Google WiFi Is It Safe?

You know I never gave WiFi networks a thought until I started doing webmaster work for the Council on Wireless Technology Impacts. I myself was thinking isn’t this great, I can be connected anywhere I go with new wireless networks.

With Google and Earthlink trying to create a big WiFi hot spot in San Francisco and Google celebrating the first year anniversary of covering cover about 12 square miles and 25,000 homes serving approximately 15,000 unique users, I am wondering now what the health tradeoffs will be by going wireless in public spaces. Are we polluting ourselves with electromagnetic radiation and simply thinking what we can’t see can’t hurt us?

We all love technology, our kids are all tuned in to it too. If you haven’t seen the technology used on university campuses now, you just wouldn’t believe it. Our kids in college now have piped in cable, high speed Internet, WiFi spots and some campuses going totally WiFi. The libraries have more computers that you may see in a year, and many campuses even offer free computer tech services to students for their own computers. Every college student now needs a laptop and teachers upload their class notes and lectures to the Web.

With this new push for technology and being online all the time, are we trading off our health? Are we polluting our air with radio and microwaves that we can not see but may be causing health issues down the road? I am not sure myself what the answer is, but I have to say after having read the papers and documents that I am posting for this client, I am starting to wonder whether the trade off may simply be too big or whether we should have more definitive research before we push more wireless networks.

Tell me what you think, by leaving your comment below.

Carnivals, Blog Memes, & Synchroblogs

What is a carnival, meme or synchroblog? I’ve pulled a snippet from Wikipedia to help you understand what each one is so you can decide if you want to participate.

Carnival
“There are many variations, but typically, someone who wants to organize a carnival posts details of the theme or topic to their blog, and asks readers to submit relevant articles for inclusion in an upcoming edition. The host then collects links to these submissions, edits and annotates them (often in very creative ways), and publishes the resulting round-up to his or her blog.” Full definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog_Carnival

Blog Meme
“…an Internet meme is simply the propagation of a digital file or hyperlink from one person to others using methods available through the Internet (for example, email, blogs, social networking sites, instant messaging, etc.). The content often consists of a saying or joke, a rumor, an altered or original image, a complete website, a video clip or animation, or an offbeat news story, among many other possibilities. An Internet meme may stay the same or may evolve over time, by chance or through commentary, imitations, and parody versions, or even by collecting news accounts about itself.” Full definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_phenomenon

My version a blog meme is where you post links of blogs that you like and then ask others to add them name and five others to the list and then post to their blog. It creates interest and typically works in someways like a chain letter – you take off two from the bottom and add two at the top. Let me know by posting a comment if you’ve seen other uses or definitions of blog memes.

Synchroblogs
“A recent variant is Synchronised Blogging, or synchroblog, where a group of bloggers agree to post on their own blogs on the same broad topic on the same day. The titles are circulated a day or two beforehand, and each blogger includes links to the other blogs.” Wikipedia considers this an extension of a carnival. See the full definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog_carnival

The bottom-line on all of these terms is that they are about connecting with others in much the same way as old web rings used to work. That being said they have a special twist, can spice up your blog, and are a fun way to interact with other bloggers in the blogosphere.