Move Over Black Friday!! Cyber Monday is Here to Stay

Over the past ten years the advancements of computer capabilities has been improved exponentially. These advancements allow computers to analyze tremendous amounts of data to draw key conclusions that can be used for everyday people to make educated decisions. There has been an influx in very profitable technology companies that sort through large amounts of data to make it very easy for the user to find what he or she is looking for. There are many variations of this concept that consumers use on a daily basis. The following are just a few examples of companies that use technology to sort through data to find the consumers the best possible prices:

1. Amazon- A consumer using this webiste can find just about any product for a very good price.

2. Sites like Travelocity or Expedia make it easy for users to find cheap hotel rentals and airfare.

3. Companies such as Pricegrabber.com sort through thousands of products in a matter of seconds to find the best deals across Internet retailers on electronic consumer goods.

This dramatic change in the way consumers shop for goods cannot be more relevant than during Christmas time. The day after Thanksgiving, commonly referred to as Black Friday is considered to be one of the biggest shopping days of the year and undoubtedly it was. However, this year there was another day that got a lot of attention throughout the country. Cyber Monday was widely talked about by everyone from parents trying to find the best Christmas deals to Wall Street stock analysts covering the retail sector. I believe that this is a clear indication that the way consumers shop at a global level has revolutionized to a technological focused market.

The reason for this dramatic change is that it is much more convenient to shop on your computer in your home then it is to battle over parking spots and fight your way through crowded stores hoping that the specific product you are looking for is even in stock. It is also much more likely the consumer is going to find the best deals online because it is much easier to “price shop” when a stores inventory is a 3 second click away compared to a 20 minute drive down route 10.

I definitely think this change in the way consumers are beginning to shop is here to stay and will only continue to grow over the next five years. If retailers want to stay in the game of profitability, they better innovate and catch up because this trend will not be slowing down anytime soon.

How Accurate is Accurate?

Data is the collection of facts, gathered through many methods such as observations, surveys, experiments etc...Data can be depicted through graphs, numbers, words, or even measurements. Data allows us to answer questions and describe exactly what is going on in the world and around us. Sometimes the answer to what we are looking for is not clear or distinct, by collecting data one can make the best possible decision because the facts and statistics are right there to see.

Politicians rely a-lot on data and statistics, it tells them where to campaign, issues they must confront, and who are the potential voters. However, some states are more prone to have the the majority of voters because of the location, school system, population and other variables.

Massachusetts, for the most part has always been a liberal state and stranger towards political change. Since 1972 the state of Massachusetts has had a person of the Democratic Party represent their seat in the Senate. When it was time for the 2010 Senate Election Martha Coakley "the favorite" was up against the Scott Brown the underdog. Coakely thought that this would be an easy win for the Democratic Party, after all it has been 38 years since a Republican Candidate won the Senate Election.
Martha Coakely disregard her candidates potential and relied solely on past statistics and history, She barley campaigned and catered towards the people needs. President Obama only came once to Massachusetts vouch for the Democratic Candidate, and that was the day of the election, I guess he thought that a Republican did not have a chance of winning as well.

Scott Brown did cater and address the needs of the citizens of Massachusetts, He spent 23 million dollars campaigning and flooded the local television stations with commercial after commercial. In the end he won in a close victory by winning 52% to 47% of the votes in the election.

This topic grabbed my attention because it shows that even with accurate data and statistics one must be prepared at all times. Everyone is effected by these changes in the Senate and the House of Representatives some how. For example; the Republican Party has gained control over the House Of Representatives, the last time they held this position was 2006. It is likely that "we" the people will see an increase in taxes and other accounting related issues. Data affects us in plenty of ways, but if one truly wants to be successful then they must approach every project with an open mind and the tenacity to do better, or fix the problem.

Trust Me, I Have Yahoo! Answers Cred

For every professional, there is an amateur. For every fact, there's a fabrication.

In our daily interactions we learn to assess the relative reliability of sources of information. For example, if you hear from a classmate that a blizzard is coming, you probably won't count on having a snow day (though you might hope). However, if you hear that a blizzard is coming from a TV meteorologist, you'd be more inclined to believe, as the meteorologist is a professional. Ultimately, the only way you will 100% believe that the blizzard is for real is if you look out your window and see it happening with your own eyes. Analyzing credibility of a source is vital to human decision-making. Trusting in professionals rather than non-professionals is one way people judge whether or not to believe in a piece of information.

