STEVEN CHARLES DODGE: February 2009 Archives

The iPhone has enjoyed a large amount of success all over the world.  Well, everywhere except Japan.  According to Wired.com, the iPhone has struggled to gain any kind of market prompting Japanese cell phone carriers such as SoftBank to give away 8-GB iPhones for free when signing up for a two year contract.  The problem with the iPhone in Japan is due to the high price and the low amount of technological features the iPhone has.  While the price of an iPhone may be high, the technology gap is the most surprising aspect of iPhone's failing popularity.  In Japan, consumers use cell phones to watch television and record videos, which are features the current iPhone lack.  In addition, unlike in the United States, more Japanese consumers use their cell phones as their only computer devices.  For example, check out this video to see how the Japanese use their cell phones as wallets and much more:



To me, I have never understood the need for an iPhone and do not possess the attraction to
Apple's products.  For example, I would not be the ones clapping in this video:



I am not really sure why I don't like Apple, but I know I am definitely a PC guy.  Maybe because of the "superior" view Apple and its loyal customers hold of themselves and the "lesser" view they have of the rest of the world.  Maybe I just like John Hodgman.  I just find it interesting that a culture that has clearly embraced technology has rejected the iPhone, one of the "must have" products of very American consumer.
 

Another THON has come and gone, but THON 09 will always be remembered.  The final total raised for the Blue Diamonds Fund was $7,490,133.87, which is a new record.  The past weekend has been an incredible, awesome, and exhausting experience.  I had a lot of fun throughout the weekend as an OPP committee member, but I will always remember the energy of the last four hours of THON.  The Daily Collegian reported on a moment that occured during Family Hour that was one of my favorite moments of THON 09.  Family Hour occurs during the last 4 hours of THON when the Blue Diamond families are brought up to the stage and some of their stories are shared with the crowd.     
 

During Family Hour Sunday afternoon, Meredith Kirby said since she danced in Thon as a student, she had always wanted to experience it again.

"But I never in my wildest dreams imagined how we would come back to Thon," she said.

When Kirby danced in Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, she didn't think she could make it. Then, the father of a Four Diamonds child said to her, "See that boy over there? That's my son, and he wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for you."

Now, Kirby's experience with Thon has come full circle. Her son was diagnosed with cancer and she returns to Thon as a Four Diamonds mom.

"See this boy? This is my son, Max. He wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for all of you," Kirby said.

Penn State's 46 hour Dance Marathon at the Bryce Jordan Center has just kicked off.  THON is the largest student run philanthropy in the world and raises money annually for the Blue Diamonds Fund, which helps children who have been diagnosed with cancer and their families.  Last year, THON raised $6.6 million.  THON is a Penn State wide effort with 15,000 student volunteers making THON possible along with countless organizations and clubs.  I am fortunate enough to be a part of THON, and I am a member of OPP.  OPP is the stage crew for THON.  To check out what is happening at THON now, check out the live webcast or the THON blog!  FTK! 

On February 12th, 2009, Charles Darwin will turn 200 years old.  Darwin is most famous for his work entitled On the Origin of Species where he set forth the theories of evolution and natural selection.  To this day, there is still controversy about evolution and if it should be taught in schools.  As for me, I fall into the intelligent design camp.  I would like to believe that we were created for something more than just survival and that our creation wasn't all up to chance.  However, I am reminded of a song that addressed this issue by Geoff Moore and the Distance.  Watch out for the extreme flashback to the 90s!

Google has recently released a new application called Google Latitude.  Latitude allows Google users to track where their friends, family, and other Gmail contacts are through using Google Maps.  Google has a YouTube video explaining what Latitude is and how it works:



Google Latitude gets a little too personal for me.  While a user can adjust the privacy settings so that only your general whereabouts are known, Latitude just seems really creepy to me.  If my friends want to know where I am, I would prefer them calling me.  Furthermore, I really don't want Google to know where I am and what I am doing although they probably already know more about me than I want to know.  Despite its privacy concerns, I will admit that the application itself is pretty interesting and could have some useful applications.  For example,  Latitude could be used in emergency situations to identify where people are in relation to the situation and prescribe to those people the best course of action to take.  The question users have to ask is if the benefits are worth the price.  
 

Six more weeks of winter!  Aw right!

This summer a new Batman video game will be coming out called Batman: Arkham Asylum.  The game looks pretty gritty, and the trailer was recently released.  Got to love Mark Hamil and Kevin Conroy back together.

 

The chief executive of the British Library Lynne Brindley believes we are in danger of losing our hyperlinked memory.  The World Wide Web is a very dynamic environment with new websites being created and old websites fading into the abyss.  The most recent example of this environment is the addition of Obama's White House web site but the complete annihilation of George W. Bush's old White House web site.  How can we perserve our online memory?  The British Library is already taking steps cataloging and storing the web content created for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.  However, can we really ctrl+s the entire World Wide Web?  According to worldwidewebsize.com, there are approximately 25.19 billion indexed pages on the World Wide Web.  Brindley brings up an interesting point.  This post will be my 320th post, but in a few years, will my blog entries go the way of former president's web presence?