Hey everyone! I am selling some of my clothes and other miscellaneous items. Everything is pretty cheap; I'm mostly just trying to get rid of stuff. I have an album called "For Sale," on Facebook if you are my friend on there, and I'll be adding to it. I'll also be adding all my items as blog posts over the next couple days so if we aren't Facebook friends you can still look at it! I'm hoping to only do in state sales, unless you are willing to pay for shipping or we are guaranteed to see each other this summer. Please help me out and look at it and tell your friends! Thanks so much!

Food for Thought

Food for thought: So this January I challenged myself to the 30 day K-Love challenge, which is basically going all of January with only listening to Christian music. I'll be honest in saying that this is a struggle for me, mostly because I feel like all the songs I hear on the radio or even my Pandora are ones I've heard before and am frankly tired of. However, I heard this quote the other day on K-Love, "Sometimes God redeems us from our struggles. Sometimes He redeems us through our struggles." This was an eye-opening moment for me because this last year I have not been on the right path. I don't want to go into specifics, but this year it felt like I was being hit day after day with hardships. I was being broken down week after week and instead of running to God for comfort, I was yelling at him. I was furious for what he was putting me through, and honestly I was doubting Him. Doubting the Word and even doubting His existence. But hearing that quote made me realize that God was breaking me for a reason. The only way it seemed that I would come back to Him was if I was as low as I could be, and that's exactly where it felt like I was. I'm hoping this year is going to be one of rebuilding for me in my faith and just getting back on the right track spiritually. I'm ashamed that this is what it took, a year of what felt like pure hell, just so I would run back to my God.
So I guess what I'm hoping you get out of all of this is that the next time you find yourself in a tough place and especially when you find yourself questioning God, maybe you should be questioning yourself. Are you in the place you want to be? Maybe there's a reason that God is putting you through these hardships. If you're like me, you might not be where you're supposed to, and you gotta spit out your pride and just trust God. Run back to Him because even though the Lord may not be joyful per se in our behavior, He's never going to give up on us. So we shouldn't give up on Him either.

"Inside the Mind of Google"

I was surprised at how low key the actual Google headquarters is. It's very laid back and open-minded, and I think that's one of the things that has made it so successful. It seems more like a vacation resort than an actually company. The lay out is simple. The creativity though is outrageous, and I think that as long as those aspects of the company are kept that Google will continue to be successful.

I also had no idea how much more there was to Google than just the search engine I see on my homepage. This video really opened up my mind to how big of a company Google is and how rapidly it is growing. Of course there are things like the privacy issue that can scare the average user, but I'm not sure if I really want one company controlling all of my internet usage.

Google is expanding by competing not just against one company like Yahoo! but by taking on multiple companies that provide a variety of services. This video made me question if Google is soon going to be too big for its own good. I don't deny that I enjoy using it, but what's the future for this company? How is the future of Google going to affect me?

I bought a pet iguana...

"Where good ideas come from"

This video made me think about what I've been doing with all these connections that the internet has provided for me. We've developed a world of always being distracted and always multi-tasking, but that doesn't mean that we're multi-tasking in a healthy way. When I multi-task, that means I'll be on Facebook, typing out a tweet, and watching TV all at the same time. This isn't really the way I want to be spending my time though. It's just what I've become accustomed to.

I have found that in the past year I have become so used to tweeting random thoughts, that my regular thoughts are now disorganized. It's true that the internet allows me to share my thoughts with others and start a discussion about something. That seems to be one of the good uses I have discovered from the internet. However, these ideas and discussions quickly fade out because of how easy it is to get distracted when one is online. 

Overall, I think that the internet can be used as a good thing. It allows me to share my thoughts and strike up new ideas with others. However, the way I'm currently using it doesn't allow me to fully take advantage of all the benefits that come with the connections it provides.

The Virtual Revolution: "The cost of free information"

When people hear the word "free," they don't often stop and consider the cost. If something is free, there's no cost attached, right? Wrong. Someone, somewhere, has to pay for whatever it is that is "free" and costless to you. That's especially true in the world of the web.

How does Google and Facebook make all their money? People say that these are huge, profitable companies, but since us, the consumers, aren't paying for the services then we don't really concern ourselves with how the companies are getting the money. The way they get their profits is by selling our information. Not our personal information usually like SSN, address, name, etc, but our likes and dislikes. They sell ads that are specific to the things that we search for or "like." 

