MIS 322 - Fall 2012




Sunday, November 25, 2012

So You’re on Tech?

BY: Izere
Over the course of the semester, Professor Sistrunk has guided us through thinking about the
more practical side of how technology has changed the way businesses and people, respectively,
interact with one another. This has been particularly helpful in making sense of details we may have
otherwise not paid attention to such as the function of an PBX within a small or large business –
nonetheless it has been a great introduction to thinking about how technology will become increasingly
relevant as we progress through our lives as businessmen. Professor Sistrunk has also made it a point to
stress financial responsibility as well as building wealth, so let’s get to the meat of this post – investing in
technology for outsize returns moving forward. Technology is the future, right?

Below: two primers on the stock market and some terminology for you to acquaint yourself with lest
you shake yourself out while discussing the market with your friends.


http://saraserina.hubpages.com/hub/How-The-Stock-Market-Works-An-Easy-Primer-to-Understand-
Stocks-and-the-Market

When we look at some technology giants like Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG), Cisco (CSCO), take a second
to explore long-term price charts – and how beneficial it would have been to invest when these
companies and their technologies were still at an early stage. Unlike more opaque industries which we
may not understand (metals & mining, durable goods), technology companies which produce hardware
we use can be easier to understand. Early stage companies are inherently riskier (lack of performance
history, but with more risk comes more reward.

Identifying companies to invest in may be a challenge. Mr. Odebode mentioned 3D Systems (DDD) a 3D
printing company, however there are many, many more. Find below Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500, an
annual ranking of the fastest growing technology companies and a three-year old Forbes article on
choosing technology companies. Happy investing!


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Refocus & Finish Strong


By: Harold White

As we all know the semester is coming to a close and it can become very easy to lose focus now. Additionally, with the Thanksgiving holiday over and Christmas around the corner, I know that I am unquestionably ready to take a break from Atlanta while finishing the semester on a good note. So being able to focus and concentrate is definitely a necessity in handling daily activities from here on out. So here are 3 tips to assist with refocusing:
  1. Prioritize your Schedule – Make sure you set aside enough time to be able to accomplish tasks that need to be completed.
  2. Get a Good Night’s Rest – Yes! Although we are in college and late nights & early mornings are a part of everyone’s college experience, getting a good amount of sleep definitely helps.
  3. Eat a good breakfast – Nutrition is a crucial component of focus and achievement.
Many college students say they feel overwhelmed by the workloads during college matriculation at some point and not having the concentration to fulfill their responsibilities as a student is undeniably not a good thing. Without focus you can end up taking too much time to complete specified tasks or worse, not finish the task at hand at all. Upholding your focus and concentration is a major success skill that has proven to be problematic for many individuals, but is a principal characteristic we all can and should possess. So it is very important to learn how to focus more, regardless of any situation.

Listed below are links to a few sites with information on finding focus in school:

http://bettermarksnow.com/ten-tips-to-stay-focused-in-school/


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Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing


Additive manufacturing or 3D Printing is the process of printing a 3-dimentional object, layer by layer, from a digital diagram. 3D Printing has been around since the mid-80’s, but only recently has the technology advanced enough for printers to be affordably mass-produced. 3D Printing is utilized in a variety of industries including: aerospace, dental, medical, architecture, automotive, etc.

3D printing has many advantages over current manufacturing techniques in both small scale (home) manufacturing and on a mass scale of manufacturing. The biggest advantage comes from the customization aspect of 3D printing. Since products are printed from a digital model, they can be replicated exactly how the creator envisioned. This aspect is really useful in the medical industry. Doctors use the printers to customize prosthetics and braces specifically for each individual patient, increasing effectiveness and decreasing the price of these devices. Customization also helps when trying to create replacement parts. Imagine that a handle on your fridge broke and the fridge was either discontinued, so replacement parts were not available, or the replacement part was too expensive for you to repair. With a 3D printer, you can design a replacement handle to exactly replicate the broken handle in minutes. Now you do not have to worry about the headache of finding a replacement part or even replacing the fridge all together. Other advantages include cheaper manufacturing, less waste, better quality, more accessibility, more sustainability and more combination possibilities of materials.