Another tool for assessing credibility is prior history. For instance, if you had an older sibling when you were a kid, you probably figured out that they often joke and feed you false information. Your parents, on the other hand, were trusted authorities. I had a friend whose older brothers convinced him that the fancy miniature scoops of whipped butter at a restaurant were actually miniature scoops of ice cream (too good to be true?). He took a giant spoonful and ate it in one bite (realizing to his horror that the restaurant had not, in fact, left little scoops of ice cream on the bread plates), and his older brothers had a good laugh over it. After that incident, Manny considered his older brothers to be a much less credible source of information. This new assessment would affect future decisions.

Finally, we have the "majority rules" consideration. If 17 people tell you that your professor changed the due date of an assignment and only 1 person said there was no change, you would probably accept the changed date as fact. It can be a pretty compelling argument.

So, how does this all affect our ability to analyze credibility of data on the Internet? Let's use Reddit.com as an example.

Reddit is a massive forum divided into sections of interest called "sub-reddits" (with titles such as World News, Gaming, Technology, etc). Most threads are started with a user posting a link to a news item from an outside source. Other users can then read the article, comment, and "upvote" or "downvote" based on whether they thought the post was interesting or just agreeable to them. A thread with too many downvotes is deleted. Usually, only links that are deemed trustworthy by Redditors earn enough upvotes to reach the front page.

How, as a Reddit user ("redditor"), does one decide which sources to trust? Here's what I personally look out for in analyzing credibility:

1) Is the OP (original poster) obviously trolling? The more potentially offensive the original post is, the more likely it is that the OP is trying to get a rise out of other users. If the link posted is a screen capture of a website rather than an actual link (or if it's a screen capture with a link that is conveniently no longer working), there's a chance that the OP is just messing around. Clicking the OP's username provides a list comments they've made on other threads. If the OP's comment history includes a lot unnecessary arguments and accusations of trolling from other users, I wouldn't trust them as a source of information.

2) Is the OP an idiot/13-year-old/13-year-old idiot? Spelling and grammar are key for screening out the preteens. Some key phrases that should indicate that the OP is too dumb to be relied on: "I herd it on fb from my cuzn's friend's bro", "Y would they lie on internet?", and "Send this to 14 ppl or tomorow you will DIE!!!11!!"

3) Is the OP who they say they are? Redditors can be very picky about this one. If you claim to be a celebrity or professional authority of some sort on Reddit, you must establish credibility by proving your credentials. For example, any idiot can sit in front of a screen and say that he's Stephen Colbert. But other Redditors won't believe him until he submits a picture of Stephen Colbert (himself) holding a piece of paper with his username written on it or some sort of Reddit swag (the "pics or it didn't happen" rule).

4) If the original post is a link, is the linked source credible? If I'm going to believe that Obama and Dick Cheney are having an affair, I have to really trust the source I'm getting that information from. If the OP links to a handful of flashy gossip websites with lots of pop-up ads for weight loss products, I'm not buyin' it. However, if the OP links to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, I'd have to conclude that maybe Dick Cheney is less of a homophobe than I thought.


It's hard to trust a screen, but with some healthy skepticism and a little bit of analysis, we can decide which sources on the Internet are credible, as we do in real life. The most important rule? Don't trust anything you find on Yahoo! Answers. Ever.

1000 Ways to Think About Decisions- Analyze This

Should I buy an HP, IBM, Dell or ACER? When seeking out a mini-laptop as a trusty note-taking device, I was sure I wanted an Acer. However, I was only sold on Acer because it was the only mini-laptop I knew existed. Once at Best Buy, I was clearly wrong. Surrounded also by IBM, HP, and Dell, I was faced with a decision. I ultimately ended up with the HP, but my decision was not based on superior technical ability, battery life, memory, or anything that perhaps someone more computer-savvy may have considered. Instead, my decision was solely based on HP’s color option. Pink plaid with matching case? SOLD.

So what drives our decisions? The decision making process is complex and usually relies on a healthy combination of gut feeling and knowledge. Regarding products and consumer choice, though, decisions rest more on knowledge than perhaps conceived. This is a result of data analysis, which impacts our decision making whether we like it or not.

What exactly is data analysis? Data analysis is a spread of information analyzed to come to a conclusion about a product. Is it good? Do we like it? Do we need it? Thanks to data analysis, predictions on these answers can fairly accurately be made.

