This class has been one of the most interesting classes I’ve taken at Baruch. I took this class as a filler because I needed to be full-time and I figured since my minor was communications that this would be a good fit. I was right, but not only was it a good fit, I learned quite a lot as well, so here’s my list of what I took away from this class.
1) Mind maps – I knew what mind maps were, but I never used them and never connected with them in any way. Now I feel very comfortable and I know it’s a tool that I can utilize in my other classes and elsewhere.
2) Mindmeister – Yes this is connected to the previous point, but it had to be separate for me. I loved finding out about and using mindmeister, I’ve used different software throughout my school and working life but I love this tool and it’s ability to demonstrate in such a fun and easy way the ideas and connections I wish to present. (This is my biggest take away)
3) Social media/Technology – I use the devices and applications etc which are available but I’ve never thought about how they all connect or the impact they have on myself, my environment and society. It’s interesting to see the connections and I’ve already found myself thinking of how lower transaction costs make my life so much easier and more manageable.
As to having something in addition or different, I wouldn’t change anything. I had fun, I learned a lot and I now know how to use the library a little better, although those stacks are no joke….thanks Professor Francoeur.
Surprisingly or not, we are all pretty much beta testing these days. As a generation of “early adopters” who love trying new technologies and concepts many of us have willing beta tested products…. Google Glass anyone?
This is especially true in the world of applications, we all download apps and use them on a regular basis. The thing is we also pretty much expect that some apps might not be 100% bug free in the beginning and often have no big problems when issues arise because we know an “update” will soon fix the issue. Now think about how we would react if our laptops, phones or even cars had a bug; I’m pretty sure that we would not be as nonchalant or understanding. The thing is many companies, developers etc are aware of this “willingness” to use a product not fully ready for production. They are aware that as as early adopters we love trying the new and little known so we can be the first or among the first to try something new.
According to the attached article companies are making use of this trend and some do not even inform consumers that they are beta testing. Nope they give us tech and we find any problems or issues for them; I guess it can be viewed as a win-win situation as new tech and software get tested and early adopters get to fulfill their need for newer and better.
http://money.cnn.com/2014/05/13/technology/innovation/beta-testing/index.html
Technology has been steadily moving forward for many years, but in the past 2 decades it has grown in leaps and bounds. Take a look at our mobile devices today and their many capabilities, from home computers, to laptops and now to lightweight netbooks and tablets. The huge “boat phones” of yesteryear have been replaced by sleek, small mobile devices that do everything except wash the dishes (that is probably next). Technology has not only grown in the gaming and mobile arenas but also in the medical field. Today doctors can visit patients in remote areas and do tests and body scans with portable devices which help many in under-developed countries.
Recently a new development has arrived in medicine which uses technology in way most would not have predicted beyond sci-fi movies. The technology utilizes one we are all familiar with and that is printing….yes printing but in this case, 3D bio-printing. Combining 3D body scanning with organic inks and thermoplastics, doctors are now able to create replacements for a number of human body parts with this technology. Eyes, skulls, ears, nose and skin are part of the list of replaceable tissue which this bio-printing technology has made possible.
There are quite a few ongoing studies in this field of creating replacement body parts, and the ultimate goal is to create parts which are based on an individual’s own cells thereby reducing rejection issues and and speeding recovery time. However until science allows us to grow or create “backup” body parts, I think this is a great way of helping patients who otherwise would have a difficult and almost impossible task of becoming whole again.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/17/tech/innovation/artificial-eyes-3d-printing-body/index.html
In a case which clearly demonstrates the need to “watch what you say, post or text” online and elsewhere; a man was forced to let his former fiancée keep a $53,000 ring although he had broken off his engagement and asked for the ring back.
An article posted on the Buffalo News website reports that Louis Billittier Jr. broke off his engagement to Christa Clarke his betrothed of 14 months by a text message in 2012. In an attempt to soften the blow Billittier Jr. wrote another text which he would later come to regret. The relevant section of the text read as follows, “Plus you get a $50,000 parting ring. Enough for a down payment on a house.” That text and those words were used as Clark’s defense for keeping the ring which Billittier requested returned after he broke off their engagement. What made this case so interesting is that New York law usually sides with the would-be bridegroom who have the legal right to ask for a ring’s return even if they were responsible for breaking the engagement.
