How many functions can we put in one device?

Epilogue: What have you had to “unlearn” (i.e. that only phones are for having conversations) in the past 10 years due to technological change?

In the past 10 years due to technological change I have had to unlearn:

• that cameras are only for taking pictures
• that mp3 players are only for listening to music
• that mail needs a stamp
• that music and books needed to be bought at a store

Rating Systems

Chapter 11: Many online merchants today, such as eBay and Amazon, use rating systems empowered by its customers. Is this adequate for determining which products to buy, or which users to trust? Cite examples from these two merchants that support your opinion (whether it is good enough, or inadequate).

Customer review for Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster Mr. Squiggles - Light Brown

84 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

this is just a cat toy really, November 8, 2009

By	D. J. Hoppe

Durability: Fun: Educational:

After much hype and anticipation, we finally got mr squiggles today. The kids played with him for about 30 secs. and he was put down. I think this product was a little oversold. As far as I can tell, it does nothing but run though its toys making farm animal sounds. It also has a function where it doesn't run, it just makes cooing noises. I really don't see the "personality" on display. If you buy this for your child for christmas, make sure you have a back up gift. This will probably not be a big hit by christmas afternoon.

I feel that this review is good enough, and would sway me not to buy the toy. After people make reviews, people can comment so you can see what other people think about the review and if they found it helpful too. The star rating system also gives the user a quick way to see what people think without having to read the whole review.

Customer review for VIZIO 22" 1080p Class LCD HDTV - Black (VA22LFHDTV10T)

2 out of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4 stars

July 25, 2009

VERY HAPPY

Reviewer: New life for an old house "Riley" (Keansburg, NJ, USA) See all my reviews

I bought this model about a month ago...The picture comes in very clear, and the sound is not bad...However I did find that you put the color on custom in order to adjust picture when watching dvd's, otherwise the color bleeds a bit. Other then that it's a great tv or the price, and size.

This review is helpful because it lets you know what they think, has a star rating, and you can see if other people found the review helpful. Overall, sites that provide reviews are almost always helpful, but it is also important to realize that the people that are going to post are most likely strongly opinionated about the product, so the reviews will either be really good or really bad.

The Wise Crowd

Chapter 11: James Surowiecki’s book mentioned in this chapter outlines four elements to create a so-called “wise crowd,” one that can make decisions better than experts. These include “diversity of opinion” and “independence.” Since social groups online seem to form crowds of many like-minded people, what caution would you give someone using information they find from a socialized website or resource?

The first piece of advice that I would give someone who was using information they found from a socialized website or resource would be to always be cautious of the information you take from the web. The world wide web is a wonderful resource with lots of information, but that information isn't always reliable. I would also tell that just because you were able to find a website where people think like you, doesn't mean that everyone does. Just because you found a few strong opinionated people that posted their thoughts on the web doesn't mean that everyone else will agree with you. I would also mention that "members who aren't connected can often generate better answers, by pooling their knowledge or intuition without having to come to an agreement." pg. 267 So in the end I would say take from the site what you want, but always check reliability.