Top 10: 2008 technologies we need today
By Sol Tran
From "Rock Band" parties to webcam marathons to iPhones, 2008 was a year full of technological advances that changed the lives of students.
Here is a look at 10 of the top technological breakouts or, in one case, a technological step backward that have, for better or for worse, affected life at Santa Clara.
1. Lucas Hall and the new library open: The biggest renovation projects to happen to Santa Clara since the construction that brought us the Arts and Science Building and the Malley Fitness and Recreation Center in the 1990s.
The state-of-the art study rooms and classrooms in these new buildings have brought the academic environment at Santa Clara to the next level.
2. Social networking infection: Facebook continues to grow exponentially as nearly all students, and even a few professors, have found themselves habitually checking their Facebook accounts.
Case in point: A change in page interface sparked widespread student outrage and employers used Facebook to vet potential hires. LinkedIn has also grown to be a popular networking site for professionals.
3. Webcams take over: Why go to the trouble of walking up a set of stairs to see your buddy when you can see and talk with him on your laptop from the comfort of your own chair?
The emergence of programs such as Skype and Tokbox and the abundance of inexpensive webcams have caused webcamming to really take off.
4. Rise of online TV: Got a midterm tomorrow, but don't want to miss the latest episode of "Gossip Girl?" Thanks to Web sites such as hulu.com, students can now study for their midterms with the peace of mind that they can catch up on their favorite show online the next day.
5. Slow Internet/other technological problems disrupt classrooms: A technological step backward, the school's Internet connection let down students and professors time and again in 2008. If you had a video on YouTube to show during a presentation, Santa Clara's miniscule one hundred megabits-per-second connection ate up your time as it loaded the clip. Luckily, Infomation Technology resolved to fix the problem for 2009 and the connection is now 500 megabits per second.
Still, it is kind of hard to do homework assignments that require Microsoft Office 2007 if the library computers only have Office 2003 on them.
6. Smartphones (iPhone, Blackberry): Smartphones really busted onto the student scene in 2008. Now it is hard to find a student or professor without one. Their many amazing features have made smartphones indispensible tools to those who use them.
7. Interactive/realistic gaming: Create your own Mii (a digital avatar for Nintendo Wii systems). Play instruments like a rock star. Devise offensive schemes like a real NFL quarterback.
In the past year, video games have gotten insanely realistic and interactive. Games like "Rock Band," "Guitar Hero" and "Madden NFL '09" have taken campus life by storm as more students are gaming than ever before.
8. Politics 2.0: Donate to a campaign with the click of a button, watch viral campaign videos and canvas online.
With politics evolving into the Internet age, energetic and Internet-savvy college students had a bigger role in politics during the 2008 elections than any elections in history.
9. Netbooks: These lightweight, low cost, energy efficient and highly portable laptops are ideal for taking notes in class.
Available for around $349, many students have begun to use them. However, Netbooks might be a bigger story in 2009 if they become as popular as many people expect.
10. Third-party applications: 2008 was the year when new third-party applications were made every day. With platforms such as Facebook and the iPhone, countless applications have emerged, allowing users to turn their phone into a lightsaber or throw sheep at friends. Some students are even creating and sharing their own applications.
With such sweeping advances in 2008, there is no telling what we'll think of in 2009.
Contact Sol Tran at vtrankiem@scu.edu.