“Doritos Viralocity”

Assignment 8

Doritos Viralocity

Assignment 6

Doritos Viralocity

Research Documentation

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INTRODUCTION

The Philippines is known as the ‘text capital of the world’. ‘Presently each mobile phone user in the Philippines is sending out at least 10 text messages a day compared to about 3 text messages per user in the United Kingdom (Pertierra 2005a; cf. Ling 2004). About one Filipino in two is a subscriber to a mobile phone service.

At the end of 2007 four of the top mobile phone service providers in the country stated there were 42.78 million mobile phone subscribers in the Philippines.

One of the main reasons text messages became so popular in the Philippines is the affordability. In addition, text messaging was generally more reliable compared to a fixed phone line or relying on poor mobile phone coverage that included drop-outs.

Spam

In 2002, an increasing trend towards spamming mobile phone users through SMS prompted cellular service carriers to take steps against the practice, before it became a widespread problem. No major spamming incidents involving SMS had been reported as of March 2007, but the existence of mobile-phone spam has been noted by industry watchdogs, including Consumer Reports magazine and the Utility Consumers’ Action Network (UCAN). In 2005, UCAN brought a case against Sprint for spamming its customers and charging $0.10 per text message.^[17] The case was settled in 2006 with Sprint agreeing not to send customers Sprint advertisements via SMS.^[18]

SMS expert Acision (used to be LogicaCMG Telecoms) reported a new type of SMS-malice at the end of 2006, noting the first instances of SMiShing (a cousin to email phishing scams). In SMiShing, users receive SMS messages posing to be from a company, enticing users to phone premium rate numbers, or reply with personal information.

SMS has caused subtle but interesting changes in society and language since it became popular. It has shown a change in students’ academics as well as the law enforcement. SMS messages have caused a social impact and have changed the political campaign. SMS messaging has caused a change in social development as well.

Text messaging has put an impact on students academically, by creating an easier way to cheat on exams. In December 2002, a cheating scheme was uncovered during final-exam week at the University of Maryland, College Park. A dozen students were caught cheating on an accounting exam through the use of text messages on their mobile phones.^[20] Teachers are finding it more difficult to keep track of their students cheating in the classroom. First there was plagiarism, but now students use text messaging to get answer keys during class. In December 2002, Hitotsubashi University in Japan failed 26 students for receiving e-mailed exam answers on their mobile phones.

What is spam?

Spam is an unwanted marketing message that can take the form of a text message that is sent to many people who have not requested to receive messages. Some people receive spam text messages and find these annoying. Spam messages affect all mobile operators, not just Orange. Some spam messages encourage you to call an expensive premium rate number (090 numbers), often to claim a prize.

Mobile phone spam is a form of spamming directed at the text messaging service of a mobile phone. It is described as mobile spamming, SMS spam or SpaSMS but is most frequently referred to as m-spam.

As the popularity of mobile phones surged in the early 2000s, frequent users of text messaging began to see an increase in the number of unsolicited (and generally unwanted) commercial advertisements being sent to their telephones through text messaging. This can be particularly annoying for the recipient, because unlike email, it is usually difficult or impossible to delete an SMS message without reading it.

In addition, most cell phone providers charge a fee for every message received, including spam, placing users in the unenviable position of having to pay to receive unwanted spam on their mobile phones.

Some telecommunications providers believe that SMS spam is going to be the next big challenge as the fast development of technology allows SMS spam to be sent at relatively low cost using Internet SMS portals.

Factors complicating SMS spam reduction

Fighting SMS spam is complicated by many factors, not the least of which is that most mobile phones have limited programmability and little if any capacity to run third-party spam-filtering software. Even were this not the case, however, filtering SMS spam at the recipient device level would be an imperfect solution because the user would still have to pay for the message once the provider sent it, even if software on the device blocked it from appearing on the device’s display.

In addition, mobile phone providers in many jurisdictions are prohibited by law from blocking messages, including spam, that are sent to a telephone number. Even if message filtering is not explicitly forbidden, providers may be reluctant to assume the potential liability should a legitimate message of an emergency nature be blocked.

It’s also arguable that providers have little interest in blocking SMS spam because subscribers typically are billed for every message received, including spam messages, unless they subscribe to an unlimited or package plan.

Countermeasures

There are, however, a few strategies that can help reduce SMS spam.

One of the most obvious SMS spam-reduction techniques is to guard one’s cell phone number. One of the biggest sources of SMS spam is number harvesting carried out by Internet sites offering “free” ringtone downloads. In order to facilitate the downloads, users must provide their phones’ numbers; which in turn are used to send frequent advertising messages to the phone. Wording in the sites’ Terms of Service make this legal; and users may have to go as far as to change their cell phone numbers to stop the spam. Not only does this give you spam it also usually costs a lot of money to recieve spam.

