Hip Hop Continues

If you haven't seen this commercial yet watch it now, Drake for Sprite:



Pretty cool commercial. Today we're seeing more and more advertising done by hip hop artists. Next, Jay-Z for HP:



Hip Hop evolved as a controversial genre. Before we knew it, Hip Hop has "takin' over the globe." It has become more than a type of music but somewhat of a lifestyle. Male artists focus on coming up from a rough childhood. But they give hope to others who may be struggling by showing the money, houses, and cars they have now. Not to mention, the ladies they "get."

"Hip hop honeys"



But its the diversity of Hip hop that really makes it fascinating. It resembles different things to different people. Some think of Biggie, some of 50, some of break dancing, and some of Mary J. Blige.







Hip Hop is enormous when you try to scale and that's why it probably will continue to survive for many years to come. Hip hop is not dead.

FACEBOOK Update 5.12.10

Ohhhh our beloved Facebook, always evolving...



So you know how the news feed gives us updates on all our friends, or "friends," status' latest movements on the website? Well, now new functions are being implemented for a more personal secretary-like feature, unread messages and "photo memories." Unread messages are being shown on the right column of the site to spark our memory that we have an unread message, since at the top, when you click the messages link you only see the top five messages of your inbox regardless of those five messages being read or unread. The "photo memory" is similar to the way "top news" works. Photos, recent or a year plus old, are being shown on the right column as well. Photos that have been recently tagged or commented by friends ("friends) whose page you often interact with.

"The messages dropdown on the homepage only shows the 5 most recent messages, making it easy to forget about a vital conversation if a flurry of announcements follows it. “Unread Messages” seeks to awaken these threads by displaying their subject line, sender’s name and profile picture, and a link to the message while users browse other parts of the site. It also makes the “Mark as Unread” button on the full screen of the inbox more useful, because users can mark messages unread."



“Photo Memories” functions like a snippet of the news feed that culls content from months ago instead of days. The feature displays a photograph, its caption (or the album title if there is no caption), when it was added, the name of a friend tagged in the photo, and how many additional friends are tagged in the photo."



The reasoning behind using photos both current and from any amount of time in the past is because this is "how people decorate their homes; with the best photos and paintings, not just the most recent, Facebook is acknowledging that certain content is timeless."

Very true. Facebook is going to be around a long time, I personally can not fathom is going anywhere unless something better is created. Facebook continues to use trial and error and regardless of people complaining when a change is made, they all adapt and continue to use the website 9/10 times.

Check out this article for more info !

Media's & Female Artists' Captured

Lady Gaga... Enough said? In some instances, yes. She is crazy. In a good way? Perhaps... She has definitely, time and time again, pushed the envelope of how far a pop star can go. She wears outfits you could never find in any store. Her music has also forwarded a new genre in some instances.



And, our culture liked this.



We like to be surprised and it seems ever present that this is becoming a trend for music artists. Christina Aguilera who started with "Genie in a bottle," has done a rather intensive 180' herself switching up how she wants to be perceived and portrayed. In her latest video she is edgier than ever.



Christina Aguilera took this step in her "Dirrty" video and was critiqued up and down for her risque outfits just a few years ago.



Further back, Britney Spears took a dive into the unknown when she wore a skin-colored, skin-tight body suit at the MTV VMA's.



Another unforgettable female pop artist moment, Jennifer Lopez's in her green dream dress...



The publicity on these women is over the top. Nothing is off limits today. Our society likes to be shocked and enjoys the obscene looks that perhaps the every day woman wishes she could wear. The media, the magazines, even groups on Facebook all expose these looks. Pictures capture each moment hoping to jolt it's audience even further then the last time... What's next?

A look at what we've seen thus far....

Technology In the Classroom.

So apparently kids are learning too much too fast when it comes to technology and computers. PBS has videos on current events and one of them is called "Digital World" It shows how some children in middle schools and children even younger are being given tools such as lap tops to use for the year.



For some older folk this is a problem or perhaps a concern... "Teaching styles are changing." Things aren't the way they used to be in school settings. Yea, maybe because to sit and listen to someone lecture about a topic you could careless about is pretty boring, sorry.



Power points, Ipad's, and even smart boards are becoming more and more common within classrooms; even at the higher education levels including colleges and universities. Kids, teens, and people are trying to keep up with technology and enjoy the always evolving toys and machines. Each one of them are made to make our lives better or more convenient. Most cell phones have the ability to have the internet on them anywhere at any time. If you have a question, any question in the world, all you have to do is type in the subject in a search engine and your question is solved within milliseconds. I would say this is pretty amazing, not something to complain about.



Furthermore, if children or any one for that matter, is listening to a teacher, professor, or doctor speak, and they find something interesting, instead of looking in the index of a textbook, they can open the lap top or cell phone and look deeper into the subject matter. The human mind can carry so much more information than any of us could ever want. Why not take advantage of our brain capacity? And why not start young? Google, yahoo, and bing are all amazing tools to help educate every one in the world (who has access to them).

