Since getting an iPhone 3G back in July I have not stopped downloading applications. I could go on and on about tons of useful apps from social networking to utilities to sports, but that’s for another post. Last week another iPhone addicted friend of mine tuned me in to Simplifymedia and I’m about to try and do the same for you.
I shouldn’t describe this as a iPhone application, since it isn’t only that, but that is how I was introduced to it. It is actually a computer application. It is a quick and simple download from the Simplifymedia website that works a lot like an instant messenger program. You choose a screen name and then can add friends that have also created an account (up to 30 people!). It should be noted that Simplifymedia works on PC, Mac, and Linux systems. Now when you set up your account you can choose to share music from your iTunes, Winamp, or Rhythmbox accounts with your friends (and only your friends). When you are on your computer, any of your friends on Simplify can see that you’re active and can choose any of the music you have decided to share to listen to. No longer do you have to rip endless amounts of music from CDs, or spend a fortune on iTunes to get albums your friends already have. They are all yours, and for free.
Back to the iPhone. With an iPhone or iPod Touch you can download the Simplifymedia application from the application store and it works just like it does on your computer. Not only when you are home can you listen to your friends’ music but on the go as well. When you listen to as much music as I do, being able to expand your music library this quickly and for free was fantastic. And because you can have up to thirty friends on your account, it behooves you to get more people to download Simplify. Because the more friends you have on the larger your music library becomes. Again, it’s free and shares your music with only people you accept to share with.
When you think about the country of Colombia, one of the first thoughts many people have is of the drug cartel. Previously famous for it’s cocaine traffic and murder rate, Colombia was one of the most dangerous countries in the world. And also one of the poorest in terms of income and education. But things are changing down there, drastically and at a surprisingly fast rate.
About a week ago, we got a promotional newsletter about the investment opportunities in Bogota. I was floored. The international environment there is staggering and many companies are using Bogota as a hub for the Central and South American markets. Not only have they reduced crime in the major cities (Bogota, Medellin) but also greatly improved public transportation which is benefiting the impoverished community and reducing pollution. They have attained a steady growth across multiple markets and have fantastic tax benefits for investors.
So why, if I received this information weeks ago, am I writing about it now. Well one of my heroes Anthony Bourdain has updated his personal blog with a similar story and what I think is definitely worth sharing. In his latest travels he visited Colombia, in particular Medellin. Medellin up until recently was the murder capital of the entire world. Now, it is relatively safe considering the time frame from its dangerous past, as said the public transportation has been significantly improved, foreigners (Americans in particular) are welcomed with open arms (a rare deal indeed these days). But the most impressive thing about Colombia is the government is spending an unheard of 40% of the total budget into education. Can you imagine what that kind of mindset would do here in America.
Here’s a link to Tony’s blog. If you don’t want No Reservations, I strongly recommend you do. You learn so much about other places by his interactions with real people. I would give anything to be able to do that for a living.
Edit: What changes do you think we would see here in America if our government even came close to investing that much of the budget into our educational system?
ZDNet News is reporting that the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has voted to accept companies to purchase any domain suffix they want.
Some examples given in the article include eBay using .ebay sites or cities such as new york using .nyc. The ICANN plans to offer these specific suffixes at a very high price ($50,000 – $100,000) to keep squatters from buying up what are sure to be wanted addresses. Also trademarked names will only be sold to the holders of the trademark. As far as common words that would be in demand, ICANN says they will continue to “block or reject any domain name that it deems inappropriate for security or moral reasons.” Also in the proposal is the ability to use non-English script in domains.
The possibilities are endless it would seem but it will be interesting to see what gets approved and what doesn’t. I mean they try to stop profanity on vanity plates but I still see where some clever person has used phonics to their advantage and made an inappropriate license tag.
Models have oft been employed to test correlations; but in an age with so much data, correlation may have simply became enough. No longer is proving causality necessary. Companies like Google are approaching data the way the geniuses behind the Baseball Prospectus began approaching baseball, which is to look at a collection of data for its mathematical significance first and worry about the context in which it is found later. Google was one of the first companies to capitalize on this in the business world. They approached advertising this way, only finding where an ad would work the best and not caring why.
An article on Wired.com shows why George Box’s famous quote “All models are wrong, but some are useful” may be becoming only half true. Many come to the defense of models in the comments section claiming that this era of copious amounts of data will strengthen method and not destroy it. But whether the scientific method is obsolete or not, this is surely a new movement in the scientific world unlike anything that has ever been seen.
Since writing the post on the sleek online radio Pandora, Clif and I have decided to start a review series of online music applications. Next on the chopping block is the internet jukebox Songza. Again, I will provide my opinion on how the site operates and a quick tutorial of how to get your account up and running.
