June 1, 2010
I don’t use Facebook.
Once or twice a month now, maybe.
This and the fact that I am currently choosing this topic for my latest blog post seems a bit trivial. Why talk about Facebook when you don’t use it anymore? To be honest, I was a former regular user of Facebook, and when an issue regarding the social networking site of which I have parted with was brought up in ICT class, I was not surprised at the news. Facebook is a social networking site–whose immense amount of users had brought it up to number one in rank– and somebody’s got to make profit.
My first impression of Facebook was no different than any other sites, namely Bebo, Hi5, or Myspace. Personally as a user, I look for creativity and accessible information within one click, and Facebook ranked in between good and bad: it was average. What was customizable, when Facebook never thought of changing its new layout whatsoever, were only personal information and which boxes in your profile do you want to show. Below, or above? It didn’t take long for Facebook to attract members and members. This year, Facebook had recruited over 400 active users. And why? As Danah Boyd, a researcher at Microsoft Research New England, mentioned in her Facebook rant, “Facebook was originally a counterpublic, a public that people turned to because they didn’t like the publics that they had accessed to”
But that was before. Now, users of this social media celebrity has gotten its users to decide whether to quit or not to quit due to its repetitively changed privacy settings. A majority of acquaintances whom I see everyday in school chose to stay. Facebook is served as a platform for social interactions between a person and a group of people, and it seems as if there is a necessity to continue being part of the whole populace whom are possibly updating their status right now. Facebook proves itself necessary to connect to wanted persons, perchance old high school friends, friends who have moved to faraway places, or relatives in another country.
So Facebook had told the populace that hey, we will change our privacy policies, but what can we say about the fact that this policy contains more words than the United States Constitution? I am not saying that this difference is 400 words, but something like more than a 1,000 words is saying something quite interesting: Does Facebook really care about our privacy, or is it actually the need to make as much profit as possible?
If Facebook guarantees change, would this 5,830 word count curtail some of its policies, or overlapped with even more words? And how much do users know about their security settings? Are they alternating it enough to disallow friends of friends or friends within the same network to have the ability to view their personal datas? Many, many persons have been fired/rejected from their jobs, get arrested, or even to the extreme of being killed due to the available transparency in one’s personal information. It seems as if Facebook wants this. The more “i” connects as a whole to become “we”, it seems as if that would be the end to privacy, and that as much as you can see photos and wall posts of certain people, others can see yours.
Quitting may seem like the best idea to assert one’s freedom, but Facebook is an international social media playground, and there are websites to solve, or “simplify” your privacy settings. Why quit, when there are changes which can be made? Sites such as ReclaimPrivacy and Openbook serves this purpose. Quitting is one thing, but looking for other options is better.
Filed by dle12 at June 1st, 2010 under Musings, School and tagged ict10bertoia
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April 26, 2010
CNN is convinced that there are about 12 things that you must buy before considering buying the new iPad that’s been all the rage in the tech world. Of course, if you just buy the iPad, then you can just skip the step right away. But for the curious, here is a little bit of info on the latest Apple product: its price range is from $499 to $829, it is designated more to view, as in surfing the web and to play games, than something like blogging up your site, and there is a chance that if you are interested in possessing it, you may lose not only your iPad, but your finger on the way out of the store that you have just bought it in as well.
A 59 year old man named Bill Jordan was just walking out of a store with the Ipad contained in a bag when a figure attacked him. The cord of the bag was wrapped around his hand for its weight. Jordan did not buy the iPad out of self interest, but for a friend in Canada, he said, where the product is not yet available.
The thief had successfully obtained the item, including something else. “He was almost sitting on the ground he was pulling so hard and it was still tied around my fingers; and it wouldn’t come off and then finally he gave it one big jerk; and that’s when he stripped the skin off my pinky and it went right down to the bone,” Jordan said.
There is no doubt that a piece of finger is not worth a product that has a certain expiration date. What do you think?
