The New Age of Music Festivals

  Sites such as YouTube have changed the way producers view music.  It is a force that cannot be ignored by talent agencies, book publishers, and TV networks who are hurrying to capitalize on the movement.  It is about "bringing the internet to life" -Rojas- DigiTour Media.  Teens have begun to focus a large amount of their time on finding artists on sites such as YouTube, Instagram, and Vine instead of looking for professionally produced music.  These fans want to see their internet idols in RL and as a result have prompted a series of music festivals that cater to this desire.  An explanation of how this works is in the article Performing Without Net: Stars of YouTube Take to the Stage.
  I think that this is an excellent way to accommodate for those people who have built up a real followings on these sites.  This allows for a larger group of people to do what they love and receive recognition for it.  The music business is hard to make it big in, but if some can build a following on their own and get to play for those fans, I think it's great.  It is nice that people are paying attention to the shifts in culture that these sharing sites foster.

Life is always picture perfect.

On Instagram that is...

Instagram has been famous since its culmination in 2010 for the ability to glam any photo with a flaw hiding, perfecting filter.  With this simple tool the world has been subject to what is known as "Instagram Envy" which is the result of everyone's lives appearing so perfect on the site.  Now Instagram has taken the perfecting a step further by adding a variety of photo editing tools.  These are designed with care and consideration to be easy to use and effective. The new tools will allow for subtle adjustments such as brightness, contrast, shadows and highlights among others, read more about the tools in the article- Instagram Goes Beyond Its Gauzy Filters.  

Now this seems like it is making a lot more work for users of Instagram...however a large amount of users have been requesting more editing options.  According to developers, Instagram is considered a type of stage for most people thus the services must put their best foot forward in order to give consumers what they want.  "In other words, if my feed makes my life look amazing, that's because it is"  -Manjoo.  People want their photos to reflect what they actually see.  Often times we see an amazing scene, snap a photo of it, and it isn't the same when we look at it.  With these photo edits it makes greatness possible.

Stay Safe on Public Wi-Fi Networks

Keeping Safe on Public Wi-Fi

With all of the new mobile devices and strict data limits more and more people are relying on free Wi-Fi in public places.  However, what most people don't think about is the risk that is involved.  It is not well advertised that these Wi-Fi networks may allow for hackers to easily pray on shared information while connected.  So the next time you decide to hit the coffee shop for some work make sure to take precautions.  The New York Times article How Not to Pray the Price for Free Wi-Fi provides some helpful tips for staying safe while navigating these free networks.  

These tips include:

1. Make sure the sites that you visit have "https" in front of the URL.  This means that the page is encrypted and that other people on the network cannot see what you are doing on your device.  

2. Use a virtual private network (VPN).  This will encrypt all of your online traffic.

3. Sign-up for two step verification.  Sites like Facebook, Twitter, WordPress and others have begun to offer this option.  This is when a site will often ask for a password as well as a specific code that was sent only to you.  The problem with this can be if you use the same password for multiple sites, hackers could figure this out and thus access other accounts that aren't set up with this two-step verification process.

4. Bring only what you need and turn off what you are not using.  This means to not have all of your sites up and running while on public networks.

In addition to these four tips it is also important to worry about the safety of your actual devices in public.  Do not underestimate the ability of someone to snatch your device and take off with it.  So remember to keep your online traffic safe as well as your device in your sight at all times.

Smart textiles.

The Clothing of the Future

Imagine knowing your heart rate and breathing rate every time you exercise? Well that's easy...we already have wristbands and handheld gadgets that provide that information.  But wait, what about a wearable medium that you've already been wearing your whole life?? Any guesses.......your CLOTHING.  That's right, smart clothing.  The co-founder of OMSignal predicts that in a decade all clothing that is purchased will have some sort of biofeedback sensors weaved into the fabric.  These smart clothing pieces may possibly be able to monitor stress levels in the body as well, so your shirt can literally tell you to take a chill pill.  This smart clothing will eliminate the need to wear extra accessories, such as the wrist band that can also monitor these vital signs.

Challenges

The problem with the OMSignal clothing is the price. Right now it is difficult to take the prototype and turn it into something that can be mass produced for a reasonable price that will promote consumer support.  This is the first time fabric like this is making it out of the laboratory. This clothing is predicted to be like the gas gauge on cars.  Originally they weren't there, but now we can't imagine cars without them.

