Apple, Google, Facebook: Reflection

I actually found out about “Apple, Google, Facebook” from a class I took last year when Professor Smith came in to promote it. Since I have a great interest in all things Internet and had taken all of the Internet related courses that Professor Bakioglu taught, I decided that this class would be another interesting learning experience and could possibly work towards a self designed major I may create.

I had a great time in Apple, Google, Facebook this term. I enjoyed learning about Steve Jobs, Google and things about Facebook. I had never actually focused on three specific companies before, when I learned about the Internet in previous classes, we actually didn’t talk much about Apple or Facebook. It (mainly Facebook) was briefly mentioned but we focused more on Google and the “Googlization of Us”. It was cool to actually learn more about the company itself rather than just from an outside or user perspective. I also had never really known anything about Steve Jobs and I really enjoyed reading his biography. Even though many people still think Steve Jobs was an asshole I still hold the idea that he was a very interesting man who a very different thinker who was able to create Apple. And while I use Facebook everyday, I hadn’t ever really read much about Mark Zuckerberg and learning about him was very interesting.

I thought it was very interesting when Dr. Larry D. Rosen came into talk to our class. I have an interest in psychology so his lectures were very interesting. I had never actually met or heard anyone before who worked with generation differences and the different uses of technology. I had figured some of the more obvious differences. For example, many people who are in the older three generations prefer face-to-face communication rather than communication that takes place through the Internet. These “differences” in technology and some stress factors he talked about defiantly were true for me and I have personally experienced the technology gap with my own family/parents.

If there were more classes like this one offered in the future, I would definitely be interested in taking it. I knew a little bit about Apple, Google and Facebook but this class expanded that knowledge and was very interesting at the same time. 

Troll in the Dungeon

In his book, You Are Not a Gadget, Jaron Lanier discusses a group of people on the Internet who are called “trolls”. But what exactly are trolls? If you are an avid Internet user, you probably have encountered a troll or two during your time online. According to Lanier, a troll is “a term for an anonymous person who is abusive in an online environment”. Increasingly in the past few years, trolls have become quite a problem on the Internet.

Lanier’s first mention of trolls is during in his first chapter, “Emphasizing the crowd means deemphasizing individual humans in the design of society, and when you ask people not to be people, they revert to bad moblike behaviors. This leads not only to empowered trolls, but also to a generally unfriendly and unconstructive online world. In his book, Habits of the Heart, Bellah says that “a community attempts to be an inclusive whole, celebrating the interdependence of public and private life and of the different callings of all” (Bellah 72). Jaron specifically says that it is a lack of community that allows trolls to thrive. Many trolls can be found on the site called 4chan (mainly the /b/ threads). 4chan is a forum site and users do not have specific identities and make posts anonymously. This makes it easier for people to not feel bad about being completely rude or down right mean to someone and invokes a mob like actions. Trolling often leads to cyber bullying and there have been accounts of kids who killed themselves because they were trolled too much.

 

Even though “it would be nice to believe that there is only a minute troll population living among us. But in fact, a great many people have experienced being drawn into nasty exchanges online”. Trolls are far more common than people think and are spreading to other sites like Reddit or Youtube. Anyone can be a troll but that does not mean you should be one. Trolling may end up being a large problem if people don’t take a step back and stop “feeding the troll”. 

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Google Glass

The advances in information processing in recent years have given rise to a major societal change. People are stepping away from the traditional desktop computer for their internet access and trending towards use of more portable with devices such as tablets and smartphones. Ubiquitous computing is now being integrated seamlessly into everyday life and is now more available and used by people from all walks of life. The multi-national corporation Google, which provides internet related services, has become one of the leaders in bringing new edgy technology into the homes and pockets of citizens around the world. Google’s latest ambitious project is “Google Glass”, a tech product that may revolutionize the way society accesses the internet and interacts.

