curious beaver

What is Big Data? Big Data exists as a solution that aids both individuals and businesses. Simply using your phone or computer, huge amounts of data gets collected about you, your friends, your colleagues and even your pets. As the digital age grows and expands, your computer can become your best friend, a sort of nosey, extremely informed-about-you kind of friend. This data is stored, allowing marketers to specifically advertise to you. This data helps your phone recommend restaurants to you that are nearby. Social media allows you to interact with others over the internet, easily allowing you to share mass amounts of almost pointless data. This data is readily accessible and easy and cheap to store. With cloud computing, companies can easily use Big Data to bring themselves into the digital age. And this data can be used to benefit the human race in so many ways, but are there risks that come along with this? As the technical arms race continues to quickly try the new te...

My father is a man of few words; and yet for the lack of words he has, he has plenty of watches. Some are old, with worn leather straps that are soft to touch, others new, with fancy dials, roman numerals shining silver in the light. The idea of a watch as a piece of history, a piece of art and a cultural collectible piece was deeply ingrained to me and my siblings as we grew up and admired our father’s collection. With the coming of age, each of us were gifted a watch, old and expensive in design. They were heirlooms, given with thought and care. This was a few years before smartwatches became common. Does the practicality of smartwatches truly make them valuable? With the amount of negative reviews and complaints, can they even be considered practical? Should humanity start replacing their old wristwatches, a piece of technology that has been around for hundreds of years, for this new, flashy technology that allows people to be connected at all times? With screens too small t...