Another approach to reducing SMS spam that is offered by some carriers involves creating an alias address rather than using the cell phone’s number as a text message address. Only messages sent to the alias are delivered; messages sent to the phone’s number are discarded. In jurisdictions that forbid telecommunications providers from filtering SMS messages, the subscriber must specifically disable all text messages from being sent to the numerical address in order for the provider to be in compliance with the law.

Finally, most cell phone providers offer the option of completely disabling all text messaging services on a user’s account. This extreme solution, however, is satisfactory only for those users who have neither the need nor the desire to utilize SMS at all.

Spam text messages

I got a spam text message today. This is rather unusual–the last one I received was at least before I got my Palm, so more than six months ago. At that time, I was still paying per text, and Cingular would refund me the $.10 for the initial message and $.10 to respond with “STOP” or “QUIT” (which legally require the sender to cease and desist…although since they’re breaking the law sending you a message in the first place, the helpfulness of this is dubious. As with spam emails, it lets them know you’re a “live one”). It doesn’t matter quite so much to me now as I pay for a text messaging plan that can cover this, but as a principle, I do try to report spam (ebay, paypal and bank spam emails in particular). This for some reason feels even more invasive than email spam…this is my phone number!

Unsolicited text messages violate the FCC’s CAN-SPAM act and mainly just gets on my nerves. The reason spam text messages are on the rise is that the spammers are not being investigated and punished, probably in large part because the carriers aren’t being pushed to do something about it by their customers. As yet, carriers do not allow you to block certain senders while letting others get through–it’s either all or nothing. I’ve heard rumors that T-Mobile at least will allow you to block all messages originating from an email address while allowing those sent from a wireless number, but I’ve not been able to verify that.

Cell Phone Text Message Spam A Growing Concern

Cell Phone Companies Want Spam Reported

Right now, someone you’ve never met may be trying to send you a shocking text message — one that’s inappropriate and illegal.

Worse yet, they may be doing the same thing to your children.

It’s happening millions of times every day to cell phone users everywhere.

But to most of us it’s invisible. We never see the text message spam. It gets caught in an elaborate net of filters and firewalls.

The spammers are getting better at getting through to you, and when they do, the message on your phone may shock you.

If you’ve ever received cell phone spam, you know how infuriating it can be—especially if you pay by the message. David Pogue of the New York Times recently got hit with a spate of junk text messages on his Verizon plan, and he figured out how to block most of them. If you’re with AT&T or Verizon you can block any messages sent through the Internet, as well as change your text message address to an alias to thwart number-guessing spammers. Sprint will let you block specific addresses. T-Mobile lets you block email messages and set up filters based on specific phrases.

Mobile Text Message Spam Doubles

TechWeb News

February 28, 2005 02:07 PM

Spam accounts for close to half of all text messages sent to cell phones, a percentage that has more than doubled in just one year, said a text messaging provider Monday.

According to Wireless Services, which claims to manage 15 to 20 percent of all text message traffic for U.S. wireless carriers, 43 percent of all text is now spam. A year ago, said Wireless Services, that rate was just 18 percent.

In December 2004 alone, added the Bellevue, Wash.-based firm, 1.2 million spam text messages were blocked by the company.

Wireless Services attributes the surge to smarter and more sophisticated spammers who are moving beyond the traditional venue of e-mail. “While they initially sent messages to mobile phones via the Internet, they are now savvy enough about wireless networks to foil anti-spam technologies developed with e-mail in mind,” said Rich Begert, the chief executive of Wireless Services, in a statement.

Text Message Spam, Keeping It Off Your Cell Phone

by Kirstin Cole

NEW YORK (CBS) ― Text messaging is now a 70-billion dollar global industry and growing! Unfortunately, text message ‘spam’ is growing too!

Text messenger, Bill Zaumen, says he gets slammed with text message spam all the time. “It doesn’t cost them anything to do it. But it costs me ten cents a message of course to receive it,” said Zaumen.

It may not sound like a lot but Zaumen says the text message spam charges were really starting to add up. “I could see it growing to thirty dollars or forty dollars a month very quickly,” said Zaumen.

Consumer advocates say one reason the spam continues, because it puts money in the pockets of mobile operators. “The cell phone companies have a real disincentive to do anything about this problem, because they get to profit from all the spam traffic,” explained Joe Ridout with Consumer Action. But an organization that represents all sectors of the wireless industry, says it’s just the opposite.

They have every incentive to stop the spam. “It’s an evolving threat. Spam does nothing but gum up the wireless network and therefore increase costs for consumers and increase costs for the carriers,” explained Joe Farren, Director of Public Affairs for CTIA.

In general text message, spam is illegal under what’s known as the ‘can-spam’ Legislation. But, there are loopholes. “If you have a pre-existing business relationship with a company, they’re allowed to send you these kinds of messages,” said Ridout.

So what can you do? Block the feature, as Zaumen eventually did. Also, be careful of who has your cell number and what you download onto your phone. Add your number to the do-not call registry, until the spam stops. If you do get charges you can always contest them with your phone company and file a complaint with the FCC.

