1. CNN Tips: http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/13/pf/saving/toptips/index.htm
2. USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/employment/2003-06-12-backtoschool_x.htm
3. Education Blog: http://www.educatednation.com/2008/05/12/increase-in-adult-education/
4. Frankfurt Kentucky Newspaper: http://www.state-journal.com/news/article/4467193
5. Statistics: http://www.worldwidelearn.com/education-articles/going-back-to-school.html
6. Statistics 2: http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/27350151/Todays-Quest-for-Continuous-Learning

Firstly, I am of the opinion that online journalistic standards (OJS) are held in a lower form of regard in comparison to the print/copy – older – journalistic standards – both of which incorporate the highest regard for ethics, and neither of which should evidence a difference from the other.

Secondly, I believe that OJS are easier to ‘dismiss’ because of the vast amount of people that consider themselves publishers. Users tweeting, using facebook, writing blogs, and publishing to the web are arguable more prone to fall victim to such instances as poor ethical values in regards to OJS versus professionals practicing the older more systematic approach via journalistic standards.

However my argument  revolves largely around the ease-ability, in the sense that it’s ‘easier’ to public material via the computer – opening up possibilities for libel and defamation of character, false light, distortion and a number of other torts – because it’s ‘easier’ (in theory) to just copy and paste, along with numerous other functions to claim work as your own or fabricate, or fictionalize.

Take Our Poll

The theory behind neighbors go is an amazing concept designed to deliver news on a more local level to persons interested in their personalized community news via a one-source publication for the North-Texas metroplex.

However the idea suffers from lack of a poorly designed website in-which navigation becomes confusing and at times difficult, while at the same time appears as a giant-source ad.

The most effective and arguably most beneficial feature that I believe will keep users returning to Neighbors Go is the easy-to-use community search seen here:

The uniqueness of this customizable search engine isn’t entirely unique but can be argued on the scale of usefulness. CitySearch Dallas utilizes similar features to find local community events as does Pegasus News.

In conclusion the concept of Neighbors Go is an attempt to organize local media content into one source to make finding this information easier for Neighbors Go users, gathering the information at one destination. However because the website is poorly designed with bad ad placement and confusing navigation, this can at times become difficult for users to utilize and maximize to its fullest potential.

The all-seing-eye

As a junior Photojournalism Major at the University of North Texas, I have been closely monitoring the recent developments and uncanny advancements in technology, specifically user-generated, ‘we-media’ classifications, but also general corporate and multinational systems.

As I believe technology to always be an interesting topic and one of diverse consequence, I can not help but to anticipate the newest, fastest, next-best-device that helps in someway to improve or make simpler the quality of life for me and others.

On the other hand, however, I express an escalating sense of fear pertaining to the augmentation of such engrossing technologies. The future is uncertain, but what remains to be observed is the conclusion that as these new technologies advance, it becomes blatantly difficult to undermine the concept that a larger amount of our Constitutional rights are being diminished.

The fundamental concept I wish to convey in this blog is that while technology is captivating and stimulating and compulsive, it needs to have boundaries. As the future progresses and these new technologies are unveiled, we need to approach the boundaries of their limitations with exceptional caution and always remain cognizant of our freedoms and privacy.

As I stated, technology in my opinion is a double edged sword. While it may improve the quality of life, it can also at times impair it.

Take for example the invention of the Cotton Gin. Invented in 1794 by Eli Whitney it was designed to quickly and easily separate cotton fibers from the seeds, a job previously done by hand. In performing its duty solely as a piece of technology, it also presented a more disturbing creation.

As a result of the technology invented to help and assist in the production of cotton in the American South, the wholesale price of cotton plummeted as output increased dramatically. Additionally, the cotton gin furthered the expansion of slavery throughout the south as laborers were needed to plant and harvest the cotton.

Because 1794 and the concept of buying and selling humans in the form of slavery might be difficult for some reading this to relate to, I can presume that to enhance my conviction a more modern example might be necessary.

In 2010, take for example the idea of RFID chips, also known as radio-frequency identification. RFID is a rapidly developing technology that in its simplest form allows a chip to be embedded within any object allowing it to be tracked and for it to carry a set of pre determined information. The advantages of RFID over the barcode are striking, the tag does not have to be physically scanned or read in any way, so merely being within proximity of a detection unit allows the data to be read, no more creased barcodes, no more swipe cards.