Filed by dle12 at April 26th, 2010 under School and tagged gr10, ict10bertoia
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February 21, 2010
One major theme that runs through The Reader is to come to terms with the past. Michael, our protagonist in the novel, had to deal with his past with Hanna, his lover, his feelings for her, and him being the child of his parents who were involved in World War II. One quote that was quite interesting to me while reading The Reader was:
“What should our second generation have done, what should it do with the knowledge of the horrors of the extermination of the Jews? We should not believe we can comprehend the incomprehensible, we may not compare the incomparable, we may not inquire because to inquire is to make the horrors an object of discussion, even if the horrors themselves are not questioned, instead of accepting them as something in the face of which we can only fall silent in revulsion, shame, and guilt.”
Other themes were quite apparent in The Reader. They are Love, Betrayal, and Secrets: this did not only apply to Michael Berg, having to fall in love with Hanna then to be betrayed by her sporadic disappearance, how their relationship was kept private as much as her own personal secret, but it applied to what happened to Jewish captives as well. The rest of the world was unaware of Adolf Hitler’s concentration camps up until the end of the war. In a way, the theme of love also represents the love of literature for Hanna, as she had asked Michael to read to her in their past.
Another theme that I seem to notice in the book is self-growth, spiritually and emotionally, as in the book we can see how two of our main characters had developed. Michael Berg finally came to deal with his past, his emotions, Hanna, and she had finally do what she had done at the end of the novel. (This cannot be mentioned due to being the spoiler for future readers)
The past had occurred a lot within The Reader. There were also aphorisms and epiphanies made in the novel, as well.
From The Reader, like the previous posting I made below, I especially liked the character Hanna Frau Schmitz. The Reader, in a way, kind of taught me that there will always be some sort of lingering, an attachment, or a feeling buried deep inside a person, from that person to another, especially one relating to love. The Reader had also taught me somewhat about the Holocaust, more depth and questioning into the emotions of those who have moved on from the war.
Filed by dle12 at February 21st, 2010 under Literature Responses, Musings, Readings, Reflections, School and tagged diep, eng10jones
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I frequently Google. IM messengers and emailing have become an essential aspect of my life. I spend about three to four hours per day just looking in the internet for new music and talking to friends by Windows Live. But I’m not the only one.
Apparently, to those who are frequent internet users, the more window tabs we have, the more likely our general knowledge is disappearing.
Apparently we are “living in a fragmenting culture”, where our uncertainties are questioned and what we know of only consisted of little things, such as computers and modern technology.
And apparently our education is so threatened now since the internet “has seduced a whole generation into its inanities”.
At least that is what Doris Lessing, British novelist and winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize had mentioned in her speech when winning the award. But is the Internet that bad? Surely, millions of parents might have agreed so, as well as Brian Cathcart and Nicholas Carr, whose works are categorized in journalism.
It is quite an obvious thing to say that cyber bullying and spamming has been an issue that repetitively occurs within the Internet, not to mention hacking and stolen personal information. There has cases of plagiarism in students and as a result, cases of expulsion can be witnessed. It is for certain that the Internet not only offers access in information, but access to pornography as well.
But how is accessing the internet killing our knowledge? Being able to view information shown on different sites, such as a synonym for a word or for researching about organisms in the sea has resulted in a dependence that is quite inevitable, for the internet has been of significant use in our daily lives.
And of why it is important is because of what it offers, and that is more than just knowledge. The internet has given us a playground of ideas, the freedom of expression. We are allowed to express our thoughts and feelings on what is widely recognized as blogs and websites. We are entertained and aware of what is going on within our world, of what is happening: How is the Olympics going? Who are the winners? Who are the next contestants for American Idol? The internet also allows us to socialize online for those who are unable to talk to their friends or relatives. We can keep in touch: we can Skype, we can email, or we can use messengers. Homeschooling has never been so organized and easier with the internet. There are softwares that we can use to our own advantages as well as the buying and selling of products online. We are able to look at a variety of international goods, depending on our preferences. The Internet has united us, in a way, under its big network.
The dark side of the internet can only be accessed within free will. If we are aware of how to identify what is spam and what sites are dangerous, the internet might not be that bad of a place after all. Although it is hard to resist being dependent on the internet, we can take control.
