Technology Themed Thursday! SMARTPHONES

The HTC Dream AKA T-Mobile G1

The first Android phone to hit the market back in 2008

I now have one.

By today's standards, it is nothing particularly special.

But by my own standards, it is amazing.

I got my first cellphone at age 18. A standard LG model. No texting.

Two years later I got my second phone. Standard LG. Unlimited texting. No data.

A little over a year after that I got my third. A Motorola. Standard. Piece of shit.

I got sick of it fast... so I jumped and bought this used phone.
BECAUSE I COULDN'T STAND BEING BEHIND THE TIMES ANYMORE.

It does enough to keep me happy. I still have no data, but I connect to wifi everywhere.

I have Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and whatever other apps.

I also have Game Boy emulators to play some Pokemon on the go (like REALLY on the go).

It lags... but I also haven't rooted it yet (to unlock and put a different interface on).

I just ordered a new case for it. It will be orange and black soon.

And I have the headphone adapter so I can play music in my car.

I like it.

Since then, the iPhone 4 is coming out, Windows has a phone, the G2 is coming out, Sony leaked a Playstation phone, THE 3DS IS SO CLOSE. It's whatev.

I'm still completely lost and drowned in all of the current technology.
But I hold onto other older technologies.
VHS and cassettes, Zip disk, the Virtual Boy....

Vintage. Retro. Classic. Nostalgia.

I have no way to wrap this post up.
I like my phone.

Technology Themed Thursday! TWITTER

I use Twitter, yes I do;

I use Twitter, how 'bout you?

A lot of people use twitter for microblogging or jotting down quick thoughts. A lot of other people use twitter to stay in contact with people and have active conversations. Still more people use twitter to describe every hour of their mundane lives. Some people hate twitter because of that. And some other people don't understand why twitter exists or how it could possibly be important.

Well, I am an advocate of twitter. I occasionally update with very mundane things ("going to class") but oftentimes I use it to talk to people, discover people, and really speak my mind, poetically or not ("Bruised up the ol' writing arm. I'm a pro"). I have complained on twitter and have been told to stop complaining on twitter. But there really is more to the picture than that.

What makes twitter revolutionary is the compatibility with almost any cell phone. If one doesn't have internet access on their phone, they can set options to get updates to and to send updates from one's phone via text message. This makes the spread of information increase tenfold in comparison to television or even web news. As soon as something happens and someone sends a quick tweet, a mass text or notification is sent to anyone following the individual and instantly they possess the same information.

How is this important?

A perfect example is the use of Twitter in Iran about a year ago. Countries like Iran and China have censorship on the kind of information that goes in and out of the country; it is controlled. But when stuff went down and people were demonstrating, what the government would have rather kept a secret, those who were involved or witnessed the event tweeted about it. The truth got out fast and there was nothing the country could have done to stop it.

As I had stated in a previous post, the smartphone is taking over as the number one media outlet. With this kind of instantaneous information going to and from these tiny devices, the information age is changing dramatically. Twitter is a very real reason why newspapers are going under. Television is also struggling as the stations can't get to events or get contacted fast enough to air it. Plus, Twitter information is not controlled by the media outlets agenda. Information comes from real people. That's as close to the truth as you can get.

Before I forget: follow me on Twitter! @sMarlo

Image of Interest Today

"Sent From My Blackberry" by Natalie Dee

I just bought myself a used smartphone. My past three cell phones have all been standard, bottom-of-the-line pieces of work and I was just tired of being at the lowest end of the phone chain. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars on an iPhone that I don't even want, I was lucky enough to have a connection. He had the first Android phone marketed and was willing to sell it for fifty bucks. I've been wanting an Android AND it was a steal. It is a T-Mobile G1 (aka HTC Dream), meaning I can't use it with my AT&T sim card until I unlock the phone. I paid for an unlock code and as of right now, I'm still waiting for it... meaning I've no other cool things to say about my stupid smartphone.

Cell phones, specifically this new breed, are becoming increasingly important in the world of media. Where one has to sit and watch tv from their home or sit in front of their computer to surf the internet from some other room in their home, using a phone can happen anywhere. And with 3- and 4G increasing the speeds of internet to such devices, it has become more and more of a priority for advertisers and content creators to make content appropriate for such a tiny screen. Small screens mean many details are lost in the background, so media has to be simple enough to view but memorable enough to be effective.

And people love their technology. If one could do EVERYTHING from their phone and could just plug in various accessories like screens or speakers to it for television, movies, or internet, that would definitely be the path most would want to take. No need in having multiple possessions. Downsize to a one-size-fits-most model. I definitely see this as the future of the smartphone.

But the problem is that it makes for much more media-saturated lives. It's become bad enough that kids these days don't go out as much but rather stay indoors and play video games all the time. It's bad enough that many people aren't developing the proper social skills due to spending most of their lives on the internet. Having a super smartphone could make you go out into the world more, but how much of it would you really be experiencing without tweeting it or seeing what everyone is doing on Facebook? How often would you watch a sunset instead of a brand new YouTube video?

Then again, everything should be in moderation - but not everyone knows how to exercise that. I think with new technology should come a LOT more education for the masses.

America's Obesity Epidemic is a Direct Fault of Capitalism

And SUGAR is America's number one TRUE enemy.

Why?
Because sugar is what actually makes us fat, not consuming foods with x-amount total fat. Sugar is known for its sweetness, a taste we humans love and crave, but unfortunately, because of the health detriments, it should be avoided as often as possible (because if we eat what we're supposed to, ie fruits, sugars may occur natural in them already... making those natural sugars okay in moderation).

