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Broadcasting has played an important role in American history, helping to shape out entertainment experiences and knowledge of the world around us. From the radio to the Internet, it has been a vital part of shaping our society.

Broadcasting first played a truly important role during the era of World War II. People could now listen in their homes to news of battles along the front, hear politicians give speeches live and to listen to a variety of shows. It was a critical part of helping to keep the country’s morale high during hard times and keeping them informed. Radio at this time also began to broadcast play-by-play announcing of popular sporting events, such as baseball and football. Music was also a popular thing to listen to.

When television came onto the scene, broadcasting took on a whole new appearance. Now Americans are to black and white, then color broadcasts of news, sports and popular shows. Children’s programming became a new genre for the major broadcasting companies to take advantage of with shows such as Howdy Doody and The Lone Ranger.

Vietnam was one of the first conflicts to be broadcasted in detail on the news in color, bringing the horrors of war into American homes. In the present day broadcasting has fully embraced the world and technology of the Internet, with blogs, websites and more for people to explore. Broadcasting will continue to make its mark on American history as events and technology continue to change.

While there might be psychological problems associated with being apart too much, sometimes you have to do what you have to do. Being apart allows people to earn their livings and gain independent knowledge, which helps them move onward in the world. When a family spends a lot of time apart, it can be tough. But that doesn’t mean they have to be apart in every way. For instance, with a Blackberry smartphone a family can keep in touch no matter where they may all have run off to.

If you find that you and your family are spending more time working, eating and playing apart than you spend doing these things together, you need to bring your family together in any way you can. If that means playing games on the same team through your smartphones, that can be a great way to encourage your family to feel like a team. While talking in person is the best way to keep connected, talking on the phone and texting frequently is the next best thing. Never underestimate the power of technology to keep your family remembering your connection to one another.

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The world of broadcasting is an exciting one, and one that many people aspire to be a part of. However, there are steps that you must take first if you are to be a part of the broadcast world. It’s a tough business to break into, but with the proper steps taken, you can have a big leg up on the competition.

First, you will need to be serious about your appearance. These days, even the radio personalities are being seen online and on TV. You cannot afford to not keep up with the way you look. This doesn’t mean you have to look like a Hollywood star, but making sure that you keep up a healthy weight helps. Also, making sure you have skin and hair that is well maintained will separate you from the pack, for better or worse.

Something else to consider is that you need to be a good writer. If you are going to be an TV anchor, you need to be able write your own copy. You will need to make sure you make your writing education a priority in college. You should consider taking a number of writing classes.

You can be a valued member of the broadcast world, but you need to train yourself properly. You are a product from head to toe, so make sure you approach your broadcasting career with that in mind.

Graphic Content and Nudity. TV stations and TV shows are restricted from entering any type of graphic content and nudity. Depending upon the level of graphic content and nudity the show may be acceptable by just having a small blurred out section or even a parental disclaimer. TV stations and TV shows are also allowed to show certain images at a specified time in the evening. For example, shows would not be able to show any typing nudity at one in the afternoon but might be able to show the same show at 10 PM.

Public Safety. TV stations and TV shows are protected under the freedom of speech and press. However, should a story put the public safety at risk the local, state and national government have the option to pull the story or ask the media outlets to not air it. This type of censorship really happened and could be a long drawn out court battle as many TV stations will generally air the content if they want. Some services like direct tv sunday ticket be very careful and telecast only shows that are only legal.

Swearing. The censorship of swear words is probably the most commonly used form of censorship. TV shows are not allowed to air the full words of swear words during specified hours. This is to prevent children from picking up and learning these types of words.

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Genealogy is a term that refers to studying the lineage of a family. If you want to know more about your family’s history, the Internet can be a wonderful resource. One popular source of information for amateur and professional genealogists alike is Ancestry.com. The site is home to numerous resources. You can access U.S. Census Records dating back to 1790, as well as census records for England and Canada. Additional records available on the website include military, immigration, and birth and death records. Prospective users can try the site free for 14 days before subscribing.

Before you start a search for your family’s history online, it can be helpful to gather information by talking to your relatives. If you can compile a list of your parent’s parents and grandparents, you can plug those names in on a site like FamilySearch.org to see what online records are available. FamilySearch.org contains records for several countries, including the U.S., Europe and Australia.

If you know some general information about your grandparents and great-grandparents, that can be a great starting point when using online genealogy resources. For example, if your grandfather was a WWII veteran, you can go directly to the military records section on a site like Ancestry.com and see if there are photos available of him from his time in the military.

In the event that you want to learn more about genealogy, a great resource available on FamilySearch.org are the free online courses that show you how to start researching your family’s history in a variety of countries.

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Communication has evolved so much within the last twenty years. We have come a long way from writing letters to communicate with people far away. The telephone made it a lot easier to keep in contact with friends and loved one. Now with the advent of computer technology we are able to communicate with others on the other side of the world at the drop of a hat.

As computers and the internet have evolved, so has the way and frequency with which we communicate. Social networking sites are playing a big role in how we communicate with each other over the internet. Websites such as Facebook and Twitter are making it so easy for people to stay connected via private messages, wall posts and status updates.

Using Facebook is easy. All you do is sign yourself up and you are given a page which you can start personalizing. The first thing that most people do is search for people they know who may also be on Facebook. Once you have found one person and sent them a friend request, and depending on that persons privacy settings, finding other people you may know is as easy as looking at his or her friends list. Before you know it you will be finding people who you have not seen in years and reconnecting with many old friends.

Social networking sites have helped many people connect and reunite. There have even been many stories of people finding long lost family members through Facebook. What started as a simple way for a bunch of Harvard students to stay connected has now kept the world connected.

It is well known that Asia is the greatest continent in the world and it is rich in natural resources like iron and petroleum. When you travel Asia you have to make sure that you have time for an occasional adventure. If you are going to visit Asia within this or the next year and are searching for some fun activities to try, there are some incredible Asian festivals for you to check out during your trip.

Asia actually is one of the most diverse and extraordinary continents in terms of travel destinations and people. It is one of the seven continents in the globe. However, even if it is the seventh continent it is still the largest one among all. Below are several Asian festivals that are worth your attention.

- The monkey God festival. This festival has been celebrated in September at Kowloon’s Sau Mau Ping Temple.

- The festival of the hungry ghosts. This is unusual festival which takes place on the 14th day of the seventh moon in Hong Kong.

- Asakusa Samba. This is Tokyo’s version of the carnival in Rio de Janeiro. This event is held every August in Asakusa district.

- Yasothon Rocket festival. This festival takes place in Thailand in the middle of May. That time things get really noise for Asian travelers in the Phaya Thaen Park.

As well there are a lot of different events and festivals that are really worth your attention. With the development of the internet you can find a lot of different interesting information concerning Asia online.

Censorship, simply put, is controlling the information and the ideas that are being circulated within a society. The truth about censorship is that it has truly been a hallmark for dictatorship all throughout history. Censorship is achieved in many ways, including through examining plays, books, television, films, news reports, radio programs and all other forms of communication in order to alter or otherwise suppress any ideas that were determined to be offensive or objectionable.

The rationale behind censorship can vary significantly depending on the censor what they seek to achieve. Sometimes the rationales behind the censorship have to do with targeting any material that is obscene or indecent, blasphemous or heretical, while other times it is all about preventing seditious or treasonous information from reaching public consumption. As such, free ideas have been suppressed under a false guise of protection of social institutions such as the state, the church and the family for example.

It is important to consider that not all forms of censorship are created equally, and not all forms of censorship rise from external or governmental force. People are capable of self censoring just as easily as the government is capable of censoring. It is important that you understand what censorship is, and what the impulse means to censor. In order to do this you need to strip away the shock that comes with just thinking about censorship and understand the ideology that stands behind the concept. This is the best way to develop a firm grasp on what censorship is all about.

Smart phones and the Internet have really changed how people receive their news. People are turning more and more to their smart phones and the Internet service that it provides as a way to get news because it allows them to get their news instantly and not have to wait until they get home to see the daily news. Here’s a look at some examples of how smart phones and the Internet have changed the way people receive their news.

Text Messages. People are able to receive their news via text message. These can be small blurbs that allow the person who receives a text message to get a small glimpse into what new story has recently been updated. People like to receive the text message view that allows them to get instant alerts on the latest news and information.

Apps. With the invention of the iPhone the same there’s an app for everything has really come true. People are able to download an app that allows them to get instant alerts from their favorite news and TV outlets. Apps are almost the same as text messages but instead show up on the screen and can give people more information than 140 characters.

RSS Feeds. RSS Feeds are a great way for people who have smart phones to receive the latest information on websites that are updated regularly. People can subscribe to these feeds and receive an instant alert when their website updates. This allows them to get the latest news and information the minute it happens.

While writing jingles can be lucrative if you are a songwriter, they can also be an effective marketing and advertising tool if you are looking for a great advertising resource for your business. However, they do need to follow a few guidelines to be successful.

For instance, a great example of a successful jingle is one written and produced for the charitable organization Kars for Kids. As its name suggests, this organization accepts cars as donations to help with the goal of assisting children with educational goals and opportunities.

This catchy jingle may be considered annoying by some listeners; however, it is living up to its purpose of placing and keeping the brand and message into the minds of the listeners.

The writers of this jingle have followed the guidelines of jingle writing to create this radio piece. The guidelines include:

• Know the brand and/or the product they are trying to sell.
• Use lyrics that are catchy. Puns and rhymes are particularly effective.
• Use the name of the product. This will create the memory of the product for the listener.
• Use a memorable, catchy tune.

While these guidelines seem easy, the Kars for Kids jingle is particularly effective in its presentation. It has caused people to sing along, hum the tune or otherwise repeat the jingle. This is effective because the writers know that when it comes time for these people to donate a car, the organization will definitely be the first one listeners think of. The jingle is pure genius!

The Internet is usually thought of as a way to connect people and help them better their communication. However, the Internet is quickly turning into a viable form of broadcast media. There are dozens of different outlets that news stations all over the world use in an effort to broadcast the news from coast-to-coast. Here’s a look at some of the components that make up the Internet media world.

Blogs. Blogging is a prime example of how the Internet has shaped the broadcast media world. Many reputable TV and radio hosts have their own blogs where they share news, information and their opinions on current events. In fact, many people regularly go to blogs as a source of information instead of heading to the regular media outlets.

Video Broadcast. The Internet allows various news stations to put up their broadcast of the news on their website. People are able to download and view segments of the local news. This allows people to have a more customized experience with the local news stations as they are able to pick and choose the stories that they view and watch. In fact, in a recent survey many people stated that they use the Internet as their prime source for the local news.

Podcasts. Podcasts have become extremely popular as a way to present information to Internet users. Podcasts are almost like radio broadcasts but only in Internet form. These podcasts have become extremely popular as a lot people to download information and receive the news that they want to hear.

Internet Radio Stations. Internet radio stations have popped up all over the world. These Internet radio stations are Internet versions to what local radio stations are to the radio. They allow people to broadcast their opinions, news and current events to the Internet public.

The television show South Park was scheduled to show a sketch of Family Guy. During this small part of South Park one of the people from the show Family Guy would open the door and be greeted by the prophet Mohammed. To United States this may not seem like such a big deal but in the Middle East this is. According to the religion Islam is strictly prohibited from depicting the Prophet Mohammed. It is believed that by allowing the show South Park it could enrage the already sensitive situation over in the Middle East.

The creators of South Park were asked by the television station that aired their show to please consider blurring out the image of the prophet Mohammed. However, the creators of the show believe that this was a form of government censorship and did not go along with it. Instead they submitted the episode with their own picture of the prophet Mohammed.

Considering the type of situation that a picture of Mohammed would cause the White House requested that the television station not air the episode. The television station gave the creators of South Park the opportunity to choose between showing another person, blurring out the image or having their whole entire show pulled. Eventually in the end the creators of South Park decided to air a black screen that declared government censorship at its finest.

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Types of Broadcast Media

The term broadcast media is really a broad range term that is used to describe a number of media outlets. The broad definition of broadcast media in any media that is able to be broadcasted over airwaves, sound waves or through the Internet. It generally has to do with moving objects or sound clips. Here’s a look at the various types of broadcast media that are available to consumers all over the world.

Radio. Radio is the oldest and most basic form of broadcast media. It has been in existence for over 100 years and has allowed people to broadcast the news from coast-to-coast and internationally. Today, radio has diminished in the amount of users but is still a very vital form of broadcast media.

TV. TV is the most common form of broadcast media. TV allows users to get the news in a quicker format as well as the visually the new stories and localized events that are being portrayed through this media outlet. TV news and journalism has quickly started to take over for radio.

Internet Journalism. The Internet has quickly started to evolve as a form of broadcast media. TV and radio stations have started to adapt to the Internet and are starting to use it as a way to get to a wide range of viewers. It is believed that the Internet has actually replaced print newspapers and magazines. The Internet combines the best of radio and TV in broadcast journalism and allows people to get a customized view of the world news, national news and local news. Many experts debate whether Internet journalism and media should actually be considered a former broadcast journalism or if it should be considered a separate form of journalism.

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History of Broadcast News and Media Outlets

One of the most interesting aspects of broadcast media is the diverse history that it has. No other form of communications and media outlet has as diverse background as broadcast news. Here’s a brief overview of the history of broadcast news.

Broadcast news and journalism started out in the earliest forms with the radio. Radio was a great way to get people the world news as it was happening. While many people assume that radio was originally designed for the local media outlet the first original broadcast news was focused on the radio covered world events or nationwide stories. Very rarely did the radio cover any type of local event. It wasn’t for a number of years to localized radio stations start to pop up all over the nation which allowed radio stations to broadcast local events and stories.

While the radio lasted for a number of decades it was quickly replaced with that of national TV news. Once the invention of television came out many people were to be able to view nationwide TV news broadcasts. Just like with the radio and the television started out with national news and stories and then move to a brief East Coast or West Coast news channel and eventually transform the local TV news that people are used to today.

Broadcast journalism and news media outlets have really expanded over the years. Today, people have dozens of ways to receive their news through broadcast media outlets. People are not only restricted to hearing about the national news but they have an option to get is internationally, nationally and local. People also have the option of choosing which form a broadcast media outlet they use. Broadcast media outlets are still available through radio, television and now to the invention of the latest form of broadcast media the Internet.

There is a long-standing debate in the media and communications world. Many people wonder whether the print media is better than broadcast media or if broadcast media is better than print media. Here’s a look at some of the information that will allow you to shed light on whether one is better than the other.

Range of Audience. Over the past couple of years the audience for print media has diminished in favor of broadcast media. In a recent survey over 70% of the adults were surveyed admitted to getting their news from the television or the Internet instead of a newspaper.

The Mission Of the Media Form. It is the goal and mission of broadcast news to provide quick updates and results regarding stories that were previously published. It is the goal of print news stories to explain in detail the stories and also explain the updates that might happened.

Accuracy of Facts. When it comes to broadcast media the facts are sometimes not researched as well as a newspaper reporter story might be. This is because the broadcast media’s main goal is to get the story to the audience directly and not spend as much time researching and backing up the facts. Newspapers reporters will spend hours researching the story and making sure that the fax presented are 100% accurate and that all the information provided in a story is true.

