I'm Going to do Better! Google Drive vs. "The Others"!

I'm really sucking at this whole blogging thing. However, I will try again, as I've ignored this blog longer than last time!
It's because my hopes were down, but...I won't give in?

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Alrighty then, here we go.

Google Drive has recently revealed the supposedly year-long rumor of Google Drive, a cloud-based storage that is basically your "hard drive on a cloud". It has 5 MB of data, synchronization between several devices, among others (yes, I'll talk about them). 

"Among others" needs to be clarified. For starters, Google Drive allows you to share files between your friends and such. It also allows friends to edit a file you've shared with them. This sounds like something scientists or researchers would use for some reason. 

And finally, the 5 MB of storage is free. However, you can upgrade to 25 MB for a mere $2.50 a month.

My thoughts: it's something I would use, simply because it's Google. I'm not one to compare, but from what I've heard, Google Drive is competition to Dropbox, box, Microsoft SkyDrive, and iCloud. So much choices! The sharing files between friends sounds interesting, as it makes the Google Drive product seem like another social networking site. What catches my eye is the fact that upgrading to 25 MB from 5 MB for only $2.50 a month sounds fascinating. It's not something I would use, as I don't have that much data, but it's something people with a lot of files would certainly find useful.

In the end, Google Drive sounds like a well put-together product. I'm actually quite excited about it, as it seems like a step up from plain (but not old) Google Docs.

Student Dilemma #3: Make Life Easier? but txtng in clss is a prblm!

Yes! Schools should certainly permit the uses of the cell phone to a certain extent! They should make it so that it'd be used for semi-educational uses only. I may be sounding like an old haggard (being that I'm just a simple-minded high school student), but schools could do so much better when it comes to this area.

By going forward with this action, students should be instructed/taught to take advantage of their phones and use it for school. For example, they could prioritize their homework by making a checklist or using it to take notes in class. This not only makes life easier, as their are more options when modern tech is used over paper, but it also saves trees.

Another thing is that everything is compiled into one tiny device. If I wanted to snatch a research paper from my computer at home to my phone, it'd be no hassle.

But, what if my file is only stored on the computer--and not the cloud?

Well, I'm hitting around the bend here, but let's say my mom (or dad!) is home at the moment I need him most. Well, I could have him e-mail me the paper before the end of class or the day. This would be much better, as the research paper was sent to my phone through the cloud.

Granted, this idea does pose some problems, as this also gives them a tad bit more freedom--but for all the wrong reasons. Permitting phones in class does come with the usual problems, such as texting in class and such. 

To sum up this somewhat well-written post (maybe I'm lying to myself?), permitting the usage of phones, or any other tech gadget for that matter, will make life easier for us students. Everything's in one place, things can get done faster, for example, sending a PDF file to a teacher so she can't

As I'm wrote this, all I thought was "Oh gosh, I'm going to be lonely for the rest of my life D:

Hi-Tech Hi Five #1: Nexus S 4G Ice Cream Sandwich Update

For the very first Hi-Tech Hi-Five post, Nexus S 4G users, your salivating mouths can be put to rest! Google's Android 4.0 can now be updated on your phone! Unwrap and take a bite of the sweetness we've all been waiting for!

However, I'm the one, along with others, who is still waiting for more deliciousness of the Ice Cream Sandwich!

My phone isn't updating!

Maybe it's just me, but I know that my phone's being a bit...evil to me. I won't go on about the mid-life crisis I'm having here, but enough of me!

Enjoy your Ice Cream Sandwich! I'd add a strawberry or two if I were you...

Impersonal Rambling #2: Starting Over

Hey readers from abroad! At the moment, I'm on Spring Break (thank Zeus!) I apologize for having ignored Arliss' Catch-22. I had a mid-life crisis with it because, well, I don't want my work taken.

As you can see, I've decided to delete all of my stories that I've posted in the past, though Student Dilemmas and Impersonal Ramblings are still going to be up and running! I felt that other people would steal my work and label it as their own. This came about in my mind after reading about the guy who made the flash game. He made the flash game, which soon became widely popular (I think it had story at the end...I'm sorry, I don't feel like doing research at the moment!) So, some ace-of-spades decided "Hey. I can rip this guy's game and put it on the App Store for billions of dollars (Don't worry, I'm exaggerating here!). With that, the ripoff artist took  the original creator's game and sold it on the App Store. Now, the original creator can't do anything about it because there was no copyright on his game. A sad story indeed.

Back on track, in the near future, I do have some brilliant ideas in mind that will appear on my blog. Here's a hint: Arliss' Hi-Tech Hi-Five! (Name Pending...)

