Is This Really News? Honestly…
Jan 17 at 11:11am by Andrew Benton
So, the Marine who they believed killed a fellow Marine and fled to Mexico… big news, everyone is following it, but on the frontpage of CNN they have this interview with someone who knew him well, and they say:
A woman who once worked with fugitive Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean and the pregnant Marine he allegedly killed said Wednesday that Laurean has “MacGyver” skills and training that could enable him to adapt to life on the run…
He can rig just about anything — as could the lead character in the “MacGyver” television series of 1985 to 1992 — is strong, a fast runner and can handle weapons, including an M-16, she said.
Okay, so you just described the exact kind of person that all Armed Forces try to train, someone who has smarts to get out of sticky situations, can use his surroundings, and can shoot. I thought the mention of the M-16 was extra laughable… you know, because he’s the only Marine who can probably use an M-16…
/sarcasm
Anyways, just venting, I hope they get this guy though, Marine or not, he committed a crime.
Google is NOT White Bread for the Mind
Jan 14 at 11:11am by Andrew Benton
I recently read a short post on Mashable.com that was titled “Google is White Bread for the Mind, Says Teacher”. The article isn’t too in depth, but it basically comes down to a teacher banning the use of Google and Wikipedia as forms of research for projects in her class. FTA:
The story goes like this: professor Tara Brabazon, from the University of Brighton, is unhappy about their students taking the easy route and using Google and Wikipedia for their research. She calls this phenomenon “The University of Google”, saying that “The education world has pursued new technology with an almost evangelical zeal and it is time to take a step back and give proper consideration of how we use it. Too many students don’t use their own brains enough. We need to bring back the important values of research and analysis.”
The author of the post goes on to link to his article “Why Google is Making Us Dumber”. He has the following to say:
Let’s face it: we’re not exactly becoming brighter by using Google. In fact, in the traditional education sense, we’re getting stupider, at least with certain types of tasks. However, we’ve learned to do something else. We’ve learned how to use Google to get information. It sounds like an evolutionary step, a natural progression. Instead of using your brain, you’re using something else - something that works faster and easier. It will be interesting to see how this - if it keeps up, and my bet is that it will - will affect our ability to think in the future.
While I think both arguments hold weight, I think that ultimately Google is not making us dumber, just a hell lot more efficient. If they would have used the word “lazy” instead of dumb, I may agree with them, but I think both titles can replace “dumber” with “more efficient”. My reasoning for this is through a look at our history of learning, and how we as humans condense knowledge over time to make it easier to digest.
While I think Stan’s example of memorizing that 1LB is 0.45 kilograms, I think his point is lost to most ears for a simple reason. Why? Why should we be required to memorize that 1Lb is 0.45kg? There is something to be said for memorizing really important things, like birth dates of loved ones, facts and information for your career, what your yearly income was for 2007, when your last oil change was, etc. I don’t believe however that for what people generally use Google and Wikipedia for makes us dumber. It truly just makes information sharing and learning more transparent. It makes knowledge that would traditionally waste a persons Saturday in the library, instantly available, thus allowing them to continue on with things that truly matter… like life.
So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that while Google and Wikipedia can make us lose track of the ancient form of research that included 4 Tons of books, which google tells me is 3,628,738.96 grams, it is a change in both society and education. It is a change in the way we think, learn, discover and grow. But then again, isn’t that what the Internet and evolving societies are all about?
Why MC Hammer Might Have it Right This Time
Jan 7 at 8:08am by Andrew Benton
You all remember MC Hammer, the parachute-pants wearing guy who brought you the heavily sued, “stuck in your head and cant help but know every word” song “Can’t touch this” guy, right? If you don’t, you either lived under a rock or were just born (if you’re the latter you have mad skills to be able to read at age 0).
