Discussion Post: Week 10

Hello again, everyone! I’m looking forward to Persuasive Presentation I, which will begin this week. Please remember that you need to upload your typed, full-sentence outline to SafeAssign at least 48 hours before the class period in which you’re scheduled to present — for those of you who will be presenting Tuesday of this week, that means your outline should be submitted by 4:30 p.m. today, so be sure you get it done!

Also, I noticed that there have still been few replies to last week’s spring break post. However, that post will remain open until midnight tonight, so you can still add your contribution if you hurry.

We’ll start this week where we ended the last one: the NCAA basketball tournament. Let’s continue to delve a little deeper into the subject than just Purdue’s chances. A large part of public speaking is being able to draw and retain your audience’s attention, and every year, “March Madness” captivates a substantial portion of the nation. What do you think is the reason for this fascination? Do you think that we’re more or less drawn to the big dance than we are to other similar sporting events, such as the College World Series? What do you see as the reason for any disparity in our interest?

One possibility is that we love the thrill of the upset, when the underdog triumphs over the dominant favorite. We had some big upsets in the round of 64, but nothing quite as shocking, for instance, as Coppin State’s 1997 win over South Carolina, Villanova’s 1985 championship, or George Mason’s 2006 Final Four run. However, some believe that upsets aren’t really a surprise based on performance forecasting models like AccuScore, and others claim that the phenomenon has lost its luster over the years. (To reference the latter article, two of my own brackets correctly predicted the Richmond upset. I’m not telling how many brackets I have, but it’s fewer than 2⁶³.) What do you think about our perspective on upsets? How about other unique statistics, like Michigan piling up the all-time largest margin of victory in an 8-9 matchup and becoming the first team to win an NCAA tournament game without making any free throws?

On a much different note, considering that the tournament takes up a significant part of the academic semester and is given great importance by the public as well as participating universities (which tend to receive more alumni donations following a successful tournament appearance), how do you think that the players juggle their athletics as well as their studies? For that matter, how do student-athletes of any sport handle the competing obligations? Do you think that participating in college athletics is detrimental to academic performance, or alternatively, does life as a student-athlete foster added knowledge and skills? What about other students, or employees in the workforce?

As an aside, are there any other Comcast customers among those of you watching the tournament? If so, whether you love Comcast or hate it, you have to at least be thankful that they carry TruTV. I suppose that’s another topic of interest — what do you think of the new 14-year agreement that will split tournament games between CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV? Are you happy to be able to watch all the tournament games live instead of being subject to one network’s whim of which game is most exciting at any given moment? Or is it a hassle having to find lesser-used channels and actively determine which game you should be watching at any given moment?

Keeping with the sports theme for now, an NFL lockout looks increasingly likely from week to week. In the wake of the NFLPA’s decertification, Goodell is taking the risky step of directly contacting players, circumventing the organization that he is implying no longer has any authority in this matter. It’s possible that this will be enough to connect both parties and start moving toward a mutual agreement. It’s also possible, as Farrar noted in the above linked article, that this might destroy any trust that remains between the players and owners. Do you think this was a good move by Goodell, or was it a mistake that he’ll later regret? What do you think will happen as the negotiations (or lack thereof) continue? For that matter, how does all of this affect third parties such as NFL employees and even video game developers?

Let’s look back to the big ongoing world events. Japan’s nuclear crisis has grown to frightening proportions, with its government trying to restore but also considering burying the affected plan to limit the immediate danger. Traces of the fallout have already reached California, although it is believed that it is too minor to cause harm stateside. Nonetheless, the Air Quality Management District is now offering daily radiation level updates, just in case. More substantive local effects from this crisis include higher oil and technology prices (Apple’s also facing a possible shortage of iPad 2 components), overall economic instability, and even early challenges for President Obama’s re-election campaign. Before-and-after images of Japan are rather astonishing, although it’s rather hard to beat the revelation that the country’s coastline moved eight feet as a result of the earthquake that started this catastrophe. The quake even made St. Louis shake. What should world leaders doabout the continuing disaster, and why? Should we be donating to relief efforts, as Ichiro Suzuki did in spades on Friday, or would we be wise to save our money? Do you see this changing future policies relating to building construction, coastline restrictions, nuclear power, or anything else?

