Virgin Mobile Australia

http://www.news.com.au/business/story/0,23636,22461951-462,00.html
http://www.creativecommons.org.au/node/126

Careful with photo blogs like Flickr! If you choose to post your own pictures, consider you might be agreeing to their free and public use. This is what happened to a 16 year old girl whose picture was used in a Virgin Mobile Australia campaign ad, which referred to nothing less than her virginity. Flickr uses Creative Commons (creativecommons.org) as the licensing organization for the pictures posted. If you don’t want your pictures used in any way or in certain ways, make sure you accept the appropriate licensing agreement through Creative Commons or… don’t post them online at all.
This reminds me a bit about the articles we read in class about the social networking sites where students post anything about themselves, believing that these websites are their own world and that prospective employers don’t check them out. How does Flickr relate to say, Facebook? Simple. They’re both online, you’re stuff may get as public as they can get, and the information may be used in ways you hadn’t even thought of.

GMAIL HACKERS

http://security.itworld.com/4341/070926gmailflaw/page_1.html
I came across this article and it concerned me a great deal since I do have a G-mail account. There are zero-day bugs which are (according to wikipedia) computer threats that expose undisclosed or unpatched computer application vulnerabilities. Zero-day attacks take advantage of computer security holes for which no solution is currently available. In the article it says that hackers can use Gmail's filtering feature to exploit this bug and, "An attack would start with a victim visiting a malicious Web site while also still logged into his Gmail account. The malicious site would then perform what Petkov called a 'multipart/form-date POST' -- an HTML command that can be used to upload files -- to one of the Gmail application programming interfaces, then inject a rogue filter into the user's filter list."

I haven't done much research about other zero-day attacks but this is definitely a security issue that needs to be taken care of ASAP because who knows how quick hackers can act on this getting as much information as they can before the bugs "fixed." The article also mentions other applications such as Apple Inc.'s QuickTime, Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Media Player and Adobe Systems Inc.'s Portable Document Format (PDF) that have been affected by zero-day bugs.

This part of the article got me the most, "Web mail accounts are in many ways more valuable than a banking account because they maintain access to many other online accounts (blog, banking, shopping, etc.). [Attacks exploiting this vulnerability would be] simple, silent and extremely clever."

SCARY!!! Keep an eye on all yo' SHhhhhh

brew your own beer with $4000

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/how20/832ce78a72494110vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html

A photographer for Popular Science magazine has created a simple yet sophisticated microbrewery device. The price is around $4000 and should take at least 3 months to perfect. He states that the device is not perfected yet. I love this idea. If I had $4000 to blow I'd try this out. If you make and sale to your local community I'm sure you could make up the cost and generate profit within one year’s time.

Just imagine brewing your own beer for an event such as the super bowl! That’d be rad!

BMW M3 getting into the VVT/VTEC/VCT field

Well, for those of you who care, the new BMW M3 is finally subscribing to the idea of variable cam and valve timing. The M3 is following on the heels of basically every other car company in the world; Ford, Toyota, Chrysler, and most notably Honda, who has had this technology in their cars since the early 1990's. The new M3 is a high revving beast-monster with carbon fiber panels that are capable of resisting the fire it breathes from its haunches. Make sure you put a towell over your keyboard cause you're about to drool.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=34&article_id=5548

College Students Deserve Free Music!!!

Ask and you shall receive. An online music provider known has Ruckus.com has become very popular among college campuses across the country. All it asks is that you have a valid school email ending in .edu to any college or university and then you are set to download all the music you want. The company has software to download and the only downside is that it is protected content which means PC only and no burning but other than that you can download not only music but video as well including television shows and movies. I have been using the service for about 6 months now and it is an awesome program. When new albums come out you can be the first to download them and check them out the minute they come out. The whole focus of the company is to help students cut back on illegally downloading music. Here is an article from ZDnet on the apparrent success and views of Ruckus.com.

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6163173.html

http://www.ruckus.com

Iceland phasing out fossil fuels for clean energy

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/09/18/driving.iceland/index.html

Gees, $8 per gallon?! We think we had it bad! Well, it's very good for Iceland that Professor Hydrogen got on board. I think this is a tremendous alternative fuel source. These F Cells are amazing (check out the video). They actually make electricity by converting hydrogen and oxygen into water. At this point, it doesn't necessarily sound as practical as regular gasoline, but I think it's a great start. If we can continue to progress in our search of healthier cheaper alternative fuel sources, it will be a much brighter future for the US and the rest of the nations. Kudos for Iceland for stepping up!