Just because technology is an ever-evolving entity, people that aren't up to date or can't keep up shouldn't hold it back from those who can learn it quickly. Technology should be used to better our societies and enlighten people. Each generation is doing a good job with increasing the usage of it, I say keep moving forward.

Video Games Have Reached the NEXT Level...

So studies were done, conclusions were drawn, and we saw the relation between kids and teens playing video games and then acting out in their actual lives. Games like Grand Theft Auto and God of War both encompass extreme fighting with the goal of the game ranging from stealing cars, fighting people, to driving prostitutes around. The question still remains and probably always will, does this have an impact on the players to feel actions such as these are actually ok, in real life.

Well, apparently other cultures take it another step further... Taxiing prostitutes, using multitudes of guns, fighting and killing other people isn't enough.
Recently brought to the attention of the people in the US, highlighted by CNN, was a game called "RapeLay" (link is google's search results for "Rapelay," not actual game). It comes from Japan and it's a game where the player can grope a teenage girl standing on a train platform. Further, the player can assault her and her sister, rape them, and then urge her to have an abortion if she is impregnated. This is insane
.
Fighting monsters, even shooting other people is one extreme... this is entirely another. First off, a gun is not that easy to attain. If a kid has one in their house that belongs to one of their parents, hopefully, they have been taught and lectured the importance of safety around the gun as well as not even being allowed to look at it except for emergency circumstances. Raping does not (primarily) involve other materials such as a gun or weapon. This game is created around raping girls. You don't need weapons or any other thing aside from yourself to rape a person... Therefore, this is a bit more feasible to happen then the occurrences played in, for example, Grand Theft Auto.
I don't want to post nude girls on my blog but if you Google "Rapelay" you won't believe your eyes on what is acceptable in these video games... (Pictures of the game)



Australia apparently just passed some new laws about what is allowed on their Internet service. Certain websites are now legally banned from what users can see and look up online. Is this the way to go? Does the government have to get involved in our freedoms to control the absurdity of something like this? Hopefully here people will know enough between right and wrong and we won't need the government to step in.
Then again though, this is bringing conflict for many people. Lots of women activists are standing up against this game. But if Japan has always created games like this and it increases the flow of their markets, is it really fair for us to force a negative impact on them? (Personally yes i think so. I don't think this is necessary to be broadcast for people to see online, its messed up... At the same time though, I don't think the US should step on Japan's toes and force them to regulate their games closer either. But these games are a bit extreme...)
Check out this article-CNN

Blog Block? The Media Never Stops with These Prompts.....

At a loss for words? Social networking sites getting old? Blog Block? Apparently, not uncommon. So, to aid you in your mindlessness is... PLINKY! Plinky is a site that produces random questions to joust your mind into topics you can write about. For example, as a new member myself, the first question was, if I had 3 crayons, and only 3 crayons, which colors would I select to draw a picture? Pretty easy question to answer but may allow one to branch off into a memory of being young and coloring, or a recent picture book someone saw, or maybe a unique connection that the color aqua marine clicks with your cousin Joannie, who knows... But the first site of its kind that I personally have come across thus far.

Definitely a bright idea to continue the media through blogging. Plinky's goal is to "inspire and motivate people to create content." Confronted with a prompt, different ones are shown daily to help get you going on a particular train of thought.
Secondly, Plinky can be forwarded to Blogger or Facebook, Twitter, etc. The going trend of connecting all of your networking pages to one another. This is definitely an advantage to push forward the potential success of Plinky.
Not yet introduced, but on the way, Plinky is planning to incorporate music into their site as well. In the video below (yes, it is a bit detailed) they go to say, for example, in a question such as "an overplayed song you still enjoy" and on the side of the page are music pages that relate to the question. Again, another function that will lead to a better success rate for the site since music is such a hit on the internet right now.
So, if you are pressed for time or oppositely, have all the time in the world, check out Plinky and start writing about something you may have never thought about on your own....

Are "you" who your Facebook portrays???

I could tell you my Facebook name, my Myspace name, blog name, or my Twitter name, and they do have ONE thing in common... Each of them do not encompass my actual name. Some are shortened, some have different spellings... But what do you expect? There could be cyber stalkers at any corner... Ok, maybe that's a bit dramatic since we have come a long way since the infamous line of "a/s/l" and AOL chat rooms.

From AOL "chat now" to Facebook, online communication has streamed from anonymous to nonymous. When all we had were screennames, any person could talk to another without the slightest idea as to whether that person was telling the truth about their age, sex, or location ("a/s/l").
Myspace brought a more accurate database on individual information but there was still a question regarding true identity.




Following Myspace, the all-powerful Facebook that branched from Harvard to all colleges, high schools, corporate companies, and lastly to any adult, there is finally a truer sense of identity. But a sense for sure, no one believes these profiles are concrete facts about any particular user.
Is your default photo, the picture everyone who accesses your page sees first, an accurate display of yourself? Is it a recent photo? Or, are you reliving your high school days and you're really 55? No problem if it is and you are, that is fine, but it just isn't current and therefore not entirely accurate.




