesses to take a more active approach towards their respective target audiences and clients.

Check out more regarding the Golden Triangle in a great article by Brian Solis.

In my opinion, the leading player of the mobile trend is the iPhone, due to its presently dominant influence and positive trajectory.  The iPhone, one of Apple’s signature and most recognizable products, crafted a reputation for its multimedia capabilities, touch-screen functions and sleek interface.  This smartphone provides the standard voice and text features of a phone while inviting users to update their Twitter and Facebook accounts, research and access breaking news as well as the download the latest up-and-coming official and third-party applications.

With its 3G and upcoming 4G networks which enable fast connection, the device parallels the role of the computer in the palm of one’s hand.  Despite lacking “Smartphone” capabilities of the official iPhone, the iTouch enables wireless Internet and digital connectivity with the similar ease of its touch screen and hand-held size.  In fact, these devices seemingly will eliminate need for the laptop computer.

In the future, Apple’s iPhone will work diligently with location-based social networks, especially with the dawn of location-based tools and platforms.  Today, users are beginning to describe their favorite local destinations on Foursquare.  However, this may be just the tip of the iceberg, as the iPhone may initiate an influx of not only mobile gaming and networking, but mobile commerce as well.

The leading player of the Golden Triangle’s social angle is Facebook.  Since its launch in 2004, Facebook has been a major contender in the realm of digital communication and social media. With over 350 million users worldwide, the social networking site is a powerhouse program that aims to increase the flow of information between people and promotes connectivity on a personal level.  The recent launch of Facebook’s chat enables instant, real-time communication messaging with users, and its surge of users has surpassed the popularity of its rival, MySpace.

With the program’s ever-growing collection of tools, games and other features, Facebook may need to utilize brand advertising. Companies seeking to gain attention or interaction with their target audiences need to adjust their focus towards crafting a presence on the social networking site.  In the future, companies and businesses who utilize Facebook will do so to strengthen – not create – their brand focuses, and to actively reach out to others in a similar sense with Twitter.  Facebook could also benefit from forming trustworthy alliances with other key digital media programs in order to maintain professionalism and profit.

The major trend associate with the forefront of the Golden Triangle’s real-time segment is Twitter.   An important leader in social media web technology and communication, the messaging service promotes immediacy in user presence as well as conversation on a global level.  Twitter’s current influence is reflected not only in a time-sense, but in the way the microblogging service has expanded over generations and purposes.  Users who “tweet” are accessible via Google and social search engines.

In the near future, more companies will utilize the free service to research consumers, build brands and provide real-time insight to users.  The service will continue supplementing other Internet services as it expands with larger encompassing programs, such as TweetDeck.  The microblogging site would benefit by creating, executing and organizing a “home page’ of sorts, which would segment main features of the site.

This could include a more accessible search engine to seek out news-based Twitter accounts, individual Tweeters, official company accounts as well as social media Tweeters.  There’s also a lot of multimedia to monitor, including television and radio content that is increasingly easy to find online. Both Twitter and Facebook may encompass these abilities.

Although communication has always been at the pinnacle of successful business, the advancement of social media will force companies to repurpose and restructure their methods of conversation.  Companies need tangible as well as digital connections to their target audiences in order to develop long-term loyalty. Since all forms of new media are currently at a changing point, companies will need to be realistic in embracing the social media movement.  In fact, in order to maintain a presence ahead of the movement, people need to remember to not only be “business savvy” but “social savvy” as well.

[Via http://emrachel.wordpress.com]

Literary Device

I admit it. I like texting. I don’t know if it is the writer in me, the social media maven, mom, or bon vivant, but I am hooked. It took me a while to embrace it, but I have found the direct access to those I care about quite appealing. I can receive a quick text at work when my son gets home from school—or a little casual banter with a flirtatious friend—without the formality a phone conversation entails. I guess it’s part of the “instant,” byte-sized culture we are creating.

