Every year, technology companies from around the world gather together in the Las Vegas Convention center to present their new products and technologies. Things like self driving cars, wearable technologies and full wall screens that can roll away were on display. This year, Samsung presented a foldable cell phone called The Galaxy Fold and cell phone fanatics are excited about it and so am I. This cell phone will be released soon and cell phones will never be the same. “Featuring an Infinity Flex display, the Samsung Galaxy Fold goes from a 4.6-inch display for phone mode and folds out to reveal a separate 7.3-inch display on the inside. It’s designed to be a comfortable device to hold one-handed.” (https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/samsung-galaxy-fold-news/) The fold will not be cheap when it first comes out at $1,980, but it will be the next “must have” gadget. When unfolded, the phone will be more like a table than a phone with a full screen size close to 7.3”. And when unfolded, it will be able to run multiple applications using all parts of the screens or you can choose to have the image spread across both screens. And on top of the size and clarity of the screen, the phone has a top camera as well. “There are actually six cameras in the Samsung Galaxy Fold. Three on the back make up the main camera, combining a wide, ultrawide, and telephoto lens. There’s also a dual front camera, which seems to be housed in a notch at the top right of the Infinity Flex display, and there’s a single cover camera as well.” (https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/samsung-galaxy-fold-news/ )It is a pricey phone with many uses. It can certainly target the cell phone + tablet user and suggest they combine into one device. But whoever the target audience, first adopters and the gadget gurus out there will definitely want to get their hands on this one.
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Values of Free Expression
There are eight values of free expression. Each gives protection to the individual in the United States. It is debatable, but I would say that the 4th value is probably the most important of the free expressions. The 4th value, free speech, enables people to speak freely without consequences. This is unique to the United States because in other countries that aren't democratic, the things you say about others or the government can mean life or death.
Let's take Pakistan in for example. "The 16-page report's violations include officially enforced censorship, written or verbal threats, killings, harassment, arrests, abductions, illegal confinements and physical assaults, conducted by state and non-state actors and political and religious parties" (Source). Out there, people are literally being harassed and killed for what they say. Someone may argue that you could be harassed for what you say online in the United States, but that's not the government taking action. That's an angry compilation of normal people mad at you for what you posted. Just because we have freedom of speech here in the US doesn't mean that we don't have consequences. The consequences are just different. We the people create what is acceptable to say in society and what is not so acceptable to say in society and that's what makes our freedom of speech limited.
Let's take Pakistan in for example. "The 16-page report's violations include officially enforced censorship, written or verbal threats, killings, harassment, arrests, abductions, illegal confinements and physical assaults, conducted by state and non-state actors and political and religious parties" (Source). Out there, people are literally being harassed and killed for what they say. Someone may argue that you could be harassed for what you say online in the United States, but that's not the government taking action. That's an angry compilation of normal people mad at you for what you posted. Just because we have freedom of speech here in the US doesn't mean that we don't have consequences. The consequences are just different. We the people create what is acceptable to say in society and what is not so acceptable to say in society and that's what makes our freedom of speech limited.
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Leaving Neverland
Recently, a documentary was released on HBO called Leaving Neverland. Many have been anxiously waiting for the release of this film. It premiered at The Sundance Music Festival in January with many reporting about it but people were making judgements about Michael Jackson and the film itself way before its release. The film is a documentary about 2 men who detail their stories about being sexually abused by Michael Jackson when they were befriended by him as young boys. The film is told through the eyes of the accusers. Accounts and descriptions of the friendships they had with Michael Jackson are told in detail; both the good and the bad. “This powerful documentary chronicles their never-before-told firsthand accounts of how he endeared himself to the boys, how their families fell in love with Jackson, and how he allegedly got away with sexually molesting them for decades. They met Jackson years apart and on different continents, but both men offer disturbingly similar accounts that chronicle the manipulative process of a pedophile, the queasy emotional and physical intimacy between victim and abuser and how celebrity trumped accountability and common sense at most every turn. Leaders of the Jackson estate, who declined to appear in the film, deny all the criminal allegations, and the estate is now suing the film’s producer and director, Dan Reed.”
Michael Jackson’s family is outraged by the documentary. And many would have liked to have prevented it from airing. But that is not possible as a film is action and not speech and therefore it is not protected under the 1st Amendment as we learned in the 1915 case where the filmmakers of Birth Of A Nation tried to sue those that tried to ban the movie. In this instance, the family and their attorney found a loophole and have filed a claim against HBO. “The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court alleges that by co-producing and airing “Leaving Neverland,” as HBO intends to do next month, the cable channel is breaching a deal to not disparage the singer. The decades-old contract allowed the cable network to air “Michael Jackson in Concert in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour” and included language that HBO would not disparage Jackson at any future point.” (https://www.apnews.com/4abb6b7b96f14acb85e3f51c6f540929) It will be interesting to see if this claim will stick as it really was created for the protection of Michael Jackson for a given film though wording in the earlier agreement may actually cover all future films and releases on their network.
I am not going to watch the documentary. And, it is not that I don’t believe the individuals that are telling their story. I haven't had the opportunity or knowledge to make that decision. But it is because, for me, Michael Jackson holds a special place in my heart. As long as I can remember, I have always been a big fan of Michael Jackson’s music, dancing, videos and of his great talent in general. And, I don’t want the image that I have of him to change.
Sexual abuse is terrible. It is often not discussed or goes unnoticed or untold. The film reminds people that they shouldn’t keep things like this a secret. Therefore, it is necessary for the public to hear the words of the survivors, whether they are truthful accusations or not. It is also helpful for the survivors to tell their stories as it may help them in dealing with the hurt and pain that they suffering. I am not here to decide whether or not the accusations are true or false, though it would be better if Michael Jackson was still alive to defend himself. These men felt pain, felt abused and needed to share their story with others in order to remind people of the importance of sharing rather than keeping it to oneself and in hopes of helping others who might be suffering a similar situation and are afraid to tell. I feel horrible for them. But for me, my Michael Jackson is an invincible, super talented person and I do not want to change my image of Michael Jackson.
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