As privacy issues alter, society needs to remain consistent with their attitude towards privacy breaching. The controversial Apple App Store has included a slew of privacy issues. One of the most notable was the controversy over the App Path. Path promised a more privacy-centered alternative to popularized social media sources. With Facebook’s own privacy issues hitting the mainstream, Path deemed itself a source to trade status updates, follow friends, and post images and messages, all in the context that your privacy is controlled and sustained.

 In no due surprise, information leaked pertaining to addresses, where the developers of Path were tracking address records of all its users. The developer reaffirmed they would be deleting all the data, but why keep it in the first place? And though this was a big deal in culture, why were there no legal ramifications? Apple’s policy, and the law, dictates that an app cannot transmit data about a user without the user’s knowledge and permission. So as we formulate why this was occurring, we need to assess the value of the information, and if it is happening more than we know.

So what is the use of this information? Well, one would be marketing, where a company can use information gathered from its users to target market their products and services. For the more cynical individuals, another use can be for resale to other companies who may find value in obtaining mass pools of data.

So what exactly does this mean? With just a few scattered cases of privacy breaching, it takes only a small bit of assuming to affirm that there are more companies breaching privacy and simply getting away with it. And though Apple, and other platform companies, have specified rules, it by no means is foolproof and means all companies will follow suit appropriately.

Facebook gathers roughly 800 million worldwide users, and is one of the largest and influential forces in modern society. With such a large user base, it would seem that privacy breaching would be extremely powerful. There have absolutely been individual privacy issues involving Facebook. Users have stumbled upon something personal that should have been blocked, and others have lost jobs because their privacy settings were ill-advised. And that is ignoring the moral debate of what is private and what is not? With Facebook’s transparency, what can someone REALLY learn by navigating the expanse of social media?

Unfortunately, the answer is…a lot. As the privacy discussion raises attention, we need to find a comfortable balance in what is allowed and what is strictly private when it comes to new technological advances and gathering of knowledge. But one thing is for sure- as long as private data remains important and vital, there will be users who will access private information for their personal gain. The sooner we realize this, the sooner we can establish privacy laws and regulations that are affirmed by law and not flimsy practices of ethics.

I would be wary of any product or program that says “lose weight immediately and in just a week.” Anything that offers something that is uniformly simply at first glance is probably lying to you and will end up being a waste of your money. Before even diving into a weight loss program, be reaffirmed that you are not in it for a quick immediate solution but a long term realistic plan to rid of excess weight.

The Diet Solution program covers all facets of weight loss, and doesn’t pretend that it is a miracle working device. It streamlines weight loss into highly appropriate and accessible bite-sized chunks. It takes the daunting task of weight loss into steps that you can handle one at a time.

It is worth noting that it, in fact, has a 60 day money back guarantee. This is comforting. This also confirms that if you follow the steps, you WILL lose weight in two months (or else the money back guarantee would not exist).

So you have a two month period to confirm quality, and this is good. But the Diet Solution Program puts a nice comforting focus on fruits and vegetables. It also manages to nicely showcase recipes for quality food. This is useful. Instead of wasting time finding recipes that are healthy, the Diet Solution Program simply shows them for you in an accessible manner.

The program also has a quick start method. It is a streamlined six week course that puts the focus on losing 10-15 pounds in a short period of time. For those who are interested in just cutting the fat, this option is equally quantifying.

Be aware that it takes raw willpower to stick to a weight loss program. The Diet Solution program acts as a weight loss program, but also a motivational program that puts the key emphasis necessary on motivational tactics. People fail because they don’t see a lack of quick results and they get demotivated. The program here encourages brilliantly, and manages to keep the task motivational and friendly. It never gets too aggressive, and always remains modest and realistic.

If you follow the rules, you can absolutely guarantee success. The two month money back guarantee is comforting as well, and there is a lot of research on the program available for you to skim through. The Diet Solution program is not hiding the difficult of losing weight in factoids about taking weight loss pills and losing weight by napping. It offers a fair and realistic understanding of weight loss, while balancing that out with motivational tactics and raw weight loss techniques, to formulate the most effective weight loss program on the market.

