Instant Messaging (IM)

Instant Messaging, or IM, is my absolute favorite way to communicate. It is quick, easy, and to the point. With phone calls you have to make with pleasantries and all the crap that goes with them, with emails I feel like you have to be so formal and people do not always get them right away. But IM, I mean, it is in the name: INSTANT. I love it while I am home and I loved it when I worked in a real office. It is perfect if I am doing work and I have a question for a client of my business partner. I especially like that a lot of IM options show you when someone has read it. That way I can tell if someone has actually received the information. It is nice to just toss a line and say hello to a friend or ask a question that I need an immediate answer for. Obviously, I do not use it if it is a long drawn out question, or I know they will have a long answer. Then I call or email. While I was working at DARPA we loved g-chat, even if we were sitting in the same office. It keeps the office quiet but you still can ask when someone wants to go get coffee or why the damned printer isn't working again.

Skype

Skype was revolutionary when it first hit the market. I remember being in Germany and people going on and on about this new thing called Skype and how easy it was to use to call home. And every Soldier's favorite part; it was free. As smartphones have become more and more popular, Skype has kind of fallen to the background. But, I still love it. I downloaded onto my daughter's iPad and she uses it to talk with her father, grandmother, cousin, and a friend that moved to England. And she loves that she can send messages on it. So, while her father is at work she records little videos and sends them to him with her 7 lines of emojis. It makes her feel like a grown-up with a grown-up phone she says (since I told her she was WAY off from getting her own phone). Now that Skype can be used on more than just a computer has made it a hot topic again. I am not sure who else is using it, but for me, it is a lifesaver. Before Skype, whenever she would be on my phone talking to a relative, I would be trying to work and I use my phone a lot for work. It was driving me crazy. Obviously, I want her to stay in touch and connect with our loved ones, but not when it costs me valuable work time. :) Skype saves me a giant headache, and to think, it was almost all but forgotten by many. *This is not an add for Skype*

LinkedIn

As many young professionals, I have had a LinkedIn account for as long as I can remember. I never used it to its full potential. In fact, I only had an account because someone in out company told us everyone should have one. Now tat I am running my own business I still find myself not using it in the capacity it was meant for. But, I continue to keep my account, just in case.

LinkedIn is a genius idea when you get down to it. Like a secondary resume for you to show off your connections and potential companies to see more than a simple resume can provide. I believe this site is very useful for people looking to get their name out there, especially if they are looking for a new job. I know a lot of my views came from people looking to hire me when my resume came across their desks. This is a great way to show off more than what you can write on a limited resume. I do suggest that you keep active on it and keep it updated. Add a professional picture and keep those connections rolling in and you will be the happier for it.

Social Media

	Facebook	Google+	Myspace
Wall/Feed	Easy to use and understand. Flows down the screen. One column of feed.	Easy to use and understand. Flows down the screen. Two columns of feed.	Odd layout. Flows to the left and right of the screen.
Friends	Called Friends. Easy to search and navigate.	Called People. Easy to search and navigate.	Called People. No search option.
Uploads	Upload option available at the top of the Home screen. Easy to use.	Upload option available at the top of the Home screen. Easy to use.	Uploads on menu to the left. Allows music upload as well as video and photo.
Communities	Throughout feed ads and communities based on things you’ve posted or viewed. Mixed in with feed.	Offers different forums you may be interested in based on your posts. On the menu bar to the left.	Offers artists and pages to Connect with. Available on menu to the left. Shows most popular.
Navigation	Easy	Easy	Moderate
Chat	Through Facebook Messanger	Through Gmail G-Chat	Yes
Mobile	Yes	Yes	No

My Podcast

My podcast is located at https://amberomega.podbean.com/mf/web/58bbib/schoolpodcast.mp3

Voki

Here is the link to my voki video: http://tinyurl.com/zf28txj

Hardcore History King of Kings

I want to start by saying JACKPOT!! At this point in my life, I am obsessed with History; any history. When I was digging through podcastalley.com and started getting bored by the titles I was seeing, it was like a special prize when I saw this channel. I will warn everyone, his podcasts are over 3 hours long and his voice is soft and even, wich can lull you if you are tired. I think what I liked most was that he gave you an entire list at the bottom of the page of where he got his information and he gives you what he calls a 'scorecard' that breaks down all the kings he discusses during this podcast. I will say what I liked most was how he speaks, it is almost like he was there and when he recites the speeches he actually puts some power behind it. I do not know if it is because I like history so much or because he catches your attention that well. This will definitely be a podcast I will subscribe to and I hope other people find just as interesting.

http://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-56-kings-of-kings/

Fresh Air 'The Platinum Age of TV'

I chose this podcast because I found myself feeling a touch sad that I have not been able to watch TV as of late because of my schedule, so I thought this would connect me a little. Terry Gross from the podcast Fresh Air interviews David Bianculli's new book titled 'The Platinum Age of Television'.  I am not sure what I was expecting, but it was not this. Basically, it is a guy (David Bianculli) discussing his favorite TV from his childhood until now. They play a bunch of clips from TV and he explains why he likes the clip. It was a little weird listening to, especially the Mr. Rogers clip about assassination. The childish voice discussing assassination without a visual was a little offputting for me. If you think you can listen without watching it is nice to revisit these TV shows, but younger generations beware, they pretty much stay in the 60s. It ends with Maureen Corrigan giving a breakdown about Stanley Elkin and his soap obsession...

http://freshairnpr.npr.libsynfusion.com/the-platinum-age-of-tv

Freakonomics Radio 'How Much Does the President Really Matter?'

