The RSS Feed, Feedly

Feedly is a place where you can dump all of you favorite online news sources into one place. The closing of Google Reader put Feedly where it is today. They report 500,000 new users in two days after the closure. Threre are extensions available in Chrome and Mozilla. 

I have been using Feedly in the past few weeks for my weekly article summaries, and it really does help. Instead of look through a bunch of websites for something to write about, I can put them all in one spot until I find something I feel like reading. 

There is also an iOS app and Android app. I haven't used either of them, but below is an example of what both look like. The left is iOS and the right is Android. They both look nearly the same and probably have similar interface, if I were guessing.

 

Feedly is the most popular RSS feed available. It would be my number one choice.

The Darknet, Tor, and The Silk Road

Needless to say, after this, I will never be the same. This is supposed to be a mini blog, but I dont know how well that will work out for me. As I am reading and looking, I just can't really look away. No matter how much I want to.

The Dark Net is pretty much the nighttime internet. A network of sites that can't be seen on the internet we use. They are normal servers, but you need software that makes you anonymous. With said software, you have access to drugs, guns, and pedophile rings. Who uses the Darknet? Well, the same people you would expect creeping around a dark and foggy night. We can all have something to gain from the Darknet though. Whether we want to admit it, everyone has a few skeletons in their closet.

I am not going to lie, after read more and more. I wanted to visit the dark side. So I downloaded Tor. Tor was created for the U.S. Navy. Its use would have be to protect the government. Now, Tor is used by everyday people, criminals, cops, businesses, and many others. The country nor IP address shows your location.

The Silk Road was taken down and back up in a little over one month. Now the Silk Road 2.0. I just want to take the time to say that I am amazed. The drugs that are sold on this website blows my mind. I do some online shopping from time to time. However, never did I dream people shopped for drugs online. LSD, molly, meth, ATM hacks, a hitman, you name it you can buy it. It all isn't completely illegal though. They sell things like hard drives and other random things.

Free Music for All, All for Free Music!

Of course life isn't as simple as it once was when anyone could grab Limewire and download whatever tracks they want. Ah, those were the days. While it is still possible, it is a little more difficult. That isn't the point those. Online radios, I love them. The only effort I have to make is deciding what I want to listen to. The options are unlimited, and it is beautiful.

Everyone knows about it. Some people like it, others don't. It has some good features. The one thing I really like about it is I type in a band I like, and the station plays a song and I am like F@#!, I forgot about this song! I do use Pandora because it is what is on my Blu Ray. Like the song to the right, I am listening to Matchbox 20 radio. I haven't heard that song in forever, and I am thoroughly enjoying it as I type. Another great thing is that a lot of the songs have lyrics with them, about the band, and similar artists. Pandora has a really simple user interface. My 3 year old cousin could use it if he were able to read and write or type. Good and bad go together like Thanksgiving and pumpkin pie though. The ads are obnoxiously annoying, and constant. Your music also quits playing if you aren't active on the website. The only way to get around it is upgrading to Pandora One for $36 a year. Who wants to pay for their music though?

The first profoundly annoying thing that I found about spotify was that you HAD to log in before listening to any music. The second annoying thing is that it wouldn't let me log in with Facebook. I am currently not a big fan. 

At this point I am in. As The Beatles said, "It is getting better all the time." The first thing I noticed, well I guess you couldn't help but notice, is it gives me suggestions of what is popular in my area, and on spotify. This could be good, I like hearing new things. Maybe this isn't going to be so bad after all. I choose to listen to OneRepublic. A sidebar popped up from the right with the music player. I like that that there is a desktop version available. There is a desktop version as well, and it is free. That is something that could be convenient. Pandora only offers a desktop version with its paid service.  It almost puts me in the mind of iTunes. I didn't download it just because my computer doesn't need any more stuff on it. Spotify has some potential. 