Spam text messages infiltrating more cell phones

Posted by Press News Service March 30, 2008 13:46PM

Categories: Breaking News

In cases where the text messages are truly unsolicited – meaning they aren’t part of a business relationship between a service provider and customer or a person hasn’t unwittingly signed up for the text messages – consumers have the right to sue for $500 per violation.

Beth Andersen first noticed it Dec. 10.

It was the Ypsilanti woman’s first text message “spam” on her Verizon cell phone in the year she’s had it.

The rub? She doesn’t have a text-messaging plan and the uninvited advertisement cost her 25 cents, not something she wanted to contest with the cell phone company.

“It’s not worth it to me,” she said. “You spend half an hour on the phone to reduce charges and they don’t even do it.”

And even though it’s illegal, cell phone industry experts say that U.S. customers will see a big increase in text mail spam over the next few years as cell phones become more powerful and a bigger part of American life.

A ban exists on sending unwanted commercial messages to wireless devices under the Federal Communications Commission’s 2003 Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Market Act, otherwise known as CAN-SPAM. It took effect in March 2005.

A commercial message is defined as one where the primary purpose is to advertise or promote a commercial product or service, according to the FCC. A message sent to a cell phone must use an Internet address that includes a domain name – in other words, messages sent from one mobile phone to another aren’t included in the FCC’s ban.

For now, text message spam is a minor inconvenience.

However, cell phone technology experts predict that it’s only the beginning of a revolution in the industry that will completely change how wireless phones are used.

Tom Bowers, a security expert with Kaspersky Lab, which tracks malicious software, says Americans won’t recognize the cell phone industry three years from now. He predicts cell phones will become like mini-computers, and bring with them all the inherent problems.

Bowers and Jennings both point to the Asian-Pacific region, where customers are getting eight to 10 spam text messages a day.

Bowers said that’s where the U.S. market is headed. In the Asian-Pacific region, he said, cell phones are routinely used to surf the Web, send and receive e-mail and even to pay bills.

“It is going to be no different than laptops,” Bowers said. “Three years from now, cell phones aren’t going to be safe. The reason it is safe now is it is not easy enough to hold of information on cell phones and convert it to cash.”

Once more personal information is more commonly held on U.S. cell phones, Bowers said, cyber crime will follow. He said that’s already a $100 billion a year problem in the United States.

Kaspersky Lab found the first Trojan virus for Windows’ mobile operating system earlier this month. In January, the first Trojan virus was discovered that targeted Apple’s popular iPhone.

Bowers said soon cell phones will have to come with all the security measures that have generally been reserved for computers.

Ed Skoudis, a senior security consultant for Intelguardians and a University of Michigan graduate, said text message spam will be a short-term problem that’ll be replaced with larger issues of security.

Skoudis said as cell phones get more memory and processing power, text messaging will be replaced by more efficient programs such as instant messaging.

He predicted that the iPhone would have an instant messaging application by this summer.

“As phones become more powerful, text messages won’t be used,” he said.

But Skoudis echoed the concern that the larger issue will be protecting cell phone users from malicious software and cyber crime.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if in three years, you will need an anti-virus product for your cell phone,” he said.

As more people subscribe to cellphone services — nearly 220 million in the U.S as of June, according to the CTIA Wireless Association — marketers see the mobile market as a ripe opportunity. According to research firm Informa, marketers will spend more than $11 billion on mobile advertising by 2011.

Some of the marketing is being done through legitimate channels. Companies such as eBay and Orbitz allow customers to sign up for services that send text message alerts. Cellphone operators are also starting to experiment with sending text messages promoting new services.

But if mobile operators want to exploit this marketing opportunity, they must tread lightly so as not to annoy customers with messages they don’t want, experts say. And a recent rise in text message spam could jeopardize these efforts.

Text-message spam on the rise

By Kim Hart

The Washington Post

WASHINGTON — The spam messages that have long plagued e-mail inboxes are now finding victims through a more personal route: the cellphone.

Text messages are the latest tool for advertisers and scammers to target consumers. But unlike junk e-mail that can be deleted with the click of a button, text-message spam costs money for the person who receives it and chips away at the mobile phone’s aura of privacy.

“It’s so annoying because I get charged every time I get one,” said Ryan Williams, 27, of Falls Church, Va., who receives half a dozen spam messages on a daily basis. They ask him to download ring tones, visit questionable sites over his phone’s Internet connection or urge him to subscribe to horoscopes or sports-score updates.

Spam is often a nuisance, but more malicious messages can lead to a new form of fraud called smishing, a variation of a spam e-mail attack known as phishing. Smishing attacks disguise themselves as legitimate messages from e-commerce or financial sites such as eBay, PayPal or banks, and seek to dupe consumers into giving up account numbers or passwords.