Google Glass is a wearable Android based computer with a head mounted display that will allow users access to hands-free internet and other computer features. The head mount is not bulky or clumsy; instead it is in the form of a sleek pair of designer glasses. Google Glass is being developed by the Google X Lab, a top secret facility located somewhere in California that exclusively works on technology for the future such as driverless cars and space elevators. Many people in today’s society are obsessed with sharing their lives and keeping in touch with their friends and acquaintances, Google Glass is going to make these things much easier to do. The product has the ability to shoot pictures and videos with a simple voice command as well as upload them to the web. Instagram users rejoice! Google Glass will be able to utilize weather applications and navigation tools such as Google Maps but be able to present them in a heads up display format that seamlessly integrates reality and the digital world. Imagine being able to send a Tweet or instant message through a simple voice command without the use of your hands or smartphone; convenience is the name of the game when it comes to Google Glass. Users will also be able to browse the web, instant message their friends, and even translate languages.

Google Glass is everything the modern person wants in a small convenient package. Ease of use has always been attractive in products and Google Glass will not only be easy to use, but it will make our tech integrated lives easier as well. Information will be able to be shared at a rate that has never been seen before. Human connection is possibly one of the most treasured things to people and with Google Glass and other technologies connections will only be made stronger and people will be able to reach out to each other in ways that have not been possible until now. Every day the tech world grows bigger and bigger and so does its usage by the human population. Google Glass takes advantage of the changing times and offers people a product that will effortlessly weave into their everyday lives. 

The Internet Age of Activism

In his article “Small Change”, Malcom Gladwell discusses he thinks that influence of social media/networking on activist movements will never be as strong as they were in the past. The activists of the civil rights movement used to participate in sit-ins or nonviolent confrontations. Nowadays, many people who consider themselves activists like Facebook pages like “Save Darfur” and then continue to sit behind their computers instead of take action. Gladwell equates this to the fact that when you interact face-to-face with others who are interested in a cause, you create “strong-ties”. Yet, when you connect with people over the Internet about a cause the ties you create are “weak”. In his opinion, this is why organizing an activist movement using social networking sites won’t be possible to successfully complete.

Now I don’t necessarily agree entirely with Gladwell, I think that there are some people who are successful online activists rather than “slactivists”. Also, just because you may have bonded over the Internet with one person or a group of people does not necessarily mean that it is a “weak-tie”. As our society dives further into the digital world, many people have been creating strong connections or friendships over the Internet. It isn’t as weird as it used to be just 10 years ago to meet someone you met online. However, I do agree that in this time and age, we do not like to be inconvenienced. So many social networking consumers think that activism just means liking a picture on Facebook that says, “like and share if you are against animal abuse”. There is much more to activism than saying you agree with a cause. Sharing/liking a post may get it more attention and it may help raise awareness of a cause, but it is just a passive way to make yourself feel good for “helping out a cause”.

The “Egyptian Chronicles” blog (run by Zeinobia and can be viewed here http://egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/) is a great example of a successful Internet activist. Now, this is not the first time that I have visited Zeinobia’s blog or other social networking accounts. I actually wrote about her blog last year for a class.  And she still continues to keep up an awesome and informative blog. Even though some of her blogging topics are dark or dreary, her blog is bright, colorful and positive. And unlike many people who consider themselves activists (most likely because they liked a picture for Kony 2012) and only pay attention to a large-scale event for about two weeks, Zeinobia actually keeps the world updated about Egyptian affairs almost daily and has been for a few years. Her blog also contains links to multiple different social networking/media accounts including Twitter, Flickr, Youtube and a couple others. This way she is able to get her message out to more than the demographic of people who read blogs or use blogger.

In my own opinion, Zeinobia is an awesome and successful activist. She is able to spread news stories that wouldn’t normally make it to the rest of the world if it weren’t for her blog. Gladwell may have been concerned that we would lose activists due to our “weak-ties” but I think that “strong-ties” can slowly be created out of those so-called “weak” ones. 

The Trouble with F.O.M.O

During our Monday class the author of book “iDisorder: Understanding our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming its Hold on Us”, Dr. Larry D. Rosen, came and talked to us about his book along with some other information about brain function and social media use. I then attended his lecture later that night in which he went into more detail about the generational differences and how we could help our brains from becoming over stimulated and therefore better students.