Focus of the Media. Broadcast media will often spend time focusing on national events as well as news plus stories. Newspapers will tend to focus more upon the local events and other worldwide events that might be of significance.

Is hard to assess which form the media is better. Each form of media has its own benefits and drawbacks. To decide which form of media is better you must decide what your needs are and what the story you want to trade a public.

Although the First Amendment allows you to have freedom of speech and press it does not allow you defame or make false accusations and misleading statements against other individuals. Should these statements cause injury to a person or potential harm a person can sue in a court of law for defamation and libel. Journalist must know how to protect themselves against being accused of libel. Here’s a look at how to avoid these types of accusations.

The first way to avoid these types of accusations is to make sure that you double and triple check your sources. It’s absolutely essential that any statement that you write or say about another individual is 100% true. Even if what you write and say is true is a good idea to make sure that you have proof to back up what you’re saying. There are certain guidelines that allow media workers to know whatever resources are available to them and can be used should the accusation of deformation come up.

Another way to avoid these types of accusations is to gain the advice of a legal attorney. If you are a journalist who is constantly making statements against other individuals it is important that you seek the advice of an attorney to make sure what you’re saying is covered by the law. These attorneys can help you avoid lawsuits and make sure the resources that you have will help you should this to be brought to court.

The last way to avoid these types of accusations is make sure that all records that you keep regarding any type of statement that you make is completely thorough. You should keep a record of where you made the statement, what was said, who with it was set against and places where you can reference the facts regarding a statement that you made. Keep the notes like this will make it easier should you find yourself in legal trouble regarding what you printed or said.

Online journalism has become widely popular with the invention of the Internet. Many people assume that because the things that are being written are put up on the Internet the laws that govern online journalist are different than those that govern traditional print journalists. While there are some differences in online journalism and traditional print journalism the differences are few and far between. Here’s a look at some of the laws and requirements for online journalists.

Informed Decision-Making. As an online journalist you must make informed decisions about whether or not what you’re posting in writing should be posted. Many online journalists post things without a second thought which can lead to charges of copyright infringement. It is important that even though you are an online journalist you follow all copyright laws and citation rules as you would a normal print magazine. This will help you avoid accusations of plagiarism and allow you to make sure that you do not violate copyright laws. Even if the online publication you write for does not require you to follow these rules and guidelines is important that a journalist you follow these rules.

Become Familiar with the First Amendment. Although your publishing your stories online you must still adhere to the First Amendment rights. It is important that you become familiar with what is protected and what isn’t protected under the first amendment rights. This will allow you to pursue legal action should something you post violate these rules and laws.

Use the Same Code of Ethics. Online journalist must make sure that they are following the same rules and ethics that regular print journalists have. This includes making sure that all work does not contain plagiarism, all sources that are used are reputable and that the reporting avoids having a tone of bias or conflict of interest.

Even though what you are publishing goes online it is important to remember that as an online journalist you must uphold the same standards and ethics that all print newspaper and magazine journalist use.

One of the amendments that is covered under the United States Constitution is that of the freedom of speech and press. While it is commonly assumed that this part of the United States Constitution covers any form of price or speech that is not the case. The First Amendment under the United States Constitution allows citizens to have the right of speech and press. Of all the amendment to the United States Constitution this amendment is one of the most debated amendments and is the one that is open to the most interpretation.

Here’s a look at the First Amendment and the different parts of the First Amendment that allow freedom of speech and press. This amendment can be broken up into two sections one looking at the freedom of press and one looking at freedom of speech.

The section pertaining to speech. There is a section in the First Amendment that pertains to the freedom of speech. This part of the amendment gives individuals the right to speak freely in society. The question of whether this part of the amendment refers only to political speech or individual speech is highly contested in the center of many court cases. At the moment when this part of the Constitution is debated is left up to whichever judge the case is brought up to.

The section pertaining to press. The First Amendment also grants freedom of the press. It is believed that this part of the law grants individuals the right to print whatever stories they wish. This section of the United States Constitution is also hotly debated in and is the source of many debates. Journalists and reporters were commonly cite the First Amendment right to freedom of speech when they are protecting their sources are reporting a controversial topic. Many states have started to consider developing a law that allows freedom of speech requires journalists to reveal their sources when it affects the public.

Museums in particular are among one of the more widely visited places in the world of field trips. The reason for this is due to the fact that museums themselves are educational institutions. Clearly, places like the zoo are educational as well, but they focus more so on the entertainment aspect and flashy appeal. Museums on the other hand provide an educational outlet in which students can actually see the seemingly boring material they are reading about in their textbooks and realize it is something more. Whether they are studying pre-historic civilizations and visit a corresponding museum that allows them to see firsthand the unique tools that were used by these civilizations in their survival, or they are studying specific events in an dominating culture of the past and are able to get a guided tour around a museum that specializes in that area of history; museums are prized tools that can be utilized for ease of learning in the more difficult subjects.

As technology changes and advancements are made, the door opens wider for innovation and interactive ways to incorporate seemingly stagnant material into the learning process. Museums are no different in this aspect, they are providing more ways for students to interactively learn about the material in which they are studying which presents more of an entertaining aspect to the experience for them. Whether the technology is something as simple as a bright red button that when pressed, turns on a high definition video with easy to understand audio detailing the piece, or it stretches as far as creating large mechanisms that talk to the children directly about the objects they are viewing and the significance they hold.

Whatever the case, museums are vastly becoming more technologically profound and are implementing that technology into the learning process for younger patrons. Much like video games assisted in making learning fun in general by providing an interactive medium in which to do so, museums are following suit with newly implemented procedures and ideas that are truly pressing to the bounds on innovation. Do yourself a favor and visit a museum the next chance you get, if it has been a while since you visited one, you will be greatly surprised at how things might have changed.

The Louvre is a spectacular spectacle in an already spectacular city, Paris. The building in which the Louvre is commonly associated with has been a dominating essence on the Western side of Paris since the 12th century. As the city expanded, the original structure of the architecture shrank with it. In 1793, the Louvre officially became a museum that housed priceless artifacts and works of art from the region and important periods that helped shape the world.

The contents within the Louvre include various famous collections of masterpieces, from the oil paintings of many different periods that were pivotal in shaping the art world, to sculptures from the Renaissance era. Additionally, one of the most famous pieces of art is Leonardo DaVinci’s Mona Lisa. The mysteriousness surrounding the painting boggles the minds opf everyone who views it, and is among one of the largest attractions of the museum. Additionally, due to the prestigious reputation of the museum, many popular exhibitions filter through it on a regular basis, ensuring the museum never loses it’s appeal in providing the best and most unique museum experience for everyone who visits; even those who visit on a regular basis are refreshed with new content and visually spectacular pieces.

Museums come in a wide array of different types; from art museums that exhibit famous works of art from some of the most widely known and decorated artists that have ever existed, to the museums of tiny towns that give people a quick and detailed look on the history of that little plot of Earth allowing them to see how it became what it is today. Museums are vital in the understanding and historical significance of each aspect of our existence that is exhibited within them.

So the next time you go to a famous part of the world or a large city within the United States, visit a museum. For some people, viewing important pieces of cultural history or simply ancient works of art and generalized artifacts from extinct civilizations gives them a sense of well being and adherence to our species in general as an intelligent, ever evolving and persistent species focused on the elements of succeeding and surviving. Museums provide an open window into just how civilizations of the past have handed this generalized concept down to us, and to put it bluntly, let us see where we came from.

Just ten years ago, it was uncommon for children under the age of twelve to wield a cell phone. Most children were unaware or simply did not care about the newest model cell phone or portable device; however, by today’s standards, kids as young as six are walking around with a cell phone. In conjunction with that, it seems as if nobody can walk from one place to another without plugging their ears with ear-buds connected to an iPod or MP3 player. This is by no means a bad thing, it is just an obvious sign that times are changing.

The way we communicate as a society has taken a drastic turn from what it used to be. Instead of simply calling people on the phone or sending a certified letter through “snail mail”, we are now veteran texters and internet surfers that utilize programs that allow us to see the people we are talking to face to face, regardless of their location throughout the world. It is exciting to imagine the types of advances that will be made in the coming decade, perhaps there will be devices that allow us to communicate telepathically.

As mentioned, one of the biggest changes that has taken place is the dominance of technology in our modernized society. Even backtracking ten years, it was uncommon for a child in elementary and even Jr. high school to own a cell phone; now more kids than not own a cell phone that they use on a regular basis. In conjunction with cell phone ownership, the amount of time spent watching television and surfing the internet takes up a large portion of free-time in comparison to the time being active and doing other activities in years past. This is one large issue that has vastly contributed to the obesity epidemic in modern American society.

In all, our society is extremely innovative and technologically based. By no means have we degraded in terms of how we have evolved as a whole when compared to 100 years ago. However, we are much more dependent on amenities such as technology and prepared food that is contributing to an overall unhealthy lifestyle and habitual actions that are then passed on to future generations.

One of the largest accomplishments that assisted in the vast evolution of fast and efficient communication was the television. Before television, radios were the dominant source of media; television opened up an entirely new spectrum of media and news travel potential. After the induction of this wonderful picture box, computers moved in a few decades later. When the personal computer was first being utilized, it was not nearly what a personal computer is in modern society, it was more of a box that stored information and made complicated calculations. However, as the internet popped on and massive networks became interlinked, computers began making their way into the everyday residential household.

Moving ahead another twenty years, the number of computers in residential households is growing at a seemingly exponential rate. As the number of computers grow, as do the number of people plugged into the internet. The internet proves to be the fastest and most efficient way to find and obtain information. Whether the information comes from a streamed media site run by a large broadcasting station, or is simply and RSS feed from an entertainment site; when something big happens, it tends to find it’s way to the internet within the hour of the occurrence, providing incredibly up to date and nearly real time information for people.

Not long ago in the early 1900s, humans were prone to using wires and horseback to transmit messages from one place to another. Telephones had recently been introduced and utilized telegraphic transmission to deliver sounds and voices from one apparatus to another. Additionally, the concept of wireless communications via the radio was still extremely new and not well known technology. Little did anyone living in the early 20th century have any inclination of thinking that such drastic advancements would be made in as little as 100 years.

Moving ahead to the year 2000, efficient communication is a way of life. Pilots of large aircraft that carry thousands of passengers around the globe on a daily basis wirelessly communicate clearly to air traffic controllers that give them the word to safely land on a runway. Additionally, computers have taken a front seat as one of the most prolific and widely used pieces of technology in the average American household. With hundreds and thousands of computers making their way into households on an annual basis, these versatile pieces of technology offer a wide range of options for people to communicate from anywhere to anyone in any place on the globe, and even beyond.

Additionally, the prized telegraph phone from the late 19th and early 20th century has been slightly tweaked and transformed into a miniature handheld device with vast capabilities and efficiency. Cell phones have become a staple in modern society not only providing a way to communicate, but leading the forefront of a new way of life and communications.

This is not an issue in itself, as having a cell phone that can perform one hundred separate tasks in addition to sending and receiving phone calls is pretty neat by most standards. However, if these ingenious small metallic and fiberglass achievements in communications from our modern world were suddenly taken away, people of all ages would undoubtedly go insane without the ability to text message or tweet at will.

Aside from cell phones, other aspects of our lives are continuing to be run via some form of a technological advancement that has been made within the last couple of decades. Whether it be the vast databases with extremely personal information welded up in a bank’s mainframe infrastructure, or the GPS system in a primarily computerized mechanical vehicle ensuring you find your way to the nearest gas station to fill up your tank and purchase a 44 oz. Mountain Dew, the obsession of obtaining all of the latest pieces of technology and the latest version of any predecessors has never been so prevalent.

Technology is not a bad thing, obviously it makes the lives of everyone who utilizes it better. However, as our society slowly submerges itself into the world of becoming solely dependent on a piece of machinery to accomplish a task that was done manually years past, or computers to answer questions and or store sensitive information that can thus be accessed the same way; should the time come that these luxuries are taken away, it is not too far from the truth to fear chaos will persist.

It wasn’t until I had my own child that I understood the significance of the way she had raised me. I always knew that I was an American, but I also knew my mother was Mexican and she had taught me a lot about her rich culture.

Nothing she did was particularly special, even thought it really was. She gave me broader experiences and a deeper sense of who I was by exposing me to the unique aspects of her heritage.

Everyone can do the same by following a few steps:

• Share folklore and historical stories with your children.
• Teach your children about the indigenous people of your home.
• Prepare traditional dishes, or include cultural ingredients in family meals.
• Practice cultural rituals, and celebrate traditional holidays.

As my daughter got older I began looking for more and more ways to introduce her to the same experiences I had as a child. The first year we celebrated El Día de los Muertos, I bought plastic molds and we made sugar skulls. I started putting mint in my rice. A couple weeks after Christmas my daughter would wake up to find a chocolate bar in her shoe.

At first my boyfriend didn’t quite get it, even though he said he did. He was a non-practicing Jew, and didn’t see any reason to start so close to turning 40. Well, until our son was born. That was the year we celebrated our first Hanukkah as a family.

The most efficient way of preserving your documents is to scan them into your computer so you have digital copies of your family records. Different types of documents to scan include:

Family Portraits
Photos give you a visual sense of family, and help bring someone to life. When you have multiple people in a family photo you can start to see the interpersonal relationships different family members had with each other. Photos also help establish time lines, geographic location, and offer socioeconomic clues about family during the time of the photograph.

Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates
Valuable information is stated in birth, death and marriage certificates. All of these help establish time lines, nationality, physical location, and family relationships.

Newspaper Clippings and Handwritten Letters
Letters and newspaper clippings have a lot of personal “slice of life” type of information. They help to flush out details of the time period, as well as establish interpersonal relationships.

Military and Professional or Educational Documents
College degrees, professional certificates and military documents are all valuable for rounding out a person’s life. From these documents you can find information on international travel, what kind of education they had, and what honors they were awarded during their career.

Once you have all your materials gathered, scanned, and touched up if needed, you can use family tree software to organize them, or you can do it yourself by putting documents in specific folders or by creating a slide show from iPhoto for Mac or Windows Live Photo Gallery.

Sharing with your family is not much simpler once you have digital copies. You can burn your work to a CD or DVD, or save your files together in a PDF and email them out. You won’t have to worry about photos being lost or ripped up any more.

Both the car and the radio increased the ability of people to connect with others for communication purposes. The Museum of Broadcast Communications is a demonstration of this issue. The radio allowed people around the nation to listen in to shows to find out what was going on. Franklin Roosevelt’s weekly presidential address, the Fireside Chats, became a staple of life during the Great Depression as people listened to this broadcast to get information about the country’s recovery.

Cars also benefit society by allowing for faster transport of information. Newspapers could be sent by cars, rather than trains or horses, to help get them to cities faster. As soon as people had this ability to communicate more quickly, people in most towns and cities started weekly, or even daily, papers to give people more information.

Throughout most of the twentieth century, radio, and then television, gave people daily updates about news. The advent of the Internet, made widely available to the public in the mid 1990s, added a new layer to broadcast communications, however. Now people can get their information as quickly as something happens. It is possible to get alerts sent to one’s laptop or cell phone to find out about news as soon as it happens. As technology progresses, so does people’s insatiable desire for communications.