In a dramatic turn of events, on Thursday the U.N. authorized military strikes against Libyan forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi. Shortly thereafter, the Libyan government declared a ceasefire, but rebel forces quickly disputed the claim, protesting that the attacks only continued. I’ll spare you extensive explanation of the situation, as we’ve already discussed the background over the past several weeks, but what are your thoughts on these most recent developments? Do you trust Libya’s ceasefire claim, or is it just political posturing by Gadhafi and his forces? How do you see international intervention, if any, proceeding? What are your thoughts on Obama’s Friday address to the nation? What do you think about his approach to Libya? How will the possible commitment of military forces to the region affect governmental support for Japan? Is Libya ultimately headed toward civil war, as some in our class have previously suggested? Will a ceasefire or international pressure defuse the situation? Or will bringing more nations into the conflict only push it to a regional or global scale?

It’s also becoming increasingly difficult to ignore Yemen, as its government has declared a state of emergency after at least 30 people were killed in a Friday crackdown on anti-government protests. This might be less disturbing if they had been mere consequences of chaotic clashes between protesters and officers, but the deaths instead appear to have been coordinated, strategic sniper killings. Where do you see the Yemen crisis moving? Can the violence be curtailed and a peaceful solution found, or is escalating violence inevitable? Bringing it all together, what do you see in all these overlapping world crises (and, in particular, the violence)? Is this largely a case of one revolution inspiring another in turn, or is there some common cause that is inspiring unrest throughout the Middle East? Will all of these coalesce into one major war, or will they remain as separate intranational conflicts? As a worst-case scenario — the question has to be asked — do you see all of these things as a beginning stage preceding an apocalyptic event, such as that which some believe will come in 2012?

(Yes, I just cited Wikipedia. It’s a blog; different standards apply. Feel free to discuss that conjecture, as well!)

Okay, we need to close on a lighter note this week. Reporter Ben Higgins was covering San Diego State’s first-ever NCAA tournament victory Thursday night when an SUV almost hit him.

What? I said almost. It’s still a light note.

It’s not yet clear what the driver was thinking. As you can tell from the video, it’s hard to imagine that the driver didn’t see Higgins, especially given the pace at which the SUV was moving and the fact that one would generally at least glance backward when reversing a vehicle. Nonetheless, as blogger Chris Chase aptly noted, “He finished the report! The guy was just saved from an over-sized SUV and managed to finish his sentence and barely breaks a stride.”

Truly, anything can happen when you’re giving a presentation. There will be time to dwell on it afterward. In the moment, the best thing you can do is forget about it and keep on moving forward. If you can deal with external interference as serious as this and still finish the job without a hitch, like Higgins did here, you’ll just look awesome.

Other articles of interest:
Netflix Watch Instantly: A Sea Change for TV
PS3 jailbreaker claims Sony is misleading the courts
Optometrists: Nintendo 3DS could ID vision issues
3DS review hardware: why the 3D slider is the best thing ever
Gene therapy ‘treats’ Parkinson’s disease
Reality TV and the SAT: Did students miss the point of the essay question?
‘American Idol’ ratings fall to season low: What’s to blame?
How Did 50 Female Celebrities Get Hacked?
Diet Coke Wins Battle in Cola Wars
Fed Completes Stress Tests
Oops! Wrong prince appears on royal wedding souvenir
Newt Gingrich cries foul over Obama’s NCAA tournament picks
Luis Salazar loses eye, but Braves say he still has a job waiting
Rare double disqualification leaves national event without champion

Discussion Post: Week 9

Hi, all! It’s time for the bonus spring break edition of the COM 315 Course Blog!

As a reminder, please remember to submit your Persuasive Presentation I outline via the SafeAssign link at least 48 hours before the class period in which you’re scheduled to present. Feel free to send me a note if you have any questions about the process, and I’ll be happy to talk it over with you.

Let’s start internationally again this week. Fighting in Libya has only continued, without the promise of a happy ending that the Egyptian revolution held just a few short weeks ago. Moammar Gadhafi’s forces have turned the tide against the rebellion, retaking Zawiya from insurgents who took it from the military in the closing days of February. While this marks a victory for Gadhafi’s military, though, the Arab League is now calling for a no-fly zone over Libya, supporting earlier European proposals on the subject. The argument over implementation continues, however, as some claim that international intervention poses great risks, including the possibility of an “anti-Western backlash”, as Defense Secretary Robert Gates noted. President Obama has yet to clarify his position on the matter, but the United Nations is already moving to investigate human rights violations in the war-torn country. In the meantime, many analysts say that Libya is only descending further into chaos, speculation which is only worsened by past brutality and further damage to the Libyan oil industry. What are your thoughts on the direction this war is heading? What do you think about the reaction from the international community?