In the case of Dr. Howard Moskowitz, the product was tomato sauce. Moskowitz was involved in seeking out the ‘perfect’ sauce. To do so, he polled America with 45 varieties of sauce. Once the data was analyzed, he found three major preference groups: plain, spicy, and chunky, chunky holding majority rule. Prego got hold of this information, and appalled that chunky-sauce-lovers were not being serviced, emerged on the market with Prego chunky sauce. The decision to do so was based on data analysis, and $600,000,000 later, I’d say this was a good decision.

With that in mind, does data analysis change our preconceived notions of how the world works? I’d say yes. Data gives us choices, which many times exceed our expectations. Did America ever fathom that tomato sauce could be anything other than just tomato sauce? No. The result of data impacted the product design, giving people the option to decide. Chunky sauce for all!

Decisions are, after all, only possible when options are available. Look at the magazine Consumer Reports. This magazine chronicles a tremendous amount of products, providing detailed information comparing price, quality, durability, consumer preference, etc. Data has absolutely changed the way we perceive the world works. It brings awareness to options and information that previously we may have overlooked. We live in a society that craves information; we love to weigh our options. We love to predict our outcomes.

But what happens when data gets complicated? We can’t possible analyze every product and every decision. What if the numbers are manipulated? Data analysis absolutely influences our decisions, but like everything else, we have to know when to take information with a grain of salt. We can look to data for information, but we can’t ignore the gut feeling that has fueled our decisions for years.

 I chose my HP based on color. Somewhere along the line, data was analyzed as to what consumer’s preferences may be. For some, it may be battery life, but for me it was color. I certainly had the option to consult data if I so had chosen, but instead I relied on my trusty gut feeling. I like pink plaid, so I liked the HP. Data analysis influences us, and at times is helpful, informative, and verifies the outcome of our decision. This is good, but at the end of the day we need to remember that we our human, and no amount of numbers, statistics or information, can replace the emotional response so pertinent to the decision making process. Perhaps data analysis can eliminate a lot of mistakes, but to me, this would take something precious away from our nature as humans.

Either way, data analysis influences us. Take it, or leave it- the choice is yours.

Mallory.

Research can change even the most stubborn of minds, including mine.

In today’s society, everyone seems to think they are right in whatever they think or do. Obviously this can’t be true but the stubbornness of people these days is astounding. No one is willing to do the research to check their facts; they just automatically think they’re right and you’re wrong and that’s that. Well, this is just not so. Coming from one of the most stubborn people on this planet, I too have fallen into the trap where research has proven me wrong and therefore changed my view about the importance of research.

Let’s start with an example that can relate to everyone. Let’s start with the world. It is common knowledge that the world was first believed to be flat. Even this piece of information is false. No one had ever stated that they believed the world to be flat. One originally thought the world to be dome shaped or a sort of pillar of salt. This was proved wrong by Magellan but completely unintentionally. Magellan decided to see if one could sail around the world and in the process learned that the world is indeed round.

On a more personal level, I pride myself in being a music snob. I’ll admit that if I have made my mind up about a band or piece of music then it takes a lot to convince me otherwise. Now, until very recently I believed The Mama’s and the Papa’s to be quite lame. They were a band my mother listened to in the glory days and since my mother refuses to listen to my music I just wrote them off immediately. My dad, someone who I almost always agree with on the topic of music, tried to tell me otherwise. He explained that many of the bands that I currently enjoy would not be in existence if it were not for The Mama’s and the Papa’s. He also explained that “Creeque Alley” was an extremely historical song in the realm of music. I, of course, did not believe him until I started watching movies such as “Taking Woodstock” and “Almost Famous.” And then once I finally did some research on the subject I actually realized that I can learn a lot from this band and they are now one of my all time favorites.

Research, while it may be tedious, is important when it comes to knowing your stance on a topic. Most people are set in their own ways and I include myself in that statement, but if we don’t have facts to back up our arguments they mean nothing. And it is through finding these facts that we can possibly change our whole outlook on the subject. Whether it is discovering things about the world by accident or music you never gave a chance, research makes decision-making more clear and accurate if only we take the time to learn.

