Caroline Casey

I just watched a powerful TedTalk program. Caroline Casey: I believe that Caroline has a better plan than "The Secret" which came out a few years ago. Her presentation about vision and belief (coming from a blind person) was riviting. I was moved. I realized I don't have to understand all the applications available, I have to understand me and what I want. I'm good with being me, but what does me want to do? that is the question, I have an answer and was reminded of it while watching Caroline speak. I will use her pholosophy in my life. I invite you to watch her, it's well worth the time. Thanks for reading, and thanks Eric for recommending!

Hegemony

I learned a new word yesterday; hegemony. Probable the reason I don't have TV. It's my way of saying, "you're not going to control me!" (Assuming I'm out of control now).
The other thing I learned in class yesterday is that Disneyland is not the worlds happiest place. NO, SAY IT ISN'T SO!! Instant gratification is what society expects today. I want to talk now, (No talking is too slow, texting is faster), I want to watch a show on the cue instantly, I want my lunch without getting out of my car, I want it now! This may be gratifying but does it make me happy? News (not my opinion) programs, sports programs, TV Shopping, movies are available 24 hours a day seven days a week; convenient, gratifying but do they lead to happiness? Quick, easy and disposable are things that are to make me happy.
My New Media Class is a thought provoking class.
I've come to believe that  new media does control our lives and our thoughts. A classmate lost her internet access to her house; she was upset that she couldn't access whatever she wanted to access on her new computer. It affected her class performance. The instructors' Ipad shut off and he couldn't get it back on, as he relates it the boxer couldn't drive fast enough to the shop. Nothing else mattered until the Ipad was turned on. Is that control? Does Apple have hegemony over consumers of their products? I'm wondering what else has control over our lives?

No Media Assignment

In order to complete this assignment with the least degree of discomfort and anxiety I should go to a place where electronic signals for cell phones and internet were not available. I know of such a place, and they even have running water and comfortable houses. I determined to complete this assignment during Spring Break so I could fulfill two desires at one time; get away from the rat race and complete the no new/electronic media assignment. My theory about completing the assignment was right, it was easy to shut my phone off and leave my laptop in my bag for two days. After explaining the assignment to my host she was more than willing to support me by turning off her television set for the two days, (she has sattlelite TV) so I could live away from electronic media as much as possible. My theory was right, it was easy and I did accomplish two things at once.
However, electronic media is ubiquitous. How do we function without it? The microwave is digital, I just bought a sewing machine that is digital, the clocks in the house are digital (I don't have a watch but if I did it would probible be digital), The stove I cook on has digital components, Engineers use digital equipment to create highways, waterways and flight patterns. The components in the dashboard of my car are digital. In reality, even though I shut off my phone and left my laptop hidden I still could not live without digital devices. I had to drive to my destination using digital devices in my car. I wonder if I completly lived without digital devices or just the ones with high usage by the individual. It was easy to leave some things alone but what about the digital-superstructure (or infastructure) that has been created around me, how do I shut that off? What functions without the digital infastructure around us? Television, radio, basically all mass communication (even print) is digitally based. Transportation, agricultural, fabrication, engineering and medical are all digital. What remains? Some people have horses and oxes for pulling plows, and forges with leather bellows that require manual opertion. I can't even go fishing without someone showing up with a digital device to show me where the fish are. How we simplified our life or just digitized it?
I concede that digital is all around us, though there are times I would like to get away from it I find that I can't. It's part of everything I do.

Best Device  
Robert Andrew
2 March 2011

                Somewhere in one of my many storage closets, is a box that has 2 inch binder. It’s a soft bound expandable binder full of clear specially made sheet protectors (document protectors).  For several years I kept this special binder on my dresser where I had access to it any time I needed
it. I don’t need it anymore. Yet it’s still full and I remember that I have it.

In a demonstration of a powerful curiosity you ask what is it full of? And in a momentary flash of pride I respond; business cards.  Now your curiosity has diminished and my pride has subsided to something of embarrassment I will humble share the fact that when I traveled around the world I collected business cards. Unfortunately I don’t have business cards from foreigners but I have thousands of business cards from people in the United States. Gathering business cards takes up a lot of room and pretty soon lost its glamor.

Recently I learned of an electronic device that will record and store business cards. I found that there are many devices that are applications that will record, store information which can be manipulated, all from a hand held device called your iPhone.  

I realized that If I could digitize my collection of business cards I would take up a lot less space, but they wouldn’t do me any good. I have no reason to contact the people associated with those cards, particularly since many of them are almost two decades old. I could start a new collection of useful information from contact information using business cards. Which
sounds like a great idea to me; all my contacts at the touch of my phone.

