Read It.

                                                                                  
I just want to say proclaim that "The Video Game Theory Reader" is GREAT. Random as this post my be; I thought this statement was worthy of a post all for itself. I definitly recommend reading it. It's smart and sarcastic. Its packed full of information that is easy to understand and relate to. Its not just a textbook read.  I'm pretty confident that those who take the time to really read and take information from it will find themselves glad they did!

Bing

Microsoft's Bing is the third largest search engine in the world today. After getting online and comparing Bing with other familiar search engines like Google, Yahoo! and Ask.com and while Bing is competent enough, I think I'll keep Google as my homepage. I've read that newer editions of computers and laptops are available with Bing already installed and defaulted as main search engines. If I had a choice, I'd still stick with Google. 
I will say one thing though, Bing has a catchy way of drawing attention because of its appearance! Not to sound elementary but I have to admit I was drawn to the pretty backgrounds! If you're looking for a change of scenery....If you want to change it up with a splash of color...If you just want a pretty homepage...Bing is the place for you!

                                                                            

"Toyota...Oh, How You've Failed Me"

          In August of 2009, I purchased my first new car. I saved for months before finally settling on what kind of vehicle I would buy. This was a huge decision...the first one I'd made on my own really. Only now, months later, have I finally come to the conclusion that I made two of the most major mistakes a car customer could ever fall into in the year of 2009.
NUMBER ONE: I bought a car without really looking into its coverage plan.
NUMBER TWO: I purchased a Toyota.
        Who can really blame me? I was enamored by the "Shiny" factor. New car...pretty chrome inside with lots of knobs and gadgets I'd never had before (hello, I previously drove a 1990 Ford Ranger with no air conditioner and no radio). So- in August, I drove off the lot in a brand new 2010 model, Toyota Corolla. A few months later I started seeing on the news reports of deaths...fatalities..accidents...due to problems with Toyota vehicles! A couple months after that I recieved a notice from my Toyota dealership stating: " Please return your car to your nearest Toyota location due to the recall of the accelerator designated to your specific vehicle"
           Cool. So I could've died? Good thing I'm paying ridiculous amounts of money a month for a car that is Still killing people. Really the whole point of this post is to ask the general public a question: Why am I still paying the full price for a car that was recalled? Below is a piece of an article that I just read on Yahoo news.com:
                    "Toyota Motor Corp. has been reeling from the recall of more than 8 million vehicles worldwide — including 6 million in the U.S. — over problems with accelerator pedals and braking issues with the Prius hybrid. The automaker rolled out aggressive incentive programs in early March, including 0-percent financing on recalled models, low-priced leasing and the free maintenance offer."

Thats nice of you Toyota. What about the rest of us who are still paying for the same cars you're marking down? What about the cars we've Already bought....that belong to the very same line you're still trying to sell?



* http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100331/ap_on_bi_ge/us_auto_show_toyota

Cinderellas Challenge Blue Bloods in March Madness

Have a little chat...or even a Tiny one..

Tiny chat is a a virtual chat room! The idea of the old school chat room has been blended with the new-age webcam craze and Voila! Tiny Chat is born. I joined the chat site just to see what it was all about and was amazed at the growing interest it is drawing in. There are millions chatting virtually at this very minute and they're just a simple click away. There are three levels of chat you may join; the first being a simple membership allowing you to publicly view others while chatting, next a more private chat ( both of these are absolutely Free!) and third is a Premium membership which has a monthly cost of $20.00. Tiny chat has many web-based applications available on www.tinychat.com such as: 

• Live Video Groups                                                           
• Private 2-way calling
• Chats linked to Facebook and Myspace
• Newly added Video Conferencing
• Screen Sharing

I read post and blogs online of people who had heard of, or used Tiny Chat. I came up with mixed feelings until I used the site myself. I'm not a big chat room fan, but after using the site I felt more at ease with the idea. People are often close-minded about things they have deemed as risky or unsafe. Chat rooms have always been something I've avoided for that reason. People might stalk me..or hack me...concerns that everyone secretly has. Tiny Chat seems cool. I haven't visited the site since my initial visit but I'm not sure I would not visit again.

Sites used as references:

http://tinychat.com/

http://techcrunch.com/2009/05/27/virtual-chat-room-tinychat-adds-video-conferencing-and-screen-sharing/

-Life Changes-

Who will take care of me when I'm old? 

This is the question that haunts my thoughts lately. To catch you up to speed-- I am 21 years old. I am a college student, I live at home, and I have Endometriosis. I have been told that a hysterectomy is my only option. I am not a candidate for ulterior treatments.Again, I am only 21 years old.