Texting can save lives of HIV patients in Africa

Who would think that texting could save peoples' lives? Mobile phone technology is being used by healthcare workers to save lives in Africa. There have been reports and studies from the first scientific trial on the link between mobile phones and HIV treatment outcomes - that were conducted in Kenya by scientists from Kenya, Canada, and the United States .
There has not been much "field data" about the use of mobile health technologies to improve patients' health in developing countries - and there are not any published clinical trials.
The trial was conducted on HIV patients, mostly those who live in remote areas and were receiving treatment in three clinics in Kenya. Patients are receiving a weekly text message in Swahili, which is their local language, from a nurse asking about how they are feeling. Patients were then expected to respond within 48 hours after receiving the text message.
If there is no response from the patient, a healthcare worker would call to ask about was wrong and, if needed, visited them. Patients in the control group received standard care without any text messaging.
The study that was conducted in May 2007 to October 2008, showed that nearly 63 % of mobile phone users reported treatment suppprt compared to the 50% in the control group. It may not seem like a huge difference, but 13% does matter.
A scale up of the program in Kenya could suppress viral loads in 26,000 extra people at the cost of less than US$8 per person per year, said Richard Lester, of the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and one of the researchers in the Nairobi trial, however, it needs a formal, cost-effectiveness plan first.
Lester reported to SciDev.net "We have also developed some innovative business models to strategise scaling up the [Kenyan] programme nationally and regionally," he told SciDev.Net. "This may have huge implications for global HIV control since it may be a cost effective way to strengthen health systems for Millennium Development Goals." This was interesting to me because on a global scale, we really do take technology for granted. We take our cell phones out to text our friends that we saw someone wearing the same shirt as us, whereas these people in underdeveloped countries are using it for emergencies. Technology is seen as a privilege, not for entertainment.

Kindle: Devil Reincarnated or Heavenly Gift

Is the kindle a gift from god or the devil in disguise? Well it depends your vantage point. For example, for the beach reader, the kindle could not have come sooner. What could be better than an endless depository of books whose pages cannot be veiled by the sun’s glare. Sunglasses are no match for the kindles glare resistant screen. It is also superior to the I-pad since it is much more heat resistant and it would be unlikely for the Kindle to overheat in comparison to the I-pad.

In short, the Kindle is a wonderful product for pleasure readers and travelers. Although it is not a product that has many capabilities that would make it convenient for academic types. Since most academic books are unavailable in e-reader format. This brings me into my next concern. While an increasingly wider variety of books are being formatted for Kindle, it is still cannot be compared to the amount of published books still out on the market. That being said, Kindle is a relatively new technology, which is likely to catch on, making the need for published books to diminish overtime.

Is this change in demand due to an advancing technology a good thing? In some ways it is, and in some ways it is not. For publishers, the kindle is the devil reincarnated. With every Kindle that is purchased, the demand for published books decreases. This inverse relationship is causing publishers to loose a substantial amount of business. We all know that the publishing business is on the decline already, but the Kindle may just be the thing to truly finish them off! Although many people take it for granted, book making is truly an art form. These days published books are considered the average, and we barely take the time to consider what goes into constructing them. Soon enough, published books may become novelties.

The increasing popularity of the kindle and other E-reader products may also enlighten the book industry by allowing the printing business to become the specialized and exclusive craft it once was. Since plainly published books will no longer be desired since simple copies will be available on kindle, the publishing industry may return to the artistic aspects of book making. Printers may have to become more specialized and innovative to make books into artwork that people will like vs. just something to hold words. In other words publishing may return to its roots: manuscript production. During the medieval age, (around 1000) manuscript making was considered to be one of the highest forms of art work. Many famous manuscripts from the time period were created that are still famous today, such as the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels. Art historians who cherish these books also believe that the Kindle is the devil. In fact, that is exactly what my teacher who specializes in medieval manuscripts said to our class last week. With a very angry expression and hand gesture to go along with it!

The truth is that this issue is way to vast to be covered in a short blog post. I wanted to bring light to this issue which is way more multifaceted and prevalent than most people realize when they first consider the Kindle. While many people love it, there are those who hate it.

Facebook =Relationship Certification Experiment

Sooo......*drum roll*
I posted that I was engaged on Facebook and it didn't help that the day before the relationship status update, I had uploaded a photo of myself wearing a ring on my ring finger.
What I woke up to in the morning scared me.
My own Dad Facebook messaged me asking "What engagement? What is this Aisha?"
Various people exclaimed their excitement and well wishes towards me and my "beau". Most inquired on whom the lucky man was that had somehow managed to snag me. While others, were surprised. On my way to class I received a phone call from my mom stating that my cousin had called and said to her "Did you know Aisha is engaged?". This was when it dawned on me, how information not only traveled ridiculously rampant via social networks but for some reason we all have this desire to constantly be in touch.
We are aware of every little update a person makes and automatically identify it real, as legit as hearing it from their own mouths.


