More on the GoPro

I would write more about how awesome this little guy is but I think the video of what I got this weekend while it was strapped to my dive mask would better explain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umcHH2WyhLQ

Fantasy Football

One medium through which my friends and I like to socialize and compete/ talk lots of trash is fantasy football. Now fantasy is pretty darn high tech. There are tons of different formats with computer based drafting, trades, waver wires, and so on. I get live feeds on which of my players are injured or how many points there getting this week as well as if they are in any legal trouble or have any other extrafootball issues going on. Playing fantasy football is a fun way to stay in touch with the ongoings of the NFL as well as good friends.

Technology Causing ADHD?

Attention-deficite hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)- A condition that affects the areas of the brain that help us to control impulses, concentrate, and organize. according to: http://www.quillivantxr.com/understanding-adhd?. People my age probably have more peers diagnosed with this disorder than peers not diagnosed. Is technology partially to blame? Are the video games, reality shows, and HBO jaw droppers to blame for our hyperactive generation? According to studies, children who spent two or more hours in front of a screen daily were more that twice as likely to develop ADHD that children who spent less time in front of the screen. http://www.everydayhealth.com/adhd-awareness/does-technology-cause-adhd.aspx The cause, overstimulation. How can a child overexposed to video games where every second is action packed and full of intense situations be expected to sit and focus on a grammar lecture? Proportionally, it is a fact that higher rates of technology influence on children is occurring at the same time as higher rates of adolescent ADHD. When you think about it, it's really no surprise that these kids are masters at Gand Theft Auto but they cant sit through an hour history lecture.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking or CT is such an important and apparently well studied area of interest. After being publicly shamed into reading Dr. Peckham's chapter on critical thinking, my understanding of critical thinking and its evolution was really broadened. First, the importance of critical thinking. The ability to think critically is necessary for the sustainable growth of humanity, one example being the emancipation of slaves in America. This is an example of social critical thinking when the early American people contested the accepted political and social norm of slavery by thinking critically and doing the right thing. What I found interesting is how many writers throughout history have contemplated and written on the idea of critical thinking and how the concept of this thought has evolved into a truly enlightened discipline of thought. From how I interpreted the chapter, the Idea of critical thinking has evolved into the idea that critical thinking is field-dependent such that a single method for universal CT would be ridiculous.

I also did not realize how much modern day teachers considered and worked to teach CT in their lesson plans. Not only is there a huge desire among teachers to teach CT, the desire also exists to teach class-specific CT so as to maximize the student's ability to think critically and thus further the advancement of humanity. I believe that the art of CT has never been as important as it is today with all the BS in media and on the internet constantly streaming into our young brains. I am going to try and figure out a way to attach Dr. Peckham's chapter on Critical thinking to this post for the interested and aggressive reader.

High Tech Soldier Safety

The human race is always involved in war. Since the times of Alexander the Great, technological advancements have been utilized to maximize destruction and thus allow for more conquering. Since old Alex, humans have come a long way, becoming more and more efficient at killing each other with the help of technology. But how is technology helping protect those who serve to protect our freedom today? One of the newest soldier safety projects that the military is working on revolves around new types of vests called STF (Shear Thickening Fluid) body armor. The key to this new idea is the hard nano particles of silica suspended in the polyethelene glycol liquid. This solution is then used to soak fabric like kevlar which is sewn together into vests and helmet covers. This new armor is lighter that other armors and it is very flexible until the time of contact with a bullet or fragmentation from a grenade or IED when it becomes extremely rigid and impenetrable. Thanks to highly specialized machines and lab techniques, the synthesis of this new lifesaving compound is possible. Thanks technology! Read more about the advancement of STF at  http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/armyweapons/a/liquidarmor.htm

Some Thoughts

How much longer will the human race study to memorize? How much longer will places like Middleton library be jam packed with stressed out, coffee filled youngsters staring into books and computer screens? At the rate of which internet access is progressing, why should we internalize facts and dates when we can just ask Siri on the spot? Computers are just huge brains that regurgitate the information that humans would otherwise have to memorize. If we afford to spend less time memorizing, would we be able to better develop our affinity for critical thinking and for understanding each other?  If this theory holds any validity, humanity could really evolve and become more advanced.

Cell Phones and Automobiles

One new danger to society that has developed with technology is cell phone usage while operating a motor vehicle. Anyone in high school within the past decade has been lectured on the dangers of using a cell phone while driving. The truth is that texting while driving, or "Driving While InTEXTicated" (DWI), is a serious safety issue for all who commute especially in the USA. "Because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction" (Distraction.gov). In 2011, 23% of all car wrecks in America involved cell phones. That comes out to about 1.3 million wrecks all because of cell phones. http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com/texting-and-driving-stats/ . By the way, of those 1.3 million cell phone induced collisions in 2011, 3,331 people lost their lives, many of them being teenagers. As the phones get smarter the driving gets worse, with Facebook, Google, the Chive, and so many more websites available on the phones, drivers aren't just texting, their surfing too! The temptation for distracted driving has never been higher and the roads never more dangerous. Check out more facts about the dangers of driving distracted at:  http://www.distraction.gov/content/get-the-facts/facts-and-statistics.html

Youtube

How to change a tire. How to tie a tie. How to upload a picture to the internet. The technological advancements that have led to the development of Youtube allow everyone to become an expert in anything in 15 minutes. I am a youtube addict, whenever I have a question about how to fix or do just about anything, I turn to the tube. Since its birth in February of 2005, Youtube has been very popular on the internet among the young and the old. More than a handful of people have achieved fame and stardom from their starts on youtube. Several shows on television today are based solely on funny videos found on the website. Phrases like "oh this is gonna go viral" were not in existence before the creation of Youtube. I enjoy posting some of my own videos on youtube. My only videos involve things I've done with the Gopro but I'd like to start making how to videos. Youtube also provides a new place for advertisements. Often times, a short clip will play before your requested video that promotes some type of business. For more on the societal affects of youtube, check out : http://www.certmag.com/read.php?in=3525

Here's a video of me trying to teach my lady friend how to spearfish, it too is bound for youtube.