Earn a scholarship... with a Tweet

As high school seniors, we wrote endless essays in hopes of receiving a scholarship. Now, the process for seniors is as simple as sending a tweet. Last year, Kentucky Fried Chicken started a Twitter contest that made it easier for both sides... no long essay to write or read. By simply submitting a 140-character or less tweet, you can win a scholarship worth thousands of dollars. This year, instead of a simple tweet, KFC is asking students to submit a picture on Twitter showing their committment to education.

This same Twitter idea has been used for various other contests, including one on Scholarships.com. Money prizes begin $1,000. One college actually offered a full scholarship- that's $38,000- for the best tweet. Can you imagine never having to pay back a student loan all because you sent a single tweet?!

Oh how I wish it was this easy when I was a senior! I remember spending hours writing essays, which has now been reduced to basically a sentence. It hardly seems fair, but that's what our society is coming to. Everything, even the "old fashioned" scholarship essays, is being updated and innovated.

What do you guys think? Do you agree or disagree with using Twitter to win a scholarship?

A new way to charge

In the last few years we have seen a great and convenient advancement in technology- cordless charging. First came the Powermat, a charging system for portable devices. Simply plug the mat in and set your device (phone, iPod, MP3 player, etc.) on the mat, and your phone will wirelessly charge.

Now this technology has advanced to laptop bags, briefcases, and backpacks. The Powerbag is both stylish and useful, lasting as much as a week on a single charge. Simply store your devices in the bag to fully charge them. The Powerbags sell for around $120 on Amazon.

I have always been intrigued by the Powermat and never bought one, but I am really considering buying a Powerbag. I fly several times a year and think it would be very useful to charge my phone, my fiance's iPod, and our laptop for my daughter to watch movies on. Batter power is always a concern to me, as I am admittedly addicted to technology.

The obvious concern for me was safety. Having a big charging battery on my back while walking in the rain isn't particularly appealing to me, but the inventor assures it's safety.

What do you guys think?

On Facebook, it's now 4.74 degrees of separation

A theory that has always fascinated me has been the "6 degrees of separation." The theory says that you are just six people away from anyone else on Earth. How cool is it to think that you know someone who knows someone who knows Adrian Peterson? New research by Facebook shows that this number is now roughly 4.74, not 6. The average Facebook user is now only 4.74 degrees away from any other Facebooker. This study was done on over 721 million Facebook users.

Honestly, it blows my mind to think that you are only 5 people away from ANYONE in the world that is on Facebook. The interesting part is that the world's population keeps growing, but in just three short years the number of degrees of separation has dropped to under 5 people. Do we know more people now? I think a big part of it is social networking. Also, social networking makes it easier to get factual data on how everyone is connected.

What do you guys think? Are you as fascinated as I am about the degrees of separation?

New way to pay your friends

PayPal has launched a new Facebook app...one that allows you to send money to your friends through the social networking site. The app, simply named Send Money, gives you the option of sending a card with the money or just the money alone. There is no transaction fee for this service.

I can see the uses for this... sending money to friends and relatives for their birthday or Christmas. But it really has me wondering how secure it is. I'm sure Facebook and PayPal both have taken extensive measures to ensure it's security...but I'm still not sold on it. What do you guys think? Would you send money over Facebook, or does it scare you as much as it scares me?

Online Stalking

We've all done it...  we've all used Google or Facebook to seek out information about your ex, that new person on campus, even celebrities. It's innocent, nosey, and...stalking? Recently while doing a theater practicum, I met someone interesting...just interesting enough to make me want to Google him. While I'm embarrassed to admit this, I think it proves a good point. We became good friends, and after he left to go back to his home state to film for a movie (exciting, right?!) I Googled him. Yes, I am that person. I was blown away by the information I found. It was absolutely creepy. Right away I sent this guy a text saying, "you will never believe what I found on Google about you!" His yearly salary, past and current addresses, theater roles... it was all there.

