Buttons B'Gone!

Session 5:

While writing the abstract for my group paper on touch screen technologies, I’ve grown to appreciate my iPhone even more.  Its sleek physique and nicely-sized screen were the first two features that caught my eye when I saw it on the Apple website.  Its touch-screen QWERTY keyboard was far cooler than my previous multi-tap phone, allowing my finger to do all the navigating on the phone.  The iPhones quickly flew off the shelves of stores as a long line formed outside of the store days before the launch date.  Everyone else had to wait for months for the arrival of their iPhone in the mail, sadly, I was one of those fools.  It was all worthwhile as this single device has eliminated the need for me to carry around other miscellaneous items.  Gone was the need to carry around a camera, GPS, iPod, PDA, or even a laptop. 

Most recently, I went to work and came lunch time, my team lunch was rescheduled and I realized that I’d left my wallet at home.  Wishing that I had some instant noodles stashed away in my desk drawer as I didn’t want to resort to drinking sodas to hold my hunger over… I had an “Aha!” moment when I remembered that I had a Chipotle app on my phone.  Using my phone, I was able to place and pay for my burrito bowl with a special request of extra lettuce, to be picked up at the closest location.  What do you dread most when you walk into a Chipotle restaurant at lunch time?  The long line that is often wrapped around the store.  I, having placed my order via a Chipotle iPhone app, was allowed to walk past the long line of hungry people and straight to the pick-up window to grab my order.

Another perk of having an iPhone: being able to snap photos of the most random things to show your friends via text.  Check this out :

Which car caught your attention first?

Self Diagnosis

With the internet being at our fingertip's reach, there is a plethora of information available to us, allowing us to google just about anything. 

A friend of mine sent this to me:

I’ve been guilty of this on many occasions.

Tweet, Tweet!!

Session 4:

There may have been other social network websites in the past, but MySpace was one of the very first ones to make it big.  MySpace has since died down and taken over by a variety of other similar social networking-type of websites, such as Facebook, twitter, and blogs.  I admit to jumping on the bandwagon for each one of these, as I had a MySpace account and currently have a Facebook, twitter, and blogging account.  These types of websites have grown immensely in popularity and are used in other ways than just socializing, such as advertising and promotions.  I don’t see the harm in participating in this social networking madness, as long as you use it responsibly.

In addition to subscribing/following my friends as a way of keeping in touch with those I no longer see as often, I have the option of subscribing to celebrities and reality stars that I watch on television.  It gives me an opportunity to look into the flashy life of a celebrity by reading their status updates, tweets, and blog entries, as it’s different from just watching them on television.  These social networking websites enables you to see the world through their eyes, read into their thoughts, and respond to specific entries, and if you’re lucky enough, you’ll get a response.  Of course I don't bother responding to their posts, so I just go about moseying around reading all their posts among millions of other fans. 

I am a huge fan of celebrity gossip and reality television shows.  It may be trashy, low budget shows to some people, but I find them to be quite entertaining and I follow some of these people on the previously mentioned social networking websites.  Yes, I follow each one of the Kardashians on Twitter, don’t judge me.  It’s pretty neat to be able to read about what these stars are up to or what they’re thinking about while I go about with my very normal life.

Have you been tweeting?

Just Another Monday

Requirements Specifications Doc...zzZZzz...What?

Just one of those days, I’m sure you all can relate.

NFC Here, NFC There, NFC Everywhere!

It seems as though ever since I replied to the discussion thread (and wrote a blog post) on Near Field Communication (NFC) last week, it's been popping up everywhere. That or I've subconsciously made a point to keep an eye out for those things. Suddenly, they’re popping up in ads of websites I visit and people everywhere are using them.  It’s been two weeks; I’ve encountered the Square and Google Wallet being used on two separate instances. 

First NFC encounter: Over the weekend as I was walking into Michael’s Arts & Crafts (yes, I enjoy browsing through the aisles of craft stores and am interested in taking on knitting, don’t judge me) store when I noticed that the man standing outside the store who was selling flowers to those coming in and out of Michael’s was holding an iPad with a Square attached to it.  I guess he now accepts cash and major credit cards.  That means that I can’t use the excuse “sorry, I don’t have any cash on me” anymore when a stranger standing outside a store approaches me with flowers asking me if I want to buy any.    

Second NFC encounter: I was shopping at Macy's a few days ago when I noticed that there was a reader device attached to the credit card swiping machine and a small sign advertising that they now accept Google Wallet as a form of payment.  I’m assuming that your Google Wallet account would be linked to your Macy’s card as their employees are often seen peer pressuring customers into applying or using their Macy’s card to pay for their purchases, telling them that they really do need another store card and promising that it really is better than what their competitors offer.  I am proud to say that I haven’t given into their peer-pressuring and do not hold a Macy’s store card.