Studies indicate that this move away from watching television shows on the screen when they first air is not a simple trend. In fact more people are beginning to use the internet for their television needs daily. This move begs the question: is television scheduling becoming a concept for a communications museum?

When television first was available to a large number of people, there were no set shows. Older folks talk of turning on their television and waiting in the hopes that a show would come on. Slowly, evening news became a standard, and information important to our society was available to most people on a nightly basis.

Eventually television executives realized that they could sell more advertising by having schedules so that people would know when to tune in. This concept of random television shows is an idea now suitable for communications history now as few people remember those days.

The use of the internet to disseminate information is making scheduling now look like a thing of the past. If one misses a show, there are no worries about what happened. It is easy enough to log onto the internet in the next 12 hours and see the show re-run. Typically one can see these shows with fewer”or even no “commercials and have the option to start and stop as they please.

Given this advent, it is no wonder that television scheduling soon will belong in a museum as an anomaly in the entertainment world.

Barbara Walters was the first woman to get a spot as an anchor of a major communications broadcast. Her appointment caused ripples as many people still
believed women did not have the right to be on set as anchors.

Walters has indicated that those early days were difficult. She now works only doing specials and serving as a co-host and producer of ABC’s The View. Walters says that what clothes she wore and her hair were significant decisions in those early days.

Indeed, those still are important decisions for both men and women on television, but women’s roles have expanded such that the quality of their stories now matters more than their appearance.

In today’s society, seeing women holding down anchors seats is not unheard of. In fact, there are an equal number of women on many network morning shows, evening news shows, and cable news shows. As women have gained economic power, appealing to them on television has become vitally important. Advertisers want to know that women will be watching the shows they pay to sponsor, making the idea that men are the ones who should tell the news is a concept for history now.

While women still have gains to make for equality, especially in niche areas like sports reporting, they are accepted as equal partners in news production shows. Even in sports, women are beginning to gain acceptance as desk anchors, reporting on stories they receive, rather than simply asking innocuous questions on sidelines of games. Society no longer stands for the idea that news is only good or important if it comes from a man’s mouth.

Boneyard

The Neon Museum has a collection of over 150 neon signs that are a rich part of Las Vegas’ history. Dating back as far as the 1930s, many of these unrestored signs are located in the Boneyard. The collection includes signs from the Stardust, Golden Nugget, and Silver Slipper. While the museum itself isn’t open yet, tours are available for the Boneyard. Visit neonmuseum.org for more information.

Las Vegas Mob Experience

It’s not a myth that the mob built up Las Vegas. In 1946 Benjamin Siegel, widely known as Bugsy Siegel, was sent to Las Vegas to oversee the construction of the Flamingo Hotel and Casino. After he went seriously over budget, pushed the opening before the hotel was finished, and kept losing money on the project before he could turn it around, the mob had him killed. The Las Vegas Mob Experience, located at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino, is a museum focuses around the mob’s previous influence in Las Vegas that helped turn it into the resort town it is today. More information about the museum can be found at lvme.com.

Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort

Before Las Vegas was Sin City, it was a Mormon settlement. In 1855, Bringham Young sent a group of missionaries to establish a mission in the Las Vegas valley. Their intention was to convert the local Paiute Indians and teach them farming and irrigation techniques. The settlement also served as a halfway point between the communities in Salt Lake and the mission in San Bernardino. Parts of the original fort still stand, and visitors can visit the site year round. For more information visit parks.nv.gov/olvmf.htm.

It wasn’t until I had my own child that I understood the significance of the way she had raised me. I always knew that I was an American, but I also knew my mother was Mexican and she had taught me a lot about her rich culture.

Nothing she did was particularly special, even thought it really was. She gave me broader experiences and a deeper sense of who I was by exposing me to the unique aspects of her heritage.

Everyone can do the same by following a few steps:

• Share folklore and historical stories with your children.
• Teach your children about the indigenous people of your home.
• Prepare traditional dishes, or include cultural ingredients in family meals.
• Practice cultural rituals, and celebrate traditional holidays.

As my daughter got older I began looking for more and more ways to introduce her to the same experiences I had as a child. The first year we celebrated El Día de los Muertos, I bought plastic molds and we made sugar skulls. I started putting mint in my rice. A couple weeks after Christmas my daughter would wake up to find a chocolate bar in her shoe.

At first my boyfriend didn’t quite get it, even though he said he did. He was a non-practicing Jew, and didn’t see any reason to start so close to turning 40. Well, until our son was born. That was the year we celebrated our first Hanukkah as a family.

The most efficient way of preserving your documents is to scan them into your computer so you have digital copies of your family records. Different types of documents to scan include:

Family Portraits
Photos give you a visual sense of family, and help bring someone to life. When you have multiple people in a family photo you can start to see the interpersonal relationships different family members had with each other. Photos also help establish time lines, geographic location, and offer socioeconomic clues about family during the time of the photograph.

Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates
Valuable information is stated in birth, death and marriage certificates. All of these help establish time lines, nationality, physical location, and family relationships.

Newspaper Clippings and Handwritten Letters
Letters and newspaper clippings have a lot of personal “slice of life” type of information. They help to flush out details of the time period, as well as establish interpersonal relationships.

Military and Professional or Educational Documents
College degrees, professional certificates and military documents are all valuable for rounding out a person’s life. From these documents you can find information on international travel, what kind of education they had, and what honors they were awarded during their career.

Once you have all your materials gathered, scanned, and touched up if needed, you can use family tree software to organize them, or you can do it yourself by putting documents in specific folders or by creating a slide show from iPhoto for Mac or Windows Live Photo Gallery.

Sharing with your family is not much simpler once you have digital copies. You can burn your work to a CD or DVD, or save your files together in a PDF and email them out. You won’t have to worry about photos being lost or ripped up any more.

There once was a day where people would write letters to each other and have to wait days or weeks to receive them. People used to have only a few channels on television for their news and entertainment and they were amazed by the footage they saw. Even before then, the radio was the main source for information around the world. These forms of communication only describe what has happened in our most recent history.

Hundreds of years ago, a person’s options were even more limited. People could send messages via telegraph and some entire towns did not even have one. You would have to send your message this way and someone would have to take the message to its destination, which could be miles away. Not a very efficient way to communicate, but it was the origins of many of the types of communication that you use in your everyday lives.

Learning the history of how we communicate will give you are greater appreciation for all the conveniences that you have in your life. Our recent ancestors were pioneers and every year we enhance what they started. We have come a long way in a short period of time and there is no ceiling for how high tech we can go. So next time you send an instant message, email or text, remember that it took a lot of innovation and work to get to where we are today.

It’s the chance of your (admittedly short) lifetime — you’re seeking golden coasts and slow waves, the endless sprawls of sun and summer. California beckons and you intend to answer the call. So a vacation is planned; and a budget is created. You won’t need much, you’re certain: all days will be spent on the beach, enjoying natural beauty and its naturally free cost. You need nothing beyond a few spare dollars and a supply of sandals. No other items will apply.

This, you discover as soon as you arrive and are greeted by the wealth of attractions, is wrong. Riverside property management companies warned you of diversity — and now you realize they were correct. There is much to do… and you are woefully unprepared.

Too often do individuals assume that they will do nothing on a vacation beyond lounge at the beach. Sand is their intention and they’re certain it’s a worthy one. It is — but few dedicate themselves entirely to it. There are monuments to explore. There are amusements to seek. The waves simply won’t capture all focus at all times.

And that endless offering of capris and bikini tops is suddenly inappropriate.

It’s vital therefore that each trip be understood as multi-faceted. You will do more than swim; you will see more than coastlines. It’s imperative then that you pack accordingly:

One: Casual wear. Select clothing that can be used for strolls along the promenade or in local shops. Bathing suits are not suitable.

Two: Evening wear. While you may prefer the ease of diners and drive-thrus, you may also wish to sample exotic cuisines. Have an outfit dedicated to elegance.

Three: Shoes. Never assume that your beloved flip-flops will suffice. Be certain to have at least one pair of loafers, heels or the refined equivalent.

A journey to California requires more than tanning lotion. Be prepared and dress well.

It is almost impossible to imagine a life without television. People have taken for granted that they will always be there. When people are bored, often times they turn to television because of the many options that it offers. There are hundreds of channels available where you can watch movies, sitcoms, game shows, sports and concerts. Services like on demand give people the opportunity to watch basically anything they want, whenever they want. Now, that is convenience.

Another aspect of television that makes it so attraction to the masses is the high picture quality. With the introduction of high definition, the television market took off. You can watch broadcasts in crystal clear quality, sometimes making it look almost too real. Movies and TV shows are brought to life with vibrant colors and smooth movements, keeping viewers glued to their sets for hours on end. Recently, 3D televisions have come out and further raised the bar for a quality television watching experience.

Television has taken the world by storm, giving people a real life experience right from their own homes. Looking back on television from only a short time ago, anyone can see that they have advanced in giant steps each year. Picture quality and sheer volume of programs to watch have been a key factor is the success of television. Can you imagine what kind of world we would live in without the invention and evolution of television?

While radio has fallen out of favor among many people recently, almost every single car on the road has one. AM/FM radio is still free and offers music and talks shows every day, any time you want to listen. Satellite radio and HD radio have joined the broadcast game and offer higher quality sound and many more channels than standard radio. However, you have to pay to play and listeners have to pay a fee in order to use this premium radio service. The top selling point of AM/FM radio is that it is free to listen to if you own a receiver, which is usually very cheap to purchase. Whichever way you want to listen to radio, your entertainment options are very diverse.

Whether you are sitting in your car, cleaning the house or just hanging out in the backyard, you can enjoy listening to the radio almost anywhere. The roots of radio were sending information over long distances and today we still use it for that as well as entertainment. It is amazing to think how far radio has come and that it is still useful despite all the other options available. Other forms of radio, the internet, portable music devices and television have tried their best to leave radio in their dust, but it has not worked. The simplicity of it is what makes it continually useful.

The Louvre – Many people regard the Louvre as “the” museum.  From the inverted pyramid outside to the heralded Mona Lisa the Louvre is nothing short of spectacular. While Paris’s other world renowned museum the Musee D’orsay is also an art lover’s delight the longest line is at the Louvre. Throw in the fact it’s in one of the most dynamic cities in the world and it can’t be beat.

The Guggenheim in New York City – the Guggenheim is unique from the outset. The building itself is a work or art. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1959 the circled walkway takes you gradually from painting to piece of art, never stopping to dull the senses with something as trivial as stairs. While all of the Guggenheims around the world are stunning nothing beats the original.

Museo del Prado – Housing one of the one of the largest collections of European art in the world the Prado is one of the most spectacular museum in Europe. The basis of the collection is from the Spanish Royal Collection. Housing over 4,800 Spanish works of art it includes works by Picasso, Velasquez and El Greco.

Uffizi Gallery – They say an art lover can only truly appreciate art if he has been to Florence, Italy and the Uffizi does not disappoint.  It is one of the, if not the, most famous art galleries in the world also one of the oldest.  Including works from Leonardo de Vinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo the Uffizi is a mecca for art lover around the world.

Accademia Gallery – Florence’s Accademia boasts one of the most recognizable statues in the entire world –Michelangelo’s David.  A representation of the Biblical hero David it is thought to be a masterpiece of renaissance sculpture.

You can do that with anything in life, not just your home. Whether you’re fixing up an existing home or building one from scratch, there’s a lot of work that goes into it. Planning is important, too, so make sure you plan carefully throughout your life. That way you’ll be more prepared to tackle large projects, since you’ve been tackling smaller projects for a long time. Simple things like a driver update for your computer, so it will run more smoothly, can help you focus on taking good care of the things you have. By improving them, you keep your life moving forward and running more easily.

Learning to do the little things can be a great way to get better at the bigger things, too. Don’t forget that when you’re wondering why you’re doing small things that don’t seem to have a lot of point. They all matter, and they can help you move toward living your dream of either building or fixing up your house to make it just the way you want it to be. Take the time to figure out what you really want and need, so you can make your house fit your specifications – and enjoy it for a long time to come.

Unfortunately, much of the public views museums as stuffy, boring and even old fashioned; a place where you must be good and never touch. Fortunately, this prevailing point of view couldn’t be farther from the truth, at least in today’s modern way of educating in arts and sciences.

Museums are fast becoming the cool place to be, especially for today’s youth.
In these days of video games, theme parks and reality shows, museums are looking at, and implementing, creative and inventive ways to attract the public, especially the young, to all that modern day museums now host. Interactive programs can range from a one-day movie making marathon to video games that take you across the depth and breadth of science.

Because people are willing and wanting to become a more active participant in history, art, and technology, the vast interactive programs that are being held throughout museums, world-wide, are attracting a whole new kind of museum-goer. Museums are becoming expert at educating while holding completely engaging interactive programs.

A huge plus in engaging in these kinds of learning activities is that fees for public museums are nominal, and most are actually free.  In a world that is in a questionable financial state, a nominal fee for a day of wonderful, entertaining, and educational activities has a definite advantage over an expensive amusement park.

So whether you are going to a zoo (which is a favorite type of “museum”) activity, or learning science and technology at a museum of science, or creating your own art at a beautiful museum for the arts, learning and arts has just become a whole lot more interesting.

When people think of the need to find a costume for their child to wear, they often think of Halloween, but that’s not the only time you might need to dress your child up as someone else. There are parties that can require costumes, sometimes birthdays have a theme where people dress up, and there are also school plays to consider. In other words, you could find yourself needing a costume at any time of year. You don’t want to have to try to make one, because it’s generally more complicated than it looks and you may not have the skills, the material, or the time.

Don’t feel bad about not making the costume yourself. There are plenty of kids costumes you can buy that are good quality and will hold up well. By looking around at what you already have, you might also be able to take a costume you’ve purchased and adjust it slightly so it’s more representative of exactly who your child wants to be. That’s especially important with some parties and plays, because the characters are often very specific and you want your child to look just right. Don’t let him or her go to the party not looking right. That’s an easy way to create disappointment.

Kids costumes are great fun, too, when children play dress-up and wear the costumes just because. Keeping a few common costumes around can create hours of fun and enjoyment, and keep your children from getting bored. It’s also a lot of fun when friends sleep over, because they can dress up and play all sorts of things, just by using their imaginations. It’s a great way to give them something to do and let yourself have some quiet time while they play.

What is the worth of a museum and ultimately is there any value in having and preserving a museum? Perhaps, before that question can be fully answered, the definition of what a museum is should be fully understood.

The original meaning of a museum came from the Greeks and meant an edifice connected to the Muses. This was to be place of learning and for the arts, where the cultivation of education, especially in the arts, was encouraged and enhanced. To understand the kind of education and learning that the Greeks had in mind, one should remember that math was at one time considered part of the arts.

Today there are many different kinds of museums. Some examples are museums that feature natural history, or science and technology, history, or art collections. Some museums are considered multidisciplinary and feature a variety of displays in arts, culture, and sciences. The University of Oxford was the first organization to establish a public museum in the tradition that we are now familiar with. This started a trend of displaying private collections of outstanding artwork to the public.

In modern times, museums have become known for their educational qualities as well as sources of beauty and information.