As of 2005, federal agencies banned companies from sending unsolicited commercial e-mail and text messages to mobile phones. To receive promotional material or updates, consumers typically must text a message to a five-digit short code to opt in to the service.

But Simeon Coney, marketing director at anti-spam software maker AdaptiveMobile, said spammers are breaking the law, bombarding cellphone users with unwanted mail that could infect phones and BlackBerrys with viruses.

Consumer complaints about text-message spam have been sporadic, according to the Federal Trade Commission, the FBI and Consumers Union. But Coney said his firm is starting to see “overall increases in mobile-spam traffic.”

An example of a spam text message:

‘VIP Ticket: Congratulations U can claim 2 VIP row A2C Blu in Concert in November or Blu gift Guaranteed. Call 090XX XXXXXX to claim Ts&Cs www.xxxxxxxxxx.co.uk £3.75max’

According to a recent study by Ferris Research, 1.1 million cell phone spam messages were sent in 2007. San Francisco-based Cloudmark, Inc. estimates spam text messages could quadruple in the next year.

Unlike phone calls, mail or e-mail that are simply time-consuming annoyances, text message spam can actually cost the consumer money. Most wireless providers charge consumers for opening a text message – some as much as 10 cents per message.

In March 2005, as part of the CAN-SPAM act, the Federal Communications Commission adopted rules to prohibit sending unwanted commercial e-mail messages to wireless devices without prior permission. However, the ban only covers messages sent using an Internet address that includes an Internet domain name. The ban does not cover ‘short messages’ sent from one phone to another that do not use an Internet address.

And even if you do receive a message that has been sent illegally, it can often be difficult to trace the sender and follow through with penalties. Wireless providers – who generate about $3 billion from text messaging fees – want the problem resolved as well. Many have implemented filters aimed at screening out junk messages. And they’re pursuing legal action against perpetrators.

Verizon Wireless has won at least two cases against spammers using its wireless network. The company also filed suit against an unknown defendant who had sent a half million messages over the carrier’s network in 2006. However, if the defendant in that case cannot be established, little more can be done.

To minimize damage to consumers, the FCC suggests following these guidelines:

• Add your wireless number to the national Do-Not-Call registry at DoNotCall.gov.
• Distribute your wireless number sparingly. Don’t give it out in newsgroups, chat rooms or on web sites.
• If you do open an unwanted text message, send a ‘stop’ or ‘opt out’ message in response. By law, companies are required to remove you from their list if you follow this step.
• Always check the company’s privacy policy when submitting your wireless phone number to any web site. Find out if the policy allows the company to sell your information.
• Report spam text messages to the FCC if you feel they were sent illegally. Visit FCC.gov/cgb/complaints.html, and fill out the online form 1088.
• Contact your wireless provider about any unwanted messages as soon as you receive them. Ask them to send you the specific policy regarding junk messages. Some may offer refunds on a case-by-case basis, while others track complaints in order to pursue legal action.
  • AT&T only charges customers when the message is opened. It also offers filters to block unwanted messages.
  • Qwest allows users to disable the text message feature by calling 800-244-1111.
  • Sprint Nextel offers spam-filtering technology at no charge. If you do receive a message, use its online form to report it.
  • T-Mobile allows users to create their own filters to block specific text messages.
  • Verizon Wireless allows users to block messages sent from e-mail addresses, domain names and web sites.

In addition to costing consumers money, some of these unwanted text messages have turned out to be what’s known as “smishing” attacks or “phishing” attacks adapted for the SMS protocol used to send text messages. Some of these attacks ask recipients to register for a service.

Then they attempt to get people to accept a virus or worm on their handset. Others try to extract credit card numbers and other private data. Most spammers send messages from the Internet using a computer, which allows them to avoid charges associated with sending messages from a phone. But in many ways, this makes finding the spammers relatively easy for the wireless phone companies.

Using basic filtering tools, cell phone operators can detect high volumes of messages coming from a particular Internet account. And if a particular region is affected, they can easily detect an attack. That’s exactly how Verizon Wireless was able to stop an outbreak of text message spam in May, when 1.1 million messages offering discount prescription medications were sent to Verizon Wireless customers in New Jersey.

How to Block Cellphone Spam

“According to Wikipedia, this sleazy practice is described as ‘mobile spamming, SMS spam or SpaSMS, but is most frequently referred to as m-spam.’

“It’s actually far worse than regular e-mail spam, for three reasons. First, you generally can’t delete it without opening it first.

“Second, you have to pay for it. (And, of course, the senders pay nothing, since they can send text messages from a computer’s e-mail program for nothing.)

“Third, there’s no way to stop it. You can’t install an anti-SMS spam program on your cellphone.

An AT&T representative revealed the presence of an astonishing little-known cellular feature: you can block cellular spam.

“Text messages sent from the Internet are addressed as follows: [Your 10-digit wireless number]@txt.att.net.