Songza is a free, flash based, internet jukebox. You decide exactly what songs you want to listen to and then stream the songs from other sites where they are embedded using a minimalist flash player. No costs, no ads, just the music you want to hear. At first you might be a bit discouraged that this is the only pseudo-FAQ that Songza has to offer. However, you will soon realize that it is so simple that it doesn’t really need one. Like many of the items featured on this site, Songza only does one thing, but does it extraordinarily well.
After creating an account (just your basic set-up with e-mail, password, etc) you will see the incredibly simple front page. Using the one outstanding feature, the large centrally located search bar, enter an artist or song and click search. Songza’s cute little loading square will flip around for just a moment and then an extensive list of songs will appear down the left hand side. One thing that I really like about Songza is this right here. You are not given one choice for the song you are trying to find; you are given a whole bunch. Aside from the album version, some may be live versions, acoustics sets, or remixes. In fact, I have already discovered a multitude of covers of songs I have searched for that I may otherwise never have been aware existed. So while you have to actively search out individual songs (that’s why it is a jukebox and not a radio) you still may find new songs.
The interface is one of the easiest imaginable to navigate. After searching for a song and selecting one from the list, clicking on the title will pop up a little compass inspired menu with four options: Play, Share, Rate, and Add to Playlist. Subsequently selecting one of these does exactly what you think they would do. The Share option allows you to link to the song, embed it on a site, send to Twitter, or email to a friend. Rating is used for rating the quality of the recording more so than if whether or not you like the song, like with Pandora. The better the quality rating, the higher that specific song appears in search lists. Rating effectively reduces the amount of time you spend trudging through versions that are of poor quality.
The Playlist is where you will find my only complaint with Songza. Right now, and please correct me if I’m wrong, but I can find no way of creating additional playlists. So while you can save every song you find, they are all lumped together under a single playlist. The small saving grace of this is that you can quickly and easily change the order or your playlist. So you can group your music as you would want to hear it in succession. Aside from sharing individual songs with friends, you can also navigate to someone’s Songza profile page and access their full playlist from there. You can check out my profile and playlist here.
One of the really nifty things about Songza is while a song is playing you have the ability to Watch the Video when it is available, Buy the Song via Google Products or Amazon, or check out the Discography. It should be said that the video sometimes seems like a randomly picked Youtube video, which isn’t always the artist’s actual music video. Viewer beware.
I’ve only just begun playing with Songza and haven’t delved too deeply into sharing and embedding songs. What I see so far I really like (aside from the Playlist issue which I am hoping I am incorrect about). So if recommendation music sites like Rhapsody and Pandora don’t line up with your tastes well enough or you’re just looking to hear “that song” right now, give Songza a try.
Be sure to leave a link to your Songza profile if you comment so we can all share the music. One Love.
Music is one of my things, just ask anyone that knows me. I own more CDs than most people and almost always have music playing, whether I’m relaxing, working, reading, or studying. Even with all the music I own, I sometimes get bored of the same songs and artists over and over again. Thankfully, a few months ago I StumbledUpon the Music Genome Project at Pandora Radio.
Pandora has since become one of my most frequented websites. What Pandora does is allow you, with as few (or as many) clicks of your mouse as you like, to create radio stations tailored to only music you like. Also, you can create multiple stations for all the different types of music you listen to. For instance I have a radio station for my Rock side, one for my more mellow side, and then a few specific radio stations for when I’m studying. It’s all very simple to set up and can be as quick and easy as you wish or you can really dive into this thing and create the perfect music environment for yourself.
For the full “How To” check out Pandora’s FAQ page, paying particular attention to section 3 about setting up stations. But I’ll give you the quick run-down here also. After creating an account, which takes only a couple of steps, you’ll be asked about your first station. All you have to do is enter the name of a Band or a Song that you want to build your station around. Then Pandora will do it’s thing and search through it’s music database using the Music Genome Project. You can read about the MGP here, but what it does is basically compares the Band or Song you enter to thousands of other Bands and Songs and picks ones that match your taste. Then just like that, the radio station starts playing.
As songs play you have the option to give them a Thumbs Up or a Thumbs Down. These do about what you would expect, if you don’t like the song then give it a Thumbs Down and the radio will proceed to the next song and take that particular song out of your playlist for good. Thumbs Up means that song is exactly the kind of music you want on that radio station and Pandora should do it’s best to put more songs like that on your station. You can also tag specific Songs or Bands which will expand your station since the Music Genome Project will have a larger sample to compare other music against.
It is extremely simple, very rewarding, and of course completely free. There are tons of other features that you can play around with, like making a mega-station (a randomization of all your stations). And oh yeah, you can share your stations with friends. All of the more advanced features can be found in the same FAQ that I linked to earlier only check under the fourth section titled “Advanced Features.”