Our global focus this week goes beyond Libya, as Japan is currently facing its own crises. A deadly earthquake and tsunami combination on Friday was followed by speculation of a nuclear catastrophe. Aftershocks from the 8.9-magnitude earthquake (some measurements are closer to 9.1) have slowed relief efforts, and current estimates have the death toll anywhere from 686 to over 900. The international turmoil is affecting worldwide investment, as well. How well is Japan coping with these tragedies? Do you think that the recent events will have trade ramifications, as well (such as in the automobile and technology sectors), or will the nation be able to keep its international partnerships strong amidst these crises? For that matter, how will this change how the international community views nuclear power, and what effects will that ultimately have on energy as a whole?

Turning to technology news, Netflix has been a topic of particular interest over the past week, with Facebook following Amazon into the digital rental market. Warner Bros. will be starting its Facebook-hosted rental service with The Dark Knight available for 30 Facebook credits (equivalent to $3), which some speculate is an attempt by the movie and cable industries to take back some of their lost market share from the corporation. Netflix sudden defenseless appearance has many investors considering short selling their shares. What do you think about Netflix’s market position? Can the company recover its dominance, or are its competitors gaining too much ground? How will these developments affect the movie rental experience and industry in the near future?

Perhaps Steve Jobs’ absence is affecting Apple more than we might have suspected. Friday’s iPad 2 launch was, according to one analyst, “a debacle from top to bottom,” and Apple’s shipping estimates have suddenly jumped from 3-5 days to 2-3 weeks, even as AT&T is already shipping the tablet to consumers. Of course, this is at least partly due to high demand, which makes sense when one considers the speed and graphical improvements from the original iPad. (Manhattan Community College student Amanda Foote sold the first spot in line at her local Apple store for $900.) Still, we’re not seeing unanimously positive reviews, as some claim that there were not enough improvements from the first iPad, while others have noticed some of the same screen problems that plagued previous Apple products. What are your thoughts on Apple’s latest tech toy and last week’s less-than-perfect launch?

Space Shuttle Discovery landed for the final time just before noon on Wednesday, ending its 13-day mission at the Kennedy Space Center. Only the Endeavour and Atlantis launches remain on NASA’s schedule of manned space flights, with Endeavour’s launch scheduled for April 19. With the shuttles bound to spend the rest of their days in museums, it’s still unclear exactly where each of the three will go, but we can be sure that their flying days will be over once their respective missions are complete. How do you feel about the 30-year shuttle program coming to an end? What are your thoughts about the history of Discovery, with its 365 days of flight, and its ending, comically enough, with a performance by Star Trek’s William Shatner?

If you’re a big football fan, you’ve certainly been following the negotiations between players and owners and have already heard that the NFL Players’ Association dissolved on Friday. That places the 2011 NFL season in serious jeopardy. Executives Roger Goodell and Jeff Pash have slashed their own salaries to $1 for the duration of the lockout, although some are calling it nothing more than a public relations ploy. No one seems to know how long the negotiation stalemate will continue, and the lockout’s effects extend to all parties employed by the league or its teams as the $9 billion business is effectively halted. What do you think about this struggle? Is this merely a case of greed by one or both of the involved parties, or do both have legitimate claims here? How do you think it will play out (or not), and what will be the short- and long-term ramifications of the lockout?

Since we’re talking about sports, I would be remiss to neglect the coming NCAA basketball tournament. Many of you will likely be watching the Selection Sunday broadcast on CBS later today, but Purdue’s strong standing in the big dance is suddenly in doubt. Do you think that the Boilermakers’ recent slips will hurt the team’s seeding, or will its strong overall resume provide a more forceful argument? How do you see our momentum loss affecting the chances for a tournament run? What are your thoughts on the new 68-team field, effectively creating a 17th seed? Does it do enough (or too much) to give more teams a chance? Do you think that speculation of seven Big Ten teams making tournament bids might be accurate? What do you think about murmurs of 11 Big East teams?

That’s all for this extra week of the blog. Once again, feel free to post about any of the above or below stories, or make your own post for this week. Enjoy your break, and I’ll see you when we return to class for Persuasive Presentation I!