“What spammers try to do, of course, is attempt to guess your number, largely by trial and error. This brings me to the second capability we offer our customers. Let’s say you want to block spam, but still want to receive messages originating from the Net that you would actually find useful (airline schedules, hotel reservations, etc.). For this purpose, we let you replace your wireless number with an alias. It could be some quirky name, or whatever you like. [You share this address only with people you know.] This could disrupt the guessing game spammers play to try to discern your number and sent you their junk.

“Though not perfect, our efforts have helped keep spam in the category of minor, though annoying, phenomenon. Thanks for listening.”

The beauty of this feature, of course, is that it blocks ONLY text messages from the Internet. Your friends, using cellphones, can still text you.

As it turns out, Verizon Wireless offers these features, too. Sprint and T-Mobile don’t go quite as far, but they do offer some text-spam filtering options. Here’s how you find the controls for each company:

* AT&T: Log in at mymessages.wireless.att.com. Under Preferences, you’ll see the text-blocking and alias options. Here’s also where you can block messages from specific e-mail addresses or Web sites.

* Verizon Wireless: Log in at vtext.com. Under Text Messaging, click Preferences. Click Text Blocking. You’re offered choices to block text messages from e-mail or from the Web. Here again, you can block specific addresses or Web sites. (Here’s where you set up your aliases, too.)

* Sprint: No auto-blocking is available at all, but you can block specific phone numbers and addresses. To get started, log in at www.sprint.com. On the top navigation bar, click My Online Tools. Under Communication Tools, click Text Messaging. On the Compose a Text Message page, under Text Messaging Options, click Settings & Preferences. In the text box, you can enter a phone number, email address or domain (such as Comcast.net) that you want to block.

* T-Mobile: T-Mobile doesn’t yet offer a “block text messages from the Internet” option. You can block all messages sent by e-mail, though, or permit only messages sent to your phone’s e-mail address or alias, or create filters that block text messages containing certain phrases. It’s all waiting when you log into www.t-mobile.com and click Communication Tools.

Mobile Phone Spam?

By camper on Thu, 01/06/2006 – 3:56pm

Last night I received what I think is the first case of mass mobile phone SPAM in Qatar. In the early evening I got an SMS from 3406819963 which said:

CONGRATULATIONS! LOTTERY WINNER

Your mobile number attached to ticker number 5XX-XX won US$1.116,000.00

Call:00346-6-819-963.

lotterypostwin/-a-t-/malaysia.com

I thought “Oh man…now we’re into mobile phone spam” and forgot about. Then, later this evening my friend with me received the exact same message. Now our two numbers are totally unrelated in sequence. Also, I’m a contract user and she’s got a pay as you go account. I’m wondering if they are just SMSing a whole range of Q-Tel phone numbers just to see who will catch.

With e-mail we are now sort of oblivious to spam. It comes and goes and we don’t really bother with it. But with this, it’s a bit different since the message may catch you off guard and you may think that the message is from some real competition they entered. Worse still, most modern mobile phones highlight numbers so you may accidentally dial it.

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what a tiring task….

weeeeeeewww… yeeepppeeeeyyy!!! at long last, our culmination for our future technology course was done today.. it was a very tiring task because i could only sleep at most 2 hours everyday for 4 consecutive days just to finish the task that was assigned to me… the biggest challenge to me was to be able to move the hand for our diorama.. honestly, i didn’t feel nervous during the presentation because i was really tired and very very sleepy.. (i would like to apologize to my classmates because i didn’t listen to your presentations.. hahahahah.. peace..) even though i was pressured, i was happy because it lessens the things that i need to think about now it is finished… i would also like to point that even the deadline is near.. don’t ever give up because you would eventually make it.. tested and proven with our presentation.. hahahaha..

congratulations to all my classmates.. we did it.. for me it was a success..

aim high guys..

i would also like to share our video presentation.. i know that it is not a very good one.. but we tried our best in creating that one even though we were still new to the software we used..

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celebration sa graduation!!!

graduate na jd kah brod.. congrats.. apas lng ko.. ako na pd sunod.. ajiji! naa daw ako name sa graduating.. pro wla sa graduates.. hahahhah.. kita lng ta sa finish line puhon brod.. apas lng ko sa nu tnan nga ng.una..

matsalam sa pglibre sa amo brod sa imong pgselebrar sa paglampos sa imong pgskwela.. kamo na jd.. napugos jd ko nnu ug kanta ug ahat.. atay.. ulaw ko ani.. weeeee… 1st tym nko ni gbhat sa ako kinabuhi.. atay.. pandamay.. lingaw mn pd hinoon ta.. wla nako labot kng unsa ako gpangbuhat.. basta nalingaw ko.. hhahaha..

here were the links of some of the videos and pics taken during the celebration… (ang ebindsya sa kalingaw na nahitabo niatong gabhiona.. “chx mo sir?” hehehehe)

PICS

video 1
video 2
video 3
video 4

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R.I.P. Brod Francis Magalona

Long Live to our brother, Brod Francis M., who inspired many of us especially to his brothers and sisters of Alpha Kappa Rho.. even though a person is not into rapping but he will feel the message of his songs.. we can’t really deny the fact that is a real legend in music and arts.. you deserved all the honor and praises despite being ill, you still served the people who believed in your talent and in you..

