Position Paper

College Football BCS vs Playoffs
This article focuses on the debate between the current BCS system in place and a proposed playoff system. Many people argue that the BCS system is unfair, with undefeated teams not getting the chance to play for a national championship. A playoff system, however, would be a very difficult thing to implement, and thats where the controversy begins.

Marijuana legalization will be on California ballot

The legalization of marijuana is both a current and controversial issue in our society. In California, the legalization of marijuana will be on the ballot. This means California could become the first US state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. In a poll, 56% of Californians supported legalizing marijuana, giving some hope to the movement.

Pentagon Orders Military Recruiters to Accept Gay Applicants

This is yet another prominent and controversial topic. Recently, the "dont ask dont tell" policy that the military previously had has been declared unconstitutional. Now, gays can join the military and openly admit their sexual orientation. The article does note that the law can and probably will be appealed, and might be overturned. Therefore, if someone in the military admits they are gay, they could be eligible for dismissal in the future if the decision is overruled.

Comparing Designs of Original iPod and iPod Touch

In 2001, Apple came out with their first iPod, the first generation iPod Classic. The original iPod is pictured above on the left. The original design was very traditional. It came in all white, with not much going on except a couple buttons and a well organized screen. The back of the iPod is metallic, while the front is a solid white. The iPod is very boxy, with near right angles at every corner. The old iPod is also notably thicker and bulkier. The circular buttons stick out, giving it a more rigid look. As for the display, there is no color whatsoever, and the background is a grayish color. The all black blocky print gives it a really boring look.

The iPod touch is a much more technologically advanced iPod, but its design improved a lot too. There is a much cleaner, flowing design to the Touch, a very smooth look to it. It is not boxy, but its corners flow giving it a much sleeker design. It is notably leaner and quiet, with only one or two buttons that are difficult to point out. They hide a lot of the buttons on the side, giving the iPod a lot of space to fill up with screen. They were able to do this because it is a touch screen device, allowing it to not need a lot of buttons. The display is much more advanced, and much more aesthetically pleasing. With 960-by-640 resolution at 326 pixels per inch, the display gives vivid color and impressing resolution and picture. The back is still metallic, but is shinier, more reflective metallic, making it look newer. With six years apart in their release, it is clear that the designs of the iPods have changed.

Critical Review

The product I will be evaluating is the iPhone 3gs, a smart phone made by Apple. This product deserves merit because it is extremely popular and revolutionary for cell phones. The first criteria I will be looking at is the speed of the iPhone 3GS. The "S" in it's name symbolizes the upgrade of speed from the previous iPhone, so that is an area that is important to cover. The 3GS processor numbers have been upgraded from 412MHz to a rumored 600MHz. The RAM has also been increased, almost doubling the old iPhone (128MB to 256MB). You can either get 16GB or 32GB of storage space, compared to the 8GB of space for the 3G. Apple claims an average of 2x faster loads, but there is little provided to back up that claim. The iPhone 3GS looks and feels exactly like the old iPhone, so evaluating its appearance will be pointless in comparing it to its older version. It will be useful to compare its appearance to other smart phones that are similar to the iPhone 3GS. The 3GS does, however, have a new fingerprint resistant oleophobic coating, which does slightly set it apart from the 3G in the appearance context. It resists new smudges, and wipes almost entirely clean with a single swipe on a pant leg. The next criteria is the phone's camera, which is also updated from the iPhone 3G. It has a 3-megapixel camera, adding auto focus and video recording. Also, it includes an autofocus function, replacing a gross physical button to snap your shots. The iPhone continues to rely on its onscreen trigger, but cranks up the use of that big display by allowing you to focus in on subjects based on where you tap. Software is yet another criteria when looking at the iPhone 3GS. The biggest changes with this device really come in the form of software tweaks. You can copy, paste, and cut text and multimedia, software more advanced than not only the new iPhone but other similar smartphones as well. Push Notifications have also been introduced, allowing you to see instantaneous alerts for emails, messages, and other app-related notices. Battery life is also a criteria that can be mentioned, because the 3GS has much more life than the old iPhone, something a lot of people got fed up with. From the outside, its hard to tell the difference between an Iphone 3G and 3GS, but many of the upgrades are internal. The speed, software, and hardware have all been advanced, allowing many users to see the changes not when they see it, but rather when they use it. The question is are these software and processing tweaks really worth the $100 price increase? There are two main groups of people in the market for an iPhone 3GS: those who own an older iPhone or those who do not have an iPhone at all. For those who have an older iPhone, you need to ask yourself is it worth buying a new phone which is, in reality, the same phone? After all, you've spent a lot of money on your old iPhone, and dropping an extra $400-500 for a speed bump, a compass, and video recording is questionable. For those who don't own an iPhone, the money may be worth an exceptional new smartphone which is the iPhone 3GS.