I love Slacker! I think I may have had it on my BlackBerry before I regrettably ditch it a few years ago. Regardless, for this blog post, I am going the first play list I see, I will probably regret that. Top 40 it is though. When I go to Slacker I feel like there is something for anything that I am doing. Whether it is driving, cleaning, doing homework, ect. It almost reminds me of XM radio. Because of the different categories show like ESPN, CBS, genres, and specials. XM radio was my thing until I got a job and became to cheap for it.

Possibly one of my favorite features of Slacker is "My Vibe" Tab. Right now I am playing catch up, so I definitely do not want anything to wind me down. So I am going to choice hump day, just because I am trying so hard to make it to my day off Sunday. Hump Day provided me with a list of options including Nasty Hip Hop, Down and Dirty Rock, Siren Songs, Freak Me, and One-Night Stands. Interesting, to say the least. Dirty Hip Hop it is. I did check out the Siren Songs first, but I had no clue what any of it was. I do have to say, it isn't all that bad. I don't particularly Luv Dem Strippers like the song below, but I am feeling Slacker Radio.

Grooveshark, I am not that big of a fan. You get unlimited skips which is kinda cool. You also get to add songs to a queue. However, when I want to listen to some in particular I go to youtube and play it. So I want to move on to the broadcasts. 

If I were going to use Grooveshark, the only way would be to use the broadcasts. You essentially pick what you wanna listen to base on the genres and choose a broadcast. Its pretty easy to use. I dont really like the way it looks. It reminds me of something that would be on Facebook. There isn't anything really fancy about it. Its just looks like it is lacking.

The Pro's and Con's of Facebook, Myspace, and Google+

Facebook, Myspace, and Google+, what is the difference? Essentially, I think all social media sites suck just because no one can use them without acting like fools. They want to argue back and forth and post everything from their shit, shower, and shave. However, if it were a perfect world, all of these sites have some good and bad features. I plan to pick those apart.

Everyone knows Facebook, and the love/hate relationship associated with it. It does have it's ups and downs. Eh, against my better judgement, we will look at a few of them.

Pro's:

Facebook allows people to communicate freely in which one may not feel comfortable speaking in a face-to-face conversation. It makes it easier to express how you feel even if you are hiding behind a computer screen. I guess in a sense it gives you a confidence you wouldn't have otherwise. It also allows you to connect with people you wouldn't be able to communicate with on a daily bases otherwise. I have family that lives in Florida and in Arizona. It is nice to see what they are up to, and pictures of them and their children. Facebook also isn't very hard. Anyone can use it.

Con's:

When one gets on Facebook do they simply just check their messages and then leave? I know anytime that I do that is typically not all I do. I end up looking through my news feed for the things that idiots have posted. Next thing I know I have wasted an hour of my life that I will never get back. That I should be using writing my blogs that I am so far behind on. Another thing that isn't very appealing is all the information Facebook asks for. If you have read my last blog about social media then you will get a gist of what I mean. One more thing that bothers me is that, if the only way you can express yourself is behind a computer screen, you are going to have some issues later on in life. One has to be able to speak openly at some point in their lifetime. That public speaking class might be the only time you have to be able to speak, but you still have to do it. For the love god and all things holy please do not get me started on the game requests.

Mywhat? Oh ok! I remember now, the has been who has made a said comeback. Sorry, I almost forgot what that was for a minute. It certainly isn't what it once was. The music social network. Why?

Pro's

Fantastic the local band can get it's name out. There are 53 million songs and videos, making it the biggest digital music library. Other than listening to some good music, I don't have much of a use for it though. So that is about the only pro's I can come up with. Sorry!

Con's

I miss the old Myspace. The one where I was introduced to HTML. I miss having that freedom. How do you even edit this? Anyone remember the bulletin board? The most annoying part is the scrolling. Sure lets take everything good and the world, and the way the internet has always been and change it. That won't confuse anyone. How often do you search for someone or something on social media sites? What were is the search bar? Oh ok, you just start typing, because that's how everything else works. I did manage to find my old profile. Not how I left it. It is disappointing, at best. Maybe I just hate change. It's me not you. 