In today’s world of fast information and economic uncertainty, there are those that question why money should be spent for museum upkeep when one can find information so readily on the Internet. Is a museum really worth the cost in manpower and continual diligence and upkeep?

The answer to these questions is the fact that although the Internet is a valuable tool, it cannot take the place of real life experience. There is no way to see what a real Van Gogh actually looks like; it can only be experienced in person.

It is said that Irish Monks saved Western Civilization by keeping detailed records. An outstanding museum may someday do the same.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum landed in Cleveland for a reason. Cleveland, known locally as a dying (or rusting) steel town for decades, does have some life left in the city and has had it for some time. That life revolves around a huge music scene. Numerous venues attract crowds every day of the week, from Peabody’s to the Phantasy Niteclub. Stars such as Elvis and Marilyn Monroe would be proud to know that people travel far and wide to visit their likenesses in a museum built in a city with a music foundation as vibrant as that which Cleveland offers.

Bordering Lake Erie’s southern shore, the Rock Museum draws a steady stream of visitors to the city. People from all around the country want to see this bastion of homage to artists of all stripes, just as those dedicated Elvis fans desire to visit Graceland. As one wanders the hallways and rooms of the museum, they can absorb the looks that were created by artists, for artists, in the displayed clothing styles and hairstyles of entire generations of musicians. Depending on your level of love for music, a visit to the museum can make your year, or at least your day!

Free music ringtones can make your day, by personalizing your phone just as stars of the past personalized their own gear. Jimi Hendrix famously ‘personalized’ his guitar by setting it on fire. Jim Morrison adorned his microphone stand with an assortment of oddball objects, as does the more current musician, Rob Zombie. Most rock stars have personalized their look by adding a lot of leather as well. While the leather look is still cool in certain circles, it isn’t so hot among the younger vegan crowd — which might partly explain the popularity of being able to choose exactly what one’s phone sounds like. It’s the ultimate personal expression.

One of the first great sports announcers was Vin Scully, who called Los Angeles Dodger baseball games and various football games. His most famous calls were the 1956 World Series when Don Larsen pitched a perfect game, the 1988 World Series walk off home run by Kirk Gibson and the amazing catch made by the San Francisco 49ers Dwight Clark from Joe Montana in the 1982 NFC Championship game.

Another great sports announcer was John Madden. He became enormously popular for his calls on Monday Night Football. His jovial nature and ability to break down the game so every fan could understand it allowed him to become popular all over the world. One of the most imitated quotes of his was a simple “Boom”, which he used often to describe big collisions on the football field.

Some other well-known sports broadcasters were baseball announcer Harry Carey (“Holy Cow!”), basketball announcer Dick Vitale (“It’s awesome, baby”) and baseball announcer Chris Berman (“Back, back, back, back, gone!”), to name a few. You don’t always know their names but you will remember what they said.

Sports can be very exciting at times but some broadcasters have a way of bringing each moment to a new level. Whether you are listening to sports on the radio or watching them on television, great calls can make each game that much more memorable.

One of the joys of being on a very non-conventional diet is that I get to dine at as many of the wonderful restaurants in the area as I want. There is just something about being able to head to a new restaurant and not have the restrictions that come with being on a diet or watching my weight that makes me feel amazing.

To capitalize on this new found feeling, I have taken advantage of Internet searching to discover some culinary gems. The Internet is a great tool that allows me to find some of the best tasting, little known restaurants in town.

My friends always ask me how I found these little hole-in-the-wall places. I have been reluctant to share my secrets until now. I am about to reveal my methods for finding some of the best restaurants in the area that are not well-known.

My secret is in using websites such as Yelp and Canada 411. I will simply type in a few keywords that relate to restaurants such as Chinese restaurant, Japanese restaurant or steakhouses and see what results I get. Sometimes the results pull up reviews, other times I don’t have a clue what kind of restaurant it will be. There is just something about the mystery that makes some of the restaurants that I try so amazing.

Sure, there have been plenty of restaurants that I have visited where, after I ordered and ate my meal, I wished I hadn’t found the place. However, my theory in life is you never know what you are missing until you try, and there are just so many great little-known restaurants out there that I would have missed if I hadn’t browsed the Internet and found out about them. That’s my kind of adventure.

Are you in love with great art and would love nothing more than to be surrounded by it?

And, because of this love, wouldn’t you love to travel the world just to see some of the most beautiful art pieces ever created; not to mention visiting all the greatest museums across the globe?

Believe me, you are not alone.

Unfortunately, if you are like most of us, you’re too busy with life to be able to take off at a moment’s notice just to see the greatest art on the planet.

Sarcasm aside, there is a great way to keep in touch with the art world and also review the greats in arts and cultural history, right from the comforts of your own home and at your leisure. This opportunity is literally at your fingertips and comes from the blessings of modern technology: the Internet. Well of course, you say; anything is available on the Internet, but how can one possibly view the beauty of great art on a computer monitor?

Obviously, a computer monitor cannot convey a real time experience with Renoir, but in all honesty, neither can a print.  We’ve already hinted that a real time experience will have to carefully planned for in time and money; we also acknowledge that this is a worthy goal to plan for. However, while one is planning that perfect art excursion, one can keep up with art collections, history, and even scientific achievement because the greatest museums in the world are also online.

The possibilities are absolutely endless; you and the family can be involved in interactive museum events online and also visit virtual traveling collections that are being featured in different museums from Europe to India to the US.

Although an online perusal of great museums cannot take the place of a real time experience, it can still help you stay in touch with the greatest museums and art, while planning your great art adventure.

Have you ever noticed that so many of the things that make us feel so good in life are great… but then they carry some bad consequences on their proverbial coat tails? This is the case with chocolate and other tasty treats, that’s for sure. What do they say about that, a moment on the lips but a lifetime on the hips? How sad, that something which feels so good at the time ends up being so painful in another way for so long later on. Unfortunately, far too many things need to be scaled back more and more as you get older, just because you can only handle so much of them.

Take gambling, for instance. If you have ever walked into a casino and passed the poker tables, you know that you just missed out on your highest likelihood of actually leaving the place with any money in your pocket. While poker is a game where there is skill and subtlety which you have to master, far too many of the games there are well aware that once they get you under their spell, there is no escape for you or for the contents of your wallet. It’s almost sad, in a “you brought it on yourself” kind of way.

What is happiness, beyond the thrill of doing something that doesn’t happen often (like winning at gambling)? Is it going through an experience which ought to hurt you, and it somehow doesn’t (like walking blindfolded across a busy highway)? Is it the thrill of talking to someone really good looking (which can also really hurt, if they’re going steady with somebody who’s jealous)? This happiness stuff might actually need to come into our lives in moderation, if for no other reason than that if we do these kinds of things too often, our luck may end up running out. That would be bad.

Owning a cell phone is more commonplace now than it has ever been. People used to get their news from radio, television and talking to a friend, but cell phones are quickly becoming the convenient method of choice, since you can access the internet at speeds comparable to many personal computers. Also, print newspapers are falling to the wayside and news via the internet is taking over. Again, your cell phone is right there for all your information needs.

Having the ability to access so much information right from your pocket is quickly becoming the norm. Just a decade or two ago, no one would believe what possibilities a simple phone could unlock. Some people, even today, feel overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of what is available to them. Having a cell phone has turned into much more than just having the ability to call someone in case of an emergency. Getting your daily news, looking up a random fact or asking a friend who is 1,000 miles away which movie is better are all very easy to do.

Communication is always in a state of change, but the cell phone is rapidly becoming a tool that no person should be without. Surprisingly, they are still very affordable as well. Children growing up these days will have opportunities open to them that their parents never had and they will have the ability to gain knowledge that was not possible just a few short years ago.

1.    Plan your trip. Every museum, whether large or small, has multiple exhibits and possibly even multiple buildings for you to browse through. Call the museum ahead of time or look on the museum’s website to see a layout of the museum so you can make your plan of attack.

2.    Visit on a weekday for smaller crowds. For as few people as possible, come on a weekday morning. That also tends to be a great time for kids too, because they’re not tired or hungry like they can be in the afternoons and evenings.

3.    Talk about what you’ll see before you get there. Bedtime stories are a great time to introduce concepts like dinosaur skeletons, animals and even airplanes. Then your child will be more interested when they see the displays.

4.    Wear appropriate clothing. If your museum requires a lot of walking, wear comfortable shoes. Bring a stroller with you too, just in case you need it.

5.    Visit the museum’s information center when you arrive. The staff at the desk can help you plan your itinerary.

6.    Visit the exhibits that most interest the youngest visitors first. They have a short attention span and may start to lose interest before you arrive at the exhibit if it takes too long to get there.

7.    Look for exhibits that allow hands-on discoveries and experiments. Interactive computers are another great stop to make at your museum. Try to mix these in with regular exhibits to keep kids fresh and to maintain their attention.

8.    Take as many breaks as you need, especially with young children. A quick bathroom break can help remove the distractions and help a child focus.

In an age when everything seems to be commercialized through advertising and marketing, there are few radio stations that have stuck to an independent public-oriented structure. NPR, formerly National Public Radio, has thrived as a non-profit media outlet that champions free speech and free-form radio. They are not affiliated with any religious or political sect, but rather try to appeal to a wide variety of listeners.

The media organization has had its ups and downs since it began in the early 1970′s but has weathered the storm to the tune of millions of listeners daily. Many different types of programs are available to be broadcast on the various stations across the United States of America. They offer news from around the world and commentaries from people in all different walks of life. As a radio station, they strive to inform, as well as entertain, as many listeners as possible.

The company has had its share of accusations of leaning too far to one side or the other on certain issues, but they have persevered through it all. To their credit, you can always expect hard news and information from educated individuals during their programming. Adversity has shown how willing this media outlet is to stick with their guns and not be swayed by political or commercial pressures.

It is sometimes difficult during this era we live in to believe everything you hear, but NPR has a way of presenting information in a very respectful manner. They also have a highly relatable quality, offering callers many opportunities to voice their opinions and debate whatever issues they are discussing. Having a media outlet that is willing to interact with the public is always a refreshing experience. NPR is a company that stands for what the United States was founded upon, free speech and giving people a platform to voice what they believe.

It didn’t take long for people to appreciate the value of broadcasting communications. Listeners could hear the latest news much faster than anywhere else at the time. This value, of course, wasn’t lost on businesses looking for new ways to reach out to more customers. In 1920, the very first commercial broadcast was aired, opening the door to a whole new revolution of advertising.

However, it wasn’t only businesses looking to turn a profit. The stations themselves were searching for new ways to fund their operations, which were starting to run longer, leading to the 24 hour broadcasting heard today. It’s debatable when the first paid radio commercial was aired. Some say it was on WEAF in New York in 1922, while others believe smaller stations and businesses were doing it before then. What isn’t debatable is the reaction that followed. Around this time, programs started mentioning sponsors that would underwrite each show.

As broadcast radio began to enter the Golden Age, so did the radio advertisements. Commercial broadcasts started to try and stimulate more senses than just hearing. Well-known actors began to make appearances while radio ads featured sound effects for greater impact. Radio commercials also started implementing catchy jingles, gaining even greater reach into the conscious of consumers.

Today, it is still very much the same. You can hear a radio spot for Coke during a commercial break or hear that 21st Century Insurance is a sponsor for your favorite show. This is because broadcast radio is still a boon for advertisers. Even though many other media outlets have started attracting consumers online, a whopping 95 percent of people in the U.S. continue to listen to the radio. In addition, over 90 percent of listeners stay tuned even during commercial breaks, unlike television viewers or Internet browsers. So when you next listen to the radio, think about how much hasn’t changed.

There are many people who don’t appreciate museums they might think of them as stuffy and boring. They might believe or have a bad memory of a very serious place with very serious people who seem to have no fun or sense of humor.  Well while there were some museums that did fit that mold most of today’s museums cater towards vivid, engaging and interactive exhibits that make the visitor want to come back.  There are even some museums that cater to the odd and that might make you state out loud “I didn’t know they had a museum for that”.  These are museums that cater to a much more unusual and diverse crowd.

One of the most unique and interested of these museums is the International Spy Museum located in Washington, D.C.  Here you can indulge your secret wish to become a spy for the U.S. government. As you enter you are given an identity that you must protect until you leave. You can walk through a cold war era faux tunnel that’s a replica of one built by the United States and British in cold war Berlin.  You see exhibits that explain the secret history of history and see how spies live among us. The unknowns and the famous people who were agents in the spy game of the last century.

While the museum offers a fascinating look at the who and where of the spy game it all allows us to see the ingenious gadgets spies used all over the world. You can see James Bond’s Aston Martin and other amazing spy memorabilia such as dead rag microphones, lipstick guns and umbrella pistols.  However, most people believe that the Spy Museums quirkiest feature is that you can crawl through the walls.  Yes! It’s true. The International Spy Museum has a series of air ducts where you the visitor can crawl through and spy on your fellow visitors.

There are museums that specialize in history and these are certainly important; however, all museums should be considered as edifices that exhibit unique perspectives of history. If one visits the Sistine Chapel, then one becomes acquainted with the great art of Michaelangelo and the history of his revolutionary accomplishments as he painted the entire ceiling. Some of the work, such as The Creation of Adam is considered among the most famous art ever created. Or think of the experience of visiting the Louvre and contemplating the Mona Lisa.  What could you learn?

Or say you had the chance to visit Rodin’s museum and study his incredible sculptures and particular genius; that would be an experience in perfection. How much easier is it to understand the evolution of art by studying the arts close up and personal. This is not just art, it is history at its finest.

All museums, whether they are The Louvre in Paris or the National Mustard Museum in Wisconsin, stand as representatives of a history that is in danger of being lost. Without the preservation of great art or historical artifacts or science and technology advances- or mustard- it can be easy to lose touch with the historic and artistic accomplishments that were the predecessors of today’s world.

Without this, it can be easy to lose our personal and present identity as artists, as scientists, and as creators.

The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute, but it’s also a museum complex that features some of the world’s most interesting exhibits. These are the top nine things you must do while you’re there.

Visit the Norman Rockwell exhibit, which features 50 paintings from the collections of famous movie directors George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

Design a winning kite and compete in the Annual Smithsonian Kite Festival. It’s a beautiful display to watch and the engineering required to win is deserving of a place at the Smithsonian.

Follow Peter Solomon, the latest character from Dan Brown, and try to find your inner sleuth. While you’re pretending to be the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, you can venture across the nation’s capital and even try to debunk some of the popular myths about the Smithsonian Institution.

Gather with one million of your closest friends at the National Mall for the Smithsonial Folklife Festival. It’s more than two weeks designated towards the exploration of other cultures, and attendees are allowed the opportunity to immerse themselves in different cultures.

Use a Smithsonian exhibition as your inspiration to draw up an elaborate proposal, just like Captain Rob Plagmann.

Check out discoveries made by people just like you. A young girl who was visiting Dinosaur Park in Maryland found a vertebra; that discovery is now on display at the Smithsonian.

Look up into the heavens from a vantage point you’ve likely never seen. Check out the public observatory located in the National Air and Space Museum, which is part of the complex of museums at the Smithsonian Institution. This exhibit is most popular in the summer because the skies are clear.

Walk through the newest hall, the Hall of Human Origins, located inside the Natural History Museum. This section aims to answer the question, “What does it mean to be human?”