One point that I thought was particularly interesting during his lecture later that night was the differences between the generations and the anxiety younger generations get when they are separated from their electronic devices. According to a survey that Dr. Rosen and his team did, they found that the three older generations preferred face-to-face interactions with close friends, phone calls then emails (the only difference was that the Generation Net preferred Internet communication over phone calls).  However, the iGeneration put texting first, instant messaging second and THEN face-to-face interaction on their level of importance. During an experiment in which half of the students had their phones taken away and the other half were allowed to keep their phones, Dr. Rosen found that students who had their cell phones taken from them in the beginning of the experiment had a higher anxiety than students who were allowed to keep their phones. Where exactly did this anxiety stem from? Are kids really that attached to their smart phones that they can’t handle being in a room for sixty minutes without them?

Rosen claimed that the anxiety most likely stems from an addiction called F.O.M.O. (also known as the fear of missing out). It seems to mainly affect those who are from the iGeneration and it seems to be seeping into the younger generations. It stems from our obsession with social media and the developed need to check your Twitter or your Facebook for new tweets or notifications. People worry that they are missing out on something more fun than what they are doing so they constantly make sure they know what is happening in the online world around them and if they aren’t constantly checking they may miss something important. Some people with major F.O.M.O. even choose to stay home rather than go out with friends because they of how much they fear missing an online event.

This anxiety will only grow larger as we become more and more dependent on technology. The fear of missing out may start to cause more people social issues due to caring more about the online world rather than about those around them. If people cannot get over this fear, our generation may have a lot more issues we need to deal with in order to function better in society. 

Is Facebook Addictive? The Answer is YES

From a small, exclusive Harvard website to one of the most well known social media platforms today, Facebook has quickly risen to the top of charts. Over a billion people around the world actively use Facebook. But why hasn't the "Facebook craze" died out like MySpace? Many call the site addictive, which is why many use it so actively and compulsively. What is it about Facebook that makes it so addictive? From first hand experience, I can vouch that Facebook is a very addictive website.

I first heard about Facebook when I was in middle school. As an eighth grader I played JV softball on the high school team and, therefore, hung out with the older kids during practice. One day they were talking about Facebook and how it used to just be a college site and that they were all making accounts. I ended up making an account during the first week of high school a few months later. From there my Facebook addiction grew.

During high school I was completely addicted to playing Facebook games. It first started with FarmVille (a Facebook game that allowed you to tend to your own virtual farm) and went downhill from there. I played Mafia Wars, Happy Pets, Treasure Isle, FrontierVille, The Sims Social, and many other games during the first few years of Facebook use. Many of the Facebook games make you do tasks or quests that require you to gather items from your friends or come back on later days to continue. Now, not all of my friends played these games but when I was younger enough did that the games were enjoyable. I could send them item requests and slowly complete levels on multiple games over time. My friends and I would have contests to find out who could attain a higher level on FarmVille or who could complete the Treasure Isle quest first. Just the excitement of opening new quests or gaining levels made playing the games worth while and kept us going back for more.

Nowadays I don't play many Facebook games as I used to in high school but I still check my Facebook account multiple times a day. I have many Facebook friends from across the country who I still keep in contact with. I also am an administrator on a few Facebook pages and groups that I help keep updated. I am constantly checking for new notifications or messages. I like to be updated on what all of my friends are doing or how events like the Super Bowl go.

There also could be a scientific reasoning behind Facebook's addictions.  Multiple articles claim that the sensation of receiving a notification on Facebook causes the brain to release dopamine. This would explain why many people are addicted to Facebook, because the sensation of getting a notification makes them feel good so they crave that feeling and continue their Facebook usage to feel it again. (Example article: http://thecerebralcortex.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/facebook-and-the-dopaminergic-response/)

Do I get good feelings when I have a new Facebook notification? Yes. Could someone argue that I am addicted to Facebook? Probably. So, if someone asked me if Facebook was addictive I would answer with a 100% yes.

The Social Network

For our class we viewed the movie The Social Network starring Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake and Andrew Garfield. I actually had never seen it before and all I knew about the movie is that there were two twin rowers and that a meme sprouted from one of the scenes.