Well, it seems MC Hammer is throwing his hat into the ring with DanceJam. Basically, its a social website to share dance moves. I think this will absolutely be successful. It’s a niche that has no real base. Sure, you can find this kind of stuff on youtube, but they usually suck, and plus, MC Hammer is a good force behind this. Here is an excerpt from an AP report: Read the rest of this entry »
Why Newsvine is Better Than Digg
Dec 9 at 2:02pm by Andrew Benton
It’s no surprise that I found myself wanting to write an article about this, I am a member of both Digg and Newsvine, contribute to each, and like them both equally for their individual strengths. Both of them run on the basis of user-generated content; digg through article/picture/video submissions, and Newsvine as a place for new-age journalist to write to a niche of other writers and daily news and opinion readers. While each of them are pretty different, both in audience, age range, maturity and content strength, to me at least, Newsvine is the more superior of the two.
I want to first say that by superiority I do not mean sheer numbers, if that was the case then Digg most assuredly wins. What I’m talking about is relevant, educational information that me as both a contributor and a writer, can read and ascertain to make myself a more educated individual. Below are a few areas that Newsvine is great in. I will talk later about what Newsvine could do to improve their readership though.
Usable Knowledge
If you look at the front pages of Digg and Newsvine respectively, as of the time I’m writing this article, this is what I see:
Digg Top 5 Stories:
Newsvine’s 5 Most Active Stories:
As you can see from the comparison of the two, Digg pretty much only has one, maybe two real articles that could make you any smarter. With Newsvine, all 5 are interesting, researched, well-written articles by the community, for the pure reason of educating fellow Viners.
Maturity of Community
With the comment system in place with Digg, the vast majority of it’s users do not welcome any comments that contradict a particular story. For example, if a user were to post a breaking story related to Bush, they almost always mis-title it inaccurately to get a view across, for a perfect example, see here. An article that is clearly from a site with slanted views, titled in such a way to not even be news, but rather a partisan attack with a misleading title.
On to Newsvine. While I do believe some of the same “tin-foilers” from digg (from all sides of the aisles) show up on Newsvine, the system is much better at handling these kind of people. For one, you can flag a comment so that if it is truly of no value, inflammatory, etc, it can be removed. The main difference that I’ve noticed however is that the community of Newsvine likes to use the comments section as more of an open forum, rather than a pedestal to either condemn or promote the story. Most Digg articles seem to be quick rips at whatever party, then one side subsequently votes the view down. That brings me to another thing that I really dislike with Digg. If you post something contrary to a articles overview, you almost assuredly get voted down so no one will ever see your comment unless they go looking for it. For example if someone posted a positive article about Ron Paul, and someone brought up a point about Ron Paul that was not positive, the “fan boys” of Ron Paul would most assuredly bury that comment. It’s almost a communistic information controlling by the masses. Newsvine does not allow this to happen, it actually has the community behind it that loves to debate, argue, disagree and discuss. I have never seen people on Newsvine flag someones comments unjustifiably, but it happens 24/7 on Digg. The bottom line with maturity is that Newsvine has lots, Digg has hardly any.
The only noticeable difference I’ve seen about Digg in relationship to Newsvine, is that if you’re looking to drive traffic to a site, or become popular, Digg is the way to go, if you are just worried about content, Newsvine is the way to go.
So, what do you guys think? Am I way off?
Going On a Cruise? Read This
Nov 24 at 8:08pm by Andrew Benton
Are you going on a cruise this summer, or thinking about going on one? I just got back from mine, and it was a blast! I had little to no bad experiences, and I thought I’d share some of the information I collected, and some I wish I’d have known prior to going. This guide is based on my experience with Carnival Cruise Lines, so it may be slightly different with other lines, but I doubt that it’s too different. If you have any questions, you can feel free to contact me, I’m a pretty nice guy.
Quick Tips
While I left out some things to do with locations, I visited Costa Maya, Mexico, Ochos Rios, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands. If you have any questions about any of those places, let me know. Here are some quick tips to help you out. I go into detail on these later in the article, but here are the important points.
- Get to the dock with plenty of time to spare, you’ll be in lines for eternity.
- Don’t bring alcohol in your carry-on bag, they’ll confiscate it.
- Eat as much as you want, it’s free, and make sure you go to your Dinner, it’s the best food on the boat.
- Know that soft-drinks aren’t free, so be prepared to pay for them (more than $1/can).
