Global Warming

According to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press 57% of adults-reached on cell phones and land lines-think there is solid evidence that the average temperature on earth has been getting warmer over the past few decades. This research was conducted September 30 through October 4 and some 1,500 people were surveyed. In April 2008, 71% said there was solid evidence of rising global temperatures. There has been a decline in the proportion of Americans who say global temperatures are rising as a result of human activity, such as burning fossil fuels. Currently 37% percent of the Americans surveyed believe this, down from 47% last year.

I enjoy the winter months while living in New England and it does seem that over time our winters have become less severe. I believe that global warming shows solid evidence that it is actually a problem that we as humans deal with. But, I believe that this is not something that we have caused ourselves but that the earth goes through phases of cooling and heating and right now we are in a warming phase.

Internet and Civic Engagement

The following information is from pewinternet.org.

-Those who use blogs and social networking sites as an outlet for civic engagement are far more active in traditional realms of political and nonpolitical participation than are other internet users.

-Half of those who are involved in a political or community group communicate with other group members using digital tools such as email or group websites.

-Those who make political donations are more likely to use the internet to make their contributions, however, large political donations are much less likely to be made online.

-Some 37% of internet users aged 18-29 use blogs or social networking sites as a venue for political or civic involvement, compared to 17% of online 30-49 year olds, 12% of 50-64 year olds and 10% of internet users over 65.

-Those who use blogs or social networking sites politically are much more likely to be invested in other forms of civic and political activism.

To view other information and data charts regarding this subject visit: pewinternet.org

President Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize

In an attempt to encourage his initiatives to reduce nuclear arms, ease tensions with the Muslim world and stress diplomacy and cooperation rather than unilateralism, President Barack Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize. This is according to yahoo.com. The nomination comes just 9 months into Obama's presidency and has shocked many around the globe. "He got the prize because he has been able to change the international climate," Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said. Some around the world objected to the choice of Obama, who still oversees wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and has launched deadly counter-terror strikes in Pakistan and Somalia. But the Nobel Committee has countered this argument, saying they are trying "to promote what he stands for and the positive processes that have started now."

Myself, like many Americans, can only ask what has Obama really accomplished to recieve this very prestigeous award. At the same time, I feel as if this could be a good thing for America and the rest of the world. People can argue that Obama may be increasing the numbers of troops overseas, but this is only because something needs to be done to bring peace into the areas of the world that need it the most. I truly believe that with this prize, Obama will feel obligated to do everything in his power to promote what the prize stands for.

politics1.com

The following websites are among the hundreds of websites that can be found on politics1.com.

-weirdnews.com

This website offers information on a variety of things such as culture, entertainment, gadgets and politics.

-truthorfiction.com

By using hard facts and reliable information this website declares "eRumors" such as exploding cell phones as fact or fiction.

-ojr.org (Online Journalism Review)

The OJR is dedicated to promoting the success of good journalists and the different types of journalism.

-newcity.com

This website offers any and all information on Chicago's culture.

-oneworld.net

News and views from around the world are offered on this website that may not be offered in mainstream media.

Degrees of Access

The following are observations from the slideshow below.

-Urban and suburban populations have nearly the same percentage of users with 74% and 77% respectively.

-Surprisingly, only about half of the people on the internet use a high speed internet connection at 55%.

-It seems as if cell phones are a bigger priority to the population because even people with a low income have a high percentage of owning cell phones at 63%.

-Men and women populations use the internet at the same percent of 73%.

-Teenagers and twenty-something year olds have the highest percent of users in their population at 90%.

Degrees of Access (May 2008 data)

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Degrees of Access (May 2008 data)

View more presentations from Pew Internet & American Life Project, Pew Research Center.

Men vs. Women on the Internet

According to pewinternet.org, the following shows how men and women use the internet differently.

Although men are slightly more intense internet users, women tend to use the internet more for communication purposes. Women use e-mail to keep in touch with friends and family regarding news and events or even sharing a joke.

So, while women are more inclined to keep in touch with the internet, men are more likely to be using the internet to conduct business. Men use the initernet to pay bills, bid in auctions and trade and manage stocks. This does not include making online purchases for products. In which men and women use the internet for purchasing equally.

Men also use the internet to obtain information more than women do. In this sense, men are more likely to use the internet to gather information for things such as hobbies, read the news, as well as downloading and listening to music.

Women use the internet to gather information, but on subjects such as health and religion. Gathering information is a more interactive process for women and are more likely to share and obtain information through support groups and, as already stated, through e-mail exchanges.

