Jason Buie

Featured in an article featured in the Boston Globe on February 7, 2007 titled, Bernanke: Education, Training Will Trim Pay Gap, Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke spoke about a strategy that involves educating and training people. This strategy is focused at lessening the economic gap between low and high incomes in the United States.

The article quotes Benanke in saying, “disparities in education and training are "likely the single greatest source of the long-term increase in inequality.” It would seem that this is general knowledge that the more education and training you have, the greater is your earning potential- now and in the future.

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The recent news about the Borg Warner Plant closing hammers home the idea of a changing workplace and the necessity to be able to change career paths. The past 20 years have witnessed the decline of the automotive industry that once made Muncie a thriving town. These workers, who have been commanding salaries that average in the area of $30 per hour are now being thrust into a cold workforce where their skills are largely useless and the average pay for unskilled work is $6-$7 an hour.

It seems that any young person today should look ahead to changing careers several times throughout their life as new skills and opportunities are developed. The alternative is a life lived in lower class society- paycheck to paycheck- for a meager wage. So don’t just use education and training to lessen the gap between where you are and where you are going (call this class, economics, or evolution), close the gap entirely- and go beyond.

Associated Press. (February 7, 2007). Bernanke: Education, Training Will Trim Pay Gap. Boston Globe. Retrieved February 13, 2007 from http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/02/07/ bernanke_education_training_will_trim_pay_gap/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Business+News

Posted by jasonbuie at 02:09 PM | Permalink

A favorite topic of my interest is that of class. Getting a graduate degree literally means “Moving Up”, not only in terms of salary and opportunities, but also in status and class. For instance, a “Doctor” holds a certain prestige wherever they go. This applies regardless of their particular discipline. People recognize the work and diligence required to attain such a degree and pay homage accordingly.

The article, Colleges Face Challenge of the Class Divide (see footnote 1), poses an interesting concept in terms of a college organizing its curriculum aimed at leveling class distinctions. This seems to be directed a providing a more even playing field.

It would be a much better approach to take the students with the working class background and teach them how to elevate to a higher class. Hmmm, I think this is the goal of a certain social learning program that I am familiar with. The results of success are proof that this is not only possible, but necessary for someone aspiring to be a professional.

1. Zarroli, J. (2007). Colleges Face Challenge of the Class Divide. National Public Radio. Retrieved February 6, 2007, from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7221483&ft=1&f=1006

Posted by jasonbuie at 10:21 AM | Permalink

The Google Library Project has a goal of digitizing all the books in the world and creating a massive search engine for all books in every language. This would be the largest online “card-catalog” ever. The Library is targeted at providing any user with a way to find any book, particularly those that are out of print, small runs, and blacklisted material. The marketing strategy is to have links that would connect the user to various booksellers who have this particular book in stock.

For this project Google is partnering with many universities to digitize their libraries. Among the notables are Ball State, Harvard, Princeton, Oxford, University of Michigan, and University of California. These universities are divided over wanting to only digitize books in the public domain versus digitizing copyright materials as well.

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Google only plans to show a “snippet page” with a few sentences, along with a sample page that would show a sample of the text. Google maintains that a copyright author can opt-out of showing these for their particular book if they choose.

Various publishers and authors groups are filing suit against Google claiming their copyrights are being infringed. On this side of the argument is The Open Content Alliance, a competing book digitization project launched by Yahoo and the Internet Archive and later joined by Microsoft. A lot of dollars are behind this fight over the public policy issue of copyright laws.

Google maintains that it is not violating any copyright laws, instead citing the Fair Use Doctrine of 17 U.S.C. § 107(1), which grants exception to the copyright law providing certain factors are met. Google’s contention is that the small size of the sample and snippet being displayed provide immunity from the copyright lay under the Fair Use Doctrine for the purpose of book searches.

