Facebook Etiquette

Facebook is a popular social network that was created by Mark Zuckerberg and his friends in 2004. Originally, it was created for college students, and one had to be invited in order to become a member of Facebook. Today it has evolved into a social network for old classmates, high school networks, college networks, family members, celebrities, businesses, etc. Facebook has many functions ranging from putting what is on your mind at the moment into a little box to messaging your long lost friend. Unfortunately, people have started to turn away from the basics of Facebook and started to use it for the wrong reasons.

Many people have refrained from using Facebook as much as they use to because they have become tired of logging on to see bullying, prolonged rants, drama, and the reoccurring “o, woe is me” type statuses. They feel better going to other social networks such as, Twitter. So I decided to come up with a list of suggestions that will serve as “Facebook Etiquette” to keep more users on Facebook.

• Make a status describing your mood, location, task/hobby, or state without giving too much information
• Have a positive vibe. DO NOT bully, make negative references, post inappropriate comments, etc.

• Be respectful. Only post pictures and videos that you would be fine with your parents and loved ones seeing.

• Use Facebook for what it is, a social network. Stay in contact with your friends, classmates, old teachers, family members, co-workers, etc. Do not hold conversations online because that is what texting and pop-up chats are for.
• DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT put your whole life on your profile and newsfeed. Use the privacy settings to maximum. They are there for a reason. Ex. Your birthday along with your location, mother’s maiden name, and email address is enough to access your bank account.

• Only accept friend requests from people that you know. Having mutual friends is not enough anymore. The account may even be spam or a Trojan virus.
• Be very careful with your log in information. Make your password very unique to ensure privacy.
• Do not choose the “keep me logged in” option on a public computer or on any computer other than your own to ensure that no one can hack your account.
• Only post what you are comfortable with or what you feel you can handle feedback on. Be prepared for comments and/or subliminal messages on an opinionated post, relationship status, check-in, video, etc.
• Avoid clicking on random links on your newsfeed. This leads to spam accounts or spam just being posted on your wall. I.e. those shoe advertisements and model pictures everyone has been seeing recently.

In clarification, these suggestions are not listed in any order of importance. There are strictly things that I have thought of and things that I have been wanting to state. Also, there are more tips, but I only decided to list ten to refrain from repeating something. To sum this all up, just please use Facebook for social purposes within ethical reasoning and not so much for entertainment purposes. Remember, Facebook can pretty much show who you are as a person, display every bit of your personal information, and tell your every move ONLY IF YOU ALLOW IT TO!

We Luv 2 Text!

Texting has become one of the most popular forms of communication. It is fast, easy, and convenient and has destroyed our use of the common English language. Texting has made us very lazy, and it is the new tool for starting and ending relationships. Texting has strongly affected our current generation and will affect future generations. Texting has come in the way of our ability to communicate and taken away hand-written letters.

Another huge impact texting has had on society is the new law that has been passed in many states saying it is illegal to text and drive. If a police officer pulled you over, he could write you a ticket for texting while driving. This is because of the increase number of wrecks that have happened caused by distraction while using your phone. I think we can all admit that while driving, we have picked up the phone and sent a text. Texting has become a second nature for us, and people today rely heavily on this form of communication.

Texting has become the easy way out for everything. I for one, know that when I really want something from someone instead of simply asking in person, or calling him or her I send a simple text message. Not having to come up with courage to ask someone face to face makes things much less painful. It is also much easier to say no to someone when they text you. For example, I had someone text me about taking a shift at work last year and it was much easier to say no through a text then it was when they asked me in person. This form of communication has made it easier to deal with awkward situations.

Also, as busy as our society has come, it is much easier to send a text here and there while you are running errands or even driving like I discussed earlier. When you call someone whom you have not talked to in awhile it seems like your conversation could go on for hours. When sending a text, you respond when it is convenient for you. 

Texting has become even more popular since the release of the Apple IPHONE. This device opened up a whole new generation to texting for not only teenagers but adults as well. This device has a full keyboard, which is much easier to understand than the old ABC format. Parents have now realized it is much easier to keep up with your children via IPHONE. Not only does this device text, but it gives you three ways to communicate: texting, email, and the new upcoming source of communication, Facetime. 

