Everything You Didn't Think You Needed to Know about Snapchat

 Have you ever sent a Snap?  Have you ever received one?  Do you even know what I am talking about?

    Snap is what you do on Snapchat.  Most people have heard of this picture messaging app and automatically think of teenagers, because, let’s be honest, teens are the ones snapping most.  I have a few students who have to take multiple selfies in one class period and I have no doubt they are sending a Snap message to a friend, who is also in class somewhere and who also should be paying attention instead of staring at the phone that they have so sneakingly stashed in their crotch area.  (No really, they think they are sneaky, I just think they are weird.)

    So, you have heard of Snapchat, but do you know anything besides the “disappearing” pictures or the fact that teens love it? Maybe it is so bizarre to you, that, like me, you never had the desire to learn about it.  

    Well, here are five things that you have wanted to know about Snapchat but didn’t know until today that you actually wanted to know them.

1. Snapchat Beginnings:

    Snapchat Inc. met its beginning in July 2011. Three friends, who were attending Stanford, came up with the idea.  Well, actually two, Reggie Brown and Evan Spiegel launched the idea and asked Bobby Murphy to write to code for them.  Their idea sprang from the idea that people were worried that their bosses may see embarrassing pictures that they posted on Facebook.  The trio thought that if there was a spot to share those often embarrassing but entertaining photos without the permanence of Facebook, it would be appreciated.

2. Daily Use of Snapchat

Little did the three creators know that not only would Snapchat be appreciated, but that it would be used by 238 million people daily. Each day each active user opens the app over thirty times a day, sends on average 35 messages and spends about 50 minutes within the app.

3. What exactly are these people doing within the app with all that time?

The main thing people do while using Snapchat is to send “Snaps” to their friends. A Snap is basically a photo or video that lasts on the recipient's screen for a maximum of ten seconds and then it “disappears”(of course, anybody can screenshot these images making them not disappear). Users can also post a “Story” which is a maximum 10 second video or photo that appears on their profile for the next twenty-four hours.  (If you are using Instagram or Facebook, both of these have borrowed this concept from Snapchat).  There is also a “Discover” page within Snapchat, which is much like a news page, where popular user’s and advertisers' content is posted.  

4. Why do teens love Snapchat so much?

There are a few things that draw teens to this app.  One of the biggest draws really is that everybody is doing it.  A few of the teens I talked to actually said that they use Snapchat to not only send pictures back and forth but for many of them it actually is where they send text messages the most.  This isn’t surprising because texting via Snapchat makes it harder for parents to see what they have been sending(their messages disappear after being read) and they can send videos and pictures to friends a little more conveniently than through regular text messaging. 

5. What are some things that are controversial about Snapchat?

From an adult standpoint, lots of what Snapchat is all about is a bit controversial.  But some specifics are very controversial.  For starters, Snapchat’s Discover Page, which is accessed by swiping left from the home screen, is a place for all sorts of questionable content.  Content from people, publishers, companies, and other users can randomly pop up.  And this content isn’t always appropriate especially for teens and young people.  It is like a huge page of random stuff and there really isn’t much control over what content shows up.  

Snapchat also has a Snapmap, which is a place where users can share their location with their friends. Obviously, having everybody know where you are can be a bad thing, especially if a teen makes friends with people they don’t even know in real life, like the creepy guy who is also a predator.   

A little less creepy but still a little concerning is a feature called “Our Story” which users can submit their stories to and Snapchat chooses which content is shown to all of Snapchat. In order to submit to “Our Story”,  you must have your Snapmap enabled, basically showing your location to anybody who happens to see your content, which through “Our Stories” can be seen by any Snapchat user.  

Probably the controversial part of Snapchat for parents is the “For My Eyes Only” folder.  Here, users can save content and nobody can see it but them, literally.  It is password protected and encrypted.  Even if the user forgets the password, it is so protected that even Snapchat can’t help get the encrypted content back.  So, if you are the parent, and you are trying to keep an eye on what your kids are doing on Snapchat, you can’t access this section.

