Pope gets YouTube Channel

The Vatican announced its intention to launch a YouTube channel with videos featuring Pope Benedict. I can't decide if this is brilliant or just bizarre.

On one hand, he's trying. He's trying to reach out and be accessible to as many of his followers as possible. He's trying to reach the younger set, which are falling away from his faith. He's trying to understand the real world.

On the other hand, what would a Pope video look like? Would anyone watch? Would you?

Obama gets to keep is Blackberry

Obama won his most important victory this week. His security detail wanted him to give up his Blackberyy. Obama said, "They'll have to take it out of my hands"

Some of the technical issues that had to be worked out include a hack that can turn on a Blackberry remotely and listen through the microphone. I can see where that would be a concern. They are routing his services through a Whitehouse server to keep this from happening.

A second compromise is that he will only use it to stay connected to his senior staff and a small number a personal friends.

Fact: Obama is the first president to use email!!!

Apple without Jobs

So Steven Jobs is taking a leave of absence from Apple Computers. And the question is, "Can Apple survive without him?" He is a cancer survivor and he stated once that this brush with death made him see how you have to use the time you have to be productive. Many experts feel this is what made him take such a risk on the iPhone. And look how that helped the company!

Plus he has such a cool, hip-geek mannerism that strikes a cord with his audience.

Jobs IS Apple.

Whaz a Wovel

Web + Novel = Wovel

It's an online novel, where each week you read one chapter. You then vote on something that will effect the next chapter, and the author writes it according to the majority vote.

It seems no one reads books anymore because they are spending so much on online. Authors are trying to capitalize on that habit.

Here's more info

Touch Screen Devices

Recently many touch screen devices have been coming out and with their popularity rising what is your view on them? Are you for or against them? For whatever side you support give reasons on your opinion.

TV Transition to Digital Feb 17

What do you know about the nation wide TV transition to digital on Feb. 17. Why is this happening? Who is affected? What do people need to do? What questions do you have and where can you go for answers?

iPhone vs. Instinct

What’s your favorite PDA and why?

Internet Voice and Video Communications

New programs on computers with microphones and cameras allow people to communicate over the world wide web. These programs, such as Skype and many others, have the possibility of completely replacing landline phones as people can not only talk to one another, but actually see the person over a web camera. These programs are readily available, just as microphones and web cameras are. The availability and speed over the internet allow a much more enjoyable and completely free communication experience.

Have you ever used Skype or something similar? Or do you know someone who has? Do you think we will ever have Dick Tracey wrist-watch phones?

Online Actions have Offline Consequences

Here's a couple of stories about things that happened in online environments.

One couple was served legal documents that foreclosed on their house via Facebook. All other ways of contacting them had been exhausted.

Here's a lady who had a Second Life marriage, caught her "husband" cheating, and went to his (real) home and broke his computer.

On the one hand, you want to say "Get a Life!". But on the other, it shows you that there are consequences to your actions, no matter where you are. (I'm also thinking of road rage)

What online communities do you belong (social networks, gaming sites, etc) and have you ever experienced someone acting inappropriately?

Update your profile with a picture

Update your profile with a picture. It can be a picture you take of yourself (serious or goofy), or of something that you like to do, or even of your pets.

Then post your thoughts on internet privacy. What kind of information is ok to post? Were you weary of posting an actual picture of your face or were you very comfortable with it? When looking through your profile settings, did you add your email or your last name. Should you? Did you change your screen name?



Certainly posting your entire name, address, and social security number anywhere is STUPID! But on-line communities will become important to you. Whether it's a social network (facebook, myspace) or a professional network, these work best when there's a certain amount of sharing. What is too much sharing?

Cluster Map Scavenger Hunt

Thank you for visiting our blog! We are studying the power of the internet and blogging. Just visiting our site has registered you on our Cluster Map.




A Cluster Map is a picture of a map with red dots on it representing where people are when they view a website. It lets you see just how far your words are being heard, how "flat" the world is becoming. Please send the link to this post to anyone you wish. Ask them to send it on too. The point is to see how many states, even countries we can get! Then come back here and post a comment about where you sent out your request.

As a token of our appreciation, check out this Christmas Computer Joke.

How much Alice?

Can you believe we only have 2 more weeks of class together? Let's reflect on the use of Alice in our course. Your honest feedback is very important to me. I'm always looking for ways to improve this course.

So this week before winter break, we will learn more on keyboard and mouse events and have an assignment we do partly together and then you will customize it. (Pretty much what we've been doing so far.) The week after our break, you will be given a very open-ended, longer assignment to create a video game.