However in the case of Billittier and Clark, Billittier forfeited that right by sending that text which clearly stated that his former fiancée could keep the ring. Supreme Court Justice Russell P. Buscaglia ruled that Clark had the right to keep the ring even though Billittier said that his text was meant to be sarcastic and not a true intent for his jilted ex to keep the ring….the judge however did not buy his story.
http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/state-supreme-court/judge-rules-jilted-woman-can-keep-53000-diamond-engagement-ring-20140405
This video was extremely enlightening at least for me. I’ve liked videos, articles and posts I came across online in the past and recently. Sometimes I share them or post them on my Face Book account so my friends can access them. I’ve never thought more of it beyond just showing what I think is entertaining or funny, but now after seeing this video I have a different “appreciation” for how my opinion is used.
To me in the end the winners of Generation Like are the marketing companies and manufacturers etc (adults). The kids get something out of it I guess, but its almost like regurgitated desires and wants anyway, because by participating in the “game” of likes, re-tweets, shares, etc they are just telling adults what to give them or do to make them happy. The seemingly massive movement of kids online seeking validation and “fame” is actually disturbing to me. It seems that nothing much is left untapped in their desire to gain likes etc. The 13 year old Steven Fernandez started doing skate videos but went further by making videos involving scantily clad women and lewd behavior. It might seem to many that the videos are funny and some of Steven’s videos are “harmless” fun but some are not and a 13 year kid making and posting those kinds of videos seems less than funny to me. What then becomes his limit, how far is he willing to go to gain more likes?
Of course there are positives such as teens or former teens creating new opportunities using social media and helping to turn the old mode of Marketer > Consumer on its ear. I also like that it provides another option for new artists to gain fans which in turn can be leveraged into deals and sponsorships. It’s refreshing to see that kids have some power to shape the way marketers and manufacturers put out content, but at the same time I worry about the fact that what they think is spontaneous and driven by them is actually “engineered” to seem that way.
Generation Like seems to be caught in a loop as noted in the video but is the loop good for them or for the adults? It seems to me that a lot of kids are “working” for free in the hopes of gaining seemingly instant fame. Many, many more are doing so for the chance that same celebrity will respond and make them famous by association. I think too much potential danger or harm exists in this kind of behavior and I worry about predators and other dangerous people on the internet who can use these forums to lure or harm kids. I also worry about the less than confident kids who seek validation and get depressed etc by a lack of “likes”. How is all of this affecting them? I like the idea of letting others know what we “like”, but attaching so much meaning to it is a little overboard in my opinion. (I might just be showing my age here)
Watts and Strogatz cited 27 references in their study which were spread across such subjects as math, natural science including ecology and psychology. They themselves were cited a total of 8,749 times and those citations were mostly concentrated in the fields of physics followed by math and computer. The top 3 authors citing Watts and Strogatz’s work were Cheng GR (1.116 %), Wang BH (1.043 %) and Zhou T (0.999 %).
The areas utilizing the most citations for this work is the field of physics (46.872 %) which is almost half of the total results. The next two largest fields are computer science (14.244 %) followed by math (10.382 %). Over the years and up until 2013 the pattern of citations has shown a continuous upward trend which shows that this study is still highly relevant and useful even today.
Hi all,
On Thursday April 3rd there will be a fundraising event in the Multi-Purpose Room VC Building from 6 – 10pm. This fundraiser is in aid of a multi-class sustainable project which aims to help people re-think their relationship with food, food access and also bringing healthy organic produce to Baruch College and Corona, Queens. This project aims to fulfill its goal through the form of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) i.e. a farmers market setup for members of the CSA.
I would like to invite everyone to come out (pass the word) and support a really great cause because education is the key to making a difference in how we think about what we put into our bodies. Besides there’s going to be really great food and a DJ….. what more can you ask for 🙂
Please see the attached flyer!
Food Fest Flyer1
A few classes ago Professor Francoeur spoke about microfiche a throwback technology which was all the rage a few decades past. Fast forward 20+ years and microfiche now seems antiquated and unnecessary; so too have many devices and systems which seemed the wave of the future 25 years ago. From VCRs and VHS tapes, Walkman and Atari games… Game Boy anyone? Technology has evolved in leaps and bounds, and in more ways than many of us who grew up in the era of cassette tapes and CRT TV would have ever expected. (Hey Professor, do you remember typing CLR to clear your screen 🙂
I was lucky enough to experience the changes which have occurred over the past few decades and I can admit that I have had a Care Bear portable radio (imagine a radio in the shape of a Care Bear… no cassette; it just played whatever the tuner picked up.) I had a Walkman portable cassette player, and then I felt like the coolest kid when I got a portable CD player (with anti-shock, thank you), later I got a mini disc player which didn’t catch on as much I thought it would and then… nothing
For a long time when mp3 players came on the market I refused to get one because I thought that every year I would be getting something else, so I wanted to wait and see what would “catch on.” Eventually I got a generic player and I was ok with it, then Apple introduced the IPod and they were everywhere. It was almost $400 for a little tiny device that I just knew I would lose or drop and $400 would be down the drain and I refused to get one even though I was dying to. In 2008 I quit my job to move to the US and as a thank you/going away gift my company gave me an 80GB IPod Classic along with a Philips portable DVD player and IPod dock. I was in heaven; I was hooked on the Apple train…. there was no going back. Today I can laugh at my experiences; I would have never thought that a $300 device would become an everyday accessory and such a huge part of our lives. So in honor of my life…..then to now, here are some of my electronic experiences in pictures.