Do you ever wonder why when you search for something on Google, an ad comes up that is advertising something related to the search topic? Well that's how Google is getting its money. That is our "price" for these "free" services. Is that something that we as consumers are okay with? Are we willing for these sites to track our interests just so we don't have to pay money for the service? How free are these free services?

Music Licensing

Music licensing and fees are all around us whether we realize it or not. Every time a song is played, fees are being paid just so you can hear that song. It seems ridiculous, but that's how these artists make their money. Even though I personally do not have to pay fees to listen to the radio, the radio station itself needs to. If I want to use music at a party, I have to pay fees. It's kind of ridiculous to have all these fees just to listen to music, but there are different companies that are out there to help simplify the process for you.

If these fees weren't paid for these licensed songs, I would be majorly affected in that I couldn't listen to any of my favorite songs. Although not everyone agrees about how much money these artists really should get when a song is paid, we can agree that they deserve recognition for the song. This recognition, though, is given in the form of licensing fees.

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/music-licensing.htm

Citation Builders

Between Son of Citation, EasyBib, and CiteFast citation builders, Son of Citation was the easiest website to navigate and use. EasyBib was also fairly easy to use and had the most accurate citation according to Purdue Owl. Son of Citation only left off the medium in its citation, while Cite Fast had additional information such as edition and publishing state. I have used both Son of Citation and EasyBib in the past and will continue to use them both, but I will have to pay closer attention to their citation formats.

"The Virtual Revolution: The Great Leveling"

This video did not really identify anything I had not already realized about the Internet and the web. However, it did get me thinking about how all of this did not evolve overnight. The Internet was not just there as soon as the first computer was built. Just like anything else, it took steps for us to get where we are today.

We're not done evolving web, either; new websites are being put up everyday. So just like it took us to time to get here, it's going to take us a lot of time to continue to advance what we're already doing. Eventually, we may "burn out" on the web and get tired of it. On the other hand, maybe we'll never get tired of it. That's not something that is in the foreseeable future, though. We'll just have to let the Internet advance and let new things be invented as we continue exploring this phenomena.

Facebook Privacy

It seems like every time Facebook updates the "face" of your profile, homepage, etc. your privacy settings change too. For me, this means going back through and trying to make everything private again even though I've done it a hundred times before. You have to go through menu after menu and individually customize settings, and it's a pain. I think this is part of the reason why people don't even bother to care about their online privacy anymore. It's such a hassle to update, and it doesn't seem worth it, yet this is something that we've put upon ourselves. We might complain about privacy settings, yet we just go with the flow and let Facebook update for us even if we don't want to. I think because of these online issues that even in the "real world" privacy isn't private. People are used to being able to see everything about a person online that they forget you can't do that in person. This privacy issue just isn't about Facebook; it's starting to affect our real lives too.

Privacy Policy Comparison

I ranked Microsoft Skydrive, Dropbox, iCloud, SugarSync, Google Drive, and Box in order from most safe to least safe when it comes to your personal information.

Microsoft Skydrive (Source: http://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/fullnotice.mspx)

• Uses cookies
• Collects your information from third parties
• Will not share your information outside of “Microsoft and its controlled subsidiaries and affiliates” without your permission and allows you to choose what information is shared
• May disclose your information in legal matters

Dropbox (Source: https://www.dropbox.com/terms)

• Permission to pass on your files to third parties
• Permission to use your feedback you provide to them

iCloud (Source: http://www.apple.com/privacy/)

• May share your information with its affiliates
• May ask for your SSN in certain circumstances
• Uses your information when you enter promotions, contests, and sweepstakes
• Uses cookies
• Collects and stores your specific computer information; may use to market and advertise
• May make personal information available to certain strategic partners
• May share information with companies that provide services, such as credit processing
• May disclose your information in legal matters
• May use and share your location information
• Your information "may be transferred or accessed by entities around the world"

SugarSync (Source: http://www.sugarsync.com/privacy.html) 

