Okay, so here is another blog that I really want to promote. Ashley Morgan, the blogger behind Upstart Blogger is also one of the musicians behind this awesome blog called Big Arena Records. This is really a great project that these three have going and I really think that you should take the time to stop by.
In the last post, you probably read about how the man behind Upstart Blogger is giving away a domain name to one lucky blogger, but I completely forgot to explain what Upstart Blogger is. Upstart Blogger is basically an ever changing blogging handbook. From advise to the latest blogging news, Upstart Blogger has it all. Upstart Blogger even has giveaways almost every month that really benefit up and coming bloggers. So definitely stop by when you have some extra time.
It has been way too long since I last wrote here. I’m not gonna lie, life has been pretty hectic, but I think I am able to finally devote some serious time to what I want to do here. To kick off my rejuvenation of this blog, I am reporting on an amazing giveaway that is being put on by the very man who helped me get this blog started. Ashley Morgan from Upstart Blogger is giving away an established five letter domain name to one lucky blogger. I’ve got my fingers crossed, but either way, this is a great opportunity for someone.
Ask.com is the derivative of the once mildly entertaining Askjeeves.com. There was once a butler who seemed to have infinite knowledge. Those days are now gone. Not only is the butler gone, but soon the answers will be too. While Google has taken over the internet search market, small-time engines like Ask.com pay the price. There is no way for them to compete with such an awesome search engine.
After laying of about 40 employees, Ask.com has announced that it will be heading in a new direction. Discovering the fact that competing with Google requires a lot more than just a fancy butler mascot, Ask has decided to try and narrow its target audience. What used to be a search engine for those who couldn’t help but ask a question is now becoming a life issue search engine for middle-aged stay-at-home mothers. While the switch seems a bit extreme at first, it is too early to determine the outcome of this turn-around.
While Ask.com will be missed as the go-to search engine when Google and Yahoo fell short, hopefully it will come out on top and really provide a service for the women of the world.
It’s once again time to say good bye to one of the pioneers in the technology industry. While there are some goodbyes that need to happen, there are others that don’t. Polaroid has just announced that after nearly 60 years of instant photography, it will be closing its factories around the world and hanging up the hat of instant photography.
Apparently the company thought it was time for Polaroid to close, because Lord knows that nobody wants it too. Even people who don’t normally use Polaroids enjoy seeing them used when they happen to see them. But the people that this decision is really are obviously the people who still use them on a regular basis.
Polaroid cameras have, over the years, come to be used in many different fields of work. While some of these professions have discontinued use of the cameras, replacing them with digital, there are others that still very much rely on the swift return of the Polaroid camera. Medicine is once such profession that is still able to find a use for the cameras, stating that there are no alternatives. Doctors often use the film with a grid on it to measure scars and track the shrinkage over time.
Despite the fact that Polaroid is closing down, there are many customers that don’t intend to stop shooting with their cameras. Stock piles of film have been bought around the country with one man spending as much as $800, leaving him enough film for 800 pictures. While not an endless supply, he won’t be running out any time soon.
While the age of the Polaroid is over, many of us will never forget the impact that those cameras had on our lives. Most of us have memories of taking pictures and then the minute of shaking afterwards. The excitement of seeing your picture immediately after taking it was overwhelming. Polaroid, your instant photograph cameras will be missed.
Today, the UK discussed enforcing a ban on illegal music and video downloading from the internet. As it stands right now, there is no real law in place to prevent such actions; this allows some 6 million people to continue downloading from sites that end in “.uk” without fear of prosecution.
One of the many issues that has come about because of the internet is the illegal downloading of both music and then later movies. People don’t seem to think that when they download from the internet, they are stealing. When in actuality, taking a movie from a store without paying for it is really no different. It is all stealing.
And while I said originally that it was movies and music, I really actually mean anything that can be put on the internet for other people to download. Computer programs are becoming a major download on the internet, and most of them are illegal. In some cases, this is worse. While movies and music usually don’t cost more than $10-20, some computer programs cost upwards of $1,000.
I know that if the UK passes the anti-illegal downloading laws, there will be a massive sigh of disappointment, heard probably around the world. But I really don’t understand why. Why do people feel they have the right to steal from other people? That logic just doesn’t make sense to me.
The awesomeness that is Google has just taken itself to a whole new level. The once simple search engine has made some serious improvements over the past years, but now the people at Google are taking another giant leap. Apparently the confines of the internet has come to bore Google; there are so many other avenues that have not even been traversed, and Google intends to stake claim to them.
Currently, Google has recently announced its release of its new operating system for cell phones. While this feature will not be released to all types of phones, there is a decent selection of them to choose from. Google really is trying to broaden its horizons and take a step out of the box. But something about the way they do it doesn’t bother me like the way Microsoft does it…Oh wait, they don’t try to monopolize every industry they enter.
Can we, for a moment, just take a step back in time…back to a time before the ps2 and before the xbox, gamecube, and the wii. As I sit here at my desk in my dorm room I notice something in the corner. It is neither big nor flashy, hi definition or hi speed, but rather, it is a Gameboy. Now the one sitting in my room is a Gameboy Advance, but it sparks the memories of a time before the games of today. There was once a time when it was cool to have the limited edition Ice Blue Gameboy Pocket. But there mere lack of advanced graphics and sound did not cause a lack of excellent gaming.
Don’t misinterpret what my point is here, I am not at all against the new games that have hit the market. In fact, I love most of them. I am merely having a nostalgic moment in which I remember how even the simplest of games which, when compared to games of today were just moving pixels, could entertain for hours, making even the longest of trips seem like mere seconds.
Gaming really has taken giant leaps in just about every aspect of the industry, and I applaud them for that. It’s just fun to compare what once was to what currently is every once in a while.
In an article from the BBC, the online community Myspace.com is talking about making some serious changes. And if they ever want my business again, these changes better come fast. However, the types of changes that are taking place might make people who could be quoted as saying “Facebook is a Myspace wannabe” really want to eat their words.
Myspace has announced that it is going to make a special platform for programmers. By doing this, Myspace hopes to be able to add applications to the profiles of its members. Sound familiar? Oh right, Facebook already has that. Facebook enacted the same plan about a year ago with impressive success. A whopping 15,000 programmers have signed up for their program and introduced applications into the Facebook community. It will be interesting to see where Myspace takes this program, and one would hope that they take it in a different direction instead of just copying line for line what has already been done.
Even so, I’m not quite sure if this step is enough to save Myspace from the wiles of the idiotic and perverted people that one can find lurking around the website. I feel like Myspace has run its course. The BBC mentioned the fact that Facebook’s 60 million members has yet to match the 200 million members that Myspace has accumulated. While this statistic is impressive at first glance, it brings up the question of active members. There are plenty of profiles on both Myspace and Facebook that have not be logged into since their day of creation. And while both sides do in fact have inactive members, Myspace most definitely has a greater percentage of them.
What Myspace really needs is more security. This once booming online community has become just another means for computers with web security programs to access porn. Instead of spending millions on petty programs, if Myspace once again wants to be taken seriously, a basic reform needs to take place.
Despite all of the other necessities that a college student may require, a knowledge of the latest and greatest is probably the most important. This knowledge can span from technology to international relations, but students need to be able to keep up with the world. College seems like a bubble at times; some students no longer have TVs in their rooms for easy access to the nightly news. However, this is no reason for students to fall behind, especially in the technology department. College students are the next generation of employees and bosses, and they need to keep up with the latest technology in order to stay ahead of the competition. Thus the age of techno-news blogging here at dontsaynothing.com has begun.