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She continued to gain steam in 2009 with her double album The Fame Monster that included her original album with a collection of eight songs, including massive hits Telephone and Bad Romance.

Taking key influences from Whitney Houston, Madonna, and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few, Lady gaga has metamorphasized from New York street dance kid to 21st century icon. With her bizarre costumes, consistent touring schedules, and glamorous live shows, Lady Gaga’s formidable nature has created a storm of influence and notoriety. It also helps she has a lot to say about a lot of things, and manages to squeak in a bizarre new interview every week with some new odd revelation.

A lot of her success is the mystique. A lot of it is the political interventions and progress, and some is the outrageous actions she commits in public to garner attention and fame. And maybe some of it, yes, some of it is undoubtedly the songs. Those sugary saccharine pop hooks that litter every chorus and gather millions of YouTube views like a snowball rolling down a mountain. And so it becomes, Lady Gaga is a powerful force of iconic status, and remains a fixture in the pop scene. Her longevity is concrete, her popularity enflamed, and we have a whole host of things to blame or praise for it. But among these things is the social media angle. Lady Gaga has managed to market herself into a position where social media is her face. She sees approaching her fans through Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, as a grand opportunity.

But we need to understand why. Well for one, social media is generally free. That helps. It is also essentially limitless. And with its consistent innovations and intriguing design, social media allows an artist a fantastic way to interact with fans directly and help to either add or remove from the mystique of an artist’s image.

So Lady Gaga elegantly journeys this trek. Twitter is a powerful and popular social network where users interact through mass texting and 140 character messages. Lady gaga has just fewer than 20 million followers.

YouTube is a video social network, and Lady gaga has her own video channel. Whether it is run by a record label or her (doubtedly) is ultimately irrelevant. Her channel has gathered an unknown number of subscribers, but her videos average around 200 million views. These include music videos and other content uploaded, largely, by her label and VEVO, a YouTube offshoot that focuses on music.

So as we see Lady Gaga’s huge success as a pop sensation, we see that social networking and media has helped immensely in making her an entity. This is a force previous pop stars largely did not have, and it is one that Lady Gaga has harnessed with upmost brilliance.

As Angry Birds capitalizes on the massive success of its first and follow-up iterations, the game still remains simple and accessible. The premise includes sling shooting a bird from a huge slingshot. Your goal is to obtain points by destroying objects, the more destruction you cause from your slung bird, the more points. Naturally, the game slightly evolves the game play by offering opposing challenges, such as knocking over an object without knocking over what’s next to it. Yet above this, the premise remains addictively simple. The game play and franchise has also extended into the Playstation 3 and other operating systems. Even its presence on Facebook is notoriously felt, as its success on the social media platform guarantees unproductive afternoons for all.

As the game progresses, you unlock other birds that have special abilities. But the crux of the game play remains similar on Facebook. The interesting thing, and perhaps adding to its success, is the determination from the company that developed Angry Birds. Rovio Mobile insisted on rebuilding Angry Birds with the intention to implement it fluidly into the social media platform of Facebook. Other developers began by developing a game for, say, Android. Only then, they import that directly into Facebook. Not only is the game largely identical, but it fails to capture Facebook’s essence.

Rovio Mobile’s idea was to capture a new “ecosystem,” considering that Facebook is very different from other traditional platforms. Interestingly, it has been this determination to offer something special that has perhaps allowed Angry Birds to remain a fixation in the gaming world.

Fortunately, Angry birds continues to be well received by critics, and many industry people praise Rovio’s attempts to keep the game play fresh without reinventing the wheel. It is a tough balance. How do you keep Angry birds fresh on Facebook without turning people away because the game becomes “too” different?

