yadda yadda yadda..... send send send

I wanted to take the time this week to raise some interesting points about cell phones, considering that I would bet money everyone in the class has one. I got my first cell phone very early on, around 1998, and I did so only because it had that cool snake game on it! I have been using a cell phone pretty much ever since. Do I like having a cell phone? NO!! I hate it, but it has honestly become a part of my life, as random as that sounds. We are all creatures of habit and honestly I would argue that nearly everyone in our class "NEEDS" their cell phone. The problem with having a cell phone is first of all the cost! The average monthly cell phone bill in North America is about $82.00. Can you imagine how much these companies are making in profit every year? The second is the health issue. Although it is still not conclusive, cell phones reportedly cause brain tumors and other disorders. The third downside of using a cell phone of course is that they can, and often do, cause accidents because people use them while operating machinery and driving. So what is it about the cell phone that makes it so appealing to everyone? Well I think that first of all this is a social phenomenon. Using Lisa's 17 year old sister as an example, I began to realize that teens would often rather use their phones and text one another than actually meet in person. One statistic I came across revealed that the average cell phone user sends around 250 texts per month. Although there are often text message bundles and plans, this number is still profound. Some users can send anywhere from 250 - 4000 messages per month. 4000 messages per month averages out to 129/day!!! Who has that kind of time? It is a quick and easy way to communicate and so it is appealing. But the new cell phones don't stop with text messaging and now picture messaging. The new smart phones let you do just about anything! A smart phone has the ability to e-mail, live chat, video chat, conference chat, surf the web, use GPS, play games and even come as MP3 players. Again, as with my post on the automotive industry, what next? I honestly love having my cell phone and I don't know if I could survive with it, but I mean is this really necessary or has this just been a fad and a fashion statement. Cell phone companies are charging 400-600 dollars for their phones unless you are lured into a contract for 3 years! If this trend continues what happens next? Anyways, I gotta go someones calling me! ;)

Youtube for sale...

In recent news Google (the owners of Youtube) have announced that they are flirting with the idea of making the video's available for download as opposed to only streaming. This idea however is potentially going to come at a cost. This initiative is being done for the purpose of 2 reasons. The first is to stimulate further creativity and the second to make money in a struggling economy. YouTube is planning on selling their video's for $1US. You|Tube spokespersons have said that since purchasing YouTube they have been looking for various ways to make money from it besides just advertising and although they are not expected to attract any serious content service provider partners they are convinced that this will be a success. The issue for me with this type of thing is that nobody is going to want to pay money for these video's. I mean yes they are entertaining and you can find clips of just about anything, but in an age with Torrent downloading and Rapidshare I can't imagine people paying anything to watch a cat chase a mouse through the garage for 2 min. Although I can side with Google that this is a clever idea, I just simply don't buy it. I can't imagine this type of idea appealing to anyone and I think advertising as a source of revenue is enough at this point. Let us have our YouTube, does everything have to cost money? I find this particularily problematic because we, the potential consumers, are the ones who are publishing and creating most of these videos and now we may be charged for it? And what about getting paid for our own video? Do we get a cut? Now there is an idea!!

Future of Chat.......

This is more of a rhetorical question than a blog post but it is something that we are all a part of. I want to discuss the evolution of Chat and where it could possibly be heading. As far as I can remember the first online chat program that I signed up for was called MIRC. It stands for Internet Relay Chat and is a chat interface.It is used to communicate, share, play or work with others on IRC networks around the world, either in multi-user group conferences or in one-to-one private discussions. Mirc, when I first started using it, was an easy way to chat with various people around the world but had no easy and coherent way of gathering friends in the local area so I found myself chatting to random people around the world (kinda cool). Then came the introduction of MSN. It was the new way to communicate and seemed so convenient and easy to use. Simply search someones hotmail address and you add them to you list. There was also the neat option, if you wanted, to search people your own age or with similar interests. It also came with a fully functioning email account and seemed the end all to chat programs. And then along comes Facebook. What can I say about it? Well I think like most people I share a Love/Hate relationship with Facebook. I think it is an easy and convenient way to communicate with friends and family around the world. It is easy to use, easy to access, fairly secure and practical. You can view and post pictures, songs, videos and other exciting multimedia as well as chat or exchange messages. But to be honest with you, its just too much. I mean I enjoy being in Facebook once a day or so for a few minutes but it can be so time consuming when someone posts a wedding album consisting of 200 photo's. The worst part about it is that now if you don't look at all those pictures and comment on them, they get pissed off at you. So I mean having that option of doing more in a way forces you into having to do it. (If that makes sense) My question than is, What the hell is next? I mean what else can we come up with? It kind of scares me to be honest with you! Anyways I have to go check My Wall so I'll write next week!

;) POKE

Beware of the germ!!

