digital camera v. camera

Digital camera v. Boring old camera

I know, I know it seems like a very obvious decision, choosing between the low technology of a regular camera and the advanced version of a digital camera. It seems that all they sell, and all people will buy are digital cameras. Yet there might be some people out there refusing the advancement and holding on to their rolls of film, and large, slow cameras. I am here to tell you to LET GO!!!

The obvious:

A digital camera allows the user to instantly review the picture, to avoid later disappointment
about a bad angle, messy hair, chubby shot, and worst of all closed eyes! The screen on the back side of the camera shows the image and allows you pick and choose, or even retake the picture at your leisure.

If the shot is not up to par, then the picture can be easily deleted with the press of a button. There is no need to worry about wasting the roll of film or having to insert or even buy new film.

Once the picture is taken there is nothing else a regular camera can do with the picture. Whereas a digital camera allows the user to change the settings for various lighting and landscapes. There are also fun feature that some digital cameras have which allow you to write captions on the pictures, or even add fun images like party hats and streamers!

FInally, and probably the best point for switching to digital camera is the easy and cost efficient accessibility of the pictures. Any one that has had a camera has experienced collecting rolls of films from past events for an inconvenient trip to the local Walgreens or CVS to develop the film. This usually gets burden some and the rolls are collected in a drawer... its inevitable! Yet, with any digital camera comes a USB cord that allows the pictures to be downloaded from the camera to any computer or laptop. At this point the user can crop, edit, and basically do anything with the pictures themselves. It also allows the pictures to easily be transfered from the computer to any of the social networking sites such as Facebook. Sharing photos this way is much more cost efficient than attempting to print doubles, triples, or quadruple sets of photos for friends and family.

There is just no way to compare an old and regular camera to a digital camera with all its perks. For any of you who still use regular cameras, it is officially time to move on and buy a digital camera. A digital camera will add to your picture taking and sharing experience! Try it out!!

online gaming vs. regular gaming

Ok so to be honest, this week's topic is rather foreign to me personally (aside from Mario Bros.). But I did do some research to bring you guys a complete and educated perspective on online gaming v. regular gaming.

- Research participants: boyfriend, boyfriend's brother, my brother, and 10 other close gamer friends

- Polls

-> online = 12

-> regular = 1

The results are clear, apparently playing online adds many perks that regular playing cannot provide. Playing online allows the gamer to talk through a bluetooth or headset to the other players, creating a more competitive game. My response to this was that you can very easily talk to the gamer sitting next to you when you play the video games normally. The research participants quickly responded by stating that it is more convenient to simply log online and find another player than to plan a meeting of friends to play, even if the communication factor is the same. Additionally, it is also more convenient to simply log off than kick you friends out when your girlfriend calls! They were right, when plans change it is much quicker to log off line than change plans with a bunch of friends.

Second, most of the research participants stated that they find the competition better online. There are millions of gamers online and you can see their ranking for each game, and choose them by their level of expertise. Whereas with your friends you are limited to their expertise, and the competition gets stale after a few games.

Third, online gaming is completely accommodating to your schedule. The only other gaming that is 100% in accordance to your schedule is playing the game regularly and alone. Most likely any gamer will agree that playing against another player is much more fun and entertaining than playing against the computer.

There are some downfalls, playing online makes the normal game seem lacking and insufficient. Therefore, when there are internet or wireless issues in your neighborhood a game that would normally save the day is unable to entertain. Some think that there are just some things that should not include the internet. It leads back to the idea of not wanting to put all your eggs in one basket! But the participants were unpersuaded by the chance of the internet failing them, and remained set in their decision.

The results of the research make it clear that gamers prefer to play online regardless of its possible downfall. Playing games simply the games normally as was done before the internet became widely available and fast is an old practice!

Human Communication v. Instant Message

Lets face it, there is no turning back at this point. Our society has passed the point of no return in regards to technical communication. Almost everyone has at least a cell phone, laptop, itouch, ipod. But everyone can get access to the internet, and that is all that is needed for instant messaging. For those of you living under rocks, instant messaging is usually offered by many email websites as an added benefit. It is a pop-up that allows you to instantly communicate with any of your contacts that are online. It is a way to have an instant conversation, similar to a real life conversation over the internet.