- Know that alcohol is also expensive, budget accordingly.
- Attend or watch the Debarkation video, it talks about what Customs allows, and what you cannot bring in the country.
- You should tip your staff well, they usually automatically include a tip on your bill, but it’s customary to give extra because they really go above and beyond expectations.
What to expect when you get to the dock
When you arrive at the docks (I left from Miami, FL), don’t expect to walk directly onto a boat. My experience was different, but I’m guessing not that unfamiliar to most. When I arrived it was pouring rain, and the previous passengers were getting off the ship, as we were trying to get on. First thing to know is that there is no real place to “check your bags”, they just have these huge metal containers, and you throw them on, find someone who is staff (they are everywhere), and make sure you’re in the right area for your cruise ship.Once you put your luggage in one of the containers to be loaded onto the ship, you go in to check in. This is where you’ll need your tickets, and either a Passport or a Photo ID and a birth certificate with a raised seal. This part doesn’t take too long, and expect a security checkpoint.
After you go through this checkpoint, you wait in line to get your card you use on the ship. This card will be used for everything on the ship; from getting into your room, to ordering food, to paying for gifts in the gift shop. This line I found to be the longest, since you have to give them a card to use to charge to. You can use either a Credit/Debit card, or prepay on your card. Anyway you do it, it’s pretty simple at the end, so use whatever is most convenient. I used my Debit card, quick and painless.
After this, you just wait in line to have your ID and Passport/Birth Certificate checked once more, then guess what? You’re on the ship.
What to do when you get on the ship
This part is kind of self-explanatory, but when I first got on the ship, you expect to get orders or instructions, nope. Just go check into your room, walk around the ship, and start enjoying yourself. Don’t get too enthralled, however, because the most boring part of the cruise is upon you.
The safety drill (a.k.a. the most boring, crowded, useless thing ever)
Now I’m not saying its useless, because you get to see where the rescue boats are, but they make you stand in little painted off areas, with life jackets on, and watch them explain that if the ship was going down, that you have to stay single file, calm, and get on the boats. Sorry, but it will never, ever work like that. Oh well, the Coast Guard requires them to do it.
The Food
This is one thing I still have a hard time getting over. The amount of food you will consume on your cruise will disgust you. Let me reiterate. You eat so much food that you eat and eat, then just because it’s free, you eat some more. And it’s all usually really, really good. Make sure you go to your scheduled dinner time, because that is the best food on the whole cruise. I’m not talking normal restaurant food, but rather things like Veal, Crab Legs, Lobster Tails, NY Steak, basically anything you would get at a top tier restaurant for $50+, you get at dinner, and you can have as much as you want. They also have absolutely killer desserts, trust me, you’ll be ordering 2 per meal by the end of the week.
The Alcohol
Let me warn you, alcohol on the boat is pretty expensive, don’t expect to get anything for less than $5. On my cruise, the cheapest thing you could get was a Coors Lite can, and they include 15% gratuity, taking it to ~$5 per beer. That is the low-end. Pina Coladas and Daiquiris are usually at least $9, and if you’re a big drinker with special tastes, expect a big bill. I found that the best thing to do, is if the countries you visit allow it, is to buy liquor there and put it on you carry-on and bring it back on the ship.
I’m not sure what Cruise lines rules are about bringing alcohol on the ship are, but I’ll share a story. When I went, I had two bottles of liquor in my checked bag. In the line to get on the ship, a couple guys behind me had put liquor in their carry-ons, and it was all confiscated. Lesson? If you’re going to do it, put it in your check baggage, much less likely to get searched, and you can save serious money on the ship.
Another cool thing about the ship is that buying liquor is tax and duty free on the ship, you can get some really good deals, but they usually won’t let you have the alcohol until your last day, still a good bargain either way.
The Entertainment
I found the entertainment to be decent on my ship. They had a few musical shows that were nothing to write home about. The real gems here were the Comedy shows that were on every other night at midnight. Very raunchy stuff, but really worth it, and they were good comedians. Also, another big hot spot was the dance club (which is also nothing special), and the karaoke bar. Unfortunately on our ship, the hot tubs always closed at Midnight.. just when you need them the most.
