Well i found the assignment to be rather enjoyable. The goals where pretty straight forward, and there were a lot of topics to choose from. I was able to switch topics if one wasn't working out which was great.
The biggest issue i had, was finding relevant resources that could be referenced. I used a couple of different ways to find sources: Google scholar, Portal and IT specific journals. In combination I was able to find the true source of certain articles and journals without needing to pay or sign up for it.
Often, the articles were rather large, and most of the content was irrelevant. I had to ditch a few of the topics due to a lack of info.
The topics i did end up choosing were interesting and relevant to my interests. Internet policy, regulation and security are very important in ensuring the Internet works as a public space for all to enjoy. They have become the most important issues facing officials and users alike and will continue to be as the Internet expands and becomes more popular.
As the assignment had no real structure (didn't need a specific writing structure as you would in writing an essay), it provided me with a lot of freedom to add some of my own opinions and comment on what industry experts had to say.
Finally, as much as i hate referencing (don't we all!), i really got into the swing of things when writing the annotated bibliographies...maybe because i had to right eight of them haha
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Annotation
Annotated bibliographies are a great way to summarise and represent sources of information.
In a couple of paragraphs, its easy to determine the purpose, usefulness and tone of an article/site/etc without needing to find it and read through it all.
Helps greatly for research where you could find a number of sources, but unsure if they are relevant.
In a couple of paragraphs, its easy to determine the purpose, usefulness and tone of an article/site/etc without needing to find it and read through it all.
Helps greatly for research where you could find a number of sources, but unsure if they are relevant.
Distracted
Well I was making progress on the tutes until the assignment came around and I lost my job. Time to fill in the rest.
Although its become quite apparent that my organisation of the tasks in the blog leaves a lot to be desired :s
Bit hard to follow what blog entry relates to what question.
Ah well, i just hope the lecturers can follow what i've done...
Although its become quite apparent that my organisation of the tasks in the blog leaves a lot to be desired :s
Bit hard to follow what blog entry relates to what question.
Ah well, i just hope the lecturers can follow what i've done...
Monday, May 25, 2009
Conceptual Research & Reflection Project
Concept 13: Privacy and Security
“The key to effective email management is to consistently and conscientiously respond to and act upon the email you receive, while recognising that others may not be as efficient as yourself.” (Allen, n.d)
A factor which has made the Internet extremely popular and successful is the way people are able to communicate with each other with such great ease. Someone can communicate with another person the other side of the world instantly. No longer is there a need to write letters and wait for them to arrive. Email forms the backbone of the vast majority of information exchange on the Internet and it is estimated that 183 billion emails are sent daily: more than 2 million a second (Tschabitscher, 2008). But with so many people using email to stay in touch and to conduct business, it is very easy to become overwhelmed with copious amounts of email traffic and it's often the situation that a lot of messages are overlooked and never replied to.
A growing trend with Internet users is the ever growing need for speed and volume. Mobile phone texting, instant chat, forums and social networking sites have embedded an expectation in users to expect more from technology. Also society in general is trying to fit more and more into less and less time. These two trends combined show a need for efficiency and promptness as anything else could be considered a “waste of valuable time”. Email is beginning to suffer as its is often used in a different manner to other forms of communication. It has a far more formal, business application where as other means are more for social purposes and often accompanied by media rich content.
Another major factor is how often email is checked and in what way. Joshua Tyler of Sun Microsystems discussed in the ECSCW journal that people only usually check their emails a couple of times a day, where as they would linger for large amounts of time on social network sites and instant chat programs (Tyler, 2003). Also the prevalence of spam email could be considered as a deterring factor for users to want to check email more often. It is estimated that over 70% of email is spam and that figure could even be higher (Tschabitscher, 2008).
The fact is that although emailing someone won't necessarily guarantee a response, it does have major advantages over other forms of communication and it is unlikely to see a downturn anytime soon. The context in which people decide to use email and the responsiveness of the recipient are factors that need to be taken into consideration. Although certain users might place more emphasis on checking their emails more often, it is unfair to expect everyone to be able to respond promptly. It might be a reason why a lot of businesses have email disclaimers that state that a response will be sent within 24 hours of receiving an email.