A newspaper offers a blog for subscribers

http://www.nctimes.com/blog/

Imagine what it would have been like if all of the hardcore paper readers from back in the day were able to not only converse about hot topics at the local pub but online! They would have been addicted. I’m not into blogging, I think? However I did log on to check out a certain blog for my local newspaper, The Californian. I know news is readily available online but I feel American when I peruse through a physical newspaper.

If anyone lives in North County or Southwest Riverside County then you would know of a rock quarry being proposed near the Border Patrol checkpoint on the side of the I-15. Now I know that businesses have a right to mine minerals but this is a really heated topic. A lot of problems and benefits are at stake. I personally don’t want the quarry to be approved mainly because I don’t want the 1-15 to be even more congested, it’s hard to dodge cars at 100 MPH plus.

None the less the latest article of many concerning the rock quarry discussed a blog on the subject. I went online to check it out and I found many blogs about many things that the paper covers. Pretty cool I thought…if my grand pappy were still here I’d show the site and get him addicted.

30 Million to land on the moon

http://www.news.com/Google+offers+30+million+to+land+on+the+moon/2100-11397_3-6207800.html?tag=nefd.lede

Google is launching a contest invited to all private teams around the world to build a robotic rover to be able to bring back images of the moon back onto earth. Called the Lunar X project, it is said to be offering the largest ever, with a total of 30 million in prizes and bonuses.

The whole purpose of this project is to try to reduce the cost of space exploration done by shuttle. To win the 20 million, the private teams must be able to land on the moon by the end of 2012. And if there are no teams successful, the prize will drop to 15 million until 2014 when the contest ends. Teams can earn bonus money by traveling more than the 500 meters on the moon that is required.

I think this is a great oppurtunity for any aspiring visionaries and probably can change how space technology is for good. If this project is successful, space traveling will be less expensive.

NxE's 50 most influential Bloggers

I found this article from north by east an online article website for bloggers. It talks about the many millions of bloggers there are in the world and then gives a list of the top fifty and why you should know them. It goes over the carreers of all the people and the reasons they blog. None the less it is a pretty interesting article and a cool insight on how popular and big that blogging really is.

Here is the link: http://northxeast.com/blogging/nxes-fifty-most-influential-bloggers/

FCC to auction 700 mhz signal

Why is this important. Because if their is a limited number of frequencies for telephones, signals, and electronic devices often devices fight for the same frequency and additional cost are developed for the device to minimize frequency interference. If there is more frequencies available for the company, less cost is associated to interference and signal sustenance. All telephone carriers, signal providers and electronic device providers waiting for the 700 MHZ will have new rates for their customer us. Here is a link for more information.
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/news/2007/09/auction_faq

Apple taking over again

At one point, Apple(MAC) held over 90% of the home computers in the 1980's. In the 1990's
windows took over the world with its non restrictive licence, allowing other manufacturers to use the Microsoft system. Mac still has a very strict policy with their operating systems but they are slowly allowing others to use it. This might be the generation of the MAC. Here is a more detailed article.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136949/article.html

Salt Water as Fuel????

Yes, a cancer researcher from Erie, PA has just discovered that when salt water is exposed to a radio grequency generator - it burns! This is being called the greatest discovery in 100 years. We could actually have an incredible use for the most abundant resource on earth!!

Discoveries are still under way on wether or not the salt water curn burn hot enough to power heavy machinery or a vehicle - but potentials are HUGE!

http://green.yahoo.com/index.php?q=node/1570

Random.

I was introduced to a website, www.pandora.com by a fellow classmate a few weeks ago. It is basically a streaming radio website, where you input either a band or title of song you like and it will try to play more songs that they think you'd like. It's labeled as part of the 'Musical Genome Project". Pretty good for killing time when you don't have your own mp3 player or laptop with you and want to maybe find some new music. What did this have to do with MIS?.. The concept of this website makes me wonder how many and how complicated the information systems are for this website. How does the process work, for the program to select a song/band that is similar? As each song plays, you can choose to give it a thumbs up or thumbs down. Imagine how valuable that information would be to marketing agencies to know what listeners enjoy and don't enjoy. You guys should check it out, I normally have it stream while i'm cleaning. Less hassle than a radio and more music that you might like.