There is no question about the growth and success of Facebook. Those who deny this are threatened and possibly a little insecure in their own standing. Facebook keeps up with trends and trends within itself. Such as the reemerging trend of "fake names." Even though there is a deep warning when a user attempts to change their name. In so many words, expressed is; this better be an accurate name as it will be checked by Facebook workers before it is changed. The message is so strong that when I personally went to change my name, I backed out! So my name on Facebook is still pretty close and my picture is currently me smiling in a sepia toned picture.
Is yours really you? Is it "you" as you want to be seen? Or, "you" as is?
Online communications are still far from concrete unless you're on some government site like the CIA's database of all human existence with names, pictures, and fingerprint listings... Either way, I suppose part of the fun is playing the part of whoever you want to play without question... without direct question.
Therefore... enjoy being "you" for now because Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, they all supply that leeway to be who ever you want to be.

Pandora; a threat to everyday radio?

As a recent passenger on the Pandora flight, I have to say, Pandora has the potential to be a pretty strong competitor against AM/FM radio. If you haven't already registered, I suggest you do!
Pandora is a website where you enter in a song or artist into it's search engine in order to start your own custom playlist. (I say playlist because Pandora calls it a station but the music is flowing song after song.) If there is more than one option for your search they are all listed for you to choose from. You select your preference and "voila," a window of opportunity is opened. After the first song, the one you selected, concludes, Pandora provides you with song after song of similar tastes. Fortunately, if they pick a song that you don't like, you conveniently give it a "thumbs down" and on comes the next song which Pandora thinks you will enjoy. Furthermore, if you really like the song that comes on, "thumbs up" it is. All in hopes to create a station Pandora knows you will enjoy.
Pandora provides listeners with a randomness of songs yet a similarity that strings the songs together.
For many, this is better than AM/FM radio. Where we all have our favorite radio stations, we still at times have to suffer through the songs that are played that we don't like.
Over Am/FM radio, Pandora supplies a skip option where if the first five seconds, or even the first two seconds, of a song you don't like comes on, you don't have to suffer even one more second. All you do is skip it!
An additional option, a song comes on that you like but are a bit sick of at the present moment; Pandora offers the option to select "I'm sick of this song." In return, Pandora will not put this song in your playlist for the next 2-3 weeks.
If you don't know where to begin the site also has different genres to choose from to get you going. AND if you're not near your laptop, Pandora is offered on most smart phones. Pull out your blackberry and right away you have a portable radio guaranteed to satisfy any individual's taste.
The Pandora pandemonium isn't effected by radio wave regulations and restrictions. It is not effected by the hardships of trying to market diverse groups of people. Pandora may just be the actual threat that XM and satellite radio tried to be. Pandora is going places, jump on for the ride!

Tweet my wedding! Seriously?

I'm definitely a fan of Facebook and I'm trying to get into this whole twitter thing but this is a whole new level... "Tweet my wedding." (Tweetmywedding.com)

In Newsday on Valentine's Day 2010, in the Bridal Planner section, there was an article titled, "Let me call you tweetheart," about the infamous groom, Dana Hanna, who broke out his phone while standing at the alter at his wedding ceremony to update his Facebook status to "married"... AT THE ALTER! Are you kidding me?

Sandra Fogleman, a recent bride said, "Your wedding day is all about having the attention on you, and what better way to get attention than 'I'm being married right now' posted on your Facebook wall?"

Wow, really? That is fine and great but whether you write on your Facebook wall at that exact moment or when you get home from your wedding or perhaps the best opportunity; when you get home from your honeymoon...? I would like to think all the comments you receive that will probably just be "congratulations!!!" for the most part, wouldn't be seen until a few days after anyway! To think your own wedding is not exciting enough to keep you off your phone is rather depressing if you ask me... Are you really that interested to see what your "friends" (who aren't important enough to actually BE at your wedding) have to say about your new title as a husband or wife??

Mindy Howard, creator of Tweetmywedding.com, writes "It's almost like being an emcee for the wedding, but in the Twitter world." She writes that she has seen this trend take off in the last four months. However, thankfully, Howard says there is a proper etiquette to be followed... No tweeting should be done during the ceremony, well thank God for that. She continues, "I don't endorse bad manners. Responsible tweeting and no tipsy tweeting."

On youtube.com you can see this video and I am relieved to say that I am not the only one who thinks this is a little bit ridiculous, user zhabbah writes, "You must all be crazy. Cute and witty? Are you all on crack? It was meant to be funny, but I think it's just sad. Videos like this should ring an alarm - if you even think about interrupting your own wedding just to post sth on FB, you are definitely spending too much time on those social networking sites. People, wake up and embrace your REAL lives... seriously - nobody cares."

All in all, let your guests be the one's tweeting and updating their Facebook pages if you need your wedding to be so desperately posted online. Although, I do find it hard to believe you, the bride or groom, won't be offended by seeing your guests on their phones at any part of your multi-thousand dollar wedding....