Personally, I'm getting creeped out by Facebook and seriously considering deactivating my account. I don't claim that Facebook doesn't matter, as David Kirkpatrick accuses Facebook's critics of saying. My problem is the way Mark Zuckerberg makes decisions with my personal information. Zuckerberg has said that everything should be public with your friends . . . and with companies that Facebook can make money with. It seems to me that Zuckerberg has the attitude that once you post stuff on Facebook, it's as much HIS as it is yours. Remember, once you've posted something on Facebook, it's there forever.
Facebook is a good way to keep up with what your friends are doing, but it's so much more than that.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Death of the Web
On the Media was all about IT this week (almost), so I'm splitting the conversation into individual threads. So this one's about the story on "The Death of the Web." (Remember, the Web is different from the internet.) Wired's editor in chief says the Web (& Google) are facing severe challenges. How much of your time do you spend on the World Wide Web compared to the amount of time you spend on phone apps, a wired game console or other dedicated platform?
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Digital Planet 8/13 - Computer Literacy & Paid Bloggers
Have you started listening to Digital Planet yet? (BBC IT Podcast) Does Bill Thompson bug you? Sometimes I think his little commentaries seem gratuitous - as if he has to say SOMETHING to justify his existence on the show. This week however, Bill Thompson hits the nail on the head with two perceptive and important observations.
In the story about MacPaint and the release of its source code by Apple, Thompson says everyone should understand programming basics so the machine doesn't control you. That may be overstating it a bit - I don't think everyone needs to learn to read computer source code - but his central idea is spot on. (A little BBC lingo there.) I took a stab at majoring in computer science at U of M. Weak math skills proved my undoing, but I have written programs in Algol (a now defunct language) and I wrote several programs in good old Apple Basic on my first Apple computer. I'm not a proficient programmer by any means, but I understand the basics of how computers do what they do. It makes the computer less of a magical box to me and helps me troubleshoot when problems come up. Consider automobiles: If a car is just a magical device to you that drives when you turn the key (or press the button) and put it in 'D,' then if there's a problem when you follow your standard sequence, you're done. Call the mechanic. If you understand the basics of how the thing works, you can save yourself a lot of headaches.
The second thing Thompson mentioned related to the story on how some mothers are paid to review movies and other products on their blogs. Thompson latched on to the critical point in the story: paid bloggers won't lie but they won't do bad reviews either. From the book Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, the authors state that the average review on Amazon is 4.3 stars. (Here's a link to a Wall Street Journal article about the phenomenon: http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB125470172872063071.html) People don't write about stuff they're disappointed with or ambivalent about. They write about stuff they HATE or stuff they Like or LOVE. Professional reviewers with professional ethics review everything. Consumer Reports reviews everything and refuses to accept payment or advertising that might bias their reviews. When you read amateur reviews on Amazon or on blogs, take them with a giant grain of salt. As with everything, CONSIDER THE SOURCE.
In the story about MacPaint and the release of its source code by Apple, Thompson says everyone should understand programming basics so the machine doesn't control you. That may be overstating it a bit - I don't think everyone needs to learn to read computer source code - but his central idea is spot on. (A little BBC lingo there.) I took a stab at majoring in computer science at U of M. Weak math skills proved my undoing, but I have written programs in Algol (a now defunct language) and I wrote several programs in good old Apple Basic on my first Apple computer. I'm not a proficient programmer by any means, but I understand the basics of how computers do what they do. It makes the computer less of a magical box to me and helps me troubleshoot when problems come up. Consider automobiles: If a car is just a magical device to you that drives when you turn the key (or press the button) and put it in 'D,' then if there's a problem when you follow your standard sequence, you're done. Call the mechanic. If you understand the basics of how the thing works, you can save yourself a lot of headaches.
The second thing Thompson mentioned related to the story on how some mothers are paid to review movies and other products on their blogs. Thompson latched on to the critical point in the story: paid bloggers won't lie but they won't do bad reviews either. From the book Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, the authors state that the average review on Amazon is 4.3 stars. (Here's a link to a Wall Street Journal article about the phenomenon: http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB125470172872063071.html) People don't write about stuff they're disappointed with or ambivalent about. They write about stuff they HATE or stuff they Like or LOVE. Professional reviewers with professional ethics review everything. Consumer Reports reviews everything and refuses to accept payment or advertising that might bias their reviews. When you read amateur reviews on Amazon or on blogs, take them with a giant grain of salt. As with everything, CONSIDER THE SOURCE.
Monday, August 16, 2010
The Economics of Net Neutrality
One of the podcasts I listen to is NPR's Planet Money. It's an economics-for-dummies podcast that I listen to for pleasure . . . ah, the life of a dweeby history teacher! Anyway, the podcast for last Friday (show #203) was all about Net Neutrality. We're going to be talking about NN a bit this year, but we'll mostly deal with the ethics and technological side of it. Planet Money talks about how it will impact people's lives. It's pretty short - thirteen minutes and change and you can find the archive on NPR and also on iTunes. They open the discussion up on their blog at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/storyComments.php?storyId=129179471&pageNum=1&pPageNum=1. I'm not adding another resource for you to consult, but this is perfectly appropriate. Don't feel the need to chime in on this one yet until we all get up to speed on Net Neutrality & related topics.
Oh, BTW, welcome to Blaire, Shruthi, Dillon and Margery. I think the class is up to ten now - very solid.
Oh, BTW, welcome to Blaire, Shruthi, Dillon and Margery. I think the class is up to ten now - very solid.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Cool Way to Learn Your Times Tables
Okay, I know you all know your times tables, but I'm doing this to get a $15 discount on this software for my daughter. I you know anyone looking for a pretty good game that helps you learn your multiplication tables go www.bigbrainz.com for Timez Attack!
If a Corporation is a Legal Individual, Can You Really Friend Them?
And Kara makes two. Welcome Kara. I'll be sending an email with instructions on the project this week. It's 7-8 pages, but that includes all the assessment criteria. Essentially, you just have to start thinking about how you could solve someone's problem (can't be your problem, though it could be someone else's problem that you happen to share) using digital (computer) technology. Look for the e-mail tomorrow. Until then, enjoy this hilarious (I think) ad campaign FAIL from Bob Garfield, one of the hosts of NPR's On The Media - to which I hope you've subscribed.
Cheers!
Why getting Woody and bribing people won't get you any real friends.
Cheers!
Why getting Woody and bribing people won't get you any real friends.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Welcome Alex!
Okay, Alex Boccia is the first official member of our little ITGS blogosphere. Alex, glad to see you're paying attention. Also, that you have so little going on this summer that you actually signed up for this blog. In your defense, you haven't answered my question yet so your summer can't be too lame.
I'm putting the finishing touches on the ITGS Project Instructions and Deadlines. The project is a major deal for IB diploma candidates, but its only slightly less major a deal for non-IBers such as you, Alex.
Stay tuned to the blog. My activity will pick up in the coming weeks. You still don't have to post anything, but I will be available for questions on the project. Enjoy you last weeks of freedom!!
I'm putting the finishing touches on the ITGS Project Instructions and Deadlines. The project is a major deal for IB diploma candidates, but its only slightly less major a deal for non-IBers such as you, Alex.
Stay tuned to the blog. My activity will pick up in the coming weeks. You still don't have to post anything, but I will be available for questions on the project. Enjoy you last weeks of freedom!!
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