What I am about to say would seem like a fairly obvious problem with the use of technology in the classroom, but seeing as how I witness it on a daily basis at the undergraduate level, I can only imagine that the problem spreads to every classroom below.
The Problem:
Too often do teachers use power points, slides, videos, etc as an excuse for them to sit idly behind their desk and convince themselves that they are still fulfilling their role as an educator. How can a student be expected to be engaged if the person who is suppose to be presenting the information approaches his/her role with complacency? When I am excited about a particular subject, it changes the dynamic of learning from being told to learn something to wanting to learn something. It no longer feels like just a workload the teacher is assigning, but rather something I am genuinely interested in. Nothing helps this process better than having a teacher who is honestly excited about what they are teaching. You can tell when a teacher isn’t enthusiastic, and that apathy circulates the classroom infecting the students.
The Solution:
The solution is a simple one. Be engaged and enthusiastic about what you as an educator are presenting. Here are two examples of technology in the college classroom and how one teacher is misusing it and how another uses it to improve the learning environment.
One of my professors walks into class, loads his power point presentation, and takes a seat behind his desk. He flips through the slides reading them verbatim for every chapter between tests. Now these slides are the same ones that are posted online that students can read themselves in ten minutes. There is no incentive to go to class to learn any of the material. Another of my professors has a much larger class, which would make it easier for him to be complacent and just run through some slides. However, his slides are simply bulleted highlights which he expounds with graphic illustrations and current news events. Also, about once a week all the students meet online (through Aplia.com) and perform economic experiments where everyone in class represents a free market. Upon returning to class we discuss the results of our online experiments and then apply them to the material we’ve been covering in class.
To wrap up, it’s simple; be a proactive educator. Complacency is an educational roadblock. Before you blame students for not being eager to learn, take a step back and make sure your attitude and performance is being presented in the right fashion. The easiest way to get students encouraged to perform well is for them to see their teacher excited about the information he/she is teaching.
As a long time Bill Nye the Science Guy fan, you can not begin to comprehend my excitement when I saw that the man himself was giving an environmental lecture on campus. In 2006, our then President Charles Lee, started the Global Lecture Series here at Mississippi State which aims at bringing in speakers on all sorts of different topics. This semester we had the honor of having Bill Nye come and give a lecture (more of a performance) on environmental changes.
If you ever get the chance to go hear Bill Nye speak, take it. Not only are you surely going to learn something, but you will genuinely have fun. His antics from television are only enhanced in person. His presentation was not scripted, he didn’t read from his slides (the biggest bore to an audience, so I beg you educators out there; don’t do it), kept the technical jargon down, and put a very informal spin on the whole presentation.
While his lecture was on environmental issues, it never felt like we were being preached to, like I said he kept it very informal. Unlike many people on the subject who concentrate only on what problems the current situation is inflicting upon the Earth, Bill mainly just detailed simple ways to help correct the issues. For one, and though he didn’t say it quite as directly as this, NASCAR should either be completely overhauled or put to a stop. Those cars, whose only job is to race around a track for HUNDREDS of miles get 5 miles to the gallon. That’s less than a Chevy Suburban! Bill Nye has a very “green” house, with solar heating and natural lighting for the common areas of his home. He generates more electricity than he uses (he showed us a video of his meter actually running backwards). If your first thought upon reading about his house was, “but how much did it cost?” He claims that it costs less than the average swimming pool and can easily be added on to your mortgage for as little as $20-$30 bucks a month.
I’m a relatively conscientious consumer, but so far have only invested in the little things like washing my clothes with cold water detergent and buying the environmentally friendly, longer lasting, light bulbs. Listening to Bill Nye tonight though, I think has turned me into a eco-nut. I am definitely going to buy a eco-friendly car and will not settle for anything less than 30 miles to the gallon. As soon as I own my own place, which granted will be a couple of years, I’m going to make considerable strives to do more with less.
To finish up, I strongly suggest you educate yourself on ways to ease the burden of this fantastic planet (and save yourself some money). Even if you don’t believe in all the global warming hype, what harm is there in saving everyone, including yourself, from the negative externalities of the items we use and abuse today.
So Thursday’s games were pathetic and my bracket is not looking too hot because of it. There were no appreciable upsets yesterday. Kansas St. over USC I guess was okay but that’s it. I picked Davidson over Gonzaga so I’m not really counting that one but I suppose it was an upset too.