Other articles of interest:
Winnetka woman on quest to meet her 300-plus Facebook friends this year
Ahead of the 2012 campaign, states debate voting rights
Democratic senators, returned to Capitol, get boisterous welcome
Violence undermines conciliation between Yemeni ruling party, opposition
March 19 ‘Supermoon’ May Cause Moonquakes, Scientist Says
Alec Baldwin Tells Charlie Sheen to ‘Beg for Your Job Back’
Researcher chains three exploits to take down IE8 at Pwn2Own
Government can get records from Twitter for WikiLeaks probe, judge rules
Twitter to developers: enough with the third-party apps
No!: PAX East attendees pitch game ideas (and get shot down)
‘Medical home’ idea deemed a success
Purdue still hosts ‘Shuttle Gum’ trees from astronauts

EDIT: Well, it looks like one of my questions has been answered. Purdue will be playing as the #3 seed against Saint Peter’s in the southwest region.

Discussion Post: Week 8

Another week down as we move toward our persuasive presentations! Please note the announcements sent over Blackboard mail regarding this week as well as the next presentation, and be sure to send me your topic for Persuasive Presentation I no later than this Tuesday.

The Libyan revolution continued throughout the week with fierce conflicts and significant bloodshed as opposition forces faced Moammar Gadhafi’s military. By the best estimates, a total of 37 fighters were killed in the most recent skirmish in Zawiya, but Gadhafi seems to be having limited success in reclaiming territory from the rebellion. However, one of the battle’s casualties was Hussein Darbouk, a renegade colonel who defected from Gadhafi’s troops and served as a leading rebel commander. The deadlock has lasted nearly three weeks at this point, with Gadhafi maintaining control over the capital but the rebellion refusing to yield nearby territories. Competing gains by the two sides are beginning to suggest the development of civil war in Libya. The U.S., for its part, is sanctioning and applying military pressure on the ‘delusional’ Kadhafi; the Libyan government has since lobbied to have those sanctions lifted, but the UN has yet to rule on the request. In the meantime, Gadhafi remains unable to access $32 billion in frozen assets, and Libya’s international relations with foreign organizations have grown increasingly strained. Libya’s internet was throttled on Thursday through a new technique that has halted web traffic, much like what we saw from the recent Egyptian revolution, but while technically keeping the country’s servers running. If you’re interested in following the events a bit more closely, BBC is providing a veritable play-by-play of each major conflict. What do you think about the ongoing conflict and its relationship with other protests and battles throughout the Middle East? Do you foresee the Libyan revolution ending the same way that Hosni Mubarak’s reign ended in Egypt, or are we moving in another direction? How do you think the most recent developments will affect the region (see, for example, Saudi Arabia’s proclamation that “demonstrations won’t be tolerated“)?

Let’s momentarily switch back to the Egyptian revolution. The country has just appointed Essam Sharaf prime minister, replacing Ahmed Shafiq, a member of the former regime whom ousted president Mubarak appointed to the role. If Sharaf’s name sounds familiar to you, it may be because you’ve seen his name listed among Purdue’s alumni. What do you think about the choice of Sharaf, an alumnus of our university, as the new head of this troubled country? Should we expect any special connections to be drawn between Purdue and Egypt under Sharaf’s rule, or are such ideas premature? How will he deal with continued unrest, such as fears that documents detailing human rights abuses will be destroyed? And how will the events in Egypt and Libya affect the rest of the Middle East and the global community?

In less violent news, NASA has extended space shuttle Discovery’s mission by two days, bringing it ever closer to spending a full year in space. Space shuttle Endeavor is also being primed for its final mission, even as Discovery continues its orbit. Under the circumstances, though, many astronauts’ attention is turning to a “new era” in space exploration and politicians are calling for a “new space strategy” for the U.S. Even NASA’s track record is far from perfect, of course, as the Glory satellite launch failed on Friday. It is believed that the rocket crashed into the Pacific Ocean due to a malfunction in its protective cover. In light of the “end of an era,” how do you see the future of space exploration? Will it be a bright future, or one in which we instead look fondly on the past?

On the political side, President Barack Obama moved to save his landmark health care legislation from Supreme Court challenges last week, permitting states to enact their own alternatives provided that their plans fulfill the core objectives of his law and do not weaken its provisions. Nonetheless, a number of states are moving forward with lawsuits against the government claiming that the new law is unconstitutional; the results of those suits are as divided as the nation’s opinion on the new measures. In the meantime, U.S. District Court Judge Roger Vinson issued a stay on his previous ruling to halt the implementation of “Obamacare,” but that stay is contingent on the government appealing his ruling by March 11. Some analysts, in looking at the tone of Vinson’s order, believe that he is furious at the government’s apparent willful ignorance of his previous order. What are your thoughts on the ongoing legal battle and on the law itself? How are the states and the federal government positioning themselves in their argumentation? For that matter, who’s winning the argument?

