Gold Farming

When I heard the term Gold Farming in class, the first thing I thought of was when Annie's husband came and presented, and mentioned the crowdsourcing event of the people looking for gold. After doing the readings, I then realized how off I was, but then again how the two were similar.

The Gold Farmers are actually farming make believe gold on the internet while the people in the contest were finding actual physical gold.

Both have people doing work for other people for a smaller cost, while the people in charge make all of the profit.

So in that way, they are similar.

Now, back to Gold Farming...

The idea itself goes back to the beginning of time - have someone else do the hard work for you while you reap the benefits. In this case, instead of having someone you know do it, you are having someone in another country do it for you, which is a fine display of how far society has come technologically. Outsourcing to other countries that will work for minimal wages is pretty common these days.

Personally, I would never do this. I see it as cheating. If you are playing a game, you should be following the guidelines that everyone else is following. Otherwise, you enter a cheat code. There is a reason cheat codes are called cheat codes... because it is CHEATING. You enter cheat codes when you just want to mess around, or get far without trying. When you apply it to an MMO, it just isn't fair.

The analogy that I thought of during the discussion in class was customizing a car. A lot of time and effort - and money - goes into building up a car. Some people spend months or years getting their cars exactly the way they want them. People of like minds - car enthusiasts - will get together and talk about their cars, show them off, go on cruises, etc. They all share the appreciation.

Then there are the people that just want to fit in. They will do what it takes to make those people like them, or accept them. The most common case that I have seen is someone buying a car that is already fixed up, and then talking about it like they did it themselves, or actually know anything about the car. When you ask them a question about how long the motor took to build, or what type of turbo they decided to go with, they just reply "I donno, it came like that..." and they still want credit. It seems to be the same thing as just buying a fixed up character on world of warcraft. When they get it, will they even know how to use it? ...which can be said about the car or the character.

If that doesn't apply to this at all, let me know. That is just the first thing that came to me.

I think in the future, it will be worse than it is today. Everyone that has money will be paying people to do things for them, so they can take the credit for it. It comes with the 'better, faster, stronger' mindset that society seems to have. Nothing is ever good enough, and everything needs to be done faster. It is kind of sad that people wont take the time to enjoy things.

"Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
- Ferris Bueller

Smart Phones

I have had a BlackBerry for about 8 months now, and I must say, I probably couldn't live without it. I definitely cannot go back to a conventional phone - it would be like going from an automobile to a bicycle.

Smart Phones have pretty much revolutionized the mobile phone world by converging your everyday tasks into one device. Aside from your phone calls, text messages, emails, mp3s, videos, and appointments are all in the palm of your hand.

A Smart Phone makes life a lot easier, especially in this day and age where every ones lives revolve around computers. With a full keyboard, high quality display, and full internet capabilities, it is no wonder why they are gaining such a fan base. Maintaining your interpersonal relationships is another perk of a smart phone. You can access your Myspace or Facebook right there in the palm of your hand, as well as your email account. In theory, you are constantly connected to your social network.

Aside from keeping up with your friends and such on a personal level, you can still keep up with them on the material level as well. But these days it may cost you a little more than it has in the past...

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine today about cell phones, when we passed the "tricked out cell phone accessory" cart. 5 or 6 years ago, during high school, the craze were the Nokia candybar phones and various flip phones, that would allow you to change the faceplates, add decorations, and personalize them. Now everyone has a BlackBerry or an iPhone, and the only customization you can really do to them is some sort of protective case - the gel skins being the most popular. I dont know if it is just becuase of the age difference, and subtlety comes with age, or Smart Phones are just cool how they are. One thing that came of the conversation though, is that those accessory booths probably do not get nearly as much business as they used to, and probably never will with the way things are going.

People these days want designer stuff. If you are spending hundreds of dollars on a phone, you want the best case for it as well.

For example, this Louis Vuitton case for the iPhone. $250. This is the future of cell phone accessories. Be prepared.

By now, if you do not have a smart phone then within the next year or two you will. They are making things like day planners and mp3 players obsolete. With capabilities of a laptop computer in the palm of your hand, why have anything else?

My questions to you are: What kind of phone do you use? Why did you choose that particular model? and What accessories do you have/want to have for it.