Barack busts a move with Ellen!

Watch Barack Obama on the Ellen Degeneres show back in October get down with our favorite talk show host.

Find the rest of the episode segments here on You Tube.

Voting like our lives depend on it.

Vote or die.

To the younger generation these words will forever be remembered as the famous words spoken by the rapper P. Diddy  in order to promote his “Vote or Die” campaign during the 2004 presidential election. Although the word choice is extremely harsh, insinuating death will come to you if you do not vote, not to mention the fact that words uttered by P. Diddy may be seen as completely irrelevant to some the fact that this campaign was conducted on “MTV” which is a major network show that appeals to the younger generation may have helped to increase voter awareness amongst 18-29 year olds.

According to a post from The Circle for Research and Civic Learning and Engagement, youth voting surged by 11 percentage points in 2004. That is a major leap from the percentage of younger individuals voting previously. Arguably, it could have nothing to do with P Diddy’s campaign, but you could also draw the conclusion that a major contributing factor to this rise was MTV stepping in and encouraging the younger generation that their vote really does matter.

With the help of places like MTV and sites like youngamericanvoters.com the word is being spread to the younger generation that each vote contributes to a greater cause, and that greater cause is the future of our lives, our children’s lives, and even our grandchildren’s lives. Although speaking of grandchildren is in the far distance for most of us, in order to encourage the younger generation to step it up and vote we need to make it clear that it’s not only this point in time that matters. Legacies and policies of presidents can carry on forever so in order to ensure a future full of opportunities for ourselves and those in which we care about we need to vote people!
Speaking from a twenty-two year old perspective I see the effects that a president and political party can have on the economy. So although I am not a fan of P. Diddy, nor do I believe we will all literally die if we do not vote, I do encourage all younger people to realize the importance that one vote can have on an entire nation.  So by branching out in anyway we can whether that be through MTV, websites, blogs I encourage any and all younger voters to get out there and cast your vote to help ensure the safety of your families and the future of your careers.

If you would like information on how to vote in your state, check out the website my classmates and I have created to help make this whole process a little easier at: http://voteabsentee.wetpaint.com/?t=anon 

Breaking down ethics, one blog at a time.

So we are all aware of the unspoken code of ethics we all as individuals are to live by. We are to live, laugh, and love as much as we can and we are never to lie, deceive, or cheat. These rules go without saying when talking about every day life. But what about when it comes to the online world or shall I say “blogosphere?” Should the online world adopt a SPJ or PRSA code of ethics which creates guidelines for bloggers to follow in order to form some sort of control over what is being written? Or are we taking it one step to far and placing control over something that was never out of control in the first place? I do not believe the blogosphere needs an online code of ethics to perform to its full capability.

In order to be seen as a credible source, bloggers actually have to be credible. They need to deliver information in an honest manner in order to gain a following. A blogger who writes deceptively and/or one-sided will live a very short online life in terms of readership. Not only do we want voice to come through in a blogger’s work to intrigue us, but we also want fact. According to a recent post I read on cyberjournalist.net they said that “integrity is the cornerstone of credibility” and designed a modified version of the SPJ code of ethics and created guidelines in which bloggers should follow in order to be credible, because as we know, not all bloggers are journalists so therefore the same code of ethics should not be all encompassing.

So as I mentioned, most bloggers who are writing in the hopes of being read not only want to but actually need to seen by their readers as credible in order to gain a following. In reality then, a code of ethics already exists amongst the blogosphere. We trust that the bloggers in which we are familiar with will convey truth in their work and it is rather easy for us as the readers to decipher the real vs. the phonies amongst bloggers. Truth and justice already exist in the online world, so why would we need the government coming down and slapping a code of ethics on something that was never unethical to begin with?

Schuyler Fisk-From Where I am Standing.

 

Check out this down to earth, extremely talented musician on the rise performing on Park City Television.

Also, check out more music and information on Schuyler Fisk at her myspace homepage.

Keepin’ it simple in order to attract readership.

Okay, so you have constructed your final body of work and now here comes the tough part. Should you  use your wit to attract readership on your blog by using catchy headlines? Or should you be straight-forward so the reader knows exactly what you are talking about right off the bat? That is the struggle that fellow blogger’s and myself alike, deal with everytime we decide to publish our work. Although we all like to showcase our creativity with language choices that will up our egos,  it may be counter-productive when it comes to attracting readership.

According recent article I read on the way Google news is changing the way headlines are being written, it became clear to me just how hard it is to get the RSS feed to pick up your work, no matter how great it may be, without explaining in the headline exactly what it is you are talking about. For example, in a recent blog I posted entitled “Whose thought is it anyways?” which entailed the process of groupthink, I noticed at one point the automatically generated related links that were associated with my piece, held no relevance when it came to my topic, groupthink. Now, who is going to want to read a piece on the process of group think when they were really searching for the results of a gameshow? Not most people. So this got me thinking about that old saying we all have engrained in our minds, “less is more.” Could it be true that the less we rack our minds to create headlines that we deem catchy or creative, the more readership we will attract? Well in a fast-paced world where we want our information instantly, if we can condense our language to be clear and concise then the readership is bound to grow. If only I could have posted my headline as “groupthink” rather than sit at the computer for 15 minutes trying to think of something that would stick maybe I would have gotten more than just 4 views!