The two biggest companies in the 3D printing industry are 3D Systems and Stratasys. Both companies are currently racing to acquire market share in the industry seeing that 3D printing is at its most pivotal stage in its development: the implementation stage. Last month Stratasys acquired Objet (at the time the third biggest 3D printing company), giving them a clear advantage in market share. Currently, 3D System has the cheapest 3D printer on the market, the Cube, which costs $1,300. Stratasys’ cheapest printer is the Mojo, which costs $9,500. If you are looking at the feasibility of implementing 3D printers from a consumer’s, price prospective, then 3D Systems is the clear-cut leader of the industry. Now, for $1,300, consumers can create 3D objects in their own homes in minutes. Imagine the price of 3D printers, when they are fully implanted in households. Experts in the industry believe they can be as cheap as ink printers are now-a-days.

Below are videos and links to more information on the industry.

Videos:





Printers:
http://www.makerbot.com/

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Encouragement from a Young Prodigy

Charles Wolford  BY:
 
From day one in this course, Professor Sistrunk has taught us the importance of making sure we know how to effectively use resources such as excel to be able to gain an advantage over others in the workplace. I believe that there is an even greater lesson to be learned from his advice. If we make it our goal to become educated and to educate ourselves in areas that commonly get overlooked we will be able to open doors for our future that our degrees alone can not. For example we've learned the importance of understanding our budgets and how to invest our money properly and how many people our age are overlooking the importance of doing so. I'm beginning to see that this course is about much more than learning computer skills but it also about learning and developing life skills that will prepare us for the future.
 
I would like to share with you all a news story that has motivated me to better understand and take advantage of the resources that have been given to me. Here is a story about a 15-year old boy named Kelvin Doe from Sierra Leonne who is a self-taught engineer. The video shows the story behind why he started to invent and teach himself different things in order to better himself anf the community he lives in. Because of his great acheivements Kelvin became the youngest person in history to be invited to the "Visiting Practitioner's Program" at MIT.
 

 
I chose this story because it reminded me of how many opportunities we have as men of Morehouse College that we take for granted, but meanwhile there are people who are less fortunate but still inventing ways to impact their communities and the world with their minds. We should not only make it a goal to make oursleves successful but to inspire others along the way to do the same. So lets apply these skills we have learned in class and become the sucessful inspirational men that we are all destined to be.
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To Jailbreak or Not to Jailbreak, That is the Question



BY: Rodrick L. Williams

Every year millions of Americans jailbreak their iPhone, iPods and iPads to reap the benefits that they feel Apple restricts them from. When one jailbreaks their Apple device they strip the limits Apple places on the product which grants them access to free apps, apps not approved by Apple and unique customizable functions. With these benefits one may ask why so many people are hesitant to jailbreak their Apple device. The reason behind the skepticism in jailbreaking Apple devices is the damage that can form from the stripping of the limitations that Apple provides. These damages include, but are not limited to: the voiding of warranties, excessive use of data and security concerns.

When jailbreaking one’s Apple device the person must take note that the warranty does not cover any damaged caused by jailbreaking. Even though the vast majority of problems that occur when jailbreaking can be fixed with restoring the device, there are some problems that simply cannot and require more work that Apple will not provide. For example If one cracks their phone screen and they take it to Apple to be fixed while their phone is jailbroken, the company can refuse to fix the simple damage to the phone. In addition sometimes jailbreaking just does not work, what is one to do then? The jailbreaking system messes up something in the operating system and the person has to go out and get a whole new device. Also, jailbreaking requires a lot of data space. If the person does not have an unlimited data plan, their bill will sky rocket. This is a concern mostly for iPhone users though. Finally, there have been complaints of security breaches in which one’s personal data has been stolen off of their Apple devices. This is the reason why most people are skeptical about jailbreaking their device. Given the risks stated here, would you jailbreak your phone; why or why not?
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Technology’s Great Impact on Donations to Storm Relief and Non-Profit Organizations


By: Sean White

Hurricane Sandy impacted the lives’ of a little more than a million Americans just a few weeks ago. Since then, many organizations have been working diligently to raise money and provide relief to the victims all across the east coast. The victims of the storm need food, clothes and shelter. According to weather.com, “It will cost approximately 50 billion dollars to rebuild the areas destroyed by the hurricane.” To raise funds for victims and the restoration of the east coast technology has began to play a major role.