In learning about electronic business cards I gained some new vocabulary terms which I had to come to understand. I’ll share them with you; deets or details, in this case the details of a business acquaintance or the information on a business card, vCard or virtual card, this is an electronic format of a business card, I gained a new definition of the word beam, which is to transfer deets (information) from one device to another.

There are several companies who offer applications for creating, storing, and beaming your deets to other people who devices that can pick up your beam. According to Aliza Sherman in her article 5 Ways to Beam Your Business Card at http://222.gigaom.com/collaboration she list DropCard, Rmbrme, BeamMe, ShareCard ($1.99), and SnapDat, as applications that can easily be used to beam deets about business information. I choose two to look at and compare; DropCard and SnapDat.

DropCard advertises that :
You can send your contact details to any email
with a short very short text message.
        You can edit your contact information online.
        You can create multiple contact profiles (business, personal etc.).
        DropCard is free, but fees may apply for texting.
        iPhone has an optimized version available.
        The service is only available within the United States.

When DropCard app from http://www.makeuseof.com is used the information that shows up on the receivers end consist of Contact information (e-mail, primary and/or secondary, phone number(s), work address , Chat number, networks that the individual is associated with (linkedin, twitter, facebook), and any sites used/operated by the individual. Once an account has been set up (it’s free), the customer will register with MakeUseOf.com. Virtual business cards (vCard) can then be created
(fonts, styles photos etc.). The transfer takes place by texting the number 41411 to drop someone’s@email and DropCard will forward the contact details (deets) to that e-mail address. MakeUseOf.com states that the information can be edited but it’s plain. I didn’t find anywhere on their site that the card could be customized with color or have a picture added. However there is an app called  The app seems simple to use: If I want to send my contact information to a potential client or customer I would text the line mentioned above to the number listed above creating a request for my information to be e-mailed to the person listed in the e-mail. The way I would get that person’s information in my contact folder is for them to add a space then a p in the text message they received from me and reply back.

SnapDat from SnapDat.com advertises that: “Take your business cards "digital" with SnapDat™ - the only mobile contact sharing application with the familiar look and form of a traditional business card. You're more than a number, so why settle for just giving out your digits. Convey what you want in the style you want.” (http://www.snapdat.com/#). SnapDat works this way: launch the application, select snapdat and send the card. That sounds easy. an image of your SnapCard is included. (Your picture).
SnapDat is has more than just information, they provide over 40 of their own different designs each design has a “unique style, layout & font”. It sound like I could design my own vCard, or more than one. It will allow the insertion of a logo on the vCard. As they state on their site, “SnapDat™ is mobile contact sharing done right.”

            All of these applications are easily accessible, easy to use and provide great value when it’s necessary to use them, (most of the apps were free).
I found a plethora of choices for selecting an app for business cards. Anywhere from card readers that scan cards with associated software to list your contacts to taking pictures of the business card with
your phone, to reading a bar code of the business card or just creating your own vCard and sending it to the contact. However, the information on the vCard is for all cards, except for background, logos or fonts and should be a moot point.  Performance is about the same, it’s all fast, what I found to be different was the look of the finished product the new contact receives.

It won’t work on my StraightTalk phone, which means there is an iPhone of some type in my future. (Heaven helps us all). When I do get  my new phone the app can be personalized to fit what information I want to send to different  contacts. I can have more than one vCard if I thought that would make a difference in presentation and visibility. I am in control of the information sent out from my phone. Because it’s over a network it’s just as secure as any other type of transmission. As far as business cards are concerned security is moot also.

When I have my dream occupation of helping people get over past and current emotional trauma (maybe even future emotional trauma), I want to be able to share my business card with the clients
who visit me and ask them to share my business information with their contacts. I believe the phone (texting, e-mail) is the next best thing to word of mouth, and texting and/or beaming vCards is right there next to word of mouth when it’s done by people who know each other and have report with each other.

The next thing after this will be scanable vCards by phones, or wrist bands, or eyewear.

When I get my next phone, I will get the app from SnapDat. It sounded easier to use, had more options in creating a vCard and my suspect the mode of texting from my phone will not last as long as
just selecting and sending.

There is one drawback to this app: Unless I purchase the scanning hardware ($299 +) I’ll still have a two inch thick binder of business cards.

http://222.gigaom.com/collaboration

http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/dropcard-virtual-business-card/

http://www.snapdat.com/#

Idontknow: Still learning

Idontknow: Still learning: "Now that I have my blog page up what do I do with it? Stress! As a college student I feel and see other nontraditional students encountering stress from many different sources. From what source do you encounter stress? and how do you respond to stress?

Still learning

Now that I have my blog page up what do I do with it? My first attempt to blog on my own page is happening now. This is history in the making. This is good! I'm learning and now I know how to post a blog.