How long does a New Year’s resolution last?

It’s a New Year, the time for new beginnings, changes and maybe resolutions. Every year we tend to promise something to ourselves that we don’t usually keep. We say things like “Next year I am going to exercise more or eat healthily or will open that pastry shop that I have been dreaming about”. Newsflash it won’t happen. Most people have broken their promises by now due to different reasons.
The sooner we accept that the faster we can move to the things that we will actually accomplish this year such as spending less time with our families and more on the laptop. More time on Facebook, Twitter, etc. than having real live conversations with the people next to us.

What saddens me is that people prefer virtual contact more and more instead of face to face one. Like it wasn't happening a lot before but now with technology developing everyday it feels like we are going to lose sense of reality. The predictions for 2014 are that the Internet will have a greater reach than the television and most telephone calls will be made via the Internet.

With these tech advancements what can we expect? I would like to focus on the positive side such as having access to the greatest tool on Earth- Information. It is everywhere, you can access it from your pocket,  it’s amazing. Now, calm down. Yes, indeed having access to information everywhere you go is fantastic but as I mentioned in my previous post it makes you use your brain less and less.
However, let’s hope that with the new education reform at least the future generations will have the chance to survive this tech chaos and will speak to their parents not only via Facebook but also in person.

Happy New Year folks!

Is tech making us dumb?

According to a recent research  young people today have worst memory than their parents. Additionally we also have very high levels of forgetfulness which is caused by our high reliance on the Internet.
Nowadays many people see Google as their primary source for information and an addition to their intelligence. This comes as no surprise as we are constantly using our smartphones, tablets etc. more and more on the go as a source of knowledge which prevents us from using our brains.
Imagine the scenario you are on a date and you have a debate over Labour’s position on the education reform. Even if you don’t have a clue who is the education secretary this is nothing to worry about. Google is here to save the day.

Step 1: Excuse yourself to the bathroom. Step 2: Take your smartphone out and run a very quick check on Labour’s position on the education reform. Step 3: Return to the table and show how much smarter you are once your bladder is empty.  Step 4: Change the topic and hope there won’t be any more ‘inappropriate’ questions as your date may end up thinking you have a urinary tract infection and attempt to take you to the hospital. Which will probaly ruin the date.
There is no doubt about our dependence on the Internet. It is a massive part of our generation and for the future ones. What is unfortunate is that the new era of information technology is making us less creative and more muddled.  It has put into place a permanent change in the way our brain maps information, how it retains it, which parts are used how and even the size of the brain is going through a metamorphosis.

Life has become more complex but we hardly ever notice it because technology has made complexity simpler than ever. According to a Harvard researcher “Using Google gives people the sense that the internet has become part of their own cognitive tool set”.
What exactly is going on here? Wasn’t technology, the Net, Google and all other tools supposed to make us smarter?
We are not becoming more stupid. Technology isn’t the villain here. Innovation and creativity won’t die a brutal death. We are just evolving as human beings, we always have. For years, the human brain and the way it functions has remained almost the same. The human brain today is very different from the time man was a hunter-gatherer, but for many years since civilisation it has stagnated.
The truth of the matter is that technology and the information highway is the greatest gift to mankind, nonetheless we should not rely on the internet for everything and must try and use our brains every once in a while.

The Grinch did not steal Christmas, the smartphone did

It’s that time of the year when everybody starts shopping for Christmas gifts for their loved ones. In an attempt to buy the best and beat whatever we bought last year, we forget what is actually important. However, Christmas shopping has become increasingly difficult in the past few years.

If before you were able to get away with buying an alarm clock, a voice recorder, or even a camera, well you can’t do that anymore. The smartphone combines all these functions and even more.

The smartphone in its essence is a general-purpose computer. It can be used to switch lights on and off, to turn on your oven and even to open your garage.  It is pretty obvious that very soon the smartphone will take over any sort of function that can be digitised or computerised.

The classic Christmas gift, books are becoming out of date as well; you can read everything on your phone now. App stores are constantly launching new apps, which makes the smartphone take more and more time of our lives whether for something creative or just to kill time.

Therefore if you are looking to buy a gadget for your loved ones you really need to think well outside the box.  Not to worry there are still loads of sites that would offer you useless gadgets at reasonable prices.

Having said all that, it is not all about giving flashy gifts, Christmas is about being with your family and letting them know how much you appreciate and care about them. Hopefully you don’t do this only once a year but all the time.

More Lady Geeks Please

Women in technology, is it an oxymoron?

The answer should be a big, loud  ‘No’. However, there are still very small numbers of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). In the UK, women make up 49% of labour force and just 17% work in technology.
Considering girls do better than boys in science subjects, for the academic year 2011/2012 only 18% females undertook a technology related course.

The question remains: why don’t women pursue careers in these fields?
According to Paul Breslin, web developer at Dhalco Web Solutions, there are not enough female role models in technology. “There is Dana Wollman, Managing Editor of Engadget and Marissa Mayer, President and CEO of Yahoo but there aren’t many others. It is important that there are more female role models in STEM, so that girls see it as a fitting career. Another thing is the stereotype that IT and web development is a masculine field.”

From a female point of view, Jo Johal, Operations Manager at Dhalco, a web solutions company, thinks: “Women believe that working in tech will mean being in a predominantly male environment. Which will on the other hand make them feel uncomfortable. Another reason is the stereotype that ‘men are better in IT’ which makes females believe that they don’t match the criteria. The third reason, doesn’t come as much of a surprise, women don’t find IT interesting.”

