It seems that every day, bars are being set higher and higher. The speed limit keeps getting higher, athletes break records, and shopping centers are themed villages a la Disney World. The communication arena is no exception.
The iPhone is the newest, sleekest kid on the communication block. It allows the user to talk, send text messages, listen to music, take videos (and edit them right on the iPhone), play your favorite video games, keep track of your schedule, get directions via a GPS system, and surf the web. And, if that was not enough, it offers a convenient touch screen with which to do all of this. It is also reportedly twice as fast as other application devices (www.apple.com, 2009).
Facebook is a popular social network available on the internet and now it is possible to access Facebook via a cell phone such as an iPhone. Friends of mine recently convinced me to set up a Facebook profile complete with a wall. I was immediately overwhelmed by 30 or 40 “friend” requests. Now, the same friends are trying to convince me to add this to my cell phone.
Where will it all end? There are an estimated 30 million people using Facebook (www.facebook.com, 2009). The number of people over 35 doubled between March 2009 and May 2009 (www.insidefacebook.com). The largest segment of the population using Facebook seems to be the baby boomers (www.insidefacebook.com, 2009). We are sending and gathering information at a speed much faster than we can absorb. It scares me a little to think that all this personal information is floating around in cyberspace or, worse yet, that someone is compiling it for a project yet unknown.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Three Icons that Have Influenced Me
Hi. The three icons that I chose are the Statue of Liberty, Julia Child, and Bill Monroe. The Statue of Liberty graces the harbor near New York City. Julia Child was an American-born wanna be French Chef. And Bill Monroe was the creator of Bluegrass music.
The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of our freedom. It was given to the U.S. by the French as a centennial commemoration of our independence as a country. Julia Child is an icon representing French cuisine done American style and also, on a greater level, the idea that simple ingredients when put together just right, yield extraordinary results. Bill Monroe is known as "The Father of Bluegrass Music" and, as such, pioneered a whole new genre of music.
These symbols have influenced my life in different ways and at different times. The Statue of Liberty has always meant "hope" to me. When my mother would tell of her grandparents coming to the U.S. from Germany and seeing the Statue in the harbor, I wondered how it made them feel. It must have been a sight to behold, representing promise of a new life. As a child, I watched Julia Child on television with my mom as she would effortlessly create yet another masterpiece out of common ingredients. Over the years I realized that these cooking lessons we watched were also applicable to other areas of our lives. If we learn to appreciate and combine the simple things, the results are always incredible.
Bill Monroe epitimizes Bluegrass music. He invented it and started a whole new craze in the Appalachian area. Today, many famous Bluegrass artists (and some not so famous like our family band) measure their own music by his. He had a gift and wasn't afraid to try something new. To me, his example shows us all that there are niches out there to be found and filled.
The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of our freedom. It was given to the U.S. by the French as a centennial commemoration of our independence as a country. Julia Child is an icon representing French cuisine done American style and also, on a greater level, the idea that simple ingredients when put together just right, yield extraordinary results. Bill Monroe is known as "The Father of Bluegrass Music" and, as such, pioneered a whole new genre of music.
These symbols have influenced my life in different ways and at different times. The Statue of Liberty has always meant "hope" to me. When my mother would tell of her grandparents coming to the U.S. from Germany and seeing the Statue in the harbor, I wondered how it made them feel. It must have been a sight to behold, representing promise of a new life. As a child, I watched Julia Child on television with my mom as she would effortlessly create yet another masterpiece out of common ingredients. Over the years I realized that these cooking lessons we watched were also applicable to other areas of our lives. If we learn to appreciate and combine the simple things, the results are always incredible.
Bill Monroe epitimizes Bluegrass music. He invented it and started a whole new craze in the Appalachian area. Today, many famous Bluegrass artists (and some not so famous like our family band) measure their own music by his. He had a gift and wasn't afraid to try something new. To me, his example shows us all that there are niches out there to be found and filled.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Popular Culture Blog
Popular culture is the essence of life as we know it. It is the stuff by which we measure our normalcy. Popular culture encompasses many things including art, music, literature, past times, hobbies, religion, food, transportation, and almost everything else we interact with every day. We can be either advocates or adversaries of a popular culture phenomenon but we are affected, nonetheless.
In my current job as a Research Data Coordinator with Abbott Nutrition, I work in the Research and Development Division. One would think that this would not require any knowledge or application of popular culture but it does. As a service organization, we are wise to study our market (now a global one) and find out what it is that would improve the lives of our customers through nutrition. Today’s customer is much more savvy and expects not only a trusted infant formula or adult nutritional beverage, they want attractive packaging that is convenient, easy to open, and earth friendly. Knowledge about trends in popular culture allows us to meet or exceed these expectations. It also gives us a common ground with which we can connect with the customer, our peers, and our vendors.
For my artifact, I have chosen a periodical table of instant messaging abbreviations. This artifact represents the new era of communication that is faster, sleeker, and more fun. There are now many acronyms that a person writing an instant message can use to speed up the tedious work of typing a message. This comes in handy especially on the tiny keyboards of cell phones. Some of these abbreviations are more casual and some are now widely accepted in the work place.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
SWDYT of IM?
Through the ages man has developed ways to communicate. These ways have included gestures, speech, drawing in the dirt or on cave walls, drums, dance, the written word, telex, fax, and the cell phone.
The current method of choice is the cell phone. It allows the user to talk, send text messages, pictures, and videos. Texting has become the most popular but the tiny keyboards are not conducive to long messages. Therefore, born out of necessity, are abbreviations that the texter uses to speed up the messaging. Above is a periodic table that lists some of the more common abbreviations. There are also a number of website dedicated to compiling these abbreviations.
SWDYT (So what do you think) about IM (Instant Messaging)?
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