Conclusion
While I’m sure every single person will have a different experience, I think you’ll have a great time on your cruise. Take my points, apply them, and learn some stuff on your own. It’s a vacation, treat it like one. Do something you’ve never done before, explore different countries, and let me know if I’ve been of any help. Happy Cruising!
Google “At-the-Pump” Will Fail
Nov 20 at 10:10am by Andrew Benton
Recently, the latest news out of the Google sphere was talk of a partnership with Gilbarco Veeder-Root to provide Google Maps functionality at the pumps of select gas stations around the country. There has been much fanfare and admiration for this endeavor, including many jokes that “men finally won’t get lost”, or that they will “no longer need to be girly-men to ask for directions”. With all the jokes aside, I don’t think this idea will go very far, at least in its current form. While the idea seems new and innovative, I think it’s ultimately one reserved better for an in-store approach rather than an at-the-pump option.
Delays
Driving is a huge part of American culture, it’s one of our icons of society. Pumping gas is just a necessary evil that we just have to deal with. Today, more than ever, we hate going to the gas station, mainly because the price of gasoline has sky-rocketed. I know it has made my trips to the gas station less enjoyable, and I believe many people would agree with me. Putting touch screen, internet-enabled, advertisement serving, direction giving devices in front of millions of drivers, is a recipe for failure I believe.
Waiting for someone to pump their gas is already an annoyance, with slow pumps and people who refuse to use debit cards. Add to that someone who thinks it would be cool to just see the directions to his house he’s been to five-hundred times this week, or trying to zoom in on Area51, and you can see where I’m going with this. We already have enough people in this world who care little about other peoples time or respect (yes, I’m talking to you Bluetooth-in-public-wearers who scream their conversations to everyone and hold up the fast-food line), to give them one more thing to play around with while the rest of us try to get on with our days, won’t end well. People already have a problem using simple electronic displays to enter their pump number and print a receipt, and we want to put a Google-enabled mapping device in front of them now too?
I am also worried about the option to print the directions to your destination. First of all, can you imagine waiting to get a gas station attendant to replace the paper roll on one of these? If anything, this technology should just rely on the fact that anyone who is capable of logically using this system *probably* has a txt-enabled phone. Why not blast it to their cell phone?
Vandalism
Another thing to consider is that most gas stations are not open 24-hours, and that means they have to close down for periods of time. If these are embedded in the gas-pumps, how do you protect from vandalism? I think you’ll see a large number of vandalisms of these devices (breaking, smashing, possibly cracking the firmware and putting other sites on). This is yet another reason I believe this idea is much more suited for in-store, where the device can be protected and monitored.
Fraud
I cannot find a report of whether or not these will have Google ads embedded with the system, but if they do, I can see a case for click-fraud with these devices. Also, one could easily leave their businesses address and information up on the screen for the next user to see, free advertising I guess you could say. This could be remedied by a simple reset when a new customer activates the pump I guess, but I haven’t heard any hard details on how the system would work.
This system could also be abused in a few ways. First, think about when you were in high school, and someone was throwing a party, what did all the invitations have on them? Yep, directions. You could easily stand at the pump and print out directions to your house 50 times, hey an easy way to save money yourself I guess!
So How Would I Change It?
If I had any say in how this would be rolled out, I would do it like this:
- Put the device INSIDE the store, to better protect, manage, and secure the devices from delays, vandalism, and fraud. If they want to use the device they don’t have to hold up a gas pump to do so. Also, putting it in a store with employees cuts down on potential vandalism and fraud.
- Make the ads on the device local. I haven’t been able to confirm whether this will have regular Google ads, or nothing at all, but since this is Google we’re talking about, they probably will have some form of advertising. Google should sell ad on a location-basis, add an interface on the device to allow gas stations to do this. This is another way for more targeted advertisement. Because honestly, a gas station in a bad part of town has little chance of persuading one of its customers to buy a Maybach from the dealership across town.
So, with all that said, I think that this will be very hyped, and short lived. I think with the decrease in the price of in-car GPS systems, this was an idea about 5 years too late.
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