For 10 year olds who have identity issues…
A while back I found out about this virtual world where people can create their own characters and walk through a world, earn money, buy virtual stuff… the only thing is, this one is for children. Whyville.net is a place where children go to do all the things that adults do on sites like Second Life. As sad as I think online worlds such as Second Life are, Whyville is probably the coolest site I have ever been to. I signed up out of curiousity (I lied about my age and said I was… 12… which makes me sounds creepy but anyways…) This site offers kids the chance to learn at different worlds. The food they buy for their characters affects it’s health, there is even a beach which was created by Penguin Books in order to introduce kids to their kid-friendly version of Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” This beach suffered a hurricane and kids spent their time online learning about the affects of global warming and even spent time rebuilding this online beach. Virgin Records sponsored an online concert of Stacie Orrico. The lessons this site is teaching people are incredible! I am actually learning stuff… is that sad or exciting? Scion is offering online car loans for these kids in order to teach them about loans and credit. I know plenty of college students and even adults that could learn from that. The site is now offering virtual flu shots in order to teach them about diseases and disease prevention. And the thing is… this site is growing like crazy. The site now has over 2 million registered users. I would definitely suggest people check this out… you’d be surprised at what you can learn. I was!
All that Apple stuff…
After last weeks presentation on Apple, I can’t help but get excited about the future. I mean, its amazing how far technology has come since I was in high school… and I haven’t been out very long. The presentation reminded me how fast this stuff is changing. I forgot that ipods used to have actual wheels instead of the touchpad. Who knows where we will be in another six or seven years? I used to be the skeptic that wasn’t comfortable with Apple, I didn’t have an ipod until this past Christmas, and it was a gift from my girlfriend. I still wouldn’t have one otherwise. The computers made by Apple gave me the willys because I thought they looked confusing. I was so familiar with Windows, I thought that Macintosh must be the anti-Christ. A few years ago my job was to make sure all the computers in the publications lab were taken care of and kept up to date. It was surprising how fast I became so comfortable with the different look. Now I feel just as comfortable with Mac as I do a PC and I have decided to make my next computer an Apple. I could care less about the status symbol, too. I have just become fed up with Windows and the viruses destroying it. Apple seems more reliable. Back to the status symbol thing, I don’t think status plays THAT big of a role in Apple’s success. I just believe that our generation wants technology that flows, which I believe Apple does much well with both the ipods and Macintosh. It seems like they are easier to navigate with and find what you need. Maybe thats just crazy talk, but… thats just me.
