Technology Thoughts

The Importance of Being A Well Rounded Technologist

Everyone working in IT has heard it before: “You’re in the right field.” or “You’re in the right place at the right time, IT is booming.”  There’s no doubt that IT is in fact the place to be in today’s world. School of Information Studies Professor Anthony Rotolo recently tweeted: #NewRule: It is no longer acceptable to say, “I’m not a technology person.”

The truth is, you’re a technologist if you know how to use your iPhone, if you can’t live without your laptop, and if you check social media more than you’d like to admit, you’re a technology person.

While it’s important to find your niche in the vast field of IT, it’s also important to be well-rounded. Not only do well-rounded technologists stand out in a pile of resumes, but you’ll be able to do, make, code, and organize projects that weren’t even thought of five years ago. Part of IT is always thinking of the next best thing. Being knowledgeable about code, design, organization, development, and testing are all key parts of being a knockout in the tech world.

Talk The Talk

IT is filled with protocols and acronyms that are constantly thrown around. “Did you set up the FTP client? Make sure there’s an SSL certificate on the site and don’t let the DNS server fail under any circumstances.” For people outside of IT, these letters are alphabet soup among other mind-boggling concepts. For an average person, going on the Internet is just opening a web browser. But for technologists, it’s about using DCHP to retrieve an IP address, connecting to an AP, etc., etc. Even if you don’t know how to set up an FTP client or a DNS server, it’s important to talk the talk and to actually know what you’re talking about. Nothing is more frustrating than someone who thinks they know what’s going on and ends up creating a technological mess. As a technologist, it’s important to know what’s going on and articulate it in a way that’s easy to understand, but also accurate.

Know The Code

Knowing how to code is one thing, but knowing about code is something completely different. Learning different programming languages and utilizing them is an undoubtedly great asset to have as a technologist. However, it’s not for everyone. Personally, I know a bit of a few coding languages. I can make a basic website and database and can recognize differences between languages. I know which languages serve which purposes but I don’t know enough (yet) to build my own product or service. The beauty of IT is that I don’t need to know this. While it’d be a great help if I did, I know enough to talk to developers about their style, the way they code, why they chose the languages they did, and how to read through code and understand it. Understanding can allow me to work more closely with developers than the average person but also understand the processes behind building a product. That in itself is incredibly valuable.

Know Project Management

You may know how about IT acronyms and how to code, but it may not go anywhere if you don’t know how to manage it all. Information is all around us, and it’s quite overwhelming to think of the information you can get with a few clicks and a couple of keystrokes. People are building all the time, and it requires a lot of managing and cycles before something is done right. Managing technological projects can be tough; it requires working with technologists and business folk alike to get something done. It’s important to know how to work with both parties and talk to them in a language each of them understands. Knowing both sides and connecting them can be difficult, but it pays off if it’s done correctly.

IT’s cross between management and technology, which used to be two completely different worlds, is now more ubiquitous than ever. Enthusiasts are bridging the gap between these two fields and creating innovative products and services that were previously unheard of. Even though some people gravitate towards the more technological side while others are interested in project management, knowing what’s on the other side and how to manage these two types of people can make you an incredibly valuable asset to any project team or company. It doesn’t hurt to have a strong area of interest or talent, but make sure you can back it up on the other side of IT too.

We’re The (Digital) Kids Our Parents Warned Us About

“Get off the computer! It’s bad for your eyes. ”

“I don’t know how you can sit on that thing all day.”

“Why don’t you go outside rather than stare at that screen?”

“Who are you texting? Put that thing away while you’re at the dinner table.”

Gosh, kids these days.

Admit it, you’re guilty of being told to stop using technology. Whether it’s being glued to reality tv shows, browsing through too much Reddit, or texting your friends throughout the day, you’re dependent, if not addicted, to technology. It is no longer a personal choice to be dependent on technology, it’s now a societal pressure. Homework assignments with deadlines and sent through email, your friends rely on you to check your phone when you’re making plans for later that night, and who knows when that cute guy is going to post new pictures on Facebook!

I’m guilty of it all. I’ve sleep texted before, checked the weather online rather than look out the window, texted at the table, and sat on my laptop all day rather than going outside. I’m guilty of checking the weather on the Internet rather than just looking outside my window or opening the door. I also often experience phantom vibration syndrome, in which I think my phone is buzzing when it actually isn’t. I’ve also played the phone stacking game while at dinner with my friends and have been the first to lose. My phone is always in my pocket and I bring my laptop to work and class. I always have technology right at my fingertips and feel naked without some sort of connection to the Internet on me.

I’m afraid to admit I’m addicted to technology. I’ve contemplated books about digital dieting to learn more about the phenomenon of Internet addiction. Even WebMD posted an article about web addiction. Doctors and other technologists are researching this fascinating field and publishing more and more stories about the pros and cons of having technology as such an ubiquitous factor in our lives.

Although I love being able to check my email, tweets, and Facebook timeline virtually anytime I want, I wish I wasn’t expected to. It’s truly a vicious cycle: not wanting to check on your Internet life, being scolded that you didn’t respond quickly enough, and then checking more often than you should so you don’t miss anything. Whenever I feel like I’m catching a break, I end up spending more time on the Internet catching up with all the things I think I missed.

Your parents may be annoying when they tell you to put down your phone or turn off your computer, but they’re right. Is it really necessary for you to take a break and enjoy your nondigital life. The webpages you want to visit will always be there, your texts will stay on your phone, and your parents will appreciate your undivided attention at the dinner table. Taking a digital vacation for technology is healthy. You’re guaranteed to feel less stressed after the initial shock of not being able to Google your burning questions.

