Will The Comcast-Time Warner Deal Affect Communications Infrastructure?

Close to Sealing the Deal

Close to Sealing the Deal

Another major merge between the two largest cable companies is creating a setback, especially for our wallets. Comcast, the nation’s largest cable company wants to buy Time Warner for $45 billion dollars. If this communications merge were to happen, Comcast would shovel 70 million subscribers, which is about 30 percent of television viewers in the United States. So, why is this an issue?

The last time a deal like this was announced was in 2011 when AT&T tried to merge with T-Mobile, which affected the communications infrastructure. That deal fell through when the Department of Justice sued to block the deal. The Department of Justice “argued at the time that the AT&T deal would decrease competition, hurt consumers and squash innovation.”

The Comcast proposal creates another threat, placing a strange hold on several growing businesses such as internet services and broadcast television. Essentially this proposed merger “would create a behemoth of a monopoly, crushing networks, broadcasters and any content provider looking for a path.” Continue reading

Streaming Music Hits Its High

Digital Music Hits A High

Digital Music Hits A High

No longer do you see people listening to their Walkman’s when running down the street. That’s because the days of buying CD’s is long gone. Today, there are millions of songs available to download for free online. Streaming music has taken over due to its continuous inflow of new tracks and the fact that you pay nothing to add it to your most current playlist. Digital music is dominating the music business, from professional musicians to radio broadcasters. Continue reading

Epilepsy patch: New wearable technology for Epilepsy sufferers

A debilitating and often deadly disease, Epilepsy causes 50,000 deaths in the United States every year. With wearable technology on the rise, new medical patches, like an epilepsy patch, can be worn on the skin or like a watch and monitors and interprets data to find seizure triggers and disperse medication.

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Robots Do It Better: Technology Replacing Humans

Bill Gates claims that software animation could lead to technology replacing humans and robots stealing your job.

According to Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, robots do it better. The infamous computer programmer claims that advancing software automation could lead to technology replacing humans in the work force meaning that robots could steal your job.

Business Insider reports that Gates spoke at the American Enterprise Institute think tank in Washington, DC last week speaking about how governments and businesses need to prepare for a future where lots of jobs will be done by software and robots, resulting in mass unemployment.

“Yes, robots really are about to take your jobs,” Gates said. “Software substitution, whether it’s for drivers or waiters or nurses… it’s progressing. Technology over time will reduce demand for jobs, particularly at the lower end of skill set… 20 years from now, labor demand for lots of skill sets will be substantially lower. I don’t think people have that in their mental model.”
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Twitter is King on the Second Screen

Twitter's logo is located on many second screens.Ellen’s Oscar-selfie, otherwise known as the selfie that broke Twitter, became the most retweeted tweet of all time with over 2 million tweets just hours after posting. TV viewers live-tweeting TV programs has become a phenomenon in recent years with shows creating unique hashtags and twitter accounts. Ellen’s Oscar-selfie is just one example of how the social network is dominating the second screen world.

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Cyber Dust App Deletes Messages After Reading

Snapchat meets WhatsApp in Cyber Dust app’s message-disappearing app

CyberdustParenting in the modern world encourages kids to be in person, face-to-face with someone when telling something secretive, possibly inappropriate, or desirably “off the record.” Anything digital can be traced back to the source. There are deep, dark corners of the Internet, but The Silk Road was still uncovered. There are privacy promises made, but Snapchat was still hacked. There are emails that are encrypted, but still, people gain access to confidential information. Imagine never leaving a digital footprint again. Cyber Dust, an app that automatically deletes every message, picture, emoji, and interaction as soon as it is read, is one of the first apps to completely delete any traceable messages (unless someone takes a screenshot, of course). Continue reading

Hemingway App Helps Create Clear, Succinct Writing

Hemingway App helps writers clean clutter from their work

American novelist Ernst Hemingway revolutionized writing with his “blunt, descriptive, concise prose.”  Today, however, clear and bold writing is hard to come by, replaced instead with verbose, over-saturated writing.  Brothers Adam and Ben Long recognized society’s departure from clear, succinct prose, and decided to create a free web app to help writers simplify their work.  Launched in late 2013, the Hemingway App allows users to enter a body of text into its processor and then analyzes the text, highlighting areas that can be simplified.

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High-profile and High-tech: SXSW is the Place to be in the World of Tech

The South by Southwest Festival, a weeklong event in Austin bringing together some of the most talented individuals in music, film, and interactive media, now has a lot more to offer than a good time. Today SXSW is one of the premiere annual events for media members, entrepreneurs and investors in the world of tech.

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The place to be for cutting-edge technologies and digital creativity is none other than SXSW Interactive Festival.  The rise of social media and startup launch success are two of the most prominent factors of analyzing the expansion of the SXSW Interactive over the past decade.
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Read 500 words per minute with Spritz

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As college students, our teachers are constantly pushing us to stay on track with the readings from our textbooks, and time after time we end up attempting to cram the 100 page readings in the night before our midterm. Whether you are a procrastinator or one of the few that do keep up, there is a new app that is revolutionizing the reading process. Software developer “Spritz” not only might make us want to read to try out the new software, but help us remember the content that we are reading. Continue reading

Marriage: Commitment Comes With Passwords?

Do couples share too much of a connection?

Do couples share too much of a connection?

It’s a fact, couples share. They share food, laughter, experiences and smiles. But does sharing a password to your email and social media accounts sound ethical?  Well, many already do and this trend is continuing to grow. Today, many couples use digital communication and technology in order to enhance their relationships. In other words, digital technology has become a dominant force in the communication between partners. Continue reading

Apple’s CarPlay is Making a Mark on the Auto Industry

Apple CarPlay descriptionFirst it was the auxiliary cable, next USB ports, then a slight upgrade to bluetooth capabilities and now CarPlay, Apple’s new in-car software coming to automobiles this year. Dubbed the “smarter and safer way to use your iPhone in the car,” CarPlay will display the basic functions of the iPhone right on your car’s dashboard instead of holding your iPhone in front of your face or using a finicky phone mount.

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Japan’s Technological World takes a Toll on Birthrates

Japan is a country known for its innovative gadgets. But is it worth the price of a declining population?

Tokyo, Japan, known for its face paced lifestyle is the world leader in technology. This country has more Nobel Prize winners than any other country and leads the pack with thousands of researchers who dedicate their lives to coming up with the next big thing. Although Japan’s technological successes are impressive, its population is taking a toll with birthrates decreasing to “1.3 children per women” and it will keep declining in years to come.

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