Technology Attention Deficit Disorder

As advancements in technology occur more frequently, our satisfaction with that same technology decreases at a similar rate. When the iPhone 4S was released in October 2011, not a day had gone by before disappointed consumers were already speculating as to what new features would debut on the iPhone 5. This is now common, as new phones and computers are released monthly, each attempting to be the "next big thing" for as long as possible. Back during the release of the iPod in October 2001, instead of wondering when the next version came out we were busy being amazed at what innovation had given us! The focus was on what we had, rather than on what would come. If you wanted to own the best phone in today's market, and would rather wait for the next release than buy the current best just to have it be beaten, you'd never be able to buy a phone! You would forever be waiting for the next phone release so that you were sure you got the best. Such is the age of advancement that we live in, where we think more about the future than what is happening in our lives now. We need to remember to be satisfied with what we have and use it to it's full potential, rather than wait for the next release to be satisfied.

Technology going too far

Technology is slowly but surely taking the place of meaningful personal interaction in our society. Although it provides widespread benefits, it fails to (and will never be able to) provide the personal touch that face-to-face communication does. I just read an article about several valentines day apps that can order flowers for you, write poems for you, or create and send valentines day pictures to your special someone. This is not what the world needs! We are only facilitating the degrading of our society by taking the personal touch out of what used to be meaningful. A holiday that is supposed to be about affection and very personal feelings is becoming distant and reduced to electronic mail and pictures. So do the world a favor - go out and actually buy flowers yourself and make valentines day something personal, dont resort to having your phone do it for you.

http://t.co/wVxqN40S

Anonymous: Protector or Purloiner?

While many companies publicly protested the possible passing of the SOPA and PIPA bills, some individuals thought that merely protesting wasn't enough. The hackers group "Anonymous"
has been cropping up more frequently in the news, and their actions deteriorate every day. Though championing themselves in defense of the free-speech of the Internet, their publicity stunts have gone from attention grabbing to illegal. Suddenly, Robin Hood is capturing the rich rather than stealing from them. Anonymous is the new face of cyber-terrorism, like the cyber-bully from the high school playground that entrenched himself in his ways rather than growing out of them. Governments need to prepare themselves to respond to a new age of theft and terrorism, because these terrorists don't need to leave the comfort of their homes to steal millions of dollars in information and sensitive data. In addition, the community needs to be careful in their support or even in their indifference to the actions of these groups - either can encourage them to continue if they see no credible threat to their operations. Rather than turn a blind eye or tolerate their actions, we all need to take a stand in defense of Internet security. Like a close-knit neighborhood, we have to stand together to protect ourselves from any attack without or within.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57372308-83/hackers-wanted-$50000-to-keep-symantec-source-code-private/