Citations:
*Pictures are linked to their original source
- Net dumbs us down: Nobel Prize winner
http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/net-dumbs-us-down-nobel-prize-winner/2007/12/10/1197135340009.html
- The 2007 Nobel Prize for Literature Speech
http://www.dorislessing.org/nobel.html
- IS GOOGLE KILLING GENERAL KNOWLEDGE?
http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/content/brian-cathcart/no-passes
Filed by dle12 at February 21st, 2010 under Musings, School and tagged diep, ict10bertoia
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I frequently Google. IM messengers and emailing have became a frequent usage in my life. I spend about three to four hours per day just looking in the internet for new music and talking to friends by Windows Live. But I’m not the only one.
Apparently, to those who are frequent internet users, the what is to be on the screen is dumbing us down.
Apparently we are “living in a fragmenting culture”, where our uncertainties are questioned and that which what we know of only consisted of little things, such as computers and modern technology.
And apparently “our education is so threatened now “since the internet has “seduced a whole generation into its inanities”.
At least that is what Doris Lessing, British novelist and winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize had mentioned in her speech when winning the award. But is the Internet that bad? Surely, millions of parents might have agreed so, as well as Brian Cathcart and Nicholas Carr, whose works are categorized in journalism.
It is quite an obvious thing to say that cyber bullying and spamming has been an issue that repetitively occurs within the Internet, not to mention hacking and stolen personal information. There had also been cases of plagiarism in students and as a result, cases of expulsion can be witnessed. It is for certain that the Internet not only offers access in information, but access to pornography as well.
But how is accessing the internet killing our knowledge? Being able to view information shown on different sites, such as a synonym for a word or for researching about organisms in the sea has resulted in a dependence that is quite inevitable, for the internet has been of significant use in our daily lives.
And of why it is important is because of what it offers, and that is more than just knowledge. The internet has given us a playground of ideas, the freedom of expression. We are allowed to express our thoughts and feelings on what is widely recognized as blogs and websites. We are entertained and aware of what is going on within our world, of what is happening: How is the Olympics going? Who are the winners? Who are the next contestants for American Idol? The internet also allows us to socialize online for those who are unable to talk to their friends or relatives. We can keep in touch: we can Skype, we can email, or we can use messengers. Homeschooling had never been so organized and easier with the internet. There are softwares that we can use to our own advantages as well as the buying and selling of products online. We are able to look at goods internationally for under a variety of kinds, depending on our preferences. The Internet had united us, in a way, under its big network.
The dark side of the internet can only be accessed within free will. If we are aware of how to identify what is spam and what sites are dangerous, the internet might not be that of a bad place to be on after all. Although it is hard to resist being dependent on the internet, we can take control.
Filed by dle12 at February 21st, 2010 under Musings and tagged draft, ict10bertoia
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Introduction:
Hook/Quote: I frequently Google.
Quote what Doris Lessing says.
Body:
1. Who is Doris Lessing?
2. Disadvantages of the Web/ HOW is the internet dumbing us down?
- Cyberbullying, Spamming, Hacking/ Stolen personal information, Virus, Pornography
- Easy access to the information => laziness
- increasing reliance on the internet for needed info
- too lazy to think
3. Advantages of the Web
- freedom of speech (blogs)
- socialize
- access to info
- softwares
- business/ buying and selling products and goods internationally
- homeschooling online
Conclusion:
- Restate benefits of the internet
- Although it is hard to resist being dependent on the internet, we can take control.
Filed by dle12 at February 21st, 2010 under Drafts and tagged draft, ict10bertoia
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February 12, 2010
“What would you have done?”
The Reader, written by judge Bernhard Schlink became one of my favorite novels soon after finishing it in about a week. It first grabbed my attention not because of its infamous eroticism but the mystery of the character Hanna herself, written on the back of the book. Its introductory sentence also made a big mental plus (“when I was fifteen, I got hepatitis”) considering my disliking for long, detailed ones.
The Reader sets out one day in postwar Germany, when fifteen-year-old Michael Berg was saved by a woman twice his age, Hanna Frau Schmitz. Soon after he came to thank her, they became lovers. This lasted until one day, Hanna disappeared from Michael’s life and reappeared years later in court, when he was a law student and she was found guilty for a crime relating to the Holocaust. There was, like any crime scene, more to it than that and what Michael found was considered, by Hanna, far more important than her life.