So, I suspect that’s why I haven’t stopped thinking about Stanford University professor Andrea Lunsford’s five-year examination of college students’ writing in the Stanford Study of Writing. From 2001 to 2006, she collected 14,672 student writing samples—everything from in-class assignments, formal essays, and journal entries to emails, blog posts, and chat sessions. What she discovered might surprise you. The reality is that the most popular technological tools and social media platforms continue to receive plenty of sanctimonious slander—from Facebook’s narcissistic drivel, to PowerPoint’s bullet-point prose, to Twitter’s unintelligible prattle. But in true train-wreck fashion, we just can’t seem to stop looking.

As many traditional academicians, such as University College of London English professor John Sutherland have moaned, social media and texting are “dehydrating language into bleak, bald, sad shorthand.” However, the new media guard thinks differently. The truth is that communication is evolving and morphing as breakneck speed, and we are right smack in the middle of maelstrom. Granted, it’s hard to achieve the perspective needed to make sense of it all. Professor Lunsford suggests:

“I think we’re in the midst of a literacy revolution the likes of which we haven’t seen since Greek civilization. Technology isn’t killing our ability to write. It’s reviving it—and pushing our literacy in bold new directions.”

The first thing she found is that young people today write far more than any generation before them. That’s because so much socializing happens online, and it almost always involves text. Moreover, they are writing more than any previous generation, ever—in history. They are immersed in a complex, often confounding, new space where writers and their audiences are now enmeshed. “The consumer has become the producer,” says Professor Clay Shirky. The rules of the game have changed, and communication mores have been literallyturned upside down.

Lunsford pins her findings to the pervasive psycho-sociological trends defining our culture. She says, “More than earlier generations, young people today are aware of the precarious nature of our lives. They understand the dangers that await us. Hence, writing is a way to get a sense of power.” Interestingly, comparing the Stanford students’ writing with their peers from the mid-1980s, Lunsford found that the writing of today’s students is about three times as long today—they have “the ability to generate more prose.” I guess expressing ideas about hard things requires hard words. And when grappling with hard things, “I don’t think it can be worked out in 140 characters,” Lunsford contends. How ironic.

Of all the writing that the Stanford students did, a stunning 38 percent of it took place out of the classroom. Lunsford calls this “life writing.” Those Twitter updates and lists of 25 things about yourself add up. The fact that students today almost always write for an audience—a real switch from the prior generation—gives them a different sense of focus and message impact. It’s almost as if we are narrating our own lives. In interviews, students defined good prose as something that had an effect on the world. For them, writing is about persuading, organizing, and debating. It’s about finding a voice and taking a stand—even if it’s a review of the latest movie.

The Stanford students were almost always less enthusiastic about their in-class writing, because it had no audience but the professor. It didn’t serve any purpose other than to get them a grade. How about texting those LOLs and emoticons? Are they eroding the sanctity of academic writing? When Lunsford examined the work of first-year students, she didn’t find a single example of texting speak in an academic paper.

At the end of the day, texting has it’s time and place. And, there’s the rub. It represents a fascinating dichotomy of communication. It is simultaneously immediate and intimate, yet passive. It finds you any time of the day or night (no matter where you are—except driving, I hope) in the soft, fleshy palm of your hand. But at the same time, it gives you the power to choose when and how you want to respond. To engage or not to engage—the new “text-i-quette.”

Some psychologists warn against this intimate anonymity—that it encourages risky behavior. Elisabeth Wilkins wrote in a blog post that “texting can rob our kids of the ability to interact socially”—diminishing the importance of body language and facial expressions. I think the evolution of email and texting has radically changed the way we communicate and how we express ourselves, but I’m not sure it’s something we can condemn or alter. It simply is. It is the new communications behavior and landscape, which is inextricably intertwined with the technological innovation that enables it.

What do you think of texting and the changing patterns of communication? How are they affecting us as human beings?

