New Technology

   In the words of Squidward from Spongebob Squarepants, "FUUUUTURE."


    We're all worried about it. Grades, graduation, babies, relationships, work, lack of work, car, payments bills. This is most definitely a non-exhausted list and even with this abbreviated list of possible future events we can feel overwhelmed and intimidated. Obviously there are a lot of things to have hope about and look forward to in the future but sometimes it can be scary. However, amid all of those major life events and decision we will move into the future with some pretty awesome technological advances working their way into our lives and hopefully will make those large decision easier, smoother, or more realistic just because of technologies addition to the equation.


   One very specific technology that I want to mention is bendable screens! What!? A screen that bends? Yes. LG has released recently their innovation of screens that bend.

These screens can bend up, down, left, right and basically act like a piece of paper with a little more limited flexibility. The image on the screen are intense and very much high quality and bend with the screen almost flawlessly.
   One comparison used in an article by Lisa Eadicicco is that of a newspaper-like ability to bend. But I don't think this is its real potential. And it sounds expensive for newspaper route boys to toss a bunch of bendable screen around their neighborhood every morning. Of course, Lisa isn't implying they will take the place of newspapers but I don't think they will either.

   My prediction is they will be used on your forearm to use as a personal computer and/or cell phone. They will attach like a bracelet only bigger. They will connect to wi-fi and network data to allow you the ability to walk and use your arm as your personal little social media home. You could potentially get multiple that would connect to each other and you track heart rate, blood pressure, all sorts of medical readings constantly throughout the day and it wouldn't even bother you because since it will just be flat and attached to you. They would look like those shooting sleeves that basketball players wear sometimes but no one knows what they are used for. The difference is they will have a purpose and there will be plenty of purposes.

   As far as social media goes it would be fun to see you scroll through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram right on your arm. Then you could change between all of those right on the spot. Work out updates and workout apps would work much smoother than having to carry a cell phone around in your pocket or get a case specific for holding the phone. The problem with even the phone holding cases is that you can't use them while you run. In the future you will be able to tweet the heck out of your run because we all know everyone is super interested in where and how you are running.

Mobile Apps Vs Browser Apps

   Growing up in my house we really didn't have internet at home and the computer was a rarely used thing. That isn't to say we were one of those families that reads books all the time, we spent our fair share of time on the TV. But it wasn't until I got to college that I started consistently using a computer with applications for various different purposes. I did have a phone before a lot of my peers but the smartphone didn't happen for me until I was in my early 20's and got to experience a hold new world of technology that had already begun developing around me years earlier.


   From that perspective I give my thoughts on the differences between a desktop and browser applications verses a mobile phone applications. I transitioned straight into the mobile phone apps without even thinking about it. I would download the app, play around with it and would decide whether or not to keep it after roughly one day. The desktop application were very different. It would take strong coercion and force just to get me to download an application and even then I would only use it when absolutely necessary. So you could say that I lean more toward generally liking mobile apps more.

   What is interesting to me after seeing my own personal experience with the transition from nothing to applications was that a very similar occurrence took place but on a much larger scale. According to PCWORLD.com when Apple launched the app store everyone freaked out, got their apps and it happened so fast that we can't even remember living in a world without mobile apps. Slowly but sure the mac store got going and windows is still getting to their app store. Wow. It seems like a total parallel. I jumped on the apps bandwagon and then eventually joined the browser app scene and the world followed that same pattern. I guess I should really say that I followed the world's pattern.

   It would seem that mobile apps are then superior and/or cooler than our desktop friends. However, in an article by Sondra Hart while she is making a list of keep differences between the two options she does make several great points. One point she makes is that, obviously, mobile apps are on smaller screens. Now I don't to use that every single phone screen is smaller than any given laptop screen but for the sake of the argument we can all acknowledge that the majority of the time we see a much smaller application option for our mobile buddies. Another important note, which also could vary between computer types and phone types is the speed of the applications. When using a computer you will generally have a faster processor and it makes the actual transitions much smoother and gives you more of the experience you are hoping for during your surfing of the online web.