Site 1: When Can I Expect an Email Response? A Study of Rhythms in Email Usage
Tyler, J. (2003). When Can I Expect an Email Response? A Study of Rhythms in Email Usage. ECSCW. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.ecscw.org/2003/013Tyler_ecscw03.pdf
Tyler provides an in depth study into email use and user behavior and explores topics such as responsiveness, expectations and appropriateness. The report attempts to provide understanding as to why some people have great expectations on others to respond to email in a prompt fashion, and why timely replies may not always be possible. It also compares email with other forms on online communication in order to understand it's advantages and disadvantages and to establish the best ways to use it and respond to it. Over all, the journal is very detailed and unearths some very interesting points in regards to user perceptions, requirements and expectations.
Site 2: Getting Control of Your Email
Goodfellow, B. (2008) Getting Control of Your Email. CPA Tech Advisor. Retrieved May 16. 2009, from http://www.cpatechnologyadvisor.com/print/The-CPA-Technology-Advisor/Getting-Control-of-Your-E-mail/1$2163
Goodfellow attempts to simplify the often arduous task of organising email. He states that if a user does not keep on top of it, it will get out of hand and may lead to great time wasting and reduced productivity. He offers several ways of dealing with email, and uses a similar approach to what a lot of people use to organise their personal snail mail. Although not strictly a journal article exploring the conceptual nature of email, it does however provide a solution to overwhelming mail traffic and could provide a means of better email management, and responsiveness.
Concept 14: Cyberspace is informationally created 'space'
“The sense of space is essential for humans - or at least many humans - to be able to express their identities in special and rich ways.” (Allen, n.d)
Humans have always had a desire to experience life in many different and varied ways. Through stories, books, films, and plays, a desire to escape reality has become a major form of entertainment and for many, a life long hobby. It is no surprise then that as the first computers became available and as the Internet came into fruition, people were already looking for ways of being able to utilise such technologies for purposes of escapism and entertainment.
The concept of creating or occupying “space” is the foundation for escapism. Being able to take on a role or be involved in an environment (virtual) is a very powerful ability and offers those participating the chance to experience something that they wouldn't normally be able to experience or would otherwise be impossible to achieve.
Technologies such as virtual reality and games enhance the experience further by stimulating a number of senses (primarily sight and sound), and enabling the participant to before absorbed into “another world”. Such environments can be very desirable, especially for people who's real life is highly stressful, boring or otherwise not very interesting. But sometimes this comes at a cost. People can become absorbed in “other worlds” so much, that all they want to do is maintain that experience to the point where real life is no longer as engaging. They “lose” themselves and become obsessed and addicted. “Gamer addiction” is becoming a growing problem worldwide to the point where gaming addiction clinics are appearing in China (Thorsen, 2005), and the occasional extreme case of people dying due to neglecting to eat, sleep and drink (Guttridge, 2005).
Escapism and ones sense of “space” is not restricted to games though. A trend that is currently growing at a phenomenal rate is blogging and social networking. The ability to have a “personal area” to create, interact and communicate is becoming extremely popular among young and old alike. Countless hundreds of millions of people worldwide take advantage of websites such as facebook, myspace and blogspot to express themselves, customise their own space and create an “identity” online. For some, such sites have allowed them to present their talents and as a result, have become extremely successful. People who may not be very popular or talented in real life, have gone on to be Internet superstars overnight.
In a more formal sense, the Internet is also a great tool to explore artistic talents. Many sites are popping up which showcase artwork, poetry and other creative means for the world to discover and enjoy.
In many ways, the Internet has become a sandbox for which the world uses to explore, create and contribute to. It isn't as though the Internet has created the concept of “space” and “identity” more or less it has become yet another, easily accessible means to vent to the world.