Elaine Gantz Wright writes about social media that makes a difference. Contact her at ewright () publishingconcepts.com

[Via http://elainegantzwright.wordpress.com]

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As I was working on the wordpress conversion I spoke about yesterday I was on godaddy.com I noticed I had credits for advertising on google.com, facebook, and myspace.  Does myspace still exist??  OK maybe I shouldn’t knock them.  Anyhow, I set up adds for all 3.  Not a smooth road with Google though.  I go through setting up my add.  Then they tell me I will be charged a NON-REFUNDABLE $5 to start up my account.  OK whatever.  BS but I’ll do it.  So I click “next” or whatever.  Then I’m asked to enter my coupon code.  Note I already gave them the NON-REFUNDABLE $5.  THEN I find out my coupon code I got from godaddy is useless because I’ve had my google account too long.  OK granted it may have said something about that in some terms somewhere, but it’s google… what kind of terms could they have that I don’t agree with?  I click ok to the terms early on without reading them.  So now I’m not advertising on expensive Google and $5 has gone up in flames.   I did successfully use my coupon codes on Myspace and Facebook so HA to Google.  Still irritates me.  You know they do that intentionally to “get” people like me.  Go BING!

[Via http://yourpetstoreblog.com]

facebook seppuku

If Facebook is taking over your life, a new website is offering you a way out.

The site, Seppukoo.com, offers ritual suicide for Facebook users’ virtual profiles by deactivating your account. And it doesn’t stop there. If you’re willing to end it all, the site will feature a RIP memorial page on its site and sends the page to all your Facebook friends.

“You are more than your virtual identity,” the site says. “Pass away and leave your ID behind.”

The site is named after the ancient Japanese samurai act of “seppuku.” The samurai preferred to die with honor. So, rather than fall into the hands of their enemies, samurai would voluntarily kill themselves by plunging a sword into their stomach.

“As the seppuku restores the samurai’s honour as a warrior, Seppukoo.com deals with the liberation of the digital body,” the site says.

The design and layout of Seppukoo.com is strikingly similar to Facebook – the exception being that Seppukoo is red and gray, while Facebook is blue and white. Another small point of differentiation: Seppukoo features paintings of sword-wielding samurai.

To take the final step, you simply type in the same information you use to log onto your Facebook account including e-mail address and password. (The site says it does not save the information.) Then choose one of six templates for the memorial page and compose your “last words.” After that’s entered: curtains. The profile is deactivated. (If you want back on Facebook, just log in and your account is reactivated.)

However, friends can write on your memorial page. In addition, you get points for recruiting others to commit “seppukoo” and follow you into the virtual netherworld. The site keeps score and lists the point leaders.

The site was produced by an Italian “imaginary art group,” called Les Liens Invisibles (translated from French: The Invisible Links). When asked for an interview, Guy McMusker, art director of the group, replied in an e-mail that Les Liens Invisibles couldn’t do it on the phone. The group couldn’t speak, he said, “because of its invisible nature.”

Members of Les Liens Invisibles, Clemente Pestelli and Gionatan Quintini, also created a Google maps parody and a Flikr parody. This is their latest spoof.

About 20,000 people have signed up on the site since it launched last month, McMusker said. Facebook says it has 300 million users.

But he insists that Seppukoo.com was not started to attack Facebook. Instead, the site aims “to help people discover what happens after their virtual life and to rediscover the importance of being anyone, instead of pretending to be someone.”

In fact, Les Liens Invisibles has a Facebook page.

“We’re not Luddites,” McMusker said. “We’re incoherent.”

Spending too much time on Facebook? Let this site commit seppuku for your Facebook account! You might just regain your life back. Your real life, I mean. Seriously speaking, how many of us spend hours on Facebook every day? Can you imagine how many other things you could have done with those “lost” hours? If you’re one of those who want to recover your life, maybe it’s time you visited Seppukoo.com today and say goodbye to Facebook once and for all.

Don’t worry, they only deactivate your profile. Just log in to Facebook again to come back from the dead…

[Via http://always0nline.wordpress.com]

Eternal Sunshine

Kaya has a quotation from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on her Facebook page:

Clementine: This is it, Joel. It’s going to be gone soon.