I was so stunned I assumed people that knew me on a personal basis, including my own Dad who ended up calling and questioning me about it, would know better than to think they'd learn something so big like an engagement via Facebook.

I also assumed that mostly young people of my generation were caught up in the Facebook frenzy but even my adult cousin in her mid-30's somehow found out and call my mother to inform her on my relationship status. There was no guy linked to the relationship change, nor any pictures of me and any guy. My family ate this up more than people who are not as close to me. This was hilariously sad, I didn't even know how to break it to them anymore. What I had planned was not going accordingly. It was insane. People so easily accepted me going from single to engage out of no where, because if it's on Facebook it must be true...right?

These social networks are revolutionizing our interaction more than we realize.

Technology and The 19th Century

The 19th century saw astonishing developments in transportation, construction, and communication technologies originating in Europe, especially in Britain. People began to master electricity. A few of these inventions included the electric clock, the telephone, the microphone, and the first practical lights. Out of all of the ones I have named thus far I believe that most important would have to be the invention of useable electricity, steel, and petroleum products. These major innovations lead to a second industrial revolution (1865–1900), which lead to the growth of railways and steam ships, faster and wider means of communication. All transportation depends on technology. The ability to communicate in a more efficient way global and nation became common in the 19th century. Technologies helped make transportation cheaper and faster because it was accessible. Transportation is not just technology—it’s a system of technology, people, energy, money. This is why transportation, technology and communication are so important to commerce. Without these inventions the world as we know it would be very different. The first car was invented in the 19th century before then the pony express was the only form of local communication. I can’t imagine not have the luxury of having a liable source of transportation. I often wonder how did the inventor come up with these idea and what was it about their society that they felt needed to change? I know I have a lot of suggestion that I think would better our society in the 21th century but I wouldn’t know where to start! Would you?

FBI Vs. Silicon Valley: The Fine Line Between Privacy and National Security

The fine line between safety and privacy has been debated continuously the past 10 years especially with the technological innovations in counter intelligence. On Tuesday Robert Mueller III and other Federal Bureau of Investigation leaders met with top executives of the leaders in technology. Mueller and his entourage are trying to seek support for legislation widening wiretapping laws and capabilities for government agencies such as the FBI. This would include imposing laws of the 1994 Communication Assistance for Law Enforcement Act to Internet companies such as Facebook and Google.

The original 1994 law requires phone companies such as Verizon Wireless to have the capabilities to immediately comply with government officials when a court wiretapping order has been issued. The new changes to the law would include Internet technology companies that offer communication capabilities to its users. This is very important because it is getting much easier for people throughout the world to communicate with each other using everyday Internet websites like Facebook chat and Gmail chat. There could be a huge weakness in national counter-terrorism efforts if government agencies and Internet companies do create the technological infrastructure capable of spying on people who are global threat.

I think that this would be a good law to implement to keep countries safe throughout the world. It is crucial to intercept or hinder the way terrorists and criminals communicate in order to eradicate their destructive behaviors.

Many people around the world oppose a law that would allow their respective governments to act almost like a “big brother” and have ironically created a Facebook page to gain support of their beliefs. In my opinion if you are doing nothing wrong then there is nothing to hide, making this a necessary and proactive way to keep the world safe.

There are a few problems that can arise from a law such as this:

1. What criminal acts are going to be prosecuted using these technologies? Will the 16 year old high school student who sends a Facebook message about getting high last night be subject to criminal penalties. I think it is very important for this law to only be used for matters of national/global security and crimes that largely affect other people. It should not be used to prosecute petty crimes such as underage drinking.

2. The information gathered must not be used for any other purpose, and must protected extremely well. This information would be private and drastic steps must be in place to keep this material safe.

3. Under what guidelines are people or groups considered to be a threat and then added to the list of people who the government will monitor.

I agree with what the FBI is doing and believe that our safety is one of if not the most important goal for government agencies. However, it is crucial to create concrete laws around the idea of expanding the 1994 law because if there are not concrete laws, bad precedents can be set effecting our personal privacy for years to come.

Next Step to Going Green - Make Your Own Soda!

