Okay Google, what is with this cough that I’ve had since a week and a half ago? I have lost my voice for two days. Help me.

Do I want to know the answer? Yes. Would I think it’s accurate? I don’t know.

It is nice of Google to see if I have a disease just from symptoms, especially if it is life-threatening. However, I don’t think I can trust it. Not just the information, but also, with privacy.

The article on whether Google should tell you if you have cancer describes something that is, or can be something that can be implemented in our phones and computer systems. They can tell us what is wrong with us, by noticing finger tap speeds, for example.

But the problem lies where, what if I just happened to tap my fingers slower on my iPhone, and Siri tells me I have some sort of disease that results in a cognitive decline even though I’m just simply tired? It would make me unnecessarily worried and I I might make an unnecessary trip to the doctor’s office to waste time and money and risk catching someone’s cold. I’m afraid that accuracy here will impact my trust with these systems.

And also privacy. We all know now that Google tracks our searches and sells that info to advertisers. I wouldn’t want to trust them with my medical conditions that can be linked to me, and spread to people I don’t know just wanting to rely on me to make money.

On one hand, technology telling us we have something wrong with out bodies is useful. On the other hand, is it safe? Is it accurate? We wouldn’t know until it has been put to practical use.

A very long time ago back when I was in middle school, I used to listen to two main local stations that can be picked up in eastern Mass, which were Kiss 107.9 and Country 102.5. As I’ve changed, so have the stuff I listen to. The way I am with trying to become one from where my parents come from, Japan, has practically made radio unnecessary in my life as everything airing is local to the area.

By the time I have gotten my own laptop and phone, I have completely ditched listening to radio. These enabled me to listen to whatever music, talk show, etc I want, and watch whatever video I want without the need of watching things of my interest. Podcasts are more recent to me, as I started listening to them on an unregular basis, downloading them and listening to them whenever I recall its existence. I watch videos much more often than podcasts; on YouTube, on NicoNico Douga, etc. As with podcasts, I can consume its contents, download, subscribe.

What is neat about podcasts and videos are that it is possible to create my own. I plan on doing it and will only do that when I make the time and effort to do so. As for others who already do this for a living, video and podcasting enable normal people over most of the globe to say whatever they want to say sometimes about their own lives, usually with minimal help from others and not necessarily with high-end, expensive equipment, whereas the professionals’s words on words are scripted by others, necessary for high-end gear.

Video and podcasts sure have increased popularity over radio and TV, mainly because, its a matters of someone talking about someone’s mistake versus someone talking about what happened.

Reflect on music on YouTube. What I do with it. Is it better than than any other thing I use?

I do not really rely heavily on YouTube for music. I do not have a playlist or two to cycle through songs unlike several people I have seen. All the songs I listen to frequently are all in my iTunes, separated into 11 (so far) genres or playlists.

With regards to music, I mostly use YouTube to find videos of songs with a title I already know but not really something to listen to frequently (maybe just for nostalgia, such as the opening melody for Doraemon), or to find songs of a specific genre (Okinawan songs), or listen to unique performances of songs I already know (Senbonzakura Japanese instrument version), or parodies or MAD videos. Again, other than that, iTunes does the job I want of cycling through music.

Until a couple of years ago I used to use a Chinese site xiami.com for finding songs with titles I already know, but since when it has become unavailable in the US, YouTube has been the replacement.

I can always resort to music streaming, such as radio or streaming sites. However, many of these feature localized pop songs which are not of my interest and something I wish that would disappear from this planet (okay, exaggeration).

There is a Japanese equivalent of YouTube called NicoNico Douga. I would say that this is better to watch parodies and MADs because there are a greater number of them, and to see reactions of other viewers because comments stream past over the video, usually coming right after what that commenter is writing about. However, the videos are of lower quality and slow loading at times, because paid accounts are prioritized.

As a conclusion, I believe YouTube for music is second to iTunes. It constantly has new content and a wide variety of it to, and I can usually find what I am looking for and just listen away.