It is understandable that you are not always in the same place as the person you want to talk to, and walking to their house, for example, would be ridiculous. My question is then why not simply call the person and have a normal conversation? Why has technology taken over in a way to draw us apart from friends, family, and spouses? There really is no answer to this question, or why we have allowed it to take control.

There are so many benefits to having a verbal conversation, even over the telephone, in contrast to instant messaging. The sound of a person's tone can really clarify the thin lines between sarcasm, attitude, or bad humor. An "I love you" seems more meaningful in the voice of your loved one, instead of typed in a screen. The sound of laughter can never fully be translated into typed text. In my opinion "LOL" is just insufficient for a good laugh with a friend! Although I will admit, instant messaging really avoids the awkward silence that sometimes creeps into phone conversations. Yet, this seems like a small price to pay for hearing a real person's voice at the other end of a telephone line.

We need to make an effort to put the brakes on technology, and limit it from taking over our social lives. There is no need to log on to a computer, create an account, have your friend log on, create a chat, and then type the message. The simple answer is just to call, and have a simple yet memorable conversation over the phone. It only takes the click a few buttons and the call is made. The conversation is then even more "instant" than instant messaging. You may ask how can it be more instant than instant messaging?!? It is very simple, when instant messaging many people often surf the internet and at times miss a message or two. Yet on the phone there is no hoping the other person got the message. There is also no uncertainty about whether they are not responding to the message because of the topic or their distractions.

If you find yourselves only communicating via instant message, STOP! Remember what you are missing out on: laughter, clarity, unambiguous conversations, and so much more. Keep human communication alive in this technologically based world we live in. Remember, Instant messaging is fine, but in moderation!!

Books v. E-books

Books v. E-books

Flip of a Page v. "Next Page" click

There is something very classic about books. Whether it is how the pages turn a light brown with years, or even the smell of the binding of a brand new book. Books in their current form are not very different from how they originated, and that is probably what makes them authentic. It is just print on a piece of paper, but can create a new world (if it is a decent author). Yet, as the world remains constantly evolving many classic and authentic things have been replaced with advanced technology. Shall we have a moment of silence for records, tapes, and CDs...::head bowed::. It is clear that with the invention of the IPOD these are all outdated forms to hear music. It seems that the next on the list of outdated forms of entertainment are books, the real physical hard/soft cover kind.

Maybe this was just a personal childhood memory that you may not share, but I remember reading a book and feeling accomplished as a child. I remember not really reading for the pleasure in elementary school, mostly because the books were assigned readings usually forcing the teachers personal taste in literature on the students. As I would read, with every flip of the page I felt a little more accomplished. Even till this day there is a side of me that is proud to finish a lengthy book. It also a good feeling to reshelf a novel on your bookshelf for a future good read. This is especially satisfying when you really loved the novel.

Books are great travel companions. Books never run out of battery on a long car ride with the in-laws, or short-circuit with a minor drop in a puddle. Books definitely don’t require the availability of wireless to function. Books are traditional survivors and that is what has kept them in the mainstream for hundreds of years. I personally make sure to take at least one book whenever I travel, especially on a plane or car. They are great for passing time on a plane, and never have to be shut off because of possible interference with the plane's technological support. There is an endless list of benefits of reading books, the real kind. Yet, technology is still attempting to make books part of history by replacing them with e-books.

An e-book is also known as a digital book. It can be read on a personal device that has a laptop-like screen where the text of the novel will appear. You can download the text you desire to read and then may dispose of the text by deleting it. Like all new technology, the device must run on battery, and once the battery is done, so is your novel. Batteries don’t have mercy, it does not matter if you are at the part where the murderer is about to be discovered, or when the lover boy is about to profess his love, or even at the happily ever after of your novel, the batteries will die. Once the batteries have died there is no solution for these devices, except to recharge. The difficulty arises recharging on a plane, on an extended road trip, or even on a beach.

