Internet meme

The term Internet meme is a neologism used to describe a catchphrase or concept that spreads in a fast way from person to person via the Internet.The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although this concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.

At its most basic, an Internet meme is simply the propagation of a digital file or hyperlink from one person to others using methods available through the Internet (for example, email, blogs, social networking sites, instant messaging, etc.). The content often consists of a saying or joke, a rumor, an altered or original image, a complete website, a video clip or animation, or an offbeat news story, among many other possibilities. An Internet meme may stay the same or may evolve over time, by chance or through commentary, imitations, and parody versions, or even by collecting news accounts about itself. Internet memes have a tendency to evolve and spread extremely quickly, sometimes going in and out of popularity in a matter of days. They are spread organically, voluntarily, peer to peer, rather than by compulsion, predetermined path, or completely automated means.
The term may refer to the content that spreads from user to user, the idea behind the content, or the phenomenon of its spread. Internet memes have been seen as a form of art.There exist websites that collect and popularize Internet memes as well as sites devoted to the spread of specific Internet memes. The term is generally not applied to content or web services that are seen as legitimate, useful, and non-faddish, or that spread through organized publishing and distribution channels. Thus, serious news stories, videogames, web services, songs by established musical groups, or the like are usually not called Internet memes. Internet Memes over time can show interesting patterns, moving from individual webpages and pictures to user created remakes of popular content.

Internet access

Internet access refers to the means by which users connect to the Internet.
Common methods of internet access include dial-up, landline (over coaxial cable, fiber optic or copper wires), T- lines, Wi-Fi, satellite and cell phones.
Public places to use the Internet include libraries and Internet cafes, where computers with Internet connections are available. Some libraries provide stations that provide facilities for hooking up public-owned laptops to local area networks (LANs). There are also wireless Internet access points in many public places like airport halls, in some cases just for brief use while standing. These Access points may provide coin operated computers or Wi-Fi hot spots* that enable specially equipped laptops to pick up internet service signals. Various terms are used, such as "public Internet kiosk", "public access terminal", and "Web payphone". Many hotels now also have public terminals, though these are usually fee based.
Wi-Fi provides wireless access to computer networks, and therefore can do so to the Internet itself. Hotspots providing such access include Wi-Fi-cafes, where a would-be user needs to bring their own wireless-enabled devices such as a laptop or PDA. These services may be free to all, free to customers only, or fee-based. A hotspot need not be limited to a confined location. The whole campus or park, or even the entire city can be enabled. Grassroots efforts have led to wireless community networks.
Apart from Wi-Fi, there have been experiments with proprietary mobile wireless networks like Ricochet, various high-speed data services over cellular or mobile phone networks, and fixed wireless services. These services have not enjoyed widespread success due to their high cost of deployment, which is passed on to users in high usage fees. New wireless technologies such as WiMAX have the potential to alleviate these concerns and enable simple and cost effective deployment of metropolitan area networks covering large, urban areas. There is a growing trend towards wireless mesh networks, which offer a decentralized and redundant infrastructure and are often considered the future of the Internet.
Broadband access over power lines was approved in 2004 in the United States in the face of stiff resistance from the amateur radio community. The problem with modulating a carrier signal below 100 MHz onto power lines is that an above-ground power line can act as a giant antenna and jam long-distance radio frequencies used by amateurs, seafarers and others. A recent discovery, called "E-Line" allows propagating much higher frequency carriers, from 100 MHz through at least 10 GHz, onto a single conductor of a power line and offers the possibility of very high speed fixed and mobile information services at very low cost without the problems associated with the lower frequency signals.
The use of the Internet around the world has been growing rapidly over the last decade, although the growth rate seems to have slowed somewhat after 2000. The phase of rapid growth is ending in industrialized countries, as usage becomes ubiquitous there, but the spread continues in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Middle East. One example of a great number of people gaining access to the internet is in Brazil, thanks to lowering taxes on computers and in dial-up providers, Brazilians are growing significantly on the internet in the past 2 years.

Top Stories Wage hike to benefit only 5M of 34M workers

QUEZON CITY, Philippines - Only five million of 34 million Filipino workers, or about 15 percent of the total labor force, will benefit from a wage increase, while more than 28 million workers would be left to cope with the rising prices of goods.

This was the assessment released on Wednesday by Ciriaco Lagunzad, executive director of the National Wage and Productivity Commission (NWPC).

According to Lagunzad, the wage increase will not be across the board – that is, only minimum wage earners will get pay hikes determined by the regional wage boards. And those earning more than P350 a day will not be covered the increase.

The revelation prompted two groups to remark that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was merely trying to boost her sagging popularity when she ordered last Monday regional wage boards to implement a wage hike.

This was the view presented in statement issued on Wednesday by the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) and the Unyon ng mgaManggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA).

The five million workers, the groups said, would not include the bulk of minimum wage earners representing organized and unorganized labor.

"Once again, President Arroyo is taking the Filipino workers to another rollercoaster ride – and to her world of make-believe," Pamalakaya national chairman Fernando Hicap said. "Her call for a wage hike last Monday is fake and was meant to counter the sharp drop in her approval rating.

"Hicap said what workers – both in private and public sectors badly – need a P 125 across-the-board pay hike to cope with the rising prices of food and other necessities.

The two groups said the P350 minimum wage is actually worth P245.61 today based on the present inflation rate.

Based on NWPC findings, each family of six needs P768 per day to survive in Metro Manila. The current P350 minimum wage, which is regularly received non-agricultural workers, is way below of the required amount for a family of six to survive.

The Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has the lowest minimum wage, pegged at P200 a day. A family of six in that region needs P 1,008 a day to survive. But the nominal basic pay of P 200 if translated to a real wage would only be P136.

"Arroyo merely wants to divide the labor sector by announcing wage increase for 15 percent of the population, and denying 85 percent of the country’s labor force of their much needed pay hike," Hicap said.

The wage hike would not cover the 600,000 fish workers in the commercial and aquaculture sectors.

On behalf of agricultural workers, UMA national chairperson Rene Galang, a Hacienda Luisita worker, had this to say: "Mrs. Arroyo merely gave false hopes out of her empty promise. Anyway agricultural workers do not believe her, because for every 10 promises she made, 11 are broken according to her track record as enemy of labor and willing puppet of foreign and local capitalists." -





source : D’Jay Lazaro, GMANews.TV