7 posts tagged “technology”

Hello my fellow Voxers and Happy Holidays to all of you!

I have been taking some time off my blogging duties in order to pursue other projects, like servicing my country and learning a new language (Russian it is!)

Yet, Santa Claus brought me this little tech baby and I can't get my hands off of it! So I had to share with you my excitement!

Hello my fellow Voxers,

today I am going to talk about our personal privacy in the web realm. Michelle Solange started a conversation last week and now I have finally something to add.

A couple of days ago a group of Greek bloggers were invited by Greek members of the European Parliament to attend a series of meetings in Brussels. Besides the usual informational sessions about the mechanisms of the European Union, the group was lucky enough to attend a session regarding our personal privacy in the Internet Era.

Nikos Drandakis from Nylon posted an important video from that session with the Dutch member of the European Parliament Sophie in ‘t Veld and I am re-posting it here.

Take a look. You might find it really interesting!

A recycling initiative started three years ago and it was backed by all Greek cell phone carriers. Go into a Vodafone store and you will see tall plastic pillars full of old cell phones, accessories and batteries. I have disposed more than 10 old devices and to be honest, I felt good. If only I knew where all this junk would finally end up. I can't really trust all these actions. Why? Because I see them as marketing tools to promote a company's social responsibility "plan". Still, I haven't seen anything made of recycled cell phones. I think I should google it first!

Technology Review: Where Cell Phones Go to Die

http://www.technologyreview.com/Infot...

If you've recently replaced your cell phone, you're not alone. More than half a billion cell phones were swapped for newer models in 2007, according to a study by the research firm Gartner. In the past, these phones might have been tossed in the garbage or just stashed in a drawer, but an increasing number of cell-phone vendors are promoting take-back programs, which make recycling an easier option for consumers. A discarded phone has a good chance of landing at ReCellular, the nation's largest cell-phone recycling facility, which is based in Dexter, MI. If the phone's in good shape, it'll be refurbished. Otherwise, it will head to Sims Recycling Solutions, a smelter outside of Chicago.

One of the biggest challenges that the Web 2.0 trend has to overcome is the quality of the sharing media on terms of content and technical details.

Hopefully, the last months, we have seen some really great efforts. For instance, YouTube is building up a better encoding procedure in order to provide high-def videos; yet, another site is doing better in this field, Vimeo.

Vimeo is a video-sharing site with a great potential. Today, as I was browsing it, I found this channel Travel in HD, that broadcasts high-def videos from all over the world. It's a sight for sore eyes. Give it a shot!

Enjoy the following San Francisco video!

I have read in the past about this experiment, but the lawsuit is something new; yet it seems kind of necessary, since CERN hasn't provided the proper documentation for the safety of our planet. What is more disturbing is that they will try to do some sort of checking.

We have been so consumed by issues like the global financial crisis and climate change that some times we forget to see that some day all of this might not be important anymore if we cease to exist. I am not against technology, science and experimentation, but isn't our safety greater?

Try this headline: Black Hole Eats Earth - International Herald Tribune

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/2...

None of these headlines will matter a bit, though, if two men pursuing a lawsuit in a court in Hawaii turn out to be right. They think a giant particle accelerator that will begin smashing protons together outside Geneva this summer might produce a black hole that will spell the end of the Earth - and maybe the universe.

The past few weeks, I have been occupied with the new Nokia service, Share on Ovi (ex-Twango). It has taken me by storm. I have been selecting a pile of photos and creating channels, where I can upload multiple new pics for each subject.

Share on Ovi reminds me of Flickr, but with more options and storage space. Every channel can be an evolving album, while each month 2 gigs of space are offered. Besides photos, a user can upload videos and documents. All files can be private and a user can choose which ones can be shared with the rest of the community. I am planning to upload some documents in private mode, because I need to format my windows-based laptop. Also, I love the way that Share on Ovi is integrated with my N95 8GB (business phone); though, I can't still install the service on my N82 which is my primary personal camera phone. The uploading options are also great. A user can upload his/her files with four different ways (one-by-one, multiple files and folders, e-mail and mobile phone). Pics can also be resized, so a user can save up space for more files, if he/she wants to take full advantage of the service.

What I would like to see is a better integration with major social networking sites and blogging sites, like Vox. For example, I wish I could transfer my photos from Flickr without having to download them and upload them one more time to Share. In addition, I would like to see a Facebook application, because I want an one-stop destination for my pictures and share them with my friends through my Facebook profile without uploading them to both sites. If the rumors are real and Nokia is going to achieve a big partnership with Facebook, then my dream will not be far away. Searching through media and users is kind of awkward and the service has to become more stable, because there are times when the site is unavailable.

Nevertheless, Ovi is destined to have a great potential and I hope that Nokia will make the best out of it and soon, because I would be really disappointed if all the buzz around the new Nokia handsets and Share on Ovi was blown away.

PS. I uploaded around 65 photos from my trips to New York and create a slideshow. I hope you enjoy it!

I read this article earlier this morning. I found rather disturbing the use of this kind of technology on school kids. I don't care if the school system is adamant about protecting the school kids' private information; someday, their info will not be that private. Maybe I am just panicked. Maybe I am just alarmed.
Even though, I am a tech freak, there are limits that technology should not pass.

Should Schools Fingerprint Your Kids? - TIME

http://www.time.com/time/business/art...

The lunch lines weren't moving fast enough for Linda Stoll, head of food programs at the Boulder Valley, Colo., school district. Because of that, kids had barely enough time to sit and eat before the lunch period was over. So, last year, Stoll began looking for ways to speed up the queue. She discovered that many students, especially kindergarteners, can't remember their six-digit ID number, which they're required to type into keypads at the end of lunch lines. She then found out that there was technology that would allow a scanner to identify a kid qualified for lunch with the swipe of a finger, moving him or her quickly along. It would help kids who regularly forget their lunch money, and it would potentially remove some of the stigma faced by children who receive special tickets for free or reduced lunch. She proposed the idea, believing it would be the perfect solution.