SIX- figure blogger?

http://www.bloggingtothebank.com/?hop=vinsworld

Doing some more research about blogging, I've come to realize that TRUE bloggers are those who can actually quit their 9-5 jobs and make money through their blog sites. This article I came across is about a guy in his twenties who makes six figures a year through blogging! He goes on about how he has nice cars and a nice house and enjoying the nice life and well....you get my drift. He's come up with a blueprint that we can actually 'steal' from him for just forty something dollars! Basically he's willing to share for a price! So this 22 year old made it big blogging, but is it too good to be true? Can anyone do this? Sure we can all blog, its easy, just typing out your thoughts. But is it that easy for just anyone to earn six figures a year? Even with his techniques of how to snatch those advertisers and hits for your website? I mean, this guy even has pictures and testimonies on his website. I'm sure its possible, but my question is, can it really be that easy? Let me know your thoughts on this, I'm very eager to know what you all think about this whole blogging to the bank bit.

This is a clip from CnetTV covering the new iPod touch. I am actually really impressed with its functionality. It is basically the iPhone but on a slimmer scale without the phone capabilities but everything else including wifi.

0100100001101001 base 2 = Hi base 10

I was doing a PowerPoint for the group projects we were assigned yesterday. As I was moving some files around and deleting them I began to think of deletion. Does the computer erase 1s and 0s? Where do these 1s and 0s go? Are they reduced, reused, and recycled? Do they go to a junkyard, a landfill; are they dumped into a local stream and flow into the ocean? What actually creates a 1 and 0? Where do they originate. Do storks come from the sky and drop them into my computer?

What a conundrum...

Using MIS, Kroenke, P.13, concern

I think that Kroenke should reword the phrasing for a particular component in the characteristics of good information.

The section I am discussing is on page 13, first paragraph in our class textbook “Using MIS.” Kroenke states that “information needs to be sufficient for the purpose for which it is, but just barely so.”

I have a problem with this.

Currently the acronym we are using for good information in SMART

S ufficient
worth its M oney
A ccurate
R elevant
T imely

I believe that good information should be efficient. Slightly efficient implies that the information is sub par. I understand his point that he tries to make. He tries to justify that good information should be sufficient as to not over load the user with excessive information. If his aim is to make sure that information does not over load the user then I think he would want the information to be efficient.

That is my snag. Good information is efficient, not sufficient. None the less for testing purposes I will pretend good information should be sufficient but after this class I will not allow myself to believe this. Good information is efficient. Efficiency is vital, not just in business, but in life.

iCar Project

This seems pretty sweet!! An iCar!! Apple is heading discussions with VW and other auto makers to provide Apple products and functionality inside and built into your car!

http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/30/autos/bc.mi.vw.icar/index.htm?postversion=2007083009?cnn=yes

The in-car system is being called: Sync and will allow drivers to use voice recognition to listen to your tunes and even have your phone's text messages read aloud to you while driving!!

Japan to Research Internet Replacement

TOKYO - Japan plans to start research on new networking technology that could one day replace the Internet amid its growing quality and security problems, according to the nation's communications ministry.

U.S. and European researchers already have started similar efforts to rebuild the underlying architecture of the Internet.

Yoshihiro Onishi, assistant director at the Japanese communications ministry, said Japan must follow suit to stay competitive. Post-Internet network technology is expected to become imperative by 2020, he said.

"The Internet is reaching its limit," he said. "We feel this research for the technology is definitely needed."

When researchers largely knew one another, the Internet's early architects kept the shared network open and flexible - qualities that proved key to its rapid growth. But that later allowed spammers and hackers to roam freely.

The network's designers also assumed that computers would be in fixed locations and always connected, creating headaches as laptops and other mobile devices proliferated.

Many scientists are starting to believe a totally new network is needed. It could run parallel with the Internet or eventually replace it, or parts of the research could go into a major overhaul of the existing architecture.

Researchers may also seek a network that consumes lower levels of energy.

The Japanese ministry wants to set up an organization with private sector involvement by the end of the year that will do the groundwork for starting the research. It will request money in the fiscal year to begin April 1, although the amount has yet to be decided.

Onishi said collaborating with other nations will be an option.

Such efforts in the U.S. aren't expected to bear fruit for 10 or 15 years. Congress has yet to provide with full funding for the research.
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