I remember when Google+ first came out, I loved it! However, no one jumped on the bandwagon,  and what good is social networking with no one to socialize with? Since I have been on it again, it just looks confusing. I am not an active user and probably missed some good and bad. Bare with me though.

Pro's:

Google Hangouts is probably my favorite part of Google+. It would be so convenient if some of my classes were through Hangouts. Another thing that I liked about Google+ is that it looks like a google search and other Google products. It makes it somewhat easier to us. I have also found that the one of the most annoying things about Facebook is the game requests. That isn't on Google+ feed and notifications. I also like the circles. It makes it easier to pick and choose what I would want to share with who. Something that Facebook provides, but doesn't do it very well. 

Con's

Ahhh, the confusion! it is near to impossible to get from place to place. What happened to the simplicity? I may not just get the ways and the trade of it. My whole thing is why would the link to your profile be in a drop down labeled home? Another thing is, the new feed sucks! I am just going to say that Twitter does it best. The newest content first the the oldest. I can not for the life of me understand why one needs two columns of feed. I don't know what to start with. 

What's better than DIY?!

I am always using Pinterest to save a bunch of crap that I will never do. I have good intentions, promise! It's about time I started doing this stuff. There are a bunch of sites that are basically nothing but DIY projects. Some examples are MakeUseOf, Makezine, Lifehacker, and Instructables. There are many more, but those four were the ones that I found to have more of the stuff I would be interested in. MakeUseOf is really shows you how to get the most out of certain products. I am going to kind of skip over it. However, I will be using it to help out with a few blogs that are coming! I have found quite a few things I would be interested in checking out, maybe eventually, I will find the motivation to do them.

Cornhole

Possibly my favorite thing to do during the summer is camping. However, I think it is more so the activities that take place during camping. I always take my cousins two kids with me when I go. They love being outside, fishing, playing, and basically running free. I would like to make them some cornhole boards. I think they would enjoy themselves playing. I meant to make them during the summer, but work got in the way. So right now it is put on the back burner.

Stripped Screw Nightmares

The struggle is real when it comes to screws stripping. They always tend to make things a lot more difficult than what they need to be. Lifehacker makes some suggestions to attempt to make it a little easier in this article. While it will never be a walk in the park there are a few tricks that might lighten the situation. One of them is using a wide rubber band. You simply just put the rubber band over the screw head, and grab a larger screw driver. It will help gain some traction.

Laser Scissors!

These sound like a complete blessing during the holidays for wrapping gifts. Especially if you have a mother like mine who is obsessive about the packages that go underneath her tree. While they make laser guided scissors already, they typically have either some crappy blades or are just weird. So why not make your own with scissors of your choice? Below is the video provided by Lifehacker!

The Holidays Are Here

Geek's Charlie Brown Tree

Why not find some purposes for some old junk that will never have any other purpose. I found this and found it pretty amusing. I typically put the regular christmas tree up in the living room, but I also like to have some other crafty things throughout the house. Why not be festive with some old memory? All you need is a piece of pipe, some wood, and some floral foam. Plus a few tools and other old computer equipment like HD platters and processor socket to decorate with. 

Christmas Village

Since I have been a kid, my mom has been collecting a "village" of figures. There are houses, churches, skating rings, a hot air balloon, and many more. She always puts them on the bookcases that separates the tv room and the living room. Either the bookcases are getting smaller, or her collection has gotten too large. I personally believe it is the latter. Instructables has a tutorial for creating a village. You essentially just have to build a platform, cover it with cotton or white felt, and place your decorations.