Throughout the novel, I came into very much liking the character of Hanna Schmitz. She grabbed my attention with her erratic bursts of anger and paranoia, and her love for literature. She was mysterious and feminine, yet surprised me with her other contrasting sides.
What I liked about The Reader was about how it did not entirely ran by the popular theme of love, how it is about an older woman and a younger man (which was different from books that I normally read), how it contained the Holocaust in it, and how it overwhelmed me with a mix of emotions: I would find myself smiling (“when rescue came, it was almost an assault.” –when Hanna came to save Michael) to being confused, curious, and scared of the nature of time and what it does to you. I also liked how I could relate to the things Michael says in the novel.
I also liked how The Reader taught me something about the Holocaust, even though the events of what happened was fictional. I also learnt a little bit more about human nature and its complexities. Of whom I would recommend this work to, it would be grades 10 and above. I do not think that any grades below could understand the bigger picture of what the book is about. For those who are planning to read this book, I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I do.
Filed by dle12 at February 12th, 2010 under Literature Responses, Readings, Reflections, School and tagged diep, eng10jones, the reader
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February 8, 2010
Even though the novel is about teenage girls living in New York in the 1950’s, Joyce Carol Oates had written and covered Foxfire with themes of violence/power, pride, sexuality/gender issues, friendship, poverty vs. the richer class, vengeance, and oppression/freedom:
Original team members Legs, Maddy, Lana, Goldie, and Rita all came from a broken family in New York’s Lowertown Hammond (which contributed in their unity.) For example, Leg’s father is a heavy drinker while Maddy’s, or Madeline’s father had passed away during the war. The roles and appearances of adults are faintly prominent and rarely mentioned, except for Leg’s father’s ex-girlfriend Muriel, who believed that the girls were “good solid well-intentioned trustworthy girls”. The abandonement of traditional female roles and their hatred for men (along with other key factors, i.e. family background) and later Leg’s driven and growing desire had drove Foxfire where it was now. The girls were rebellious and passionate and full of teen angst.
Throughout the novel, Joyce Carol Oates had used frequent anaphoras and prominent run-on sentences. Though the history of Foxfire was told through Maddy-Monkey, point of views were switched from time to time, though in small paragraphs, such as Rita’s teacher Mr. Buttinger and the gang’s leader Legs Sadovsky. There were also aphorisms and epiphanies used in the novel, such as “If you don’t respect living life, you don’t deserve to live yourself” or “The things that link us deepest, we can’t feel.”
Foxfire stood out to me the most as an ode to freedom. The novel had taught me tidbits of information about the 1950’s. Somehow, Foxfire had taught me that, in a way, no matter how large a flame grows, it would end no matter what: either by age or by circumstances.
“Masters of the air. I am one of you.”
Filed by dle12 at February 8th, 2010 under School and tagged diep, eng10jones, ms.jones
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February 2, 2010
Filed by dle12 at February 2nd, 2010 under Reflections, School and tagged diep, eng10jones, gr10
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The book that I spent my first week reading is called Foxfire, written by Joyce Carol Oates. This book had been a joy to read considering how different it is from the rest of the books that I would normally check out in the school library. Maddy-Monkey, or Madeline, talks about the memoirs of her girl gang, how it came to be what it was, and how it ended, and how their leader, Legs Sadovsky, had lead the girls to where they are now. My personal favorites are Legs and Maddy Monkey.
The language of this novel is quite unique. There were no ending sentences (run-ons) nor were there frequent appearances of adults in the novel. I was hoping that the novel would be a bit more intense, but it gets better as you flip through the end. I’d recommend this book to those who likes to read about female rebels in the 1850’s, when males were considered horrible, horrible animals. Or basically anyone who would like to have something different to read. This book IS different, but note that you may be a bit confused by its language and context. Maybe a little research of the date might help.
Reading about Foxfire and Legs Sadovsky have taught me that you can carry yourself further than you can imagine and that when something burns, it will burn until something burns along with it.