Last week, Alexis and I presented on GroupMe--the group messaging system that relies on its ease of use. The GroupMe application allows for mass communication without any of the uncertainties of texting and the immediate feedback of the Internet.

GroupMe has the ability to encourage communication although it lacks the face-to-face interaction that Turkle says is necessary for actual community. I believe GroupMe does--more than anything else--encourages organization. The organization that GroupMe provides for the ever-busy college student or businessman is irreplaceable by any other group messaging system. GroupMe allows one compartmentalize each conversation and duties accompanied with that group.

Snapchat

Snapchat is a "real-time picture chat" application for iPhone and Android-based telephones: a user takes a photograph, captions it, and sends it to a friend with the Snapchat application installed on their telephone. Photographs and their captions persist only for a user-selectable duration of time, up to ten seconds. After this, they disappear forever. In class, we discussed the repercussions of ephemeral photographs. These photographs allow for a certain amount of non-judgemental play between users; a smile can be shared, a frown, or a funny face.

We also discussed the nature of digital identity: what does it mean to create persistent, online profiles? how do these profiles relate to our self-identity?

For more information on Snapchat, visit the Snapchat homepage.

Blast Proof Train: Reade & Amy

Reade and I presented on Secure Metro's latest project, the Blast Proof train.  This project was developed in response to the 7/7 bombings in London (essentially their 9/11).   Unfortunately, this was not the first attack on the train system in Europe, Madrid and Moscow have also been targets in the past with a bombing in Moscow as recent as 2009.  The blast proof train provides a cheaper and more secure environment in the event of a bombing.  Damage is incredibly minimized and it encourages a safe and secure environment.  However, the project is still in development and has not been tested in a subway environment.  Additionally, the main goal of the project was to prevent a mass shutdown of an important transportation system in Europe, not saving the lives of the passengers.

Ancestry.com

Philip and I presented on Ancestry.com in class. This technology allows for a user to search through their family lineage by entering information of relatives like birthday and place of birth. Ancestry.com then checks this information with their very large databases that can encompass information from all over the world. Ancestry.com also checks family trees made between one another as to connect the information input together. There are a few very good pros about this technology and about Ancestry.com specifically. I have personally had to use online family tree makers in order to make a family tree for a study. It was much easier than starting from scratch in paint or word. The databases that Ancestry.com have the ability to cross check are also a major pro for this website in particular. The cons about this technology is the fact that it charges money for information that is public record. Even if a person would opt for the free trial, the first question asked is the person's credit card number. This technology can connect to two of the texts. Parallels can be drawn to compare Ancestry.com to Chapter 8 of "The Shallows" by Carr. In this chapter, Carr discusses the development and power the search engine Google. This technology can also be compared to Turkle's key point in "Alone Together." As we look to technology for more and more information, we isolate ourselves from other people. This technology, in my mind, stops conversations between parents and children about nationality and family lineage. Now, the children just need to search the internet and no conversation is needed or, in most cases, wanted.

Arduino

This week, Edward L. and I did our presentation on Arduino, a multiplatform microcontroller that can be programmed to fulfill many different functions. These functions can range from being able to detect earthquakes before they happen and tweeting when one is detected to powering a mechanical bull for dolls to ride on. For computer programming aficionados, this circuit board is a very exciting piece of technology. It utilizes its own programming language, but it closely resembles the C++ programming language that is standard in a lot of programming software. Arduino is also very affordable--the base chip costs around $25-$30, and add on devices called shields range anywhere from $10-$100.

One really unique aspect of Arduino is that it promotes open source programming. Open source programming is essentially a movement to get away from proprietary elements of other programs, which means that people are allowing their creative and intellectual property to be utilized by anyone who wants to utilize it without any major copyright or ownership issues. By allowing for open source development, programmers can create newer concepts based on things other people have already developed. Arduino strongly promotes creativity and innovation among those who have a knack for programming.

Linked below is a TED talk done by Massimo Banzi, creator of Arduino:

Also linked here is our Prezi on Arduino:

Online Homework- Sarah & Amy

Online Homework is something that nearly every college student has used at some point in time.  Using Online homework has several benefits, mainly convenience for professors with large classes and the way it keeps students accountable for their work.  However, some negative aspects include the increased amount of cheating and the tendency to learn trends rather than concepts when referring to problems.  Additionally, we discussed a few other ways to reenforce what is learned in the classroom like the Exeter method of teaching and contextual retrieval cues.

Lernstift Digital Pen

The Lernstift Digital Pen is a writing tool that offers the unique capabilities to sense when the writer makes a spelling, grammatical, or penmanship mistake dependent upon the mode that the pen is set to. In orthography mode, the pen senses what is being written- either on paper or in air- and vibrates once to denote spelling mistakes and twice to denote grammatical errors. In calligraphy mode, the pen vibrates when a letter is not formed properly. A future feature planned to be included in the pen is pressure plates within the grip. These pressure plates would sense whether or not the pen was being held in the correct way. The pen has two release dates set, one in mid-2013 and another in early-2014. The project is currently being funding by the public in order to launch production. It is estimated that the pen could cost anywhere from 50 to 80 euros which is approximately $65-$105.