With consistent updates, small innovations (including new levels and new abilities) Angry Birds evolves with its fans. But the core game play is the same. And whether you are enjoying Angry birds on Facebook or the Android smart phone, the game’s immense popularity and accessibility reaffirms that it will likely be a staple of years to come. You will have a place to share your records, communicate with other fans, and enjoy future updates.

Angry Birds continues to win awards for its success and innovations, and Rovio is planning on developing cross-platform functionality. You can play on Facebook and stop, only to continue your game on your Android phone, and perhaps beat the game on their tablet.

Talk about addiction. No place is immune to those fuzzy red and blue birds.

Perhaps it is a romantic comedy troupe, but there are a few key aspects that remain cliché in modern culture and in dealing with relationships. Body humor, potty humor, and other such issues remains a bit interesting, bizarre, and a little touchy. For one reason or another, couples find the topic something you don’t really speak of. Men in particular find themselves sort of turned off by a girl who farts. It’s just not girly, not attractive, and of course, that smelly aftereffect which clears the room.

So if you are to fart, do it discreetly. Perhaps a boyfriend knows it, but you don’t need to openly smile and raise your hand like in a middle school classroom. But it is probably best you know your significant other well enough to know if it is something you can actively do and bring up and not hide. Some men find it unsettling. Some men should get over it! Be a little careful early on, but the truth is, farting will occur at some point. Why dance around it and be cautious when it is an inevitable activity of human nature?

Some people have a weird desire to hide the fact that they are, indeed, human. They take extraneous efforts to extinguish the fact that they have hair under their arms, go to the bathroom, and lastly, fart. Hygiene is good. Good hygiene gets you a lover in the first place. But as time goes on, expect that barrier to lower and you find yourself flirting with the idea of farting in the bedroom.

Men should be aware those women are attracted to a man who will accept them for who they are- farts included. A man asking a woman to hide their farts, or even putting the woman in a perspective where she needs to hide her farts, seems a little unhealthy. It’s just a fart!

If you need to fart, it is probably best you do it without going out of your way, but also try to suffocate the sound a little bit. If it is heard, shrug your shoulders. Smile. No big deal. The sooner you make a big deal out of something that is, ultimately, a little silly, you make big deals out of other arbitrary issues.

Interestingly, farting is seen as a measurement of comfort. So bring yourself closer to your lover by openly farting. The stink goes away quick (if you didn’t have bean tacos that is) and is an interesting way to bring a relationship to a WHOLE other level. How farts became the way to do that, I could never know. But in all honesty, if you find yourself questioning how and when and if to fart in front of a lover, that lover may not necessarily be for you at all.

The health study done by Chicago University’s Booth Business School took 205 individuals between ages 18-85, and had them document, in detail, their urges throughout the weeks. The number one urge was sleep, which came as no surprise. But following closely behind this was hunger, checking email, and visiting their favorite social media website. Behind these was drinking alcohol and smoking a cigarette.
Speaking to the Guardian, lead researcher Wilhelm Hofmann said:

“Desires for media may be comparatively harder to resist because of their high availability and also because it feels like it does not ‘cost much’ to engage in these activities, even though one wants to resist.”

This health trend is alarming but also intriguing. On the surface, this study reveals something inherent in modern day society- Facebook rules. But it is also a health trend that is curiously positive. In light of the study, is it really that bad that people would more often choose a Facebook status update over a beer? The detrimental qualities of alcohol are a little more transparent. Liver disease, quicker aging, some time in jail, etc… Cigarettes are even more so, so commonly known it’s silly to list them at all. But the health side effects of spending too much time on Facebook and email is a little more blurry. Also consider that “too much” isn’t really defined and differs extraordinarily for every person, you have a formula for an intriguing and possible beneficial health trend.

But this should not be revolutionary news. The cost of enjoying Facebook is muddy, as opposed to alcohol and cigarettes that have a very tangible cost. Other than internet costs, there is not a tangible cost to too much time on social media. Even further, there is not an established negative to doing so either, or at least one as culturally blatant as “throat cancer.”

