Bradhuther’s Blog


Readings 7: Mobile Technologies
January 8, 2009, 12:04 am
Filed under: Assignments | Tags: , , , , ,

The Camera Phone

The camera phone is an invention that can be used for both good or evil. This article explains how the person who created the camera phone first used the invention. his baby was being born and he wanted to record it so he simply just took out his phone, snapped a picture of her, and posted it on the web for his family and friends to see her. This would be an excellent example of how the camera phone could be used to something good. An example of something bad that happened due to the camera phone found within the article was the example of women in Saudi Arabia. Women would unviel themselves in weddings or other events and someone could snap a picture of them with their viel off which was a form of disrespect to their religion. They could be shunned from their community or looked down upon by society if this image were ever to get out. I think no matter what the invention is, people will find flaws and ways to turn it into evil. Although camera phones can both help and hurt us, they are still a ground breaking invention that has shaped society today.

1. How do you think camera phones could help the world?

2. Are camera phones just another invention to contribute to our invasion of privacy?

A World of Witnesses

This article was very interesting and made me think about cell phones in a different way. It begins by explaining how text messaging is becoming a very important tool in the technological world today. People use texts to inform other people, form groups, and even make plans to meet up. I learned the world of text messaging is even more in-depth than that. This article showed me all the numbers around the world people can text and recieve so much information from pollen counts to weather reports. I didn’t realize that there were so many different numbers you could text and recieve so much information until reading this article. It also discusses the camera feature on phones and discusses the Rodney King incident. I believe camera phones can help people in distress and uncover many things that a bulky video camera could. The cell phone is a very popular techonological device with many features and is shaping the way we live and recieve our information. I feel like every week there is a new feature for cell phones and i can only imagine what they can do for you in 10 years.

1. Did you realize before reading this article how many numbers there are to text to recieve different information?

2. What new concepts or ideas did you learn about from reading this article?

Always-on/ Always-on-you: The Tethered Self

This article was created in order to explain how our electronics are tethered to us and we are so dependent on them for everything. It starts out by describing a group of MIT student that carried around a portable laptop special electrical glasses and other electronical devices teathered to them. The author relates us and our cell phones and computers to them. We are connected to our cell phones more than ever and we use it for virtually almost everything. We can look up stock quotes, play video games, turn to bots for comfort, network with people, etc. However, with all these endless possibilities, it is hard for us to turn off our electronical devices. Because we do so much with computers and cell phones, we are very dependent on them and find it very difficult to pull the plug for even a weekend. The cell phone has changed the world so much even in the way we talk to people. When we talk in public say at a coffee house, we would turn to the person we are talking to and saying something quietly in his or her ear. However with phones, we often see people putting their finger in one ear and yelling into their phone without any recognition there are people all around him listening and being bothered. The article describes the virtual life we live in and how we are dependent on techonology in almost every aspect of our life and because of this, we are in fact, addicted. I myself find it nearly impossible to turn off my electronic devices or not use them for more than an hour. I am always on my computer and looking at my cell phone. I can even relate this article to our class by saying how dependent i am on the computer to fulfull a class for my major in order to recieve my bachelors degree! I bet if you said this to someone ten years ago they would think you were absolutely crazy, but its true. Technology has come a long way and because of that people stay connected and put it at the center of their life.

1. Do you think our electronics are too “tethered” to us?

2. Why do you think we are so dependent on our cell phones in this day and age?

 Twitter, Flickr, Facebook Make Blogs Look So 2004, AND
Eight Reasons Why Blogging Will be Bigger Than Ever in 2009

According to this article, an opinion is voiced pertaining to the pointlessness of blogging. The author believes that if you have a personal blog, think about getting rid of it. People are more into business blogs and blogs involving current issues. The author also believes that blogging on other blog sites such as political sites is pointless as well. Since there are so many blog posting there is a small chance people will even see what you write anyways because as more people post, your post goes down the page making it difficult for people to see. I was a little confused as to what the author was trying to convey in this article other than blogging is pointless. From what i understood he explained that you have more of a chance to be heard or seen on Facebook, Youtube, Myspace, or Flickr. I think blogging is a good way to express your feelings still if you are into it. I don’t personally blog other than for the class but i can see why people do. Its just like keeping a diary, people don’t have to read it, sometimes people just want to get their ideas down. However, the second article disagrees with the first in every way possible. The author of this article explains that blogging will be bigger than every in 2009. They explain that you have to choose your blogging site carefully. They also discuss how blogging is the best way to creating an online identity. Obviously these people have two very different views about blogging and the future of it. This article relates to the previous ones on mobile technologies because it also shows how we are so connected to the computer and phones. Wether its on our phones or on our computers we can constantly update our blogs. Blogs are a great example of how we are connected to technology and use it for many different things, one of which is to keep the world in contact with our daily lives, which can be shown through blogging. It explains how technology has changed and is ever changing and how we are part of that change.
1. Do you think personal blogging will be more popular, less popular, or equally as popular in 2009?

2. Do you believe ideas, emotions, and stories are better expressed through sites like Facebook, Myspace, Flickr, and Youtube compared to blogs? Why or why not?

 

 

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