Your Mind On the Internet

We email. We tweet. We facebook. We google. In this incredible age of technology, our computers sometimes seem to have taken control over our everyday lives -- from how we buy groceries to how we find mates. How is all this screen time affecting our brains? Is it getting rewired and changed at the molecular level? MRI research has shown that the brains of Internet users who have trouble controlling their craving to be constantly plugged-in exhibit changes similar to those seen in people addicted to drugs and alcohol. A 2011 study showed that unplugging from technology for one day gave some users, usually gamers, physical and mental withdrawal symptoms. There could also be something called Facebook depression. Do you get down when you see pictures of other vacationing or their achievements? Video conferencing also open a bee nest in itself. On the other hand, there is plenty of research out there that supports the idea that computers might actually boost brain function. Clearly, the internet has not been around long enough yet for any conclusions.

Your Smartphone: A Perfect Target

Your smartphone is almost always on, connected to the Internet, logged into your email and social media, and likely has at least a username stored for your bank account. Your smartphone contains as much sensitive information as your wallet does — more, if you count the contact information for your family and friends. Smartphones can access the Internet, which puts them at risk for a variety of malware and compromising exploits, but malware can come via almost any phone function or phone service. Text messages are easily exploitable, especially since an average text-messaging app takes no security precautions. The take home message here is to make sure that you have the right type of antivirus software and to use some common sense if you see something suspicious.

Give These Up and Be Happy

Happiness is something that we all strive for or at least attempt to. Aristotle said that it happens when we do what is morally right. Others say that it is a choice. Does it sometime seem like an extremely hard choice to make? We complicate our live so much that we would not know what happiness looked like if it came up close enough to examine our tonsils. There are however ways to fight through the fogginess of our daily lives which are bogged down with emails, voicemails, and tons of internet fax. So here are tow reasons for giving up what others think of you: You'll never please everyone and it's none of your business what others think of you. Next, let go of insecurity and stop taking everything so personally. No one really cares or watches you that closely. And the truth is, most people are too consumed with their own life to really consider what you're doing. Lastly, Anger burns a hole in the hand of the person still holding on to it.

How To Use The Internet

If you came across a book with that title, would you read it? In May of 1994, computer-book publisher Ziff-Davis Press released Mark Butler’s How to Use the Internet. Have you ever heard of it or seen it in the stores? This was way before the time of website development and apps. Here are some of the things that you can find in the book. We have certainly come a long way:

Joining mailing lists: “Although it is polite to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to a human, do not include these words in the messages you send to a listserv. They may confuse the machine.”

Newsgroups: “Remember, a news reader is a program that enables you to read your news.”

Online etiquette: “Flaming is generally frowned upon because it generates lots of articles that very few people want to read and wastes Usenet resources.”

“Surfing” the Internet: “Surfing the Internet is a lot like channel surfing on your cable television. You have no idea what is on or even what you want to watch.”

Searching the Internet: “If a particular search yields a null result set, check carefully for typing errors in your search text. The computer will not correct your spelling, and transposed letters can be difficult to spot.”

Apple Store Brawls

How bad do you want that new iPhone? The Los Angeles Times is reporting that arrests have been made after two men began fighting while in line outside an Apple store in Pasadena. Police also told the paper about a second fight breaking out between a man and some people the man had paid to stand in line for him. Those people claimed the man didn’t pay them enough to stand in line for the phones. Would you pay someone to stand in line for you for a phone? The new iPhone was not all it was cracked up to be to be honest. As far as the different phone services go, it was about a big a let down as when the 4S came out. I do have to admit that the operating system is by far one of the best to use but it still comes down to what exactly you are going to use it for. In short, hope that phone was worth the scuffle.

Tech Companies and Big Issues

It seems to me that tech companies are not really out to solve the big problems in the world, they just want to get the smaller ones out of the way and move on. This is with the exception of internet phone services because it has reaches that have yet to be seen. When communication services become that much more affordable, it is easy to see it as a solution to one of the biggest problems. This idea was highlighted by how the CEO of Facebook and other large companies have been pushing for internet access in remote places. Anyone who does not live under a rock has heard the quote, "With great power comes great responsibility." There is an imbalance in tech companies and therein lies the problem. Power without responsibility corrupts. The leaders of tomorrow are the young college graduates that need to not just learn how to create the innovative technology but the extent of their responsibilities with that type of power.

Bring Back Those Days

"Those were the days." A common phase among people that are out in the real world. Being a kid meant having summer vacations where you had about 90 days of freedom to invent and create without getting smack for coloring outside the lines, and suddenly losing summer feels like losing an arm in a battle you don't remember having. Until the day you die, you're going to have phantom twinges of hope for a three-month holiday that is never ever coming. We can bring it back; in fact summer vacation happens every night. The fun of summer was that you were free from the routine that someone else invented for you. So one of the things that you can do is learn a new skill or take up a new hobby such as application development or learning a new language. Fun fact: doing new things releases dopamine in the brain which can dramatically increase your mood and your overall outlook on life. Get out there and have summer vacation every night.