Of course, the withdrawal systems are significantly different. Cigarette withdrawal is infamously difficult, and often requires outside help. Companies will bank on your inability to physically resist. They devise patches and such to stream the nicotine from your system. Alcohol withdrawal in particular can be deadly, and in severe cases, may need the help of a medical doctor. The withdrawal symptoms for a lack of email are significantly less impacting. It is hard to imagine a scenario where someone physically wretches without checking their Gmail account.

Businesses are flocking to Facebook for its widely distributed use, friendly user base, and cost of use. As a matter of fact, many businesses are devised entirely around the influx of social media, and specifically, Facebook. But many use it poorly. Many see it as an opportunity to exploit and make sales. This is poor thinking. Just because it is social media, does not mean it cannot directly come across as spam. There is a smart way to market, and a poor way to market. One methodology has wide benefits, the other will get you banned.

At its core, Facebook is about profiles and pages. A business can set-up a specific profile or fan page, but it still has to accumulate individuals who are interested in following. This is at the essence of Facebook. It is where and how you accumulate followers which will substantiate your success. Spamming every person manually is unproductive and unnecessary. Try importing your email contacts when you devise your profile. Try messaging people who may be interested and ask them if they would like a coupon for your product. This way you openly address them without asking for a friend request, and is a way to remove the barrier.

Announcing contests, sales, and coupon codes is only at the surface of what a successful Facebook marketing campaign can offer. Being able to speak directly with fans and potential customers through the means of the Facebook instant-access chat, offers a sort of connectivity that would have been unrealistic outside this social marketing medium. The problem occurs when businesses use facebook to spam their content. The idea with social media is to interact with fans. Supplying coupons and special exclusive information is wise. Spamming yourself with email generators and 5000 friend request in 7 days is simply not.

Facebook’s recent update spanned all users, and redesigned a profile layout. Now when you visit a profile, you are subject to a whole timeline of their history. This is good in that it refocused a lot of the attention from spam worthy comments and realigned it to the core history of the user you are visiting. This redesign is interesting and a little polarizing, but any change affecting 800 million people will have some sort of ramifications. It is wise for marketers to be aware of these changes, and how it effects their display.

The appeal of Facebook lies in its direct connectivity. It allows a medium of interaction that if properly harnessed, can explore social media to its full extent. With a user base of 800 million, users spanning virtually every country, and entry limited to making an account with an email, Facebook is the playground devised for marketers. The problem is that many marketers use Facebook as a means to an end, and it should be an extension of marketing. If used properly, Facebook’s structure and innovation will restructure and innovative YOU.

Throughout the years, Houston struggled in relationships, as well as addiction with hopes of having a new start and her life back on track. Even though her second chance did not turn out for the best, fans did not see this coming. I don’t think anyone, but her close friends and family actually saw this coming. We do not know what happens behind closed doors, all we see is what the media portrays someone to be. We should respect her family’s privacy during this difficult time and let her voice live on forever. RIP Whitney.

Update:
Here is a statement from Beverly Hills Police Lieutenant Mark Rosen “I can confirm that Whitney Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. PST at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. We received a call at 3:43 p.m. from hotel security and Beverly Hills Fire and police responded minutes later.” “It’s unclear who notified hotel staff because she has quite an entourage here at the hotel. We attempted to resuscitate her, to no avail.”

As to whether there was any evidence of drugs or foul play, Rosen responded: “We don’t know yet, her death is under investigation.”

Apple is notorious for innovating in an industry, but not dominating the market. Sure, the iPod was a massive revolutionary success that essentially defined the mp3 market, but there laundry list of past products proves that they don’t particularly become a dominant mainstay in a certain medium. Many fear this is the fate of the iPhone. As Google’s Android gains market share, only having recently passed Apple with their latest iteration and other competitors enter, their longevity is questionable. LG released their LG Voyager to wide acclaim, as it enters the smart phone industries upper echelon. And Microsoft is planning their Microsoft Windows Mobile 7, which essentially takes the PC entirely mobile. With tough competition, it is hard to see Apple remaining relevant for long in the field. And with the recent death of Steve Jobs, many reconsider Apple’s ability to compete.

