A computer passed the Turing test.

This is pretty huge. A Computer has passed the Turing test. This test consists of convincing that the computer makes more then 30% of people it interacts with, that the computer is a human and not a computer. The computer made 33% of the people believe that it was indeed a human. This is amazing and scary at the same time. Its amazing that someone has finally be able to make technology so advanced as to convince people its one of them. This is frightening because of the same reason. If computers start being able to do that, its only a matter of time before they start doing more advanced things with it. I am both curious about it but afraid to where it can go and how it could be used. We will just have to wait and see what happens.

Google trying to buy Twitch

A mere one billion dollars is the price I have heard being thrown around for google to purchase Twitch.tv. What could this mean? There have been speculations that google is tryingto eliminate streaming competition. Youtube has streaming qualities  but they are not as popular as twitch for live streaming. Be it stream quality or connectivity or lag issues or quite possibly that youtube got in on the live stream craze too late after twitch became popular and nobody wants to swtich. For those reasons I can see why people are thinking that towards google. Plus, a billion dollars is not a bad price to purchase twitch with but it is an interesting concept that twitch didnt jump on that. We will just have to wait and see what comes of this potential deal.

The popularity of the song Gangnam Style and how it had nothing to do with PSY

Now we have all heard the song Gangnam style, we have all seen the dance done millions of times and at 2 billion views on youtube and counting, we are all know what impact the song has had on the past 2 years. But if I were to say that PSY had nothing to do with its rise in popularity, except the obvious fact that he made the song and the dance, how would you take that?

Just like every viral song or video on youtube, its the people that make the things popular. Being found on youtube and linked millions and millions of times through facebook and other social media platforms allowed the song to travel to all audiences. Its the people that watched the video more then 2 billion times and recreated their own videos with the dance. Its the people that request the song to be played at weddings and other gatherings. Its a phenomenon that the song has become this popular. Now imagine being the one who owns that song and try to made something better then that, because its what the people expect. Good Luck PSY. 

Band Success credited to Social Media Presence

The recently formed band BATTLECROSS(BX) has boomed in popularity over the past couple years in the US metal scene and even in some international locations as well. They now have played in a couple different festivals such as The Rockstar energy drink Mayhem Festival in the US, Rock am Ring, New England Metalfest, and the GwarBque. Many people credit their success to their social media presence through facebook and twitter. Frequently posting and interacting with their fans through these medias really gives bands a connection to their fans in ways that were not possible before. It almost allows for direct communication in which BX is a very active commenter on posts on their page. They even managed to crowdfund half the cost of the Mayhem Festival tour, raising over $25,000 in a months time. Keeping this in mind might give you an advantage if you were looking to start a group of your own.

Livestreaming

Livestreaming is a unique market. Now a days, what I mainly see on places such a twitch.tv is mainly for people playing video games, mainly league of legends, hearthstone, world of warcraft, counter strike, and dota. The people playing these games on livestream can make money while doing so as well. They can have users pay a subscription fee and Streamers can offer subscriber specific content and contests. THey as make money off playing ads during their stream. This kind of makes being a popular streamer a lucrative business for those people. On the extreme end of the spectrum, there is a Korean woman who makes over 9,000 dollars a month streaming herself eating massive meals or 3 hours a day. This is mainly because of Korean cultural aspects that make eating alone kind of looked down upon. If I were to get paid money to do things like this, I definitely think I would be a happy person.

Here is a video with an example of the Korean Woman's meals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3oCKC72DMk

Online Piracy, is it really that bad?

Is online piracy really crippling the music industry? That is the main question I would like to know. It is hard to judge the effects of online piracy because one side is going to inflate stats to favor them over the other. It could just be the recording labels that want the money from the CD purchase, however there have been many artists quoted on praising piracy for the aspects of sharing music as a gift, the ability to access the music if funds are limited, and that over all the places that the fans spend their money would be on shirts, concert tickets, and other band swag that they can get their hands on. Bands and singers such as Slipknot, Jack White, and Lady Gaga.

 "...[Y]ou know how much you can earn off touring, right? Big artists can make anywhere from $50 millon for one cycle of two years' touring. Giant artists make upwards of $100 million. Make music--then tour. It's just the way it is today," Gaga said.

The main bulk of money made is on touring these days. Artists do not sell millions of copies of albums anymore because of the digital age. People buy the songs they want to hear or download them from various torrenting websites. It is easier, faster, and cheaper for us these days because everyone barely has time anymore. So saving a little time and money here and there can really be worth it. Driving to the Best Buy, buying the CD, taking the 30 minutes to get the stupid plastic off of it, driving back home and then finally listening to the album to determine if you like it is time consuming and costs a little more money.

So, is it really the artists that are suffering from this, or is it the record labels wanting to make fat cash stacks?

Gaga quote - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/06/lady-gaga-jack-white-norah-jones-musicians-piracy_n_1258319.html#s666777&title=Neil_Young

Parental Involvement in Online Bullying

Now, what I am going to say about this topic is going to be biased on the count of, I have personally dealt with stuff like this before. I have been bullied and such before and I know it is not fun or enjoyable. Also, I understand the very developmental and difficult times in middle school but, from a personal side of the one being bullied, it is just something you either have to own, ignore, grow a thicker skin, or fight back. Though the options have varied success, just letting the bullies take advantage of you like that is what lets them get off on it. When they feel like they have defeated you is what they strive for. I believe that the reason more kids are being bullied online these days is it is easier, you don't have to confront them face to face, and that children are being coddled by their parents more then ever.

I believe that children are being more coddled in these times is because the parents are overly scared of the outside world. They dont want little Billy to get a scrape or bruise and on the other end of the spectrum, there are more creeps around these days. The only solution is to keep them safe and at home, right? The answer is no. You have to let them experience things as they happen and guide them when they need to talk about it. In Amanda Todd's case, I am not 100% sure on the details, but it seems like they just had her switch school or run away from the problem.That is not how problems get solved.

Also children bully online because it is easier to do, more people can see it, and they dont have to see their face. With the growth of the internet, this is bound to happen. More and more kids are online and have access to many resources. If you have ever stepped foot into an Xbox live Halo lobby, you will know right away that kids are much different online. The amount of vulgarity that spews from some of their mouths is outrageous. Posting it on facebook for everyone to see is not much different. They are trying to display dominance and by allowing them to control and dominate you only empowers them. There is noting more unfun to a bully then not getting a response.

Coming off my soap box; yes, what happened to Amanda Todd is a travesty. I am not saying she did the wrong thing or the right thing. There could have been many other ways to deal with this. Involving schools seems a little overboard and invading on privacy. Online or not, people will
get bullied. Enforcing stricter punishments won't solve the bullying problem. The only way to help the situation is to talk to the kids and see what they have to say instead of making all the decisions for them based on parental complaints. It will help kids learn how to deal with this issue and cold possibly prevent further events of this happening because the kids will know the effects of it. However; for now, straight out suspending or expelling a kid for bullying seems like a little much.