-How can bloggers attract readership without forfeiting creativity when it comes to creating headlines?

- When it comes to what makes the cut for the RSS feed, how can bloggers guarentee themselves a spot on the list?

 

Barack Obama’s largest rally yet in Portland, Oregon.

 

Nearly 75,000 people gathered at Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon to rally around Barack Obama. Above is the youtube clip that is linked on his official website.

Find more information on Barack and his plans and policies at his official homepage.

The power of nanotechnology.

I have been curious for a while now, exactly how potentially powerful can nanotechnology be?  Does it really have the power to form cellular reconstruction? Construct phones created with nano fiber that can mold and shape into any form? Well, Nokia has a promising proposal for the future of nanotechnology that can even detect specific chemical compounds in the air and even strech into multiple forms to adjust to different settings.

Nanotechnology according to a recent article from nano werk, may even have the capabilites to discover early diagnoses and effective treatment for the debilitating Alzheimer’s Disease. These technologies are still at their beginning stages but scientists are still very hopeful.

Does nanotechnology really have the power to change to world? I guess only time will tell.

You can check out more stories on nanotechnology from nanowerk at http://www.nanowerk.com/.

To be or not to be ethical? That is the question.

Who holds the power when it comes to deciding what is “ethically correct?” Is there some magical wand that swoops down from the sky and sprinkles fairy dust that distinguishes the good vs. the bad? In life we all have a general consensus. Philanthophy, family, love, kindness….these are all words that we immediately generalize with what is good in the world. Death, taxes, and drugs are all things we can quickly put into the not so good box. But here I am talking about real, tangible life going on right in front of our eyes. But what about when it comes to ethics on the web? Do the same rules apply or is it easier to stray away to the dark side when nobody is looking?

According to a website I encountered that discusses online ethics, the first example of unethical and criminal behavior listed is stealing copyright and credit for intellectual property. Although stealing copyright and credit can happen offline, with the new wave of “doing it all online” it seems like it makes it easier for those who are on the darkside to steal, cheat, and slander. So, when trying to decipher ethical behavior online where do we draw the line and bring about a form of internet police that come to lock up and prosecute all the villians online? Well, if we are all aware of what we are doing and where we are going online then we can all form our own tracking systems to help protect ourselves and make it harder for those unethical folks on the web, because we all know they exist, to attack.

So, although the reailites between the web and real life differ, that doesn’t mean the ethics have to. That is not to say that we need authorities watching our every move, but simply to hold one another responsible for the information being given online.

 

- In regards to ethics on social spaces such as myspace, what can be done to make sure that slandering and verbal abuse do not go on, especially amongst young children and teenagers?

-When it comes to ethics on the web, what rules apply?

Americans concerned while fuel prices stay on the rise.

I was wondering today with the presidential election in full motion and the economy in a stand still, what exactly is at the top of America’s list of worries? Who the next president will be? The state of the current job market? Not quite. How about how to fill up at the pump. But according to Kathryn Hauser from Fox 23 news:

The good side to the story is that most of the economists polled feel that the recession will be short and shallow with relief in sight.

Once I heard this I really began to wonder what effects this is having on the automobile industry. WIll we see the day in the near future where all automobiles are hybrid? Well, maybe or maybe not. But according to the latest 2008 Consumer Reports, once again the Toyota Prius has made the top of the list for the top modelsof 2008.

So, with the growing popularity of hybrid vehicles, what will the future hold for our current gas-guzzling cars? And will we come to know a time when Hybrid rules the world?

In an age where You Tube rules the world.

Where do we go when we want to watch our favorite music videos? How about catch an episode from our favorite television show that we missed? Or to just get a laugh? The one, the only; You Tube. You Tube has become an all encompassing entitity that can make the average day joe famous with one click of the mouse.

Us younger folks, in the good words of my grandma, have the world at our fingertips. Literally. Televisions, we don’t need them. We no longer have to turn on mtv at the right moment to watch the hottest new Britney Spears video that we all hate to admit we can’t wait to see, we don’t need to set our tivo’s or schedule our days around our favorite television programs anymore. We have the power now. Goodbye television networks telling us when we are going to watch our shows, and hello to us watching them at about any time we please! So, this is seemingly wonderful for us but what about for those television programs and music channels that bank on us going to them instead? We no longer have a need for these programs. Although these networks are the catalysts for putting together our favorite programs, with the age of You Tube we don’t need to tune in to watch them any longer.

So the obvious ptoblem in this scenario is that networks are slowly losing their viewship to the mighty power of You Tube. So what comes next? We have now made ourselves into the sensations that we want to be by taking our home videos and posting them online, but in an age where You Tube rules the world I must ask the question: in this world of instant stardom that we ourselves have created have we exposed ourselves to a world of harsh criticism and a depletion of privacy? Or does the price of instant stardom make it all worth while?

 

- What are the benefits of user generated sites? What about the drawbacks?

- What comes after You Tube? In your opinion, what is going to be the next biggest thing to give You Tube a run for its money?