The iPhone 4 was plagued with many minor issues; some simply baffle fans and industry members. For one, Apple chose to go forward with Bing for their searches, as opposed to Google. It seems like a small issue, but with the massive popularity and appeal of Google, it seems an odd choice. More importantly, the Wi-Fi use is sporadic at best, being often barely functioning despite a close Wi-Fi network. They have improved the technology on paper with a special steel band to pick up on Wi-Fi networks, but it doesn’t work too well in reality. It also hurts that Apple is insistent on limiting the amount of networks they work with, exclusively AT&T. If they truly are insistent on being the most accessible smart phone in the industry, their unwillingness to work with all networks remains contradictory to their marketing and branding.

A major difference is in user creation. Google’s Android has an app market that allows you to upload applications and content. There is little to no regulation, so anyone can upload what they see fit. With that said, there is a wide influx of poor content on the Android app store. Yet regardless of this, the free domain allows for creative forethought and less oversight that is appealing to users. Apple chose the opposite route. It is also worth nothing that Apple regulates all content posted, and get approval is not partiocuarly easy. You have to pass their regulations to get your content live, and it is inconsistent at best. It also deters people from delivering content, as you can see from the exponential growth on the Android market- eclipsing Apple’s iPhone market.

With the apparent flaws in Apple’s latest iPhone iteration, and the death of their main innovative, Apple lost a significant amount of headway. Also considering their track record of initial innovation-poor follow through, Apple may have found a collection of issues that may have deterred their ability to succeed in the future with the iPhone. Tough competition doesn’t help either.

By pure power of processing, the Xbox 720 is expected to be about six times as powerful as the Xbox 360. This includes graphical power, as well as physics within the software and character artificial intelligence. For example, characters may be far smarter, even pedestrian level characters, and will be able to act with a far more powerful system of A.I. Now the six times as powerful comment discovered by the rumor mill is slightly substantiated by those directly involved with Microsoft. And though it remains a rather arbitrary number at best, it does represent the expectations and goals of Microsoft in developing their new system.

For many video game players and Gamestop employees, one rumor in particular becomes borderline frightening. It is widely mentioned from those involved in the Xbox 720 project that used games will be unplayable on the Xbox 720. The system will have a built in anti-used game system that will reject used titles. Once you purchase a game, it will “download” to your system, and be unplayable on other consoles. This is a conscious effort to offset the dent the used game market makes on software sales. It will likely work similar to the PC market, that offers a download code that is a one-time use. Though there is further speculation that this is not likely, and the Xbox 720 will use a download system as well as a regular physical disc system. For example, an individual could download the game to their hard drive or purchase a physical copy, for what will likely be a premium price.

For fans of motion controlled movement, one rumor in particular is barely one at all. It is strongly reaffirmed that the Xbox 720 will expand on the Kinect product, building the Kinect into the actual system and making improvements to the technology. For those who are unaware, the Kinect is the extremely successful motion-controlled add-on for Xbox 360 that has sold approximately 10 million units since its launch. Expect this idea to be expanded exponentially for the new system.

Microsoft has confirmed their path to making the Xbox 720 an entertainment hub. Though the degree of its crossover functionality is unknown, expect the Xbox 720 to strongly support the idea of crossing into many other mediums. This includes movies and other such products that will make the Xbox 720 a fully functioning entertainment hub. This may even include blu-ray technology.

With all the rumors circulating, there is very little actually confirmed. Microsoft is not planning to launch the system anytime soon, as fans and industry insiders expect a 2013-2014 release date. But as Microsoft has said many times, they expect to get a healthy ten years out of the Xbox 360. Considering the 360 launched in 2005, that puts us around 2015 for a launch of the new system. Ouch.