Posts

The Grand Finale

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     Technology is here to stay, so we might as well make the most of it.  Right?  But how does one accomplish this?  From history, we have seen the evolution of technology in regards to music, television, gaming, and computing systems.  Just like everything in this current world, technology should be treated with respect.   "If we continue to develop out technology without wisdom or prudence, out servant may prove to be our executioner." ~ Omar Bradley (General, US Army) (Szczerba, 2022).      I think that this a very important point, making something that can make the lives of its users easier so that they have the time to enjoy hobbies and their family.  However, pushing technology too far could have devastating results.        This scene from I, Robot, the robots realized that humanity needed either a 'babysitter' or death.  They killed anyone or thing that could protect humans from...

Music... for everyone

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       Everyone loves music right?  Well it wasn't the best industry to be a part of, especially if you were a the artist.  You had to sign contracts that gave you no rights to your music, or that had you worked grueling hours just to feed your family.  These contracts were predatory, where only the management companies would come out financially on top.  Take TLC for example, they had to file Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in 1995, due to not making any money after debuting.  Even after winning two Grammys.  They accumulated debts they were unable to pay because of the contract they signed with LaFace and Pebbitone, they only saw 1% of their earned revenue (Rodgers, 2023).                   With technological advancement, now anyone can be an artist.  One of my friend's students released a track on SoundCloud (that was until he got embarrassed after his roommate shared that information with ...

I can make movies.... myself?!?!

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Have you ever seen this device? Maybe Maybe Not      But I know you've never used a machine such as this. This is the upright Moviola  that film makers used to edit originally.  The process included taking film negatives, cutting them and taping or gluing the pieces together.  Editors had to be extremely skilled and proficient, making a mistake would require a new positive print, costing money and time of production and could lead to the destruction of the negative.  Below is a video on the process of cutting and splicing a movie together.  This process was just not 'it'.   Using a Moviola video.     Now after a little self-study or a free/paid course you can learn how to edit video using a computer and editing programs such as Media Composer, Final Cut Pro X, Premiere Pro, etc.  AS long as you back up your films or your computer doesn't explode you don't have to worry about needing reprints or risking damage to the...

Wow! That was fast!

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     T he speed at which we receive information has grown exponentially since the advancement of technology.  In the 'olden' times, information was only received when watching the news, listening to the radio, or reading a newspaper.  Or the earlier method was the good ole word of mouth (Martin & Copeland, 2003).  People had storytellers who would share the details of events to all interested parties.  However, as technology progressed so did the inventive ways that information is shared.        T echnology has turned the entire world into storytellers.  Now anyone can turn on their camera (actual or phone's camera) and share information.  Now people don't have to wait for the nightly news to find out about a new panda being born after fifty years or some tragedy taking place.  People are able to record events on their devices (phones, tablets, cameras, etc.) and share that content instantly with the world....

Reliance on Technology is making you a target??

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     Everywhere you see there are talks about how great the advancement in technology is for the people and worldwide.  However, no one ever talks about how technology could be creating more issues for people than they need.  With the introduction of AIM, many bored children (my sister and I were among them) went into chat rooms talking to strangers at all hours of the day.  Because many were young and didn't think of the dangers, many gave away information that shouldn't have been shared or even met up with the people they were talking to.  Online chats allow anyone to be whoever they want to be.  Online chats are what gave birth to shows like To Catch a Predator (TCAP) and Takedown with Chris Hansen.   TCAP - Offenders  a page of all the adults who were caught and charged with attempting to be inappropriate with minors on the internet.  In TCAP's case, the advancement of technology assisted in capturing these individuals....

How do I consume this?

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 In my youth, I was an AVID reader.  I would check out three to five books at a time and be done with them before the week ended.  To accomplish this I would hide in the bathroom (it was the closest to my room) and read.... until my mother would catch me.  Same with learning a new skill, I would acquire a book and learn how to do the task.  Of course, you had to hope that the book you wanted was available at that library.  Insert technological advancements.  With the help of online reading applications such as Amazon Kindle and websites like  Z Library , hundreds of books and manuals are at your disposal instantly.  Digital books and manuals take up less space than physical books, and with PRIME most of the time, you don't have to pay to read.  Figuring out how to operate the Kindle is simple, as when you purchase the book on Amazon, you select the device you want the book delivered to and it's ready to read.  Z Library there are se...

Do I really need to learn this?

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A look into the future and operating technologies...      Imagine all your life you wrote your thoughts and communications with fancy and paper and quill.  Everything that was produced was personalized and unique to not only the person writing the letter but also to the recipient.  Pen strokes had meaning as well as the elaboration of the words utilized.  For this to work all you had to know was how to read and write, even then if you couldn't do either or both, you could hire someone to do it for you.   “Letters also usually disclose a person’s thoughts and feelings at some level, like ‘I was excited to see you last month,’ or ‘This is how I’m thinking about a situation,’” Sara Algoe said (Jared, 2023). THEN BOOM!!      It's no longer possible to communicate how expressively as society was once able to with the introduction of writing technologies.  Typewriters are similar to handwritten messages once a mistake was made, ...