With that in mind, please take this poll. Then elaborate in a reply.

How much Alice is enough?
	We should have done this all semester
	We're doing about the right amount of it
	It's been fun, but it's not really a programming language
	I'm already tired of it
View Results

Web Poll from Free Website Polls

Videos in Education

So I've been wondering how videos could be used in school. When would they be appropriate. How would it look? How should school change to be more inline with the 21st century?

Think of an assignment you have been given in high school that would have been so much more fun and engaging if you had done a video instead of a paper or powerpoint presentation. Explain.

Or search youtube for something simliar. Here is an example of someone finding the area of a room. It's maybe not all that exciting as a video, but it sure beats creating a posterboard, don't you think? And here's one of some guys trying to understand velocity (but mostly crashing into the sidewalk). Did they learn anything?

What else besides creating videos should school do to make it more relevant to your life????

QR Codes and BilltoMobile

Two recent technologies have really got me to thinking. Read and comment on either below, or go out on a limb a think about what changes this might mean.

1. A web resource called BilltoMobile allows anyone with a cell phone (YES, a basic cell phone works) to be able to charge digital purchases to their cell phone bill via their cell phone. No need to use carry credit online anymore. Just charge purchases to your phone. Read more here.

2. QR Codes (or Quick Response Codes) are 2 dimensional bar codes that can be interpreted by your cell phones camera as a url link. You simply take a picture and your mobile web browser goes to the intended web site. Read more here.

This takes the term "window shopping" to a whole new level. Imagine seeing something you'd like to have, maybe clothes your friend has on or a video game advertised in a magazine. You could just QR the barcode and pay for it with your cell phone. 3 days later it appears in the mailbox!

The Power of Video - Share your favorites

I'm very interested in how people use video to express themselves and how teachers can capture that energy into learning. So I will probably blog several times about video.

But to start things off, let's share our favorite youtube videos. Here's mine: scary cat

Make sure to share one that is of an individual expressing themselves (in a school appropriate way!). I'm not interested in professional ones or music videos, but people willing to let you into their lives, showing their talents and their faults. People being vulnerable. I will be watching them all, so make sure they are squeaky clean!!!

Technical tip: to get your words to be a link (see my "scary cat" text), use the following style in your reply. Use everything BUT the 2 backslashes (\). I had to put it there to keep it from being a link. You must do this for full credit. Feel free to ask me in class or email.

<\a href="http://www.youtube.com/yourvideoURLhere">scary cat<\/a>

What does 3G mean (and other acronyms)

I was wondering what "3G" meant in all the cell phone commercials ("on the worlds fastest 3G network.."). So I googled "define 3G network" and found out that it means "Third Generation". Well that makes since. The First Generation was analog, when people carried around huge bags for their phone. The Second Generation was the switch to digital and smaller and smaller handsets. Now the Third Generation is high speed digital which let's us add internet surfing and broader bandwidths for video

What other acronyms do you wonder about? The computing industry is full of them. The next time you hear some letters, look them up with the "define" keyword in Google and tell us what it means.

Search the net from a cell phone

No, I'm not talking about using a smart phone. You can search the net from any cell phone that has Text Messaging! Simply call or text an organization called ChaCha and someone will do the search for you and TM you back the answer. Give it a try and tell us what you asked and what the answer was.

Call 1-800-2Cha-Cha and speak the question you have or
Text ChaCha (242242) with the question

2-3 mins later, you will receive your answer!

Christmas Gadgets

What gadgets do you want for Christmas? Here's some things I've run across recently that I wouldn't mind finding under my tree:

1. iPod Multi-headphone Splitter - so you and your friends can listen to the same music
2. Digital Picture Frame - just plug in your cameras SD card and it automatically makes a slideshow for your desk or dresser
3. USB FLash Drive with PIN-entry
4. Rear-Window LED scrolling display - so you can send messages to the car behind you
5. Webcams

What other cool things are out there?

Google Maps Street View

Have you played with Google Maps Street View yet? Just look up your address and click on "Street View" and you can "drive" down the street, seeing actual sights! There's even an "inappropriate" button to report things that shouldn't be seen.

Can you imagine the size of disk farm that must house this application? Google has even applied for a patent to put data centers on ships at sea and harvest the energy in waves for power. Truly green power?!

Mosquito Ringtone

Have you heard about the ringtone that is so high pitched adults can't hear it? Go here to listen to it for yourselves. I've been told it is a very high whistle sound, but I don't hear it. Ask your parents to listen and reply on this blog how many of them do and don't hear it.