My point is, while Googling this guy was completely harmless on my part, where do you draw the line when it comes to "researching" someone? I think it's when you know more information about someone than you would willingly admit. Sure, it's fine to say you noticed they were a Vikings fan from their profile picture. But when you know EVERYTHING about them... it's stalking. It doesn't stop with Google... you can use Facebook, Myspace, even dating profiles.

Urban Dictionary describes Facebook Stalking as, "a covert method of investigation using facebook.com. Good for discovering a wealth of information about people you don't actually know"

What do you guys think?

Trusted Friends

The days of forgetting your password may be over. Facebook is testing a new tool called Trusted Friends, which allows you to set 3 to 5 of your Facebook friends (no more and no less) to recieve a special if you get locked out of your Facebook account. The tool is currently being tested on some of the 800 million Facebook users.
If the feature is enabled and you forget your password, simply click "forgot my password" and messages will be sent to your selected friends containg the code. Then you must retrieve the code from your friend(s) to unlock your account.

I think that this idea is really good. Some might be wary of this method, though. Since you get to chose which friends you trust, it might be something I try.

If you'd like to try Trusted Friends, go to your security settings under your Account. Then, simply chose the friends you trust.

So long, PC

Our generation has seen the evolution of computers. We began with the bulky personal computer, then sleek laptops were introduced, and now we continue to see newly developed and upgraded tablets and smart phones, which can be just as useful as a computer. Not surprisingly, personal computers sales are slumping. But if you think that the personal computer will soon be non-existent, you have another thing coming.

Personal computer sales in the United States, Canada, and Europe are indeed slumping, but surprisingly, China has become the world's number one PC market, along with India and Turkey.

I personally haven't used a PC in years, and with the constant innovation and improvement of laptops and tablets such as the iPad, it makes me wonder why countries like China, who is advanced in technology, would be using a PC more and more.

I think laptops have so much more to offer versus a personal computer. Laptops are convenient and portable and are constantly being improved with things like webcams and lighted keyboards. What do you guys think? Would you go back to using a personal computer?

Rest in Peace, Mr. Jobs

Apple founder Steve Jobs, the mastermind behind the Apple products, has died. Jobs also was the co-founder of Pixar. The cause of death is thought to be pancreatic cancer.

Steve Jobs accomplished much in his 56 years of life. It goes without saying that we would not be where we are today in technology if it wasn't for Jobs. Apple began in 1976 when Jobs and Steve Wozniak created the first personal computer.

Remarkably, Jobs continued to innovate new products even through his battle with severe health problems. He was the leader in creating the iPod and revolutionized the way phones are today.

Rest in peace, Steve Jobs. He was truly an inspiration to all of us because of his leadership and innovative mind.

(dislike) The "new" Facebook

This week, shock waves have once again been sent through the Facebook world. Facebook has had yet another facelift, which joins several in only a few months. Users are now experiencing redesigned newsfeeds and enhanced security. As an added bonus, it has become easier than ever to be a first class creeper. A continuously updated news "ticker" scrolls on the right side of the screen, placed above Chat.

Not surprisingly, there has been an endless amount of Status Updates protesting this change. Personally, I don't oppose the new look, but the majority of users are downright angry.

More changes are coming, Facebook users. In the next few months, expect to see a music service, world news section, and video streaming all in one place.

What about you, fellow bloggers? "Like" it or hate it?

Liar, Liar: the heat is on

Assuming you aren't living under a rock, I think it's safe to say that we all know about the modern method of detecting lies through a polygraph test. Now a new method is being developed; one that uses thermal imaging of the face to uncover lies.

The device is being developed in the UK, and while it is still has flaws, it has shown to be effective 2 out of 3 times. Thermal imaging works by detecting brain activity and temperature rise is areas such as cheeks and under the eyes. Naturally, this detects nervousness, which may be misleading. Someone can be nervous without being a liar.