The decision in this case could likely have far reaching effects in the areas of eBooks, digitized data, the Internet marketplace, and copyright laws as they pertain to digitized “snippets”. Surprisingly, Amazon.com has had tremendous success with their program that allows users to view a sample from a book- often up to a chapter in length.

1. http://news.com.com/2061-10812_3-6156384.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news
2. 17 U.S.C. § 107(1)
3. http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2005/09/google-print-and-authors-guild.html

Posted by jasonbuie at 11:55 AM | Permalink

Here is another entry I found that details specific tactics a person can use to become a power blogger. This is good information to follow and can definitely help someone to establish their niche in the world of blogs. For us in CICS, it could very well provide an outlet to share some of the immense quantities of knowledge we learn while it is still fresh in our heads. Passing the knowledge on is the next step.

Power blogging 101 by ZDNet's Larry Dignan -- Want to be a power blogger? Be transparent, find a niche and post in massive quantities. And then be prepared to address issues that arise as you become a big-time blogger. Here's a look at some of the key issues addressed at an AlwaysOn panel on power blogging ...Click Power blogging 101 for the rest of the story.

Posted by jasonbuie at 11:33 AM | Permalink

This article gives an interesting perspective on future potentials for blogging. Since we are largely in a market driven economy, there will be no stone left unturned when it comes to maximizing the value on any given task. Blogging is no exception. It makes one consider the possibility of becoming a "professional blogger" where blogging is your business. This is not only possible, but could open new doors of future opportunities for the tech savvy blogger of today.

Finding the ROI in blogging by ZDNet's Dan Farber -- Charlene Li of Forrester Research has posted about recent research on the ROI of external blogging for corporations. The research report is aimed at marketers who need a way to quantify the value of blogging. Li advises, "By going through the exercise of defining and quantifying the benefits, costs, and risks of a blog, ... click Finding the ROI in blogging for the rest.

Posted by jasonbuie at 11:24 AM | Permalink

Personal development is an area that is worthy of mention for anyone seeking to be a better person. This applies to smart people also. I have discovered an amazing website that focuses on personal development. As with all my favorite sites- this one is free. There is just so much free information out there that it boggles the mind.

This website is StevePavlina.Com
The creator of this website is focused on being a master of life in every area. Whatever you might want to improve- and probably some stuff you have never thought about- there is an article . I have read a lot of material in this area and it is all right on target. Keep striving to be all that you can be.

Posted by jasonbuie at 12:01 AM | Permalink

I had to look up what a "petabit" actually is. The definition courtesy of SearchNetworking.com is that a petabit is one quadrillion binary digits and is used in discussing possible volumes of data traffic per second in a large telecommunications network. A petabit is one thousand terabits.

11.38 Petabits per second is the speed of total capacity at LucasFilm’s Data Center in San Francisco, California. Staying true to Moore’s Law, and the fact that this is already here, just imagine what the future may hold for us. The days of waiting for your processor to process may soon be over as speeds of this magnitude leak down to personal computers and laptops. So buckle your seatbelt for the faster times ahead (unless you have dial-up). For a more thorough peek at LucasFilm’s Data Center, follow the link.

Posted by jasonbuie at 11:47 PM | Permalink

My first thought upon reading about this new website was how many times it has happened to me that I could not remember the name of a particular song. Usually, after a few calls to friends, singing a few bars, and so forth- the search is dropped and the question about the song goes unanswered. As we get older, our memories are not as responsive as they used to be- so this will happen to you more frequently as you get older. Could this be one of the effects of rock and roll music the ultra-conservatives used to warn about??

The new website is Midomi.com and it allows a user to look up music using various text searches, which is pretty standard for music sites. However, this is where Midomi’s similarity to other sites ends. Midomi goes one better by offering the user an ability to sing, hum, or whistle a given tune into a microphone. Midomi then uses its proprietary software to analyze the sounds and return to the user a match for the song. This is a great idea that filled a specific need for potentially anyone who listens to music.

Posted by jasonbuie at 11:42 PM | Permalink