TIME for Facebook’s “Golden Boy”

Every year since 1926 TIME, the world’s largest weekly news magazine, has chosen one person as their Man of the Year. Well, now the more politically correct title, Person of the Year.

Previous people of the year include aviator Charles Lindbergh, U.S. presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Jimmy Carter, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Queen Elizabeth II. TIME did not choose a former president, civil rights leader, or Queen of England to represent this year – instead they chose a 26-year old Harvard drop-out.

TIME magazine chose Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg.

Unlike previous people who have graced the cover of TIME magazine’s December issue, Mark Zuckerberg hasn’t run a country or rallied for racial equality; he merely created a web site. Is this a sign of what our nation has become? Are we so consumed by social media that one of our country’s leading magazines celebrates a website creator over anyone else? Is that a bad thing?

In 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner Mikhail Gorbachev graced TIME’s cover as Person of the Year. Just over 20 years later a redheaded kid is on the same cover. To some that may be an insult, equating political giants with college drop-outs; I think it’s merely a sign of the times (pun intended).

The world has become much smaller in the past decade thanks to people such as Zuckerberg. It may be hard to see now that Facebook is such a part of our daily lives, but Zuckerberg has irrevocably impacted the modern (online) world.

People across the globe have never been more connected. The social networking site operates in over 75 languages and boasts more than 1 billion users – staggering statistics for a website created in a dorm room. Maybe Mark didn’t win a peace prize. Maybe he never ran a country. The truth, however, is undeniable: Mark Zuckerberg has forever changed the way people connect with one another.

So this holiday season as you update your status to send holiday greetings to your friends, take a moment to thank TIME magazine’s Person of the Year.

Source: TIME magazine December 27, 2010.

Google closes on Zetawire

It was announced on Monday that Google bought Zetawire for an undisclosed amount. The founders of Zetawire had received a patent for a mobile payment technology for mobile banking, advertising, identity management, credit card, and mobile coupon transaction processing. In other words, they were in the process of figuring out a way to replace the entire personal wallet with software when Google bought them.
This is a smart purchase for Google, because they plan to outfit the later versions of the Android with this technology once it is perfected. In a world in which the iPhone has a significant lead on the Android, this technology could prove to be the great equalizer. If men don’t have to carry their wallets around anymore, and if women require far fewer items in their purses, then carrying around the Android could be the next cool thing. Google may become the leader in cashless and cardless financial transactions with this technology in its stable.

Facebook moves from adolescence to adulthood

On Sunday, December 5, amidst a 60 Minutes interview, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook is unveiling a new look for the “Profile” page. This is the first profile change since the advent of tabs in 2008.

The Facebook face-lift seeks to simplify the Facebook experience by eliminating tabs and displaying information in a more prominent manner. The major changes reflect Zuckerberg and Co.’s mission to offer a revealing way to introduce yourself, to rank your friends, and to share your life philosophies.

Based on the idea of conversation starters, the new Profile page highlights a horizontal bullet list of personal information directly under your name. This feature looks to instill the Americanized method of initiating a conversation by revealing your job, where you live, your relationship status, where you went to school, where you are from, and your birthday. Although this information was available through the older Profile interface, the face-lift exposes open privacy wounds by using personal information to define your Facebook profile. Similar to that of a girl covering her bust line one day, and wearing a low-cut dress the next, the new Profile flaunts intimate details.

To rank, or not to rank? That is the question. Another new Profile slice is the ability to “feature friends.” This component gives you the chance to decide who’s important to your life, or rather, who’s not. The idea here is to select those friends or family you want to introduce to your friend network, by broadcasting them as a list under your Profile picture. For example, Zuckerberg’s profile, as seen in Forbes magazine, features a list of family members. On the surface, this choice seems the best way to avoid leaving out friends, but rather is a hacker’s dream. Remember, one of the most common security categories is “Mother’s Maiden Name.”

A third modification is the wording of the “Favorite Quotations” section, which is now “Philosophy.” This subtle, yet powerful alteration signifies that Zuckerberg and friends are growing up, and want us to follow. Rather than posting a quirky or humorous movie quotation, users will now be expected to explore their subconscious and discover the meaning of life.

When examining the nips and tucks associated with the Facebook face-lift, you see the maturity of the company, or at least, the desire for professional networking. From showcasing work experience, to the subtle declaration your life’s wisdom, the new Facebook diverges from it’s adolescent core, to a website built for professionals.

To me, Facebook symbolizes an escape from the professionalism of our daily lives, and offers a casual chance to interact with those most important to us. A nonchalant way to unwind and catch-up with friends.

If Facebook strays from this purpose, it could soon need a lot more than a face-lift.

HTML5: To Code or Not To Code?

With the advent of the fifth version of the hypertext markup language, or HTML5, many developers are wondering whether to code web pages and web applications that support the newest language.

The argument is that since the majority of Web users surf the Web with a non-HTML5 supportive browser – Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8 – why should developers waste their time coding something no one will experience?

To me, this argument, although I can see where coders are coming from, is extremely short-term thinking, and it seems that if developers choose to not support HTML5, they are no better than Microsoft. Succumbing to an entity that essentially controls the population (right now, anyway) is no way to defeat the monster.

Statistics are showing that Internet Explorer users are dropping like flies. According to Statcounter, a website that tracks global browser use statistics, (http://gs.statcounter.com/), in December 2009, IE users represented 56.57% of the market share. In November 2010, IE only represented 48.16%. That is an almost 10 percentage point drop in browser share in one year. If this percentage decrease holds steady, IE use will likely be depleted within the next decade.

But don’t count Microsoft out. The software giant has noted that the newest version of Internet Explorer, IE 9, will support HTML5 and all of its glory.

The W3C, the governing body that oversees the web, confirmed Microsoft’s promise by testing the IE 9 browser using multiple HTML5 features and comparing it to such HTML5 advocates as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Opera. The results of the test, surprisingly, placed IE 9 on top of the podium, followed by Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Safari, respectively.

But Wired Magazine seems to believe that the results are too good to be true.

Wired recently reported that the W3C only tested specific elements of HTML5 – attributes, audio, video, Canvas, getElementsByClassName, foreigncontent and XHTML5 – and ignored other features.

To back up its claim, Wired tested IE 9 using an informal HTML5 test which examines multiple HTML5 elements, and ranks them on a 300 point scale. The results indicated that IE9 scored a measly 90 out of 300, while Chrome topped the leader board with 231. Firefox 4 came in second with 217, and Safari 5 in third with 208.

But don’t stake Wired’s word for it. Perform your own tests and make your own conclusions. Try out IE9 (microsoft.com/ie9) and test your favorite browser using the HTML5 test (html5test.com).