Web 3.0

“According to Conrad Wolfram, computer scientist and brother of Stephen (creator of the WolframAlpha search engine) the term Web 3.0 (the ‘semantic Web’) describes sites where computers will be generating raw data on their own (Matusky).” Since Web 2.0 revolved around user-generated content (“Examples include podcasting, blogging, tagging, social bookmarking and web content voting [Matusky]”), it makes sense to have the next “evolution” be computer-generated content. I’ve already noticed this with some web applications and social networking sites myself – Tumblr just recently started adding a feature that would suggest a few posts based on what you just reblogged or liked at that very moment. The article by Matusky states, “Devices will be able to exchange data between each other and even generate new information (e.g. how Last.fm anticipates what music the user may enjoy based on their previous song selections).”

“Web 3.0 is being referred to by experts as the semantic web; semantic meaning data driven. (Andreas)”. These websites will take the data that it already knows about you and suggest other items that it thinks you may be interested in. The timeline seems debatable by most, but I’ve noticed this happening slowly within the last few years (mostly ad-based suggestions).

Web 3.0 is also based on the notion of accessibility. “Through the evolution of smart phones and the ongoing improvement of technology, Web 3.0 offers more solutions for browsing and enables consumers to browse application data from anywhere in the world (Bawab).” Even in my hometown, located in the middle of nowhere, has excellent access to the internet even if you’re in the backwoods of your 5 acre plot of land. You can also see that, at least in the United States, the fight for a more cost effective internet is also playing a huge part.

It would really seem that Web 3.0 has already arrived!

Sources:

Matusky, Randy  

http://randymatusky.com/2015/04/03/web-2-0-vs-web-3-0-what-really-is-the-difference/

W., Andreas

http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/web-3-introduction/

Bawab, Hassan 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140324055730-14091619-effects-of-web-3-0-in-the-new-digital-world

Flikr Time!

I'll start the post off by showing you the actual slideshow!






If this gives you any trouble, this link will take you there too. The main focus around this slideshow was to showcase things that I would give positive reviews to. Below, I've done short "mini reviews" for each one along with a description.

Japantown Mall/Japan Center/Daiso
I just visited Japantown for the first time this last weekend! While I was sad that I missed their annual Cherry Blossom Festival I was still excited to go and check out the area. The Mall was pretty large - it was composed of a west and east side with the Peace Pagoda in the middle. Each side of the mall contained shops which carried Japanese goods and restaurants. Sadly, I wasn't able to grab a bite at any of them but everything looked delicious! I picked up a few things at Daiso, which is a well known "100 Yen" (same as a dollar store) franchise. I am a sucker for cute stuff so this store was right up my alley. No complaints - if I got back again, though, I'm definitely grabbing a bite!

Mint Pocky
If you haven't tried Pocky you're missing out! It's a very simple snack - breadstick dipped in something delicious. In this case it was mint and chocolate. As the description states, it tastes very much like Thin Mints. Crunchy and delicious! If you're not a fan of mint you can always opt for the many other flavors.

Cracker Barrel
I went here a few months ago with a friend who grew up in the south. We drove 2 hours to St. George just to eat there. It was a long drive for breakfast but it was absolutely delicious! I loved that they gave me a mini bottle of syrup for the pancakes. It appears that a location might be opening up in Las Vegas so hopefully they'll give us some time to prepare our bodies for the extra weight.

Miu Aroma Diffuser and Humidifier
I bought mine from here. Great little product! I actually bought it after reading another review from one of my favorite blogs. It has a ton of light settings (even more than shown on the photo) which is big for me because CUTE THINGS (as I mentioned before). You can also opt to not have the light on of course. I prefer using this to candles since a.) it gets hot; b.) you can't leave candles unattended; and c.) it's a lot cheaper! Aromatherapy oils vary in price but usually they're around $4.00 - $8.00 a piece and they last FOREVER. Seriously! It recommends you only use 3 drops of oil since it can be pretty potent. Also a huge fan of this since it helps put back some moisture in the air which is a huge plus for dry skin!

SeaTac International Airport
My favorite airport and this picture explains it all! Probably the most beautiful food court I've ever had the pleasure of eating in. I fly through here a few times a year while visiting family and the view is just as great no matter what the weather is. Aside from the eye candy, the airport is full of unique shops and restaurants that I could spend hours in. I even managed to find some macaroni noodles in the shape of the Space Needle labeled "Space Noodles."

Hope you liked the mini reviews! I'll try to get some more in-depth ones before the semester ends.