Budge and Raise5 are two apps that are making it possible for donors to give by simply using their cell phones. Not only do these apps make is easy to make a contribution to storm relief, but to hundreds of other charitable organizations. Budge mentioned that they are aiming to make donating to charity social.

In class, Professor Sistrunk, taught about short codes being used by businesses to reach their customers. Non-profit organizations have adopted this new and fast growing technology to bring in donations. All the donors have to do is send the keyword to the short code and the desired donation will be added to the donor’s phone bill.

This Tuesday, my Uncle Kevin received a heart transplant. In order for him to be placed on the list to receive a heart, he had to raise $5000, for the post-surgery treatment and medication. My family used the website, fundrazr.com. This website provides people in need with the necessary resource to raise money online. Your fundrazr.com account can be linked to social network sites including Facebook and Twitter, etc.

If you are looking for a way to help those who have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy or if you want to donate to other causes, click the links below and give what you can. Remember, NO DONATION IS TOO SMALL. It’s the thought that counts.
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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Homework #9 - Linear Regression

Homework #9 is due by Sunday November 18, 2012 at midnight. Of course, there is a 10 point late fee.

What is linear regression? Its a statistically analysis of the relationship between two variables (dependent vs independent). For example, what is the relationship between Google stock and the Dow Jones Industrial average? Another question .... What is the relationship between a NFL quarterback's passing rating and win/loss of the game?

Multiple regression differs from linear regression because multiple regression determines the relationship among more than two variables ( dependent vs any independent). For example, predicting who wins the football games based on average yards rushing, quarterback rating and red zone effectiveness.

For more information about linear regression, see the video below. If you have not studied this, you will soon. When you see this again, use excel.





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The assignment is to compare the annual Dow Jones Industrial Ave vs the annual Stock Price of any company. Go to the following web site: http://www.1stock1.com/1stock1_112.htm

  1. Select the DJIA and pick a ten year range.
  2. Copy the output into excel.
  3. Keep the Year Column and either the Beginning Column or Ending Column, delete the rest
  4. Select a company (click link alphabet first .... example: B Stocks)  
  5. Select same 10 year range you used for DJIA
  6. Copy the output into excel
  7. Keep either the Beginning Column or Ending Column (same as DJIA - Beg or End), delete the rest
  8. Save this spreadsheet before you start working with the data.

You need to reopen your excel file with the data you just pasted and then create a graph, followed by the "best fit line", regression formula. The videos below will walk you through the process.







Remember to upload your homework through the blog.


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Power of Excel


BY: Philip Prevost
           As we draw near the end of our time in Professor Sistrunk’s MIS course; we have begun to see the importance and capabilities of Microsoft Excel.  However we have only scratched the surface of such an amazing computer software.  Excel has been designed to fit employers and employees with crucial information.  Microsoft Excel has become a growing necessity for companies in the workforce when it comes to recruiting employees. 
 
 
            Employers look for individual’s competent in Excel due to the fact that it has practically become a part of their day-to-day operations on every level.  For example, the program allows individuals to create charts or graphs, make decisions based on future calculations, import data from the Internet, calculate percentages, maintain inventory, plot trends and creating concept maps by sequentially ranking information of importance.  This program is flexible in accommodating companies on all levels of work.  Excel provides enormous amounts of space for customization as it may pertain to a particular company’s need or want.  Excel has become a favorite for many organizations in doing business.  It is only justifiable that an individual be knowledgeable of Excel in this day and age.
            In the information age, data is everywhere and it’s up to us to make sense of it all.  The computer software is now being used in almost all professions of work.  The program is not only used in business but also in everyday life.  You may want to customize the program to calculate your debt to asset ratio, sales tax of a purchase or even the temperature changes outside.  The possibilities are endless with Excel. 