One thing that I thought was interesting was the contrast and comparison that can be made between the portrayal of Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg and the actions of the late Steve Jobs. Now, we did not actually read a biography all about Zuckerberg but we did read and watch some interviews with him. I personally really liked Zuckerberg (and approved of his music taste) even though we didn’t get to learn too much about him. But since we just finished reading the Steve Jobs biography, the portrayal and some “real life Zuckerberg” things seemed similar to actions of Steve Jobs.

Now there are the obvious differences. Zuckerberg went to Harvard and invented Facebook as a college student and Steve Jobs didn’t actually end up finishing college. But, both men are brilliant and are/were heads of giant companies along with a few other similar factors. For example, the way both of them dress is very similar. While many company creators or owners may dress sharp or fancy when going to meetings or interview, both Mark and Steve always seem(ed) to keep it casual. Jobs had his uniform of a black turtleneck, jeans and sneakers. Zuckerberg also keeps it casual in interviews and in the movie where he often wears a sweatshirt or sandals. I think the way both of these men dress would be a good example of the Google rule “You can be serious without a suit”. The way that Zuckerberg handled and interacted with people in the movie seemed very similar to Jobs. He often would tell people exactly what he thought even though it could come off as rude or hurtful. An example of this instance from the movie would be when Mark is talking to his ex-girlfriend in the beginning of the movie. Jobs was also very hard on people especially during interviews by asking questions that seemed “awkward” or not relevant. That social awkwardness crossed with a great knowledge seems to come at both a blessing and a curse for both Zuckerberg and Jobs.  

I think that the Social Network movie was very interesting even though they put a Hollywood take on the creation of Facebook. With that said, I think I will be looking forward to the movie that will be created about Steve Jobs in the future. 

Blog

Is Vine the Next "Cool" App?

In This Week in Google, the group started their podcast by talking about different social media updates and news. At one point, Leo Laporte briefly mentioned that Twitter put out a new app called Vine. However, he did not further discuss it and the group went back to discussing Google Plus. And even though I am not the biggest Twitter fan I decided to look into this new “upcoming” app to see what it was all about.

The description on the iTunes app store describes the app… “Vine is the best way to see and share life in motion. Create short, beautiful, looping videos in a simple and fun way for your friends and family to see.” With this free app, Vine users can upload unlimited videos, instantly share them on Twitter OR Facebook, use hashtags just like Twitter and even find and follow other users.

(View an example of Vine being used here: http://vine.co/v/bOIqn6rLeID)

Vine is becoming so popular because it allows users to easily share more parts of their lives with their friends and family over Twitter. People who love using Twitter are all about sharing personal stories or photographs with their followers so adding Vine to their phones would be an added bonus. Vine also makes watching other people (including celebrities who use Vine) a lot more interesting because you can see six second snapshots of their lives.

According to an article on Tech Crunch, in it's first week, Vine was able to swing onto the top 10 free apps in the Apple app store. Vine has already beat out the other Twitter video uploading app competitors (http://keyhole.co/realtime/lg5sbR/TwitterVideo). However, many worry that many people will use Vine to upload porn. In it's short existence, Twitter has already had to deal with and respond to multiple NSFW tags and problems on Vine. 

Will Vine become the Instagram of videos? Or will it become another Chatroulette? Only time will tell at this point. 

If you are interested in Vine, check out this "CNET How to: Get Started with Vine" video...

Casual Sundays?

When I was younger, I used to go to church. Every Sunday morning my family would get cleaned up, my mother would force me to wear something nice and then we would all pile in the car and head over. Every week I would drag my feet and fight with my parents about how much I hated going to church. The only thing I liked was that sometimes I would get to hang with the other kids before communion, and that there was food that everyone got to enjoy at the end. I absolutely hated getting all fancied up to go and sit and listen to boring sermons. I was a tomboy when I was younger and dreaded having to wear a skirt or, god forbid, a dress. It would be so much of a hassle every Sunday that eventually, we started to go less and less until we didn’t have to go anymore (and I’m not complaining).

Now, after reading through Google’s “Ten Things We Know to Be True” comments I’ve thought about what “point” some religious could take from Google to make their religion, in my opinion, “better,” or more appealing to a greater number of people. From my own personal experience, I think if religions decided to take Google’s ninth point, “You can be serious without a suit," into account, more people could share a positive religious experience.