Joel: I know.

Clementine: What do we do?

Joel: Enjoy it.

I actually didn’t recognize the source of the quotation until after she’d died.  A mutual friend, searching for some clues as to why she died, googled it.  She’d never seen it and wondered if I had any insight as to the film’s significance for Kaya.   “Oh, I loved that movie,” I said.  And so, I’m rewatching it tonight in a whole new light.  Clementine’s mania.  The couple’s mutual desire to erase painful memories.  Joel’s desperation, as Clementine slips away, to hold onto the things that made him both love and fear her.  Loss and love.  Madness and forgetting.

I think a lot about memory.  About honoring someone’s memory.  About forgetting.  About wishing you could forget.  About the inescapability of certain memories, even though, much like Joel and Clementine, you think you’ve done everything possible to destroy the evidence and extract the thoughts.

I think the holiday melancholia hit me tonight.  I’m certain it’s connected to this same sadness in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind:  this feeling of loss and emptiness and absence.

[Via http://badgerings.wordpress.com]

"Matlida Turnip's Endless Belly Button" five-page preview!

My sister and Josh Peters gave me permission to post a five-page preview of their upcoming children’s book, “Matilda Turnip’s Endless Belly Button,” here on “The Blarg.”

So… here you go! Click on each image to view a larger version.

Remember to join the book’s Facebook fan page here, and preorder your copy here on Amazon.

Fired up,

-Shady

[Via http://theblarg.wordpress.com]

The long tail of online game development

More news of the economics of online games development.

I have just come across this piece published in Venture Beat this week by Dean Takahashi : Thousands of Flash game developers make more than $1,000 a month.

It examines the findings in a recent survey of 1,104 Flash game developers and publishers conducted by Ad Network Mochi Media.  I recommend you go and have a look at the article yourself.

Very briefly, the quoted numbers indicated that 16% of developers earned more than $1000 por month and the top 1% made in excess of $25,000 per month. About 30% of the developers claim to be making a full-time living out of games.

According to Comscore over 1 Billion people play online games worldwide every month. So what is interesting is the quoted usage figures. The article suggests that about 2% of games are played more than 10 Million times during the life-cycle of the game. Based on a CPM rate of $0.50  per 1000 hits that would suggest that the most popular games would deliver a return of $5,000 over its life-cycle.

While the bottom 32% of games have less than 200,000 hits or a projected ROI of less than $100. All of which suggests that online Flash games suffer from the dreaded long tail that plagues iPhone Apps publishing.

Of course if you can improve your CPM rate or issue multiple ad impressions per play things look a lot better.

The quoted figure of $25,000 per month means that the top 1% of developers are achieving upwards of $300,000 per annum. This would suggest they are either producing multiple games or achieving higher levels of CPM and Impression Rates. For example, issuing 10 Ad Impressions per play would make the ROI on the most popular games worth $50,000 to the developer. As would a $5 CPM rate. If you can managed to combine both then you would have a comfortable SME business.

You may also find Jeremy Liew’s recent article for paidContent.org of interest: Why The Economics Of Social Gaming Are So Attractive To Investors. Jeremy’s reasoning goes like this…

The best video games (“AAA” or triple A games) now cost between $30 million and $50 million and can take three to five years to build. While social games cost just hundreds of thousands of dollars and can be launched in three to six months.

Jeremy argues that social network games developer are successfully playing the Speed and Agility innovation card we have been talking about over the past week.

Finally, Eric Eldon’s Game Companies Making Good Use of Social Network Ads provides some useful insights. In the article he quotes extracts from a comScore press release on the recent growth in Social Network Display Advertising.

The comScore figures suggest that Zynga served up just under half a billion Ad impressions in June 09 to an audience of 40 Million uniques. 97% of those impression were on Social Network sites like Facebook and MySpace. This of course follows on from our recent discussion on the economics of developing and publishing online and iPhone games.