Having more women in STEM is essential. They are often great communicators and life without the dynamic of having a mixture of men and women in the workforce will be boring. Diversity in the workplace is essential for generating great ideas and drive innovation.

The Harvard Business Review has calculated that technology companies with more women on their management teams have 34% higher return of investment. The explanation is simple- diversity. Variety in the work place is important for every industry but it is especially relevant when it comes to technology. Tech is the way people communicate with each other thus tech products must appeal to as many people as possible of both genders. For that, women and men must be in the same room.

All this being said, in Helen Cczerski’s article for The Guardian The view that computers are technology but sewing isn't is a sexist stitch-up, becomes clear that women are more technologically advanced than they think or care to take pride for.

Women and gadgets, must be true love

Gadgets have always been considered to be a male dominated space. Males are assumed to be the ones more interested in the latest smartphone and tablet trends whereas stereotypically women care more about clothes and accessories. The confusion probably comes from the fact that men’s magazines are filled with advertisements about the latest tech, whereas women’s magazines tend to be more focused on shoes. But what is evident is that women buy and use more gadgets than men.

According to a study entitled “Women + Mobile: The Unbreakable Bond” conducted by Time Inc. and Nuance Digital Marketing, 60 per cent of women indicated that the smartphone is the most important device in a woman’s life. It also found out that 87 per cent of the 1200 female participants couldn’t imagine life without their smartphones.

Gadgets are defined by their originality, indulgences and simplicity. Their function can be done manually or by a less flashy and cheaper item but the ultimate reason we use gadgets is the convenience. They can free up time or be fun to use.

Contrary to the popular belief women are more technology advanced and form a huge part of the market. they also have more money to spend on gadgets as they are earning and spending more than ever before. Females account for around 85 per cent of all consumer purchases and they also dominate online shopping.

 

Having said that, why is it that electronics are mainly promoted towards men?

In the rare occasion when tech is actually targeted at women manufacturers tend to overcompensate. For whatever reason they believe that putting some glitter and making it pink will make it a must-have for every female gadget shopper. Women like nice things as much as men do, they don’t go for items that are purported to be “for women”.

Gadgets take up a huge part of both men and women’s life. This tendency will continue to grow in the future. What we could hope for is for less glittery, hello kitty keyboards and tablets and more smart and convenient oriented gadgetry.

Remember

Dear Child,

Remember in life it is hard to determine your future and what will happen to you. You will fall but make sure that there will always be someone who will pick you up. This is your responsibility you need to make sure that you have people that will always watch your back.
One of the hardest things that you will have to do is to find out what you want to do and to do everything in your power to accomplish it. It will be hard, sometimes you will think it is impossible but it is not, you just have to try really hard and to keep trying until you succeed. They say the end justifies the means but not always child. You shouldn't do immoral things to accomplish your dreams and try not to hurt anyone on your way to the top. 
And last but not least remember never to loose the kid inside you. Try to keep a piece of Peter Pan in you even when you are really you old and have kids of your own.

Friend or Foe?

I thought tonight we may have a little discussion on the topic of friendship. A bit trivial but there is always things to say on the matter. 

My teacher was right when she said that a true journalist always wants to write. It was yet another night when my friend Paul and I started talking on serious topics. This time the topic was “friendship.” In his theory you can have a multitude of friends, acquaintances, or colleagues, personified infinitely if you include your social media contacts. However true friends, or BFFs are harder to find and can be counted on one hand, maybe two if you’re fortunate enough.  Ask yourself how many true friends you have and what defines them as true friends.  Also on how many of their lists would you appear? 

What is friendship? This seems an easy question at first, yet the deeper you look, the more criteria unravel individualized to your unique personality: reliable; trustworthy; honest; empathetic; with mirrored emotions such as happy, funny, caring, etc. A true friend is there when you need them as you would be for them, spends quality time with you giving support whilst not judging your mistakes, even if the whole world is against you a friend will stay on your side whilst facing the world. It was Martin Luther King, Jr. who said “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” 

Through the years the term “friendship” has changed a lot depending on what the people are looking for in this particular time period. In ancient Greece for example the topic was widely discussed by Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics. They saw the openness in friendship as an enlargement of the self.

What is interesting to be said here is that according to a study documented in the June 2006 issue of the journal American Sociological Review, Americans are thought to be suffering a loss in the quality and quantity of close friendships since at least 1985. The study states that 25% of Americans have no close confidants and that the average total number of confidants per person has dropped from four to two. What are the reasons behind this decline?

 There’s always the old saying “a friend in need is a friend indeed” which gives the right idea of lot a true friend would do for you.

A friend is someone you can rely on without second thoughts. Someone who is not going to judge despite of what you did. It is someone that will support you and be there for you no matter what, even if the whole world is against you a friend will stay on your side and face the world.

Someone once told me that a friend is that person that you can call at 4 o’clock in the morning advising that you killed someone and he/ she will say “Where are we digging?” Although this is an extreme example the point focuses upon the fact that a true friend will help you in any situation without hesitation or questions. A friend will stay throughout the years and won’t leave after the first difficulties, he/she will stay and hold your hand if you need it. 

Maybe, the idea that a person “always being there for you” is outdated, nowadays friendship may simply be someone that you can drink or talk to.  I guess the best way to describe a friend would be someone you can go to for support whether emotional, physical or spiritual.

What is your definition of a friend?