Both man and women share the same view on the internets strongest characteristic, efficiency. The internet is a way to save time on tasks that would otherwise take longer, such

as paying bills or making purchases. But, men tend to use the internet more aggressivly and reach vaster topics by using search engines more confidently.

Although more men are participating more in online activities, women are quickly catching up. The reason men are ahead of women in internet usage is because men tend to be more tech savy. But, as the internet improves, it is a sure thing that women will become more confident in their internet usage and will be sharing the internet with men equally.

Websites that bond and bridge people

Three websites that bond people are:

1. barstoolsports.com

-Barstool Sports is a blog about New England and Boston sports teams. This website is mostly used by males although, some women also use it. The website brings together fans of Boston sports so they can post comments or reactions to what's going on with their favorite sports teams.

2. espn.com

-ESPN is a lot like Barstool in the sense that it brings sports fans together. Unlike Barstool, the sports fans come from all over the world. Users can participate in online conversations about their local sport teams and things such as fantasy leagues.

3. masslive.com

-MassLive is a local and community website for all things Massachusetts. Users can go into specific forums from the main website where they can then interact with other users on topics and events that are important to them.

Three websites that bridge people are:

1. youtube.com

-YouTube is a video based website where any user can post videos. People from all over the world are able to views these videos, as well as make comments on each video.

2. facebook.com

-Facebook is a website that has revolutionized social networking. Users are able to interact with friends and family through messaging and picture sharing. What makes this a bridging tool is that many different groups have been formed where users can join and collaborate with people of other cultures and backrounds.

3. craigslist.com

-CraigsList is a website with a classified ad format. The website spans all over the world and users are able to go on and search for products and services that interest them.

FCC endorses Internet Neutrality

According to the LA Times, FCC chairman, Julius Genachowski, has called for two new principles to be approved by the FCC to keep online traffic moving freely. these actions would prevent telecommunication companies such as Verizon and Comcast from restricting websites and other services on the internet. The Internet service providers would be required to manage their networks in a way that does not discriminate against they type of data traveling through their system. The would also have to disclose how their systems are run. Genchowski has said, "We could see the Internet's doors shut to entrepreneurs, the spirit of innovation stifled, a full and free flow of information compromised. Or we could take steps to preserve Internet openness, helping ensure a future of opportunity, innovation and a vibrant marketplace." This attitude comes with the support of President Obama who supported internet neutrality during the 2008 presidential campaign. In defending themselves, the Internet service providers argue that these new rules will limit them from keeping their networks running smoothly. They believe they will be unable to prevent large users from eating up bandwidth that it will slow down service for others. But, according to Genachowski, a more open internet will promote more investment, creating revenue for the Internet service providers to put into managing their networks. These proposals are subject to FCC approval and are sure to be a topic of debate in the future.

If you ask me, I agree with Genchowski and believe that an open and free internet will be beneficial to business opportunity and innovation. Things can be fixed to help the service providers to run their networks smoothly, while letting the users of the internet do as they need to promote and expand their business. Also, at a consumer standpoint, I believe that this will help us gain better information from the internet to make better decisions in purchasing. As the internet expands it is crucial that businesses are able to use it to its fullest potential to put forth their best products. This is all dependent on a open and free internet with the compliance from the Internet service providers.

Welcome

Hey everybody out there on the world wide web. My name is Jamie Egan, but most of my friends call me Jim. I will be blogging to the world for the next 4 months (even longer if I decide I like this whole blogging thing). For the most part I spend my time exploring and seeking new adventures. I love to ski and spend time outdoors. I'll let you get to know a little more about me over the next few months and look forward to seeing how this whole experiment works out.

Internet World Statistics

The following information is according to internetworldstats.com and some of it just may surprise you.

-Of the 6,767,805,208 people on earth, only 24.7% of the population uses the internet.

-Africa has the least percentage of internet users at 6.7%, but the total amount of people in Africa, 65,903,900, is almost more than that of the Middle East and the South Pacific (Australia and Oceania) combined. The Middle East having 47,964,146 internet users and the South Pacific having 20,838019 users.

-Although the South Pacific has the least amount of people using the internet, 60.1% of the population is online.

-Asia is the largest continent on earth and has a population of 3,808,070,503. Asia has the most internet users at 704,213,930, but only 18.5% of the population actually uses the internet.

-The Middle East ha grown to use the internet than any other region on earth. Over the past nine years internet usage has increased 1,360.2%.

Obviously the internet continues to grow at a rapid pace as well as continues to shape our environment, but for the most part more people are not using the internet than are using the internet. It's only a matter of time until humanity is entirely dependent on the internet.