Facebook Dominates

Saturday The Los Angeles Times reported that Google announced this week that most people visit Facebook than any other website. Facebook served over 570billion page views during April beating every other site on the Web.
This isnt really a big surprise. After all, in our entire Intro to New Media class we talk about how we can barely go a day without checking our Facebook and checking friends status'. And how it connects us with friends and strangers all over the world. Im not too sure how Facebook has kept up and blown other social networking sites out of the water but whatever theyre doing its working.

Too Much At Risk

Recently the Obama Administration is reviewing a Canadian company's request to build a 2,000 mile underground pipeline that would run from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast which would increase America's access to oil from our neighbors. Underneath the boreal forests of Western Canada lies valuable oil sands, that are sitting there waiting for thirsty Americans to drain rapidly. Politically I can understand the consideration of having a back up source of oil, if a conflict would occur in Saudi Arabia or China, but the risks and environmental damage cancels out any pros to this plan. Although I think the U.S. is so advance and has so much power, that if such a conflict and shortage would occur, we would be able to cope as a nation, not to mention the help we would receive from the United Nations. Extracting oil from these sands emits more greenhouse gases than normal oil drilling, not to mention the process requires 3 barrels of water for every gallon of oil wasting other resources in the process. A major concern of mine is the actual chunks that would be removed from the world's largest intact forest, misplacing many migratory birds and animals, while removing natural trees absorbing the overflowing amounts of carbon dioxide we already produce!!

There are numerous environmental concerns that I could talk about like the mine pits the site is located on, which produces waste into the ponds and water. If this pipeline known as Pipeline XL would be built how would it be maintained? If there was a crack, a leak, or bust who would fix it? How long would it take? Let's not forget about what just happened in the Gulf of Mexico, this pipeline would not be much different, although the government seems to think it would be easy to maintain...if there was a leak gallons of oil would seep into the ground water..into a major Aquifer, and contaminate most of the Mid-West's well water, and public water. The costs of imported water would go up, animals would suffer from lack of fresh water, not to mention the animals living underground, in lakes, streams, and rivers!! There is already a mini pipeline being built from Canada to Illinois, (thinner and easier to crack) which will go into effect as of June 2010, which is not needed at this time..economically or politically...The Obama Administration is going to decide sometime this coming fall about Pipeline XL, and personally I dont see what needs to be considered, just what needs to be rejected! This is an outrageous proposition looking to support the small percentage of oil-loving-rich-idiots living in America who have no concerns but for themselves in this life time.

Star Trek Foreshadowing Technology?

In Time magazine they recently had an article about Google and its new app called Goggles Translate. Basically as of May 6th the newest app was made available to the public for one's smart phone, which allows the owner to snap a photo of foreign text resulting in a near perfect translation. The new software builds on two pre-existing apps, Goggles, and Translate. Goggles was basically a visual search engine that would take any picture of any landmark, sign, book, or bar code and within seconds pull up links to the image. Translate would simply translate words that have been typed into a smart phone, but together allows users to not have to search deep into a phone screen for answers. So far the app is only allowed for Android phones, but as of this coming summer available for all smart phones. Times magazine compared this new device with Star Trek's handheld tricorder to scan new life-forms, analyze data and communicate with aliens. Goggles Translate will definitely be a step forward to keep communication worldwide thriving and understandable. I wonder what other fictional inventions will be next to pop up and mesh into American society.

Response to Facebook and its role in Democracy

As we have talked about in class about online communities, today we have come to the conclusion that they bring people together. People with the same common interests and the same ideas and opinions. So its not much of a surprise where people come together for politics, especially in countries where there is not much democracy, with a lack of rights. Because the internet is public and connects people worldwide, every thing is visible, individual countries do not have complete control over the Internet and can not censor or hide their actions. The public can react, without having to even be from a specific country or personally feeling oppressed. Governments being in the public eye is intimidating and the fact that the world is watching allows the public to have such a larger say in issues. The Internet is making way for a positive place to state opinions that may not be able to be shared in such authoritarian countries. It's helping democracy spread, in such a great way that also keeps people helping each other and reinforcing positive connections.