Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Future of the Internet.

Predicting the Death of the Internet:

The Web as we know it will give way to a more interactive and pervasive medium, experts say.  

Dumb, boring, dusty--are these words that describe the most ballyhooed innovation in decades, and the foundation on which our New Economy teeters? According to Forrester Research, that's just what today's Web is.
And not only is the Web cold, clammy, and pale, but it is doomed to die, says the technology research firm. In a report released Thursday, Forrester predicts that the Internet will experience a second round of expansion that will move it beyond the browser to become a more interactive and pervasive medium which Forrester calls the "X Internet." In its evolution, the report predicts, it will eclipse the Web.
The X Internet, Forrester says, will be more executable, offering real-time, interactive data through disposable code, or programs that can be used once and then thrown away. Furthermore, the current Internet's steroid-boosted second incarnation will muscle its way into a myriad of devices. Eventually, nothing with electricity and an Internet connection will be safe from X Internet, which will function through both wired and wireless networks, the report states.
Forrester predicts that during the Internet's next wave of development, fueled by a global Internet backbone and cheap chips, the number of Internet devices will explode from the current 100 million to more than 14 billion.
But first the Net needs to evolve and users need to move beyond their Web-only thinking, says Forrester. Today's wimpy Web is like early television programming, which was just radio with a picture of an announcer, the report's author, Forrester Research Director Carl D. Howe, says in a statement. The X Internet, however, could make users' online experiences more engaging; for example, consumers might shop online using a Doom game interface that lets them shoot deals they want, Howe adds.
For companies, the evolved Internet will provide real-time information about what's going on in their businesses, the report states, allowing them to make immediate adjustments according to their needs. A California-based company could take real-time data from the power company, telling it to turn down its air conditioner during peak consumption hours, for example.
With so much in store for consumers, one can only hope that the X Internet doesn't go the way of the much-publicized and now defunct XFL, the U.S.'s "extreme" football league.

DEATH OF THE INTERNET? Watch this video.



NEWS YOU WON'T FIND ON CNN!
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13001.htm

Citizen Journalism: Their only escape!

What Is Citizen Journalism?

Put very simply, citizen journalism is when private individuals do essentially what professional reporters do - report information - without being professionally trained or educated.That information can take many forms, from a podcast editorial to a report about a city council meeting on a blog. It can include text, pictures, audio and video. But it's basically all about communicating information of some kind.
The other main feature of citizen journalism is that it's usually found online. In fact, the emergence of the Internet - with blogs, podcasts, streaming video and other Web-related innovations - is what has made citizen journalism possible.
The Internet gave average people the ability to transmit information globally. That was a power once reserved for only the very largest media corporations and news agencies.

Hackney riot

Revolts and today's uprising demonstrations in the Arab world pushed people to rely heavily on citizen journalism, also referred to as, street journalism. Let's take a look on the case in Syria.

Syria today is undergoing a series of demonstrations non-stop. The Syrian Government ever since have tried to silence those massive protesters/rebels, and one of the ways it is relying on is stopping all the regional and international media companies from covering the Syrian news. No reporters of any news channel are allowed to Syria, keeping everything secretive and away from the public's eye in order to be able to manipulate the truth.

People, in response to that, pushed themselves to the ultimate point of tension; they are struggling to convey the truth to the outside world about the current situation in Syria, which is greatly manipulated by the Syrian Arab News Agency; the only authority in charge of presenting the country's news, and since it is a governmental agency, it is expected to be showing one side of the stories, and neglect many important facts that might cause uncertainties or result in pointing out blaming fingers towards the government.




Social media is not only influencing our day to day lives; it is not only helping us to share ideas, interact with people across the globe, or communicate easier and cheaper, but it is now the major influence on the political scene in the Arab world. The 2011 Egyption revolution has been called, "The Facebook Revolution!" It has originally started by a group of young adults who has assembled and shared their political views in a simple facebook group. The group grew bigger in number day by day, and ended up breeding this whole, entire revolution. Today, Youtube is packed with low-quality and highly pixled mobile videos from amateurs on streets who tried to capture the truth with their mobile phones - low quaility but atleast the truth! Contradiction of stories has developed, and today, difficulties are facing the Syrian government which is being forced to clarify many stories to the public... All due to the fact that people cannot be fooled any longer. People now can know the truth not from biased news channels, or non-objective newspapers...

People know the truth from citizen journalism; their only escape!








Monday, December 5, 2011

Paparazzi and Media Ethics.