[Via http://excapite.wordpress.com]

The Puzzle of Vulnerability

One reader arrived at my blog by typing in, “Why can’t people talk honestly and be truthful about themselves?” As a culture we are at a high water mark of avoidance and deflection – We punish and ignore people when they’re honest. I’ve lost clients because I’ve been honest. I believe most couples are in trouble because they’ve lost the ability to be honest with each other. What disconcerted me most about living in suburbia instead of in the city was the lack of conversation that truly revealed anything. I believe when people are authentic, they are often dismissed.

Think how rare it is to receive an email of apology from anyone. People often seem to have a need to be right. When was the last time you gave someone an apology?

Facebook is a way to appear to be connected without any real risk. People text or ignore texts as a way to end a relationship or to deal with anger. People puff themselves up with anger and feel entitled to dump and then refuse to continue with any kind of honest, problem solving discussion. There is an astonishing lack of sharing or ability to reveal honest feelings. The cultural norm is to deal with the surfaces, as if that’s enough. Avoiding and deflecting has become an art form that everyone is an expert at.

It’s hard work to be vulnerable and share what’s truly in your heart. It’s what I spend my days nudging people towards. It can be heart wrenching to hear the things that people have stored away silently and swallowed: “I stopped having sex because I stopped loving you,” and, “I asked you to be part of a threesome because I got bored,” or, “I blame you for our children being spoiled.” or, or, or all that has been stashed resentfully.

I worry about a world where people seem so easily disconnected and have no idea how to begin to talk about difficult things. If we don’t share, then we can’t make ourselves understood. Authenticity requires a willingness to understand our own dark sides and to not be so sucker-punched surprised by the dark sides of others. We all got them and we all have a lot to earn from them. A best friend can’t just be someone who always agrees with you. Agreement without the honesty of differences and challenges is a house of cards waiting to collapse.

There are even the rare television shows that are special because of the honest encounters over differences. The coach and his wife, from Friday Night Lights that will be returning in January 2010. Rent Battlestar Gallactica from Netflix and watch the President dying of cancer confront Captain Obama about leaving his beloved ship because it is in its death throes. Modern Family is a delightful new comedy where the characters deal with their differences.

I spend an enormous amount of time detecting deeper feelings and thoughts, then helping people reveal themselves and be more vulnerable with the people they love. It is time well spent. It is such a waste of time to hide out and thrive only on defensiveness and the fragile demand to be right. Find the courage to be vulnerable and authentic and there will be more depth to your life and relationships. Stop hiding out in the ease of avoiding through technology.

[Via http://relationshiprealities.wordpress.com]

One of the funniest things...

I think I read on Facebook, written by someone I know and not even intentionally funny, just my filthy mind!

“please don’t make me laugh-it hurts! although probably not as much as riding Warrior bareback!”

By the way the girl who wrote it is a horse rider and Warrior is a horse – at least I think he is… I hope he is!  Crikey!  Or it’s someone off of Gladiators or summat…

[Via http://kit001.wordpress.com]

HootSuite Review

I am always looking out for a great Twitter and Facebook Client. There are a handful out there with Tweetdeck being the most famous of them all. For me, there is something about being able to look at my Twitter accounts as well as look at Facebook within the same application. It is just nice not having to switch between apps to update and check tweets and Facebook statuses. So in my quest for this Twitter and Facebook integration application, I came across Hoot Suite.

Features

1.  Twitter and Facebook Integration

Hoot Suite does a great job of integrating both Twitter and Facebook into their app.  You can have multiple Twitter accounts as well as multiple Facebook accounts as well as Facebook pages.  It is so nice that I can integrate everything from both Twitter and Facebook into the app.  Hoot Suite also doesn’t skimp on features of Twitter and Facebook within their app as well.  For Twitter I can do the main functions (mentions, dm, retweet, favorite/unfavorite) as well as groups, searches, and lists.  For Facebook, I can see my news feeds as well as comment and “like” comments as well.  Hoot Suite has really done a good job of making the transition seamless from using both Twitter and Facebook separately into one client with all of its features.

