Socialnomics – Social Media Revolution
Aug 7, 2010 Technology
The Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media, a first-of-its-kind social media center focused on health care, builds on Mayo Clinic’s leadership among health care providers in adopting social media tools, which began with podcasting in 2005. Mayo Clinic has the most popular medical provider channel on YouTube and more than 60,000 “followers” on Twitter, as well as an active Facebook page with well over 20,000 connections. With its News Blog, Podcast Blog and Sharing Mayo Clinic, a blog that enables patients and employees to tell their Mayo Clinic stories, Mayo has been a pioneer in hospital blogging. MayoClinic.com, Mayo’s consumer health information site, also hosts a dozen blogs on topics ranging from Alzheimer’s to The Mayo Clinic Diet.
Mayo has also used social media tools for internal communications, beginning in 2008 with a blog to promote employee conversations relating to the organization’s strategic plan, and including innovative use of video and a hybrid “insider” newsletter/blog. This employee engagement contributes to Mayo Clinic being recognized among Fortune magazine’s “Best Places to Work.”
The center will accelerate adoption of social media for health-related purposes, starting at Mayo and then within health care more broadly. Through this work, Mayo Clinic looks to help improve health literacy, health care delivery and population health worldwide.
Tags: facebook, google, Social Media, Twitter, yahoo
Is Facebook the right choice for Muslims?
Jul 24, 2010 Pakistan, Technology
Many people consider Facebook to be the only source of connection with friends, colleagues, classmates and family members living abroad. I was one of the biggest fan of Facebook like you, until May 20, 2010, when Facebook deliberately allowed a group called “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” to publish cartoons of our beloved Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him). Over a million Muslims protested against the much afflicted content, but Facebook which is considered to be the most popular social networking site put a deaf ear to its fans and users’ appeal. This created uproar amongst Muslims and resulted to a temporary ban on access to Facebook in Pakistan.
On account to this, few of the bright individuals took a step forward to create an alternative platform for Muslims, especially Pakistanis, where they could connect with friends and family members to keep in touch and discuss common topics of interest. One such site is Funibook.com. Funibook was created by a group of young Pakistanis, and their aim is to provide Muslims a better place to connect and share common values with equal rights. I believe this is a great effort to unite all Muslims on one stage where they can freely express and share their thoughts and experiences.
The ideology behind the origin is that all funds generated from this site will be solely used for its improvement, which will directly benefit its members. I would highly recommend all readers to get registered at funibook.com and establish a strong Muslim community. Your contribution can convert a drop into a river. Do your share and show Facebook that we, as Pakistanis can stand firm with our strong faith, determination and unity!
Think, and react before they do! Facebook already insulted our religion and made fun of our faith. If we don’t stop them now, they may affront our nation, our family and may succeed in manipulating the minds of our children in the future. Do you still think Facebook is the right place to be? Think again!
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do”
I expect to see you all on Funibook.com
Tags: Facbook clone, Facebook copy, Facebook like, Funibook, muslim social network, Social network for muslims
Every Google search to be logged and saved for two years under new Euro MP plan
Jun 8, 2010 Technology
Every Google web search could be stored for up to two years under a controversial new EU plan that has the backing of more than 300 Euro-MEPs.
‘Written Declaration 29′ is intended to be used as an early warning system to stop paedophiles by logging what they look for using search engines.
But civil liberty groups have hit out at the proposal which they say is a ‘completely unjustifiable’ intrusion into citizens’ privacy.
And they claim that there is no evidence that it would even be effective in trapping paedophiles who would never use search engines like Google to look for child pornography.
The declaration, sponsored by an Italian and a Slovakian MEP, claims that it is ‘essential to ensure that the internet continues to afford a high level of virtual democracy, which does not present any threat to women and children.’
The motion asks for Directive 2006/24/EC to be extended to all web search engines, which would include Google, as part of a European early warning system for paedophiles.
The directive came into effect in the March following the 2005 London terror attacks and lets EU member states monitor and store personal emails and other internet activity for up to two years for counter-terrorism puposes.
Simon Davies, director of Privacy International which campaigns for tougher privacy laws, said: ‘Most paedophiles operate through chatrooms and private communication rather than search engines like Google so they would not be affected,’ he added.
‘The number of ‘false positives’ generated by the proposal would be very high, There would be 100 entirely reasonable searches thrown up for every genuinely suspicious one.
