The Gooooooooooogle Glasses

Have you ever seen in one of those superhero movies like Iron Man, where the person just talks to one of those head gears that helps them do their things? Well, thanks to technology, we're starting to get a huge step towards that kind of technology. It is called "The Google Glasses". The Google Glasses is a wearable computer that was developed (and still is) by Google. It was released in early 2013 and has become a famous trend. It costs 1500$ and it is a simple, yet very complex piece of technology. What makes this device so special is the fact that it's one of those "futuristic" technologies that records everything you see and everything you hear. It is indeed a surreal piece of machinery.

Major Concepts

- It is a new technology and another whole new step for mankind. It is a piece of tech that's never been seen before.

- It will, no doubt, be very famous in the future because companies like Apple and Microsoft will try to duplicate or make devices similar or better than these.

- It is 1500$, an ideal price if you're a person with nothing to do or a person who has a job or wants to record many things, auditory or visually. 

- It causes some problems, based on privacy and legal rights.

Potential Strengths/Advantages

- If used in appropriate conditions, it could actually be a very useful device as it can record everything you see and everything you do. An ideal device for someone such as a news reporter or an interrogator.

- It may help a student study just by looking and listening at the teacher and going over the recordings at home.

- Who knows? A person wearing these glasses at a random time could witness events such as murders, thievery, and much more (which of course means that it record and be helpful).

- Some say that it can also be used to search web results, if so, it will be a huge asset for a student in middle of a class doing research and what not?

- It can assist a person in many ways, such as contacting people, etc.

Potential Disadvantages/Deficits

- Like every piece of technology that is released, it only ruins human health because it causes them to be lazy (Example: Not needing to get on the computer to search for the results, being lazy in class because the person knows they can record anyways).

- It MAY, just MAY have psychological effects on a person on how they view the world. By being addicted to these glasses and seeing through an electronic world, it may cause some sort of a new disorder or effect.

- It takes away the privacy of people as you can record and take pictures whenever you wish without the person knowing.

- It may be expensive to provide all the electricity or Internet or pay for the glasses itself.

Discussion Questions

1. If a device like this is made so refined and well, what could be the future of mankind in the coming century, or even decade?

2. Will it be more of a deficit or an advantage?

3. Could it possibly connect to our brains and allow humans to control everything even easier like it's daily life?

4. What privacy or laws could this piece of tech break or take away?

Haslam, Oliver. "Humor: The Truth About Google Glasses | Redmond Pie." Redmond Pie RSS. Redmond Pie, 26 Feb. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.

Advice from billionaires

Everyone in this generations wants to be rich. Many people, especially students who love education, want to be one of those stereo-typical rich billionaires. Being a billionaire isn't easy, in fact, it's almost impossible. Even if there is a small chance of becoming rich, it is still a possible chance. Many people want to be billionaires, but know that since there's a small chance of that happening, their goal is just earn a lot of money and become sufficiently rich. So how did billionaires earn so much money? What did they do and what morals did they have? Well, this may not answer all the questions, but it may be inspirational. Below are the quotes of a few remarkable billionaires. 

Steve Jobs - Live Each Day As If It Was Your Last, Stanford University, 2005

"When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, some day you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “no” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something".

Bill Gates - From Those To Whom Much is Given, Much is Expected, Harvard University, 2007

"My mother, who was filled with pride the day I was admitted here-never stopped pressing me to do more for others. A few days before my wedding, she hosted a bridal event, at which she read aloud a letter about marriage that she had written to Melinda. My mother was very ill with cancer at the time, but she saw one more opportunity to deliver her message, and at the close of the letter she said: “From those to whom much is given, much is expected.”

Steve Ballmer - Don't Have Passion, Have Tenacity, University of Southern California, 2011

Passion is the ability to get excited about something. Irrepressibility and tenacity is about the ability to stay with it. If you take a look at all of the companies that have been started in our business, most of them fail. If you take even a look at the companies that have succeeded,Microsoft, Apple, Google, Facebook, you name it, all of these companies went through times of hardship. You get some success. You run into some walls. You try a formula for a new idea, a new innovation, it doesn’t work. And it’s how tenacious you are, how irrepressible, how ultimately optimistic and tenacious you are about it that will determine your success.

 Main concept: 

- Everyone had to struggle to become who they are now
- They never gave up and always believed in themselves
- To succeed, one must be passionate and have tenacity for their job.

Potential Strengths:

- It inspires people and shows them not to give up on anything
- It teaches you to be tenacious and willing to go through a lot and never give up, to succeed
- Shows that if you try hard, you can go from zero to hero (earn billions)

Potential Disadvantages:

- These people did try hard, but it also depends on luck. These people were lucky they were there, right then, right time.

