Personal Technologies

Section 1: An Introduction to Personal Technologies

Lesson B: The Impacts of Personal Technologies

Cell Phones:
HowStuffWorks: How Cell Phones Work
Have you ever wondered how a cell phone works? Check this site and find out!
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone.htm

Technology Review: Your Next Cell Phone
What’s coming next?
http://www.technologyreview.com/specialreports/specialreport.aspx?id=3

Cellular Telephone Use and Cancer Risk - National Cancer Institute
This fact sheet outlines the available evidence regarding use of cellular/mobile telephones and cancer risk.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/risk/cellphones

Study Links Brain Cancer to Children Using Cell Phones
Study finds heavy Use of cell phones increases cancer risk in youth.
http://environment.about.com/b/2009/03/17/study-finds-cell-phones-increase-brain-cancer-risks-in-children.htm

Technology Addiction:
Korean Boot Camp Aims to Cure Web Addiction - The New York Times
Researchers say an overwhelming majority of compulsive computer users are male. At Jump Up, campers are denied computer use and are limited to one hour of cellphone calls a day.
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/11/16/business/worldbusiness/20071118_REHAB_Slideshow_6.html

“Crackberry” Addiction - ABC News
The lure of wireless devices is creating an addiction among some e-mail users, with experts comparing their behavior to that of a drug or alcohol abusers.
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Technology/story?id=2348779

Youtube “Crackberry” video
A tongue-in-cheek look at a man who’s a wee bit obsessed with his Blackberry device.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqKEe_JEObg

Internet Addiction Disorder
Wikipedia entry for Internet Addiction Disorder describes pathological computer use and covers the debate over whether this is a true addiction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_addiction_disorder

Web 2.0:
Web 2.0 - Wikipedia
Web 2.0 refers to what is perceived as a second generation of web development and web design. It is characterized as facilitating communication, information sharing, interoperability, User-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0

What Is Web 2.0?
This article is an attempt to clarify just what is meant by Web 2.0.
http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html

Twitter:
YouTube - Twitter in Plain English
A simple explanation of the micro-blogging service known as Twitter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o

Lesson C: The Download Generation

Technical History of Music Recording
The following overview is for those interested in the technical side of sound recording's history.
http://www.recording-history.org/HTML/tech.php

Wikipedia: Digital Rights Management
Digital rights management (DRM) is a generic term that refers to access control technologies that can be used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals to try to impose limitations on the usage of digital content and devices.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_rights_management

Trent Reznor: Take My Music, Please
Front man for the band Nine Inch Nails explains why he has chosen to offer his music for free on the Internet.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9807934-7.html

World Intellectual Property Organization
Report on the state of music piracy and how to educate users against it.
http://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2008/02/article_0005.html

Lesson D: Mashup Culture

CC Mixter
ccMixter is a community music site featuring remixes licensed under Creative Commons. Here you can listen to, sample, mash-up, or interact with music in whatever way you want. There’s even a contest where you can enter you own remixes.
http://ccmixter.org/

RIP: A Remix Manifesto
RIP: A Remix Manifesto is a documentary film about copyright and remix culture. You can contribute to the film, and follow the conversation on a variety of social networks.
http://www3.nfb.ca/webextension/rip-a-remix-manifesto/

Stanford Copyright & Fair Use - Case Laws
Fair Use: Legal Cases
http://fairuse.stanford.edu/primary_materials/cases/

Mashup Awards - best mashups on the web
A hand-picked showcase of the best web mashups with awards served on a daily and monthly basis.
http://mashupawards.com/

Section 2: The Evolution of Personal Technologies

Lesson A: Personal Technology Profile: The Digital Camera

HowStuffWorks: How Cameras Work
Learn how a traditional film camera works, and what it’s made of.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/camera.htm

How Digital Cameras Work
In this article, you'll find out exactly what's going on inside these amazing digital-age devices.
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/digital-camera.htm

Cameras and Digital Cameras
Learn how both types work.
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/digitalcameras.html

Lesson C: Adoption of New Personal Technologies

Wikipedia: Technology Adoption Lifecycle
The technology adoption lifecycle model describes the adoption or acceptance of a new product or innovation, according to the demographic and psychological characteristics of defined adopter groups.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_adoption_lifecycle

Early adopters driving Web 2.0 explosion - The Practical Futurist
Today's Web 2.0 companies would be nowhere without early adopters. They're the ones who will Twitter all day, post to Facebook all night.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22010650

Social Media Early Adopters: Pioneers, Settlers, and Colonists
Blogger Jeremiah Owyang has crunched technology adopters into three categories: pioneers, settlers, and colonists.
http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2008/06/06/social-media-early-adopters-pioneers-settlers-and-colonists/

Wikipedia: Diffusion of Innovations
Diffusion of Innovations is a theory of how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread through cultures.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_of_innovations#The_adoption_process

Roger Clarke's Innovation Diffusion Theory
Clarke describes how a new technological idea, artefact, or technique, or a new use of an old one, migrates from creation to use.
http://www.rogerclarke.com/SOS/InnDiff.html

Lesson D: Technological Convergence

Wikipedia: Technological Convergence
A definition of the term, with some good examples.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_convergence

Welcome to Technological Convergence - The Merging of Previously Separate Technologies is in Full Swing
The video included provides a brief overview of technological convergence.
http://www.technologicalconvergence.com/

Section 3: Personal Technologies: What’s Coming Next?

Lesson A: What Does the Future Hold?
Note: This area is huge and changes all the time. We’ve included a few links but there are hundreds more out there! If you’re interested type technology + future into a search engine and search around yourself!

CNET News: Top 10 Technology Flops
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13555_3-9827095-34.html

PC Magazine: Top 10 Biggest Technology Flops
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2042922,00.asp

Infoworld: Tech's all-time top 25 flops
http://www.infoworld.com/t/platforms/techs-all-time-top-25-flops-558

Photosynth:
Photosynth stitches digital photographs togetherin a 3 dimensional display. Very cool!
http://photosynth.net/Default.aspx
https://www.cnet.com/videos/microsoft-launches-3d-photo-viewer-photosynth/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1162458/photosynth_demo/
https://www.ted.com/talks/blaise_aguera_y_arcas_demos_photosynth

Microsoft Surface:
Microsoft Surface is an interactive tabletop computer that lets users perform computer tasks with their fingertips. Think mall kiosk on steroids! Check out these links showcasing Microsoft Surface.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Surface
https://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_han_demos_his_breakthrough_touchscreen?language=en

Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED):
OLEDs are poised to revolutionize many of our traditional electronic-based devices, lik TVs and computers. Learn more about OLED technology at these sites.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active-Matrix_OLED
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6bkmPjVF-k
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_paper

Groovy & Cool Gadget Sites:
Check out these sites to learn more about new and emerging technologies that may change our lives.
http://www.gizmag.com/
http://www.gizmodo.com/
http://www.engadget.com/
http://www.popgadget.net/
http://www.cnet.com/