What I really need

I found this reading to be very powerful. Sometimes when I am moving so fast, trying to text on my phone, using a computer, or doing something else connected to technology I feel like I am not thinking. I realized this morning after leaving my boyfriend apartment that I had left the most important thing there, my mp3 player. Here I am trying to get in shape and I don't have my mp3 player to distract me from the calories that need to be burned and the physical progress that must be made. Instead of running without the player, I will push back everything I have to do today, and make time to hop on the 983 or 982 and get back to his place to grab my music. It's weird. At times I think I'm behind, and I read those articles and I think, "that's not me." I don't have an I Phone, or any of the products on the top ten must haves list. But when I think about how I rely on certain devices to function I realize it is me. If I don't have the internet for at least an hour or thirty minuets of the day I feel odd. The reality is things are changing in our lifetime. Technology has grown to be an important entity within society. While it is very important, it's all about balance. I agree that relationships need face to face interaction to stay stable. As much as I use the internet, I still don't talk to my friend over Facebook, IM, or e-mail. The only thing we rely on is the phone. I think that it depends on how into it you really are. At the end of the day, I know I could live without an mp3 player, but not without music. I know I could live without a cell phone but not without a constant way of communicating with people. These are just the devices that have been created to make the simplest human needs more tangible, with a little extra laziness mixed in.

Google Chrome

I have never used Google Chrome but it does not sound too bad. The thing about the article that really peaked my interest was the ability for only one tab to close instead of all of them when the search engine is slow. I hate that!! It is so annoying when you're searching for something and the computer starts acting crazy, having some type of temper tantrum. I think I might give Google Chrome a try eventually, but there are so many mixed reviews it makes me a little nervous. Maybe I will just stick to my search engine having random temper tantrums and completely closing down.

Internet Explorer

Today I can say without a doubt, I believe Firefox is much better than Internet Explorer. I know that there are mixed emotions regarding both, but I actually believe Firefox is faster and less hazardous. I don’t know how true it is but my boyfriend would tell me all types of horror stories about Internet Explorer and people’s computers being tampered with through this gateway. I don’t have any proof except my own feelings, and using Firefox just seems safer. Although there is the occasional problem, like my computer freezing, but this does not happen often. One thing I really like about Firefox is its ability to restore sessions; I think that it’s neat.

PowerPoints

PowerPoint is a pretty interesting tool if it is used correctly. I saw this video on youtube about how people use it incorrectly. It is interesting how this tool is used to teach lessons, but sometimes nothing new is really learned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cagxPlVqrtM

The iPod

I think that I may just be the last person on the planet who has not invested in an iPod. I never saw the difference or the big deal with the iPod until recently. Two Christmases ago I asked my mother to buy me an mp3 player. I reiterated over and over that I did not want an iPod, just a little cheap mp3 player, nothing big, but something that could hold most of my music. She came home with a SIREN mp3 player, something in which I had never heard of. For me it was great, it didn't matter, I just wanted a player. It took me somewhere close to 5 days to transfer my music. I had downloaded so many songs onto my computer, and over the years I had purchased tons of Cd's. Some of them were repurchases of those that had been lost due to my lack of organization over the years. I had finally found a small compatible and portable place to place Donny Hathaway, Lauryn Hill, Nina Simone, Janet Jackson, and Elton John. They were all able to travel with me, there was finally enough room to carry them.

It was less than a year later when I was walking across campus listening to Christete Michelle's Love is You and my SIREN completely shut down. Me not being the most technologically savvy individual I panicked. After trying to turn the little music holder on several times, I gave up. I chocked it up to cheapness and cursed the machine for days. Strangely the death of my SIREN also caused the death of my workout. I completely stopped going to the gym all because of a machine. After a few days I got over it and started using my cell phone for music. Although it only plays a few songs it was better than nothing. Finally after a while I told my boyfriend who suggested I re-synch the device. Surprisingly he was right.

It was back. I was back. I had my music, a little piece of my life gathered through song. My memories were mine again, and I could hear them anytime I wanted too. This happiness lasted for only a while longer. My player gave me about 4 more months of glee until it called a quits again. Today it just sits in my purse, and I occasionally try to play it, but I always know the results will be the same, a quick shut down, a slow nothing.

Now I am in search of a new music player. I had my feelings really hurt by SIREN and now I am a little pessimistic towards anything that's not an iPod. I know that there are some other good players out there but I'm scarred to try them out. I guess only time will tell. But I am always open to suggestions.

Talking on the Phone

I found the title of this article very interesting. I also found the introduction to the study interesting. It's very funny because I have been there when it comes to a guy that I like, especially when I was in high school. Waiting for a guy to call me, wondering if he really, really likes me. I would sit by the phone just wondering if he was going to dial my number. It's amazing to see how this behavior is not just something I've done in the past, but a norm for many women.

After reading this, I found an interesting little article. I am not sure how credible it is but I found it funny.

http://www.esato.com/news/article.php/id=1734

Literacy Debate

For me there is nothing like curling up with a great book or magazine in my own bed. Touching the pages of an interesting novel, connecting with the characters, or learning an in depth piece of information about a celebrity I admire. While the internet satisfies many desires, there is a different experience in actually consuming the material. The feeling is so personal with a magazine. I cannot fall asleep with a computer laying in my bed, I might burn myself from the heat!

In some ways I feel I belong to a generation who lives on the net, but also who still appreciates a great piece of paper that I can personally hold and enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8u3OfKG3tI

White Bread

I found this article to be extremely interesting. As a student and a person who uses the internet often, information is readily available at my fingertips. At any moment of the day when I am near a computer, I can look up absolutely anything I want. For example, in my Magazine Management class I was able to learn about saving money on magazine subscriptions through alternate outlets. I used the Google search engine to explore websites.

Although I understand the thinking behind the professors ideas, there is plenty to be learned from the internet. We have moved into a new age. With everything good comes something bad. For example, one may use the internet to look for frivolous information, or use it to gather a new perspective on old ideas. For myself it has helped me grow intellectually, and also entertained me. I look at youtube all the time to watch something vital I've missed or just for laughs.

One should not limit themselves to one form of education, but explore different sides as well. In keeping with the old there is room for the new too.