Good bye checks and credit cards! Hello...cell phones?

There is a new push in the consumer world that involves using mobile devices to make financial payments.  With this option consumers can possibly replace their cards and checks, even their PayPal account, with a simple mobile phone program.  Read the following article about this advancement.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/mobile/12/03/gahran.mobile.payment/index.html

What do you think about this?  Is it something that you think will end up becoming a reality?  Would you feel comfortable using this system?  What are three interesting things you learned from this article?

How to be a millionaire before you're 25!

Review the following slide show.  Make sure you read about all 25 people! What are at least three trends you notice from one millionaire to another?  What business idea interests you the most?  Why?  If someone came up to you and offered you a million dollars to tell them your best entrepreneur idea what would your idea be?

 http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/slideshows/slideshow_pop.html?nm=YoungMillionaires

Advertising overload?

Everyday we as a society visit million of websites.  What we often don't notice though is all the advertisements we are viewing. Companies pay marketing agencies and websites billions of dollars a year to "get their name out there".  Go to a website you find interesting (post a link to this blog).  Look through the page and take note of the advertising.  How many ads are on the homepage? (post this in your response)  Had you ever noticed them before?  Do you use any of the products that are being promoted?

Read the following article.  Would you pay for this service?  Do you think Twitter should charge for this tracking device?  Have you ever thought about how advertising is so integrated into everything we are exposed to on a daily basis?  What is another example of this "subtle" advertising?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/social.media/11/18/cashmore.twitter.business/index.html

What did you like about last year? Here's some lists of what others thought...

Top 10's of 2010

With the new year getting started "Top 10" lists continue to pile up reviewing what was hot and what was not for 2010.  Time in partership with CNN presents The Top 10 Everything.  Visit the following website, click on "Business and Tech", and then chose the "Top 10 Gadgets".  Read all 10 of the gadegets and then chose the THREE that interest you the most.  Briefly explain why they interest you and how you feel they changed our society this year.  Also, pick one more Top 10 list to review, post the topic and which of the items was your favorite on that list and why you chose it.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2035319,00.html?hpt=C2#biz

New year, new class!

Welcome to Social Implications of Technology the Spring 2011 edition.  Find a news article that interests you. Copy and paste the link to the article you found as a reply to this blog.  Have you ever blogged before and what do you think of blogging?