Nytimes Project

A unique club, like many others that exist in Baruch, the E-Sports Association was an attention grabber for a gamer such as myself. Upon attending their initial meeting I felt an immediate sense of comfort. It was a rather lively meeting, and it was there where I was informed of the clubs’ frequent tournaments. Of course, only the more experienced players would be part of the competition, but I was by no means deterred. After all, this was an in-campus event that I would much rather not miss. As such the day of the tournament arrived, and upon my entry into one of  the many computer labs Baruch has to offer, I witnessed an interesting scene of people socializing and playing the “popular” game League of Legends. It was in this room that I could hear the satisfying clicks of keyboards, the shuffling of mice, and the infrequent creaks of chairs, that I actually felt comfortable. It was not too long after my surprise that I was quickly pushed unto my team. We quickly introduced ourselves and formulated a gameplan to hopefully thwart the enemy team. Alas, we lost, but yet again I was amazed by the immediate reactions of my teammates and opposing team. We all had smiles and discussed thoroughly of the events that occurred in our match. Even when we lost, I still felt satisfied because of the friendly environment the club had to offer. Because of this joyful experience, I would place this as my favorite Bearcat experience.

Senator Klein preparing to introduce the smartphone anti-theft bill.

With companies like Samsung and Apple banging out new phones and updates every few months, it isn’t hard to get your hands on a brand new model just days after its release. That is, of course, if you’re willing to fork over the usual $700+ it usually comes with. For those who aren’t, well, some resort to theft which has been increasing at an alarming rate because of a phone’s resale value. According to Brian X. Chen’s New York Times article, New York State Senator, Jeffrey D. Klein, introduced a bill to counteract this by prohibiting businesses on selling used phones without a receipt showing ownership. Don’t worry, this wouldn’t affect  you if you’re selling your old phone to a friend..unless you’re selling three or more phones. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/17/new-york-lawmaker-pushes-bill-to-thwart-phone-theft/?ref=technology&_r=0

The M.T.A bringing possible innovation to the subway. Allowing wifi access to all mobile devices, this idea would bridge another gap for our devices to be part our daily lives.

In an age of accelerating electronics, we are continually bombarded with new updates, software, firmware, hardware,etc. But, many of these devices, especially cell phones, become useless when they lose service. At that point we lose our connection with friends, family, work,etc. Now you may ask where in our society of constant connection do we lose our technology to the evils of disconnection? That would be the subway. It is here many us are placed in an enviorment of boredom as the subway deprives us of our mobile devices. But, now we may no longer have to suffer through the long train rides, or insufferable annoyances that come with delayed trains , for according to the New York Times article “Wi-fi and Cellphone Service on Subway Trains? M.T.A Leader Says It May Happen,” the M.T.A has formulated a plan to implement wifi service to the underground. Even though this plan is yet affect the whole city, there are already stations that implement wifi for passengers to use. Thus, this technological innovation may allow us to still be in touch with our devices, as well as progress the systematic changes subways are constantly going through to stay in pace with the growing technology of our society.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/18/nyregion/mta-plans-wi-fi-and-phone-service-on-subway-trains.html

A New York Time’s article, “G.E.’s ‘Industrial Internet’ Goes Big,” written by Quentin Hardy explains General Electrics plan to release 14 new products that are “internet-linked.” Working with companies like AT&T, Cisco, and Intel, G.E. wants to use industrial equipment, the internet, and other types of software to “monitor performance and analyze big streams of data.” Hardy’s article can be read: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/g-e-s-industrial-internet-goes-big/?_r=0

In the New York Times article “My Selfie, Myself”, Jenna Wortham explains how taking selfies can be part of an evolution in social media. Applications like Snapchat, Skype, Google Hangout, and Facetime have all played a major role in changing the way we communicate today through visual connection. Wortham’s article can be found here.

It’s up to your own power to protect your privacy.

As seen from Jenna Wortham’s New York Times article “Seeking Online Refuge From Spying Eyes,” Internet users’ privacy is constantly compromised due to online exchanges between websites and the NSA.  Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google are able to track a user’s browsing habits and therefore create maps of people’s personal information and social connections.  Wortham’s article can be read here.