I picked this podcast because of the recent election. Not because I feel either way about it, but because I thought it was fitting. Apparently, so did Freakonomics because this was a bonus episode that was re-released because of this year's election. This episode does not discuss the 2016 election, in fact, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are not mentioned. While elections are mentioned, it does not discuss a particular president in detail, instead, it focuses on the office of the President and what power this position actually holds. They discuss gambling and stock markets, and they even compare baseball and the Presidency, and then the discuss the position of the President and whether he actually has power or he is just the face and behind the shadows lies the real power. Mr. Dubner has a very monotone voice but he chooses his words carefully and keeps you intrigued. At one point he mentions speaking with Lyndon Johnson's dog. If that does not catch your attention, I don't think anything will. On a closing note, I will add that the ads are a little annoying, but they gotta make money right?!

http://freakonomics.com/podcast/bonus-episode-much-president-really-matter/

My wiki

I created a wiki called AOmegaWiki and it is located at http://aomegawiki.wikispaces.com/

Teacher's salary by subject area

I read, Teacher's salary by subject area by PEGuys (http://shifthappens.wikispaces.com/share/view/49335946). Wow, just wow. Governor Christie wants to pay teachers based on what subject they teach. Who decides which subject is better and worth more? All teachers are important and each child responds to each subject differently. Just because he thinks something is more important does not mean it is. A future doctor might find math and science important, but a future pilot might find just math important, and a future director might find art more important. Teachers get bum pay as it is, they should not take a pay cut because someone with no concept of teaching children thinks their subject is less important.

Preparation of students for the future?

I read, Preparation of students for the future? by Jennifer Kolb (http://shifthappens.wikispaces.com/share/view/1658333) And she asks the very important question "Are students being adequately prepared for the future?". I have to say I think they are not. In most public schools they are stuck in the old school way of teaching kids. Some schools, sadly only ones that can afford it, have progressed to teaching kids about technology and the changing of the world but a lot of schools are still teaching the way I was when I was in school and worse the way my parents were taught when they were in school. We definitely need to rethink the way we are teaching the future.

What If?

I read What IF? by Karl Fisch (http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2006/09/what-if.html). While, at first, I was skeptical with what I thought he was going to say, I have to agree. By making a blanket statement that no one can use their electronic devices, you set up a system that is going to fail. I agree that there should be a school-wide meeting, as well as emails and letters home about when is appropriate and when is not appropriate to use these devices. The students should have to sign a copy and be punished accordingly if they abuse the use of these devices. The reality is, electronics are the future and they are a part of everyone's everyday life. We should embrace this and allow students to incorporate them into their learning, within reason of course.

Del.icio.us

When I first typed in the url https://del.icio.us/ I was met with a very basic page. I thought it was one of those 'this page wasn't right so here are a few suggestions that were similar'. If this wasn't for a school assignment I probably would have left, but I knew it was right so I kept digging. I created an account and was easily able to add my bookmarks. I also like that it tells you how many people saved that link.

It is nice because you can see what other sites people are interested in and if you ever forget a url you can go check what you have posted.

I would probably not use it because I feel like it is an extra step. I use Chrome so all the sites I visit are saved and I can easily get to them. If I visit something and I forget, I just got to history.

Flickr

This is my first time ever uploading pictures to Flickr. After I created a login, Flickr was very easy to use. I knew instantly where to click to upload a photo and they always have an upload icon on the top menu bar. I uploaded 3 photos and gave them a short description and 2 tags each. The tags are different from other tags I have done (they were separated by a space but youtube make you hit enter) but I caught on quick. If I was someone interested in using Flickr for all my photos I would definitely be happy with my experience and I would continue to use it and recommend it to others.

I posted a photo with the tag Twitter and it had 6,937,111 other photos with that tag.

I posted another photo with the tag Blogger and there were 1,221,632 other photos with that tag.

My final picture was YouTube and it had 4,336,026 other photos with that tag.

Chrome

The third open source software program I downloaded was Chrome. BUT, I downloaded this ages ago while I was working for DARPA. I use a PC and I love Chrome for it. I never use Internet Explorer. I own an iPhone and I downloaded Chrome for it.I do not use Safari on my phone. My favorite thing about Chrome; when I am out surfing the web and I find something interesting that I want to look at, I am logged in so my phone and laptop are connected and I can check it out when I get in my office.

