Everything is Going Electronic, Even Smoking!

Have you heard of the smokeless cigarette?  If you’re trying to cut back on costs of smoking, this can be helpful. Maybe you want to quit and don’t know quite how to cut back and actually quit.  The Electronic Cigarette is a smokeless device that uses E-liquid (e-juice).  It can help you cut back and quit that habit.

The electronic cigarette feels like you are smoking a real cigarette, but a few things are different. You’re not; you are only taking in nicotine which is all your body is really wanting from your traditional cigarette.  

A traditional cigarette is full of tobacco, tar, carbon monoxide, ash, and tons of other things you don’t think about going into your body as you take a drag off that cigarette. 

The e-cigarette is made up of a nicotine cartridge, an atomization chamber and a smart chip with a lithium battery. This allows you to look and feel like you are really smoking, when you’re not.

Jeremy Jenness a student here at LBCC said,  " The e-cigarettes are wonderful because you can smoke them anywhere you can eat or drink. I'm glad that LBCC doesn't really have a policy about them."

 

The e-cigarette has many options for flavors or concoctions of juices. You can get your regular, Camel flavor or Marlboro, or maybe even 7 leaf tobacco.   You can make your own, or you can try some that someone else has made.   A few popular places to buy juices are Ms T's Bakery, Johnson Creek. 

Smoking the e-cigarette is much cheaper than buying a traditional pack of cigarettes.  One 5ML bottle of juice is equivalent to 3 packs of Cigarettes.  You can purchase a bottle of e-juice for about $4.00 on some sites such as freedom smoker.

LBCC has no current policy on the electronic cigarette; the policy is on tobacco products, cigarettes, and chew.

 According to Marcene Olsen, the Manager for safety and loss prevention, it is at the teacher’s discretion. If they feel that it is distracting other students then the teacher can request you put it away.  In Olsen’s opinion, “Don’t assume people are smoking; ask questions before assuming.”

Some campuses around the state of Oregon have banned the e-cigarette because of the confusion it sets out there on campus policies.
The e-cigarette is one of those fad type products. It gets popular for some time, and then fades out.  Smokers on campus mostly have heard of the cigarette, but say they don't really want to try it.

Edna Buchanan on the Charlie Rose Show

Edna  Buchanan had a great interview about her new book, "Act of betrayal". She explains to Mr.Rose about her history as a crime reporter as well as a novelist. Missing some of the aspects of crime reporting she likes that she can pick up and write her book when she wants. 

• Became a piece of the furniture, always there they expected her to just always there. 
• Chose her characters in her books based on what she wants to be. Edna feels that she is person that takes notes not actions, the girl in her book is a woman of action. 
• Edna feels act of betrayal is the best book she has ever written.

"There is no better creature than a good cop, no worse scum of the earth than a bad cop. On the same day they can be the same cop, they are only human."

"A good reporter on the police beat can be a victims best friend, putting it in the news paper works sometimes you feel like wonder woman or superman to the rescue."

Britt Montero is a wonderful character that she looks forward to doing many more books on.

Have you heard of the E-cigarette?

Three questions I want to ask.

• Have you ever tried an e-cig? If yes did you like it? 
• Do you know the benefits of the e-cig?
• how much do you think it costs compared to a pack of smokes?

Many people have heard of the e-cigarette but have never tried it...

E-learning with E-books

Would life be easier, if we had all our textbooks on an e-reader/computer?  There are many different E-readers;   the Nook, the Kindle, iPhone, or just your regular laptop.   Anyone who has a smart phone can get their books on their phones, if it is downloaded for your Nook/Kindle.  It’s the new way of learning

  I don’t know anyone that would not want a cheaper way to buy books,   and with the added benefit of not carrying around 30 pounds in your backpack.

Advantages of an E-book:

• It's lighter to carry;
• Less expensive; 
• More compact, you can have all your books on one computer instead of carrying 6 or 7 books;
• You can still highlight any important information;
• Look up words quickly you are unsure of the meaning;
• Weight on anyone's back is terrible; less weight less back problems. 

Class	Regular Book	E-book
Writing 227	$106.00	$46.00
Psychology 201	$140.40	$65.25
Geology	$104.00	$33.10

Every college student is trying to save money anywhere they can, and this is a great way to keep a few more bucks in your pocket for the things you really need.

There are a few tradeoffs for using an e-book, if you happen to fail your class or end up having to re-take it the next term you will have to purchase your e-book again as e-books are only good for 180 days.

Not all titles are available this year through LBCC bookstore, but there is a variety.  Barns and Nobel and other bookstores also have the option to get e-books.

Things to think about, the e-book's that LBCC offer are not compatible with the Nook or Kindle.  If purchasing from our LBCC book store the e-book can only be used on your laptop or desktop. Most books it's about a 50% savings. That could be hundreds of dollars for a full time student.

When going around asking students what they thought about it, Liz Jones said; “I think the e-books are a great idea, they are keeping up with the times. I love that they are so much cheaper” Keeping up with the times is right. A generation or two ago they never would have dreamed about having their school books on a computer.

 Jessica Dawson, who is duel enrolled with OSU, says “I tried the e-book one term.  I found it much more difficult to get myself to sit down at a computer than to pick up a book. I will never buy and e-book again.”

Some people may see this as a bad thing, offering our books online. It takes a little more self-discipline to sit down and read from your computer or e-reader. 

 

The Disadvantages of books on an e-reader/laptop:

• If your battery is low or dies;
• Computer breaks;
• Having to pay for the book twice if your computer loses it;
• Will power to go to the computer or pick up the e-reader;
• The e-book is only valid for 180 days, if you don't pass a class you will have to buy it again. 

 Kylie Sehrer tells us this, “The e-book can be a good thing if they are interactive part of the curriculum, however if it’s just plain text it’s harder to sit and read.   On some books you can do the exercises at the back of the chapter and get immediate feedback, which is helpful. “  

There are a few other places that you can "rent" books from as well like Chegg.com, and Amazon. It is still much cheaper to rent books then to buy them from the LBCC bookstore.

I guess we are just left with what do we prefer? Will e-books be a one hit wonder, or will they continue to keep up with the times?