Online Game Promotes Charity

A new online game is designed to promote the business side of charity. The name of the site is DoSomething.org and the site is designed to promote volunteerism. The JP Morgan Chase Foundation worked to develop this program and market it.

"The idea behind Karma Tycoon was to put a twist on popular video and computer games in which players try to maximize profit in order to amass wealth. "

Players who register at the site can pick the type of nonprofit they would like to administer, such as an animal shelter or a homeless shelter, and establish their virtual organization in one of 12 major U.S. cities. Finger, who led the project committee that created the game, said the early response has been very positive and there are plans in the works for a 2.0 that will expand the number of cities and the variety of organizations that participants can try their hand at managing.

"A New York-based nonprofit is hoping to strike a philanthropic spark with Karma Tycoon, a new online game that aims to entertain teens while also giving them an appreciation for the business side of charitable works.
The game is the creation of DoSomething.org, a not-for-profit that aims to inspire younger generations to embrace volunteerism, which worked with the JP Morgan Chase Foundation to develop it and get it to market.
Customization considered keyKarma Tycoon, which was officially launched with the ringing of the bell at the NASDAQ stock exchange on Dec. 21, empowers teens to get involved in philanthropic endeavors by giving them freedom to choose how they want to contribute, said Finger.
Kimberly Davis, president of the JP Morgan Chase Foundation, says that in addition to generating interest in charitable deeds, the game helps player become money-wise.
“The game sort of sneaks up on you, and I think that’s the way it has to become intuitive for kids,” she says. “They don’t realize that by playing this game that they are doing math and setting up budgets.”
Teaching these skills at an early age is especially important, she says, because “young people are using credit cards at higher rates than any other population we have ever seen in any other generation.”
Davis was a strong supporter of the venture from its inception and was able to wrangle resources from other departments – including the credit card and retail divisions – to perfect the product.
Teens tested game's ‘fun factor’Her 14-year-old son and his friends also joined in as well by testing Karma Tycoon’s “fun factor.”
Karma Tycoon also provided JP Morgan Chase with an avenue to enter the brave new world of “advergaming” by embedding the company’s products into the game. That means serves the dual purpose of investing in kids while also investing in the company’s future.
“This is one example of many where we will collaborate with an organization to bring change,” she says. “Social investing is core to the business strategy and the culture of JP Morgan Chase.”
Mayer, the teenage Karma Tycoon disciple, discovered the game through an ad in a teen magazine, saying she spotted the words “nonprofit organization” and thought, “this seems positive!”
The Carolina adolescent credits the game with getting her to think more about helping those in need.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17985948/

Thank God for technology! Thank God for the internet!

Ok. So for those of you that don't know, this weekend was the NFL draft. It was pretty intense because of the fact that a good friend of mine was sitting by the phone waiting for is call to be drafted. After two day of waiting and logging on to the internet, his name was never called. However, the good news is, he did great as a free agent. His talent did not go over looked!

Without NFL.com we would have been so confused. And because of nflscout.com we were able to see what the teams thought of him. The internet gave us hope. It is one of the fastest ways to spread information. Thank God for the Internet!

Congrats to Terry Richardson! He is now a Houston Texan!

There is a new chief in town!

Now that the top guy for Playstation has stepped down, The new top man has some BIG shoes to fill. Lets see what he comes up with! exciting!

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/apr2007/gb20070430_347031.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_top+stories

Woman Loses Career Over MySpace

Recently a woman persuing a degree in education to begin a career in teaching was denied her degree after the university found a photo of her drinking. The picture was posted by her on MySpace website and was given a degree in English instead. The woman is now sueing the university.

I remember when we discussed the idea of employers looking at MySpace pages and so forth to research perspective employees. And one of the questions was if you were an employer would you reseach your applicants and did you think it was right?

Look it does not matter if it's ethical or not. And until the courts decide these situations need to be regulated, anything you post on the Internet can be viewed by anyone at any time period! It's just common sense!

"MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - A woman denied a teaching degree on the eve of graduation because of a MySpace photo has sued the university.
Millersville University instead granted Stacy Snyder a degree in English last year after learning of her Web-published picture, which bore the caption “Drunken Pirate.”
“I dreamed about being a teacher for a long time,” said Snyder, 27, who now works as a nanny.
The photo, taken at a 2005 Halloween party, shows Snyder wearing a pirate hat while drinking from a plastic “Mr. Goodbar” cup. It was posted on her own MySpace site.
Although Snyder apologized, she learned the day before graduation that she would not be awarded an education degree or teaching certificate.
Jane S. Bray, dean of the School of Education, accused Snyder of promoting underage drinking, the suit states.
The federal lawsuit seeks at least $75,000 in damages. Millersville spokeswoman Janet Kacskos referred questions to a state System of Higher Education spokesman, who declined comment."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18372103/

Myspace in CHINA!!!!

I have one question... What took so long? Myspace finally going into the Chinese internet market is very important. Technology and the internet is on another level of advancement. The Chinese Market is a great way to make sure they stay successful.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/04/27/china.myspace.ap/index.html

Ipods are being banned in Classrooms.

Hey guys! How's it going? I just found an article on how Ipods are being band in classrooms. seems that students are using them to try to cheat during exams. Very interesting. Technology is taking over. And our creativity as students is getting more and more interesting.

Check it out!
http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/04/27/ipod.cheating.ap/index.html

Mind reading sensors provide a new interface

Technological advances allow brain wave-reading sensors to be implemented in a $20 headset. They have created a simple Darth Vader game. When the player concentates, the light saber glows. When attention wanders, the weapon goes dark. The sensors read brain wave activity related to concentration, relaxation, and anxiety, and it ranks them from 1 to 100. Such biofeedback games have the potential to boost mental focus, and could even be helpful for disorders such as: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism and mood disorders. More sophisticated headsets with 18 sensors have the potential to do even more.



Surfpup

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18358876/page/2/

Dirk the daring returns on Blu-Ray

Remember the first laserdisc-based arcade game called Dragon's Lair? Now it's making its retun on Blu-Ray disc. Unfortunately, it doesn't run quite right on the Sony PS3. Blu-Ray specifications for BD-Java have changed several times and are NOT the same as the specifications which were available for early Blu-Ray players. The BD-Java is used for picture-in-picture and special features, and although early players will still be able to playback the video, the special features may not be supported. All Blu-Ray players manufactured after October 31, 2007 will be required to support the updated specifications.

Picture courtesy IGN, http://dvd.ign.com/articles/784/784213p1.html

For more info on the Blu-Ray specifications change, http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=6702

Surfpup

Japanese phones

In Tokyo they just recently found a new way to make your phone motion censored. They will function just like a Wii controller. They can tilt the controller just like a steering wheel. Some other phones in Japan have introduced camera sensors. lets say if you are playing a boxing game, you throw a punch in front of the camera, and it will do it in the game. The only thing that isn't good about this new technology is that it is hard to stay focused on the screen with all that movement. All i know is that America needs to get with it!

Bad Myspace Pic

Stacy Snyder got denied of her teaching degree from Millersville University because of a picture she had posted on her myspace. They instead gave her an English degree. She had a picture of her from Halloween 2005 in a white pirate hat while drinking from a plastic Mr. Goodbar cup. It had a subtitle of "Drunken Pirate." The dean of the school says that her picture promotes under aged drinking. Snyder is suing the school for $75,000 dollars in damages. Be careful what you put on your "space."

Google Earth adds two new 3D layers

Google announced two new layers for the Google Earth mapping project. The first layer will allow you to explore architecture for the first time. Blueprints will be available in the second layer. The second layer has been developed with the help of The American Institute of Architects. AIA members will donate their time and expertise to enhance the quality of the product. Google is also improving their Maps feature. Now you can see photos of different locations, buildings, and things related to them. If you're looking for a restaurant you can look it up in Google Maps to check out pictures of the place and its dishes. If you are a business owner you can upload pictures of your business for others to see.


http://www.techspot.com/news/25062-google-earth-adds-two-new-3d-layers.html

Increased Wii Production

Recently Nintendo just realized that they did not properly foresee the demand for the Wii. Their net profit has gone through the roof. They said that they plan on selling 14 million Wii's by March 2008. It has sold 5.84 million for the five months it has been out. To show how bad the Wii is dominating the competition, the PS3 has only sold 1.84 million machines. As we can see that the Wii is taking over the gaming industry, and hopefully they will be able to keep up with the demand. They would not release the amount of Wiis they would be shipping out. They chose to do this, because the lack of supply makes it much more in demand.