On March 25 popular internet social website Facebook announced that it was buying Oculus the manufacturer of a publicly unreleased but apparently highly anticipated device called the “Oculus Rift.” The device would allow users to completely immerse themselves in a game and early adopters and beta-testers are spreading the word and singing its praises.
With the internet and social media often getting “flak” for encouraging obesity, causing people to cut themselves off from the world, and a host of other “evils” what do you think of this new technology and how it will or will not affect society?
On Sunday March 2nd, the host of the 86th Oscars Ellen Degeneres took a group selfie and posted it to the internet. That photo as of March 4th has been retweeted more than 2.5 million times. That is more than 3 times the previous record holding 777,000 retweets of President Obama’s inaugural hug with his wife Michelle. Degeneres’ photo has far surpassed any old records and set a high bar for others to follow.
This seems like a fun and entertaining record, but in light of current world events doesn’t it seem a bit frivolous and uncaring to retweet a photo of celebrities at an expensive event where attendees are given gift bags worth $80,000? With so much different news happening in the world why does a photo of multiple celebrities garner so much attention from internet users and the media. Russia has invaded Ukraine, the Oscar Pistorius murder trial is about to start and North Korea is firing scud missiles on the eve of joint exercises between the U.S and South Korea and that’s just to start. There is so much occurring or developing in the world yet a snapshot of actors garners more attention and sharing than poor, hungry orphaned kids in Africa. Does this mean there is an inherent downside to all of the access we have through the internet or are internet users just unwilling to face or share bad news or more serious matters.
Dr. Bernard is a professor at Baruch College and is an expert in Black and Latino studies, Women’s Studies and Food Studies. She has written many articles in various publications and has written a book “Black and Brown Waves: The Cultural Politics of Young Women of Color and Feminism.”
She is very vocal about food access in poor neighborhoods and how food and the lack of it can affect communities.
When I think of the library I think of eBooks (overdrive, Kindle). Since the public libraries introduced eBooks it has saved me trips to the library and money because I don’t incur late fees and I buy a lot less books. It also helps me to find new authors because I can read/sample an entire book instead of only a chapter or two.
Comments:
"I am a person who loves convenience, I hate banks, lines, and other tedious time consuming stuff. I bank online, I pay my bills online, I shop and pretty much live online and yes that includes paying from my phone.
I think that the technology is pretty safe and I take steps to protect myself such as using very good passwords, changing them often and I use password locks on my phones to prevent any unwanted access. I also clear my cache regularly and require codes to do stuff like online banking which also helps prevent unwanted access.
I like the convenience of doing what needs to be done on the go, at the bus stop, on the train (not underground obviously). I think that anyone who wishes to make use of this technology should read up on safety issues and ways to protect themselves online.
Many companies like Visa have online codes which you set up on your credit card so that when you shop online you just enter a unique code which you create before each transaction. This prevents anyone from using your info without your permission and even the merchant will only see a created number not your real credit card number. Otherwise I say go for it, just be safe."
posted on May 15, 2014, on the post Payment Apps"This is such a "to each his own" topic, and really it's up to each person to decide how they wish to handle getting/retrieving a lost phone.
However in my opinion just because the technology exists to tell us where our lost/stolen item is, I don't think anyone should rush in without thought. Telling us where an item is located does not tell us if it is safe or not. Also keep in mind the person(s) who steals a phone or other electronic device would not wish to willing give it up as that proves guilt just like the story in Shirky's book. The bottom line is, I think the authorities should be involved to avoid any issues or potentially dangerous situations."
posted on May 15, 2014, on the post Smartphone Dangers"As technology changes consumers and providers change as well. Many people got fed up with cable and found other ways of watching tv so online streaming became huge. Cable companies have lost customers who dropped home phone service and so called bundles and so they have to make their money some way or the other.
If service providers switch to a fully pay as you use service, I believe that some other technology will arise to get around that. Almost everything we use today was developed to "fix" or satisfy a need or want. As the saying goes, very action requires an equal or opposite reaction."
posted on May 15, 2014, on the post Cable Companies Charging by Usage"This sounds like a great idea on the surface and we all know that there are a lot of bad drivers on the road......and that is the problem. Like the original post asks, what the other drivers?
