Internet trusted ID

The White House has unveiled a plan to create a system for the internet to ensure identity online. While this may help to alleviate the issue of authenticity that has been discussed in class, I worry that it could be used to exclude users from certain portions of the internet. Anonimnity on the internet is part of what makes it great; users are free to express their views/opinions without fear of reprecussion if it is against the status quo.

Internet addiction is real

During a University of Maryland study, participants were asked to give up all media for a full day; many showed symptoms of withdrawal. It's interesting how there is no physical addiction, but a psychological addiction to being connected at all times. I remember how my father used to complain about cellphones, about how he enjoyed just getting away from things. I look back on that and wonder how it would be to live like that; I sometimes feel like it's necessary for me to have my cellphone in order to function.

Anyway, link for the interested:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/04/23/us-internet-addicts-life-idUSTRE63M4QN20100423

Privacy vs convenience, pt 2

Recently I posted an article about how Richard Stallman chooses not to carry a cellphone due to their tracking ability. As further evidence that this is not a paranoid or crazy idea, see the following article

In short, the article describes how a German politician went to court to determine how much information cellphone companies collect. He found that in a six month period his telephone provider had logged his GPS coordinates more than 35,000 times. The fact that information like this is recorded and maintained without notification is frightening.

Using open record laws to intimidate/coerce

The shift to digital records has given the public an unprecedented amount of access to federal records and an ease in which to do so. Sunshine laws require that certain document be released to the public upon request. It's unfortunate that some attempt to use these laws to coerce and intimidate their opposition, such as this attempt in Wisconsin:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/28/opinion/28mon3.html?_r=1

Complex Numbers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP4fWMLofvo

Even though he didn't communicate his point across, he definitely held his audience's attention. This was presented in two mediums simultaneously: both digitally and physically. Just imagine if someone did something similar to try to ACTUALLY get a point across.