Are Wii The Children of Revolution?

In our modern era, we have witnessed great gaming consoles such as the playstation, gamecube, xbox, and nintendo. With the power of time ever so endless, we have yet to witness new and more sophisticated technological advancements, especially in the gaming world. As of now, we are currently admiring the new Nintendo Wii (officially just known as the Wii) and its astonishing technological advancements. These new features include the usual improved graphics, new model design, and new games. However, new improvements that have astonished history so far is its capability of wireless interaction with the remote motion sensor and its automatic updates. Yet despite all of these advancements, I believe the Wii is just another product on the market that will soon (eventually) come to pass. Times are ever changing. No matter how great an invention may be, it shall forever suffer in the decay of time. At the moment, Wii has struck the world with its futuristic design and sent the vibe of technological evolution down the spines of many. Although this console has become a craze for nearly every single gamer of today, I have yet to drool over this luxurious product.

As a conclusion, I would simply like to state that i truly do not believe Wii has become a revolution despite its futuristic vibe. It is simply one of those cravings that come and go like the four seasons of the Earth. Today, Wii has the spotlight all to itself. Tomorrow, it will play the role as part of the audience. Is it a revolution? No. It's a milestone to the next generation.

Reading in Cyberspace ?!?

Google has recently unleashed its new project to the world; the Google Book Search. To be described basically, it is the scanning of books and placing its information on the Google website such as scans of pages, paragraphs, and even the whole book. Books that are scanned are usually out of print and not copyright. However, this has raised some conflict between Google and the book's publishers. Google responds to this rise in conflict by negotiating with the publishers and only displaying as much information on certain books that are allowed by the publisher and/or author. As mentioned previously, the amount of information the publishers allow will be in the form of a few cut-outs, paragraphs, publishing information, and short phrases from the books. Although this sounds like alot of work for Google, it provides the Internet easier access to the books they "Google-ize". All of this convenience for users and Google but how will companies such as Yahoo! deal with this level of competition? Although no official announcement has been addressed to the public, those rivaling companies definitely have something sinister in store for Google in the form of projects that rivals that of the Google Book Search. With the interenet's speed at your command, access of information on books can now be accessed through a single click. This unprecedented level of speed and access provides people with an effortless search for their required books. What ever happened to the days where people walk, drive, or bus to the library just to look for books on their project? Those days are now in the past and pales in comparison to today's book searches. All of this sounds too good to be true and almost seems as if there's nothing negative about it. Sorry to have to burst your bubble but the Google Book Search places librarians in a tough predicament. How? Well with the Google Book Search, people no longer need to ask the librarian for certain books of interest and might as well send them packing. My opinion on the matter is divided into two sides; the good and the bad. The positive side to this project is that research has never been made simpler, easier, and more efficient than ever. It provides people the extra time they need to work on the project instead of going over to the library. The negative side is that librarians would soon be placed in a much lower position than they are now. Meaning the job would recieve less interest because of the project. Also, just because its easier to have everything in the palm of your hands doesn't make it right that all of your sources for your projects are in your very room. It undermines the concept of "hard work", a virtue that everyone must be familiar with. We are in an era of change. Humans are beginning to move towards the future, and this is just one of the many changes we shall soon learn to adapt.

What makes you special? The Genographic Project

Just as a child grows into an adult, our technology grows by the years that go by, introducing our society with advanced gadgets that would pave the way for a brigther future. Improving technology usually revolves around media, especially the ipod. 30 or 20 years ago, radios and orchestras were usually the music intruments that people would listen to. Now we have music at the palm of our hands which would fascinate those who have never experienced such convenience 30 years ago.

As we move towards the future, we encounter scientific advances such as television, or medical break throughs. With television, we have grown accustomed to entertaining ourselves with shows and programs as well as being updated on the latest news from local stories to the weather itself. Medical breakthroughs such as cures for cancers are rare but slowly being uncovered. With the introduction of the Genographic project, we will be able to trace our earliest origins and unravel where we all began. This type of technology is similar to the concept of predicting the weather itself. Only instead of looking to the future, we look back and re-trace our DNA origins.

In order for this project to be succesful, scientists will require devices and machines that will process blood samples to extract the DNA and placed into a storage container for future examination. Once all the required DNA is gathered, scientists will observe certain patterns among these samples and place them according to the correct category. Once all samples have been placed correctly, they can begin the mapping process which involves analyzing data from the groups of DNA samples and trace their origins.

The timing of this project affects the results because our era is open to migration between all cultures which creates a diversity among us. Should this project have been done half a century ago or even 5 centuries ago, the results would not be as fascinating because back then, people were not as influenced on moving from continent to continent as we are today.

Indigenous groups of today become a large part of this experiment because they are the people who have prefered to stay in one region. Thus should the project fall upon them, their origins would not be as unexpected as those who like to move from place to place. As the native representatives of their origin, their imobility in the world would not become a part of the "Mosaic" image of countries such as Canada.

Advance technological improvements throughout history were always accompanied with opened doors and consequences. The Genographic Project is no different from every "Pandora's Box" that great minds are willing to open.

When War Meets Video Games

Our modern day society is currently filled with everyday events that serves as influences to kids. With the assistment of war video games these days, children, teenagers, and even adults tend to play these games for the thrill and self experience of the trauma real soldiers face.