If we assume that this tchnology hits the market soon, we can also assume it will be expensive so maybe 1 in every 1000 cars for example might have this technology. Can the technology account for the cars without this technology and their drivers? What about drivers under the influence and would the technology be "on" all the time or would the driver be able to disengage it? There are many factors I can think about off the top my head and they bring too many variables so I would be worried.... but it still sounds cool, a self driving car."
posted on May 15, 2014, on the post The Crash-Proof Car"Finally something I can relate to.....I love technology, I love my iPad, iPod, Kindle, Samsung S5 I'd feel a little put out without them (ok a lot) however I totally agree with the sentiments of this post. It's so rude to sit at a table with others and constantly take calls or answer texts, unless you are the leader of the free world give it a rest.
All of these technologies and devices are tools to help us, not hinder us from connecting in real life settings and trust me they can hinder. The trick is to learn balance and some etiquette wouldn't hurt either. As to kids and devices, it burns me when I see a kid with an iPhone etc, they don't know the value of it and I think it starts them on a road of bad habits if not carefully monitored. As I said these devices are tools and should be treated as such, not as extensions of us."
posted on May 14, 2014, on the post We are not as social as we think?"I think that the idea of some type of muting or a time-out switch is a great idea. It is nice to see done updates and it is often how I "catch up" so to speak on what and how my friends and colleagues are doing. However there are some people who constantly update every day, every hour on what they eat, wear, etc etc..... that is beyond ridiculous and totally unnecessary. No one wants to know every aspect of anyone else's life at least not me and I don't wish to unfriend anyone on my list because I don't have a large list (intentionally) and I do like my friends so I wouldn't want to offend them.
I would like however to "mute" them for a bit, and I think this idea should be immediately adopted my other social media sites. This could also work in an office setting as well, chatty co-worker....mute for 30 minute intervals :-)"
posted on May 14, 2014, on the post Don’t block your friends, just ‘mute’ them."I like the idea of this new material, the potential uses are almost boundless and its inherent strength and pliability makes it truly a marvel. I'm confused however as why it just sat around all of these years without being put into use. It makes me also wonder what other creations are just sitting around a lab waiting for someone to figure out a use for them .....maybe we can try the Linux model and let the world "figure it out."
Also this material might help in the medical field, it's pliability and strength could have great use in machines and areas like prosthesis. The question is though, is it biodegradable?"
posted on Apr 17, 2014, on the post Graphene: The Material of the Year"Ok here is where I give my opinion of such news....
Honestly forget the bible, forget science and concentrate on what is listed on your's and my birth certificates as defined by society and humanity. On any birth certificate anywhere in the world there are two (2) options: Male or Female, that's it no other choices!
We are born either of 2 genders (unless a hermaphrodite, and that's a whole a whole other topic) What we choose to identify ourselves as after birth is personal, but jeez why is FB and other such sites making things so complicated. Can you imagine young kids in primary school commenting, "my best friend is a cisgender female" or "I'm male, she's female and that's a gender non-conforming person." Or imagine the forms for passports, college applications, job applications etc all being revamped to reflect these changes. I am all for individual expression, but I think that we are heading into a potentially murky area which should be better defined before being unleashed on the public and creating even more confusion in the already charged situation of gender biases."
posted on Feb 19, 2014, on the post Facebook Expands Gender Choice Options"I absolutely agree with you on the things which are shared on the internet. I am proud to say I grew up when the internet was still new, I remember being in high school and getting my first "hotmail" account and using messenger when everyone knew messenger was only on MSN.
I think of myself as pretty open-minded but I'm honestly flabbergasted by some of the things I come across on YouTube and other such sites. I use FB and Hi5 and the postings I sometimes see are incredible. How do people put all of their personal business, their no-one-needs-to-know-this, WTMI stuff out there for the world to see without thinking of the kinds of people (colleagues, teachers, neighbors, kids, kids friends etc) who can potentially see their postings?
I think people out there need to think about what they post, stop and think before hitting that publish/post button. The internet is available for everyone without much if any censorship, which is why as users we should really censor ourselves by thinking about how others might receive/perceive our posts."
posted on Feb 19, 2014, on the post Too much sharing?"I read everything, I love books which contain a bit of fantasy or magic. I also love thrillers, contemporary romances and adventure novels; I'm not a fan of non-fiction or autobiographies. I don't think anything is wrong with those types of books, it's just that reading is my "escape" and I would prefer not to mar my escape with reality and all the crazy things in the world."
posted on Jan 30, 2014, on the post Library = free books
