Video Upload

This video was filmed with Photobooth on my macbook. It features me and two of my friends dancing ridiculously to Justin Bieber. 

Google Book's new "Fail" Page

TechCrunch released an article recently that told of something new Google is doing. Google Books has adopted artwork for an “error page” that they put up when there is a problem. The artwork is an illustration of Moby Dick by Yi Ying Lu. The story is that they picked the image of a whale because “whale” rhymes with “fail.” Although this isn’t breaking news in the tech world, I still find it pretty interesting. 

This article can be found at: http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/07/whale-fail/

Edward Carroll

St. John’s Alumni, Edward Carroll, has lived his whole life in Queens. He attended middle school, high school, college and law school all within a 5-mile radius. So it makes perfect sense why after completing law school Carroll wanted to go into working for the District Attorney and work to make his home of New York safe by combating gangs. 

Carroll talked about some of the gangs who are active in New York when he spoke to the students of St. Johns. Some of the groups he talked about were the “Esquadrons,” “Mexican Boys,” “TMB,” “Latin Kings,” “Fu Ching,” “Los Ninos Malos,” the “Netas” and the “Bloods.” Carroll told of how the gangs recruit kids, get them in and hold them for life without giving them much of a choice to get out. 

His talk focused largely on a program that the Brooklyn DA offers called Gang Busters, which is a rehabilitation program for gang members. It offers protection for those who want out of the gang and helps them to get into school and to make changes in their life for a more productive lifestyle.  The program means a lot to Carroll and he says it has been very successful and is making strides to help the community. 

SPARQ Codes- A Great Idea For A Company's Social Media

TechCrunch released an article recently about MSKYNET, a company that creates and analyzes 2D barcodes called SPARQ codes. Because of the current technology that we have on smart phones, many businesses are now putting out SPARQ codes as a way to connect with their customers. Consumers scan these codes when they see them with their smart phones and then “like” whatever the code is for on Facebook, or begin “following” it on Twitter. 

 The article states that “[MSKYNET] is mainly targeting small businesses and franchises, which tend to value a social media presence, but do not usually have the technical expertise to make their own QR codes.” This is a really interesting (and in my opinion very smart) outlet for a company’s social media outreach. According to the article, SPARQ codes are doing really well. I have noticed these codes popping up in many places including at St. John’s University. In the D’Angelo Center and Montgoris Dining Hall many posters are showing up with codes on them. I don’t have the eye to tell if these codes are designed by MSKYNET or another company but the marketing tactic is out there and in my opinion a good one.

This article can be found at: http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/08/sparqcode-makes-it-a-snap-for-local-businesses-to-use-qr-codes/

Thomas J. Pickard

When first seeing Mr. Pickard one assumes he is your average man. He is middle-aged; in good shape, fairly pleasant, down to earth and speaks very calmly. When Thomas J. Pickard came to speak to the audience of St. John students, no one really expected much from his talk. That is until he revealed he spent his days catching terrorists.

Thomas J. Pickard comes from Queens, NY. He is the oldest of five children and the first in his family to go to college. He graduated from St. Francis college in Brooklyn with a degree in Accounting then went on to attend night classes at St. John’s University. After college Pickard first got a job with an accounting firm called Touche Ross and Company (which has since been renamed Deloitte and Touche) but realized fairly quickly that accounting wasn’t for him.

Pickard became interested in the FBI after reading a book called The FBI Career Guide. The book opened his eyes to all the different jobs that are done in the FBI and Pickard decided he would give a job in the FBI a shot. Getting into the FBI is no easy feat, he had to go on an interview, submit to a polygraph test and then complete a 16 week training session in Virginia that included both physical and classroom training.

After making it into the FBI Pickard had to work on a case after an incident at a bank in the Bronx. He had to follow paper trails and catch fugitives. After spending some time working on jobs like that, the FBI decided to put Pickard on cases that dealt in White Collar Crime that could use his degree in accounting. One case Pickard worked on required him to go undercover and set up a construction company that was used that as a front to combat politicians who had been making deals with Middle Eastern oil tycoons to give them amnesty into the United States. That operation was successful and allowed him to keep moving up and working on bigger cases.

Another case that Pickard worked on dealt with the man who bombed the World Trade Center in 1993, Ramzi Yousef. Yousef fled the country after his attack was unsuccessful (the attack killed 6 people and injured 1,042) and Pickard was on the case to find him. Pickard and his team put Yousef’s face on match books in the Middle East that were sold with cigarettes and offered a large reward. This worked and he was found. Pickard said that even though he was caught, he considered Youself to be one of the world’s greatest terrorists. (Not only did Youself have an MBA in chemical and electrical engineering, but he also spoke 7 languages flawlessly!) Pickard brought in some photos of from this case:

This is Yousef. 

This is Yousef when he was caught by the FBI.

Those are Yousef's hands as a result of his failed attack on the World Trade Center.

After working on cases like that for many years Pickard got promoted to Deputy Director, which was a job that dealt with desk work, budgets, hearings and briefings. He did that job for a short period and then left the FBI to work at Bristol-Myers Squibb, a bio-pharmaceutical company with a focus in Oncology. Pickard wanted to work there because his wife has had breast cancer multiple times. Pickard’s talk was highly enjoyable and very informative. 

Awesome Android Map Upgrade

How cool is this- the Android phone is getting an upgrade that will make its map application 3D! Tech crunch released an article that said that maps on the Android phone are now going to render images a lot faster, incorporate 3D buildings, offer offline caching and will use the compass to direct the map. The maps will load faster because they require 100 times less data, instead of downloading the entire map for each level the app will now download the entire map at different levels, which will also enable them to work while offline.

The maps will also work with the compass (which is awesome) by automatically flipping the 3D view to be facing the same direction that the person is facing (so that the 3d image is what the user is actually seeing on the street. That feature would be very beneficial to directionally challenged people like me.

This is what the maps will look like when in use:

I think that this will be so beneficial to people who are lost- they will virtually be seeing the image infront of them so they can find their way!

I really hope that the iPhone decides to use the technology that the android is going to for their maps application. I think that it seems really cool, helpful and informative. I think there is a lot of problems with the iPhone map application and I hope that they eventually move to this.

This article can be found at: http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/06/android-map-app-3d-compass-offline/

Introducing ViKi

The Los Angeles Times technology blog introduces a new website to its readers called ViKi. ViKi is a website that uses the concept of crowd sourcing production of entertainment, meaning that the public works on the materials featured on the site.

The website features shows and movies from all over the world and the public offers translations of them in the form of subtitles so that viewers of all nationalities and languages can enjoy them. The article states that “So far, translators have provided subtitles in more than 140 languages.” The translators do their work for free because they enjoy the opportunity to work with other viewers and translators. The translators are recognized in credits that roll at the beginning of the video they work on, as well as on ViKi's site. I think that this website is a great idea and offers a cool way for people to see new videos and offers a unique opportunity for people who want to translate movies. 

This article can be found at http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/12/viki-making-online-video-speak-in-tongues.html