One of the most interesting things I learned about in my searching was that there actually is pay for content on Snapchat.  Here users can set up extra content that is only seen by paying users.  Hello, this is an instant opening for Porn content.  I bet Snapchat is making lots of money for some of these pay for content users.

So there you have it.  Everything you didn’t think you needed to know about Snapchat.  If you feel like doing anymore research yourself, here are a few of the websites I visited:

https://www.snap.com/en-US/privacy/privacy-by-product

https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-is-snapchat-and-its-use-1270338

https://www.snap.com/en-US/

https://www.netnanny.com/blog/five-things-every-parent-needs-to-know-about-snapchat/

Flashback Friday: The Magic of Basketball

 Flashback Friday is a place for all things reminiscence.  Flashbacks can be personal recollections or they can also be looks back to the “Good Old Days” of our collective past.

Sixth Grade Alice

     I was five-six in sixth grade; the tallest girl on the court.  I was pretty okay.  One of my friends once told me that she hated playing against my school, Lincoln Elementary, because of me and how I was “so tall!” 

    I remember many evenings spent shooting for endless hours at the hoop my dad put up in our driveway.  I would shoot until it was too dark to see the hoop. In the bitter cold Wisconsin winters,  I remember shoveling the snow so I could keep shooting, even with frozen fingers.  Basketball was my escape from teenage boredom and all the drama.

    That is why I’m coaching basketball now.  I know that playing is the escape my boys need from their lives at times.  I know how playing gives them the opportunity to excel at something. I know that the court is a safe place for them; their escape from drama both at home and in their social spheres.  I know that basketball can save them from the boredom that can sometimes get them in trouble.   

    I’m glad I got the passion for basketball when I was so young and that I still get to be a part of the magic that is basketball season.   I still like to win, and hope we do a lot of winning this season(Covid permitting….BOO!).

Playing Center like all Tall Girls Should

Always Playing.  Behind Lincoln Elementary, Wausau, WI

Election Haiku

 Thirsty-Thursdays are a place to talk all things thirst. Thirst can be actual, physical thirst and direct us to the subject of tasty drinks, but it can also drive us toward a mental thirst, the thirst for information.

It's Thirsty Thursday

Thirsty, thirsty for closure

Covid; election

Sleepy Joe or Trump

Caring starts to escape me. 

Maybe that's the plan?

Election drama

One, two, three, four, start over. 

Hire two-year olds?

Having chest pain

Perhaps a heart attack? Or

Election panic. 

Which Candy was called "Chicken Feed?" and Other Wacky Halloween Facts

 Wacky Wednesday is a place for all things wacky.  Here we look at the silly, funny and weird things around us.

Happy Halloween week. I have waited all year for this week.  At work, a few of my fellow Halloween loving co-workers have cooked up a “spirit week”(fitting, no?).  Each day this week we have dressed up based on different themes.  Monday was our favorite character, Tuesday was dress as a student day, today was superhero day, tomorrow is what we are actually being for Halloween (seeing it is the last day we will have students before the big day on Saturday), and Friday is pajama day(because we can!).  

I love being able to celebrate Halloween all month long and this week has solidified in my heart my love for all things spooky.

If you are like me, you probably think you know lots about this holiday.  But here are a few wacky facts about Halloween that even me, the lover of all things Oct. 31, didn’t know:

1. Candy Corn was once called “Chicken Feed”

Maybe you, like me, also find this candy repulsive, but it is fun to know that it was once called chicken feed.  I think they should have just marketed it to farmers with chickens and saved us all. (Sorry if you are actually a fan of candy corn.  Can I call you a chicken now?)

