Anthony - Technology in general

Technology in general is having an enormous impact on our world today. Every country is constantly trying to become more advanced than the other and thousands of new technological advances have been made in the past decade. Millions of people now have computers and iphones and televisions, and they hardly ever take a second to even think about anything- they just rely on their technology and take it for granted. Some spend hours and hours each day playing useless video games or surfing through Facebook and our relationship with our surroundings/environment has plummeted. It will continue like this, too, as long as our society continues to feel the need to create devices that allow us to be dissengaged thinkers. It has gotten to the point where we are so dependent on technology that if it were to just simply dissappear, the world would be turned upside down. We take it too much for granted and need to understand the power that it actually has or else we will be completely consumed by it.

Anthony - iphone

The iPhone has definitely become the most popular phone today and I think it will continue to be as long as they keep updating it and making new models. I don't think it's a big surprise either because having the phone myself I see why it is one of the best phones on the market. There are so many features to it that make it as appealling as it is. It's touch screen is way more responsive than most other phones, it looks sweet and you can download thousands of apps so you never get bored with your phone. The iPhone is basically an iTouch and a phone put together which makes it even sweeter because you can listen to music and watch movies or shows right off of your phone. The picture quality is actually a lot better than I would expect and because it is on such a small screen it almost looks like a mini Bluray movie (if you buy real ones off of iTunes and don't get a bootleg one). For being just a cell phone, it also has a really good video and sound recorder and you can easily send your recordings to other phones or even e-mail addresses. You can tell I'm a big fan of the iPhone and if you don't like it then oook.

Anthony - e waste

The problem with e-waste today is a big one and needs to be addressed. A lot of the used computer equipment is sent from the United States to developing countries for use in homes, schools and businesses but is usually neither usable or repairable, and it is creating huge environmental problems in some of the world's poorest places. Monitors, laptops and many other devices can be very toxic, and it is crazy to see pictures of little kids playing on these mounds of toxic waste. It is unbelievable to me that we could just dump our trash into another country and just let them deal with it, let alone the fact that it is harming people who are exposed to it. I really think that something needs to be done about this and a different way of recycling this stuff has to be introduced.

Anthony - Online shopping

It was no surprise to me that the number of online shoppers, specifically during Black Friday, has increased dramatically in the past few years. According to the article, the United States spent about $595 million online on Black Friday this year, up 11% from last year. Since November 1, about $10.57 billion has been spent online in the United States for the holiday season; a 3 percent gain, according to comScore. People are finding more, better discounts online than in actual stores, and because of this the online market is booming and it will most likely continue this way. It is really incredible how much the internet has grown and played a role in our society, and this article gives a good look at how dominant the internet and online shopping is becoming.

Anthony - Facebook benefits

I think that Facebook and other social-networking sites are popular for a number of reasons. They allow both students and adults to communicate and stay in touch when they might be across the country or even in another country, which is a huge help in maintaining distant relationships. I went on the German exchange my senior year in high school and made a group of new friends that I can still keep in touch with thanks to Facebook. If it weren't for social-networking sites like this, I would probably rarely ever talk to my exchange partner, atleast definitely not as much as I do now. These sites are also good time wasters; I find myself so bored sometimes and I guess just logging on to Facebook and surfing through pictures or news is a good way to pass some time. It is also kindof fun to go on and just look for new alerts or messages. These sites are becoming so popular today and I really think that within the next few years, Facebook will be the number one visited site on the web.

Anthony - Facebook

I was really stunned when I read this article about a Canadian woman on long-term sick leave for depression who lost her health benefits because her insurance agent found photos of her on Facebook, in which she seemed to be having fun. Manulife, her insurance company, told her that these photos were evidence that she is no longer depressed and able to work. I found this to be completely ridiculous. The pictures really only showed her having a good time at her birthday party and maybe a night out, but that is clearly not enough proof to say she not depressed. The woman says that she was told by her doctor to try to go out and have some fun, and it is unbelievable that the insurance company would deny her of her health benefits even if she was having a good time.
In a way, this article is an example of how the internet and new technology (social-networking sites in particular) are playing a huge role in peoples lives, sometimes for the worse. I think that today, people are being judged way to critically just by their representation of themselves on these websites. Half of the time people are completely different than what they seem like on the internet, and I don't think that there is always a fair view when you just make assumptions based on what you see on your computer screen.

Anthony - Simulation

There has been a lot of use recently of computer simulated warfare in the army and a lot of people are questioning this. I know that it is a useful technology that helps prepare soldiers for war, but at the same time I agree with people who say that it is in a way dehumanizing war. The soldiers are basically playing a video game that is teaching them to kill their enemy, and when it comes down to the real war they maintain the same mindset that they had in the simulation and almost forget that the "enemy" is a real person with a life just like yours. Well, they might not actually be forgetting this, but they are purposely trying to think of their enemy as less than human and stripping them of all aspects that make them human. The simulation that they went through before the actual fight only helps them dehumanize their enemy, and I think that this is wrong.