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Texas Secede

BY: David Quinn

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/12/15117305-petition-for-texas-to-secede-from-us-reaches-threshold-for-white-house-response?lite

The article is about an online petition that is requesting that the State of Texas be excluded from the rest of the nation and become a separate country with its own government and laws.  This petition currently has 34,000 signatures, which passes the 25,000-signature mark in order to be reviewed and decided upon by the White House.  Micah H. created the petition and it states the economic situation that we are in and says that the State of Texas has enough resources and the correct budget to branch off from the nation.  I personally do not agree nor believe in this petition. The petition will not be considered at all and what about the rest of the people of Texas, not everybody approves.  If Texas were its own Government how would they defend themselves from attacks? The people that signed this petition probably want to return to the Civil Rights Days. What are your opinions?
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Cameras and Cloud Technology

BY: Brandon Chase Thomas

In light of the coming of a new age and the progression of information and technology many phones have integrated from in storage hard space to external space know as the “cloud”. The cloud has been a very integral part of class.  In addition the cloud aids to the productivity of our lives wither we know it or not. The growth of the cloud extends not only in to our work lives but our personal lives as well. I myself love photography because it makes memories immortal.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_3eSY7QP_o

The benefit of the cloud now allows one to be able to keep memories even when your phone is stolen or you doing have a cord to sync information to your computer. The advancements of camera on phones have increased tremendously. Allowing for full 1080 video recordings even down to instant portrait shoots that in less than a min we can upload to social networks for our friends and family to see and experience second hand.

Upon doing some minor research with cameras I stumbled on a video that mention the advancement of camera speed more than quality.  And yes that is 1,000,000,000,000 frames per second. Which quite frankly places the expensive Cannon, Nikon, and Sony DSLR cameras to shame.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoHeWgLvlXI&feature=watch-vrec

 After watching the video I’m sure you heard him mention that  in the future phone cameras will be able to take pictures of produce and be able to see if its ripe on the inside. For those of you that didn’t take the time to watch the clip in its entirety having a camera that takes photos/frames this fast it will be able to take and record moving light. Which would allow people to see through objects without using a X-ray machine.

But until that time, how can we enhance the camera we already have.
Well with the iPhone, one of Apples most popular item has 3rd party company’s working to meet this demand


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_4i1mzZkKI

Overall the camera is a powerful tool and one we have all used during some moment of our lives.  With the future around the corner, as well as your next photo it is very important that we are aware of the cloud. Yes it has its advantages, however, with cameras that can take photos around corners and possibly through our clothing it would be smart to be knowledgeable of this type of information.  

However, until then enjoy what we have now and be hopeful for medical advancements in the years to come. 
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Education


by Elijah Thompson

Socrates says that a life unexamined is not worth living. It very important to think critically about the decisions you make and examine your life from a bird's eye view. I have found a very interesting documentary on college and the financial strain, that truly perplexed me. The facts told a story, that I almost didn't want to except.



 
The documentary points out flaws in our education system and the burden four years of college tuition can place on you. It also highlights scandals within our education system which will lead to destruction.
Alarming Facts:
  • Federal Law requires college tuition to increase!
  • Credit Card Debt no longer is the greatest debt plague: student loans lead all debt!
  • Most colleges and publishers have written agreements to eliminate the used textbook market.
  • The easy lending practices by the federal reserve that lead to the real estate bubble are being utilized in the college lending process.
  • It is easier to get a $100,000 student loan than it is to get a $10,000 car loan!
  • The debt bubble will burst putting the lenders on their back and spreading to the rest of the country and creating a recession yet again.
  • Due to technology education cost should be decreasing!
  • The government has taken over the student loan business.
This is not to say that a college education is not important because it is by far one of the most important entities of your life. Education is the only way we as a people can innovate and move forward. The intangibles a college education will teach you set someone miles apart from someone who did not attend college or invest in higher learning. This is in fact a calling to be more diligent and take advantage of the opportunity that you have at Morehouse. There are many opportunities to get a scholarships, internships and become an expert at you field but a lot of times it seems student are reluctant to come to class. The last thing anyone wants if for you to graduate from Morehouse with a mountain of debt and no job. I also find it so important that black individuals become more subconscious about debt and spending habits due to our overall lack of wealth as a culture. We have all made the decision to go to college and I believe it was one of the best decisions we have made. I intend to further my education in graduate school due to the access to expert knowledge, but I would like us all to live a self examined life.
In class we spoke about budgeting, managing finances, and the high cost of school. This goes farther in depth about the struggles the next generation will face.
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M.I.S. Blog - The Shift to Mobile

