SCD IST 110H

Because Penn State has upgraded the blogging system, I have to move to a new blog. Please follow the following link to visit my new blog.

According to a recent article in BBC News, Americans are turning to online videos for entertainment due to the WGA strike. According to Pew Internet nearly half (48%) of US net users visited a video sharing site during 2007. On a typical day, some 15% were either watching or posting video. Men are slightly more likely to use a video-sharing site than women - 53% compared to 43%, but it is the young who are really driving the increase with 70% of people under 30 using such sites.

Video sharing sites sure are booming.......

Move over YouTube, here comes GodTube! Here is GodTube's Mission Statement:

Join World's largest online Christian community. Watch, share upload Christian videos and join the social network for free!

Personally, I think that GodTube is a pretty cool idea. I like listening to Christian Rock, and music videos are often hard to find. However, there are a lot of music videos on GodTube, and some of them are homemade. Check out this music video of Awakening by my favorite band Switchfoot:

In a recent article in Computer World, the top ten personal tech trends of 2008 are given. Here they are:

1. The year of flash-based superportables

2. The year of free Internet access

3. The year of the home robot

4. The year of hyperconnectivity

5. The year of multi-touch

6. The year of location, location, location

7. The year of reading on-screen

8. The year of social everything

9. The year of haptic feedback

10. The year of cell phone TV

It seems as though the trends started by Apple's iPhone and Amazon's Kindle in 2007 will continue and become more intelligent, social, cheap, mobile and wireless.

In a recent article in Forbes, Panasonic has revealed the world's largest television. The television is a 150 inch plasma television that has a 8.84 million pixel image resolution. Its screen is the equivalent of nine 50-inch sets, with an effective viewing area of 11 feet, the company said. It's a step up from Panasonic's 103-inch version, which cost $70,000 when it launched. The company did not say in a news release how much the 150-inch panel will cost.

All I can say is whoa! That is one giant television. In addition to being large, the television along with other televisions sold by Panasonic will be Internet-enabled to directly bring videos from Google's YouTube. I can't imagine spending $100,000 on just a television. This television from Panasonic reminds me of the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451 envisions a future where televisions are as big as walls and hold its viewers captive through shallow shows. Although I do not think our future is headed towards this dystopia, you never know.

According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, PCs are valuing style more than they used to. During the 30 year history of the PC industry, only recently has style become an issue of concern. The substance of stronger and faster took precedence, but with market shares slipping to companies with fashion sense such as Apple, the industry is getting a make over. The evidence:

At the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show, during a keynote speech by Chairman Bill Gates, Microsoft will hold a PC "fashion show" with judges -- including Nigel Barker of "America's Next Top Model" -- to size up various machines and pick three winning designs.

From watching Dell's latest ad campaign, style is becoming more of a focus.

Will Dell be pretty? Probably, but I really do not care all that much about appearances. I care about dependability and being able to do the things I need to on my PC. To me, a PC is like a car. As long as it gets you from point A to point B, everything is well and good in the world. Although, this section of the article did tingle my fashion sense:

Lenovo's Mr. Hill says this fall he spent a day poring over designs at North Carolina car dealerships with a photo-snapping designer from Japan. They checked out new Corvettes and classic muscle cars like the 1965 Pontiac GTO. Mr. Hill has also taken the head of Lenovo's Beijing design group to inspect a version of the Batmobile, he says.

Now that is hot!

This article also reminded me of an Onion Radio News bulletin.

According to search results compiled to Google, the most popular What is question of 2007 was what is love. The who is question was who is God. The how to question was how to kiss. The iPhone took top billing as the most popular search term.

I find these results to be very interesting. It reminds me of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy with the computer designed to solve the meaning of life. Although Google does not have that answer yet, when Google does figure out the meaning of life, I hope the answer is more than 42.

YouTube makes headlines again on ESPN. Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors, a NBA franchise, has made a YouTube video urging viewers to vote for him in the All-Star game this year in New Orleans. The NBA All-Star team is voted on by the fans.

I think that Bosh is using the system well. By advertising himself, not only will he probably receive a trip to New Orleans but also will cash in on a clause in his contract. Smart thinking by Mr. Bosh.

I was just looking around YouTube, and I finally understand a joke on The Simpsons. On YouTube, there is this guy named Noah who takes a picture of himself everyday for 2356 days and puts it to music. This video has 7 million views!

Now, check out The Simpsons spoof. That must be pretty cool to have your YouTube video spoofed by The Simpsons.

In a recent article in Reuters, Generation Y, people 18 to 30 years old, are the largest segment of the US population that go to libraries. While a survey has indicated that 53 percent of US adults have visited a library in 2007, the technology addicted Generation Y has visited libraries the most. Sixty percent of all of the libraries visitors used the computers and went on the Internet. According to the article, libraries are considered to be meeting places in some communities and libraries have moved into the virtual world through Second Life and virtual homework help.

I found this survey to be very interesting. I can say that I am member of Generation Y who goes to the library. Whether it was in high school or now in college, I usually can be found in the library at least once a week either studying, searching for information, or just surfing the net. In the summer, I go to my community library for some summer reading. I like going to libraries because it is a place focused on learning. In fact, here is a poster I purchased from the ALA that proudly hangs above my dorm room bed: