The Wii..

          The Wii, the Wii has become over the last couple of years very popular for its advance game experience but it didn't stop there. In previous post Ive talked to you on how we as individuals have made technology something we need for our daily lives, and the Wii is just another example of it. The Wii is a very popular video game device where instead of just sitting down pressing the buttons on the control to play the game its created so the individual could take part in the game by physically performing the moves like if they were really in the video game. Aside from giving users this experience of being part of the game instead of just playing it, one could also exercise with it. Yes we could exercise using the Wii!! 

          Replacing the way we exercise, from going to gym, or going jogging, or ridding a bike to standing in front of the TV and playing an exercise game is really interesting. In the article "We turn to Wii to lose weight instead of real exercise" by Ryan Book he points out how this Wii Fit game replaces the going to a gym and exercising. In this game one is able to see how realistic it may be, where it asks you specific questions that would help narrow down what ones body looks like, ones BMI, and how much weight one need to loose to be healthy. Other than the game calculation this game allows individuals to actually participate in exercise activities. As Book mentions this game can motivate individuals in exercising more, which is great. Yet this may affect us in the way we take care of ourselves. As I previously mentioned the Wii has replace the use of a gym to exercise with a simple game that tell how fit we are.
        
          Although this game may help individuals in developing a healthier life I think it's a little different to do something out doors than to do it standing in from of your own TV, what do you think?

Facebook, Twitter...

           

           As I mentioned in the previous post we are becoming more and more dependent on technology. We have substituted the way we as individuals interact with one another. Today we spend more time socializing on the computer than actually spending some quality time with one another – a friend or a family member. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are sites that have substituted the actions of socializing with other individuals in person. Through these sites – which I do think you all are familiar with, since they have become highly popular over the last couple of years – we could learn everything about anyone with out even meeting them, we could also become friends with people from the other side of the world, which may never meet.

Although they are seem to be highly affected in keeping people in touch, they are ultimately affecting the way we as individuals interact with one another, as Dawn Pang states in  “Is technology changing how we interact and relate to others?” similarly in the article “Brave New World of Digital Intimacy” by Clive Thompson states how some individuals find it more intimate to socialize with others because they would not feel alone at any time. Yet there is a greater affect to how long individuals use these tools – Facebook and Twitter – to socialize, yet it also depends how individuals use these tools to socialize. For example it is interesting to see how on Facebook or Twitter we are comfortable at becoming friends with individuals we don’t even know, something we don’t typically do in person –at least I don’t, do you? Another example would be the way we become so comfortable at expressing ourselves through our post or posting anything we want to say without thinking twice about it.

Facebook like Twitter have become more visible and popular to how individuals interact with one another. It is interesting to see the affect Facebook and Twitter have had on individuals when they final come face to face to catch. Thompson state how individuals that many individuals feel awkward when finally spending time with friends in person because it not like if they don’t know what’s going on in the other persons like. After such these change us as individuals and also demonstrate how in fact these two technological forms of communicating affect us.

Before closing this post I would like to leave you with a few questions how long do you spend on sites like Facebook and Twitter? And do you think they have affected the way interact with others in person? If you don’t think Facebook and Twitter have had an affect on you try staying away from it for a couple of day and you last? It will be interesting to see your results.

Samsung Smart TV...

          This year Samsung has come out with a smart TV, "The Samsung Smart TV". This smart TV has many different features that allow you to search for movies, TV shows, browse the web, and chat with friends. Additionally this Samsung Smart TV also allows you to stream movies from Netflix or Blockbuster, TV shows from Hulu, videos from YouTube, music from Pandora, it even allows you to view updates on Facebook and Twitter. Having a technological device that allows you to do all these different things and more is amazing. Yet it is interesting to see how much it has replaced, how much it has made life easier.

          In one of the commercials that was presented on TV, it was interesting to see how this TV played to role of bringing a couple together after being mad at each other.

          Watching this commercial really showed how technology is replacing the way we interact and communicate with others. Playing a song or pieces of a song for the other individual to demonstrate how we feel is shocking because we are no longer talking to the other individual.

          Like many of the other technological devices and applications, this TV is just another way in which our lives are becoming simpler and more dependent on the devices and application that make things easier for us. As mentioned in the previous post we are becoming slaves of the technology that surrounds us.

          

          Before closing this post I'll like to leave you with a few questions that may get you thinking of how technology has or is affecting you. Base on the thing that we are surrounded by how much is it that its affecting us? Is it affecting the way we done things, the way we interact with others, or the way we express ourselves?

Slaves of Technology...

A couple of days ago, I was flipping through the channels on TV and came across and old episode of the show Criminal Minds. What grabbed my attention about this particular show was that the bad guy had become really obsessed of what he had read in a book and believed it to be true. The book touched on how we as humans are coming so dependent on technology and that soon we won’t be the masters of computers; instead we would become the slaves of them. In society today we see how this idea presented in this book may exist and may be true today. We see this through the action we take and the belief we have of having to have these technological tools to get by and function well. For example, phones. Phones are equipment that many individual seem go crazy about either when they have forgotten them or even loose them. Do you agree???… Although this show is fiction it is interesting to see how it touches on something that is becoming so big in which we as individuals are becoming so dependent on technology. Thinking about this episode and analyzing it to what extent the issues that exist in our world today, I realized how we are individual are in fact becoming very dependent on the technological equipment that surround us. Laura Hess states in the article “Slaves to Technology” how we are becoming more and more dependent on technology. She also states how thing have become more easier to us, such as, being able to talk to people that are on the other side of the world. Similar in the article “Are we becoming slaves of technology” written by Bilawal Soomro he states how technology is something good that exist yet it has both good and bad implications.
        
          Being able to look at how technology has impacted our lives from a different perspective it’s interesting to see how we become so comfortable with technology and the affect it has had on us, (Slaves of Technology by Laura Hess). Although the affect it has on us may be good and/or bad its something that cannot be so easily removed. Before closing this post I want to ask you what do you think could be done to change this image of us as slaves. 

Lets Take A Look Commercial....

          Although technology is something that has affected us in the way we interact with others and in the way we go about our daily lives, technology does have a great affect when it comes to medicine. Not to long ago I saw a commercial about a V-Scan from GE Health Care, which is a pocket-imaging device that could help doctors see and help their patients.      

          Here’s the commercial about this device.

          Even though technology in this case has a good affect, because it helps doctors in helping other. This type of device is very helpful in places like Africa or Haiti were there are limits to how doctors attend and diagnose their patients. Additionally Technology doesn’t always have to affect us in a negative way , we I demonstrated here, there is always a positive side to technological things that surround us. Don’t you agree?

Life becoming simpler... Car Starter...

            Thinking of how technology has impacted our lives has made me think of how simpler our lives have become because of technology. Not too long ago I saw a commercial about a car, where the husband calls his wife that is about to get on a plane to turn on the car from the touch of a button on her phone.

            Watching that video has made me think of how the use of technology is becoming more normalized in our lives. It is interesting to see how we are becoming more and more dependent on the use of it in order for us to “function well” on a simple day.

Text Messaging....

            We constantly hear about texting, the sending and receiving text messages on our cell phones, more and more; but how is it changing the way we communicate with one another. Before I go on telling you a little more of the way texting is changing the way we communicate, let me go into whom this new form of communication is affecting. Texting exist among individuals of all ages but it has become very popular among younger and younger individuals. This new way of communicating reminds me when I was in elementary, going back to when beepers were popular. Just like beeper had its own language where you could send someone a message simply be using numbers. For example: hello = 43110 and bye = 843, etc. in beeper code. Just like beeper code was a different way of communicating, texting has also become this different code/ language that individuals use to communicate. Like beeper code texting also has is code by abbreviating words into two to three letters. For example: lol = laughing out loud, omg = oh my god, etc. Although this form of communication has been around for a while it is interesting to see how these different forms of communicating substitute the simple thing of saying something out loud.

            Writing about this has made me think about the different ways I communicate with friends and family. I have a couple of friends, whom I only send text messages to, and hardly ever call them. Just like text messaging has impacted my life and the way I communicate with other, I could assure you that it has impacted the lives of many others. In a small post “Text Messaging Is Now The Main Way People Communicate” it talks about how text messaging has become more convenient and easier to keep in touch. Although this has become something good for many individuals many other think that is has affected our way of writing – Literacy and Text Messaging. Even though text messaging has impacted our lives its something really popular and has become something we have been really dependent on. So before I close this post I want to propose to you to try avoiding texting messaging so much, I know I will.

Smart phones...

Smart phones have been something big that has incredibly changed the world and how we as individuals interact with one another. Not so long ago – less than a year ago – the iPhone 4 was considered to have been the "phone that changed everything." This phone was very different and to this day is very different to the other smart phone we see in the world today. 

Before going into how this phone has impacted and affected this world we live in and how we interact with one another; let me first state some of the features from this phone. Ever since the iPhone came out – earlier generations – it has always been really attracting to us as individuals because of it touch screen, and the different applications it came with.

Some of the features and application that we find in the iPhone are some like:

-         Video Camera                     -   Camera phone

-         Visual voicemail                  -         Portable media player

-         E-mail                                -         Web browsing

-         Wi-fi                                   -         3G network (more recent versions)

-         Multi-touch screen               -         Virtual keyboard (other than a physical)

-         Games                               -         App Store (not found in the 1^st iPhone)

-         Reference                           -         GPS navigation

-         Video calling (iPhone 4)       -         Social networks – Facebook, twitter, etc.

Looking at all these different features that are found in the iPhone it is interesting to see how we bring them into the way we interact with one another in our daily lives. Take for example the video calling; it has substituted the process of actually being in a certain place at a certain time, and taking part of a special moment without physically being there.