It’s quite convenient, isn’t it?  To be able to charge things to your credit card in places you weren’t able to before (like at a random curbside) or be able to pay for things with a wave of your phone instead of having to whip out your wallet.  The Girl Scouts who sell their cookies outside of grocery stores should take notice of this new technology concept, as it would probably bring up their sales.  I know there have been a handful of times when I’ve been disappointed because I didn’t have enough cash on hand to buy their cookies.  It’s a bad feeling to be perked up at the sight of a Girl Scout cookie booth on your way out of the grocery store only to realize that you’re a few dollars short of scoring yourself a box of those delicious thin mints.  If you’re a Girl Scout reading this, get the Square.

Behold, the Google Wallet reader.

I Owe Who How Much???

Session 3:

I was able to relate to this week’s discussion thread topic on the abundance of personal information made available on the internet.  The internet has made it easier now than ever before for anyone to dig up information about anyone with a simple click of a mouse.  Multitudes of websites provide outlets to such information, from social networks like www.facebook.com to people search engines like www.spokeo.com.  No major effort is required on behalf of the person looking for information, as he or she could be clicking away while wearing their pajamas in the comfort of their own home at anytime of the day.  I was surprised to see what information that came up when I searched my name on the Spokeo website.  Though not all of the information posted on the website was correct, I was still unhappy about all the information conveniently linked to my name, as it's an invasion of my privacy.  I opted to have my profile removed from future searches via the Privacy feature at the bottom of the page.  I don’t appreciate having complete strangers know so much personal detail about my life and I especially don’t appreciate having a bird’s eye view of where I live on display for everyone to see. 

I have been a victim of identity theft not once, but twice, and I believe that the free range of information out there on the internet about anyone and everyone is to blame.  It makes it easier for crooks to access the information needed to steal identities for monetary gain.  My first identity theft experience consisted of a couple in Florida who were able to use my personal identification information to apply for a Walmart credit card and used it to purchase a ridiculous amount of stuff.  Of course I didn’t know about the charges until after the charges have been forwarded to a collection agency.  Boy was I surprised to find out that I owed over $900 for items purchased at a Walmart in Florida.  That’s funny, because at the time, I hadn’t even been to Florida.  In fact, the furthest south I’d been at the time was Richmond, VA for school (I live in Alexandria, VA).  My second experience was when I noticed a $70 Office Max charge on my credit card statement a few months ago.  I don't even have an Office Max store located within a 50 mile proximity of where I live.  I called Office Max to inquire about the charge and it turns out that I apparently purchased a check writer via telephone catalog order and had it shipped to Mississippi.  What would I even do with a check writer...and I don't even know a single soul who live in Mississippi.  Ugh.  I managed to straighten it all out in the end of both instances, but it required for me to make a lot of phone calls and wasted a lot of time being put on hold.  It sure wasn’t a stroll in the park on a sunny day.

New Technology for the Current Time

This week, I learned about the different types of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.  Though I've never heard of it before this week, I've used a form of NFC and didn't even know it.  As mentioned in the discussion thread, I mentioned the Starbucks app that I've downloaded onto my iphone that I have linked to my credit card to use as a form of payment at the store when waved at a reading device.  I love it as it also keeps track of my loyalty stars, so that I am able to redeem my free drink after every 15 purchased drinks.  There is something about reaching "gold status" and seeing stars fall into my loyalty jar after every purchased drink that makes me want to buy just a few more to be able to redeem that free drink.  I try not to think how much I had to spend to get that free drink, because it sort of ruins the fun. 

A thread response of a classmate brought up a concept of the "Square", which was a device that attaches to an iphone or ipad at the earphone plug that enables the device to process credit card transactions.  Several weeks ago, a friend of mine who is lucky enough to have food trucks come by her workplace during lunch time, told me about such a device, but I had no idea what it was called or what it looked like.  It turns out that the "Square" that my classmate was referring to was the same device that the food trucks used to process credit card payments.  Fascinated, I did some researching on other forms of NFC, I found out about the "Google Wallet".  The "Google Wallet" is exactly what it sounds like, a virtual wallet whose concept is similar to that of Starbucks'.  It manages loyalty cards and credit card information that can be used as a method of payment, though it is only compatible with Citi Mastercard and Google pre-paid cards.  This is definitely not rocket science, but never would I have thought years ago that a concept like this would be made possible.  Now when I see it used out in public, I'll know what it is, what it's used for, and tell people that it's all part of this new, spreading technology called Near Field Communication.  =)