- It may be influential  or it may be an excuse and be overconfident. Since these people became billionaires from nothing, why not other MILLIONS of people? 

Questions:

- Is it harder to become successful today because of the rise in population and competition? If so, by how large of a margin? Why?

- How much of a struggle does one have to go through in order to be successful and rich? Does luck play a part too? 

Solomon, Brian. "Billionaires' Tips For New Grads: Advice From Jobs, Oprah, Zuckerberg And More." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 09 May 2012. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.

World Education Games

Education these days has become crucial to lives of everyone around the world. Though we can admit, education can be boring sometimes. Entertainment is an important key to teaching students all around the world. That is why you have the World Education Games, an annually held educational competition where students from all around the world take on each other and strive to the best. It is the place where students can buckle up and challenge other students halfway across the world.

The World Education Games was originally known as "World Maths Day" but they expanded it by adding the "World Literacy Day" in 2011, and the "World Science Day" in 2012. The host of this fascinating event is the "Human Calculator", Scott Flansburg, a Guinness World Record winning man, with the ability to act as a living calculator. 

In 2012, a recorded amount of almost 6 million people and 240 countries were registered for this event and playing. 

How to play:

The event separates students of different age groups and matches them accordingly. There are 4 different age groups: ages 4-7, ages 8-10, ages 11-13, and ages 14-18. When a student logs on to the event, he/she can pick which subject they want, and pick one of the 5 level difficulties: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5. The higher the level, the harder it is. Students should start at a lower level first to boost confidence and get used to the questions. Students should also note that as you progress through the level, it becomes significantly harder so prepare! Each subject has different questions (obviously). You have to solve Math problems in the Math section, spell out the word given to you during a challenge in the Literacy section, and answer a question based on Science in the Science section. 

An example of a previous World Spelling Day main menu screen where you login and pick a level.

Students can practice their skills before the actual event. Their points will not count. It is just a practice where you can get an understanding of what might pop up during the real event. When the countdown starts (The events usually take place during early March), students have 48 hours in order to complete the 10 challenges in each level. It is wise to do your best during this time because points are acquired for every correct answer. The one hard-working, lucky student who receives the highest point worldwide in his/her age group, wins! 

Good luck,stay sharp, and try your best!

End of The Online Password Era

Passwords are the key to safety and security of certain accounts. Though it wasn't always safe, it was safer than having no passwords (obviously). The major downside to passwords was the fact that anyone with the password could hack your account and it wasn't the hardest thing to do to figure out a password. Now thanks to the rapidly improving world of technology, we may not even need passwords anymore. Technology is improving so quickly. One example of a good safety protocol is the Android. It has a certain face recognition system and anyone to unlock it, you need to use the face of the person that set the password. With all these technological devices and systems combined (Voice recognition, sensors, etc), people can finally have a much safer and easier time with passwords.

Major Concepts

- Passwords may not be used anymore because of these future changes
- The only safe passwords are passwords that are very hard to remember, so people are trying to move away from that
- Go from passwords to things like voice recognition or face recognition or finger scanning
- The reason for doing this is because passwords are not the safest anymore (and people will always find new ways of improving)
- It's not only for passwords. This new "system" can do things such as paying phone bills too.

Potential Strengths

- It is much safer because there will be no more password key loggers or anything. It will be almost virtually impossible to hack
- For people with the tendency to forget passwords or are very lazy, this is very good because you pretty much don't need to do anything now except scan your finger or what not.
- To keep many different accounts safe, one needed many different passwords that were hard to remember. This caused confusion and with the new system, all that trouble will be gone.

Possible Disadvantages:

- For things like voice recognition or face recognition or finger scanning, you need to be the same as you were when you made the password. Things such as a sore or scarce voice, a new hairstyle or any changes in the face, and a burn in the finger may cause the system to be unable to recognize you.
- Like for all improvements in technology, people will start getting lazier and start paying bills online, etc.

Video of the Wordpress demonstrator using the QR code without even typing a single letter and logging in on the computer.


Questions

- Though it may seem greedy, will there be any security system better than this new one? Maybe a DNA scanner?
- Is it 100% or close to 100% safe?
- Is there any way a thief or hacker could use this to their advantage or find a way through all this and be successful in hacking?



Bowler, Tim. "End of the Line for Online Passwords, Says PayPal." BBC News. BBC, 28 Feb. 2013. Web. 04 Mar. 2013.