Check out the Hope Diamond, which has been part of the museum for 50 years.

Some of the top favorites include the American History Museum which recently reopened after an extensive renovation that took over two years to complete.  The museum, which opened in 1964, houses different programs and exhibits, some permanent and some temporary ranging from the battle flag that inspired the star spangled banner to exhibition on the American Presidency and Julia Child.

Another favorite is the Air and Space Museum which is a. Filled with real life sized aircrafts as well as space artifacts it can’t help but get the imagination going.  This museum is a particular favorite among children due to its larger than life displays. In fact many people have a misconception about museums being not kid-friendly when in fact just the opposite is true. Many museums including the Smithsonian take it upon themselves to offer kid, family and school programs to allow all to participate and have fun in activities while learning about the Smithsonian.

This can’t be truer than at the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History. Walking through the door you are greeted by a life-size replica of a woolly mammoth one of the largest mammals known to man.  Inside you find all kinds of species from a whale suspended from the ceiling to a giant squid and a sabre tooth tiger.

In 41 B.C. the two met to form a military alliance against Octavian.  The meeting would be recounted in countless books and films for over 2000 years. Contrary to popular belief Cleopatra was thought to be quite plain but was known for her wit, charm, charisma and intelligence.  But many say it was her ambition that actually drew Marc Anthony to her.  After the fateful meeting he followed her to Egypt to plan their attack on Octavius. To add insult to injury Marc Anthony was married to Octavius’s sister Octavia.
The Battle of Actium in 31 B.C. was the culmination of the turmoil surrounding the succession.  At Actium Octavius’s navy defeated the naval fleet of Marc Anthony and Cleopatra. The pair made it out of the battle alive and returned to Egypt only to find that because Octavius wanted to total control over the Roman Empire he invaded Egypt and forced Marc Anthony and Cleopatra to surrender to him.

During the ending turmoil of the war Marc Anthony was told that Cleopatra committed suicide. Although the report turned out to be false but not before Marc Anthony tried to kill himself with a dagger into his abdomen. Since he remained alive his men took him to where Cleopatra was hiding where he finally died. After that Cleopatra was found and taken prisoner. It is said she had a poisonous snake smuggled in to her by a servant so she could die to be with the great love of her life Marc Anthony.

In a very short period of time, the Internet has changed knowledge and education in very significant ways. There is no college or university class in the world that does not utilize the Internet in some way. Even people who aren’t in college can use Internet technology to enlighten and educate themselves once more.

Online learning classes can be as varied as sewing or photography classes to HTML and legal workshops, but right now, an educational online revolution is occurring. Some of the most expensive and influential educational institutions from all over the world are recording their top professors and classes and allowing access to these lectures all over the world. This is highly significant. For most of recorded time, education has been relegated to those who had power and those who had the financial means to pay for an advanced education.

If this educational reform continues, it might change the structure of education forever. No longer is knowledge left to those who are able to pay for it, but it is also available to those who wish to apply themselves. Obviously, these sites would not apply to just any college degree, but they still allow unprecedented access to an education once reserved for the few.

Websites, such as Academic Earth and ITunes, offer a multitude of courses that range from history to media to medicine. Essentially, these online schools help to proliferate knowledge to those who might not otherwise have access to it. With the courses presented on these websites, people might find that they are inclined toward a particular subject and hence find their passion. They may find that they want go back to school and apply for online health degrees, graphic design courses, or even try to get into an M.B.A. program.

Even at first glance the Newseum is a sight to behold.  The Newseum state of the art facility and interactive exhibits are housed in a quarter of a million square foot space. Located across the from the national mall on Pennsylvania and sixth street the Newseum is just as impressive outside  as it is on the inside. In the front an engraving of the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights stands 74 feet high. Also a front wall of glass leaves visitors with a sense of transparency as to what is going on inside.

The Newseum states its mission is to provide a forum where the public and the media can gain a better understanding of one another.  It houses over 30,000 historic newspapers which amount to over 500 years in news history. Each day the museum allows access to over 80 newspaper front pages from around the world. When combined with its digital and electronic access it allows visitors to search and sift through over 800 front pages taken from across the globe.

Some of the more fascinating permanent exhibits include the 9/11 gallery which offers news coverage of the event. Other notables include a piece of the Berlin wall, the journalist’s memorial and the World News Gallery where you can see news from over 190 nations around the globe.

Most of us a familiar with museums and sometimes travel great distances to visit one, but how often have we really stopped to ponder their significance? Or for that matter, what the definition of a great museum really is?

First and foremost, museums collect significant artifacts of importance, whether in the fields of science, art or history itself. The care of these artifacts is a prime directive of all good museums. The next thing of importance to a museum is, of course, exhibition of priceless or interesting objects to the general public.

This was not always so.

In the days of yesteryear, museums were usually private collections on private property for the exclusive viewing of select individuals. In today’s world, most museums are open to the public for a nominal fee and operate as non-profit entities. Many publicly funded museums are usually free to the general public with perhaps a modest entrance fee charged for very special and expensive exhibits.

Today’s museums are place of history and learning. Besides the care and display of priceless objects, their purpose is to educate and uplift the community, both local and at-large. Museums can be great centers of culture and of cultures. One can learn ancient Egyptian history through the displays of traveling Egyptian art and history shows, or learn about Impressionism by studying first hand, the great works of Monet, or Renoir, or Van Gogh.

Most major cities across the globe are home to the world’s greatest museums but many small towns and cities also boast great museums, such as the Springville Museum for the Arts in tiny Springville, Utah or the Zigler Art Museum in Jennings Louisiana.

Well-respected museums are constantly at work, not only to keep their artifacts upgraded and in good condition, but to bring arts and history to their location on a continuous basis.

And all for us.

Museums, today, are wonderful places of learning, history, and art; they are major attractions for travelers and tourists; they are great places for special events and school field trips, not to mention the new interactive games that many museums use to help young people become engaged in history and arts.

Yet, what actually takes a museum to greatness? It’s programs? It’s special displays or exhibitions? The consensus is that a museum’s true greatness must come from its collections.

This does not mean that a museum’s educational programs or its activities, traveling exhibitions, etc are not important; it means that these things are the frosting of the museum appeal.  A museum’s collections are the cake. Great works are necessary for world appeal; a museum without such works may have a minor success locally, but will never be able to attract the wide appeal of a truly great museum.

These great museums do not need to have a special display to attract visitors. People know that going to the Louvre is going to be an incredible experience; they do not need to know what the schedule is or what the special showings are in order to be attracted to the Louvre or to make special plans to visit. The museum stands on its own because of its priceless collections.

Of course, every museum has its own distinct personality and contribution to mankind. All museums have a certain beauty and attraction about them, especially if they are well maintained and cared for.  However, we must remember that when a museum achieves greatness, it is because of the collections that have come under the museum’s wing and are now part and parcel of that artistic ambiance.

When an art lover travels thousands of miles to visit a museum, it is not because of programs, studies, or exhibitions; it is because of the collection that is inherent to that museum.

This is what draws the crowds; this and this alone.

It is said that a good museum can help keep history not only alive, but in the forefront of our minds. And what kind of history are we talking about? Political? Military? Scientific?

The answer to the above question is an emphatic YES! And much, much more.

There are historical museums for almost every facet of the past.

For example there are history museums for the history of railroads, dolls, baseball, the Old West, guns, historic documents, and costumes of every period. There are animal history museums and dinosaur museums, furniture museums and museums denoting almost every culture that has ever existed.

One of the best ways to understand the culture or history of a place is to visit the local museums as soon as possible. If you relocate to Salt Lake City, the museum of the Beehive House will tell you much about Brigham Young and the early pioneers of the area. If you move to Los Angeles, be sure to take in the Los Angeles Museum of the Arts as well as the Natural History Museum in order to understand the area.

San Diego is known to have the largest zoo in the world. This zoo is a museum of natural history, in its own right, as well as a fantastic experience. If you are in New York, then The Metropolitan Museum of Art is an absolute must. Moving to Washington D.C.? Lucky you to be right next door to the Smithsonian and its 19 museums!

The point is that museums can help us understand the history of an area, a state, a country, a culture. When it is at our fingertips to study dinosaurs or fissures, ancient American Indians or scientific achievements, not to mention incredible art, through the satisfying experience of a museum, then what’s stopping us?

The FCC is also known as the Federal Communications commission. This is a governmental agency that is in charge of regulating all communications within or that originates within the U.S. Their jurisdiction will extend to television, radio, cable, satellite, and telegraph communications- the whole kit and caboodle. Historically the FCC acted also as a regulatory agency for broadcast content. Before the 1980’s when the Regan Administration began to strip the agency of some of its powers, they required stations to present diverse programming including news and educational shows- a specified amount of hours each day

There present purpose is not as broad as before. The FCC is vested with the power to of licensing in regards to broadcast stations. When it is time for the broadcasting station to renew their licensing they must go before the FCC. Although they still have some control over content and to levy fines if violated, when it comes the broadcasting arena, the FCC concentrates mainly on the renewal and denial of licenses.

When it comes to its power over radio stations, the FCC tends to exercise a bit more control over the content of radio stations. Whenever radio content is implicated in a FCC case, it will mot often involve the first amendment because the FCC usually uses the first amendment as a basis for bringing the fine. There are three levels of radio licensing that a station can receive from the FCC, and each one requires that the operator undergo a licensing test. There are those who predict that digital or satellite radio will greatly undercut the current power that the FCC has in world of radio licensing. Until that time though stations are aware that the FCC has the power to levy fines and other legal remedies for improper content.

Sometimes,in our rushed and busy lives, we forget that the past, especially in the arts, is a treasure trove of history and information. To experience a great work of art that is only a few feet away from us is not only breathtaking, it can completely change one’s perception of the world around them.

Think what it can be like to actually see the Mona Lisa face to face. Or to experience one of the Starry Night paintings as it sits directly in front of you, just an arm’s length away. What can be more inspiring to our artistic senses than this?

What would it be like to see great artwork from Russia? Or to experience the delights of ancient Indian or Persian art? Or experience the richness of Celtic history through its art and artifacts?

It may be that museums are some of the most important sites in the world today. Where can we learn and see ancient art and wisdom,; where can we see the history of humanity in all its pain and beauty. Great museums show us who we are and where we came from. They show us our inheritance and possibly our future.

A great museum can stimulate, in every individual, a desire to grow in knowledge, not only in the arts but in history, science, and the story of mankind. What could be more invigorating?

The right to privacy is one that historically has been vehemently protected in American society. For the most part this was viewed as the entering of an individuals home, reading their mail, etc. In current society there was a need for a new regulation on what communication would be deemed private and what communication would be viewed as not deserving of this protection. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act regulates individual’s privacy rights when they are utilizing any modes of electronic communication transmissions including telephones, computers, and cell phones. Even the ever-popular text messaging will fall within the purview of this law. Also new communication devices that weren’t contemplated by the original enactment of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act in 1986 will still fall underneath its guidelines as long as they meet the electronic communications test.

Basically the act will make it illegal to utilize electronic communication in a way that is designed to convict someone of a crime or in an effort to gain information to charge someone with a crime unless there is search warrant in place. Also, a search warrant will be required if a governmental agency wishes to listen in on communications that are likely to lead to the issuance of search warrant.

The coverage of this act was weakened with the passage of the Patriot act that provided very vague guidelines as to when the government could literally violate the rights granted by the Electronic communications Act and listen in on the conversations and digital communications of private citizens. However this is only applicable in extreme circumstances. For the most part the government must go thru the proper steps and proper channels in order to listen in on a private citizens electronic communication without his or her consent. This provides citizens with the right to conduct busines and hold conversations without the fear of being listened in on and having thier privacy violated.

The law has had implications in communication since the advent of the First Amendment right to free speech. Title V of the Telecommunication Act of 1996 also known as the Communications Decency act was brought into being in an effort to regulate and prohibit activities. It was originally intended as a legislative response to the overwhelming number of obscene sites on the Internet. In fact its main goal was to protect children from pornography on the web. Yet in its enactment the law expanded provisions that caused it to also be applicable to obscene and harassing phone calls as well as to adult content on cable television.

This legislation specifically prohibits obscene or harassing utilization of a wide array of telecommunicative devices including the telephone, cable television programming and the Internet for the purpose transmitting, viewing, or accessing pornography. In relation to cable television, it gave permission for the cable broadcast stations to block access to people that weren’t subscribers, and allowed cable stations to have the right to not carry programs they deemed obscene. It also offered protection to internet service providers from any legal consequences as a result of what other people posted on the web- i.e. third party content.

An individual can be held criminally liable for knowingly transmitting patently offensive, indecent or obscene materials over the Internet. This was a highly controversial act that many felt was the governments attempt to censor internet content- however others felt that it was extremely important to make sure that children could have an safe and enjoyable internet experience and that if in the event a child did encounter obscene material that the ISP itself wasn’t held liable. This was viewed as a very important piece of legislation by ISP’s because it provided them with much needed protection from being sued for content they had no control over.

Although it may not seem so, museums are a lively place full of history, wonder and unique exhibits. They serve as a small guide for a peak into the past, present or future and cause curious individuals to ponder new questions.
Balboa Park, located in San Diego is known for being a popular destination for tourist and it’s abundance of culture and fifteen renowned museums. Balboa Park is the largest cultural park in America. With beautiful performing arts areas, lush botanical gardens and even the San Diego Zoo nearby, this park will take your breath away as there is so much to see and do, which cannot be covered all in one day.
Its ornate buildings provide a glimpse into San Diego’s history, while the abundance of green and plants make it an inviting park to stroll through or have a picnic.
The Japanese Friendship Garden is considered a museum, and gives visitors a chance to get in touch with their inner zen. A massive koi pond is the focal point and filled with these brightly colored fish. A small trail leads visitors around the pond and allows them to feel at ease and relaxed.
The Reuben H. Fleet Center is Southern California’s sole IMAX dome theater that makes individuals feel as if they are actually apart the film. The science exhibits provides more than 100 interactive science exhibits and allow individuals to become aware of the world around them. A perfect place for the kids, the Reuben H. Fleet Center makes science education and fun.
The sole museum dedicated to anthropology, San Diego Museum of Man brings history alive. With its dynamic displays and exhibits that allow visitors peak into the past, this museum serves a purpose of collecting, preserving and interpreting. It takes individuals through a history of how man has evolved and came to be.
Although there are plenty of museums to cover, Balboa Park makes for a great tourist destination for knowledge junkies or those who enjoy the simple beauty and culture of the park.

In today’s economic climate, museums are looking at ideas on how to weather the potential fiscal storm. One critical idea, that seems prevalent in some museums, is the sales of certain museum valuables.

The first argument is that this is necessary for the over-all good of the museum, as it will help sustain the venue and other valuable artifacts in troubled financial times. The second argument is that this kind of action can destroy the only real purpose and justification for the museum’s existence.

In this kind of situation, a museum board must go back to basics and ask themselves: what is the purpose for the museum in the first place? What is the purpose of exhibiting art? Or is there even a purpose and justification, at all?

In museum language, this is questioning the social value of the museum and its mere existence.  If a museum is going to sell off its assets then is it undermining the very reasons for its existence? Is it endangering the entity and art museums in general? Is the museum board betraying the community it serves?