Technology In the 3D World

The world of 3D technology has taken off, especially in television and movies. 3D movies have been around for some time now but the latest innovation that has recently been introduced is the 3D television, which has just has just hit the market in the past year. The TV’s will require particular glasses in order to view the images in a three dimensional perspective.

The three dimensional television will allow viewers to feel as if they are literally involved in the action. An example of the TV’s amazing capabilities would be like if you were literally at a professional baseball game. If you were watching it on the 3D television you could feel as if the pitch was coming at you. You would be able to see the dust fly up from player’s cleats and you would feel as if you were playing in the game yourself.

The manufacturers of this innovative product include Mitsubishi, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, LG, and Panasonic. Like previously stated, each TV comes with glasses that are mainly battery powered. These glasses sync to the television just like a remote control would.

All this new technology in the world of television is great, but like with any new product, this new 3D TV has its drawbacks. One main drawback is the simple fact that one must actually go about wearing the glasses while watching the TV. Television sets only come with two pairs of glasses, so if you have a large family that intends on viewing the TV, extra glasses will need to be purchased. This is something that can get rather costly, depending on the amount of people you have in your family.

Something that has been surfacing in the technology world is how Samsung has partnered with Hollywood so that when a 3D film airs in Theaters, you will be able to view it from your home 3D television as well. This technology will at first be limited, but should take off as time goes on.

The way the 3D television and glasses work is actually quite interesting. We see depth when images from our left and right eye merge into one. To re-create this process in high definition, TVs must refresh the picture 120 times a second with alternating frames for the left and right eye, which tricks your brain into seeing only one image. Most TVs are fast enough to do this, but in order to be 3D capable, TVs must include a converter chip and software to break down the signal and separate the left and right images. An infrared beam syncs the glasses with the screen to produce the final 3D effect.

The technology in televisions has gone above and beyond to ensure a great 3D experience to viewers. The TV is a wonderful new innovation and will only get better as the years go on and technology increases.

Game Spy M-65 Trail Camera

Being raised in South Texas, I became a very avid hunter of big game at a very young age. Being outdoors was a part of everyday life when your ranch is only thirty minutes away or your friends all have ranches with monster animals. My friends and I would spend every weekend out at our ranches basically just playing around. Whether it be riding our four wheelers and mules around the entire property making sure all the feeders had food or down at the fishing pond trying to see who could catch the biggest Bass, we were always doing something outdoors because its what we loved to do.

There’s nothing like waking up early in the morning just hoping you’ll see that monster buck or four hundred pound pig you’ve always wanted to drop right on the spot. I can’t even sleep sometimes at night just because I’m always thinking of the best blinds to go to or where I think I’ll have the best opportunity to get the best shot off. Fortunately enough for me I’ve gotten lucky a few times and have picked the right spots, but I’ve also made some terrible decisions that have led me to absolutely nothing. I needed something that I could look at on a daily and nightly basis that showed me the patterns of the herds and which feeder was most commonly attended my little friends. So I asked around about who had the best game cameras on the market and my buddy Jack showed me just thing I was looking for, the Moultrie Game Spy M-65 Flash digital Trail Camera.

So I convinced my dad into buying a few of these bad boys so we could increase that chance at nailing that monster buck. These cameras really seemed to be the real deal. It had everything you could ever want in a game camera. This thing has the capability of taking day and nighttime photos and videos while using white flash illumination, which would give us a little bit better of an idea of just how the deer liked to move and what times they like to feed. The Game Spy digital camera takes six well-defined megapixel pictures and stores them on a hefty memory card that will save hours of videos and thousands of photos. The built in infrared sensor with rapid response is also a great bonus that comes with the M-65 because you get more accurate pictures and less shots with nothing there.

On the back of the camera comes a good-sized two-inch menu-driven LCD screen that lets you view your pictures and videos along with pictures taken and remaining. And if you’re worried about leaving your camera on the feeder and it getting ruined by bad weather, this puppy is weather-resistant and comes with an airtight camera seal so that rain and dirt cant seep in there and ruin it.