There are just some technologies that cannot efficiently replace the original. E-books may seem like a better and less cumbersome way to read, but it is definitely an ineffective way to read successfully. I do agree that is way more convenient to lug around an ipod than a portable cd player, but I just do not agree that e-books can prevail over real books.

In this case I will definitely have to stick to the low-tech version of real, actual physical books, instead of technology's attempted (yet severly lacking) replacement e-books.

Cooking: Caveman Style v. Radioactive Style

Over the weekend, while trying to squeeze the daily "necessity" of deciding what do have for dinner into my study-crammed saturday schedule, I was stuck on the question of either BBQ or a Microwavable meal. Really, what is the difference, both provide a fast hot meal...right?

Well I started thinking about it a realized they both have their benefits and downfalls, but for me there was a clear winner.

A meal made on the bbq represents something more than just a quick and easy meal. In our society a bbq represents a social/family gathering, and is usually associated with a a good time. Bbq's are reminiscent of fun, laughter and good home-made food. With a bbq the food is (most likely) guaranteed to be fresh. For those of you that think menu including bbq will be limited to hotdogs and hamburgers will be surprised with what they can find with a quick search on the Food Network's website. There are entire cookbooks dedicated to the art of cooking on the bbq and nothing else. A bbq chef could have an array of veggies, steaks, kabobs, seafood and there are even bbq themed desserts!

Another added benefit is the nutritional aspect of bbq foods. If you choose lean meats for the bbq combined with your favorite vegetables you can make a very delicious and nutritional meal.

Enough with the positive, we must now cross into the dark side... into the side of reality. We all live in a very fast-paced world that is extremely time demanding. The number of stay-at-home moms (or dads) that spend the whole day cooking dinner are quickly disappearing. The demands of a declining economy have forced both parents of any type of traditional household to step out into the work-field and gain money for their family. After a draining day at work, and a car ride in traffic this leaves the dreaded question of, "So Hunny, what is for dinner?" Then commences the scramble to see what is the fastest thing before the Batchelor, Lost or anything on crucial on ESPN begins. Usually dinner prep time, during the work week is limited to thirty minutes or less. This is definitely not enough time to sauté some vegetables, defrost and marinate chicken or steak, toss a salad, and bake a warm delicious dessert. By the time you scan the fridge and freezer most of the time has elapsed anyways. It is very common for a person to resort to a quick and easy meal. Even at times, one must resort to the microwave.

A microwavable dinner might seem to do the trick for speed simplicity, but is it really the best choice? A meal that can be cooked in under four minutes and thirty seconds should raise some red flags for the consumers. Even though it sounds better to have a "Tuscan Style chicken pasta with sun dried tomatoes", one must take into account the amount of chemicals that are added for it to last months in a freezer. I have read countless articles and blogs warning people of the health dangers of frozen foods. I will just subtly relay the message that THEY ARE NOT EQUIVALENT TO FRESH FOOD!!! =) Don't put your family's health at risk, especially if you have young children in the household by basing their diets on frozen microvable food.

There seems to be very little "healthy" food that can be cooked instantly in the microwave. Yet, on the other hand, a bbq dinner can provide the nutrients that a are lacking with the quick and easy microwave. I understand that I might be asking for a lot by asking you to actually attempt to cook a whole meal within thirty minutes, but a bbq can make that happen. Bbq cooking is very low maintenance, for most meals. For a simple chicken breast or kabob you lift the top, place meat on the grill, and close the top. Occasionally check the grill about 5 minutes in and then again another 5 minutes later. Total cooking time should be about 25 minutes. That's all!! It really is that simple, and you can get creative with your vegetables or seasoning, and even experiment with those bbq desserts.

Another simple decision made here on low tech v. high tech. I would definitely choose the low tech caveman style bbq over a high tech microwave any day. Take my advice and test the bbq idea on a saturday. Its a simple equation, add some friends some drinks, some food, a griller, and share some laughs. Beats standing in front of a microwave counting seconds by yourself doesn't it?