The very reason for a museum to come into being is to collect, display, and preserve great art, history and scientific advancement. In the modern world, museums have a responsibility to the public and to their community. Art has been collected, bought and paid for, primarily by the public through taxes and donations.

When there is a decision to sell an art piece, what is the criteria that is used to make such a decision?  Is it number of shows? Foot traffic? What justifies the selling of art for an entity whose only reason for existence is to display that art?

An art museum’s collections are on display to inspire, to teach, to create a higher standard and to uplift and ennoble one’s life. When decisions are made to sell valuable art, this questions the very fiber that makes a museum worthwhile.

The Museum of Tolerance found in Los Angeles, Caifornia provides a interactive and historical tour that informs individuals about the Holocaust, human rights and learning about mutual understanding. Although this seems like a depressing tour, it’s actually seeks to enlighten visitors and provide a deeper meaning to why certain events happened in history.
Founded in 1993, the Museum of Tolerance has had more than four million visitors; most of them are students from middle and high school. Because the museum is interactive, visitors become witnesses to these historical events and are able to see the dynamics of racism and prejudices that can still be found in society today. These exhibits are tailored to be acceptable and engaging to children as well as adults. The Museum seeks to engage the visitors’ hearts and minds and simultaneously challenging them to a personal responsibility and making an influence for positive change.
The museum encourages individuals to explore, discover and question, while educating individuals on a more personal level. Packed with plenty of multi-media this museums employs a heavy use of film clips, dioramas and fast-paced skits. This museum also provides testimonies from actual Holocaust survivors. “The Holocaust Section” is the museum’s most criticized exhibit because visitors are divided into two groups to be a part of either the World War II or the Holocaust. Each visitor also receives a card of an actual Jewish child and at the end of the program, it is revealed whether or not the child survived the Holocaust.
The Museum of Tolerance provides an opportunity for a young generation to continue to learn about the tumultuous past. While much more informative and engaging than a textbook, The Museum of Tolerance provides individuals a unique peak into the past. Stop by the Los Angeles museum and become more enlightened on this turbulent history.

Almost everyone  uses the Internet these days — and of those who do, most use it on a daily basis. It may come as a surprise to some that the most biggest reason for being on the Internet is social. Whether using a social networking site like Facebook, talking to a friend or family member on Instant Messenger, or just posting in an online forum, many people who use the Internet are using it to talk and interact with other people.

Whether you contribute daily to a blog featuring the top affiliate programs, or you just like to update your Facebook or Twitter status a few times a day, you are interacting with others who are doing the same. There are so many people on the Internet at any given time that it’s not surprising it’s used as a major communication device.

Of course there are those who prefer not to use the Internet for communication. In fact, some people still view the Internet only as a source of information and go online only when they absolutely have to. Most of these people are working for a business, on a project for an employer, or doing personal or school related research. In fact, one of the other main uses for the Internet is as a research tool for information of any kind.

Being able to communicate with people all over the Internet — and around the globe — at practically the touch of a button is an invaluable tool. Never before has information traveled the world so quickly or effectively. Whether you already have friends or family all over the world or you make new ones while you are online, it’s easy to talk with them and you don’t have to wait days or even weeks to get a response. Unless the person you’re talking to walks away from the computer, that is!

The National Gallery of Art found in Washington, DC maintains America’s best collection of artwork. Founded in 1937, this museum retains a substantial amount of art work; many which were donated by Andrew Mellon and many others. Not only is this museum free for admission, but it is also home to the sole Leonardo Da Vinci painting found in the entire Western hemisphere.
Whether you’re a art snob or a enthusiast, The National Gallery of Art has something for everyone. With a variety of drawings, modern paintings, prints and sculptures, the collection is extensive. Visitors are sure to feel more cultured just by stepping into the museum. Multiple rooms are dedicated to renowned artist such as Titan, Raphael, Rembrandt, and Manet. The National Gallery of Art has two building, more than six acre sculpture garden, special exhibitions and plenty of art history to cover.
The East building displays contemporary and modern art such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. However, the West building has a variety of European paintings and sculptures that date back into the medieval times. The popular Sculpture Garden was added in 1999 and is a bountiful garden full of lush plants and a high canopy.
With one of the best art collections in the world, this museum was made for the enjoyment and benefit of its visitors. The National Gallery of Art was made from Congress’ joint resolution with the financier, Mellon.
Presently, this museum is supported by a private and public partnership. The U.S. government provides funds, through annual appropriations in order to support The National Gallery of Art’s maintenance and operations. All of the museum’s artwork and special programs are paid for by private donations and funds. Additionally, this museum is not linked to the Smithsonian Institution.
This elegant museum in Washington D.C. is a tourist favorite because of its beautiful collection and makes for a worthy visit for any tourist.

Art museums may have one imagining a snobby atmosphere filled with cultural socialites, however this is not always the case. These museums seek to provide a wide variety of art and exhibits that can be geared to any demographic. An art museum doesn’t have to be a once-in-a-lifetime visit, it is a perfect place for hand-holding romantics or for those looking to impress a date with their cultural expertise.
For those unsure of what to do in a art museum, the common courtesy is to linger between each painting for 10 to 15 seconds and think about its meaning and construction process. Don’t touch or take photos with the artwork as this can result in being thrown out or scolded by the curator.
Although San Diego is not known for being the cultural hub for budding artist, it is home to two prominent art museums. Since 1950, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego has been known for presenting dynamic artwork that engages audiences. One museum is located in La Jolla while the other museum is found in downtown San Diego.
The La Jolla museum provides visitors with a breathtaking ocean view from the Edward Garden Gallery. They also offer lunch on the patio at the museum cafe. The downtown museum is in a historical building where individuals picked up their baggage from the train station.
Art is no longer just paint or graphite, so anticipate the unusual and confusing. The museums strives to show growing and dynamic areas of art, which mean they may not always be the most coherent when observing it. To learn more about the artist and their work, be prepared to read the artist’s statement, which provides an in depth look into their vision and inspirations.
These museums serve to take a peek into innovative and unique styles of artwork.

Currently, Facebook is quickly growing to becoming one of the primary ways individuals communicate and stay connected with individuals. With more than 500 million Facebook users, this could easily equate to a small country.

Facebook users enjoy the trust of this social media network compared to Myspace, whose downfall was because of the constant issue of spamming and false identities. Facebook is constantly growing and attracts more users because individuals can stay up-to-date with all their friends and family news while easily communicating with them on a convenient and free platform.

There are several ways Facebook presents an ease of communications that are unmatched to any other social media platform. Facebook allows its users to see their friend’s activity on the wall and even comment or ‘like’ it. This social media provides a standard area for users speak to a friend by publishing on the wall, which allows for the receiver and all of its friends to see it. The private message allows individuals to send personal messages, much like in the style of an e-mail. And finally, the Facebook chat, which allows users to see which of their friends are online and communicate live.

With the rapid growth of Facebook Pages, individuals can now freely communicate with the business, organization or public figure and sometime even garner a response from the administrator of the page. Fans or connections, are frequently using businesses as a platform to compliment or complain about problems they have experienced. This has more recently become a popular method for communicating with a business as it allows for them to receive unique feedback, present new products while gathering information and opinions from its customers. Additionally, anything that an individual writes on a wall is out for public record and can be found easily with a Google search.

Although Facebook is still growing, it has become a significant part of communicating recently as society transitions into a digital age.

But how do we preserve texts, emails, and tweets? What is worth preserving and what is simply mundane drivel? These are serious issues. Think of the world’s great thinkers and inventors, its great musicians, artists, scientists and writers. We have insights into their lives and their thinking because they wrote letters or journals and diaries. We have these communications because people saw their value and kept them — in boxes, in drawers, in file cabinets, in a variety of places. But where do we ‘keep’ our communications? For most of us the answer is we don’t. We delete old emails, our texts and tweets are out there in the ether for a while, but they soon are lost. Nowadays nothing lasts and if we want to keep a record of our culture, our day to day lives, our communications with others, we are going to have to find a new way to save this data and see that it is worth saving. Some people still keep a journal of their lives, others might still write the occasional letter on real paper and send it in the mail, but this is becoming increasingly rare. Its imperative that we find a way to keep our electronic communication.

Man has been communicating since the beginning of time. Communication has evolved from the rudimentary drawings, markings, and carvings on cave walls to the World Wide Web, which has allowed society to communicate almost instantly with vast numbers of people. As society as a whole develops so do its various modes of communication.

Communication can be broken into four main areas: verbal, non-verbal, written, and visual. Non-verbal communication includes the tone of voice, facial expressions gesture and touch that individuals use to convey meaning to others. Incorporated with non-verbal communication are creative forms of expression including music, dancing, and art. Visual communication is the use of symbols, signs, pictures, and hand gestures. Verbal communication is the use of sounds, words, language, and singing. Written communication has long been deemed the test of a civilization’s advancement. It began with the invention of the alphabet and slowly began to morph into written word.

Man’s need for communication has resulted in a wide variety of inventions for the facilitation of communication. Writing instrument s were the first- man evolved from fingers and sticks to pencils, feather tips pens, and eventually into the modern pens and writing utensils of present time. The typewriter was another convention that helped to facilitate ease of communication. The print press took information and made it available to larger number of people due to the ability to copy information in mass quantities. Cameras were invented based on the need for visual communication. The telephone allowed individuals to be a significant distance apart and still engage in verbal communication. The radio and television both represent major inventions in the area of large scale communication-i.e. Broadcast media. Film and movie cameras have provided society with entertainment for years. Finally the computer, cell phones, and other digital devices allow us to communicate at a level and speed that we’ve never enjoyed before.

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There are a number of careers available for individuals that want to get involved in broadcast communication. Two of the mostly highly sought involve careers in news reporting and as a TV/video camera operator or editor. No matter which area you are interested in a career in broadcast communications can be very challenging and rewarding.

News Reporting

A career in news reporting can include working as a news analyst, or a reporter, or even a correspondent. You must be well skilled in gathering information and then disseminating it for viewers. Individuals must have a degree in either journalism or communications. There are numerous options within this field including local or nationwide broadcasters; also sports and weather reporting are two very popular segments. In order to be successful you must be tolerant of long and abnormal hours as well as to the pressure of working under deadlines.

TV /Video Camera Operators and Editors

If being in front of a camera isn’t what you are looking for, then maybe try out a behind the scenes career as a TV/Video camera operator or editor. A camera operator is in charge of operating the cameras, being aware of which types of cameras need to be used in certain situations, and the proper angle and lighting for taking shots. Editors are in charge of editing footage or sounds in order to make it ready for broadcast or distribution.

Individuals that wish to enter these fields don’t necessarily need to obtain a particular type of education, albeit there are many institutions that offer degrees in both fields. You will need however the ability to think quickly on your feet, be very creative, and have the ability to learn quickly in a hands on situation. Technical prowess is also an essential skill. These positions are highly competitive and heavily pursued.

Historically the way a society communicates has been a gauge of how advanced they were. In today’s society there is an unceasing need for information that fuels and ever-changing world of technology- especially as it applies to communication. There are three major areas that have been dramatically impacted by the new wave of modes of communications- news outlets, personal communications, and the legal arena.

News Outlets

Long gone are the days when news took days to reach the general public. In fact with the hyper speed of communication that takes place on social medial outlets. There have been plenty of instances where news channels picked up their breaking stories from social media sites. Newspapers too have had to morph. Long were they the magnates of disseminating information, a number of them are struggling to survive and all of them offer digital versions of their publications.

Personal Communications

Members of society have steadily been able to draw closer. Communication with family and friends is now instantaneous. Staying in close contact with past friends and acquaintances is now a matter of a quick name search. Cell phones, digital cameras, email, and instant messaging make it possible to communicated with anyone, anywhere. Even the job market has changed; people can now work for companies all over the world from the comfort of their own home.

Legal Arena

Criminals and those that engage in criminal enterprises have also felt the impact that communication has on society. Law enforcement agencies can quickly transmit information to each other to assist in the capture and detainment of criminals. Criminal records and histories are easily searchable and social networking sites are being used to successfully apprehend an ever-growing number of criminals.

Communication has brought us closer as a society, changed our marketplace, and even increased our efficiency in bringing individuals to justice.

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Sports are among some of America’s favorite past times, following right on the heels of the invention of the radio was radio sports broadcasting, and of course when televisions’ began to be found with an ever increasing frequency in American households, TV sports broadcasting stations became a hit. Nowadays you can even watch some sports broadcasts online. Sports broadcasters are now often individuals that were actually involved in the particular sport they report on in a professional manner.

The very first major radio broadcast took place on August 5, 1921. It was a major league baseball game between the Pittsburgh pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies. For the firs time people all over the world were able to follow and enjoy the game via their radio. Soon thereafter more and more sporting events became available for radio broadcasting including boxing, soccer, tennis, and even the World Series.

TV sports broadcasting took a bit longer to hit mainstream. TV’s became relatively popular in American households in the mid to late 30′s. The first major broadcasts via TV occurred in 1931 for the Columbia vs. Princeton football game. This was a fantastic hit. So after necessary adjustments to lighting were made during events, more and more major sporting events became televised. In 1939 both Major League Baseball and the National Football League began to broadcast games on national television.

Cable- believe it or not began in the late 1940′s. It wasn’t widely popular then. But it didn’t really catch on among the general public until the early 1970′s. In relation to sports broadcasting ESPN was born in 1978, for the sole purpose of providing a 24-hour sports broadcasting network for the American public. ESPN covers all sports all day, basically increasing the American’s public access and a result their interests in all types of sports.

There are a number of schools that offer a degree in broadcast communications. Individuals seeking a career within the many opportunities offered in television and video production should look into pursuing a degree within broadcast communication to provide them with an increased opportunity to succeed. You should take the time to research any school you are interested in to verify that their curriculum offers what you

Most programs will offer students a well-rounded curriculum that allows them to explore the various areas within broadcast communications. The curriculum usually includes digital television, digital radio, video production, video and audio editing, media advertising, sound design, sports broadcasting, introduction to theatre, programming and management, public speaking, and more. Students will also gain exposure to hands on experience as a result of the many labs and equipment they are able to work on as part of completing their coursework.

Schools that offer degrees in broadcast communications require that their students go thru internships. Internships are a way that students can work in the actual field they are interested in entering. Internships are completed at various TV stations, radio stations, digital medial firms, and even Internet video firms. Students can get experience with editing, camera operations, sound editing, writing, journalists, reporter, and news correspondent even in the management side of broadcast communication.

Upon graduation there will be a pretty good job market to enter depending on exactly which area of broadcast communications you wish to enter. Competition for certain positions will be stiff and your chances in obtaining these positions will depend on the school that you’ve graduated from, your practical experience, your G. P.A. and your overall ability and skill. It is important to realize that in any career comes hard work and dedication. The more that you put into your broadcast journalism career the more you will get out of it.

The ways that humans communicate with each other is ever changing. There are many factors that go into the way that we communicate with each other, and the minute one element of those factors changes, the way we communicate changes completely. Taking a brief look at one isolated example can really show people how communication has changed over the years. Consider how sellers have communicated to prospective buyers through advertising.