"Our founders built Google around the idea that work should be challenging, and the challenge should be fun. We believe the great, creative things are more likely to happen with the right company culture-and that doesn't just mean lava lamps and rubber balls. There is an emphasis on team achievements and pride in individual accomplishments that contribute to our overall success. We put great stock in our employees-energetic, passionate people from diverse backgrounds with creative approaches to work, play and life. Our atmosphere may be casual, but as new ideas emerge in a cafe line, at a team meeting or at the gym, they are traded, tested and put into practice with dizzying speed-and they may be the launch pad for a new project destined for worldwide use."

It would definitely be more attractive to the younger generation. I was scared away from church at a young age due to all of my memories of stuffy old people surrounding me while I wiggled uncomfortably in my itchy “Sunday best”. 

If religions took the “You can be serious without a suit” route, they would be far more appealing to the younger generation. Many children dislike dressing up and wearing uncomfortable clothing. When I went to church I could not concentrate on the message that was being delivered by the preacher because all I could think about was the fact that my skirt or dress was itchy. It bothered me so much that I still equate church with being uncomfortable, boring and a waste of time. Our generation (along with younger generations) has been raised completely differently from our parents and  grandparents. We are used to dressing casually and comfortably. If churches and other places of worship began to cater towards what we are used to and what we like as a generation, they probably would get more support and more people would have a positive religious experience. I know if I wasn’t forced to wear my “Sunday best” as a child I probably wouldn’t dislike church as much as I do now. I could have actually focused on the messages that were taught and learned to enjoy church rather than see it as a horrible waste of time. 

The Personalization of the iPad/iPhone

Today in class we got to play with a bunch of iPads. Now, I have never owned an iPad or really used one but my mother got one when I left for college. I do have an iPhone so I have used an Apple touch screen product. The only thing I have done on an iPad before our class was taking a picture with my moms’ over break. Other than that, I did not know anyone who owned one and therefore never got around to appreciating the iPad for what it does. The iPad takes the “personal computer” to a whole new level.

This got me thinking about how well Apple makes their products, giving the consumer the ability to “personalize” their iPad or iPhone. As an iPhone owner I have definitely realized how personalized my iPhone is to me. I have lost my phone and another Lawrence student was able to tell by looking at my background image and music that the phone belonged to me.

The iPhone and the iPad have a simple yet elegant design that makes them very easy to personalize. Externally, Apple (along with many other companies) manufacture many colorful, complex, or cool case and cover designs so that you can personalize and keep your iPhone/iPad safe. Then there is the home screen and background, both of which you can set to any picture or texture of your choice (both my pictures are of Green Day). On the iPhone, you can change the text and ringtone noise. For both the iPhone and the iPad you can download thousands of different apps to your phone. I have a Sudoku app, Instagram app, and a Green Day app on my phone. I would have more but I decided I want more room for photos and music rather than have a bunch of apps. Music is another way one can customize their iPad or iPhone. The type of music on their Apple product can show what kind of person you are. These are just the main customization options for the iPad or iPhone, there a multiple other options a consumer has to make their Apple product “personal” and theirs.

While some people may complain that Apple consumers are just conforming to what is “cool” and that people who buy apple products are just like one another. While they may have initially purchased the same product, they become completely different to the person who owns it. Just by looking at someone’s iPad or iPhone you can tell what kind of person they are. 

Steve Jobs and the iPad

The iPad, an Apple blunder or a technological break through?  When the iPad first came out I definitely was skeptical. Being in high school, my friends and I would make jokes like, ‘oh, what’s next? An iTampon?’ To the majority of us, it looked just like a larger iPhone without the calling capabilities. I never really saw the appeal, just buy an iPod Touch or an iPhone instead of spending all that extra money. Yet, after reading the iPad section in the Steve Jobs Biography, I have had a change of heart.