What will the future be like?

I think that these clothing items could be useful for many high performing athletes or those who have health conditions that cause these vital signs to be of the utmost importance during physical activity.  However, I believe that we are already so connected...does our clothing have to be also?  However, these shirts have the potential to make great health advancements to encourage more people to be aware of their bodies.  It is crazy to think that this is possible.  It is a wild thought to picture what future technology has in store for the world.  And the big plus, the shirts are machine washable! I wonder if they will come in colors...

Creepy or Useful? The Facebook "Ask" button.

The "Ask" Button

I have seen several articles addressing the implementation of an "Ask" button on Facebook.  This button allows friends to click a button labeled "Ask" next to any of their friends' personal information.  This prompts a box to be opened that will allow a short message in order to ask a question about the personal information.  There is considerable dissatisfaction with the button because of privacy concerns.  Learn more about this button here. 

Is it really doing harm?

The main argument is that this is infringing on peoples' privacy...let's not forget that these people are on FACEBOOK.  If you have an account and expect privacy from other people I don't know why you would have an account.  Facebook is meant for people to CONNECT.  This can be on several levels, whether it be dating or friends it is all about knowing what the other person is doing.  If asking about a relationship status sparks an opening for a relationship then I would say Facebook is doing what it's meant for, connecting people.  If a person asks an inappropriate relationship question then maybe you should consider un-friending that person because they do not posses the qualities of a person you want to associate with.  As far as the hometown, work, school, etc. it may connect people who live in the same area.

The aspect people need to remember is that only people you are friends with can do this.  Thus if you don't feel comfortable enough with the people who are your Facebook friends to have this information than your privacy is already gone.  Just because Facebook gives people this option does not mean that everyone will suddenly be hit with a bunch of questions because most people will know the information either way.

Xbox users rejoice

Microsoft announced that it will no longer charge a fee for Xbox users to use online streaming services such as Netflix or Hulu plus.  This privilege was previously only available for the $60 fee for Xbox Live Gold subscriptions.  Also Microsoft will offer the Xbox one without Kinect for a cheaper price.  This streaming offer includes multiple services and is available for both Xbox 360 and Xbox one.  Read more from the Huffington Post here.   Microsoft is not doing away with the profitable Xbox Live Gold subscriptions, they are still required for other services on the devices. 

I think this is a great change for Microsoft to make.  It makes the product more useful and can give people what they want for less money.  The Gold subscriptions will still be purchased by the "gamers" but for the general public these new options may attract more people to buy the Xbox for more than just games.  Maybe this will create more profit in the end.  I like that Microsoft is attempting to cater to their customers. 

The effect of Facebook on self-esteem.

Facebook

Facebook has undoubtedly changed the way we interact with one another.  It brought a multitude of people into the social media stratosphere.  Do we have stop to fully take that in?  Recently it was Mother's Day, scrolling down my news feed I couldn't miss it.  The multitudes of Facebook users took to their profiles to wish their mothers a happy day.  Some threw in pictures, both recent and old, others went for the note of appreciation.  Some of these posts received over a hundred likes, others received in the single digits.  It shouldn't be a big deal......but is it?

The Effect on our Self-Esteem

A study done by the New York Times claims that people who feel ignored on social media suffer from lower self-esteem.  This is so sad because it is an outlet for us to feel connected.  Unfortunately it is very much a mirror of society.  People often have these left out feelings in RL social interactions, and many find similar situations online.  The study that was conducted in this article claims that those who posted and received little or no feed back felt "invisible" and as a result had lower self-esteem.  This is the hard aspect of online interactions, these feelings are common.  

Reality Check

I often wonder why some statuses get more likes than others even when the level of importance appears to be the same. In my own experiences I have found that it is related to how often people post, this creates more of a steady following base of people that will be more inclined to like or comment on posts.  Also, as the TED talk we listened to in class explained our news feeds are filtered so it may be that some posts have been filtered more than others.  I think that people shouldn't use social media as a means to gain self-esteem.  Social media should be for personal enjoyment and not for the "likes".  Focus more on having a few close people who truly care about you rather than 100 people who just like to "creep" :)