Before radio, TV, or the Internet, the main resource for information was the newspaper. Merchants would advertise through ads in the newspaper, often times taking out small corner ads or even full-page ads, which showed exactly what they were selling and how consumers would be able to get them.

As newspapers started to be phased out, the next logical step for advertisers was to switch to radio ads. Radio ads featured brief jingles about the featured product. These small featurettes ranged from 30-second ads to whole 5-minute ads regarding the product.

Radio quickly became a thing of the past, in terms of communication growth, and was followed by the television. TV ads quickly started popping up and at first featured very similar themes to radio ads. There were jingles, songs, and little stories for commercials or ads. Over the years, TV ads have become shorter and a lot more have been jammed into the short time frame.

The latest trend in advertising is that of the use of the Internet. Companies have started using the internet as a way to get potential customers. There are so many different resources that can be used on the internet that the potential client appeal is amazing.

Next time you receive a piece of e-mail for a refinance car loan option or see a pop-up ad, just think how far ads have come.

The study of communication and how it affects society must eventually include a look at the ethical considerations involved within their interaction. Within every major story, every major broadcast or new paper headline there are ethical considerations that have to be complied with to present the information in a responsible manner. When ethical procedures aren’t followed then usually person’s legal rights have been violated. This forms the basis for cease and desist letters and numerous lawsuits. Just as broadcast communications is an ever-changing field, so are the laws that surround it. The Internet itself brought on a whole new realm of law to deal with the many issues that occur within this area.

Society craves both news and privacy. They enjoy peeps into other’s private lives but are very guarded about their own. Communication laws seek to allow the free flow of information in our society but also ensuring that the media adheres to certain checks and balances. The law will seek to ensure that ideas and certain information be freely communicated and that its expression remains diverse, by allowing for equitable access to media by all members of society. Also the law will operate to ensure that entities in charge of various modes of communication are responsible, ethical and held accountable for their actions. When interviews are conducted certain procedures must be followed, when people give information but wish to keep their identity private certain procedures must be followed.

Communication is a part of the very framework of our society. Policies that that govern or seek to ensure that individuals are free to express themselves utilizing the wealth of technology available. As important is the ensuring that the expression takes place within the parameter of the laws that exist to protect individuals from the members of society that aren’t responsible.

The concern arises from talks about certain about broadband providers to create a tiered system that would change the way individuals’ access and communicate. Currently we all access the Internet at the same level, we all have access to the content on the web that is not legally restricted across the board. Certain institutions are seeking to change that. Instead individuals would be required to pay for certain levels of access. People would have to pay higher amounts of money for access at higher levels. Also certain sites, such as P2P or peer-to-peer sites would be blocked across the board. Access would be more of a fee based service with these with more money having greater access and those with less money being able to access and communicate on a much more restricted level.

Proponents of net neutrality argue that users should be able to have free access to all data, technology, and that without this access; competition and innovation would cease to exist. Opponents of net neutrality argue that people should have the option have a better to have a better Internet; and that allowing people to pay for services at different levels will bring an influx of capital into the Internet will allow for greeter technological innovation. Both sides seem to be operating for the same outcome just thru different modes. One believes it should occur naturally the other via money. For now the Internet remains neutral.

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We are constantly engaging in and discussing communication without being aware of exactly what it is we are doing or why. The definition of communication in its most basic form is the process of transmitting information from one person or entity to another. This transmission of information takes place in a number of ways especially now with all of the new technology floating about. There is a basic model of communication that we follow that involved a sender and receiver. The sender is the person or thing that actually transmits information to the receiver, which is the person on thing that receives the information. Information could be in a variety of formats- digital media, written and spoken words, hand gestures, facial expressions, and more. Face to Face communication is the most effective due to a lessened possibility of information being misinterpreted.

In reality the model is a bit more complicated than this. The sender has a thought or idea or a purpose for transmitting the information, this is then actually acted upon by the actual sending of the information. When the information is sent it must go thru the communication channel. This could be email, text messages, a room (if it is face to face communication) or via any other way we normally communicate. There is a chance however that in this stage the method becomes distorted by outside interference before it reaches the receiver. When the receiver gets the information there is a filtering process that can alter the message as well. Texts can be misinterpreted, emails can be misread, and blog posts can be taken the wrong way.

Effective communication techniques seek to reduce the frequency with which communication is misinterpreted. This is especially important when information is being sent to a number of receivers, where the potential for miscommunication is even more prevalent.

The actual study of communication is very revealing on why there are so many conflicts in our interpersonal relationships. More often than not conflicts are rooted in parties’ inability to communicate effectively. There are a number of ways to improve upon your communication, making it more effective and increasing your ability to maximize your communication efforts.

There are three main principles of communication that govern both business and interpersonal communications. The first is connecting with your audience. Whether it is face to face or via written communication. In order to connect with your audience you need to be aware of certain details about them, where they are from, their ages, socio-economic status, etc. Your message should center on this information. The more connected your audience is the more likely they are to fully take in your communication.

Second, think about how your message could be interpreted by others. Non-verbal communication is a large part of how people interpret messages, but that involves face-to-face communication. When communication is done solely via machines like the telephone, computer, etc., then interpretations are easily misunderstood. Take time to think about the possible ways someone could interpret your message and make sure to amned it to clear up any discrpancies.

Third, engage the party to ensure that they understood. Don’t just assume that the receiver of your message clearly interpreted or understood your message. People can misunderstand a message and proceed on that misunderstanding without you even being aware. Engaging the party and getting feedback, if you will, on what your message meant to them or even feedback on their interpretation of the message is a great way to avoid conflict. This could be as simple as restating your message in a different way to ensure their understanding or even asking for their interpretation of your message.

Business communication can fall in one of three main categories, a businesses internal communications, a businesses communications with other businesses that it has dealings with, and a businesses communication with its customers. All three areas of communication are essential to having a thriving and successful business, especially in today’s society.

A businesses internal communications incorporates the sharing of information between all levels of the business. This can include emails, phone messages, company reports, company blogs, and company meetings. Most businesses will have certain policies regarding internal communications. It is essential to the flow of a business that excellent lines of communication remain open so everyone is aware of major happenings like company events, changes in H.R. policies, and changes in company policies as well as smaller departmental meetings, information related to the performance of job positions, or information requests received within the company.

Businesses communication with suppliers and vendors is extremely important as well. This will include placing orders, communicating deadlines, negotiating of contracts and more. Most communication between companies will occur via phone, online, and via facsimile.

Communication with customers is without a doubt the most important communication that a business will have. This will include advertising, public relations, marketing, branding, customer relations and more. In our current society, this will also include a businesses communication with its customers via online methods. Almost every business large or small has a website or a blog. Business are always developing new communication be it video, podcast, or written words to convey a message to their customers about the goods they are selling, sales items, or any promotions/special offerings. Businesses also use online methods to convey and establish their brand in a customers’ mind. Social networking methods have also become a very common way for businesses to communicate with their customers and to keep track of the online buzz about their company.

The East no longer means Korea through Indonesia, China, through India. The East is an idea that much of the “old” East has discarded as a lost art, so that the “West” now claims it as theirs. Yes, this is a mind twist, but so is communication.

The vast majority of humans on this little planet seem to have it in their heads that communication comes primarily in two forms: verbal and written. That is a misnomer on two levels. Primary communication between two people, when that communication is balanced, is body language, facile expression and tone. The words are simply idiosyncratic definers to make the communication more precise.

If you want proof of this, work under a master Sensei for 22 years. You will get the drift. Walk your Western life in the arms of a woman from Thailand or Indonesia and the realities will really set in. She wakes in Thailand at 2 p.m. your time in the United States. You smell the perfume she puts on in her morning and she sends you a shot of her energy from 12,000 miles away. No words needed. She just communicated “I miss you.” For those of you lost in the continual conflict of materialism versus the undefined, this is real. As anyone from Indonesia who is willing to share what they know.

Humanity is just now waking to the realities of true communication after having buried them for thousands of years. Giving is the most positive form of communication ever devised, from online giving trends that span the globe, to the hug from grandpa, to the immediate shot of love from your mate 12,000 miles away. Talk covers so much. Silence opens the door to wisdom that has no words. Remember that next time you think you have the definition of anything. If you used words, you missed half of the reality.

Digitized devices have been around for ages. Albeit that current digital devices are electronic and deal with binary electron digital transmissions, they are not by far the first ‘digitized devices’ to have come around. Currently when we refer to digital communication devices we are referring to those that utilize a data technology that utilizes discrete values or a digital language. Society currently heavily relies on such digital equipment like cell phones, desk computers, laptops, digital cameras, televisions, DVD players, blue ray players, gaming systems, and digital music players. All of these devices can be used in conjunction with one another and communicate to one another seamlessly.

Historical Digital Communication devices

These digital devices of old were in no way electronic, but the basic computing system utilized within, classifies them as historical digital devices.

Historical texts, books written long ago utilized a very limited set of characters and heavily incorporated the use of symbols; the beacon used to signal to ships; smoke signals where a blanket or other form of controlling or transmitting puffs of smoke as a means of relaying certain information. The abacus is another device that is considered to be digital in nature due to the arrangement of the beads and the way they represented numbers within computing calculations. The Braille system actually introduced binary formatting for encoding various characters, another characteristic of a digital device. Morse code too was a digital device. The interspersed use of the dot, dash, short gap, long gap via tapping or light flashing to communicate specific language closely represents the signals used with today’s electronic devices that allows them to communicate.

The basis for all of these historical digital devices was the use of a particular code or signal to communicate, and were the early signs of what digital communication was to represent in modern society.

Historically most communication between individuals took place either face to face, via U.S. mail or via the landline telephone. With the communications and digital revolution, we have found newer ways to express ourselves and to communicate with others- and almost all of them are centered around the Internet.

Just a mere 15 years ago cell phones were barely being used- one because they were so expensive to buy and cumbersome to carry and also because they were very expensive to use. So we had windows of time throughout the day- on the way to and from work, on errands, and so forth that we would only communicate with the people we actually encountered face to face. However as technological innovation grew so did the availability of cell phone usage. They become more portable and the charges associated with their monthly use are still decreasing. The Internet was popular but it also had to wait until we got home or to the office where a computer was available to answer emails, etc. Now that the two technologies have become inextricably intertwined, we are now constantly communicating in a variety of modes sometimes at the same time. You are on your cell phone reading thru your favorite social media website, answering text messages and then your phone rings- its happened to all of us.

There are some who complain that all of the electronic communication has had a negative impact on face-to-face communication. People are more tuned into to their digital device than into driving, and even looking other individuals in the face to acknowledge their presence. However there are others who see the ability to communicate with anyone, anywhere and the ability to meet and positively interact with people all over the world is worth it.

A set of skills in both parties are necessary in order for communication to function effectively. In the case of speech, those skills involve several main steps. Here follow discussions of those steps.

First comes speaking. When someone has something to say, they want to share it with others. To do so, they must find listeners. If one speaks and no one listens, communication has not occurred. This is a maddening point repeated by teachers who often feel that their students are ignoring them, which the students often are doing. Once listening is taking place, observing can follow, in which the teachers statements and body language, including gesticulations, can be witnessed by the students. These movements often add a little color to the words themselves, which can come out somewhat plainly at times.

To demonstrate that they have listened and observed, students can perform the next step in the process, which is to ask questions about aspects of what was said that are unclear to them. Asking detailed questions implies that the student has analyzed what was said and either found a deficiency in the explanation, or is just struggling to grasp the concept.

After making their inquiry, a student will be able to perform the final step in the communication process, that of evaluation. They can determine if the information as given, which may have included an answer to a question, makes sense to them and should thus be added to their memory.

When things in one persons brain arrive into another persons brain and stay there, even temporarily, the communication process has successfully occurred. It is through this process that humans are able to achieve their best, by attracting the attention of others attuned to their message.

In the beginning of mans communication efforts, Homo Sapiens communicated much as apes do today. This was via grunts, clicks, and other noises, as well as a sprinkling of gesticulations such as arm waving, pointing, hitting, snarling, fighting, biting, and by creating repetitive sounds, such as tapping a stick on a rock. These were no doubt effective, as they are today, in announcing ones intentions.

One day, an intrepid thinker managed to manipulate their vocal cords while exhaling, and no doubt was surprised to have created a different type of sound than usual. Over many years, demonstrating this ability to other humans who successfully imitated it, speech came into being. Eventually, an entire language was born and utilized, followed by an alphabet which labeled the sounds.

Once language was in place, the written word took off, followed in turn by the telephone. This extremely clever device allowed for conversations between people who werent in the same room, which really expanded humanitys horizons. Typewriters came along as well, and eventually were replaced by electronic keyboards which fed material onto a computer screen. Once the internet was widely adopted, these correspondences could be shared with anyone who possessed an account allowing internet access.

Becoming used to the immediacy and high arrival rates of emails, people gravitated towards texting on beepers, devices which allowed text communication only, and were able to be carried easily on ones person. Swiftly, people carried this writing style over to their cell phones, which had arrived for pedestrian, public use around the same time that the internet started to become widely adopted, in the early 1990s.

All of these advances have allowed people to stay in touch with one another as never before in history. While certain methods seem to have begun to head towards obsolescence, such as writing letters by hand, communication in human society has never been so prevalent.

In an age where it seems to be nearly standard practice to text ones friends to the exclusion of interaction with friends standing immediately in the vicinity, one might wonder if that ultimate communication device, body language, is still relevant. In a world populated with a larger number of people every day, it would seem that body language is one of the most important devices to communicate ones feelings.

In a crowded subway station, throngs of people wait for the next train. A wave of people from a recently arrived train flood the platform “ its the rush hour, and everyone wants to get home on the next train. Some people get jostled as they stand there, and the body language on display is like a running commentary, at least to those attuned to this discrete language. With arms crossed, ad one foot tapping madly, one person indicates their displeasure at being elbowed, but says not a word. Another person, nearly spun around by a large fellow who bumps into her shoulder, shrugs as if to say, ˜Its crowded, and theres not much room “ bumping into me is no problem; it wasnt a purposeful thing.

At a bar on the street level, similar coding occurs. A woman, spying a handsome man at the bar buying a round of drinks for his friends, catches his eye for a split second, drops her gaze, and shakes her long hair off to one side. She then runs her fingers through it, and looks back at the man to see if hes noticed her shiny haired display. If he has, and sends her a knowing look or a smile, he will likely get a smile in return. Without a word spoken, these two have communicated their mutual attraction across a distance.

Perhaps in an ever more crowded world, body language is a time saver akin to texting. It frees people to figure out some basics without any spoken words, which could lead to embarrassment. Its subtle, and its powerful, just like a brief text message can be.

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Since the dawn of human history, members of society have created groups with a focused interest in topics ranging from the mundane to the grandiose. One of the more grandiose groups to form in the last hundred years is SETI, an organization dedicated to the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. Participants in this group aspire to intercept signals sent into the universe by intelligent life on other planets.

As humans invented radio and television as mass communication mediums capable of reaching nearly every individual on the globe, it stood to reason that similar methods were being employed on other planets to keep their inhabitants apprised of whatever is necessary. Be it entertainment, important news on impending natural phenomena, or signals sent out in an attempt to communicate with distant planets, SETI members hope to receive these transmissions and confirm their belief in life on other planets.

