Are Pirates Beneficial to Sales?

Digital piracy for most people has a negative connotation.  Current marketing changes suggest digital piracy may not be as bad as people think.  Marketing is changing more and more towards social networking.  The best way for me to find songs is through my friends.  If I like the song enough then I buy it.  This strategy is quite successful because of how connected we all are.  If my friend in Pittsburgh, PA found a great song, they can share it with me here in Utah.  The more people share interests and passions, the more money companies make.  Yes, this still means if I want to make a random mix cd for someone that I will burn the relevant songs.  The loss of money due to sharing songs is small compared to the increase that companies make from artists going viral through social media.  I would love to see the piracy laws toned down or even removed.

I'm a Hacker. Like! Dislike!

Ok i'm not really a hacker, but would like to put on their shoes for a moment.  The word hacker often comes with a derogatory connotation.  Is this why computer programmers have changed the name from hacker to a more explicit cracker?  Hackers crack virtual vaults.  Finding  cracks or holes in our current software program allows us to become more secure.  People have been praised for writing software that exploits bugs in a program, while others have been pegged with fines and treated like criminals.  Often, programming can become monotonous, but hacking into networks, websites, or other types of programs can be exhilarating.

As anything in life there are people who have good intentions or bad intentions when they are hacking.  Can we put all hackers into one category of good or bad?

While we may not be able to categorize all hackers we can make secure software.  It is unfortunate that malicious hackers have built a wall of distrust for those following.  On the other hand because of those malevolent hackers, white hat hackers have a job.  If you enjoy finding little holes in a program then you can become an ethical computer hacker and work on software security teams.  It is very hard to police the internet, but by securing your own software you are closing the doors to outside hackers.  The next time you hear the word hacker I hope you don't just think of the malicious hackers, but instead the ethical white hat hackers.

Marketing is Getting Personal

How far is too far when it comes to advertisements?  A company in South Korea is creating an interactive software that will be used in malls to customize advertisements to the user.  They are trying to use facial recognition in their attempt to customize these advertisements.  In a world where we are being bombarded with advertisements through apps, social media, and soon to be facial recognition, how far will companies go to make the sale?  This new technology scares me because it makes me think we are heading towards the movie Minority Report.  I for one don't like how intimate companies are becoming with what I am interested in and looking for.  I think advertising agencies are pushing the boundaries and that there needs to be limits.  

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444897304578044322254166986.html

Twitter and Conference

I experienced two new things this weekend, Twitter and Twitter with conference.  I first had to learn how to use Twitter which took only a couple of seconds.  Then I started the journey during the Saturday afternoon session of conference.  At first I was paying more attention to the tweets then I was to conference.  I soon learned that I got more out of conference if I viewed the tweets after each talk.  I felt like a lot of the people were either making jokes or just writing cool quotes from those speaking.  The good thing about using Twitter along with conference was, I was able to stay awake through the whole session.

Younger Generation VS. Genealogy Work

Family history work is hard and very time consuming.  It is not the most glamorous thing to look through various census records trying to find your relatives.  Often, much knowledge is required in order to be efficient and know what records to research.  Genealogy work doesn't seem the best fit for a generation that likes instantaneous results.  One attempt to bridge the gap between genealogy work and the younger generation is found on FamilySearch.org.  FamilySearch is trying to engage a younger audience through photos and stories.  Some people call this effort, "Facebook for the dead."  The idea is you can upload photos and stories of your ancestors and make a stronger connection with them.  Only time will tell if photos and stories will be the key to bridging the gap between the younger crowd and genealogy work.

Two Thumbs Way Up for Smartphones

I recently discovered that smartphones are being used to help the blind experience more of the world.  The smartphone will let them know how many faces are in the picture they are about to take.  Some smartphones support the use of Braille keyboards.  However, among these technological changes the largest break through has come from the hundreds of apps that are designed specifically for the blind community.  I often take new technology for granted and am amazed at how beneficial it can be.  If you use a smartphone think of how it has changed your life.  Then imagine being visually impaired with a new smartphone.  How would your world be different?