I looked up hysterectomy online-
"A hysterectomy (from Greek ὑστέρα hystera "womb" and εκτομία ektomia "a cutting out of") is the surgical removal of the uterus, usually performed by a gynecologist. Hysterectomy may be total (removing the body, fundus, and cervix of the uterus; often called "complete") or partial (removal of the uterine body but leaving the cervical stump, also called "supracervical"). It is the most commonly performed gynecological surgical procedure. In 2003, over 600,000 hysterectomies were performed in the United States alone, of which over 90% were performed for benign conditions.Such rates being highest in the industrialized world has led to the major controversy that hysterectomies are being largely performed for unwarranted and unnecessary reasons" (wikipedia.org, 2003).


My parents are siding with the doctors. I seem to be alone in the belief that having children is more important than feeling well all the time. I'm told I'm being "selfish"....but I'm sure that if I made the choice to give up kids and heal myself, then I would feel selfish in the truest sense.


This is a random post...not related to school or New Media. However, it is important to me. This is an issue  that has the ability to change everything about the rest of my life. I just thought I'd like to share my thoughts and see if anyone else had anything to say about the advice that is being given by doctors currently. With all the medical advances that are being made...with all of the technology being made available....nothing can help me? Am I supposed to so readily accept the fate they're trying to hand me?

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hysterectomy

Bloggers Beware of Bashing Big Timers

               Bloggers Beware of Bashing Big Timers

by: Maegan Hensley

                From what I've read Liskula Cohen is searching for justice something akin to finding a needle in a haystack. The story in a nutshell, goes something like this: Liskula Cohen is a Vogue model who has been in the media with unrelated drama previously. An anonymous blogger posted a personal opinion within a personal blog and mud was thrown. I found one particular article on http://www.nydaileynews.com/ very interesting pertaining to this case. Writer Jose Martinez depicted the scene as an all out battle between a vicious model and her unadoring "fan". This article claims that bashing comments like "skank" and "hag" were used by the blogger to describe the model. Cohen took  such offense to this "bash blog", she hired lawyers to lean on the Google corporation in order to reveal the hater-girl's identity.
                        " The defamation suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, seeks a court order compelling Google and its Blogger.com service to identify whoever led the vicious Internet assault against Cohen" (Martinez, Staff Reporter).
            
           Although this occurence would surely be unsettling to a model, or anyone for that matter; it is unrealistic, in my opinion, to chase after the ones who seek to hurt you with their words. It is wrong to be the kind of person who dwells on the fortune of others and chooses to use painful and demeaning ways to degrade complete strangers. The reality though, is that those people exist. They are there regardless of what is right and what is wrong; regardless of morals and scruples, they will still be entitled to their opinions. The very best lawyers could present the most convincing case against this anonymous blogger and still...no matter what he or she posted...it is her right to speak, type, scream, sing and yes, even Blog her opinion. While I don't agree with the kind of action behind creating blogs for the sole purpose to degrading another person, I cannot help but feel like there are greater, more eminent crimes being committed at the present. Google should not have had to give up the identity of the blogger who put her trust in that company's claim to stand behind her site, the day she signed up. Rosemary Port was named as the blogger bashing Liskula Cohen. Port has filed a case herself against Google for defiling her rights to privacy. And so..the endless cycle goes..
            
             To Liskula - I'm sorry that this has happened to you. No one likes to hear negative things about themselves, whether they hold truth or not. However, by attaching yourself to this case so directly, demanding the cooperation Blogger and Google, you are asking that they jeopardize the privacy contracts in  which their entire corporation depend on. the opinion of one person should not matter so entirely that you cannot live with yourself without bringing her down. What's that old saying?.... "That's show biz". You're not the first or last person in the media with a fan club drinking hater-ade.


* This report, excluding one sited quote, is written completely in my own words. It is a report that was written after reading numerous articles and blogs about the Liskula Cohen case. It is written in a personal fashion that flows like my thoughts tend to. The information about the case is introduced and my drawn conclusions and opinions follow. The websites I used in reference were:


http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/08/23/2009-08-23_outted_blogger_rosemary_port_blames_model_liskula_cohen_for_skank_stink.html

http://commonlaw.findlaw.com/2009/01/liskula-cohen-not-a-skank-google-sued-over-anonymous-blog.html

http://www.huliq.com/1/75587/liskula-cohens-lawsuit-vs-google-over-skanks-nyc-blog

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/170437/liskula_cohen_a_model_hero_in_google_lawsuit_win.html