The Future of Mobile Technology: Does Blackberry Have One?

It’s rare to hear that someone has  a cell phone without access to the Internet. Affectionately known as “dumbphones”, these mobile devices are simply outdated and do not have the capabilities to keep up with a world filled with digital information. In the rapidly changing information age, it’s now more important than ever to have information at your fingertips. The iPhone and Android were quick to make phones that met aesthetic and technological needs of consumers, but the BlackBerry has quickly fallen behind.

There are several things about the BlackBerry that are creating doubts about its future:

Browsing The Internet Is Impossible

Not only does it take an unreasonable amount of time to access a webpage (despite your carrier), but it is also hard to view the website itself. The typically small BlackBerry screens have a low resolution making images and text unclear. On BlackBerry phones that aren’t touch screen, it takes an entire menu screen and a click just to zoom in once. How can this possibly compare to the iPhone and Andorid’s quick touch and zoom features? Navigating the Internet on BlackBerry is both a timely and frustrating process.

The User Interface is Awful

Let’s face it, the BlackBerry is just unattractive. There are several menus to go scroll through, folders to search through, and trays of applications that can make it difficult to find messages or other incoming notifications. While it may take the flick of your finger to access a different menu on another type of smartphone, the BlackBerry is great at making it difficult as possible.

The Red Light

Every time an email, text message, BlackBerry Message, Facebook Notification, Tweet, and other form of communication arrives on your smart phone, a red light blinks at the top right of a Blackberry. The BlackBerry is notorious for false notifications and vibrations, leading consumers to think they have a message when they really don’t. It can be incredibly annoying to search through several menus on a BlackBerry just to find out that there isn’t one and you need to restart your phone (which, unsurprisingly, also takes a lengthy amount of time).

Does the BlackBerry even have an App Store?

You may be surprised to hear that yes, the BlackBerry does have an app store called “BlackBerry App World.” Although there are some applications the BlackBerry does have, developers have slowly stopped working on updates and applications for the BlackBerry. Updates on applications come months after iPhones and Androids receive them. Many applications (such as Path) do not even have a BlackBerry platform due to the rapid decline of BlackBerry users.

In a world filled with information, it seems as though the BlackBerry cannot keep up with the competition. Who can compete with the ease of Apple products and the customization of Android phones? It’s time Blackberry users get back into the smartphone world and get a phone that willactually be smart.

You can read the article online here. 

Looks like the effect of SOPA is finally hitting people.

Path - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

What is Path?

Path is a new social media app available for iPhone and Android users (sorry BlackBerry owners). The app allows you to share “moments” with your friends that include location check ins, photos, the music you’re listening to, the people you’re with, and the thoughts you’re thinking. You can watch the demo, advertisement, and download the app here. 

What’s new and great about Path?

The user interface is absolutely stunning. It’s easy to create a new moment, see the activity on your profile, and view someone else’s Path. While Facebook and Twitter are more complex, Path is simple and easy to understand. The app also combines a lot of features from other popular social media sites which gives Path the “all in one” feel.

So, what’s not the like?

The good things about Path are also the not so great things about Path. Since it combines features from Twitter, Last.fm Facebook, Foursquare, and Instagram, it’s essentially another app that does that same thing as other apps you’re probably already using. As I’ve been using Path, I’ve thought to myself “These people can get the same information on Foursquare and see these pictures on Instagram.” The only feature that is unique to Path is its asleep and awake feature. Users can tell the app when they’re going to sleep and wake up, which is then visible to friends following their Path. 

The bottom line

Path is a great app - it’s nice to find everyone’s information in one place rather than checking four different sites for the same information. But it does get repetitive. If you’re active on social media, you will see the same posts from the same people several times. You’ll also notice the poor sleeping habits of your friends. Path may get better once more people get on it. It’s fun at first but the cool factor seems to fade quickly when you realize how repetitive it is.

I hope that Path becomes more interesting in the future but I doubt it’ll be anytime soon due to the booming popularity of apps like Foursquare, Instagram, and Twitter. But we’ll see where it goes. Remember how long it took Twitter to catch on? 

My Digital New Years Resolutions

1. Get off Facebook. And get people to do it with me.
Let’s face it, Facebook is fading fast. Twitter, Tumblr, Foursquare, Path, and Pinterest have all becoming very popular social networking sites (especially towards the end of 2011). The only thing that’s keeping me on Facebook is my friends that are still on. Once they stop posting content that’s relevant to mr, I’ll leave too.

2. Get people to actually use Google +.
I’ll admit that I don’t use Google + often. I don’t because unlike Facebook, not enough people are using it. Google + is cleaner and much more organized than Facebook will every be. Plus, doesn’t the +1 button seem much more appealing than a “like” button?

3. Ditch the BlackBerry.
I am one of the only people that still admits to bbming. I’m sick of not having a touch screen keyboard and going through several unnecessary menus to complete simple tasks. Apps are taking over the mobile word and BlackBerry’s App World couldn’t be more frustrating.

4. Learn to code.
I’ve had very negative experiences coding. I took a class to learn Java but had a terrible professor that made me hate coding. That summer, I had an internship gone wrong and yet again, I had to code. The more internships I apply to and the more I explore technology, the more I realize I really need to know how to code. A friend of mine told me about codeyear.com, a website that sends you weekly interactive coding lessons. Check it out, it can’t hurt.

5. Stop using technology as much.
Yes. Take digital timeouts. Take a walk, go outside, just do something without worrying about texting, Twitter, and checking in on Foursquare. It’ll be there when you get back, I promise.

“No one makes a list of websites they want to see before they die. Don’t worry, the Internet will be fine without you”