PAPARAZZI, (originally Paparazzo/Paparazza) is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people. Paparazzi tend to be independent contractors, unaffiliated with a mainstream media organization. Today, the subject of paparrazi's acts is a highly controversial and debatable subject that tends to not settle down among people.

Privacy…an aspect of life that us “ordinary folks” often take for granted. We are not plagued by fears of someone rummaging through our garbage and analyzing our latest Safeway purchases. Nor are we in a constant state of worry over what people are saying about us, thinking about us, and seeing of us. But this isn’t the case in Hollywood, where nothing is typical. In fact, this isn't the case with celebrities anywhere! Today, celebrities are flocked by herds of ferocious photographers and reporters, and the aspect of privacy goes straight out the door. But how far is too far? What are the ethics of invading the privacy of the rich and famous? Is is totally legal to invade their privacy or should it be strictly illegal?

Perez Hilton, a blogger who has become famous for blogging, would say they are fair game. He happily flaunts the flaws and misfortunes of celebrities by showing the latest panty-less party of Britney Spears and the naked naughtiness of Vanessa Hudgens. Hilton isn’t the only one, as the industry of celebrity obsessing has grown to an obscene degree with the Usweeklys, Peoples, and In touchs of today’s newsstands. Last March, the celebrity news blog Gawker.com began taking advantage of the Google Maps tool to show exactly where and when a star was spotted just moments after a sighting.

But for celebrities, the industry of obsessing over their everyday routines is invasive and often dangerous. Earlier this month, video obtained by tmz.com showed George Clooney scolding paparazzi for driving recklessly while following him on his motorcycle. "What they're doing is illegal," said Clooney in an interview on Entertainment Tonight. "It's high-speed chases and they're competing with each other. They're not trying to catch me doing something stupid, they're trying to create me doing something stupid. You don't get to break all these laws and then say, 'I'm just doing my job.'" And although some would argue that they asked for this, because they are in the spotlight, it is the degree to which it has been taken, that has gone to far. "You can drive all you want, you can take my picture all you want, but what you cannot do is put people in danger," said Clooney.

Famous victims of the yellow journalism and paparazzi are many, but names like, Lady Diana, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, stand out when it comes to paparazzi.
Here are some videos of how annoying paparazzi can get to celebs.:
PS: Apoligies for the curses and bad words.


1- Hugh Grant angry at the cameraman:


2- Michael Jackson speaks with Barbara Walters about his suffering with paparazzi:



3- Britney spears gets chased out by nuts paps!:



IT IS YOUR RIGHT; UNTIL IT BUMPS INTO ANOTHER PERSON'S RIGHT.

The Paparazzi might be just doing their job, and they have the freedom of press, however, not until it intrudes with people's rights of privacy. Personal privacy is one internationally recognized citizen right in most of the countries constitutions. However, the question that seems to bother all people and makes people argue and take positions is:
         
ARE THOSE CELEBRITIES, JUST ORDINARY CITIZENS? Do they still enjoy the privacy rights although they agreed to publicize themselves, thus; their lives?

Whatever the case, according to me, no matter the way, the approach, or the justification, paparazzi should be stopped! Celebrities in the end are human beings, and should enjoy equal rights like all other people of the world. Being exposed to the public doesn't have to mean exposing the 'personal life' as well. Celebrities' only deman over decades have been that one simple demand; "Please keep our personal lives out of the picture, otherwise; the rest is yours to expose."
The word paparazzi is itself an ill-reputed term due to the fact that they are not ethical reporters or journalists. To me, they are people dedicated to just invade the privacy of the well-known figures and celebrities. Those people are nothing close to being real journalists as they don't show the characteristics of a journalist/reporter. I'm not throwing the blame on the paparazzi themselves, but the concept itself is wrong and media companies should stop relying on it whatsoever.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

BBM Global Fever !!

http://www.thinq.co.uk/2011/10/12/rim-blackberry-bbm-back-weekend/

A MUST-READ article for all of you, BB addicts!
(Read the article attached above.)


Okay now wait a minute… Sit back and relax… cool down… just for a second… forget about your deadly bbm issue that's going to ruin your life and end your happiness bla bla bla…STOP MOURNING IT FOR GOD'S SAKE… And Just Think.
WOW
WOW
WOW..