BY: Kenyon Scales
Last week was an exciting week that healed a smorgasbord of news stories. Many people focused on the election results and President Obama’s re-election victory, while others honed onto the days shortly after the election, when the U.S. equity markets plunged down roughly 4% with the S&P 500 down 2.42% for the week on mixed concerns that the fiscal cliff will punch the U.S. economy in the face with its automatic tax increases and government spending cuts combined with the re-installment of European growth worries by European Central Bank President Mario Draghi last Thursday. Amongst all of the news headlines, the buzz around the technology sector may have been lost in all places but our M.I.S. class.
Just days ago, we talked about the seemingly unlimited ways that Google has found its usefulness in our education, businesses, and lives. Professor Oscar Sistrunk has mentioned, many time in class, about how to popularize your websites and businesses through the use of AdWords and AdSence. The uses appear unlimited. The cost looks cheap. The demand seems limitless. The profitability… infinite? Not according to Google’s most recent quarterly earnings report. WSJ Summary Video:
http://on.wsj.com/S6h8Aw

Google, a technology company that generates 96% of its revenue from advertisements (see illustrative revenue breakdown: http://www.wordstream.com/articles/google-earnings), accidentally pre-released its third-quarter earnings on October 18th, instantly plummeting the stock down 9% (from $754 to $657). The sell-off was due to disappointing numbers of lower than expected net revenues ($11.86 Bn est. vs. $11.33 Bn), EPS ($10.65 est. vs. $9.03), average cost advertisers paid Google per click (down 15% from a year ago), and the 20% drop in over all profits. 
The question people are asking now is: How fast is the switch to “mobile” and “tablet” really happening? The drop in revenue was due in large part to more people shifting to mobile devices, driving the price of advertisements down. This same question may also be what’s creating negative sentiment around the future profitability of Zynga and Facebook (See FB & ZYNGA charts below). 
 




 We may be entering an age where not only desktops, but also laptops are becoming obsolete. (See: http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=2079015). What this means for the future of the majority of the technology sector is unknown. However, what is clear is that the companies that survive in the next decade will be the ones who rapidly innovate their products, (whether they be advertisements, hardware manufacturing, or software) towards mobile devices.
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Sunday, November 11, 2012

The Online Revolution: A Journey to the Cloud


By: Quentin Sledge

In light of our recent class discussions and even our recent online class experience I felt it only right to discuss societies rapid progression from face to face interactions and paper trails to virtual offices and cloud storage. As a part of a generation ruled by technology I have noticed an emerging trend. Technology, everything ranging from laptops to cellphones and iproducts has invaded every fathom of our everyday lives.
One reporter notes, “Technology has come a long way in its day. Once thought that the world would need only a hand full of computers has turned out to each family having a hand full of computers. From computers filling up a large sized room to computers that fit in the palm of your hand. Technology has become faster, smaller and ever more affordable through time. The introduction of the microprocessor had greatly contributed to the development of computers and technologies. As technology has developed throughout the years, it has greatly affected society and the way we live in many aspects from everyday activities, to work and school. Four aspects of life and society that have been greatly affected is communications and the way we communicate, business, school and the automotive industry.”

Take communication for instance. Years ago people would send letters and make phone calls through an operator who had to connect them to one of the few other land lines in the U.S. Then this moved to the early, cellphone and email systems of the 90’s and new millennium. Now there are a myriad of ways people can communicate, through advanced cellphone technology, videoconferencing, social media websites, instant messaging, and even through an upgraded version of the email system. To get a visual of just how far communication technology has come take a look at the evolution of the cell phone and social media below.




Now let’s look at technologies impact on business. As technology has evolved over the years most businesses and businesspeople realized that they no longer had to be confined to a physical location. Companies have moved online, some have even taken the office space into the cloud allowing their employees flexibility to work wherever they please. Other companies such as Amazon or Ebay completely started online and are run by individuals who may have never even met. Most companies have begun using videoconferencing, smartphones, and laptops as a part of their everyday operations; even parts of the stock market can found online with the introduction of NASDAQ. Below I have posted a panel discussion on the move to online businesses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfMe1Scitkk Video on companies moving online




It is in school system that I can most clearly see technologies impact. As a student I am bombarded with a host of technological options to fulfill whatever desire I may have. Students take notes using laptops, or ipads and use their smart phones to take picture, send emails and even set up their class schedules. Professors assign online homework and tests and in some cases students can even take full classes online never having to come in direct contact with their professors or other classmates for that matter. Schools form a young age put a computer in the hands of children, giving them an early start on learning to use the technology they will be surrounded by as they get older. Class rooms have become more interactive to hold the students attention, using things like video chat, PowerPoint’s, interactive games, and cloud storage.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzi2RIt8_nk Technology in the classroom


