In Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address the 44th president praised the fact that we live in a world with “Facebook and Google.” It is extremely fascinating that these two companies have become so successful — providing outlets for communication and research on a global scale.

Recently, I was watching television and a commercial came on the screen. Pictured were mothers watching a television screen of the video game being played. They expressed their disgust at the horrific nature of the game.

On Jan. 1, the Hungarian media was given more to talk about than just what’s to come in 2011. A new law enacted at the first of the year by the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban now requires all national media outlets — including bloggers — to register with a government-approved media authority and be subjected to government scrutiny.