   One thing I can definitely attribute to desktop and browser apps is that my typing has great improved since I've started using them because if this were 10 years ago I would still be part way through the first paragraph I bet!

Viral Videos

    Is there anything sweeter or anything more bitter on the internet than a viral video? Think about it. While the cat falling, man dancing, or thing happening is getting traction and it is the first time you've seen it then it is fantastic, hilarious and almost life changing. We can agree the whole Harlem Shake phenomenon was, at the very least, entertaining the first time we saw it. Then we got to enjoy the fox song video... ok, maybe not every viral video is awesome the first time you hear it.


   An article about what makes these videos go viral by the New York Times explains that their ability to catch on and turn into the viral videos we come to love or hate is based off of well... love and hate. In their words happy and sad emotions are the key factor. But not just normal happy and sad, we are talking about the extremes of both emotions. It would be safe to assume that happy would encompass the funny and hilarious videos out there. Obviously there are hundreds of opinions as to why the video are as successful as they are in whatever setting the come.

   The setting itself should play a role as well. There are many different media or sources that feed into the viral video world. Some examples include large companies, small companies, viral video makers, random person, random camera timing, etc... And on top of all of those the video could've been intentional, accidental, or intended for one purpose and took off for another. As for the company and commercial videos Thales S. Teixeira says the key is to help the sender as much as it does the advertiser. Whatever that means...

   Now to the real question, what the heck is a viral video? Think about it, we use the phrase, "it went viral" all the time but is there really a moment when that happens? If we are talking about a city then a couple thousand videos could be considered viral. In a state it could be several million. Getting up to a country it could be hundreds of millions and with the world it could potentially be over 1 billion.

   But does that even imply the volume of its reach will get to everyone it could have? For example, while I was on my mission the KONY 2012 video came out and I still have no idea what it is or really what it is about. The same thing ended up happening with the fox song video. I eventually watched the video but only for about three seconds before I got bored and moved on with my life. And are TV shows viral video?.. Food for thought.

Tagging

   Isn't the idea of tagging just awesome? Think of it, if you knew multiple languages and knew lots of individuals from all around the world then the variety of opinions, thoughts and insights on any given topic, basically anywhere in the world, could be right at your finger tips at any given time. With just a few typed words or a couple clicks you could get yourself into a whole mess of wonderful discussion and topics that you might've not have even imagined before jumping on your virtual surfboard and riding the world wide web of information and sometimes too strong of opinion.

   Now these crazy opinions from all over the world aren't just available to our bilingual and trilingual friends, but even in your own language the connections can be seemingly infinite and constantly growing. Just imagine you heard the news about our buddy Lebron James taking his talents back to Cleveland, Ohio and all the information you got in that first snippet of news was your buddy texting you with a bunch of exclamation points and some vague attempt at telling you Bron Bron was making his way back home.

   This situation while made up could've been very real in the lives of many teen and twixters around the country. And it was a reality when Jabari Parker committed to Duke. In an article by James Harper he talks about how critical and important hashtags were during that moment. Lots of people found out very quickly what Jabari had decided based off of all the hashtags that had been created about him or Duke or Michigan State (who came up a little short in the sweepstakes).

   But back to our Lebron example. You hear something about him headed to Cleveland and what is the first thing you are going to do? Well, in an article by Constant Contact they talk about why these hashtags are so important but then talk about tagging through hyperlink. And that is just what you are going to do. You get on your most reliable search engine, type in a few key word from the story and go in "search" (pun intended) of your desired information. Several clicks through a few pages and you find yourself deeper and deeper into a list of page-back options and you've clicked one tag after another and then another. Might I add that one of the great things about tagging is that you can use tags that are location based and will allow you to be able to see what other people are saying around you whether you are in Ohio, Miami, Utah or France.

   Tagging to connect and create has been one of the many reasons the internet becomes more and more powerful everyday. And jumping on the power of tagging is social media itself. We'll see how much more complicated and great a tag will become in the future.