Rise of the camera-phone photographer

Used to be when you wanted to "make a picture" (as they say down South) you had to send it in to be developed into a Space Station 13-type pod at the Kodak store or local pharmacy. That is, if you didn't have your own developing room, a pitch-black room illuminated with a scary red light and consumed with the smell of old bread and skunk pee.
But that's what it took to be a photographer, an art form that paid off big time in the form of magazines, posters and photo albums.
But with the rise of the do-it-all camera, photography is being set back a 100 years. Not only are people not interested in the "science" and "art" of photo-taking (quick, what does aperture mean?) but people are snapping photos with the phone in them.
It's become so common place that the art of photography as we know it is slowly dying. Curse you, Internet!

Swine Flu: Is This Time to Panic?

With words like "epidemic" and "pandemic" being thrown around, is it time to get under the bed and pray? No, well, yeah, prayer "changes things", but it's no time to panic.
This swine flu stuff sounds serious. If you've ever had the flu - chills, congested head, chest and nasal passages, fatigue, dizziness - you know what the drill is. What is puzzling health officials is that the illness is striking those 20 - 40 years of age in Mexico, while in the U.S. the average age is 16.
What's a person to do?
Sanjay Gupta said the elbow-bump is official in effect instead of the handshake. The cheek kiss? Better know 'em real well.
In a hot, sweaty club listening to T.I. blaring to music while wet strangers bump into you? out.
P.S. For a good read, one blogger, in Mexico, tells his story

Social Web site + Your Nudity = No Job4U

Social networking has taken the Web by storm in the past 2 - 3 years: People have acquired "Friends" by the thousands, conversations have been enjoyed by diverse people across the globe and ... people - normally reserved shy people - are putting rude pics, nude pics all up on the Web for the world to see.
Is that smart?
Last year it was reported that companies have their recruiters scouring the Web to make sure potential candidates haven't played themselves on the Web. But guess what: So many have.
So many people (not to mention malicious pranksters)have put nude shots of themselves on the Net that it's like they don't want to ever get a job. And to think, we're in a recession-depression.
Would you do it?
Could you do it?

BEWARE: 'Koobface' is out there

Koobface.
That's the name of the virus that is ravaging Facebook as we speak. It infects by asking you to download a Youtube video by updating your Adobe Flash Player.
Don't do it.
According to the New York Times, once a computer has become infected with the Koobface worm, it spams the friends belonging to the owner of the computer by leaving comments on their profiles. Those comments appear to come from the infected user, saying things like "Are you sure this is your first acting experience?", "is it u there?", "impressive. i'm sure it's you on this video", "How can anyone get so busted by a spy camera?" and "You're the whole show! i'm admired with you."
It's amazing how many emails we get with bad English and we still open them. Anyway, social networking sites such as Bebo and blackplanet are being hit as well. There's also a black celebrity web site (that shall go nameless) that has a particularly nasty bug. So, be careful.