High School Pride

It figures that a few years AFTER I graduate from Naperville North, they start making music videos every year featuring the graduating class. They just came out with their latest video, featuring the song "Happy." I'm pretty jealous that I can't make an appearance in one of these, but I'm pretty proud that my alma mater is so creative! Take a look at where I spent some monumental years.

Think Twice Before Pressing "Send"

My friends and I usually talk about a wide variety of things, and somehow today we landed on the topic of sending inappropriate pictures and the ramifications of doing so. To piggyback off of my last post about SnapChat, which discussed some of the worries behind trusting an app where pictures supposedly disappear. Apparently, there is a new law that is being enforced about sending nude or sexual photographs or posting them on social media sites. If the person in the photo is under the age of 18, they can be charged with distribution of child pornography. Do you think that'll make teens think twice about posting certain pictures?

It's important to realize that teens can not only get charged with this if they post them on public or private social media sites where they have friends or followers. If the "model" in the photo sends his or her photo to a significant other and the wrong person gets a hold of it, there will be more repercussions than school-wide embarrassment. They might have to go to jail or pay a hefty fine for sending child pornography.

Whether or not this new law will help stop the sending of nude or inappropriate pictures, it's a strong step towards regulating what is being distributed over media. What do you think of these new steps? Are they in the right direction and will they make a positive difference? Or will people continue to try and send or post pictures for their various intentions? Regardless of the law, be smart about what you're sending because it could get both the sender and receiver in big trouble. 

How Trustworthy is SnapChat?

Out of all the apps on my phone, SnapChat is probably one of the few that I use the most daily. It's a fun new way of communicating with picture messaging that doesn't take five minutes to send, AND you can send weird or funny pictures and they simply "disappear." But do they really always go away forever? Do the right people always receive them?

SnapChat is intended for friends to communicate with each other, but I have gotten countless requests of users that I have no idea of their identity or how they found me. On occasion I would accept the request to see the snap they sent me, and if I didn't know them I would delete the request. But during that brief time of acceptance, it's possible that the user could access some of my personal information.

There is an entire website devoted to leaked photos from SnapChat, and they are screen shots of pictures that they were sent. It's possible to keep those pictures that we are supposed to see for three or so seconds, and once a screen shot is taken the photo is fair game. Some users don't send any incriminating photos, but many users find the app a perfect way to send nude, sexual, or illegal activity photos without worrying of them circulating. These people hold a lot of trust in who they are sending them to.

Not to mention a few months prior, there were multiple articles on how a hacker leaked millions of SnapChat accounts and phone numbers to the general public. Ultimately the creators of the app did not have much to say in response, only they would add various security measures and told the users to be more careful with what information they handed out.

I really do believe that SnapChat is a fun and clever app that helps me keep in touch with my friends in a different type of personal way. But it's also very easy to let the privacy wall down and potentially send a picture out there that will be documented somewhere. We never know where our pictures will end up or if it'll really disappear, so everyone should be careful with what they send.

Did You Know?

I can almost assure that everyone has felt that anxiety when their phone is almost out of power. As I sit at my work desk with only 25% battery left, I have resorted to rationing my texts and apps. I decided to search if there's any other ways to save battery, and it turns out that there are multiple ways to extend your phone's life span.

A good way to start is turning of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and the GPS options if they aren't necessary. When your phone is constantly searching for a network or connection, battery is wasted. A good trick to turn off everything is to switch it on airplane mode! That will also disable messaging and calls, which is something that I would personally find really beneficial. If I see a text, then I'm going to read it and respond. But if I don't know that I have any messages...no temptation to look! 

I already knew that I could dim my screen brightness, but I didn't know that manually closing apps actually takes more battery power. It takes less power to leave the apps open instead of having to restart them every time we open them. There are also apps such as "Battery Saver" that clarifies what aspects of your phone use the most battery power, and how you can limit it. 

I found this article on USAToday.com really beneficial, and I think I just might make it through my work shift with my phone still on. Even though this is probably classified as a #FirstWorldProblem, I know some of you will appreciate it.  

Google Vision

It has been officially announced that the Google Glass product is now for sale in the US. I heard about this product a few months ago when I was doing research for a paper on Google. I've been very impressed with what I've heard about the glasses' abilities, and it seems like technology is reaching new heights these days. The glasses come with a hefty price of $1,500 so only a select few members of society will be sporting them this summer. 