Kaleidiscope World

So many faces, so many races
Different voices, different choices
Some are mad, while others laugh
Some live alone with no better half
Others grieve while others curse
And others mourn behind a big black hearse
Some are pure and some half-bred
Some are sober and some are wasted
Some are rich because of fate and
Some are poor with no food on their plate
Some stand out while others blend
Some are fat and stout while some are thin
Some are friends and some are foes
Some have some while some have most
Every color and every hue
Is represented by me and you
Take a slide in the slope
Take a look in the kaleidoscope
Spinnin’ round, make it twirl
In this kaleidoscope world
Some are great and some are few
Others lie while some tell the truth
Some say poems and some do sing
Others sing through their guitar strings
Some know it all while some act dumb
Let the bassline strum to the bang of the drum
Some can swim while some will sink
And some will find their minds and think
Others walk while others run
You can’t talk peace and have a gun
Some are hurt and start to cry
Don’t ask me how don’t ask me why
Some are friends and some are foes
Some have some while some have most
Every color and every hue
Is represented by me and you
Take a slide in the slope
Take a look in the kaleidoscope
Spinnin’ round, make it twirl
In this kaleidoscope world

eternal rest grant unto our brother

I Born, I Live, I Die as a Great Skeptron!
Long Live Alpha Kappa Rho!

WTF!

this kind of life really sucks! people around were so annoying which make me puke.. wtf! inconsistency of others make the life of other people miserable.. they are bunch of losers who want to infect their looser-syndrome to other people.. they don’t want to be surpassed by their lower rank.. they can’t accept the fact that there are better people than them.. it is just like crab mentality applied to this fucking world!

may the good lord bless their soul!

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effects of technologies

According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, technology from the Greeks which would mean “the practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area.” Technology do change as time passes by. It goes along with the needs of the current society which it is used. When it was used, it greatly affected our lives or the way we live everyday. These technologies brought new developments of products and services that we never taught of and greatly changed our lifestyles. These developments gave us a lot of products or gadgets that we use in our daily lives and chosen field of work. It makes our difficult jobs easier and faster. We could even do our jobs even when we are from our workplace. Could we ever think of what would happen to us nowadays if these things were not present. We would still live in a primitive way of living. When technology changes, it would also change or affect the ones using it. It could brought both positive and negative effects even though we do like it or not. Most of the sources that I read stated that technology brought enormous effects in our society. Technology affects even a tiny single detail in our lives.

An excerpt from www.scienceray.com states that “Technology is a word used to collectively describe or portray the advancements, abilities, creations, undertakings, views, and knowledge of a singular group of persons: we as human-kind. The history of technology is undoubtedly as old as humanity itself. Primitive forms of technology have been found with almost every archaeological find of ancient human remains. Technology has such far progressed from the mastery of fire by man in times before 1,000,000 BC, to the supercomputers, space stations, rockets, electronics, weapons, and huge metropolises that are the defining aspect of the 21st century AD.”

At first, people do communicate with others through a telegram. Communicating with others was a big problem before because not only we write it manually with pen and paper but it would took some time before it would reach the receiver. Delays and other people may receive the message and/or hinder the message to be sent to the right receiver. It shortens or connects the gaps of distant places and/or every island in this world.

From phone booths, beepers, pagers to cellular phones. Cellular phones that we use nowadays are not merely used for calls and/or text messages but also capable of browsing the net and others. It is also capable of some of the features of our other gadgets.

When computer and communications technologies are combined, the result is information technology, or “infotech”. Information Technology (IT) is a general term that describes any technology that helps to produce, manipulate, store, communicate, and/or disseminate information. Presumably, when speaking of Information Technology (IT) as a whole, it is noted that the use of computers and information are associated.

Techab.com also posted the following advantages and disadvantages of the rapid and abrupt change in our technologies:

Advantages:

• Other important technological invention is computer and Internet. It is just with the help of it that we can share the data easily as well as communicate with others.

• The mp3 players and other electronic devices are the source of our entertainment as we can listen to our favorite songs on it.

Disadvantages:

• The major effect occurred badly on our lives is the use of Internet. Though it provides us with the perfect knowledge and long distance communication but it is used for the unethical practices such as hacking, spamming and other criminal offense. Thus it is because of the Internet that cyber crimes are on high rise. Internet gambling has also a major effect on the people’s lives.

• Technology has also affected our lives just because of the introduction of artificial intelligent machines and gadgets. It is because of them that unemployment and thus crime is increasing in industries and other companies.