Tags: google, Google search
One Facebook, Two Faces
May 25, 2010 Technology
By Saad Mustafa Warraich
I had been banned from Facebook and my account had been disabled a night before Facebook was banned in Pakistan. Before all this happened, I visited the blasphemous page “Draw Muhammad Day” and the content on the page hurt me badly.
Once again a certain group of westerners called it the “freedom of expression” and went on to show extremism – something they always verbally disassociate themselves from.
As a response to this lunacy, I thought it best to find out how they respond to others’ right of freedom of expression – I created an Adolf Hitler page right away and it read, “To all those who think they can ridicule Islam in the name of freedom of expression and yet punish those who speak of the genius of Hitler”.
The comment on the wall read, “Let’s hit them where it hurts them the most”. Further I added some photos of the Fuhrer, Nazi Party and the Italian Footballer Paolo Di Canio who was banned and fined by FIFA two years ago for performing the “controversial” Roman Salute which according to him gave him a sense of belonging to his people.
Within an hour tens of people joined the Hitler page which was named “H | T L E R”. The very next time I tried to log in I found out that my profile had been disabled for ‘violation of Facebook Regulations’.
Hi Saad,
After reviewing your situation, we have determined that your violated our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. One of Facebook’s main priorities is the comfort and safety of our users.
We do not tolerate hate speech. Targeting people based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or disease is a serious violation of our standards and has resulted in the permanent loss of your account.
We will not be able to reactivate your account for any reason. This decision is final.
Kimmie
User Operations,
Now how is it that Hitler is termed as the most evil person in the history of mankind while those that bomb Muslims, commit heinous crimes in their countries, ridicule their Prophet and Quran and as a result hurt the sentiments of 1.2 billion Muslims are hailed as heroes? And I wonder why the victims of Holocaust are more important than victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Despite the protest of a large number of Muslims, Facebook has not removed the blasphemous page from the website.
According the statement issued by Facebook their policy is to withhold such content in countries where it is controversial. The statement specifically says that we do not remove Nazi content from Facebook because it is illegal only in a few countries. As two-faced statements go, this one takes the prize. Perhaps before issuing the statement the Facebook did not realise that words like “Adolf Hitler”, “Sieg Heil” and “Nazi” are not allowed to be used on Facebook to create new pages.
And if all this and the removal of Hitler page and the permanent deactivation of my profile isn’t enough, here is a testament to Facebook’s vile hypocrisy. The statement issued by Facebook on 20 May says, “We strongly believe that Facebook users have the freedom to express their opinions, and we don’t typically take down content, groups or pages that speak out against countries, religions, political entities, or ideas.”
While, in another instance, Facebook replied me in entirely different way. Excerpt and screenshot is given above.
Now these two conflicting statements speak volumes about the discrimination by the Facebook. It simply means that Facebook through its official statement to global media wants the world to believe that they are the torchbearers of freedom of expression and allow everyone to speak their minds out. On the other hand the face that individuals like me get to see is a much horrible one. It talks about hate and intolerance and all forms of so-called equality and unshakable resolve. While Facebook is portraying itself as the silent and innocent onlooker for the entire world, I wonder what gives them the right to remove a major chunk of my life from the web.
I don’t think Facebook should come up with any clarification statements for the Muslim world over what happened. It is clearer than crystal that as long as we are labelled as extremists, we are not going to enjoy the equal rights in this world. And those that are trying to play God love to label us that. While reporting the Facebook ban in Pakistan in different articles, guardian.co.uk mentions the brutality of Pakistan Army in Swat while Yahoo thinks it’s necessary to unveil Al-Qaida’s plans of attacks on Danish and Dutch football teams. It is a blatant attempt to criticize Pakistan for placing the ban, link the country to extremism and terrorism and thereby justifying this sacrilegious act of Facebook users.
Tags: Draw Mohammad Day, facebook, facebook banned
World’s first ever full face transplant completed by Spanish doctors
Apr 24, 2010 Technology, World News
Spanish doctors have successfully performed the world’s first full-face transplant in a 24-hour operation carried out by more than 30 medics. The patient had lost his jaw, nose and cheeks in an accident 5 years ago, and had had to breathe and be fed through tubes since. Ten partial face transplants have so far been carried out around the world, but this was the first full operation.
Tags: face transplant, first full-face transplant, jaw, nose and cheeks, Spanish doctors
Terrorists Could Use Explosives in Breast Implants to Crash Planes, Experts Warn
Mar 25, 2010 Technology, World News
FoxNews
Female homicide bombers are being fitted with exploding breast implants which are almost impossible to detect, British spies have reportedly discovered.
