LIB100 I Class Discussion Blog

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19926695.700-go-online-to-find-your-future-spouse.html

This article is about the current online dating trends. It mentions how it is more and more common for couples to meet through the security of the Internet. It seems that it the number of older men and women utilizing services such as eHarmony.com is increasing. The rate of documented marriages between people who first met online is also increasing, while the rate of marriages between people meeting at work is declining. It is supposed that eventually almost all people will go online in search of love.

1. Any person could assume whichever identity they desired on the Internet. One may have a false sense of security on monitored sites such as eHarmony.com due to the physical separation that the Internet provides, but it still is almost impossible to validate every user as the person he claims to be. If internet dating does continue to exhibit exponential growth, do you think further monitoring systems would have to be implemented to ensure the safety of the users?

2. Considering the most common modes through which couples meet are social places, such as college, work, or bars, do you think people look negatively upon people who meet online? Is it seen as a last resort to those looking for love who were unsuccessful in these other places, or can it be for those who just want to increase their chances of meeting the perfect match?

3. Can other matchmaking services, such as speed dating or even hired match-makes, be foreseen to become obsolete with the success of online dating?

The following is a link from last month’s USA Today that explores the growing addition of small wind turbines to elementary and high school campuses in the Midwest through a program called “Wind for Schools.” Though the turbines themselves only produce enough electricity to power a fraction of each school’s needs, proponents of the program say that the wind-education that accompanies such a program is extremely important for today’s students.

Link: http://ezproxy.wfu.edu:3000/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=J0E042658604508&site=ehost-live

1.) Looking at alternative energy in general, can you think of any other energy producing methods that might be suitable for an elementary/high school campus?

2.) Today’s public schools are facing record declines of everything from quality teachers to arts and extra-curricular programs. In light of this, but also remembering that alternative energy is becoming a larger and larger component of today’s society, do you think the government should spend its education funds on programs such as the wind-education “Wind for Schools” program in the Midwest?

This article discusses whether or not the SAT should be banned from the college admissions. Richard Atkinson president of the University of California came up with this idea to get rid of the SAT simply because it was not fair for those who were underprivileged. He says it was a WEALTH TEST rather than a smarts test.

http://www.american.com/archive/2007/july-august-magazine-contents/abolish-the-sat

1.) Is this a fair way for colleges to accept students into their prestigious schools?

2.) The SAT is very biased toward children who don’t have the tools necessary to advance in school. Do you think that this issue is something that should be the cause of abolishing the SAT?

3.) do you think that the SAT is the best way for people to have a chance into the college life?

Although the presidential election has ended, the tax plans of both candidates are still widely debated, as these policies are extremely important if our fractured economy is to ever recover. The following link leads to an article from the Chicago Sun-Times that explains the differences between Obama and McCain’s tax plans.

Link: http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1031268,CST-NWS-tax30.article

Questions:

1) What are the pros and cons to each of the tax plans?

2) If it were your choice, which one would you choose and why?

http://www.techpresident.com/blog/entry/33110/obama_s_cto_never_mind_who_what_should_s_he_do

This is a link to an article which discusses the new position of Chief Technology Officer in the Obama administration. It talks about issues the CTO should focus on when he/she takes office, and various projects already in the works which could affect the person in this position.

Questions:

1) What are the most pressing technological issues facing our country today that the CTO should focus on?

2) How could we increase transparency in the government using technology and why would this help?

Link: http://edition.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/12/24/internet.addiction/index.html

This article talks about the pros and cons of online and console gaming for different ages of both men and women. There has been concern of addictive tendencies being related to those who play such games.Emerging researches on the addictive tendencies of both men both teenagers and adults that play internet poker and video games have shown an increase in the clinical diagnosis known as ‘gaming addiction.’

Questions:

1. Do you think Internet gaming, and console gamimg be addictive to not only young gamers, but also older individuals?

2. What do you consider an obsessive amount of time on the internet and/or on a console game such as XBOX or Playstation?

3. As research advances on this addiction crisis, do you think parents who buy their children these games will be more weary of their purchases and the amount of time their children are allowed to play them?

Link:

http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=132350

Questions:

1) Is the print newspaper beginning to die out? Has the daily paper become obsolete in the age of online information?

2) Has the rise of blogging and other forms of active journalism led to a decline in the quality of reporting in this industry? More specifically, how has political reporting and discussion been affected by new-age journalism?

3) What role have social networking sites such as Facebook and Youtube played in the rise of interactive journalism? What impact has the decision of political candidates to turn to these resources had on the participation of America’s youth?

Link: http://chronicle.com/weekly/v54/i10/10b00601.htm

Questions

1. Hillary Clinton bantered with host Barbara Walters on her show The View about the unique difficulties of being a female candidate for president. In your opinion, with all seriousness, what are some of the difficulties that a female can come across to become a presidential candidate?

2. Do you believe that if a female were to be elected president, would she be able to handle the uncommon problems generated by her gender? And if so, what approach do you believe she would take?

3. How would the media portray a female president and how would that affect public opinion of her?

The following article is an examination of how useful the SAT is in the college admissions process. It weighs the pros and cons of using the test and displays how the admission process is changing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/22/education/22admissions.html?scp=4&sq=is+SAT+fair+test&st=nyt

1. How will this change the college admission process from a university’s perspective?

2. Is the SAT an artificial representation of intelligence? How?

3. Should there be some universal measure of aptitude when applying to college? Is there a way to fairly asses an applicant’s ability or merit?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife/11/05/cb.social.networking/index.html

Questions:

1. The article says 34% of hiring managers choseNOT to hire candidates because of what they found in their online profiles. Only 24% of managers said profiles encouraged them to hire candidates. Is it fair that employers are using sites like Facebook and MySpace to decide whether to hire someone (especially if more managers are deciding against hiring people because of theironline profiles)?Do you believe there isan ethical issue here?

2. Should information about a person’s social life and what they do outside of the workplace found onlinebe brought into the decision to hire them?

3. Facebook, MySpace, Brightfuse, etc. are all relatively new sites. The idea of social networking online is also new. Employers did not have the option, previously, to check into their potential employees’ social lives. Just because they can, doesn’t mean they should or it is necessary. Ifemployers were able to hire candidates with no concern for their social lives in years past, whyhas it becomea deal breaker today?

4. Someone can be anyone online. Ex: A frat boy who goes out every night of the week can be a Conservative business major whose interests are reading and fishing and who is a member of the debate team, Spanish Club, and coordinator for intramural sports if he wants to be online. How does an employer know when a potential employee is simply putting up what they want to be and who they want to be seen as (from a professional standpoint) rather than who they are? Can they know?