• Other disadvantage is that excessive use of machines in every field is resulting in under utilization of human brain. It is because of this man may lose his intellectual abilities and may not even be able to think. Another example is Jet planes are flown by the computers but not humans.

• It is even hampering the daily production of newspapers or printing industry as you can get everything on the Internet, easily down loadable music and movies have hampered the growth of music industry.

• The children are greatly suffered as they involve in watching the prohibited websites.

Now were able to reach the most tools that can be considered if you have the right technology for your life needs, as well as the knowledge to use that technology, denotes ability to access and use new technology for productivity, advancement, enrichment and innovation.

sources:

http://www.scienceray.com/Technology/Applied-Science/The-Effects-and-Influences-of-Technology-on-Society-and-Human-Kind.114891\

http://www.techab.net/tag/effects-of-technology-on-the-society/

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climate change brought by technologies: causes and preventions

Before discussing the effects and steps to stop climate change, we might want first to understand fully the meaning of climate change. It would because we may interchange the use of climate change from global warming and/or other terms that we might think of the same. According to the definition given in http://www.grinningplanet.com/2007/01-02/global-warming-vs-climate-change.htm, global warming is an over-all warming of the planet while climate change only happens on a certain region. In this sense, global warming would possibly focused on the temperature of the world while climate change would deal with humidity, wind, and all the aspects that may affect the climate. Climate change is a long term shift and global warming is only a type of climate change as stated in http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-climate-change-and-global-warming.htm. Also as what the site, http://www.gcrio.org/gwcc/misconceptions.html, stated that there were a lot of misconceptions about climate change.

1.Climate change and the loss of the ozone layer are pretty much the same thing.
Fact: Climate change and the loss of the ozone layer are two different problems that are not very closely connected.
2.Aerosol spray cans are a major contributor to climate change.
Fact: Using aerosol spray cans has almost no effect on climate change.
3.General pollution and toxic chemicals are major contributors to climate change.
Fact: Most forms of pollution play little or no role in climate change. The invisible carbon dioxide released when coal, oil, and gas are burned is the single most important contributor to climate change.
4.The space program is a major contributor to climate change because it punches holes in the atmosphere.
Fact: The space program has almost no effect on climate change. The local changes rockets make in the atmosphere soon disappear.
5.Using nuclear power causes climate change
Fact: Nuclear power does not contribute to climate change. If nuclear power is used instead of coal or oil, it will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. “Renewable energy” sources, such as solar power, can also reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

In my capacity as an IT student with regards to the biggest contribution to the unstoppable climate change due to technological enhancements, I need to develop something that will enable us to be protected from all sorts of hazardous innovations which would endanger and would damage the environment. These problems arise because technology was used inappropriately by us. The term information technology has ballooned to encompass many aspects of computing and technology, and the term has become recognizable. The information technology umbrella is quite large, and is covering almost all fields that we know. Information Technology professionals perform variety of duties that range from creating, developing and/or enhancing systems, ideas, technologies, and also from installing applications to designing complex computer networks and information databases. A few of the duties that IT professionals perform may include data management, networking, engineering computer hardware, database and software design, as well as the management and administration of the entire system time properly. Also, to consume time properly for worthy things as the term information technology is concerned.

“Large, abrupt, and widespread climate changes with major impacts have occurred repeatedly in the past, when the Earth system was forced across thresholds. Although abrupt climate changes can occur for many reasons, it is conceivable that human forcing of climate change is increasing the probability of large, abrupt events.” (http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/299/5615/2005)

To take one of this example in a factory who manufactures units or items that could damage our climate due to wear and tear. Some factories or industries create their products that could be easily worn out so that consumers would always purchase their products and they would gain more profit form it. Those worn out products would eventually thrown to garbages which would add to the environmental problem of the world. Why not change or use something that will lessen the waste that it could produce.

Most people think that the word “innovation” evokes images of inventors, new technologies and new products. Iconic image comes to mind – the model T, airplanes, computers, rockets, radios, TVs, cellphones and a lot more. The list is endless and the main impact of these devices on the development of the modern world has been tremendous. Society would not be what it is today without the progressive development of science and technology but these would also eventually lead to destruction if not properly utilized. Technology runs in the veins of the society, it is the fuel that drives our lives. It is also an integral part of our daily lives. Not only that, it has definitely benefited the society. The automation has brought the luxury in the lives of common men. That would mean that technology saved a lot of human efforts and time to a large extent. It has brought distant places closer and simplified information dissemination and access.

Technology has automated many of the critical processes in the industry as well the household. The electronic gadgets that have entered the homes of the common man have saved him from the daily household work.

The automobile industry and technology are almost interwoven. Times have witnessed this industry evolve from mechanical scooters to automated aircrafts. Animals were the only modes of transport in the olden days. Technology was the driving force behind the creation and design of the modern-day automobiles. Bicycles evolved into scooters and sports bikes. The idea of having four-wheeled modes of transport gave rise to the creation of cars. Modes of air and water transport came up, thanks to technology.

