Entry # 10 - Feb 27 2014

Social media affecting teens' concepts of friendship, intimacy

Oscar Qi
Feb 27 2014
CBC news: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/social-media-affecting-teens-concepts-of-friendship-intimacy-1.2543158

Social media and Network society affects teenager’s relationship and friendship. The researcher found out that in average, a typical teenager has 300 Facebook friends and 79 twitter followers. Many teenagers have way more friends and followers than that number. In the research in 2013, the researchers found out the majority of teenagers post their photos of daily life to let their online friends to see. The more recent research also showed that the teenagers also protect their online privacy, like refuse to give their phone number; however, they do not understand well the Online Privacy agreement and often share about their geo-location or passwords. Their friendship sort changes from the network society. They now create their own online words like “u”, “u2” etc. Also it’s not necessary to meet their friends face to face anymore.

 

I’m not a kind of teenager that has 300 friends on my Facebook, but I still agree with this article. I have many friends who will just enjoy their time on stuff like Facebook or Chinese Facebook as known as Renren or wechat. It makes them stay in their house forever and they actually don’t have a lot to say when you meet them. However, when they log on line, they will be completely changed. They publish tons of their status online, and when you log on, your screen will fill with their status. I think the teenagers should do enjoy their life but not online, to meet with their “real” friends that’s what matters.

Entry # 9 - Feb 27 2014

U.K. spy agency captured private webcam chats, report says

Oscar Qi
Feb 27 2014
CBC news: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/u-k-spy-agency-captured-private-webcam-chats-report-says-1.2553809

The UK spy agency was capture people’s private webcam chats. They scoop sensitive images by intercept throw the webcam such as Yahoo, Facebook etc. They don’t know how many spies are doing this on people’s webcam right now, but they know the spy department had capture and intercepted 1.8 million users in 2008, and this program is  probably still working today. If this program keeps improve and develop, more and more millions of user would be spied. There are already 75 millions of users in yahoo in 2011. They could be like virus and just spy everyone. This program could find the user’s cell phone; address and Email etc. and all of those people are innocent. This program takes photos from the webcam every 5 min, and if it’s sensitive, it will be send to the spy department. The funny thing is that about 8% of images are very “undesirable nudity”.

 

In my opinion, I think this program should definitely disappear from this planet. Because might harm the users’ privacy. Imagine that if I’m webcaming someone, I’ll never want someone else that I don’t know to intercept about my chat and steal my personal useful data from it. If this spy knows me somehow, he could use my credit card without even letting me notice. Also, my Email address will expose too many things, and I have to deal with tons of garbage messages in my Email. My home address might be exposing, and someone with all my personal information can just kidnap me. Save your privacy, deny the spies.  

Entry # 8 - Feb 20 2014

Why is security camera video still so terrible?

Oscar Qi
Feb 20
CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/why-is-security-camera-video-still-so-terrible-1.2542359
In 2014, many technologies improved. The smart phones now can use as computers, the computer run much faster, and the internet is much better. However, the Security camera is always as bad as the webcam circa 1998 and it never changes. Those police always wants the better camera, because the better camera can always lead to a better investigations. It would really help the police to catch the thieves. There was a case when a thief saw himself on TV, and he said: “look, that’s me, I’m screwed”. However, the reality always makes the police’s hope disappear. In reality, the only thing that could help the police to find the thief is to tell them where they might find the finger print etc. Because when a thief is going to rob a store, he’s going to ROB A STORE!

 

In my opinion, I always hoped that cameras can be much better, so each time when we have a thief who’s trying to steal our stuff, we are able to find them as fast as possible. That will make our life much better. I’m not a thief, so I don’t know what the thief will think if the cameras are actually better. Also, improve the quantity of the camera image will reduce the chance of people getting steal. Because the thief will know that the camera here will catch their face, so he might go to somewhere else to steal or just give up that thought. People, please make the security cameras better.

Entry # 7 - Feb 18 2014

SARS-like virus claims 60th victim in Saudi Arabia

Oscar
Feb 18
CBC news: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/sars-like-virus-claims-60th-victim-in-saudi-arabia-1.2540157

Saudi men are dying from a new virus. This virus is very similar to SARS. Since the outbreak of SARS, it already killed 775 people worldwide. It was stopped but now, a kind of new virus just claimed the 60^th victim in Saudi Arabia. It’s the 60^th death from this new disease. In total, there are 145 people infected and stay in hospital. This SARS like virus killed 800 in the outbreak of 2003. Although it is related to SARS, it belongs to a common cold family. It could cause coughing, fever and pneumonia. Also, it could disable our kidney. The first time people ever found out this virus is in 2012, and it was spreading in the Europe.

 

This virus might be very dangerous. It remained me of an experience when I was young. At that time the SARS are spreading in the world. In China, the government strengthened their control in urban area; the police man was like searching for a political criminal. They want to search everything so that they know if you get infected with SARS or not. It was a terrible experience; we can’t get into our house simply because I’m too young to have an ID. We waited 1 hour outside then our parents started to search for us. This virus could be very similar to SARS, and the technology is developing.  Now days, it’s so much easier to find a cure about a new disease or virus. So, I’m not afraid of this disease, even if I’m infected, I still have a high possibility to survive.

