Virtual Reality, Spam and Blogging!!!

The information that I’ve found interesting over the last week in New Communication Technologies include Virtual Reality, Spam and Blogs.

When has Virtual Reality gone too far?

One topic that has been discussed in the first few weeks of New Communication Technologies, were the good and bad points of virtual reality. We looked at people whose lives have changed for the better from playing the online virtual phenomenon “Second Life”. Whilst other people whose lives have been ruined from the game. It raises the question of when does virtual reality step over the mark and start affecting our real lives?

What is Spam?
Is it
a) Sending multiple, sometimes thousands, of unwelcome messages to a newsgroup or mailing list to promote a commercial product or Web site.

OR

b) Delicious "meat" in a can


Unfortunately for all the butchers and fine meat loving connoisseurs out there, spam is not the classic “spiced ham” product we have all learnt to know and love. Nor was spam invented in 1934 by Professor Edward Spam even though some wikipedians out there will disagree.

We have all received those emails before where Nardoni Al Bolandri has $1,000,000 to deposit into your bank account or Michael Jones had received a bulk order of Viagra and he wants to pass the savings on to you. But the truth is that if it’s too good to be true, IT IS.

Billions of spam emails are sent each day because there are still some people out there who are ill informed about the cyber world. The spammers make their money by that 1 in a millionth person who operates on about 4 brain cells. So whether we like it or not, they’re here to stay for a lot longer. Or at least until the old man down the road stops replying to all those Viagra emails.

Blogging, Blogs and Bloggers

Another topic that is worth raising is Blogging, Blogs and Bloggers. Are they journalists? Are they a reliable source of information? These questions aren’t able to be answered as easily as the spam questions. But I’ll give it a go anyway.

Are bloggers journalists with a reliable source of information? Well now that I’ve written this on blogger.com, technically I’m now a blogger. However I don’t feel any more important, wiser or journalistic than half an hour ago. And I’m not hooked on the whole idea that I am a worthy source of information.

In my opinion, a blogger could be classed as an entertainer. With the chance to upgrade as a journalist or informative information teller if they are highly regarded enough and withstand the test of time, with factual and interesting information.