I did not have a TV while growing up so I never actually had seen any commercials for the iPad. After reading the advertisement section and the struggle that Jobs had with being satisfied with a commercial I decided to check out the two commercials he liked best. After viewing them, I can see why people would want an iPad. There are so many things that you can do on it, it is just amazing. In the past, I was stuck on the fact that it looked like a big iPhone minus the calling capabilities and a larger screen when I didn’t think about what else the iPad could provide. It’s much easier to take notes on an iPad during class, and to tote around. You wouldn’t need to worry about bringing your laptop places and having it get damaged by accident. Not to mention the countless amount of apps that can be downloaded and used are also quite impressive.  

The design of the iPad played a major role in the products success. Like most Apple products, it is efficient and simple but appealing to the eye. Even the packaging is beautifully planned and makes an impact on the customer. Simple changes, like the curvature of the back of the iPad, make the product seem more friendly and casual.

“The bottom edge needed to be slightly rounded, so that you’d feel comfortable just scooping it up rather than lifting it carefully” (Isaacson 640).

Also, the lack of a stylus (while it may be in convenient for some people who want exact detail) and the addition of a full touch screen makes the iPad easy to use. It also keeps the iPad "simpler" by not having an extra accessory to worry about.

 

The iPad is also quite zen because it really does adhere to a beginners mind. The story about the illiterate child being able to use the iPad is a great example of how revolutionary this product really is. My mom has an iPad and is able to use it with great ease when I would normally have to walk her step by step through almost every little thing on a normal technological device. Even my younger sister (who can’t even remember how to make a simple power point presentation after being taught how to multiple times) can sit down and use it without asking any questions.

At second glance, I think that the iPad is revolutionary. The iPad is convenient, simple, user friendly and overall a very successful product. 

iTunes: the Beginning

iTunes began as a re-modeled version of a program called SoundJam back in 2000. It was first created as a simple music player for the Mac operating system that featured music playback, CD burning and little else. Version 2 was where things started to get interesting - iTunes 2 was developed to accompany apple's latest release, the iPod. People fell in love with the device's simple elegant design but apple computers were not as common back then and its compatibility with iTunes remained worthless to most technology users. iTunes continued to improve user customization by introducing new playlist and rating systems in version 3, but the big decision remained to be made.

iTunes 4 featured two of the most important changes that Apple would make to the program: the iTunes store, and Windows compatibility. The iTunes store was revolutionary; no longer just a music player, iTunes gave music lovers a simple method of downloading their favorite songs through a completely legal method. CDs had been the go-to medium of music sales for so long that as the internet became more and more of a regular part of people's lives, illegal music downloading was not just the preferred option for downloading music but often the only one. Being released around the time anti-piracy campaigns by the music industry were becoming numerous and aggressive, the iTunes store was a huge hit with those wanting to download music on the right side of the law. Great idea sure, but it would have all been meaningless unless the 4.1 update to support Windows took place shortly after. Windows accounted for such a majority of the personal computer market at this point in time that Apple knew they would have to suck it up and provide compatibility in order to reach Windows users everywhere.

In 2003 iTunes was starting to look pretty successful, it worked on both Apple and Windows operating systems, featured a revolutionary user friendly store, and synchronized with the fastest growing mp3 player on the market. The iPod continued on to unprecedented success, leading to spinoffs of every make, size and color imaginable. Apple's foothold in the music community allowed them the credibility to improve marketing on their line of desktops and laptops, finally making them a serious competitor of Windows in the personal computing world.

iTunes and iPods started out as a struggling underdog in the computer market and look where they are today, a company worth billions and known around the world. How did they do it? Apple addressed the single biggest demand of users everywhere, and they did it well. Users want to be able to customize their devices; they don't understand how everything works, they just want to be able to make it do what they want and without having to spend forever figuring out how. Apple engineered their software towards a simple intuitive interface that helped even the most technologically challenged of users customize their very own music collections and playlists that they could carry around with them. From download to headphones Apple streamlined the process of finding, organizing and enjoying music - arguably the most widely appreciated form of art known in our society.

Jobs and Zen Buddhism

Is Kickstarter the "Next Big Thing"?