Broken hearted becomes Broken-bbmed.. Welcome to Media World! And as the saying in Arabic goes: "Eshna wa Shefna!" ... SERIOUSLY! :D 




IT IS TOTALLY, FULLY, EXTREMELY, AND EXTRAORDINARILY AWESOME and PHENOMENAL, how the whole world has gone NUTS without their BBM! What has happened to us? Are we so dependent now that I can't even just meet someone without having to cry over their bbm?


Monday morning, while sitting in the metro to go to my college, I unknowingly found myself engaged into a talk between two girls, and that's how it went:

X: "Oh my God! What the hell is this? Why the hell is my bbm ain't workin?! Screw it, I'm screwed, I can't talk to my friend in Canada, and I need her urgent JUST TODAY! Oh my God, This can't be happening…"
 
Y: "SH*T! Are you just serious? *checks her BB* WOW I can't believe it! Damn, I can't finish my assignment now!! I had this group work, and I talk to my group through bbm, oh my god I'm so gona explain this to my instructor, I AM VERY SURE HE'LL UNDERSTAND, come on, I mean no bbm, seriously? That's a joke.."
Etc etc etc…
Then I took out my phone, checked out my service, and realized that mine is down too. Soon after, everyone knew that it was not just their case; it was the case WORLD WIDE.

In fact, to be precise, the outage of the BlackBerry Message service (BBM service) was basically in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, as well as some South American regions got affected too. Well, the BlackBerry guys apologized for the matter! I mean they couldn't do anything about it, and they are working hard to fix the issue over this weekend. Okay, that's great. (Atleast for me!)
But what's wrong with other people? They don't want apologies, they don't want explanations, and they don't even want to understand the complexity of the matter, what they want though, is just one and only one thing…



B-B-M.


BEE BEE EMM.


BBM.


They want BBM.


Now.


They want it.


BBM, yeah?


BBM is Everything!


BBM you see it?!



What's wrong, people? How did your life just proceed before Blackberries and Smartphones!
The way Media controls our lives, and minds, subconsciously is becoming so dominant now, without even realizing it.
And for me, personally, it is actually scaring me. I mean what's more…

Have a look… :D
Take 2 minutes of your time to laugh...
But, I sadly regret to say that, yes, the content down is exaggerated, however, BB addicts of very very similar situations do exist in our lives today. This makes me wonder, what will happen to us if one day we wake up, to find our world went blank... or time took us back 3000 years...

No internet...
No computers..
NoTV...
No phones...
No radio...
No magazines...
No newspapers...


Will we die of the shock? Perhaps.


Okay now seriously enough blaberring and have a look.

PS: No offence to any Blackberry User. The following is just a collection of some exaggerated comic pictures and jokes for the entertainment purpose.

  
 



"I freaking want BBM NOW! I am feeling wild without it! I don't want Mommy, I want bbm!"









"How will I live without you, 3 whole days, my darling, oh bbm my love, what is life without you. I don't wana live anymore. I'll smoke and die."





"How do I know the new gossips now! I don't get to stalk the display pictures and status, damn, my life is so shallow now, bbm I need you!"








"My business is all ruined! I have all my business buddies on my bbm, I'm screwed!"








"KILL ME NOW, BBM now or shoot me! oh my God… Get me water… I think I'm fainting…"








Girl: "Mom, he broke up with me, I couldnt bbm him back and he thought I'm ignoring!"
Mom: "Don't worry babe, bbm will be back and everything will be fine."


"NO! This can't be happening, RIM announced the problem not resvoled! What do I do in my life now!"







"My life is ruined, BBM please, I beg you come back!"







I've had enough of this. Actually I'd love to see your comments about it as well! :D
Waiting...
Cheers x

Friday, October 7, 2011

My Tribute...

I am an iFan, and I couldnt but pay him a tribute myself. There.. =)


SO MUCH


I 'APPLE' YOU SO MUCH, STEVE.
REST IN PEACE.

We'll Miss you... Steve Jobs.


STEVE JOBS 

                                     1995-2011                                     
"Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple." (www.apple.com)
Apple's dedicated homepage:

I wake up in the morning, just like every other day, to get ready and start a brand new day at my college. However, yesterday was remarkable; very different.. Yesterday, a legend passed away;
He is Steve Jobs.
His loss will definitely leave a mark and this date will be always remembered. It really hit me so bad when I first knew about his death. I couldn't believe the world has lost such a man, and I felt sad and depressed to the extreme to have lost the man who had definitely revolutionized the computer industry. We all do admit, it is a very unfortunate loss.
Apple released the statement (mentioned above) of condolence and is currently mourning his loss. Since I am highly affected and I am still under the shock, I decided to blog something about Steve, just in praise of him and in honor of his legacy.
The video attached above, is Steve Jobs' 2005 Commencement Speech at Stanford University, California. The power lies in his strong and effect-lasting words. What caught my eyes in his speech is the element of credibility in it. He preferred to speak about 3 stories of his life, and not to just speak generally or in an abstract manner. This is the strength itself. He chose to publicize his experiences; tough ones and good ones. How honest and humble is that! The fact that he does not try to hide his past, and is ready to expose every aspect of his life, makes him the man of the crowd. Everyone loves Steve Jobs; of course, he did a lot. BUT everyone loves Steve Jobs THE PERSON too, that's for his great personality and charisma. The stories he chose, are very moving; I dropped tears listening to them. (Especially that now he's gone…!) Everyone could relate to them, and get touched by their impact. When I first viewed the video, I remember I was expecting to hear something professional, something abstract, something generalized, well… I was very wrong. The reason why I'm sharing this today in my blog (oh and am definitely sharing this on my FB profile) is because I couldn't listen to those words without wanting to make the whole world listen to them. I want everyone to get influenced, just the way I was.
The internet yesterday showed an overload because of people searching the story of the day; "Steve Jobs Dead." In addition; people went creative. Everyone wanted to send out their condolences and pay him a tribute; however, one person stood out. Jonathan Mak's tribute to Steve Jobs became a major online hit. He is a student at a Design school in Hong Kong and he came up with the creative idea of embedding Steve Job's face in the bite of the Apple logo.  Then people adapted the idea to create different versions. They added to the design some words like: "Steve Jobs; Apple of the Heart. " , "Steve Jobs 1955-2011" and " iSad". Check the pictures to view the design, and visit the link below to read more about the story.

Original Design (Held by Jonathan Mak):

Other Designs that followed:





Apple is mourning. The Net is mourning. The World is mourning. May you rest in peace our legend... Steve


  

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Apple Disappoints Us?

Please visit the above link to read the article.
Apple is the company that never sleeps. Well, that is at least my opinion :P I feel that Apple is a very competitive and hardworking company; they always need to upgrade and make improvements in order to please their customers. Sometimes, they do not necessarily have an entirely brand new release, but they still go for an upgrade or something, just to stay on track. However; people seem to be disappointed in Apple's new iphone release; iphone 4S. It is most probable that people had waited a lot, which made their expectations grow higher than the limit. People expected something really new, but the new model was just an upgrade of the one before. (add and minus some features).
Apple held their latest event; "Media Event" on October, 4 at Apple's campus in Cupertino, California. 'Mac-ers' were all waiting anxiously, and people were actually predicting what Apple could have in store for them at the event ever since the event was scheduled and announced to the public. Finally, the big wait flourished, and the secrets were uncovered. It Was Iphone 4S!
Well, the rumors that had been going on so far is; the customers have been actually disappointed! In my opinion, I think that every new version released by Apple, even if it's just an upgrade, and does not introduce a fully new technology or application, it still does have an importance and a different taste. I myself can't live without being updated on every version, to know all about their features and start comparing! Well honestly, each version seems to impress me even more than the one before. To me, all of them were totally impressing, and so is the case with the new iphone 4S. Yeah, I tend to disagree with the common opinion.
The 1st iphone was something new, it was multi touch! The 2nd iphone was even better; it added 3G and an App Store. The 3rd iphone was twice times faster, not to mention that it had a much better camera. The 4th iphone doubled the screen resolution, and it impressed a lot of people ( definitely me! I can see the pixels, trust me! :D) The 5th iphone again, doubled the CPU performance, and on top of that, it was 5 times the GPU performance of the former version. (Not to mention the noticeable improvement of the camera once more!) It also added an amazing application; the Siri application, which was so impressively capable and extremely helpful for those who had a lot of to-dos and tasks; since it helped them in keeping track of things. And finally, comes iphone 4S. It has great upgraded features, although it cancelled the Siri app.
For me, everything is promising. If you didn't like this model, you'll like the next one, and if not the next one, then the one after it. Seriously people, don't grab on it now, just give the poor Apple-ers some break! Creativity needs time, and I'm pretty sure they still do have plenty of other breathtaking ideas, and they just need time to change those ideas into concrete models! :D
What do you think about the new model? Are you also disappointed like most of them? Feel free to share your opinion. :D



Apple CEO, Tim Cook, unveils the iPhone 4S at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, Calif. (Associated Press).