We could see this in the following video (an advertising for the iPhone 4).

          Furthermore another similar feature that is found in every phone not just smart phones is the text messaging. Text messaging is another way where one can still talk to others without verbally talking to the other person over the phone or in person. Another feature would be all the social networking tools where individuals can share, with others online, something that they are doing at the moment, etc. These smart phones and the features they come with have in fact changed the way we interact with one another, and limit the quality time we spend with close one – family and/or friends. So before I close this post let me leave you with a couple of questions, do you think smart phones and their features have affected the way you interact with others? If not, try going a day or two without a phone and any other device that may have similar features and see how much you really are dependent on your phone and how much time you spend with close one in person.

The rise of the iPad and the affect it has...

            The iPad, one of the most popular tools of equipment created by apple has impacted the lives of many individuals. Before we get into more detail of how the iPad has influence and affected our lives and this world we live in, lets go into a little bit of detail of what exactly is an iPad.

            The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a tool of equipment that contains audio-visual media, periodicals, movies, games, web surfing, etc. Its operating system is the same as the iPod touch and the iPhone – two more equipment created by Apple – that have impacted us in an incredible way. Like the iPod touch and the iPhone, the iPad is also controlled by a multi-touch display. Ever since the iPad came out – March 2010 – Apple had worked on improving the performance and the fixing the defects that occur in the previous generation; this year the second generation has arrived.

This new generation of the iPad has had a great impact on individuals, for example this video.

This video was taken on the release date of the iPad 2 in NYC. It is amazing to see how individuals would stand in line for hours in order to be one of the first to get the newest and most popular piece of equipment. Additionally the power and ability to persuade individuals into taking certain decisions is demonstrated by the iPad 2.

Before I close this post I would like to leave you with a question, now that you have seen how the release of some new technological device moves people into taking such actions and decisions, have you ever encounter such persuasion in your life? Have you ever been force by the desire of waiting something where you go out of your way to get it as soon as possible? When thinking about these questions you would be able to see how certain things, especially technology, has changed us as individuals and this world we live in.

Skype...

            Skype has been an application that has become really popular over that last couple of years, even though it has been in existence for about 8 years. This application is really similar to the Apple application that allows you to have a face-to-face conversation with another individuals through the Internet. Although Skype can be downloaded onto ones phone it is predominantly built for computer – PCs or Laptops. Some of the features that come included in this Skype application are features such as being able to place a call and video conference calls to other Skype users as well as being able to send instant messages and picture messaging. Additionally Skype also allows one to be able to place calls to land lines as well as cell phones at a low rate. Other giving individuals a chance to have a face to face conversation over the internet with someone that is mile is has replace the feeling of looking forward of seeing someone you haven’t seen in a while. Skype like many other applications does affect the way we feel – taking away emotion of being alone-- and the way we communicate with other.

From The Beginning...

            Technology is and has been constantly changing over time. Take for example this English class I am currently taking, its taking a different route from the traditional expectation we see in an English class. This class is bringing in technology. We are required to create a blog – a website where one can write about anything and bring one’s own thoughts and opinion into it – something completely different and unexpected from an English class. It is interesting to see how this world of technology has become a part of us, we as individuals, but have you ever wonder how this all came about?

            As mentioned earlier, Technology has been around for many years. The history of technology is mainly made up of the inventions and techniques made to assist people. Technology goes back to ancient civilization, the middle age, the renaissance, the age of exploration, the industrial revolution to more recent the 19^th, 20^th, and 21^st century. Technology began with simple machines such as: the ramp to aid construction process, the water wheel and evolved into machines such as: the automaton [robot], wash stand, central heating, mechanical clocks, windmills, chronometer, furnace, steam engine, light bulb, radio, radar, computing, telephone, fax, solar cells, etc. Some of the equipment mentioned have been made to help us as individuals manage around the different things that surrounds us, other have just been made for our pleasure. It is interesting to see how all these different forms of technology have made this world what it is today.

             Today when we talk about technology we don't really think about all the little basic things like, a light bulb, a heater, a clock, we usually think about technological equipment such as: computers, laptops, iPod, iPad, tablets, TVs, phones, the Internet, websites, etc. not because the other items are not part of technology but because they have become a part of our daily lives unlike these newer forms of technology that are becoming more progressed by being made better and faster as years past.

          I hope to have given you a time frame of when technology first began but before closing this blog post I ask you, when where you first introduced to technology and what kind of affect has it had on you? Have you wonder the affect it has had on you as and individual and how it has and is changing the world?

Intro...

            Hi my name is Flor and I am a student at SFSU, San Francisco State University. I am currently working on my BA in Sociology but aside from schoolwork one of the things that interest me the most is technology. Technology is something that has been changing throughout time; it is amazing how it’s changing so fast and the change is having on the world. From this blog I hope to give you some insight on the amazing world of technology and how it has and continues to change this world we live in.