In this week’s edition of This Week in Google talked about an upcoming website called “Kickstarter”. Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/) is a site that allows funding for creative projects. Interested parties can create a “Kickstarter” in order to fund a project that falls under the categories “Art, Comics, Dance, Design, Fashion, Film, Food, Games, Music, Photography, Publishing, Techology and Theater”. All Kickstarter projects must have a complete and clear goal/project idea in order for it to be approved. Since it was launched in 2009, Kickstarter has funded “more than 30,000 creative projects”; and “over $350 million has been pledged by more than 2.5 million people”. One aspect of Kickstarter that makes it special is its “all or nothing” funding. Basically, it means that if the project does not make the minimum goal, all of the pledged money will be sent back to the pledgers and the project will not be funded. Also, when you pledge a certain amount of money, many projects (assuming that they reach their goal) will give the person who pledged a gift or prize or in some cases a copy of their product.

A good example of a successful Kickstarter project was the Homestuck Adventure Game by MS Paint Adventures (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/14293468/homestuck-adventure-game). 

Homestuck is an online web comic by Andrew Hussie that has grown in popularity over the past two years.  After much pestering, Hussie finally caved to fans and created a Kickstarter to raise money in order to create a Homestuck “Adventure Game”. Hussie only set $700,000 as his project goal but ended up receiving $2,485,506 in the end. This project actually broke a Kickstarter record, gaining it’s set goal in about 32 hours. Due to the extra money he was gaining while the Kickstarter was still going, Hussie ended up adding more components onto the project as more money was pledged. 

This gave fans more of an incentive to actually make a pledge or pledge more money in order to gain the new tiers of prizes.

So far, Kickstarter has been quite successful in it’s first few years of existence. I think that Kickstarter is a good example of a website that promotes a good sense of community as well as promoting the individual. People are able to create goals or projects based on their dreams or desires and then the community can help by donating money for the cause or project. The Homestuck fandom is a great example of how a community can come together to reach their goals through a site like Kickstarter. Hopefully, the success Kickstarter has seen in its few short years will continue to grow in the site’s future. 

Steve Jobs Sanford Commencement Speech

In 2005, Steve Jobs gave a commencement speech to the graduating class of Stanford University. Jobs’ main focus was on the importance of individualism in ones life. During which he told three stories, one about “connecting the dots”, one about “love and loss,” and one about “death.”  In “connecting the dots,” Jobs talks about his experiences as a college drop out and how it helped change the way he lived his life.  In “love and loss,” we learn about what happened to Steve during his absence from Apple and what he took from that experience.  Finally, the last story, “death.”  In this final story, Jobs tells students about the importance of living every day like it was your last because (like Jobs learned) you may never know what day will be your last. An individual should be able to look back and be happy with their past decisions, rather than looking back on their life in regret.

Throughout his entire speech, Jobs keeps on the idea that an individuals ideas and goals is what is important in life, using examples from his life to show this. If Jobs had never dropped out of college or took that calligraphy course, the personal computers of today would probably look a lot different. If he hadn’t been kicked from Apple and gone off on his own path, we would never have movies like Toy Story or Monsters Inc.

One quote in particular was very interesting…

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking."

This is a great quote to live by. He goes on to encourage students to not let others opinions cloud ones own opinions. While it may be cheesy, following your heart may be your best option. Being an individual is what should be important.

Jobs ends his speech with a quote, “stay hungry, stay foolish”. This quote reiterates his idea that the individual drive is what can lead one to success. Jobs encourages the students to “stay hungry” for success in their lives but also to “stay foolish” by seeking out your passions in life. 

Life-Hacks: Apps

The app market has simplified countless tasks in my day-to-day life. It's a simple idea really, but one that has a dramatic effect on speeding up the things we do. Programming has always been a great life-hack tool. If you know how, you can spend a few hours developing something to use that can save you hundreds of hours in the future. Only one problem...most people don't know how to program, and most programmers don't have the time to go around making an application for everything they use on a daily basis. Well that's no problem; now we have an open source market for such applications. You could even go so far as to call open source programming like this a life-hack tool. Most non-entertainment apps are designed with the sole intention of speeding up mundane tasks, or simplifying difficult ones. Introduce the capability to share or sell such apps and the life-hacks are suddenly spread to people across the network. With the sheer number of users connected on mobile devices these days, this leads to the creation of thousands of life-hacks that pertain to a wide range of users and tasks.

Want a simpler life? Well, there's an app for that.