Elsewhere in the political realm, Wisconsin’s government has all but shut down, as 14 Democratic senators are hiding in Illinois to stymie a budget repair bill that has prompted nationwide debate over the elimination of collective bargaining rights for public workers. While Gov. Scott Walker initially invited lawmakers to return, he eventually threatened to fire 1,500 Wisconsin workers if they remained absent. The firing process has now begun. With protesters dwindling and the rogue senators the only thing keeping this bill from passing, Walker is now moving to hold them in contempt if they do not return to their positions. If that happens, the senators would be subject to arrest if they even set foot in the state. How do you view the heavy-handed measures by both sides in this legislative conflict? What effect do you think this will have on the overall political spectrum — or is it merely a symptom of a broader political dynamic?

Finally, for any hoops fans out there, it’s been an unusual week of high school and college basketball. A big win by Louisville over 4th-ranked Pittsburgh was placed in jeopardy by, of all things, a cheerleader. The unsuspecting squad member celebrated what seemed to be a game-sealing dunk at the end of overtime by grabbing the game ball and tossing it in the air. Just one problem: there were still three-tenths of a second on the clock. His technical foul ultimately was not enough to save Pittsburgh, as Louisville escaped with a 62-59 victory, but scores of fans immediately called for his suspension or expulsion from the cheer squad. Louisville coach Rick Pitino himself joked that “The male cheerleader is coming to an end.” What do you think about the cheerleader’s mistake? Should he be punished for interfering with the competition, or is everyone taking the game a bit too seriously? For that matter, how do you feel about Pitino’s jab at the role of male cheerleaders?

In a far more somber basketball story… well, this time I’ll just give you a quote.

Tragedy struck Western Michigan on Thursday night when Fennville (Mich.) High basketball star Wes Leonard hit a game-winning shot in a 57-55, overtime victory over Bridgman (Mich.) High, then collapsed on the court while celebrating the victory and was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly thereafter.
(Source: Prep Rally)

Fennville’s perfect 20-0 season ended in an autopsy, which revealed that Leonard died from cardiac arrest related to an enlarged heart. Fennville has yet to decide whether or not it will participate in the Class C district playoffs on Monday. I won’t probe on particular questions here, because I’m sure that if you hold an interest in this story, you already have plenty of thoughts of your own to offer.

Other articles of interest:
Serene Branson returns to the red carpet two weeks after Grammy scare
Tiny spy planes could mimic birds, insects
Google rivals both win & lose in search tweak
Websites to Google: ‘You’re killing our business!’
Facebook will soon share users’ phone numbers and addresses with 3rd parties
Gmail disruption sends some users calling for backup
Week in Apple: iPad 2 finally makes its debut, iOS 4.3 coming soon
AT&T Tweaks Data Plan for iPad 2
Apple Said to Negotiate Unlimited Music Downloads, Providing Free Backup
Is Amazon Moving Towards Free Kindles?
Nintendo 3DS: Nearly Sold Out in Japan?
Judge Lets Sony Unmask Visitors to PS3-Jailbreaking Site
Five things you never knew about Pac-Man
Anonymous vs. HBGary: the aftermath
Mass. company making diesel with sun, water, CO2
If You Want 40 M.P.G., You’ll Shift for Yourself
Iran threatens London boycott over ‘racist’ Olympic logo
Oil’s rise to 2-1/2 year high ignites inflation fears
Who Owns the U.S.?
Past medical testing on humans revealed
Air travelers may have been exposed to measles
Taco Bell launches ad blitz to combat beefs about its beef (Yes, I put this right below the “measles” article, mostly for laughs.)
Cubs Open PA Announcer Job To Fans
Greg McElroy almost aced the Wonderlic. Is he too smart for the NFL?
Charlie Sheen Demands $3 Million Per Episode
WordPress Hit By Massive DDoS Attacks

Discussion Post: Week 7

Welcome back to the blog! We had some good presentations this week, and I’m looking forward to seeing the last few on Tuesday. Keep that energy going!

