Reading #5

The article that we were assigned to read deals with the privacy of people now that there is so many social networking sites around the world. The first item that is discussed in the article is how there was a young kind in 2002, that was filmed in one of the most embarrassing moments of his life when he was caught on video waiving around a golf-ball and pretending to be someone off Star Wars. This video was edited by many people to make a mockery of the child. He eventually dropped out of high school to seek counseling. The next topic in the article is the idea of the Google Generation. In the article it states,” more than 90 percent of students maintain their own social networking site.” Before there was the internet social information was spread by word of mouth, now everyone can know what you are doing in a slip second by signing onto one of these social sites, and going to your specific profile. The last part of the article is what I found most interesting. One of the facts that since 1999 the amount of blogs has gone from 50 to 50 million, this is a staggering growth rate, and many of the people posting blogs are younger than 19. Another amazing fact was that people post nearly 65,000 videos on YouTube on a daily basis.

I think that this is going to be a growth concern in the years to come, and that people will continue to lose the privacy aspect in their life. With the random facts at the end of the article, I had no clue so many video, and the amount of blogs that are being posted on a daily basis. I think that this was a great article and that it outlines social networking in a different aspect than we are used too.

News Report #5

In this article there is a company from the U.K. that is in the process of developing a test for sexually transmitted diseases that can be done on a new data telephone. The test would involve spitting or peeing onto a computer chip. Then the individual would plug this chip into their phone, the phone would then process the results and give you a positive or negative result. This project is known as eSTI², and is being developed by many hospitals that are situated around the United Kingdom. The specific hospitals that are taking part in the development of this software received a 6.2 million dollar grant to help in the cost in developing the new technology. The leading scientist behind this whole idea is Tariq Sadiq, who is a professor at the University of London, and he says, “This test aims to give people no excuses not to get tested.” This is meant to be a cheap product, only costing the individual around one dollar to buy the chip. In the article it also says, “The technology is very close to becoming a reality.”

I believe that this is a good idea and I hope that the software works like it was planned. In the article it says that they hope to have these special chips in vending machines and other areas that are easily accessible so that people aren’t discouraged to get tested. I think that this would help people who are unsure if they have a specific STD, and they would also have no reason not to test themselves. There are many people who won’t go get tested because they are scared of what the doctors will have to say about them having unprotected sex, and the idea of being seen at a clinic. I think this is a step in the right direction so everyone knows if they have a STD, and will ultimately not pass it without knowing.

Yin, Sara. "UK Scientists Develop Mobile STD Test." PCmag. ZiffDavis, 09 Nov. 2010. Web. 9 Nov. 2010.http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372409,00.asp