Machines have automated many of the crucial industrial processes. Machines are now taking up many of the mundane jobs that were once executed by human workers. Technology has evolved to an extent where machines can perform tasks that are physically inaccessible to man. The use of advanced technologies like robotics and artificial intelligence has proved helpful in life-risking tasks like mining and space exploration.

The computer technology, needless to say, has changed the face of the world. Computers can store, organize and manage huge amounts of data. They can process large amounts of information. Computers have given rise to the software industry, one of the most progressive industries of the world. The Internet that seeded from the computer networking concepts is the most effective communication platform and the largest information base existing today.

The Internet has brought an important positive change to the entertainment and advertising industry. Advertisements can reach the masses within seconds over the Internet. The entertainment media has progressed only because of the advancements in technology.

The digitization of information has made it possible for us to store it in a compact form. Digitization enriches the quality of information storage. Digital voice and digital images are of a higher quality. Digital cameras and digital television provide their users with an enriched picture quality, thus bettering their experience with technology.

Cellular communication has revolutionized the communication industry. The conventional telephone, also a piece of technology, was one of the earliest technological developments in communication. Mobile phones have broadened the horizons of communication by enabling convenient long-distance calling.

Satellite communication is another important dimension of technology. Satellite TVs and satellite radios have eased the broadcasting of events across the globe.

These were only a few of the fields influenced by technology. It is almost impossible to enlist all the positive effects of technology on society. This was just a glimpse of the real big picture.

Technology is constantly changing, and it is changing us as well. In the past, some of these changes have been difficult to cope with. In the future, these changes are going to be happening faster, with less time to prepare. Unless we are well informed of the consequences, we will make the wrong choices, and our technology will destroy us.

It is truly good that we know the important and/or beneficial effects that these technologies brought us. But did we ever think of those bad effects that may occur when we patronize it. Even though automobile technology is very useful but it is the most common contributor to climate change. It maybe not clearly visible right now, it contributes to climate change little by little. But, in the near future we would suffer the consequences that we neglected.

We should act now before it is too late. http://earth911.com/blog/2007/04/02/what-can-i-do-to-help-prevent-climate-change/ stated that the three major areas that we should consider so that the emission of carbon would be lessen are the following:
electricity we use in our homes
the waste we produce
the transportation we choose to use
As we all see, these deals with our common needs in our daily living. Even just lighting our rooms contributes greatly to our problem to our environment. Also according to the same source above, it enumerated top ten basic steps to help stop the fast changing climate change.
Change a light. Replacing a regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent one saves 150 pounds of carbon dioxide each year
Drive less. Walk, bike, carpool, take mass transit, and/or trip chain. All of these things can help reduce gas consumption and one pound of carbon dioxide for each mile you do not drive.
Recycle more and buy recycled. Save up to 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide each year just by recycling half of your household waste. By recycling and buying products with recycled content you also save energy, resources and landfill space!
Check your tires. Properly inflated tires mean good gas mileage. For each gallon of gas saved, 20 pounds of carbon dioxide are also never produced.
Use less hot water. It takes a lot of energy to heat water. Reducing the amount used means big savings in not only your energy bills, but also in carbon dioxide emissions. Using cold water for your wash saves 500 pounds of carbon dioxide a year, and using a low flow showerhead reduces 350 pounds of carbon dioxide. Make the most of your hot water by insulating your tank and keeping the temperature at or below 120.
Avoid products with a lot of packaging. Preventing waste from being created in the first place means that there is less energy wasted and fewer resources consumed. When you purchase products with the least amount of packaging, not only do you save money, but you also help the environment! Reducing your garbage by 10% reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 1,200 pounds.
Adjust your thermostat. Keeping your thermostat at 68 degrees in winter and 78 degrees in summer not only helps with your energy bills, but it can reduce carbon dioxide emissions as well. No matter where you set your dial, two degrees cooler in the winter or warmer in the summer can mean a reduction of 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
Plant a tree. A single tree can absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
Turn off electronic devices when not in use. Simply turning off your TV, VCR, computer and other electronic devices can save each household thousand of pounds of carbon dioxide each year.
Stay informed. Use the Earth 911 Web site to help stay informed about environmental issues, and share your knowledge with others. Together, we can and do Make Every Day Earth Day!
The last step is very common, even though it is promoting its site but it is for the better. We should use our technologies wisely. Be informed and inform others to make the steps faster. These steps are useful and common enough that we neglect and forget about it. Even though we know that it is the right way, it is our stubbornness that rules. This is very common to most people.

In a whole, carbon is the main cause of climate change. In this sense, we should limit the use of things that are made up or uses carbon. Using the primitive ways would be better if we want to stop climate change. By just following the steps above would not hurt us even a bit instead we would be living in a nice and beautiful world just like before.

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