Read more about candy corn’s origins here: https://www.eater.com/2018/10/24/18015026/halloween-what-is-candy-corn-pumpkin

2. Trick or Treating gets its origin in Celtic Culture

The Festival of Samhain was celebrated by the Celts.  Basically, on the evening of Oct. 31, the Celts believed that the dead came back to earth. Considered a sacred night, the people would gather to pay homage to the deceased through sacrifices.  In order to keep the lost souls from anger, people would leave out food. They would also dress up in animal skins to disguise themselves and to scare the unwelcome spirits. I guess they only wanted to honor the dead, not interact with them.

Read more about Samhain here:

https://www.history.com/news/halloween-trick-or-treating-origins

3. You can thank the Irish for the tradition of carving Jack O’Lanterns

The Irish have a myth about a character named, Stingy Jack.  Jack was tricky

and fooled the Devil out of money.  When it came time for Jack to die, heaven 

wouldn’t take him and the Devil wouldn’t let him into hell, making him a wanderer 

on earth.  The Irish began carving scary faces into turnips and other squash to 

scare Jack’s wandering soul away.

Read more about Jack here:

https://www.britannica.com/story/why-do-we-carve-pumpkins-at-halloween#:~:text=In%20Ireland%2C%20people%20started%20to,were%20native%20to%20the%20region.

4. We don’t know where the word “witch” comes from

The best guess is that it comes from the Wicca term “wicce” which means 

“female sorceress”.  There are other possible meanings which you can read

more about here:

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/53438/10-weird-facts-about-witches

5. Why Black and Orange

If you look around right now, you will see lots of different shades of orange in our great fall foliage.  We also see various hues of orange in pumpkins.  Orange is a harvest color and fall  is all about harvest.  Black on the other hand is a perfect complimentary color to orange.  They just look good together.  But Black also is symbolic of darkness and evil which fits really good with the all spooky vibes of Halloween.

Read more about Halloween colors here: 

https://www.bustle.com/articles/182109-why-are-orange-black-halloween-colors-the-symbolism-behind-this-tradition-might-surprise-you#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Halloween%2Dfocused,of%20the%20fall%20harvest%20

 

High Tech Pumpkins

 Tech Tuesday is a place for all things technology.  Here we will discuss both low tech and high tech thing-a-ma-jigs.

Technology often makes life easier.  Some may say that technology makes us lazy.  If this is the case, I am so glad that I can be lazy while making my jack o'lantern each Halloween. Let’s compare these higher tech alternatives that have revolutionized pumpkin carving to their low tech counterparts.

1. Candles vs. LED Lights

The low-tech candle could make for a hot mess inside carved pumpkins.  And if you had a windy night, there would be no way that candle could be lit or stay lit.  

With an LED light, you never run into that problem and you can also have any color light you can imagine.  You also could get a light that flickers like a real candle or you could even get a strobe light to make for a real spooky pumpkin.

2. A Sharpie and a Knife vs. a Pattern and a Specialized Pumpkin Carver

I have created lots of jack o’lanterns in my forty-three years on this planet: some good, some better and some amazing.  Technology has made it so I can, without that much artistic ability, make a work of art out of any squash.  Back in the day, I only had a sharpie and a scary, cut-off-your-finger kind of knife( manned by my father, when I was too little to carve).  The marker would smear all over the face of the pumpkin and the cut edges would always come out jagged or parts would get cut off that I didn’t intend to have cut off. Today, you can search online, print off a template and then use your fancy cutting kit to punch holes around the design and then cut in the exact shapes, with your specialized pumpkin cutting knife, creating your desired design..

3. Spoon vs. Pumpkin Scooper

I think the worst part about carving pumpkins is hollowing out all the slime and seeds from the center.  It is so gooey and moist, which I can only handle for a short time.  With the spoon, not only does it take longer, but it also makes you more susceptible to rubbing into the slippery sides of the pumpkin.  With the Scooper, you are able to get more guts out and with it’s shorter handle, you do not risk getting sticky from the sides.

So, the moral of this post is that we should be very thankful that we have technology.  We should not just be thankful about the compex sort of technology you are reading this on, but we should also be thankful for the little tech things that help us enjoy the best of holidays.