The automotive industry has also improved drastically because of technology. With the Model-T car and assembly line innovations of Henry Ford the evolution of the car was allowed to take off. Cars once only powered by small computers regulating radio, engine and light functions within the vehicle have been outdated by the master machines we operate today. Now some cars can park themselves, while others have means of contacting help in case of emergency. They come with GPS, and rearview cameras, thumb print recognition technology and push start engines. Cars have evolved drastically thanks to the many innovations in microchips and microprocessors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2VduViwvlw Evolution of Automotive industry



With all these innovations in technology invading our lives I, like many others, can only wonder where our advances will lead us in the future. Will we as humans eventually become obsolete? That is a reality I hope to never see come true.



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On a Cloud, In “The Cloud”


By: Maurice Goins



On Tuesday, November 6, 2012, registered Colorado state voters passed the legislation Amendment 64, effectively legalizing the use of marijuana for recreational use by adults. The official passing of this unprecedented law has created quite the commotion and will create a model for the highly predictable wave of inquiring political leaders worldwide. This proclamation comes as an insurmountable victory for the effort to legalize the personal usage of marijuana on a federal basis.

Marijuana, or “Cannabis” (as it is often referred to worldwide) is a preparation of the Cannabis Sativa plant used as a psychoactive drug and, more commonly, as a medicine. Colorado Governor, John Hickenlooper remarked, “The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will. This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through.” With the already massive and steadily growing support system behind the “pro-pot” campaign, the endorsement of this legislation from political correspondents seems almost inevitable. For decades, American branches of government on all levels have fought a clearly overwhelming war on drugs, resulting in the ruined lives of many. In this past Presidential election, I was honestly a bit shocked at the lack of attention to this overall dilemma. Candidates such as the Green Party’s Jill Stein and the Libertarian Party’s Gary Johnson advocated for said cause but received little critical acclaim due to the lack of their affiliation with one of the two main parties. Though much attention was not brought to the forefront throughout the election, with the passing of this law, I would definitely predict some sort of federal response sometime in the distant future. If the bravery of Colorado isn’t enough to convince someone of the need to address this situation, than the clear benefit to the current economic situation plays even more of a pivotal role in the argument today than ever before.

The Associated Press reported that the same night that Colorado passed Amendment 64; the state of Washington approved the Initiative 502, regulating and taxing the sale of tiny amounts of “cheeba” for adults. Amendment 64 mandates that marijuana is to be taxed and treated similarly to tobacco and alcohol. Local and state governments are to control the distribution and taxation of specific amounts of marijuana to adults age 21 and older. Analysts predict tax revenue from the sale of marijuana to generate anywhere between $5 million to $22 million per year within the state of Colorado. Funded by a pro-pot group, one economic study projects as much as a $60 million increase by 2017. With numbers like that a blog post of this nature seems even more ridiculous. Beyond the monetary advantages to legalization, many citizens debate that the allowance of other substances and the opposition of marijuana is simply due to the chicanery of early attempts of the US government to frighten and deter citizens from the use of marijuana. Ringleader Harry J. Anslinger lead the incessant onslaught on the plant with a hoard of slanderous movies and campaigns and effectively created the common perception of marijuana as the “Devil Weed Plant” it was typically portrayed as during the early 30’s. This clip provides a brief glimpse into the extent of the lies used in order to persuade the American public to advocate for Anslinger’s legislation.




"Over the past eight years in Colorado, we have argued that it is irrational to punish adults for choosing to use a product that is far less harmful than alcohol," Mason Tvert, co-director of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol, the organization behind Amendment 64, said in a statement. It would truly devastate many if the Obama administration decided to enforce federal prohibition in regards to the states freshly adopted Amendment.

