003_TOPSITES

A great majority of people today love and use technology more than anything. But a good number of these people also do not know or care to know how it works or the “boring” stuff behind it. So for this post, I decided to spice it up, rather than focus on technology in the news or anything too lackluster. Therefore, I present you with a descriptive list of a few fun and interesting websites to visit:


News:
NYTimes.com
Are you ever looking for a good place to find an article for one of your classes? Maybe you’re even searching for an article to give you an idea for an interesting blog post? This is when Google won’t always cut it. You can find virtually anything you need on Google, but if you don’t know exactly what it is you’re looking for, the search bar might not be too helpful.
GoGoNews.com
Do you have children old enough to read and curious about everything? This website is for kids to read about news stories without all of the harsh details or violent images.
TheOnion.com
Their slogan "America's Finest News Source" is only fitting if you're looking for a more humorous spin on today's news. With everything going on in our world these days, this might be better than the actual news.



Social Networking:
Tumblr.com
This is a good mix between social networking, blogging, and sharing pictures all in one place. If you're looking for somewhere to express yourself other than the usual Facebook and Twitter, Tumblr is a great choice.
LinkedIn.com
Since this is a blog for a college course, I would imagine that most of you know about this site, but I thought it had to be included for those who might not know. It's great for getting your name and resume out there for internships as well as possible careers.
CafeMom.com
If there are any mothers or mothers-to-be in this class, this is a way for moms all over the world to talk to each other about motherly things or just joke around women-to-women. As for the guys, you have ESPN and things to fix so I'm not leaving you out!



Boredom & Art:
Pinterest.com
StumbleUpon.com
Beware of these two; they can be addicting once you find some things you like. These are great for waiting room entertainment or for those times when you don’t want to pay attention in class (even though none of us students would ever use our phone during class!).
LifeHacker.com
If you're ever in need of some good tips for just about anything life has to offer, this is good place to look. There are tons of tips and tricks on how to get things done.


Photos & Videos:
Instagram.com
Most of you may already know about this one as it is growing very popular now. There is even an app for it, imagine that. It is a great way to edit and share pictures easily.
Shutterfly.com
This is similar to Instagram in that you can edit and share photos but it is more than just that. There are more options with Shutterfly and its main purpose is actually to create photo books and personalized cards, calendars, etc.
Tout.com
I'm sure if you are on Twitter, you have an idea of what Tout is or you have used it. It is a great way to post video statuses or updates rather than the usual typed status. You can also watch videos of your favorite celebs on a more personal level here too.
Ted.com
Looking for a site like YouTube but more focused on educational or inspirational videos? That's Ted.


TV & Movies:
Hulu.com
When you miss your favorite show because of night class or work, you can catch up free of charge with hulu. They have almost every show you can think of.
Flixster.com
Not sure which movie to see this weekend? Don't just look up the first 3 movie critics' reviews that pop up on your Fandango app. Go to flixster to see what thousands of people just like you are saying about it.
IMDB.com
This is a great app to have on your smartphone when you cannot remember the name of that actor in that one movie you watched that one time...


Software and Files:
MakeUseOf.com
They have a ton of useful software that you can download.
Mozy.com
DropBox.com
If you are looking for somewhere to back up your files, these two sites provide a lot of free space and are pretty secure.


Shopping:
Etsy.com
Woot.com
These may not be "brick and mortar" stores, but they have great prices on tons of different products online. Etsy also has a lot of unique, artsy products, while Woot has a great deal-of-the-day special.
Paypal.com
Even if you already knew about this, I absolutely had to include it. I ordered a Christmas gift from a site that I probably should've have researched more before purchasing an item. Needless to say, I got "ripped off" and never received my item. Since I ordered with a debit card rather than a credit card, I thought I wouldn't get my money back. Thankfully, though I used my paypal account to pay with that debit card. Therefore, paypal helped me get my money back from the seller and they were very helpful. I recommend using paypal when shopping online, especially if it is a smaller, online-based company or if you are using a debit card.


Coupons & Sales:
theKrazyCouponLady.com
Yes, this is one of the ladies from TLC's Extreme Couponing. But if you love saving money, this is a great site to visit before a (big or small) shopping trip!
FatWallet.com
Want to see if your favorite store has any coupons? This site has tons and tons of coupons for a great deal of stores.
Groupon.com
This is different from a regular coupon site because it focused on your area. It provides you with all kinds of local deals and coupons for popular places in your town or city.




Many of these sites also have their own apps, for those of you with smartphones! Hopefully this list will help you discover some new things, save you some money, and spark some creativity. If anything, it might give you some ideas for when you get bored!

002_CENSORED

Although the title of this one may seem a little racy, don't get too excited!

The main topic of discussion will consist of two things called SOPA and PIPA. These have both been a big deal recently, especially throughout the month of January. So I figured I would inform you all about what exactly they are, what they mean and why you should even care about them. In some cases, if it wasn't for the censored Google symbol or Wikipedia blackout (along with many other sites) some people still would not know what "anti-sopa!!" is all about.

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The Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act are United States bills that are trying to be passed in order to stop copyright infringement, illegal file sharing, and things of the like. For example, if there is a site allowing visitors to download copyrighted material it would be shut down immediately. Keep in mind though, while this example may be easy to agree with, there are others that are not so "rights-friendly". The main person behind this bill is a Texas politician and U.S. representative, Lamar Smith. He wishes to stop copyright infringement as well as the selling, purchasing, or sharing of counterfeit goods over the internet. As most likely assumed he is backed by people such as the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America.


To some people it may seem as though it just disables people from downloading illegal content and stops copyright infringement. So they think what's the big deal?? But that's not all that goes into it. If you use or create any kind of content on websites that you frequently visit, they could be shut down by the government if they even think that the website is involved with or supporting copyrighted material illegally. This means that if the government thinks in the slightest bit that the website is a threat they can shut it down. Another factor that goes into it is privacy. If they can look into all of these things and find out everything you are doing on a website, where is the privacy? That is why many people are angered by the invasion of privacy as well as the absence of their freedom to expression.


Among the many citizens that are frustrated with these acts, is also a great deal of websites. These websites include the incredibly popular Google, Wikipedia, Yahoo, YouTube, Twitter, Craigslist, and many other sites. This is why on January 18, 2012 there was a massive internet strike against this bill being passed. Wikipedia was the most noted in this strike for their complete blackout for 24 hours. Google also participated by "censoring" out their famous logo and providing a link to for people to write to congress and sign an anti-SOPA petition.

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After the strike Congress decided to delay any further action taken on these bills. So until then, every website will be armed and ready for another strike if needed. The internet is one powerful thing! 


Do you think that this bill will ever be passed?
Would this be a good or bad thing in your opinion?

001_INTRO

Hello all, I want to use this first entry as an introduction about myself as well as my intended topic for next few months.

My name is Brooke Wintersteen and my hometown is actually called Danville, which is located more towards the eastern part of PA. At about 9 years old I moved to Plum, PA with my family. As you can most likely assume, I am a die hard Steelers fan, just like everyone else should be :) But unlike most people in this area, I am also a die hard WVU mountaineers fan! In high school, I was a midfielder on the soccer team and I also ran the 100 and 400 meters on the track team my freshman and sophomore years. Currently, I am majoring in Information Sciences and Technology at PSU New Kensington, which leads me to my main topic of discussion...

For this blog I plan on talking about a variety of many different subtopics within my main topic of technology in today's world. This can include a great deal of topics which I hope will be appealing to those reading my blog. Technology is always changing, so there will be a lot of new ideas and concepts brought up, as well as issues and problems that can occur because of it.

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