• Stores your files on servers and files are kept 90 days after you delete them
• "no access to your Facebook or Twitter account nor do we store your login information."
• Uses cookies
• Does not share your information with third parties without your consent
• May provide personal information to affiliates
• " May use third parties to perform services related to our operations such as a payment processors" which then have access to your personal information and are required to follow the SugarSync privacy policy

Google Drive (Source: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/)

• Associates your phone number and other device properties with your Google account
• May collect and process your location information
• May collect and store your personal information onto your device
• Uses cookies
• May show others your Google Profile if they know your email address
• May process your personal information on a server outside of your home country
• May share your personal information with other companies, when you grant permission to do so
• Your information is available to your domain provider
• May provide your personal information to affiliates
• May share non-personal information publicly and to partners
• Restricts access to personal information to Google employees

  Box (Source: https://www.box.com/signup/g)

• May receive your information from other companies
• May request information during surveys, contests, and sweepstakes
• Collects device information 
• Uses cookies
• May store information on systems in the US and around the world
• May share non-personal (aggregate) data with partners and advertisers
• Past information about your account may be available to your email domain administrator
• May disclose your information in legal matters
• Gives you opportunities to connect with third parties, your permission required
• May share personal information during a merge or acquisition 

 

Dance Haiku

Photos taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gerardagudo/6865488603/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/medaugh/14491339/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rdenubila/4758088139/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clearlyambiguous/165316414/

WolframAlpha, Qwiki, Sporcle

Evernote

Evernote.com

Evernote is basically an online notepad that you can take with you on your phone, computer, and online account. You can organize your notes into different "notebooks," so they're easier to find when you are looking for something in particular. I plan to use this in the future because not only does it store my notes online for me, but I can also download the app on my phone so my note are there as well. Evernote will be a great replacement for my sticky notes and written-on napkins I currently use to write down my to-do lists on. This application is a great way to store and organize your notes, and I think it will become a  great resource for me.

"Technology helps boost fitness, sexual health"

Technology and fitness is the topic that that my google alerts website led me to. Click here for the website!
If you have ever seen the movie Wall-E, you may be familiar with this picture:

This is what people think about when they hear the words "fitness" and "technology" in the same sentence. Although it's true that "couch potatoes" are becoming a trend, technology can actually help people trying to get into shape. There a lot of devices that can help you keep track of steps walked, calories burned, calorie intake, etc. I know that in the past members of my family have used such technology, and it can help you as you work out, especially if you are embarrassed or tired of having to write down your progress where it could easily get lost.
Another thing that technology is helping with is in the teen world. Nowadays if a teen girl or guy has a question about sex, they might just go online instead of asking a parent or friend. Even though the internet has a lot of false information, not all websites are lies. Girls can also keep track of things like their menstrual cycle on a smart phone, and it can help you keep that part of your life more private.

Glog: This is me.

Tagxedo: Twitter Words

Bre.ad

Privacy v. Technology

http://patriotpost.us/opinion/arnold-ahlert/2012/03/10/privacy-v-technology/

It has recently been ruled Constitutional to have a police officer search the cell phone of an individual without first obtaining a warrant. This privacy when it comes to technology situation seems to be becoming an issue more and more as people begin to question what information is already public and what can be considered private. In one of the interviews discussed in this post, it compared a cell phone's phone book to a personal phone book and a cell phone's messages to private letters. If officers are required to obtain a warrant to search these non-technological items, then why are they allowed to search the same items without a warrant just because it is considered to be technology?

I personally believe that anything based in technology can be equally compared to an item that is not considered to be technology. Therefore, this ruling would be unconstitutional, violating Fourth Amendment rights. However, it's not in my hands to decide, and I think that those in control will have to take their time to further discuss and decide on this issue. I don't think that we have seen the end of this debate, and I think that there will be more court cases and rulings before the courts, police force, and public are able to come to an agreement.

Class Presentations Reflection

I really enjoyed all of the presentations that were given today, but the one that stuck out to me was Google's new privacy policy. I'll admit I didn't take the time to read the new policy when it first came out, even though Google suggested that I should. I've noticed, though, how my Google searches and YouTube searches are combined now, and it kind of freaks me out. I don't like one company being able to combine all that information about me. Something I really want to know is where is it being stored. Is there some public profile of mine that I don't know about that shows all the things I've been doing on my Google account? How can I control this? Is there any way to not have everything be so public and combined?