                  The true question now, is whether the federal government will in fact enact a prohibition effort in opposition of cannabis. Many seated political figureheads known for openly opposing the legalization of marijuana have gone silent in this time of uproar. California Attorney General Eric Holder who was an avid opposer of the law has remained silent. In a letter to Holder obtained by Reuters, 9 former heads of the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) urged Holder’s response stating, "To continue to remain silent conveys to the American public and the global community a tacit acceptance of these dangerous initiatives.” These 9 are completely right. The lack of a timely response to this law demonstrate the apparent change in times since the days of Harry J. Anslinger and the clear maturation of America’s understanding of the soothing herb.
Although Colorado has stamped their seal of approval on law, it will still be months to at least a year before adults are able to fully indulge in the luxury that is legalization. As reported by the Colorado Independent, the references in the law to individual behavior will go into effect as soon as Governor Hickenlooper signs off which, as law requires, he is obligated to do within 30 days. With such a progressive mandate being adopted, we will soon begin to witness an acceptance the likes of which America has never before seen. We are living in a generation of innovation and change. Acceptance and understanding proves key in all aspects of all that we do. With such a groundbreaking occurrence in action, one can only imagine what the next world-changing law will be.
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530 Club

 By: Maurice Goins

Nate Silver, 34-year-old statistician and creator of the FiveThirtyEight election blog has been thrust into temporary stardom due to his correct predictions of the past 2012 presidential election. Silver correctly predicted the presidential candidate for all 50 states and most of the Senate as well. Silver appeared on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” twice and humbly attributed his success to simple logic and mathematics. Below is a clip of said interview:


In reference to our in-class discussion regarding this very same thing, I found it interesting to stumble upon an article referencing the exact same topic. Jon Stewart accredited Silver with the revamping of the image of arithmetic, going as far as to deem it “sexy”. Silver appreciates the current critical acclaim and is basking in it as much as he can. He firmly believes, though, that he will never reveal his code or methods for accounting the results of the election and is even surer that a new means for calculating said results must be created. “You don't want to influence the same system you are trying to forecast," Silver said in an interview with Yahoo. Provided below is a video on how Nate Silver came to certain conclusions in his predictions and what he predicts for the future:


Overall, I feel as though the rise of Nate Silver as a symbol in America could not be a bad thing. Though the political process caused his track to fame, his underlined focus was on the mathematics that went into his projections. A figurehead like Silver could create a wave of individuals who choose to concentrate on the wonders of arithmetic due to the success of Nate Silver. All in all, nothing negative could come from being able to logically come to such conclusions and be able to confidently stand behind them. More power to him.
Listed below is a link to the infamous website that has skyrocketed Nate Silver’s career:


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Save Some $$$

BY: Anthony Ketter
By definition, frugality is the quality of being prudent in saving. In class we have spoken about what it means to be frugal. To better grasp the understanding of frugality, examples of celebrities that both practice and do not practice frugality were presented to us. To explore both sides of the spectrum we were presented with the cases of Tyra Banks and MC Hammer. Tyra exemplifies the definition of frugality. She is a multi millionaire but her spending habits remain humble. To this day she still collects the lotions and shampoos that are provided in hotels to minimize her expenditures. Her current net worth is about $90 million. On the contrary, however, we have MC Hammer. Known for his hit record “U can’t Touch this” but more so for his journey from a net worth of about $33 million to a debt accumulation of approximately $13 million.



 

The link above illustrates the differences between being frugal and being cheap, which are two concepts that are often misconstrued. Frugality is a spending habit that involves planning, research and adopting a long-term approach to spending.

Something very crucial that ties into the concept of frugality is a budget. A budget is an essential when it comes to being frugal. Having a budget allows one to take a look at their sources of income and allocate their money appropriately.


People that are frugal understand and differentiate between the things that they enjoy and the things that they do not care for that much. That coupled with their priorities are what dictates their spending. As long as it is realistic, there is nothing wrong with spending generously on a watch if it falls in line with the things one enjoys.

All in all, the above is simply to give light to expound upon the concept of frugality. In one of the first classes we took a look at a website that provides deals on new and used products. Take sometime to look at it again; that Christmas or birthday gift that you have been looking for might be there with a more affordable price tag:


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Obama wins a second term!

Last night saw President Obama win another 4 years.

Here are the results and the three web sites that used stats based on polling data and other information to predict the results.


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Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Homework #8 - Vlookup

Homework #8 is due November 11, 2012 at midnight. There will be a 10% late fee if sent after midnight. Use the link (on the right) on the blog to upload the homework.

Use the NFL data from the previous Homework.n this homework assignment.

This excel homework is about vlookup and hlookup. See the Youtube video below for help.






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