On a side note, if you accidentally post on the blog for another section of COM 315, that’s totally fine. Just let me know, and I’ll be sure to give you credit for participating in the blog discussion for the week. (And hey, if you want to willfully engage in that discussion as well, that’s fine too! I’m sure the other instructors will appreciate the activity.)

With that said, let’s get to our discussion! First, there were some significant changes made this week to two of the most prominent internet search engines. Google took action against “crummy content,” trying to reduce artificial increases in content farms’ page rank. Bing is making a much more visible change, incorporating “Likes” by Facebook friends into its algorithm in an attempt to take advantage of the social networking movement and strike back in the search engine battle. Google is hardly done yet, however, as it is working to unveil a recipe search feature to help the chefs and wannabes among us. What do you think about the duel between search engines? Which of these most recent moves do you think is most advantageous? Bing has been gaining market share, little by little; can Microsoft keep it going, or will its growth be short-lived?

In gaming news, Sony really, really doesn’t want you hacking the PS3. Police, along with Sony executives, recently paid a visit to the home of one console hacker, graf_chokolo, who promptly retaliated by voicing his disgust on Twitter and uploading his databases of hacked information to the internet. Sony subsequently sued the hacker and demanded that he remove the links to his databases, an order with which he has complied — who knows how many people already downloaded his files, though. What are your thoughts about this conflict? Do you think that Sony has a right to be angry about the hacking, or is tinkering inevitable when you release a technological product? Was the ultimate reaction by both parties appropriate? And will the sudden PSP price drop to $130 make people forget all about the legal battle?

After some Friday heat shield check-ups, the U.S. space shuttle Discovery is now docked at the International Space Station for the 13th and final time. This 11-day endeavor is mostly a delivery assignment, with two spacewalks planned as well. By the time it’s over, Discovery will have spent just two days short of a year in space since 1984. What are your thoughts on the end of NASA missions (here’s NASA’s 2011 schedule, if you’re interested) and the most recent developments in Discovery’s tale?

Since there was some interest in the education topic last week, I promised we’d continue thinking about some of the same issues during our discussion this week. In week 2, I linked an article about a recent study which indicates that there are limited learning outcomes from higher education. This has been generating a lot of buzz among scholars and the public, both of whom are looking for reasons behind the problem and ways to fix it. First, since Ji Hyeon had some concerns about the validity of the study’s measures, do you think that learning outcomes really are limited, or are you skeptical of the findings? If there are any such inadequacies, what, if anything, can be done to make a positive change? (Note that the last article I linked also has a great discussion section, rather like our blog, that helps to extend the article. I recommend checking out what those readers have to say.)

Finally, if you thought that Egypt’s leadership change would have no effects outside the country, you were wrong. Libya in particular has erupted in violence as international pressure on Colonel Moammar Gadhafi to step down from his leadership position increases. Most nations with citizens in Libya are frantically working to evacuate them, and the U.S. is taking somewhat more direct action against the Libyan government through sanctions and talks with nearby world leaders. For his part, Gadhafi ordered retaliation by force against the mobs calling for his ouster, and he claims that protesters are merely hallucinating due to spiked milk, coffee, and Nescafe. Elsewhere, Tunisia’s interim government has announced that it will hold democratic elections no later than July, and protesters in Yemen are dramatically growing in number. China has restored access to LinkedIn — it initially blocked the site to prevent other countries’ social unrest from being seen — while Tahrir Square, the site of some of Egypt’s biggest recent protests, is now its biggest tourist attraction, bringing to mind thoughts of China’s Tienanmen Square incident just a few decades ago.

As always, you can use the above discussion or the below links as inspiration for your posts, or you can make a blog post of your own, if you’d prefer. (To make your own post, log into your WordPress account, and through the gray bar at the top of the screen, select My Blogs -> COM 315 Course Blog -> New Post.) I look forward to seeing what you think this week!

Other articles of interest:
Why IBM’s Watson is good news for government
MySpace’s relative stability in mobile usage attracts potential buyers
Apple to host event, iPad 2 in the wings
Apple’s Lala purchase appears to have been “insurance”
Verizon iPhone 4 (Consumer Reports Review)
Mobile device etiquette keeps going down the drain, survey finds
Retailers clamoring to buy your old phones
The $200 Microhouse
18 fun facts about Social Security numbers
Nebraska man cited in naked joyride
Blagojevich Charges Dropped: Judge Agrees To Drop 3 Of 23 Charges Against Former Illinois Governor
Ancient megadroughts preview warmer climate: study