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Final Project

Pinterest

Prior to this assignment I have heard of Pinterest but did not have a clue as to what it actually was.  So what exactly is Pinterest?  The best definition I could find online is "Pinterest is a pinboard-style photo-sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, and hobbies.  Users can browse other pinboards for images, 're-pin' images to their own pinboards, or 'like' photos." Definition

After signing up for an account, the categories I chose were food and drink, humor, travel, education,

outdoor, sports, tattoos, and technology.

Although Pinterest seems like a pretty cool Web 2.0 technology, I do not think I will use it much and will eventually delete it from my bookmarks.

Jeff

Google Maps

I have used Google Maps plenty of times in the past and am very familiar with how it works.  I like it because it is easy to use and you can actually view pictures of streets and other buildings around your destination.  I have been tasked with answering the following questions for class:

1. What is the distance if you drove to this address and the time you would need?

The address posted for this assignment is 53.4 miles from my house and would take one our and 11 minutes.

What is the time if you took public transportation?

When I chose the public transportation icon the following message appeared:

"Your search for transit directions from 416 Howard St, Boone, NC 28607 to 8180 Beverly Hills Dr, Hickory, NC 28602 appears to be outside our current coverage area."

What is the time if you walked it or what time of information does Google Maps provide to you?

Walking from my house to the address listed will take 15 hours 37 minutes to walk the 48.1 miles.  Google Maps even gives a warning that says "Walking directions are in beta.  Use caution – This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths."

Lastly, which one would you choose and why?

If I had to choose between driving myself, taking public transportation, or walking I would definitely choose driving myself.  Although I do think it would be interesting to see if I could actually walk the 48.1 miles in one day!

I am heading out now to your office Dr. M!!!  See you in about one hour and 11 minutes!

Jeff 

Mozaiq

Mozaiq (http://mozaiq.org/decrypt) is a great little website that I recently learned about in the Web 2.0 Technologies class I am taking.  It allows you to send a hidden message in a picture to someone who will then need a password to decrypt the message hidden in the image!  

I am LOVING the class!  I have learned about many Web 2.0 technologies that I never knew existed prior to the class.  The pace is perfect in my opinion...  Having an assignment due everyday is not bad because the assignments have not required an extensive amount of time to complete.  I actually feel like I have learned something so that is a bonus!  

Jeff

Youtube Converter

Youtube Converter (http://youtube-mp3.org) is a website that allows a user to find a song they want to download on You Tube, copy/paste the URL, and the song is converted to an MP3 and is then available for download at no cost.  There is only one problem with this...  IT IS ILLEGAL!!!

 After searching for the perfect definition of ethics, I found it on The Free Dictionary. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ethics) The page gives three different definitions that sum up how I feel about ethics perfectly:  

1.  A set of principles of right conduct.
2.  A theory or a system of moral values.
3.  The rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession.

I would never use Youtube converter because I feel like it is morally wrong.  The artists who created the music invested their time, energy, and money to create the music for us to hear.  By downloading it illegally you not only hurt the artist; you also hurt people like myself who purchase music legally either in a store or by paying to download it online.  You can download a song on iTunes for .99 cents for crying out loud!  Instead of hitting Starbucks or Bojangles in the morning pay to download your music legally!

I learned about ethics early on in the Air Force.  Another word I learned was integrity.  Both ethics and integrity are similar in the fact that they both mean the same to me: always do what is right, even if no one is looking.  If you live by that mantra you will never have any problems with letting your conscience guide you into doing what is right all the time!

See you later!

Jeff   

StumbleUpon

Prior to enrolling in Web 2.0 Technologies for the Summer session at Appalachian State University I thought I knew about all of the cool websites on the Internet...  Man was I wrong.  Dr. Medlin has posted some great websites to check out this semester and part of this weeks assignment is no different!

StumbleUpon (www.stumbleupon.com) is considered a discover engine. (think search engine except on a grander scale!)  After signing up it allows a user to pick interests (I picked sports, restaurants, and a few different tech interests) and then searches the Internet for websites and articles that are similar to your interests.  I view a bunch of sports related websites on a daily basis but just found out that Tim Tebow signed with the New England Patriots because of stumbleupon.com!

A cool feature is the "stumble" button located on the page.  It searches for a random site based on your interests and found this page for me:

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2DjkEP/:5SW.Urtj:l0JU3nl8/www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/the-funniest-sports-gifs-of-2012/

It is a page with the funniest sports GIF's of 2012 and some of them are pretty good!

It is definitely an application that I will use in the future and have bookmarked it on my work computer as well as my laptop at home! 

Until next time!

Jeff