I recently became acquainted with a new area of history which I have had no prior knowledge, the History of the Germ. I recently reviewed Nancy Tomes, "The Gospel of Germs: Men, Women and the Microbe in American Life" and was absolutely fascinated with how little I knew about germs and germ theory. I don't say this from simply a medical perspective but rather how influential the germ is in how we've been conditioned to think and the problems that arise as a result. Tomes begins by referring to a mother teaching her son to cover up before sneezing and washing his hands after using the bathroom. But does the mother know why? The relationship between our understanding of various germs has had an immense influence on our society. The author refers to one fascinating example of how in 1984 a young man contracted HIV by receiving an injection to treat a heart condition he had. This young man was completely shunned from his community and on one particular day someone shot a bullet through his living room window. This is how important it is that we perceive germs and germ theory properly. People are often completely misinformed and mis-educated on various topics and we become afraid of what we don't know. For Tomes, understanding how the Germ Theory developed allows us to deal with our present understanding of germs. She also shows us how it is vital to create our own Gospel of Germs. A new Gospel which will deal with new challenges and diseases that we face in society today. Our understanding of the Germ theory can be compared to those who perceived Galen and Harvey's works but perhaps in a less radical way. Regardless of which century we are talking about, the relationship between our social understanding of the body and our medical understanding of it has shaped culture.

Now before you go ahead and comment on my post, make sure you wipe down your keyboard.

The Future Backwards...

The holidays have come to an end, Christmas is officially over, and what can be said about the month of December from an economic perspective? Across Canada the unemployment rate jumped by 0.3 percentage points to 6.6 per cent in December as 34,000 jobs disappeared, with almost half the losses in Alberta.It had been the second consecutive month of significant job losses with declines in full-time jobs and the construction sector leading the declines. With unemployment down creating a financial drought it comes as no surprise that people were hesitant to buy any large items for Christmas and people were planning to spend about 76% less than usual. One of the biggest areas worth examining is the automotive sector during these times and what they are doing to rebound from their losses?
Are you curious?
I was, and what did I find? Ford, in the first quarter of last year was already down 8.7 Billion dollars and the trend continued throughout the remaining months. To offset these huge losses and bounce back on their feet Ford recently announced the production of a new line of technological perks that will be found in new cars. These electronic gadgets are said to be internet ready and more interactive than ever. So let's step back and have a good look at this. Last week I saw a women driving a car, talking on her cell phone and eating something and now Ford is proposing Online Facebook in your car? Come on!!! I realize you are trying to spark the economy and get yourselves out of the hole but I can almost assure you that the production of these gadgets will not be in North America but in China or somewhere out East.
But at least we can "poke" one another and create events on Facebook while we drive from one Gas station to the next.

Past, Present and Future

Farley Mowat is one of our countries greatest and most inspirational authors. Mowat, a passionate Ontarian, has spoken out on many occasions on various topics relating to the environment. His books are often accurate depictions of various injustices as well as tales of adventures and excursions around the world. Educated at the University of Toronto (possibly his biggest downfall, ;)) Mowat began his literary career when he published his work People of the Deer in 1952. If you read any of Mowat's works you will find a hilarious variety of colloquiums in addition to new words he picked up throughout his voyages. I say voyages because I am referring to one particular classic of Mowat's that I think is particularly significant, The Boat that Wouldn't Float, 1969. The book is a classic tale of bravery, commradership and a genuine love for the seas. From a historical perspective the book does not claim much but it does provide a hilarious perspective of Newfoundland culture. Mowats experiences with various types of animals entrenched in him an appreciation for all living things, except perhaps humans. I find it particularily interesting how our life experiences always shape our understanding of various issues and often motivate us to pursue our various beliefs and desires. It can not be said with certainty that Mowat's experience out east can be entirely credited with his desire to evoke environmental change, but it surely did play an important role.

Most recently in the news "Mowat put up bail money to free anti-sealing activists arrested on the waters off Cape Breton, saying the seizure of a ship named after him was a totalitarian act. Mowat, 86, said he was deeply honoured when the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society named their vessel the Farley Mowat, and was ashamed of the Canadian government when he saw it being towed under arrest into Sydney on the weekend" - http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/414380.

Mowat, even at his age, continues to battle environmental injustices and continues to write books to help inspire his readers to be ascertive and active in their beliefs. So what can we understand or take away from Mowat? Well, what have I done to foster change in what I believe in? To be quite honest I don't really know what I believe in. In a fast paced world filled with Starbucks and McDonalds it is easy to become dissillusioned and lost. We are all on a desperate path to achieve something and get somewhere but what is it and where? When we get that job we wanted will we finally say, ok I'm content now? I think Mowats actions reflect an important dynamic, do our actions contribute to our cause? Do our life experiences and what we have come to believe reflect in what we do and how we act? If so how is it relevant or beneficial to either ourselves or the world we live in? Does it have to be?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!