Sunday, May 27, 2012

Facebook Mobile App

Mobile and Connected

The great thing about Facebook is that it keeps evolving. In my opinion, the release of the Facebook mobile app is the main reason that Facebook has been able to evolve and also become increasingly successful. The mobile app allows users to stay connected from almost anywhere. Staying connected is a big element of the Social Age. This mobile app allows users to update statuses, take pics and videos, and post them in real time. The Facebook mobile app could be looked as authentic global media. People can get real news, pictures, and videos from real people and sources all around the world.
Joe Hewitt

Who created the Facebook mobile app?
Joe Hewitt created the Facebook mobile app for the iPhone. He is a software developer who used to work for Facebook and has worked on projects for Firefox as well. Facebook used their online website to promote the Facebook mobile app. Facebook.com is the perfect platform to promote the release of this app because it has the ability to reach a mass audience instantly. 

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Big Mamma's Burritos!!!!

Hello all, 
What have I been doing this past week? Lets just say "Big Mamma's Burritos" has been taking up a lot of my time this past week. Early in the week my group had to put together a viral video and post it on youtube for a group project; I thought of the stomach stuffing idea of doing the "mega mamma challenge" at Big Mamma's Burritos. The challenge is to eat a 5 pound burrito in 20 minutes! Whaaaaaat!?!? Since I am an employee at Big Mamma's Burritos, I felt that I had to try the challenge. I thought this was a great idea, because the video could also be used to promote Big Mamma's Burritos. I ended the weekend with working a very long and busy 8 hour shift (8pm-4am) at Big Mamma's. So much Big Mamma's in my life! The video will better explain the mega mamma challenge: 
You can also find the video at Big Mamma's Burritos Facebook page. 


Sunday, May 13, 2012

New Technology: We can move things with our minds?!?


Check out this video; it is pretty cool!                                                                                                                                  

  • Apparently, this new technology allows the user who is hooked up to the computer program, control things with their mind. I know you are probably saying "what, no way," but it is true; just watch the video and you will get a better sense of what I am talking about. I think that this new invention definitely helps the human connection. While I think that the new invention can help the human connection, I don't believe that it will have a huge impact on our society. 
  • Advantages:
    • Can make for a better, cooler, and more engaging gaming experience.
    • Can allow people to be comfortable in their own home by controlling simple things like lights and blinds.
    • Can allow for persons in wheel chairs to control their wheel chairs with simple facial gestures, making it easier to get around.
  • Disadvantages:
    • This technology could potentially make capable people more lazy; For example, are you too lazy to get up and shut the blinds or turn off the lights? 
    • Awkward looking headset: I feel that most people will not want to where the headset unless they are within the comfort of their home or in private.
  • All in all while I think this technology is cool, I don't think that is going to help humans connect and/or participate more within the world of human communication. I guess I would say that it's just another isolated feature within our technical world. It is not going to help humans connect and participate more, because it does not require any communication with anyone, just a computer program. It would be more useful if this invention could be used to communicate with other humans. 

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Is the human race cooperative and collaborative?

Collaboration, Cooperation, and Open-sourcing

Yesterday in class, we watched a lecture on collaboration and cooperation by Rheingold; in this lecture Rheingold explains that the human race has proved to be collaborative and cooperative through using examples from history and the present. The human race was collaborative and cooperative before civilization came into being; nomads, 1000's of years ago, cooperated and collaborated to hunt bigger game forming a new type of wealth. (Rheingold) The main point that Rheingold makes is that humans use cooperate and collaborate with each other to create higher forms of wealth. Rheingold's idea explains the why human communication has evolved to and resulted in open-sourcing. Open sourcing is the collaborative work of humans to result in a better made service, product, or source of information; for example, Wikipedia and Mozilla. All in all, Wikipedia and Mozilla would have never been created with out cooperation and collaboration between humans.

What do I think about open-sourcing?


I think that open-sourcing is a great idea and has potential to create great services, products, and information sources. Open-sourcing definitely has a place within the computing world and I can see it thriving inside the realm of computing. I do not think that open-sourcing will work within companies or industries where the main goal is to make a profit; I don't think companies driven by money have the time to worry about open-sourcing.

I like my proprietary software companies (Microsoft and Apple). The only open-sourcing software I use is Mozilla and Wikepedia; I tend to not use Mozilla as much because it is always being updated. So I have not yet bought into open-sourcing and I don't know if I ever will.