New Black Friday twist: 'Check in' and save big

http://money.cnn.com/2010/11/24/technology/black_friday_checkin_deals/index.htm

This CNN article talks about how shoppers are getting discounts for checking into stores on their phones while shopping. There are so many apps that use your location and stores are considering this as a form of advertisement. I do not use any of those apps because I still feel like they are a bit creepy and annoying but I think this is an easy way to get a discount at a store. Yet another way that technology is playing a part in the modern world.

Long 'Harry Potter' movie clip leaked

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/11/16/harry.potter.torrent.sites.mashable/index.html

This CNN article talks about how 36 minutes of the seventh "Harry Potter" film has been leaked out online via torrents. This is just another way that technology can be used in negative ways. It is not right for people to do this because they are causing movie theaters and the production companies serious losses. The good thing for this case is that it was only 36 minutes so it does not really have the potential to cause any damage. I have used torrents to watch movies in the past but do not still currently do so. I have found that most of the movies are either terrible quality or leave me with some kind of virus on my computer. I urge people not to watch torrents and get out there and see the movie in the theater, the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

New Facebook privacy tip: Super-Logoff

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/social.media/11/12/facebook.superlogoff/index.html

This CNN article talks about how many young users are worried about their privacy on Facebook. As a result, they are deactivating their accounts each time they want to use the site. They do not simply click the log-off button. After they log-on after having deactivating, their settings and wall posts, etc. are restored. I think that this is a bit extreme. If users are that worried about their privacy on Facebook, then they should not even be using it. After all, it is a social networking site, meant to share your information with friends. A huge perk to Facebook is also how not everyone has to be online at the same time. Simply deactivating your account makes it difficult for your friends to keep in contact with you over Facebook. I think this is a bad idea and defeats the purpose for even having a Facebook profile.

iPhone gives Europe extra hour of sleep

http://m.cnn.com/primary/_vVJeiu-ipHn8InwN7

This CNN article talks about a bug in the iPhone alarm clock app in Europe this past Sunday. It was daylight savings time there and the app did not adjust, causing iPhone users to sleep an extra hour. I found this article especially interesting because I have a few iPhone user friends who this happened to. It's weird that it was able to happen all the way in the US when we did not even have a time change. While technology, especially iPhones, is great, this shows how over reliant people are on it. They rely on their iPhones to wake them up in the morning. The good thin is that since so many people use the iPhone, your excuse for being late to work seems more valid.

Texts, maps battle Haiti cholera outbreak

Technology is helping the Haitian citizens battle the recent outbreak of cholera. Health workers are able to send text messages and Twitter posts to people in the area, letting them know about the symptoms and what to do if they are infected. They are also mapping out areas, letting the citizens know where to go for clean water. This article is just showing another way that technology is changing lives around the globe. It's great that they are using technology to combat the recent health disaster in Haiti.

Internet about to hit 2 billion users

The Internet is about to hit 2 billion users. According to the CNN article, this can be attributed to the rising popularity of the Internet in developing countries. It's hard to believe that the internet is something that people all around the world have access to and use just like we do in America. This article was really eye opening because I never would have thought the internet had that many users.

'Zeus Trojan' zaps $3 million from bank accounts

http://money.cnn.com/2010/09/30/technology/cyber_crime_charges/index.htm

This article from CNN shows how people can use technology in dishonest ways. These 37 hackers sent emails, scamming people into sharing their bank account passwords. They used these passwords to empty $3 million from bank accounts. Technology has rapidly changed the way we bank today in many important ways. However, this is the scary part about banking online. It makes it all the more easier for a hacker to gain access to your account. I bank online and have had my account hacked into before, however I was able to catch it before any money was stolen. Online banking users need to be aware and make sure that they never share their passwords or routing numbers with anyone. The banks already have this information and would never ask for it. Even though this is a scary threat, I still continue to use online banking and think it is a great and easy way to bank.