Social Media and How It Effects Us

I don't remember a time when I didn't use some sort of social media. I remember when I got my first computer and was using the internet Xanga was the big thing to use. Everyone blogged about the details of their day, and posted different icons that they liked. You also had to have the right layout. Then things moved on and as Xanga faded MySpace came into play. I vaguely remember using both of these, even though it doesn't seem like it was all that long ago. The thing I remember the most about MySpace was surveys. All of them were pretty much the same with different wording. I did quite a few of them and posted them to the bulletin. Now Facebook has nearly phased out all of these. It is not a very common thing for someone my age to not use Facebook. It has grown as far as mom, dad, grandpa, and grandma are all involved. Through all of these sites we have posted potentially too much information about our day to day lives and personal information that most people shouldn't know about us. On my Facebook page, there is really more information than what most people need to know like where I work, where I go to school, where I live, and my birthday. I might as well put my social security number on there and call it a day. Why do we share so much information with people who are complete strangers? What makes it so appealing? How much is too much? Do sites like Facebook keep our information safe or who is it shared with? How many of your "friends" do you actually know?

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Social media sites are very useful whether it is for keeping up with what is going on in the world or reconnecting with old friends and staying connected. However, with every good thing there is bad. To the right there is several sets of data showing what type of information these sites are asking for. This data shows that a lot of this information shared can lead to identity theft, physical harm, imperfect reputation, and many other things. The only thing short of a criminal being able to steal your identity is providing them with a social security number. They have your name, your birthday, where you live, what your phone number is, where you work, and so on and so forth. You can also put yourself in some serious physical harm. Nearly everyone takes a vacation at some point during the year. It seems like everyone is remotely fond of sharing their experience with family and friends. However, if you post on Facebook and tell the world that you are going out of town, everyone knows where you are, and that you are not home. Your home could be robbed. Even worse, someone could find you are do some physical and emotional damage to you. Say you went to an awesome party tonight and drank a little too much and posted those pictures. A month later you have a interview for the job of your dreams and their is only one other candidate. The interview went great, and you are very hopeful. Now the interviewer researches you a little bit and sees all of these pictures. The other person has a clean slate, nothing stupid posted all over Facebook and Twitter. Who would you hire? Your reputation is shot, and said job is lost. Many times that not we do not think about these type of things. We are to trusting with who we are sharing our information with on the internet.

Our relationships also take a pretty big hit to social media. You have to make your relationships "Facebook official." How many relationships come to a demise due to social media? As you can see, to the right, you may not want to broadcast that you could possibly have herpes, just saying. But why do we put the people who we care about, or anyone in general on blast on Facebook? Social media can bring the world together and do many great things. With everything good, there comes bad. Facebook creates the monster known as jealousy on an extreme level. With questions that have assumed answers can create a lot of unwanted issues, known as the end of your relationship. Granted that his isn't Facebook's fault. It is just another example of why you shouldn't post every detail of your day and life. It isn't only romantic relationships either. They can affect your friends and work relationships as well. I saw a picture on Facebook where a girl had forgotten she added her boss. Needless to say she posted this big spill about how she hated her boss and thought he was perverted and arrogant. Also that he made her do stuff just to piss her off. He commented back telling her not to flatter herself, that he was gay. Also that those tasks were her job, and even the simplest she couldn't do right. Then proceeded with telling her to come get her remaining belongings from the office. While that may of not been the most professional way to handle things, she ruined a work relationship and lost her job.

Not all Facebook relationships can be ruined. There are also many positives like keeping up with your college roommate, a family member who lives far away, and for other things. We just have to take care of what we post. Also learn that assuming makes an ass out of you and me.

Social media can be the best of tools to utilize, but also the worst. I think I have made that somewhat redundant. Regardless, if we watch what we post. We shouldn't give out so much information that could harm our futures. A job is an essential part of life. You have to work to have the things that we want and be able to live. If you go out and do stupid stuff and post it on Facebook you are going to look like an unacceptable contribution to society, therefore no jobs. Also protect yourself by not posting important information about your personal life. Vacation pictures can wait until you get home to be uploaded. Don't cause yourself more problems then you already have!