So what about this RFID chip? Well… the advantage is that you can track literally any object in the world when it passes over a scanner. So take for instance a coke can tagged with an RFID chip that’s found at the scene of a crime. Lets say, for sake of example, that the fingerprints can’t be identified on the coke can. All the detective needs to do is pull out his scanner and instantly the time, date, location and name, address, vehicle, phone number, social security number, height, weight, age, place of work and any and all other information you could ever ask for is present and fully accessible.

Now you’re asking – how did all of that information become available from a coke can tagged with an RFID? Here’s how:

The RFID placed on the can will more than likely retain several features including time, date and location. Assuming now that the buyer, the criminal, paid with credit or debit, that transaction can also be tracked through not only his bank’s database records but also through the store’s. And of course as soon as your name is acquired, the rest is just cake. You’re of course going to be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles, have or had some form of employment, a physical address of residence – and then phone numbers age, height, weight, etc. just fall into place.

Now, we’ve just helped solve a crime via RFID – but back to the double-edge sword of technology. Now lets assume I really want to see how far this technology can go. Why not put it on your shirt when it’s manufactured? or.. your car? Or your cell phone, or watch, or even on you. Imagine someone you don’t know knowing exactly where you are at any time anywhere on the planet.

It shouldn’t be that great of a surprise. If you haven’t looked at Google Maps recently, you can probably view a ‘Street-View’ image of the front of your house taken from a camera mounted to the top of a vehicle.

It’s fascinating, right? Punch someone’s name into whitepages.com and see what return address you get – take that and then punch it into google maps and instantly you can view the front of their house. An invasion of privacy? Not really.. legally you can take a photograph of almost anything as long as it’s from public property such as the street… but what if this technology too advances further than it already has? Of course it’s going to.

What if in three years I told you there will be satellite systems that can render 3-dimensional models of not only the exterior of your house, but also the interior. What if I told you that every e-mail you’ve ever written or replied to through google or otherwise was made fully public and searchable through the internet.

Further, what if I told you this was being done now, today.

I’d like to conclude with a famous quote that comes to mind right now concerning the advancement of technology which I believe encapsulates my ever growing apprehension to welcome its arrival: Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.

The results discovered are as follows:

• A record-breaking 46% of Americans have used the internet, email or cell phone text messaging to get news about the campaign, share their views and mobilize others

• 35% of Americans say they have watched online political videos–a figure that nearly triples the reading the Pew Internet Project got in the 2004 race

• 10% say they have used social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace to gather information or become involved. This is particularly popular with younger voters: Two-thirds of internet users under the age of 30 have a social networking profile, and half of these use social networking sites to get or share information about politics or the campaigns

• 6% of Americans have made political contributions online

• 39% of online Americans have used the internet to access “unfiltered” campaign materials, which includes video of candidate debates, speeches and announcements, as well as position papers and speech transcripts.

The conclusion of this report:

• On one hand, 28% of wired Americans say that the internet makes them feel more personally connected to the campaign, and 22% say that they would not be as involved in the campaign if not for the internet. At the same time, however, even larger numbers feel that the internet magnifies the most extreme viewpoints and is a source of misinformation for many voters.

Performing an analysis of 3 of the Top 25 newspapers in paid circulation for the sixth month period ending in September 2009 (the list of which can be located in its entirety at the Chicago Tribune website) these three papers were found to be among the most sold, with most successful listed first:

1. The Wall Street Journal
2. USA Today
3. The New York Times

To begin, The Wall Street Journal encourporates an array of graphics, charts and other interactive tools to allow readers to better engage the material. Such examples retrieved from their political section are illustrated below:

Additionally, tools such as following definitely improve the usability of the website and make articles both easier to read and share.

Concerning USA Today, however, I didn’t find that their political news section was as easily recognizable as The New York Times website. An example of their layout is shown below:

Nothing really specifies the ‘news section/coverage’ area of the website, leading the reader to assume that it’s going to be placed under the section dealing specifically with the federal government: Washington.

Also, if you choose an article, there are hardly any graphics, photos, charts or other interactive tools to help keep the readers interest. The only interactive tool that I can recognize are hyperlink URL’s to related stories.

Lastly, The New York Times website offered convenient navigation to their politics section, although I would prefer not to scroll more than once to find the section of their site that specified ‘politics’, although their website does resemble their newspaper, which I believe their readers appreciate.