EDIT: Yup! The name is Arliss' Hi-Tech Hi-Five!

Impersonal Rambling #1: Choices

Alright, for my first Arliss' Impersonal Ramblings blog post, I figured I'd make it worthwhile, as well as important. To launch the rocket off right, I'm going to bring up the subject of choices and how many of them can change your life, positively or negatively. Of course, other choices may not matter and you may not give a freak if you decide to drink a glass of Hawaiian Punch or not.

The reason why I brought up this subject is because, right now, I'm having serious first-world problems right now: should I blow my money on a rat? Or a Samsung Admire from MetroPCS? I'm quite a choicy person, as it takes me a couple days for me to decide on what I should use my money on. I mean, c'mon, we're all that person who doesn't care if you're spending someone else's money like it's no tomorrow, but when it's your money, all you're thinking is WHAT THE FREAK DO I WANT?! Or maybe that's just me.
(Lucky for me, I get a two-week free trial on the rat, so I at least have a little more freedom)

ANYWAYS, I really should connect my indecisiveness to how choices can seriously change your life. I mean, c'mon: you didn't really have to shoot that poor guy who didn't even bother to look at you the wrong way, did you?

Well, I'm getting hungry because I'm at an event right now. There's some pretty good food, too (you all should try Swedish Meatballs!)!

Student Dilemma #2: Computers In Schools

(I feel horrible, guys. I promise to do better at this whole "habitual" thing! I'd give the excuse of school is catching up with me, but then I'd be lying!)

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As said in the introduction of Arliss' Student Dilemma, I believe that schools should be more efficient when it comes to having the latest technologies. One of the advancements that should be mandatory for schools are computers. Sure, there are times when we use it for looking up things, especially in high school, but I believe there's more potential than just mainly being for college students, who bring their own computers to school (at least to my knowledge).

Computers can improve a lot of things if schools took advantage of them. Note-taking would be faster, papers wouldn't be wasted, and even students may be encouraged to work. Besides, schools could even go a step further and have every student have a personal cloud for all of their assignments.
Of course, there are always things that hamper the good. In class, kids could easily sneak a peak on Facebook when the teacher's not looking on the computer (yes, there are ways, I've done it, too, but it's a long story...). The other drawback to having computers is that kids may not even do there work on the computer, but rather the opposite, and do other stuff on it (hmm...where's the cricket?).

In the end, computers can both help and harm the knowledge of students. In my opinion, and totally all for computers in schools, as well as a personal clouds. But, then again, there are those who prefer the traditional pen-and-paper routine. Computers can help in that students can get their work done, but there are also some special people who just want to play before they work. And that's perfectly fine--I have a bad habit of doing that when it comes to my homework, but I still finish my homework. I don't know 'bout dem special kids...

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Copyright :: All Rights Reserved
Registered :: 2012-03-15 13:24:53 UTC
Title :: Student Dilemma #2: Computers In Schools
Category :: Blog
Fingerprint :: c945e35429ea2906fdb18bdf6e0b53da68ab40158fe02a3f197b7362252620f0
MCN :: E6QT9-59P29-A2X8N 

Student Dilemma #1: School and Its Fallacies

To make a short, yet meaningful introduction to Arliss' Student Dilemma, why don't I start off by labeling school and it's drawbacks and areas where it can be improved?

In school here in America, we're still using pencils and papers, with computers used every once and a while. Note-taking is a bore, with sore fingers and glazed eyes only adding to the pain. Every time we take notes, I find myself wishing I'd brought my trusty-dusty netbook to school just to take notes!

Another problem I find in school is that paper is overused. I'd hate to be that eco-freak person out on the streets, but I'm being serious. To state the facts, each year, we Americans throw away enough paper to build a 12-foot wall from New York to California. Hmm...if we divide by one by zero and put a cherry on top, I'm pretty sure that everything equals BULLCRAP! In order to solve that problem, all we have to do is reduce the amount of paper we use! Example? Computers.

Don't worry people, I am capable of contradicting myself at the right times. My aforesaid solution poses another problem: If we trade paper for computers, that does save the trees--and maybe even kittens, but computers do use electricity. In Asian countries such as India, China, and Japan, they're using computers in school more often than not! However, we see that their tasks affect their country, because they've more pollution than America, to which one contributor is electricity.

To end this introduction with a bright red bow, there are ways to change schools for the better, but we'll always have to give an eye for an eye. Trading paper for computers equals trading trees for electricity, which only adds to the already growing problem of solution.

For future posts pertaining to Arliss' Student Dilemma, I'll give improvements to better schools--specifiically in America, but will also look at the drawbacks of them, because for every front, there is a back. For every solution poses another problem.