SodaStream Genesis Soda Maker is the fast and easy way to have soda readily available to you all day, every day. How? It miraculously turns your tap water into soda! Not only does this machine make the soda for you, but you can even set the level of carbonation to your liking. All you have to do is add the flavor of your choice to your drink and in seconds you will be enjoying your favorite flavored soda! The best part about it is, is that the SodaStream doesn’t even use electricity or batteries, but somehow the inventors rigged it so that it works without them! This little piece of technology is absolutely perfect for soda lovers, and people who want to get creative in trying out new flavors, although they might not be the best soda you’ve tasted. It is also perfect for you people who want to be environmentally sustainable. Because you can make your own soda at home, there wouldn’t be any point in buying it at the store. Why can this help your carbon footprint? You don’t have to worry about adding the outrageous amounts trash and recycling that American’s produce daily and you will be on your way to saving wildlife from the plastic circle things that dolphins get caught up in. If you tally it up, you will probably also save a lot of money per month after buying this little handy-dandy gadget because you won’t have to buy soda at the store anymore! So to me this is a no brainer, if you love soda but hate having to go out at late hours of the night because you caught a craving for it your problem is solved! Buy the SodaStream Genesis Soda Maker and you will never have to buy soda again (assuming that you don’t absolutely suck at making your own soda and that it doesn’t taste like shit!) :).

Technology Aids Criminals -- Identity Theft

Technology aids criminals in their evil actions and allows a greater numbers of people to be harmed. Individuals may argue that technology helps us catch our criminals but I believe technology aids and fuels evil actions.

In today’s day in age people have a fear being robbed, shot, of even killed. We lock our homes, our cars and carry our wallets in safe places. As a society we fear the criminal with the gun! But what about the criminals that don’t use violence—the insiders who steal your identity.

You are at a higher risk then you think!

Webster dictionary describes identity theft as “the co-option of another person's personal information (e.g., name, Social Security number, credit card number, passport) without that person's knowledge and the fraudulent use of such knowledge” (http://www.webster-online-dictionary.org). Once someone’s identity is stolen, the criminal may steal money or gain other advantages by pretending to be someone else.

Thieves Steal Identities by-

1. Dumpster Diving – Finding personal information such as bills and other statements in the trash.

2. Stealing Credit Card numbers – by storing credit card information when a credit card is processed.

3. Phishing- Using spam to get you to reveal your personal information.

4. Using a false identity over the phone- Identity stealers may use this to change your address on billing statements over the phone with previous information they have stolen.

5. Physical theft- Stealing physical items; a wallet, purse or other personal information.

Technology aids these invisible criminals while they hide behind computers and take advantage of other people lives. With the information that they gather they can open bank accounts, new phone numbers, create counterfeit checks, and possibly ruin your credit score. It is vital that you realize you are at risk! Our parents taught us to locking our doors and protect our wallets or purses, but times have changed and criminals are attacking in different way. It is your responsibility to protect yourself against these invisible criminals.

Here are a few websites I recommend checking out –

http://www.lifelock.com/

http://www.tracemyid.com/

http://www.identityguard.com/

Here come The Beatles… to iTunes?

On Monday November 15^th, Apple promised iTunes consumers a day they would never forget. The extensive hype generated great speculation over arguably the most influential band in all of popular music’s long awaited arrival to iTunes. The curiosity was confirmed on Tuesday, when Apple announced that The Beatles entire collection of music would be available for digital download. But after such a long and winding road, is the release really all it’s cracked up to be? On the surface, the arrival seems remarkable, however the answer to the latter question comes down to one word: marketing.

Apple’s extraordinary marketing capabilities have swayed you to buy everything under the sun, things you didn’t even know you needed. And just like that iPad that you spent your hard earned money on, Apple’s release of The Beatles collection is luring you into their spell again. With the news of the release (cleverly positioned around the holiday season) plastered across their homepage, five different television advertisements, a live 1964 performance, and an exclusive short film showcasing the Beatles through the years, one cannot help but feel the need to indulge. However, for me, and even those who consider themselves slight fans, this release is nothing new. If you like The Beatles, you’ve already purchased the full collection of the re-mastered CD’s, ripped them to your iTunes, and have been dancing around to Rubber Soul on your iPod for the past year. In no way am I putting down Apple for heavily marketing this release. Personally, I think their advertising campaigns are genius. While Apple will make some money from sales, the release’s true purpose is a great marketing tool for the iTunes store. It will not matter what consumers buy, as it is a means to bring them in to buy something, whether it be an app, a video, or even a different song. Look, if re-buying Abbey Road for the album artwork tickles your fancy, buy it. If not, buy something else, after all Apple wins in the end anyway.