I also use a lot of the extensions and I have certain settings setup through Chrome that make my life easier. I have downloaded it on my mother's laptop and phone as well and she has started making my father use it. I really like Chrome and I like how easy it is to use. I definitely suggest it to other people all the time.

Open Office

One of the other open source software programs I chose was Open Office at openoffice.org. I decided to try this one for someone else. My mother recently upgraded her laptop and operating system to Windows 10 at my insistence. After she made the upgrade I learned that she was using Microsoft Works this entire time!!!!! Well, when she upgraded to Windows 10 it no longer worked for her and she was very angry (some at me for making her do it) because now she has to PAY. I get her irritation and when I saw this I thought, HA, I have a solution to her problem and she won't be mad at me anymore. Win/win, right.

Open Office and Microsoft Office are almost exactly the same layout-wise. The one difference I noticed immediately was the format options were to the right of the page view as well as above. I think this is the perfect fix to my mother's problem. I am willing to say, when my subscription expires I will switch to this as well.

Gimpshop

One of the Open Source software programs I chose to download was Gimpshop at gimpshop.net. I decided to do this one because I will have to get a photo manipulation software for another class I am taking in the future and I thought, better to get it free, right. So far I have gone in and played with some of the features, I like how easy it is to undo something if you do it. This way, if you do not know what something is, you can still play with it and if you do not like it you can undo what you have done.

I will know more when I start working with it for the class but so far it is pretty easy. Easier than the adobe version (it came with Adobe Creative Cloud) I was paying for. I turned off my subscription until it was time to use, but I tried playing with it and it was a lot of stuff and I had no idea what I was doing so I was afraid to touch anything. The fact that this is free and I can do the same things makes me very happy.

Web 2.0 Explained in a Video

I was rolling around YouTube watching a bunch of Web 2.0 videos and I have to be honest, they were all trying not to be boring but seriously missing the mark. I am not sure what is worse trying to be funny and missing or straight out boring someone to tears. After watching multiple videos I went with What is Web 2.0? by WebSmart TV (you can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVeICpFAB-s). In 1 minute and 21 seconds they were able to explain what it was and not completely bore you. Short, simple, and to the point.

Amber

Web 2.0

Not many people know what Web 2.0 is and I thought this was a perfect picture from http://docentesenextremadura.wikispaces.com/PALE.Web+2.0+applications that broke it down in the simplest way imaginable.

I was looking around and as soon as I saw this image I thought, "That is exactly what it looked like in my head." I hope this helps other people understand it a little more.

Amber

Mashable Blog Review

The blog Mashable (http://mashable.com/) has a lot going on. When I first got on the site I was reading a headline for the Samsung Note7 that had a burned up cellphone next to it when an add popped up that was a trailer for a new movie. I was a little confused because it took up the entire screen and I thought I had clicked on something on accident. Then, *POOF*, just as quickly as it came, it was gone. Once that was sorted out I was able to look around. The lay out was decent. After you scrolled down a touch there were 3 columns to choose from: What's New, What's Rising, What's Hot. Nothing really tells you how old any of the information is at first glance except in the 'What's New' column, which is nice. They seem to be more focused on shares than age of content.

Brian Williams from Viget (https://www.viget.com/articles/top-10-blogs-following-web-20) mentions that it is a blog that covers social sites and Web 2.0 startups. Almost everything on the site is entertainment related and the few articles that were not about entertainment were more mainstream products (like the Nike Apple Watch) then startups. If you want gossip and the latest news that seems to be in the mainstream media this is the place to go. If you want the brass tacks about Web 2.0, you are probably better off going to a different site.

Amber

TechCrunch Blog review

Hey, guys, I am doing a review of the blog TechCrunch (https://techcrunch.com/). I will start by saying that at first glance I thought, "Hmm. that's a lot of information on one page" but as I started to look around I kind of liked the lay of the land, if you will. The site itself is really easy to follow and I really liked how they had the time clearly stated so you knew how old the information you were reading is. I also liked that they mentioned which entries were sponsored. Not a lot of blogs do this. I found the titles of the blogs super easy to find and the description easy to follow. One thing that really hit a home run for me was the tab under the time stamp that let you know what the article dealt with, e-commerce, startup, AI, etc., this was amazing. It makes it even easier to find articles. Overall, I would say that TechCrunch is a blog I could find myself getting lost in. Virtual high-five to the developers.

My summary of TechCrunch falls in line with Brian William's from Viget (https://www.viget.com/articles/top-10-blogs-following-web-20) description, they definitely cover reviews of new companies but they also keep you updated with older companies too. There was an interesting read abut Uber's legal battles and Nike and Apple watch joining forces. TechCrunch gives you the details on new companies and what they are looking to achieve but they keep you informed on existing companies and what you should be aware of. Again, I really like this site.

Amber

My school Blog