RSS Feeds

I've been meaning to post more but I keep forgetting! School and work have really taken over. Anyway, the topic at hand is RSS feeds! Was I the only one unable to locate a recent article? The most recent one I could find was from - gulp - 2004!

How Big Companies are Testing RSS Feeds to Circumvent Email

Some of the feeds listed don't seem to work anymore. I think most moved everything over to a dedicated blog-type domain instead of using the main website. It doesn't make the article totally irrelevant, though, since most of the websites still have feeds!

The article first starts out explaining what an RSS feed actually is (since this was relatively new to businesses at the time). They do explain that it was originally used to keep up with other blogs but now companies are starting to use them in replacement of mass email news. Some even used RSS to provide updates to internal employees:

The Walt Disney Internet Group outlined its RSS strategies for both in-house (intranet) communications and its media properties, including ABCNews and ESPN, at the O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference earlier this month.- Source

The article stated that developers were looking at the data trends to see who is reading what articles and other information. I didn't even think about that! You could see which posts/updates grabbed the most attention, the most active posting times, etc. Extremely useful if you're trying to gain online presence!

They also found that not all companies might be ready for this kind of thing; stating that their customers might not necessarily be "e-savvy" enough and it wouldn't be beneficial to create an RSS feed.

Clarisonic Mia 1

Wow, I got so focused on putting ideas together I completely neglected to post anything! Well, I'm alive and ready to get started!

This review is for the Clarisonic Mia 1. I've had this bad boy for a few years now, and since then Clarisonic has released a few more versions (the Mia 3 seems to be the most recent). Maybe I'm a little biased because I already know how amazing this thing is, but I felt I needed to share!

Now, I could talk all day about skincare. I COULD, but I won't, because who likes giant walls of text? Not me! Onto the photos:

WARNING: they are kinda gross. The picture below showcases my beautiful sebaceous filaments (very common, usually mistaken for blackheads).

Ewwwww! It's not normally this bad but I had to let myself go a little bit so I could show everyone what a difference this thing makes. This is my skin after removing my makeup.

Dry skin! Dry everything in Las Vegas. Enhanced so you could see some finer details. Right cheek.

And one more! Left cheek.

Sorry they aren't more clear. (Side review: Canon Rebel XSi - A+++++, only downside is that SELFIES ARE HARD.)

Annnnnd introducing - my Mia!

And here are the products I used!

I tried to keep it simple so that you could see the results without too much interference. Using the Mia is pretty simple - wet the brush, turn it on, and massage your face with the device! It automatically shuts off after 1 minute but some nights I don't need to use it for that long. Rinse your face (and the brush) and you're done! You can put on night cream, moisturizer, or whatever you want before bed. Here's how my skin looked the next day (I switched to a macro lens so you could see better, although it is a lot more unforgiving!):

Nose. Not all of the filaments are gone but it's a huge improvement! Not bad for one use.

Close up of left cheek.

Right cheek.

You can see there's a noticeable size difference in my pores as well (you might want to click to enlarge if it's hard to tell). Also, the dry skin is gone and stayed that way overnight. If taking these pictures has taught me anything, it's to never skip washing my face again. When I use this a few times a week, I almost never worry about breakouts.

Clarisonic Mia, I give you...

x 20! So much greatness.

I really don't have anything bad to say about this thing. The brush is interchangeable and is easily cleaned...it even comes with a charger so you don't have to worry about batteries. This particular version only has one "speed/intensity" setting but it's never bothered me (although later versions have 2 I believe). It's definitely a staple in my skincare routine and worth the investment!

First Post!

This is definitely a change of pace for me! I've had blogs before (and currently only update a Tumblr) but after a while you realize how hard it is to keep updating all the time, especially if you don't feel inspired to write! I'm hoping that with this blog that I'm creating for a school project will keep me on my toes but still allow me to have fun at the same time.

"What is this blog about?!" you might ask yourself. In a nutshell, it's a blog that reviews stuff (anything) with no rhyme or reason behind it. It all started while I was going through multiple beauty review blogs that it felt like I was reading the same content over and over. Everything seemed to have some kind of rating system and what they based these ratings on. "What if I went in a totally different direction?" I asked myself. I guess I just wanted to poke a little fun at these sites that seemed to take themselves too seriously. A space to have fun while still providing some substance that might be useful in some way.

Does that make sense? I'm sure after the first few posts it'll all come together. For now I hope you just enjoy the ride!