Welcome to the Internet.

You are now entering a place where only the truth matters. No more bullshit, no more lies, and no more corruption.

Okay, there is still bullshit, lies, and corruption, but the Internet is redefining how we become informed about things. There was a time when the news at 10 was how everyone got their information. Now you can get the information anytime you want or need it. This is a turning point in history. Never before has there been a global information network this robust. There were teletypes, MORRIS code, radio, satellite phones. The Internet is truly remarkable in the way it connects people and ideas.

I really don’t think governments around the world are ready for this fundamental change in how people become informed. It’s hard to believe there are corrupt governments in this day and age. Militaristic governments shooting monks, journalists, etc in “Burma” or Myanmar. Let this not be a smoke screen. There are problems elsewhere in the world. Let’s not forget Darfur.

The time it takes to become aware of problems is instantaneous, thanks to bloggers, news services, and satellite imagery systems. Awareness is key to solving problems. I don’t think the problems of the world will be easily solved, but awareness, I feel, moves things in the right direction. I’m glad that blogging has ushered in the return of the FREE PRESS. People talking about society, life, struggles, achievements, and oh yes TECHNOLOGY.

To really bring this point home I’m adding a link to the Nirvana Musing blog. The blogger, Amit, posted screen shots of a banned commercial, a truly remarkable ad by MTV.

This is why the Free Internet Press is so important. I don’t think you’re going to see this any newspaper, magazine, or TV show.

Who would have thought it? Injecting RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips underneath the skin of various animals has shown to cause cancer. NO WAY go out of here. Why would a transmitting device do that? Report out of Arstechnica.

Apparently, these are the same devices that are going to be approved for human use. Great yet another way to cause cancer, where do I sign up?

The most interesting part of the entire article is Tommy Thompson, who was head of the Health and Human Services, related to the FDA, is now working for one of these RFID implant companies. That’s really strange, what a coincidence!

I don’t see how this can be allowed, this is yet another example of how our government is failing us. There’s no doubt in my mind that this is a pay off for allowing these devices to go to market. Our government needs to step up to these companies and make sure that we are safe, our pets are safe, and there is no conflict of interest when permitting such devices.

Should we be conserved about this? Yes and no. All sorts of things cause cancer that approved for humans mmm tobacco. gross. Also metallic ear tagging used in livestock, prosthetic limbs have also been linked to cancer. These examples show that we should be more concerned.

Describe an example of a poor user interface you encounter in your everyday life.

We, as humans, cannot directly communicate with electronics, unless fluent in binary, even then it is nearly impossible. Our electronic devices have interfaces for us to manipulate technology to do our bidding. We are the technology overlords and these interfaces are our only path to total domination. When a poor user interface is encountered it can be a very frustrating and angering experience for an end-user. It can also be extremely detrimental to our fragile psyche.

Why does such a popular device as the Apple iPod, which commands 75% market share, have such a terrible user interface? To each their own they will say or probably a lot of people like the click wheel design. In the opinion of this student the click wheel is a tool for mass destruction.
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It’s no secret, the headline is a critical piece to any article. Be it online, academia, or just for fun. The article’s headline is going to make or break the article. Should you spend forever debating on what the article should be headlined with? No, of course not. But think of something clever and build from there. I’ve found that a good headline can help you remind focused on writing.

This definitely has deeper implementations as your article propagates through-out the Internet or “blogosphere (buzzword)”. Social networking sites seemed to be geared toward people with the ability to write that great headlines. Even regular readers are drawn in by a great headline. Make it clever, make it short, grab their attention!

A lot of my articles are hit and miss, but I can definitely say that ones with good headlines have been read. I’m not doing this for hits though, this isn’t a money blog. I just want to write and if people would like to join in and share I think that is great.

Here is my list of keys to great headlines:

• Keep it short
  • We have short attention spans
• Action, Action, Action verbs (BAM!)
• Stay focused to main point(s)
• Write the headline first
• Don’t be afraid to change the headline
  • Your topic can evolve while you are write
• Look for articles of similar topic
  • Don’t forget Trackbacks
  • Don’t understand Trackbacks? See Revellian.com’s blog posting
• Ask for help if you are stuck
• Break rules, be different, have fun

My most read article currently is AT&T in Bush’s pocket and I think this is a good example of a great headline. It is short, has action, summarizes the main point, and draws the reader into the topic. The headline makes you think and makes you want to read more.

Also Here Comes Linux, Thanks Vista! is my second most read article. I think this illustrates that summarizing an article and making the reader want more is a delicate art. Also I think sheer luck plays a vital role in this whole process!

I don’t think there is some magical formula for effective headline writing, but there probably is. I think when writing an article you should have fun and hopefully that will show through to your readers. At least, that’s what I try to do, because that’s what I enjoy when I read an article. I’ve read enough technical documents in my day to know, that you can learn more when you are having fun!