Towards this end, it was necessary to be able to receive such signals. Thus, the Arecibo Observatory was built in Puerto Rico in 1963. This radio telescope is the largest of its kind ever built on Earth. It measures just over 1,000 feet across if one follows the curve of the dish itself, otherwise, it is 848.7 feet from edge to edge. Due to its large size, it is capable of performing its three main functions better than any other device on the planet.

The three primary functions of the telescope are to collect radar astronomy, radio astronomy, and aeronomy disturbances received from objects in the solar system. In theory, disturbances large enough to be measured and recorded could be sent to us by other intelligent life. After the telescope receives data, it is collected for analysis.

The amount of data to be analyzed daily is hard to comprehend, which led to the creation of SETI@home, which allows for distributed computing to do a lot of the analysis work, saving the researchers from having to pay for computer power. With over 618 teraflops of power from over 290,000 linked computers, SETI can boast of having the sixth most powerful computer in the world.

Sales of these devices have exploded because they allow the ultimate in solution portability. The earliest design, released by IBM in 1993, was extremely limited in functionality, offering less than a dozen features along with the ability to talk on the phone. Nokia followed with their best concept three years later, initially offering a product which would lead all future comers down the road of communication breakthroughs. Soon following this design with the first open operating system in a palm sized phone with power similar to a full sized computers, the smartphones by Nokia offered functionality like never before, but it came at a cost. Their phone offerings cost 20 to 40 percent more at the store than the competitions, which eventually drove consumers to other, cheaper brands.

Other brands flourished and continued to enter the smartphone market, as people became more and more attuned to the connectivity enabled by these new devices. Need to check your email, get a few stock quotes, have a quick glance at the weather forecast for the day, and enter a few data points into your business spreadsheet, all from someplace on the road, far from the office? Smartphones permit these tasks and countless others to be completed remotely.

Once Apple introduced their iPhone in 2007, with a full sized touchscreen and finger pressable icons, another revolution seemed poised to take off. This time, the revolution centered around applications. Within two years, over 185,000 custom applications were available to run on smartphones, allowing unprecedented functionality. Suddenly, there are more ways to communicate on a phone than ever before!

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Throughout human history, the ability to communicate well has separated the species from creatures of lesser talent. While the first human communications were probably little more than grunts combined with hand or arm gestures, the intelligence of Homo Sapiens was manifested in their ability to improve upon this limitation. Such improvements have brought humans to the point where they appear to be the best communicators on Planet Earth, rivaled only by whales for distance of coherent vocal travel.

Humans cannot send their voices very far except by artificial means however, and it was in the creation of complex devices to do so that man truly set himself apart from animals.
In so doing, man rose above animals, in the ability to exchange useful information over vast distances. It is only via long range communication that masses of humans can be aware of very distant threats which could endanger their existence, such as approaching storms or invading armies. This ability helps to ensure that as long as the planet is inhabitable, humans will remain the domestic species at the top of the food chain.

In past human history, superior vocal communication also enabled the survival of the species, while other, less fortunate varieties of animals became extinct. Early humans learned to create more complicated sounds than just grunts and clicks, and from these sounds arrived language, which was the ultimate defense against approaching predators. While most animal groups can sound an alarm to approaching danger, humans improved upon this ability to add specifics such as directional cues, as in, ˜The lion is approaching from behind you! This skill vastly aided in successfully eluding capture.

This talent might seem insignificant to the survival of the species, yet it is only one of many examples of what a superior vocalizing ability can achieve. Excellent communication can relate that one is feeling cold and needs another blanket, or thirsty and needs another drink, before cold or dehydration weakens the afflicted. Each little communiqué can and does help to propagate the species, rather than leave an isolated person at risk from the surrounding environment.

To find the museum is not incredibly difficult. Locate Balboa Park, which is Northeast of San Diegos downtown district, and just minutes from the San Diego Freeway, otherwise known as Interstate Five. Park in the ample free parking lots, and walk toward El Prado Street. The Museum is easily identified, as it is the building with a 200 foot tall tower looming overhead. This is known as the California Tower, and it was built to showcase the Panama-California Exposition in 1915 and 1916. It is a highly wrought tower, carefully crafted to retain the architectural styles then current. As it towers over everything nearby, it is easy to see from virtually any vantage point inside of Balboa park.

Once you’ve reached the base of the tower, and spent a few moments absorbing this masterpiece of design and construction, you may enter the Museum itself. Inside, you will find exhibits which explore various indigenous cultures present long before European settlers arrived to Californias west coast. Another exhibit houses one of the most highly regarded collections of Egyptian artifacts in America. There are also exhibits which explain aspects of human evolution as well as the human life cycle. All of the aforementioned exhibits are permanent, and are utilized by local schools to educate and enrich students on these topics. Tag along behind a school group and receive an impromptu lesson articulated by one of the museums staff!

Along with permanent exhibits, rotating displays also circulate through the museum on occasion, spicing up the learning experience. From demonstrations on the origin of the human species, to displays which showcase games played throughout history to modern times, the range of human related topics covered in the Museum of Man is vast. The museum is open daily except for closures on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Prices range from five to ten dollars, depending on age or exclusions, with discounts offered to students and military.

No longer do people wonder for long periods of time about something of which they are curious. In the past, relegated to books and libraries for information gathering on an unfamiliar topic, knowledge was a slowly gathered commodity. It took time to get to the library, especially during a busy workweek. It took time to look through the paper notecards which held details on various resources pertaining to the topic of interest. Finding such books on the shelf was also time consuming, as they were not always grouped together, and some were inevitably checked out by other patrons. Placing a hold on a desired piece of material required yet another trip back to the library once the material was checked in and set aside.

That entire process, made publicly available for free by Andrew Carnegie initially, is utterly obsolete in the Communication Age. Now, people who have interests from the smallest idea to the largest, and every size in between, can and do create websites accessible from any internet access point. No longer is information stored in centralized locations such as libraries – instead, it is everywhere on the internet. It is also created and updated regularly by interested parties, and those who lose interest and stop updating their information are ranked lower by search engines whose job it is to find and provide the most current and applicable information sought.

In an age where facts, figures, and records change daily, it is inconceivable to think of pulling a dusty encyclopedia from a shelf somewhere and expecting to find relevant, useful data inside. On a day-to-day basis, society may not physically move faster than it has in the past, but its information sure does!

The outcomes of wars might well have been different if nations had had access to instantaneous communication. Some wars might even have been prevented if countries who unified into opposition forces had been able to communicate between themselves, and thus present a unified cease and desist command to the aggressor country. As a young nation, fighting for its freedom from British rule, America sent one of its best and brightest to France to negotiate their allegiance, in the form of Ben Franklin.

A natural leader and politician, Bens years in France, spent away from his beloved wife and the new country which he by then called home, could have been spent far more productively in America, had he had access to a telephone. This device in hand, he could easily have reached the influential politicians which he needed to forge alliances with, and could perhaps have sped up the conclusion of the American War for Independence.

Instead, he was relegated to prehistoric communications means in the form of face to face speech, or even slower methods in the form of letters carried by horseback, then on a boat across an ocean. The War for Independence dragged on for years, partially because it took so long to arrange even the simplest of tasks or alliances. Not only individual lives, but many nations worth of entire populaces, were affected for a long time because communication methods were not available which are completely commonplace today. Remember to appreciate the time that a telephone saves you each day!

Communication methods have changed drastically in the last 15 years, and the speed of change shows no sign of slowing down. In some ways, the methods seem identical; for example, we still talk on the phone just as we used to do. However, each day more and more landlocked phones are retired from service as their owners adopt the far more convenient cell phone technology, which allows the conversation to come with them when they leave the house. This may not seem revolutionary, but it makes a huge difference in daily life.

Now able to fill formerly unused time while commuting with connective communication, people are more and more able to stay in touch with friends and family, even as their lives become busier. The cell phone has become more portable, more powerful, and smaller, which makes it as easy to carry as a set of car keys or a wallet. Meanwhile, nationwide coverage has increased exponentially. As companies have installed more towers, connectivity is less and less of an issue unless youre underground, inside of a shielded building, or deep into a remote wilderness.

Realizing that the technology was not going away nor deteriorating in quality, people moved en masse towards cell phones in the late 1990s and early 2000′s, and continue to do so today. Ever interested in keeping the public utilizing their services day in and day out, new additions to standard cell phone ˜talk plans emerge frequently, courtesy of various communications companies. Of course, phone text has been around for a long time, and is popular, but the capability to easily send email via a still-small device has only much more recently caught the publics wide interest.

Thus, with talk, text, and email capabilities in hand, people are communicating more deeply and more frequently than ever before. The exchange of ideas which used to take weeks, months, or even years in some cases, is now virtually instantaneous. Such capabilities have changed, and will continue to change, virtually all aspects of human existence. Ideas come and ideas go, but improved communication is here to stay.

There is just something special about the culture of New York. Some people call it the New York state of mind. Even auto insurance New York is something of a special topic. When you can go down to the nearest subway, hop in, then walk right back to the surface in a whole different part of the city, you know you’re in a special kind of place. And how many museums does New York even have, anyway?

Just from an art museum standpoint, New York is a step above the competition. They have the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Art Museum (which is commonly just referred to as “The Met”), and the Museum of Modern Art (which is often affectionately shortened to “MoMA”). They even have the New Museum, which may or may not have to change its name after it exists for awhile. And those are just the major art museums you could see around the New York area. Who knows how many little boutiques might let you discover the 21st century’s answer to Jackson Pollock or Andy Warhol?

And of course, the museums go beyond just art. There is probably a museum dedicated to every conceivable thing known to man kind. There is the American Indian Museum, dedicated to the contributions of the Native Americans to our modern lives (and if you want to see one major contribution, just look down at the ground). Then, there is the American Museum of Natural History, where you can find all sorts of interesting exhibits about how the world’s systems work. There is even a museum dedicated exclusively to sex. Apparently, between 1862 and 1984, there were more than a dozen sex patents issued. Who knew?

Never before in history has such a large percentage of society been so readily able to communicate with large numbers of their fellow people. Not only are people ready, they also appear to be engaging in the ability en masse as it has become available. Adoption rates for new communications technologies no longer take years to sort out, as once happened between the competing technologies of VHS and BetaMax video machines.

Look no further than the explosion in videos of people’s exploits of any and every nature posted to the popular video sharing site, YouTube.com. Daily, countless videos are uploaded to be viewed and shared between friends and strangers alike. This capability only became available to early adopters in 2005, so to call it a new technology is an understatement. Further, YouTube’s user base exploded in size almost instantly.

Facebook and Twitter, also relatively new ideas, allow users to share running commentaries on their lives, as well as including pictures along the way. These resources allow unprecedented access to the daily doings of anyone interested in so sharing with, well, anyone who signs up! And while some people are a bit nervous about posting their doings on the internet for all to see and read about, they can easily take the approach of only posting casual information, such as, ˜Heading out to see the latest Harry Potter film. These sorts of updates provide friends with conversational fodder, while keeping anyone with malicious intentions at bay, by providing no specifics as to location, time, or people coming along on the outing.

Perhaps this sense of safety is part of the reason for the recent explosion in societal communication. Online communications tools provide anonymity which has been hard to come by in past history. In Ben Franklins time, for example, anyone who wanted to submit an article for publication had to submit it to the newspapers editor for review prior to publication. Not only did the editor see it, but the typesetter did as well. In todays communication era, its easy to stay protected and still speak ones mind to the masses.

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Communication, in one form or another, has long been a staple of existence. Each species has its own way to communicate. Sound, visual cues and touch are the most common forms of communication among humans. Other species use taste, smell and even the ability to observe wavelengths via thermal sensing. The Museum of Communications has documented the advances made in the way that humans communicate with each other. What started out as sound heard amongst individuals in a common area progressed to the ability to speak with someone halfway across the world.

Hundreds of years ago, people would have to wait many weeks for a message to be relayed to another person. Soon, it was discovered that an electrical telegraph could be used to transfer information from one person to another. Shortly after that, came the invention of the telephone followed by the photophone and then the radio. The Museum of Communications has artifacts showing the progression over the years. They also delve into the specifics behind the technology of the equipment used. Exhibits showing building terminals, splices, transmitters and wire recorders are all on display for public viewing.

Some forms of communication have developed simply due to a need. Long before medical doctors could treat problems such as hearing loss, people had to find a way for me to be meant through other forms of communicating. The same is true for animals. Although now many people have pet insurance to help with the cost when an animal has an eye injury, years ago the same animal would have had to find alternate ways to get their message across even with a loss of eyesight. Communication remains a way to share feelings, relay important information and address specific needs.

Two Tin Cans and Some String

Okay, so all of those movies that show people talking through tin cans were a little overdramatic (though admit it, you’ve tried it), they aren’t far from the truth. People used to communicate in very simple ways, with very simple pieces of technology. And why is this? Because they didn’t know any better. For the majority of people, all they knew was the land around them and that means they were the only ones around. So, who would they have to call? Everyone they needed to communicate with was right next them or off on a hunt. No cell phones needed.

Newspapers and Pamphlets

Of course, people innovate and writing suddenly became something that was in vogue. By writing down things, people could pass on information from generation to generation. And that then allowed people to begin to have another form of communicating with others. With the introduction of the printing press and then the mass production of paper, people were able to pass their ideas onto others, and then they passed them on to others…

The Telephone Began the Talking

The telephone and the radio were next in the evolution of communication. This allowed people to talk over greater distances and listen to others. Entertainment was born. While the telephones of the past weren’t anything too special, they were able to connect people who were on the system, allowing for news to be shared more quickly than it could be printed up in a daily newspaper.

Onward into The Modern Days

Now that radio has become somewhat less important and phones can be carried anywhere, it seems that communication has nowhere else to go. The future of communications might be on the Internet, but we’ve yet to figure out what this might look like and how this might change the world around us. You might not get into the radio hall of fame, but the Museum of Broadcast Communications tours might be getting bigger in the future once we figure out new ways to spread the word.

Turn Up the Dial

Since you probably shouldn’t be talking on your cell phone while putting on your lipstick and watching TV in your car, the radio still is a handy feature. And today, you can get all sorts of channels due to the invention of digital programming. People turn to radio not only for the news, but they also listen for:

• Talk programs
• Music
• Crappy morning shows
• Crappy afternoon shows
• Shock jocks
• Late night conspiracy call in shows
• Another public radio support drive

You might flip your radio on instinctively when you get in your car because it seems like a good idea to pass the time until you make it to the dentist or some other location. And then again, you might be one of the hard core radio listeners who like to listen to the radio all the time. You might pop on your favorite public radio station just to fill up your brain with blah, blah until you can make it to wherever you’re trying to go.

Communicating Over Radio Waves

But in all seriousness, the radio is a pretty handle tool for communication. While communication methods have changed, this form of communication still makes sense, especially in emergencies. Since your computer is probably going to be down during the apocalypse, you will need to dust off your radio to find out where the dark horsemen are going to be. A crank radio will be best since batteries are only going to last so much, so keep that in mind.

Though students might only see an old time radio at a museum, this doesn’t mean that the radio is completely useless anymore. The radio is retro, you know. And it’s still giving people a chance to connect to others and to listen to the opinions of others. Plus, you can yell back at the people on the radio and they’ll never know.