War video games have been rising in popularity lately due to its thrilling plot and the fact that people these days can actually play something realistic and not have to suffer the consequences. Playing these games enhances their imagination and unrealistic dreams of fighting for their country or serving as a top secret agent without having to cope with stress. Basically, people like to play games that they can relate to reality without having to cope with stress in hopes of unconciously trying to find solutions to problems that their currently dealing with.

"If its not realistic, its not worth playing" as the article says. I belive that these war games are fun as well as making people lose the seriousness of war and maybe even take it lightly. Why do you ask? Think of it this way. Kids playing these games go under virtual squad operations to overtake the opposing team. They get shot down. Game over. Then all of a sudden, it says "Try again? Yes or No?" So with this difference from real life, kids grow up, lettling slip of the fact that in war, there are no second chances after a bullet pierces your head. However, the thrill and excitement that pounds in the veins of players is what makes this game so fun because players actually, unconciously relate and pretend that their virtual mission is real.

These games have impacted on people in ways that they themselves are not even aware of. Personally I think war video games are an excellent way of showing people how war is really like without the thought of actually being killed but with the thought of what soldiers had to go through night, and day.

An iPod Classroom?

As a student of Mary Ward, I believe that the introduction of the use of iPods as an educational device would prove to be a very contributive and beneficial to the learning to the students of Mary Ward. It would further the self-directed learning of Mary Ward students and expand the educational environment of the school to new perspectives.

Should Mary Ward introduce the use of iPod as a learning device, I believe that students of Ward (including myself) would learn well using it. This would expand our learning levels beyond that of a classroom and place easy access to seminars in the palm of your hands. With the introduction of the iPod, preparation for tests can now be done on a TTC bus instead of just waiting to study when you get to school. Time management would be more easier if the lectures of your teacher can be accessed with just a push of a button.

With Mary Ward's commitment to self-directed learning, I hope that sometime in the future, the school will embrace this new technology as part of the school curriculum. Advantages of such technology would enable students to view seminars during transportation to/after the school, before TA check ins, lunch periods, in between periods, and revise last minute lectures before tests/exams. Also, it would aid students who are unable to attend seminars just by downloading it off the internet. With this technology, the creation of evolution of time management and dedicated learning will interest students to the new options they have in their path to success. The indirect fusion of technology and books open doors that leads to many possibilities including that of advanced learning. Although these doors may lead to positive roads, there will also be bumps along the way that represents its disadvantages. Some students may use their iPod for learning, while others may use it as an excuse to kill time while listening to music during classes. The temptation to listen to music or watch videos such as "The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift" on your iPod during classes may be too strong to resist. Aside from its crude temptation, the cost of an iPod is very high, especially to those students whose allowances cannot cover the cost. These are the barriers that we must be willing to break if we were to sucessfully use its power without negative results.

All in all, i believe that Mary Ward should embrace this technology. Thus leaving it to the students to adapt to its rewards as well as its consequences.

With The GOOD Comes The BAD

As each day progresses, scientists around the world are developing new and advanced technological devices. They also work on improving the devices they already have such as cell phones, computers, television sets, and stereo systems. Although improvments to man kind's creation are good and everything, it also comes with the bad that may lead to nothing.

Let's use the cell phone camera as one example and how much it can affect the community through both positive and negative.

The positive. Picture this in your mind. A tourist from Russia visited China to view the Great Wall. Just when he arrives at the tourist spot, he recieves a call on his cell (not a camera phone) from his friend saying "You forgot your camera here". Now the man responds by saying "Aww man, i'll just find one here...somewhere". Doesn't that sound inconvienent and unfortunate? Of course it does. Now picture this scene again only with a few adjustments. The same man from Russia visits the Great Wall of China as a tourist. He recieves a call on his cell (camera phone this time) saying that he left his camera at home. However the man is relieved to say that it'll be fine because he can just use his phone to take the pictures. Now wasn't that much better than the first scene? So basically the positive side to camera phones is that you can now take pictures wherever you go along with having the same device that makes calls. You can even send pictures to family and friends. Very useful device to be in posession of.

The negative. As mentioned in Miss Huebner's blog, the invention of the camera phone has brought about the threat of loss of privacy to everyone. How you may ask? Well just imagine that your wearing a kilt and you desided to sit down. A moment later some perverted person weilding a camera phone decides to...excercise its uses involvng undetected picturing of...I'll let you decide what that person takes a picture of. So anyways, that is only one way that the camera phone may be used negatively. It may even be used to take illegal videos and pictures inside a movie theatre or an acting theatre. The minute size of the camera phones makes it hard for security to detect its illegal uses. It may even be used to take pictures of YOU! How would you know no one else has taken a picture of you without your knowledge through the use of a camera phone? It makes me feel sick knowing the unlimited negative capacity of camera phones.

So there you have it. The good and the bad. The Ying and Yang of ONE of technological devices. Is it good or is it bad? To tell you the truth, you can only answer this question if a person is in the picture with its technological posessions.

.::Intro::.

A. Bee Toral --> Adolf Benedick Toral

G10.15

TA68

Taught By Miss Huebner
Section 002

Go PowerPuff Girls! =)

~Blossom