The shocking new Al Qaeda tactic involves radical doctors inserting the explosives in women’s breasts during plastic surgery — making them “virtually impossible to detect by the usual airport scanning machines.”
It is believed the doctors have been trained at some of Britain’s leading teaching hospitals before returning to their own countries to perform the surgical procedures.
MI5 has also discovered that extremists are inserting the explosives into the buttocks of some male bombers.
“Women suicide bombers recruited by Al Qaeda are known to have had the explosives inserted in their breasts under techniques similar to breast enhancing surgery,” Terrorist expert Joseph Farah claims.
The lethal explosives called PETN are inserted inside plastic shapes during the operation, before the breast is then sewn up.
The discovery of these methods was made after London-educated Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab came close to blowing up an airliner in the U.S. on Christmas Day.
He had stuffed explosives inside his underpants.
Hours after he had failed, Britain’s intelligence services began to pick up “chatter” emanating from Pakistan and Yemen that alerted MI5 to the creation of the lethal implants.
A hand-picked team investigated the threat which was described as “one that can circumvent our defense.”
Top surgeons have confirmed the feasibility of the explosive implants.
Explosive experts allegedly told MI5 that a sachet containing as little as five ounces of PETN could blow “a considerable hole” in an airline’s skin, causing it to crash.
Tags: Breast Implants, terrorists, terrorsim
Internet usage overtakes television watching: Report
Mar 23, 2010 Technology
Canwest News Service
For the first time ever, Canadians are spending more time online than they are watching television, according to a new report.
The survey, conducted by Ipsos Reid last fall found that Canadians are spending more than 18 hours a week online, compared to 16.9 hours watching television.
Interestingly, Internet usage and the number of hours watching television have both experienced a rise since last year. Web surfing is up from 14.9 hours last year and television watching rose to 15.8 hours.
Other media, such as newspapers, radio and magazines have all remained relatively stable in the last year.
The survey also found that the age gap in Internet usage is narrowing. On average, 18-34 year olds are spending 20 hours a week online, compared to 18 hours for those over the age of 35.
“In previous years we’ve seen significant differences between the generations and the amount of time they spend online,” said study author Mark Laver in a release. “The data indicates that not only are people of all ages spending more and more time online, but it also points to a shift in how online Canadians are consuming media and where they are spending their free time.”
Television, however shows a significant gap. Canadian adults aged 55 and over watch significantly more television — 20 hours per week compared to 15 hours for those aged 35-54 and 13 hours for those aged 18-34.
Mind-Control Coming To A Computer Near You?
Mar 16, 2010 Technology
The world’s largest high-tech fair is the place to go to find out how you can play games or do daily chores all by just using the power of your mind.
At the annual CeBIT fair, crowds gathered around a man sitting at a pinball table, wearing a cap full of electrodes attached to his head. The man controlled flippers with ease without the use of his hands.
Michael Tangermann, of Berlin Brain Computer Interface, told spectators “He thinks: left-hand or right-hand and the electrodes monitor the brain waves associated with that thought, send the information to a computer, which then moves the flippers,”
Although the technology can be used as a fun gadget, there is so much more it could possibly do. Scientists are researching potential ways the technology would be able to monitor brain waves of motorists to help improve reaction times in a crash.
In an emergency where a driver needs to stop quickly, brain activity kicks in around 200 milliseconds before even the most alert driver can hit the brake. Although, scientists are not thinking that the car should automatically brake for the driver, Tangermann said. He did say, however, “there are various things the car can do in that crucial time, tighten the seat belt, for example.”
Using the monitoring technology, a car could also tell whether the driver is drowsy or not, potentially keeping the driver safe, by alerting them to take a break.
At another booth, spectators watched a man wearing a similar device as he sat in front of a screen with a large keyboard, with letters flashing in an ordered sequence. The user concentrates on a letter flashing on the screen and the brain waves stimulated at this exact moment are registered by the computer and the letter appears onscreen.
Currently, the technology is slow-going — it took the man about 4 minutes to write a five-letter word — but researchers are hoping to perfect the technology in the close future.
Another device showed users controlling robots with their mind. The user concentrates on flashing lights from a small box that has lights on each of four compass points. Depending on which light he concentrates on, the robot will move in that direction.
Scientists say the technology is being perfected for use by persons with disabilities, allowing them to communicate and operate devices with their brain. “In future, people will be able to control wheelchairs, open doors and turn on their televisions with their minds,” said Clemens Holzner from g.tec.
Tags: Mind-Control