2.  Message Area

This to me is one of the nicest features of Hoot Suite.  When you are ready to tweet or update your status on Facebook, all you do is type in your message and click on the accounts or Facebook pages you would like the message to show up on.  This is a feature that is also on TweetDeck, if you are familiar with their interface.  Hoot Suite also provides its own URL shrinker.  So, if you have a url you would like to insert it will shrink it for you.  But it doesn’t stop there, if you have a file or image you would like to upload, you can upload the image or file to Hoot Suite and they will automatically upload the file and create a url for it.  This is very handy if I want to send a file or image to someone and it is too big to email.  The other nice feature of the Hoot Suite url shrinker is that Hoot Suite keeps stats on the url.  So you can see how many people clicked the link, where they are from and from what site they clicked it on.  This is a really nice feature to have if you are wanting to keep track of traffic to your site.  The last thing about the message area is that there is a button called “Send Later”.  So you can type a message and schedule a time when you want that message to go out and Hoot Suite will make sure the message gets sent out when you want it to.

3.  Miscellaneous features

Hoot Suite also connects to LinkdIn, as well as Ping.fm.  I have not tried to connect to these services as I don’t use them so I cannot speak to how well Hoot Suite does with them. You can also have multiple editors for a single Twitter account if you so choose.  HootSuite is also working on an Iphone app, which I am definitely looking forward to.

Overall HootSuite is a great web app.  It does just about everything I want it to do for Twitter and Facebook, with the exception of being able to play Facebook games   I love it so much that I have even made it a Fluid app.  If you don’t know what Fluid is, go check out my previous review on it.  I would even contend to say that Hoot Suite is better than TweetDeck.  Yes, TweetDeck can do most or all of the things Hoot Suite can do, but Hoot Suite just seems to work well and gets the job done.  TweetDeck, seems too flashy for me and doesn’t always work correctly.

So there you have it.  My review of Hoot Suite.  For you visual people, I have set up a video to give you a visual tour of Hoot Suite.  Hit the link for the video.  http://cld.ly/4bp88 As always, please leave your comments and feedback.  Hit me up on Twitter (@theeasymac) or on Facebook (The Easy Mac).  Would love to hear from you!

[Via http://theeasymac.wordpress.com]

test cookies, facebook, photos, and more...

Saturday, December 05, 2009

The cookies for Friday’s party were a hit! I received some great feedback that will be incorporated into my recipes. Unfortunately, I don’t think the chocolate glaze turned out as good as I think it should have. While the taste is great, I would like it to set up a little bit better. On the other hand, the caramel sandwiches were by far the best of the bunch, receiving the comment “these are sinful!” I will definitely add this line of sandwich cookies to the menu and will be developing a couple more flavors over the next few weeks.

As it turns out, starting a bake shop is not just about cookie testing and tasting. I have spent a good part of the day setting up an office space that will function better and actually allow me to get some work done. To help spread the work about Sweet Attila’s, I am very pleased my brother has agreed to help build a Sweet Attila’s Facebook page. Thanks Paul! I will post once it is up. Today, I also arranged for my friend Jenny to take cookie pictures later this month. The plan is to have amazing photos featuring Sweet Attila’s fare when we go live with online sales in January / February next year. Jenny has also very willingly agreed to be my taste-tester for my next batch of breakfast cookies. Thanks Jen!

Most importantly today marks the very tangible 20-day countdown until we head off to Bonaire in the Dutch Antilles for an end-of-year vacation. Craig and I are going with my mom, brother and sister-in-law. We should have an amazing time and I cannot wait!

[Via http://sweetattilas.wordpress.com]

Evolution of Brooklyne

I started selling online in 2007. I stayed on Etsy for over 6 months. I listed regularly, I frequented the forums and I knew nothing of promoting, but that wasn’t as big an issue back then. You weren’t buried in all the people wanting a piece of the Etsy pie. What you were looking for was relatively easier to find in ‘07 than now. So, after 6 months and selling 3 of my items [2 of which were to the person who modeled the lips on the logo, so they don't count], I decided the online business wasn’t for me.