Entry # 6 - Feb 17 2014

North Korea atrocities 'strikingly similar' to Nazi era, UN says

Feb 17
Oscar Qi
CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/north-korea-atrocities-strikingly-similar-to-nazi-era-un-says-1.2540021

North Korea now is very similar to the Nazi Germany in the Second World War. They organize systematic torture and killing. The UN said that the leader Kim Jong-un should face the international justice due to his action to the innocent people. UN is trying to persuade him to rein their nuclear weapons. The UN also told that the ally of North Korea is China, which they send detectors to North Korea end up they were killed. Many of the detectors are teenager. The crimes that North Korea committed include rape, execution, torture, abductions and starvation. However, when they ask the civilian of North Korea, they said those crimes “doesn’t exist in our country”.

In my opinion, North Korea was always a bad place and a bad country. From what I heard, same as China, their government is also a communism party. They are like the China back in the days when Chairman Mao is still alive. Chairman Mao use his authority randomly, killed all his teammates who fight him through WWII and civil war simply because they disagree with him sometimes. For North Korea, I’ve heard that Jong-un has killed his ex-girlfriend with a random crime simply because he wants another girl. I think Nazi Germany is even better than North Korea, because at least they don’t kill their own people. I totally agree with this article. I hope that North Korea will become better one day, and communism will disappear from this planet.

Entry # 5 - Feb 10 2014

How Google Glass could revolutionize surgery

Feb 10
Oscar Qi
CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/how-google-glass-could-revolutionize-surgery-1.2527414

Google Glass is a kind of glass that combined all the function of smart phone and computer. This Glass has a screen on the lens, and it will show many things. It is very cool, and it can actually change the way that the surgeons operate in the operating room. The Advantage of google glass is: google glass is able to capture video of what the wearer sees. If the surgeon is operating, the video can goes around the world, so if the patient is having some critical, rare or the surgeon is just sucks, the doctor that experienced this condition before can help the doctor and might save the patient’s life. Also, the lens itself is not very expensive, it’s around $500. Google Glass theoretically works, but no one will know how it will actually work in the operating room.

In my opinion, I really like this glass and I’ve always waited for this glass actually come out. This glass looks so cool, just like those devices from the movies. In my opinion, this thing might really change the face of surgery. Imagine that if you are lying on the operating table and there is something really go wrong with you, and your doctor have no idea how to save you. But here is google glass, it sent the video to some one that’s really good, and that doctor coached your surgeon, and you were saved. That will be awesome.  I hope it can actually come out with a 500$ prize and I hope it can actually save people.

Entry # 4 - Feb 5 2014

How the heart of a teen from Guelph saved an Ancaster man

Feb 5
Oscar Qi
CBC news: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/how-the-heart-of-a-teen-from-guelph-saved-an-ancaster-man-1.2521808

A 15 years old boy was injured very badly in a car accident. Countless bones were broken and most importantly, he was an in condition of brain dead. This boy’s name is Tyler. Tyler wasn’t looking around when he was going home cross the road. A tractor trailer struck him while he’s walking. The boy had his headphone’s on, and wasn’t paying any attention to the surrounding world. The surgeons were trying hard to save this patient from death, but their work ends up in vain. After 48 hours, the family of the boy was told that the boy was gone. The brain activity of the boy was absolute 0. The boy became a no brainer.  Then there was a man called Allingham, who was suffering from a genetic heart disease, hope to have a healthy life style. But he was in a critical condition. So the surgeons gave the heart of Tyler to Allingham. Afterward the families met each other and spend Christmas together. The said it’s amazing to meet each other after all of this.

 

I think it could be a very nice thing to do to give part of my body to a person who’s dying from other things. The countries which have this kind of policy always have a better living condition, like Singapore. In some countries, they don’t have this kind of policy, which makes the life extremely difficult. In China, it’s illegal to remove part of people’s body even though after they were dead, unless the family agreed. I think this policy is ridiculous and cruel. I hope the world can be helping each other like a whole system, not being thousands of individuals.

Entry # 3 - January 30 2014

Peanut allergy in children reduced in experiment

January 30
Oscar Qi
CBC news: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/peanut-allergy-in-children-reduced-in-experiment-1.2515982

The doctor made an experiment which the children able to reduce their symptom of allergy when they grew up. After half a year since the experiment start, in 96 samples of children and teens, 80% is able to eat 2 ~ 3 peanuts and 2/3 is able to eat 10 peanuts without and symptom. The doctor says that this will decrease the anxiousness about the family members of those patients who is suffering from the allergy. They hope that those peanuts will help the patients get used to it. After this when the patient encounters with peanut product, they will be much better than the situation if they haven’t involved with this experiment. However, the this treatment idea have a problem. The process might scare the patients’ family and influence their normal life.

 

In my opinion, I think this experiment is capable. This experiment is something that can make someone might die from peanut allergy in the future become alive. I think humans are able to adjust to something that’s harmful to them if they have contact with it in a limited amount for a long time. My brother is extremely sensitive to nuts product and nuts for some reason. Every time he touches that stuff, he will swallow up like a balloon. He looks very funny but it’s actually extremely dangerous and painful. Being a family member of a person like this, I really hope that doctors can also create something like that to cure my brother.