Personally, I'm surprised that it has taken this long to develop something like this. I think that it if can improve the success rate, thermal imaging will become very useful and spread throughout the world.

Fantasy football to the extreme

It's that time of year again- School starting, summer fading to fall, and of course, football season. Tonight marks the first game of the NFL season when the defending Super Bowl Champion Packers play the Saints.

Fantasy football is more popular than ever, with millions of avid users playing every Sunday. I am one of those crazy fans who participates in fantasy football, which allows you to create a "fantasy" team with your favorite players. You earn points based on scoring, yards per game, defense, and so on. Esentially, fantasy football gives you a feeling of having power and impressing all the other fantasy players of the world, which truly never actually happens. But we can dream, right?

A big question as of late is, have NFL players had enough of fantasy football? This came into question when Texans running back Arian Foster (who had been recently injured) tweeted: "4 those sincerely concerned, I'm doing ok & plan 2 B back by opening day. 4 those worried abt your fantasy team, u ppl are sick."

Players are resorting to social media to express their disapproval with fantasy football. Last year when a player decided to down the ball rather than score a touchdown, there was pure outrage in the fantasy community. What did the player use to defend himself? Social media, of course.

My point (and I do have one) is that we get so caught up in this make believe world, that sometimes we forget that these players are actually human. There is more to life than beating people that you will never meet in a meaningless fantasy game. This goes for any kind of online game or activity. We need to keep a firm grip on reality before we are sucked into the "fantasy" world.

Netflix: is convenience worth the price?

For years, Netflix has been an avid movie-watcher's dream. Not only can you recieve DVD's by mail, but you can also enjoy instant movies and TV shows on your gaming console and computer. Now, the monthly rate is sky-rocketing 60 percent, causing many to wonder, is the convenience worth the price?

Starting September 1st, the $9.99 unlimited DVD by mail and streaming will become $15.98 a month. Alternatively, you could choose a DVD rental plan that allows you to recieve two disks at a time for $11.99 a month, or $7.99 for one disk at a time. Also priced at $7.99 is the instant movies. This price change is the second in a year, with prices going from rising two dollars last November.

I am a Netflix customer and was shocked to see the price hike. Rising 60 percent seems outrageous and drastic. Is it worth the price? When you consider the price for going the movie theatre, Netflix might be the answer for large families who can't afford to take everyone to see the latest movies. Personally, I have swiched my package to streaming only. The downfall to streaming is the limited movie choices, which is only one-fifth of the 100,000 titles offered by Netflix.

In the end, the choice is left to the customer. Will you cancel or downgrade your package, or is $16 a month a small price to pay for unlimited movies?

Apple is the new black

     I have experienced nearly identical conversations with almost every student I've talked to in the first week of school. Typical questions like, "How was your summer?" and "What classes are you taking?" seem to be the easiest thing for everyone to talk about. However, this fall we find ourselves with another hot topic: the new computers. The majority of students have received Lenovo ThinkPads, much to the dismay of the student populations I have come into contact with. Select majors including Art and Science programs have received Mac computers, making them then envy of the campus.

     This leads me to wonder, What Makes Apple So Cool? Apple products are user friendly and fairly simple to figure out, which may be the main reason they are so popular. They are also beautifully designed, and just seeing them makes you want to pick one up and play with it, which ultimately may lead to purchasing one.

    Apple adds to the popularity of the products by making grand events out of introducing new products. Product launches seem so exciting because of Apple's secrecy, leaking nothing about their new products until the launch.

    Apple products typically cost more, creating a status symbol out of the products. It's true that you get what you pay for, because you end up with an arguably better product as well as something to show off to your friends and even complete strangers.  

     While there will always be a competition between Apple and PC's, Apple seems to be leading the way in innovation and creating new products. In the end, it comes down to personal preference and using products that truly fit your needs.

Why Apple Customers Care So Much