New cheating device

Teachers are finally starting to learn about how cheaters think. Just recently at Mountain View High School they banned all kinds of media devices. They found kids hiding an ear bud and ipod telling them answers and formulas. You might be thinking that this is difficult to do, but i know for a fact that kids did it in my music class i took less than a year ago. We would get tested on music we were supposed to listen to in our own time. Kids would load up the songs into their ipod, and have all the information they needed to match the song with the answer. Cheating is growing to a whole new level, and it is up to teachers to keep their eyes open. Some teachers think that even if you do start banning things like ipods, the cheaters will just find another way to cheat.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/04/27/ipod.cheating.ap/index.html

Near Field communications

Near field communication is a technology that is on the verge of revolutionizing how people are able to transfer information and make fast and secure payments. The new technology was developed by Sony and Phillips (NFC Forum). In order to promote their product, they have created the NFC Forum. As the technology has progressed, many key cell phone companies, chip makers, and credit card companies have become involved. In order for this technology to be successful, all of these companies are to working together to ensure that the product will succeed. Some of the major companies that are part of the NFC Forum are Visa, MasterCard, Intel, Nokia, Samsung, Microsoft, and many more. I think this is a very interesting technology that may revolutionize how we purchase products.

www.nfc-forum.org

Become an Efficient CIO

The six tips for CIO’s to avoid wasting time:

Don’t be the budget police, make sure technology is used efficiently rather than cheaply.
Stop using enterprise architecture as a command and control tool.
Focus on value-add IT indicators to focus on business performance.
Use enterprise architecture and other mechanisms to ensure coherence.
Stop apologizing for past problems, and using governance committees to run things, build credibility through strong personal relationships.
Stop defining services in technical rather than business terms.

If CIO’s follow these ideas they will be more efficient and successful.

http://www.itworld.com/Man/070427timewasters/

Free Trials, foe or friend?

When I bought my first laptop computer it came with all this stuff, trial versions of software and software I think I need. The problem, I wasn’t really sure of all the options of what I needed and wanted. So when I became more familiar I was already using what I was given. My concern was with deleting any of this stuff that the manufacturer had put on my computer before I bought it, because I didn’t know how it would affect the other programs. The unfortunate part of it all is that memory and speed are affected. But if you think about it, it really is smart business. So, pick and choose what they give you and then add what you want. Delete what you don’t use for the health of the computer.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9017206&intsrc=hm_list

Google home pages, can you live without them?

On April 27 Google users were experiencing problems with their personalized home pages. People began blogging about how they were losing their data, and complaining that Google was taking too long to address the problem. I have a personalized Google home page and most of the things on it can be accessed through other avenues on the internet. I really think people are being a little over dramatic by blowing the issue out of proportion. I really doubt people lost a lot of productivity, by what, losing hangman?

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9018098&intsrc=hm_list

E-books, not a good idea.

I always wondered why authors didn’t post there writings online and allow people to download them for a cost. I always wanted to be able to download a work and read it off of my laptop. This new idea of e-books I do not think is that great though. I would not want to purchase an expensive hardware device only to then have to buy software that is the book, when the hardware is the size and weight of a book, but more expensive. I would rather just buy the book. If the e-books have no real advantage over actual books (cost or ease of use) then what is the point? Just like the article says, e-books are bound to fail.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9017934&pageNumber=2

Hight-tech lie detector?

Lie detector tests are not very dependable and some people know ways around them, even with cables hooked up to you trying to monitor changes in your blood pressure and respiration. I think part of the process is to get you nervous and asking intriguing questions. Now the department of defense is experiment new ways to measure changes in your face, muscles, or eyes. One way is to measure your face's heat. A monitor shows different glowing colors as you may answer correct or false anwers. Another way is to use lasers to detect muscle contraction in your face or neck. It can also be used to study the blood flow when aimed at an artery. The other option is to the eyes and see the movement and changes after the person answers questions. The best part of all these tests is that it requires no cables to be attached to the person and it looks at features a person cannot have control over.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,269076,00.html

You think antennas are outdated? Not really!

How ironic is it? People are spending thousands of dollars on their plasma TVs and then hooking them up to $50 antennas that are no different from what we used 50 years ago on our black and white TVs. People are doing this because local channels broadcast in HD over-the-air offer much better picture than signals sent by cable and satellite companies. People laugh at the thought of using antennas for TV signals; thinking it’s really outdated. Funny enough, now it is back!