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A brief sorry to those of you that have been reading my blog. I have been getting back into the groove of school and have not been posting lately, as you can see. Another year with new classes, teachers, and students. A teacher and published poet Farid Matuk teaches an english class of mine. I encourage you to look at his stuff; he is very talented. But now the point of my post…

Teachers criticize the use of Wikipedia as a reputable source. They claim that “anyone” can post something on there and there is a possibility that it could not be true. Then a smart student asks “What about the citations at the bottom of the page, doesn’t that mean it’s true?” The teacher then says that the information could possibly not be cited in its entirety and therefore possibly be false. The first teacher that has ever told me that wikipedia is the best source available would be Mr. Matuk. He stated that Wikipedia is built up of multiple opinions of different people and that it builds the best possible resource. What do you think of wikipedia? 

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To those that have been reading my blog:

     I will be leaving tomorrow for about 4 weeks for camp in Maine. No internet, no computers, nothing. So sadly this will be my last post until mid-August. Summer camp is a great place for kids to share experiences in the things that they love. Whether that be team sports, sailing, dance, or acting, kids relate and play with one another and experience “life without parents” for a short time. I’m off to Camp All Star in Maine which is mainly a sports based camp. Check out the site; they also have a camp in Tennessee that is equally fun.  What was summer camp for you in your childhood summers? Until August…

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As an avid Facebook user I enjoy being able to connect with friends all around the world, and even with the friends I see mostly every day. However as newer features are implemented, the news feed, the home page displaying what your friends are doing, status’, being able to comment on peoples actions, the question must be asked: Are we moving away from social networking site and towards social stalking one? The answer is yes, Facebook is now becoming a place for stalkers. That isn’t to say that all or most of the users on Facebook are stalkers, just that Facebook has become the home to many stalkers. And also that some of the new features, although not intended to, aid in ones ability to stalk. The internet is an amazing thing, but it must be used carefully. Facebook is a great site, and it would be horrible to see it turn into a place for stalkers. “But I’m not stalking I’m just checking on what my friends are doing.” That’s what most people say, but is that correct? Feel free to comment your opinion and prove me wrong, or right.

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Long before the craze was to advertise on the web people advertised on large signs outside called billboards. As I sat with my Uncle who is the head of a big Dallas billboard advertising agency he mentioned to me that all of his advertising was now digitally based. It is not like the old days where people used to hand paint their billboards. Now everything is done with a computer and printer. Soon he mentioned to me that companies were now actually making digital billboards. Basically big screens on polls. These billboards would be able to be changed at any moment from virtually any computer. Interesting new technology to the advertising world.

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European Art and Architecture has become a new fad across the nation. Spanish artist and architect Santiago Calatrava has done art and architecture that has reached from Dallas, TX to Jerusalem. In “D Magazine” they recently did an article on a Dallas home that has used mexican and spanish art and architecture to form their “Modern-Day Hacienda.” Spanish architecture is rich, distinct and beautiful with vibrant colors, and a very aesthetically pleasing look. I would suggest anyone to look into buying a Spain-made piece for a great addition to their living space. On a futuristic note, Italian architect David Fisher, unveiled his idea for a rotating skyscraper that is hopefully to be ready for living in Dubai in 2010. See the video here. 

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As the release of the new iPhone comes out tomorrow many will flock to Apple stores across the nation to be one of the first people to get the newest apple toy. Although a fan of apple and user of both a mac and an iphone, the realization that the world has become so caught up in technology, specifically apple technology, is astounding. I now feel, as do many other “1st generation” iphone users, annoyed. Not because the newest iphone has so many great new features, but because I didn’t wait to get a faster, newer phone for about half the price. The problem with that though is that you can never wait for the newest technology because you’ll end up never getting anything. The reason I think that most people hate Apple is because they come up with newer technology too fast. But for that I applaud Apple.  I’m not saying they are the best computers, but it looks that way, and it seems that they are always making the newest innovation, so that’s why people buy their products. For those reasons I commend Apple, because they have in essence taken control of the technology world by storm.

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