(Anti)Social Networking or Who Cares Where You Eat?

So here I am at the start of a new decade, using new technical innovations to do what used be done by email, voice-mail or heaven forbid, in person: having dialogs regarding all things banal, benign or brilliant.

I use apps on a cell phone that are now known as PCDs; Personal Communication Devices. These devices have have little in common with the bricks of the Eighties. The first cell phone I had was designed to connect me with others via phone lines. Later came text messaging, followed closely by photo and video messaging. Now, we are able to do most things that required PCs. So it stands to reason that our forms of interaction and communication would evolve as well.

The mere fact that I am blogging about this is demonstrates how much I am willing to share my thoughts and actions. Recently I was asked why I use Four Square (www.foursquare.com), although I believe the question was more along the lines like "Who cares where you eat? Why do you want people to know? The simple answer is that it is another way to create dialog and share opinions. The longer answer is that the competitive side wants to demonstrate where I go and what helps me form my "educated and knowledgeable" opinion.

So the idea of connecting without physical boundries is one that is appealing to some and disturbing to others. I know what I think, but I want to know what your opinion is. Share if you care. Feel free to use your iPhone, Droid, Crackberry or other device....

Can Anyone Topple Microsoft?

With Google's announcement that they are entering the operating system arena, I wondered if my prediction back in 2005 was coming true. Back then, when Gmail and Google Apps were in it's infancy, I told my Introduction to Computers classes that five years from then, one of two things would be said of Google. Either we would look back and be amazed how this upstart was able to revolutionize the PC industry and topple Microsoft or we would marvel at the resiliency of Microsoft to adapt to a new competitor's tactic and beat them at their own game. One way or another, it seems the final show down is quickly approaching.

Cloud computing is at the heart of this in my humble opinion. Both titans offer their take on Software as a Service (SaaS), yet nothing could be more different in each approach. Google continues to add features to their FREE services while Microsoft continues to leverage their SaaS approach on their Office software suite of applications. Most of Microsoft's services appear to be free, but in order to utilize the majority of the features of Office Live, you must purchase a copy of Microsoft Office and install it on your PC. The other people you wish to collaborate with must also have Office installed on their PC.

All of this brings me to the point of this Blog entry; what do you think will happen in the ongoing battle between Google and Microsoft? I don't know what the outcome will be, but maybe you do.

Talk amongst yourselves...

So here I am, writing my first weekly question/post for my new blog. I am determined to put questions out there that I hope are thought provoking and lead to lively discussion. I truly believe that I can add to my circle of knowledge by asking life questions that others have more expertise in than I do. So here we go!

While I'm waiting for some netizens to find my blog and consider it RSS worthy, I thought I would pose my first question:

What led to the divide in Eastern and Western religious views?

How did one particular form of worship become accepted as the preferred view and faith in a particular region?

Is the culture of denominational churches one of intolerance? Elitist?

Is the mission of all churches (East and West based faiths) to create converts?

The Ever Growing Circle...

For my first post, I decided I needed to define my premise. There are many theories that describe similar concepts, but the idea that our "Circle of Ignorance" is always growing initially frightened me, especially as an educator. What I soon realized is that a growing circle of knowledge was what we were seeking, so it was inevitable that we would find out there were more things we did not know. From my viewpoint, as long as we remain inquisitive and seek to increase our knowledge there is nothing wrong with increasing or "Circle of Ignorance"...What do you think?