Glass has a lot more features since I've last looked at the product site, here. The product is designed with a lot of similar features that a smartphone could provide, without having to carry the phone with you while you go on adventures. The glasses are designed to help navigate, aid in sports, send messages, complete searching, and my personal favorite feature; photo and video capture. I think it'd be fascinating to be doing some sort of action, and be able to video tape what I am seeing and from my sight lines. Haven't you ever had those moments where you are witnessing something so beautiful that you wish you could store it away so you'd be able to see it later? Now we can. But of course it costs $1,500.

Once the product is past it's "Exploration" phase and they have gotten enough consumer feedback, I can only imagine that the price will lower and we will start seeing these glasses in various establishments. Glasses with the abilities of the internet have the power to change the way surgeons operate, scientists study, and how we explore the world around us. Is such power a good thing though? With such capabilities, the glasses will undoubtedly be used to steal card numbers, cheat on exams, etc. Hopefully they are considering the possibilities of how to negatively use the glasses are being considered. In the mean time, I sure hope I can get my hands on one of these to test them out! 

Cyberbullying: What Can Be Done?

As I've recently discovered, the Amanda Todd story is not one for the faint-hearted. The video above displays her story that she told, just using small white sheets of paper. There is no sound on the video, which makes the emotional story even more powerful. It is absolutely mind blowing and disturbing to realize that these types of things happen every day to children and teens in schools. This is the type of video that makes the viewer want to stand up and do something to end all types of bullying ASAP. But...do what exactly?

Many schools have adapted a zero-tolerance policy for bullying, and I think that should be implemented in every school. There could be a position in each school that approaches these types of situations and knows the warning signs to look for. Obviously teachers and school officers can intervene when a student is getting beat up or there is a fight, but what happens when the student is alone at home every night with their computer? I don't see anyone there to stop what is happening.

With the new cyber-bullying trend on social media sites, it seems almost impossible to implement something that could stop these kinds of posts. There are ways to blocks friends and posts, but the user has to be the one to do the blocking. And if they don't know how or they don't think it'll help, then the harmful messages will keep coming.

Since I am in college, it's been a while since I've been going through the public school system. But I can almost promise that a majority of schools do not have a strong education in reference to cyber-bullying. We should be hosting seminars, classes, and have speakers come into schools to make sure that students know what to do if they are being bullied. They also need to know that there are resources to go to in order to get help, especially when they feel like they have nobody else. On the college level, programs like GreenDot have become enormously popular and beneficial, and they have started to change the statistics.

It's much easier said and done, but I bet that with an issue like this one, every little bit helps. It sounds like Amanda Todd suffered those months with nobody to share her pain and fear with, so she put it on YouTube for everyone to see. Perhaps if someone had been there to tell her what to do on social media, or if she had a person she could trust at school, something would have gone differently. We can only hope that with future cases, the victim will have the knowledge to seek help. To start, we can be on the lookout and be there for those people.

If you read this entire post, consider yourself a trouper. I don't think that this can begin to cover the issues of cyber-bullying, but I hope it was at least thought-provoking.

Fitness Apps: How Helpful Are They?

I was surprised to discover that one of the most popular ways that people are getting in shape these days are not going to the gym; they are using the MyFitnessPal application for smartphones. The app does everything from count the number of steps that the person takes while holding the phone to tracking every meal. Who needs a personal trainer when your phone is telling you what you can and can't eat?

According to the CEO of the app Mike Lee, the average user loses around 10 pounds in 30 days. Most people can't get those types of results that easily from a variety of diets and workout programs. What's the secret?? Apparently people often snack when they are bored or emotional, and they are not even hungry. We also often eat the entire portion size that we are given at restaurants instead of stopping when we are full. I think that this app can be really effective, and I know personally I like to keep track of the duration and distance when I run. Although the dynamic app can create a health-conscious attitude, it can also aid to the obsession with weight loss. Every time that I eat, I don't want to have to count every single calorie and "worry about getting fat" if I go over my limit. I also know plenty of people that already know they wouldn't be honest with themselves on the app, and they would lie about what they ate. How beneficial.

I did cave and download the MyFitnessPal app, but I have yet to actually take the time to use it. It doesn't mean I don't care about my health and fitness, but I also want to continue appreciating my body and allowing myself to indulge once in a while. 

Even though it doesn't feel like it in Chicago, bathing suit season is approaching. Is it time to download your fitness app? Or is this your new favorite eCard?

You decide!