The selling point of this camera for me was it included the Moultrie Game Spy Management System. Now for those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s a system that allows you to view your videos and photos from anywhere with internet access by only logging on to a website. By having the capability to see everything via Internet, you are significantly able to take fewer trips to view your camera and leave less scent that discourages game to come to your feeder. Once your able to get the modem plugged into your camera, the AT&T wireless network allows you to upload pictures and videos to your personal website provided to you courtesy of Moultrie. Once inside your own website, you can see photos, check batter life, and even change the settings of the camera to your personal liking.

After experiencing this camera first hand it’s dramatically changed the way I hunt. I now study photos and videos of where and when the best deer and pigs are hanging out and plan my hunts around them. I’ve recently killed both one of the largest White Tail Deer and hog this past season and I strongly believe its because the Game Spy helped me locate them and show me their feeding patterns.

The Drone

Just recently, one of my roommates brought to school a toy unlike no other. When he pulled out a simple helicopter, I about started to walk away when he began talking about it. He called it the AR Drone Helicopter and he seemed very eager to demonstrate it for us. After grabbing his iPhone, it dawned on me that this was no ordinary helicopter, but it was just another wonderful idea that Apple had its hands on. With one touch of the phone, the helicopter revved up and began to rise. Hovering about three feet off the ground, the Drone remained still. It wasn’t until my roommate tilted the phone forward that the Drone began propelling forward. His hands leveled out, and the drone leveled out. He tilted the phone left, the Drone spun to the left. It was, by far, one of the neatest toys I have seen in a while.

For a price just under $300, anyone with an iPhone or iPod touch can add this to their list of hobbies. This unique helicopter was an instant hit in our household, and the same reaction has been seen and heard across the country. It is very unique in many aspects and the different capabilities and accessories it has make it a one of a kind remote controlled helicopter.

The helicopter is propelled by four independent rotors, allowing it to move quickly and precisely around even the tightest of obstacles. Like I mentioned earlier, it is steered by two variations of flight control, one using the iPod’s level as a steering mechanism and the other using controls displayed on the monitor of the hand-held device. The Droid puts out a wireless hotspot that allows the iPod to be constantly connected to the internet, allowing the flight to commence. Mounted on the front, and belly of the Droid are cameras, allowing the controller to see what is in front and what is below at all times. This comes in handy because the controller doesn’t have to see the helicopter to fly it about the sky.

Although I think this concept is very neat and creative, there needs to be some work done on the price, as well as, quality of the units. My roommate has had to replace many parts of the helicopter, but if constructed better, there would be no need. Having said this, I would like to go on record saying, I to have had a good time playing with this toy and expect to continue enjoying it.

Just recently, one of my roommates brought to school a toy unlike no other. When he pulled out a simple helicopter, I about started to walk away when he began talking about it. He called it the AR Drone Helicopter and he seemed very eager to demonstrate it for us. After grabbing his iPhone, it dawned on me that this was no ordinary helicopter, but it was just another wonderful idea that Apple had its hands on. With one touch of the phone, the helicopter revved up and began to rise. Hovering about three feet off the ground, the Drone remained still. It wasn’t until my roommate tilted the phone forward that the Drone began propelling forward. His hands leveled out, and the drone leveled out. He tilted the phone left, the Drone spun to the left. It was, by far, one of the neatest toys I have seen in a while.

For a price just under $300, anyone with an iPhone or iPod touch can add this to their list of hobbies. This unique helicopter was an instant hit in our household, and the same reaction has been seen and heard across the country. It is very unique in many aspects and the different capabilities and accessories it has make it a one of a kind remote controlled helicopter.

The helicopter is propelled by four independent rotors, allowing it to move quickly and precisely around even the tightest of obstacles. Like I mentioned earlier, it is steered by two variations of flight control, one using the iPod’s level as a steering mechanism and the other using controls displayed on the monitor of the hand-held device. The Droid puts out a wireless hotspot that allows the iPod to be constantly connected to the internet, allowing the flight to commence. Mounted on the front, and belly of the Droid are cameras, allowing the controller to see what is in front and what is below at all times. This comes in handy because the controller doesn’t have to see the helicopter to fly it about the sky.

Although I think this concept is very neat and creative, there needs to be some work done on the price, as well as, quality of the units. My roommate has had to replace many parts of the helicopter, but if constructed better, there would be no need. Having said this, I would like to go on record saying, I to have had a good time playing with this toy and expect to continue enjoying it.