An illustration of what I’m referencing can be found below:

Beyond this point through, the NY Times incorporates hardly any charts, graphics or interactive materials for their political section. In-fact, the majority of their political news articles appear graphically uninteresting and visually boring; just black and white text.

Was Paranormal Activity a true representation of factual events recorded on a personal camcorder?

The answer is no, and the proof is all here:

Firstly, just go to whitepages.com and type in: Oren Peli. Owner of Solana Films, Peli – a software programmer – directed Paranormal Activity and first appears on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) in 1998 while producing NFL Xtreme for the Sony Playstation video game console which was produced by 989 Studios and published by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEA).  Peli is currently filming Area 51 (rumored to cast Susan Lanier-Bramlett) to be released sometime in 2010.

Secondly, acknowledge the location in-which the movie was filmed. Does it resemble the photograph below? It should.. It’s Peli’s house. The same house Paranormal Activity was filmed in, inside of which actors Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat encountered their supposed ‘demon’. The address is 13236 Bavarian Drive, San Diego, California, 92129. Reference Google Maps for other satellite images, including the overhead which clearly shows the pool in the backyard used in the filming of the movie:

Thirdly: Lets acknowledge that  Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat are both really actors.

Actress Katie Featherson actually appeared in a 2006 film, Mutation, written and directed by Brad Sykes. In the film, Featherson plays the role of ‘Melissa’. Find her public Facebook fan page, here.

Actor Micah Sloat, however, has no previous acting experience recorded by IMDB, although you can find his public Facebook fan page, here.

Fourthly: Who else helped produce this movie?

Associate Producers Toni Taylor (Peli’s then girl-friend) and Amir Zbeda, personal friend of Peli’s and ’98 NFL Xtreme programmer. It’s all coming together now.

So in conclusion I hope that I’ve successfully debunked any doubts concerning this movie’s factuality, but it does make for a great scary movie. If you haven’t seen it already, I hope you enjoy it. For those of you who have seen it, hopefully this blog will help you sleep easier at night.

Paranormal Activity Website

]]> http://smaskerfall09.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/paranormal-activity-the-truth/feed/ 3 canon88 paranormal Screen shot 2009-10-22 at 2.30.12 AM http://smaskerfall09.wordpress.com/2009/10/16/university-of-north-texas-equal-rights-protestors-take-action/ http://smaskerfall09.wordpress.com/2009/10/16/university-of-north-texas-equal-rights-protestors-take-action/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:23:03 +0000 Stephen Masker http://smaskerfall09.wordpress.com/?p=211 ]]> The following description is borrowed from former NT Daily Photographer Charlie McRae, contributing during the demonstration. All photographs in this blog were taken by myself.

GLAD, Queer Liberaction and other organizations gathered in a non-designated free-speech area on Wednesday, October 14th outside Wooten Hall on the University of North Texas campus in Denton, Texas, protesting the recent vote by the Student Government Association to disallow same-sex couples from running for homecoming court.

They then marched into the building, up the stairs, and into the actual room where the SGA meeting was about to begin, and began chanting and protesting and making their cause known. The SGA members decided to created an “executive session” meaning that only SGA members could be in attendance, at an otherwise normally open meeting. Police officers were brought in to escort people out. After some threatening, everyone left of their own free will.

Outside Wooten Hall, gay rights activits protest the Studen Government Association meeting in room 314 on Wednesday October 14th.Criminal Justice senior Charles Grand of the International Socialist Organization addresses the protestors outside Wooten Hall on Wednesday October 14th.

Criminal Justice senior Charles Grand of the International Socialist Organization addresses the protestors outside Wooten Hall on Wednesday October 14th.

Queer Liberaction member Rick Vanderslice addresses the protestors gathered outside Wooten Hall on Wednesday, October 14th.

A UNT student and member of the International Socialist Organization storms into the SGA meeting on Wednesday October 14th in Wooten Hall.

Just before reaching the SGA meeting, protestors received an applause from onlookers as they marched forward chanting and waving signs.

(From left) SGA freshman intern Sean Smallwood, a psychology major, watches as members from several campus groups enter Wednesday's SGA meeting to protest the student senate's decision to disallow same-sex couples from running for the homecoming court. Smallwood sits beside fellow SGA freshman interns Michael Chapman, a political science major, and Jonathan Cortina, a radio, television and film major.

