Facebook's Many Faces

I logged on to facebook the other day and my homepage looked weird. Must be this whacked-out Dell that never works! So I pressed "Refresh". Nothing. "Refresh". Nothing. Aw man! They changed the layout of facebook again!? I think it looks weird and is harder to navigate. I was just getting used to the last update. Maybe I'm not a frequent-enough facebooker but I cannot seem to keep up with the changes. Everything seemed fine before, no? I understand they made additions and changes but why can't everything stay put? The original facebook was clean, simple, and easy to follow. Now you have to know what certain symbols mean (like the people, the dialog boxes, and the world in the upper left hand corner). I'm sure I'll get it all just in time for them to change it again =].

Valentine's Day

My boyfriend and I, l (and every high-schooler in America) went to see the movie Valentine's Day on Valentine's Day. I thought the movie was cute, funny, and perfect for guys and girls. This movie succeeded because it targeted young adults (especially those who were looking for something to do on V-day).

This movie was somewhat unique because its plot/name was specifically linked to its release date. The movie obviously wouldn't have done as well if it was released around Thanksgiving instead. It reminded me of the Halloween movies that are usually released the week before Halloween. (October 25, 1978 was the original release date of the first Halloween movie,-thanks IMDB.com-.)

But anyway, I was happy to see a full! movie theater -and experience the torment of wondering if the show would be sold out. I have found that movie theaters are refilling their seats again and I hope the trend continues.

Underpass Singer

This is a bit odd but--Has anyone seen/heard the BSC student that sings in the underpass that divides the campus? At the end of the day on my way home from school I usually walk past this girl singing in the echoing tunnel that divides the campus.

HER VOICE IS AMAZING.

Maybe she is waiting to be discovered? My first thought when I heard her was that she should try out for American Idol. It's funny how I so quickly related the sight and sound of this stranger to a media outlet. It's like my brain is hardwired to translate everyday occurrences into media-related terms.

In case you were wondering, this is how the future will look (According to Microsoft)

Microsoft's Vision for 2019

My boyfriend is doing a case study for one of his business classes on Microsoft's vision for the year 2019. Not surprisingly, according to this projection, media will be even more a part of our lives in the future than it is right now. This video suggets that Microsoft is confident that in only nine short years most of the items we use will be digitalized and touched screen. In my opinion the most amazing innovation in the video is the digital card that loads a person’s credit cards, library cards, membership cards, boarding passes etc. This will cut down on the number of items we will have to carry in our purses/wallets.

It's amazing how technologies that once seemed so far-fetched are now coming to fruition.

Computer Genius or Regular 6 Year Old?

Today at work (I'm a nanny) the six year old girl I watch asked me if she could go on the computer. I said yes but figured I'd watch her to see what she could possibly do on the Internet. Much to my surprise the six year old had a better handle on navigating the Internet than some of the adults I know. She wanted to hear songs, and knew how to get to her parents' itunes. She wanted to watch a video and new how to get to youtube.com. She wanted to play a game and knew exactly which websites to find them at. I was highly impressed with her ability to effectively use her computer. I have heard the saying that kids know more about *turning on the TV* *using the computer* *using a cell phone* etc., but I couldn't believe that this little girl had such a handle on her source of media.

“I am sometimes a fox and sometimes a lion. The whole secret of government lies in knowing when to be the one or the other.”- Napoleon Bonaparte

All this Discussion Board talk about FOX News got me revved up!
Before I continue I would like to explain my opinion on the matter. Then, of course, I will start rambling.

I consider myself “fair and balanced” (pun intended). I honestly can say I am neither left nor right on the political spectrum. I’m like the flag that is tied to the middle of the rope in a schoolyard game of “tug of war.”

Now on to the rambling:
Just for the heck of it, I decided to dictionary.com “fox.” I know what a fox is and I know what it means to call someone a ‘fox.’ Definition #3 says “a cunning or crafty person.” Hmm. I wonder if Rupert Murdoch dictionary.com-ed “fox” before he chose the word to represent the integrity of his “fair and balanced” news station.

I’m not saying that FOX is the only news station with an outlandish political slant [they all do]. I’m just saying it’s the only one with an ironic name.

One thing that bothers me when the FOX News conversation arises is the stubbornness of people on both sides of the issues. Some people feel whole-heartedly that FOX News is legitimate and that it is not capable of broadcasting slanted journalism. Other people feel whole-heartedly that FOX News is illegitimate and unfairly distributing skewed information. Perhaps the truth lies in a mix of both? And in the realization that FOX is not the only guilty party in the world of news stations.

53 Hours a Week- That's a Full Time Job

I read an article (http://news.cnet.com/8301-19518_3-10438088-238.html) recently about the new numbers of how much TV kids watch and how much time is spent using other forms of modern media-computers, cellphones, etc. I knew the numbers where high, but not this high. The article says that "8- to 18-year-olds "devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes to using entertainment media across a typical day." That adds up to more than 53 hours a week." The last time I checked, that's a regular week of full-time employment, plus a few hours over-time pay!

Now I'm not suggesting the eight-year old kids in this study should go out and find jobs, but WOW, that's a lot of media!

If instead of :

tagging their friends on facebook
TIVO-ing an episode of Desperate Housewives, or
texting their friends that are in the same room as them,

kids were slightly physically active, it would probably make a dent in the obesity epidemic or increased rates of juvenile diabetes.

I don't mean to sound like a "Debbie" [Downer, from SNLhttp://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/clips/debbie_downer_thanksgiving_dinner/1179439], but in some ways, media does more harm than good.