I have always been more successful selling my stuff in shops locally. People tend to fall in love with my wares and buy it all up. Okay, that was a little exaggeration, but compared to online sales, I have to fight local shops off with a stick. You get my point.

I came back to online business when I moved to a different town. I figured starting fresh and now being more stable, I’ll have more time to devote to production and promotion. I have promoted my little fingers off on twitter, flickr, etsy, artfire, indiepublic, commenting on blogs, facebook, myspace and making sure the link to my shop is on every profile. Still, I technically have had 1 sale of my crafts, 4 sales of my digital art and 7 sales of my destash items. 12 sales in 9 months in 4 different shops.

So, last month I move everything to one shop. If I’m only getting a few sales in each shop, I may as well just combine everything under one roof… this is my reasoning. I don’t see how not being consistent after 6 months of nothing would cause an issue, but there’s a nagging voice in the back of my head that says otherwise.

I feel like the only things I can bring out of this experience are the great blogs I’ve found, the good friends I talk to daily and the personal development and character that being ignored and undervalued can bring. I am not sure what the next couple months will bring. I have 67 items in my Artfire shop and listing more will only add to the craziness of that shop. I’m working out some things that will change my direction a bit. The snowball effect will be my online presence, including how often I post in this blog. I hope my regular readers will support me whatever I do.

Also, if you have any tips, I’d love to hear them. I know I’m not alone in this and any help given me in this public forum can also help someone else. Thanks.

[Via http://brooklynechaos.wordpress.com]

doomain typos worth

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288. www.rwitter.com

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293. www.vintage-erotica-forum.com

294. www.streamsend.com

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313. www.babynology.com

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315. www.porhnub.com

316. www.news8chicago.com

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319. www.brazzirs.com

320. www.mp3fusion.net

[Via http://cmwworth.wordpress.com]

Ethics and the web

This week’s readings for class dealt with ethics and the web. I don’t think most people who use the web stop to think about the ethical complexities. I am sure that most of them never really read the terms of agreement before signing up for a new service like Facebook or Twitter. People generally do what ever is easiest for them. I think it is safe to say that reading and understanding legal documents does not qualify as easy for most of us.

Fanton’s article, “Rights and Responsibilities Online: A Paradox for Our Times” reminded me of the issues that were discussed by Lee Raine and Siva Vaidhyanathan at this year’s LILRC conference. I have a post on this dated November 1. Raine quoted a lot of statistics like the ones in the article to show that young people were very active internet users and that at least half of them had created on-line content. Vaidhyannthan focused on Google but his warnings about Google could be applied to other web companies and were like those of Howard Gardner, who is quoted in the article. To sum it up, young people are heavy internet users who are very trusting and apt to make information public that could be used in an unethical manner. The internet is a brave new world where the old laws do not apply and new ones are still emerging. Companies like Google do not have to have our best interests at heart since they are in business to make money. They may do a lot of very good things including donating money to charity but in many cases it is only after something happens and people sue or at least publicly air the bad practices that something changes.

This brings me to the second article by Frances Jacobson Harris, “Ethics from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0” which focus more on the view from a school library media center perspective. I found this to be a very balanced article. It gave lots of great reasons to use the web and even included some wonderful resources. In addition, it was not blind to the dangers that could present themselves when children are using the web. The article stressed the need for proper training so that young people use the web in safe and ethical ways. One of the programs that I am familiar with is the Child Lures program,

which teaches parents and educators about safety both online and offline.

This week in NY, one of the big news stories was that about 3500 sex offenders were banned from the Facebook and MySpace sites. It disturbed me to read about the slow pace at which social networking sites were applying available protective measures. Once again, it is important to realize that these companies are trying to make a profit and it costs money to add these protections. We should all remember this every time we use the web.

[Via http://cmbyrne.wordpress.com]