Also, be sure to follow the progress of this story here, and view Charlie McRae’s video of the protestors storming Wooten Hall below:

by stephen masker

My Self-Critique:

Most of the environment I was photographing in experienced consistent overcast, and had the assignment not been mandatory in black and white I would have presented the images in this way as color did little to add any visual stimulation to the story. Because most of Kendrick’s work was seldom interactive, given the weather circumstances and absence of golfers, my focus was to get close and push to capture what small interaction I could.

]]> http://smaskerfall09.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/service-with-a-smile-cart-girl-a-motorized-pilgrimage-across-a-texas-golf-range/feed/ 1 canon88 IMG_4790 IMG_4794 IMG_4800 IMG_4816 IMG_4871 IMG_4882 IMG_4902 IMG_0999 http://smaskerfall09.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/dear-president-obama-wheres-the-change/ http://smaskerfall09.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/dear-president-obama-wheres-the-change/#comments Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:15:17 +0000 Stephen Masker http://smaskerfall09.wordpress.com/?p=170 ]]>

Promises of change, hope and a new tomorrow seemed all too magical. After years at war and arguably one of the worst presidencies this country has witnessed in decades, President Obama filled his plate with too much, too fast.

SNL’s recent ‘Obama Do Nothing’ press-spoof has amassed thousands of responses with CNN and FOX News doing their own fact-checking:

For a President who can do whatever he desires, with majorities in both houses of Congress, SNL actor Fred Armisen said it best in his portrayal of Obama: ”"Elected with a mandate to bring this country change we could believe in…Almost one year and nothing to show for it.”

A list of true Obama promises presented on the SNL skit:

1_ Close Guantanamo Bay [Not Accomplished]

2_ Exit Iraq [Not Accomplished]

3_ Improve ongoing war in Afghanistan [Not Accomplished]

4_ Improvement or modification to health care reform [Not Accomplished]

5_ Improvements to Global Warming [Not Accomplished]

6_ Immigration Reform [Not Accomplished]

7_ Eradication of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Policy [Not Accomplished]

8_ Limitation of Executive Powers [Not Accomplished]

9_ Prosecutions of Torture [Not Accomplished]

Bill Adair, Editor of a non-partisan fact-checking website, politifact.com, rates the statements of elected officials. He says SNL got some things wrong, mentioning specifically numbers 2, 3 and 4 on the list. The rest, he admits, is accurate. See Adair’s interview with CNN, here.

PolitiFact has compiled more than 500 promises that Barack Obama made during the campaign and is tracking their progress on our Obameter. We rate their status as No Action, In the Works or Stalled. Once we find action is completed, we rate them Promise Kept, Compromise or Promise Broken.

What some call predictable, it’s the shared belief amongst a seemingly growing number of people on both the left and right that Obama’s presidency is heading for disaster.

Rasmussen Reports, an American public opinion polling firm, supports this assumption by tracking Obama’s approval ratings which have been steadily declining since his election.

While the educated understand that not just one man is responsible for the success or failure of this country, those operating around the President (e.g. his cabinet and other influential individuals) – contribute to the growing pessimistic opinions concerning Obama’s presidency and his personal promises to deliver change to America.

Those promises, however, have gone undelivered. And I voted for him.

Better than Cheney, I guess.

Gay-rights supporters demonstrate outside the Beverly Hills hotel in California, where President Obama attended a Democratic Party fundraiser in May.

President Barack Obama, speaks at the Human Rights Campaign national dinner, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Apart from my true feelings and opinions expressed on the President, above is a humorous video with a voiced-over Big Bird appearing on a Sesame Street set with Michelle Obama.

Days after loosing the candidacy for the 2016 Olympics, youth murder is not the kind of attention Chicago is looking for. But it’s what the city is getting.

The fifth student murder in just six weeks, 16-year-old honor student and victim Derrion Albert was beaten to death by four other students now facing first degree murder charges:

“Silvanus Shannon, 19, Eugene Riley, 18, and Eric Carson, 16, all of Chicago, were charged as adults ordered held without bond. Eugene Bailey, 18, was also charged with first-degree murder and will appear in court Tuesday,” reports the Huffington Post.

What’s more, the murder was recorded with a bystander’s cell phone camera; the video found here.

President Obama encourages parents to take more responsibility for their children’s actions and expresses concern for the youth violence in his home city as well as across the country.