Duke:
Barely beat Belmont by one point in the last 12 seconds. Are you kidding me? Duke (the most perpetually over-rated team in America) is a #2 seed and it came down to that. Don’t get me wrong, I am not taking anything away from the way Belmont played. They would’ve given a lot of good teams a run for their money. I just don’t understand how Duke remains to be ranked when their regular season is such a wash. Maybe not in years past, but let’s be honest; this year the ACC was a shell of its former self. UNC is definitely one of the best teams in the nation, but other than that Clemson was the only other team besides those two to win 10 games. Maryland finished up .500 and all the other teams you think about from that conference were worse than that. Why do people like Coach K and the Devils so much?
Miss. Valley State:
Poor guys. What a roller coaster of emotions these players went through. Winning the conference, making it to the big dance, then being held to 29 points against UCLA. Now that would have been a great upset and I am not just saying that because I am from MS. I love watching #1 seeds go down early. It’s what makes March mad, but this year I just don’t see it happening. I even have all four #1 seeds going to the Final Four in one of my brackets. Call me crazy all you want, but this year I think it’s highly possible.
MSU:
Well let’s see who shows up to play tonight. Will it be the 6-8 Charles Rhodes or the 6-1 version? As a senior I hope he comes out of the gate firing, but that all depends on if our linebacker of a guard (how many times can they say that in a game?) decides to try to work the ball inside or not. Prediction: If the bulldogs go to any considerable depth in the tournament, Varnado breaks the all-time blocks during NCAA tournament play history. Thoughts?
Seriously though, how often do you need to compare Gordon to the size of a football player or a freight train? Every time they say something like “Jamont Gordon is so big, his strength is his strength,” I want to kick a baby kitten (nothing against cats, it just infuriates me). Oregon has good three point shooting and that has been something we have struggled with the second half of the season (Vandy anyone?). So if we come out with man to man instead of zone and shut down their perimeter game I think we can win. I just want the chance to play Memphis. They are a great time and if we beat them Pitt would be a huge one to overcome too, but I just hope for Rhodes sake we can stay in for a little while. I’m going to miss that big guy.
The Rest of the Tourney:
I just want some upsets. Namely us over Memphis, but any will do. I think Vandy better watch out because if Foster doesn’t show up to play, they don’t win games. Not to keep harping on the ACC, but I don’t think Clemson is that great so they better not take Nova too lightly. South Alabama is a legitimate threat this year, to any team.
Another Guest Blogger? Yeah, sorry guys but you’ve got another wet behind the ears yet highly opinionated blogger on your hands. Your previous guest writer happens to be my roommate and my partner in crime when it comes to sports. Since his SEC predictions were so incredibly off, (mine were too), I’ll try to refrain from trying to predict too much about the NCAA Tourney.
This post will just be to help acquaint yourself with me and my style. I’ll give you a little insight on who I am and what I do, but most importantly what I think. Clif will probably cover this stuff in the “about the author” section so I hope I’m not taking too much of his thunder. I’ll leave the juicy stuff for him to share. I am a born and bred Mississippi boy and the third Acy son to go to Mississippi State University. I guess you could say I’m kind of a bulldog fan. A big one. College sports is where it is at for me. And yes, the SEC is the best conference in the nation, period. Comment all you want about how wonderful the ACC is in basketball or how the Big East is great at football, but the SEC is the total package and if you want to argue look at the last two football and basketball championships. Enough said.
Now onto March Madness. Easily my favorite time of year. There is nothing better than days full of nothing but college b-ball. So many teams all playing their hearts out for the same prize. Every year there are big teams, big upsets, and underdogs (we haven’t forgotten you George Mason). When your team makes it to the NCAA, it’s like winning a championship in itself. Making your personal bracket and seeing how well it turns out is a treat and one I wish could be recreated in other sports.
MSU’s loss in the SEC tournament puts us at a disadvantage. Assuming we win first round (against a grossly over ranked Oregon St.) we have to play #1 seed Memphis (also assuming they win their first game). Granted, I think of the bad positions to be in, this is probably the best one. I would much rather be playing the Tigers than the Tarheels, but it obviously isn’t as positive as being a #6 seed and not having to worry about that kind of competition until a little later.
Regardless, I can’t wait for this weekend (even though technically the tournament started today, but who really counts the play in team?). Bring on the brackets!
And thank you all for welcoming me into the fold. I hope not to disappoint.
About the Author
Trevor Acy is another of Clif’s former middle school students. Trevor is now double majoring in business and Japanese and spent last summer studying in Tokyo. He plans to intern for a Design-Build firm this summer and intends to make his way back to Japan professionally after graduating suma cume laude this spring. Mr. Acy enjoys basketball, Unbeatable Banzuke, ballet and politics. Expect more posts from TA as he shares his perspective throughout March Madness and beyond.
By Trevor Acy
Trevor’s Theory