But since we crave the flavour, oftentimes making it an addiction as poor diet brings sweet and salty cravings, companies try to capitalize on it by including it in foods more often. Or, to save more money and gain more profit, they use high fructose corn syrup, an artificial sweetener that is worse than plain table sugar. Other sweeteners include Aspartame, Saccharin, and 'regular' Corn Syrup.

Where does this become a problem? Well, with the gap between higher and lower classes increasing, most people try to save as much money as possible. Cheap foods are the ones that utilize HFCS and sugar the most, while organic foods cost much more. If almost all cheap foods contain some sort of sugar (or even worse, trans fat), and sugar leads to obesity and other health problems, yet we as humans like the taste and can become addicted, and companies decide to take advantage of that... it becomes a vicious circle where the only ones who can get out are the ones willing to look at the labels and spend more money on food.

I mentioned trans fat a little while ago. This is the only type of fat that is 100% bad for you (while other fats serve a function in the body). Why? Because it is man made. Most everything that has been artificially modified when it comes to foods means lower quality food and ultimately health issues. Trans fat is made from hydrogenated or hydrolyzed (or a similar adjective) oils which makes them solid and last longer. The problem with that is our bodies don't know how to deal with the chemically altered fat, making it difficult to process and may cause problems if used in excess. Always look at the ingredients for the hydro- buzz words - the loop hole in nutrition labeling is if the trans fat is less than one gram per serving, the manufacturer does NOT have to include it in the trans fats. Messed up.

I would like to thank my Nutrition class and prof for all of this information. It fuels my fire.
Oh, and watch out for corn [products], too.

The Truth About ME

Many people who know me will tell you I can be really lively, bubbly, funny, smart and just overall great to be around.
Behind the scenes, though, I am very selfish, apathetic, depressed, angry and want to destroy everything around me.
Perhaps the real me is a balance between the two, but so long as I'm the one writing this blog, I'm going to assume everyone identifies me as the negative traits.

Two things I know I have are pride and passion (though usually when I don't need it). I am a Mass Communication major interested in electronic media, meaning I create and edit videos and care about what kind of garbage is being fed to us through television, radio and movies.

This is relevant as the main theme of this blog from here on out is to outline the idiotic injustices we are being subject to in regards to mass media and how we should be aware and stop it.

You know, we can revolt. And there's really no reason why we shouldn't. But usually people don't want to "work that hard" or leave the supposed comfort of what they already have. I understand. Do you think I like to be angry about this stuff? Not in the slightest. But since these feelings will not go away, I will do my best to inform the public and really try to take action instead of sitting around and taking it.

So, if you're wondering, yes, I'm becoming more and more anti-capitalist. Of course, living in such a country as the United States of America, I can't entirely escape the grasp of monetary value, but I can fight it. And I mean fight more in a college and post-college sense and not the whiney high school I-have-no-idea-what-I'm-talking-about sense.
I've been waiting for college to turn me into a pseudo-hipster know-it-all and now here I am. Only I'm going to try to be constructive about it at the same time as complaining.
What am I doing about it now? Well, first of all, I've always been suspicious of advertising and have never gotten into what's exactly 'popular.' Sure, that has roots in teenage rebellion, but I now see what those sorts of things mean. I cannot help what kind of gifts I receive from friends and family, all of which were probably bought from Meijer, but what I can help is what I buy for myself. My favourite store in the entire world is Salvation Army (not that corporate Goodwill poseur). I'm looking into tailoring my own clothes. I'm really interested in becoming a freegan. I could go on.

In short (TL;DR*), I'm a Mass Communication college student, I'm angry with how our society is being run and I'm going to complain about it loud enough for people to hear me. Or, rather, I'm going to present the realities and cross my fingers that people will get angry with me.

Let's start a revolution.

*TL;DR = Too Long; Didn't Read (because, come on, let's be honest)

I can has THREE FAVRIT BLOGS?

Intertube Records

This is my new absolute favourite blog. For those unfamiliar, it is a music themed blog about viral videos which spawned from the original internet meme website: icanhascheezburger. The "Cheezburger Network" has expanded rapidly, with Intertube Records coming onto the scene around August 2010. The site includes creative original pieces from otherwise anonymous YouTube users. Some are 100% original, some are mash ups of popular songs, some are remixes and some are AutoTuned versions of the news. I do not consider any of it popular music (my nemesis) because it isn't backed by money. Pieces that involve popular music are usually satirical or just showcase an individuals skill at making different songs sound good together. My favourite entry from recently is a mash up of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit and Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up. Gold.

Cracked.com columnists

Everything posted on Cracked.com is pure genius (as well as informative). When the contributors get to write about their own experiences in the same sort of style, it gives the overall piece a feeling of connectedness; like they're actually talking to you. One of my recent favourites is called "The Worst Board Game of All Time" written by Seanbaby. He mock plays a game called "The Dr. Laura Game" and answers questions as the stereotypical conservative ex-radio host. Good stuff. They also occasionally review new technologies coming out. They recently threw together an information page about the still-highly secretive Nintendo 3DS with their input mixed in.

Serebii.net Pokemon fansite

I love the videogame called Pokemon. I've been playing it and the sequels since it debuted in the States back in 1998 or so. This fan site updates everyday with information about current games, upcoming games, television shows, manga and everything else Pokemon related in the world. But that's not what makes this a superb fansite. The site also contains detailed information about leveling up, evolutions, moves, secrets, all they way down to the formulaic math used to figure out stats of each individual Pokemon. It is an extremely useful resource. Pokemon is also an extremely community-based game, giving a highly social experience to an otherwise very private medium. This is achieved through the DS's wifi capabilities. You can basically communicate with anyone else in the world with the games.