Site 1: Community and Identity in the Electronic Village
Foster, D. (1996). Community and Identity in the Electronic Village. Internet Culture. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://services.exeter.ac.uk/cmit/media/texts/porter1996/foster1996_community_and_identity.pdf
Although the article is somewhat dated, Foster provides an in depth insight into the increasing popularity of the Internet and how the interactions of people show signs of belonging and community. He demonstrates how people with similar interests and tastes converge and share their experiences, thereby interconnecting and developing close and complex personal relationships. The article offers an interesting view into the Internet boom and is a good source to reflect on what was being experienced over ten years ago considering what we know now.
Site 2: Internet Addiction: Symptoms, Evaluation, And Treatment
Young, K. (1999). Internet Addiction: Symptoms, Evaluation, And Treatment. Innovations in Clinical Practice. Retrieved May 16. 2009, from http://www.netaddiction.com/articles/symptoms.pdf
Young explores the emerging issue of mental illness and addiction among Internet users. She goes into great depth to explore the symptoms, cures, causes and possible future complications of such conditions. A major issue plaguing practitioners is the relative lack of knowledge about Internet related conditions and uncertainty in how to treat the condition. The author also identifies that a lack of self esteem, a desire for increased popularity and self worth, and escapism are somewhat responsible for bringing on the condition in Internet users and that it will only get worse as the Internet becomes more popular.
Concept 22: Public space and regulation
“Advanced Internet users are alert to regulatory processes in public discussion and ensure that they do not break them without good cause.” (Allen, n.d)
The Internet is very unique as it is one of the only communication media not to be heavily regulated. TV, newspapers, etc all have some sort of regulation and policy for use. Not only that, they are heavily monitored and policed in an attempt to catch unlawful and otherwise disruptive activities. The real decision to be made is whether to regulate or not to regulate? Should the Internet be policed by a global governing body which is assigned to crack down on antisocial behavior and protect innocent minds from unsavory content? Or should it be left to expand and prosper as a free and open space for people to have their say and to encourage collaboration and innovation? To a smaller degree, web masters have a tendency to establish and enforce policies that help to ensure equal opportunity and foster a more cooperative environment for their visitors. However, many websites do not. This lack of consistency is just one of many issues which are hampering global leaders’ efforts to establish suitable policies and maintain legislation to “maintain” the Internet.
One of the key issues is whether or not the Internet can in fact be regulated. Due to its immense size, decentralised nature, and rate of growth, is it at all possible to regulate even a small portion of it? Just say the “governing body” decided that a particular website contravened regulations due to its content and subsequently blocked it. It’s more than likely that a large number of people have already seen the content and may have already distributed it further through the web. It's also a strong possibility that even if that site was taken down, several others like it would appear just as quickly.
Clearly site-blocking alone is not the answer. A level of uncertainty and apprehension would be instilled in the Internet community as to what exactly would be blocked. Would it be limited to just “inappropriate” content deemed unfit for children, or could that be expanded to include other material such as political views or opinions? And the risk of false positives would make the Internet unusable and plagued with problems. An Internet regulation gathering in Colorado this year brought together academics and industry experts to try to address some of the issues associated with policing the web. One thing was clear, it's not practical for government to “...outlaw every possible thing that could go wrong on the Internet”, rather regulators should address “real” problems (Anderson, 2009).
As to what those “real” problems are, the conference was unable to clarify, but one large step in the right direction is the concept of “network management”; putting the onus on service providers to take responsibility for their users actions and to take measures to limit illegal activity and inappropriate content from filtering through. But such an arrangement is likely to be inconsistent on a case by case basis as certain providers will have greater needs than others, which according to Professor Jim Speta will leave the regulations “open to … political decision-making” (Anderson, 2009).
It is clear that currently, officials are unable to decide on the correct measures to take in setting up Internet regulation. Until governments around the world are able to agree on a set of terms and appropriate legislation, it is unlikely that Internet regulation will be able to achieve the intended goals and even less likely that a global authority will be established to police such matters.
Site 1: Current Internet Regulation Issues
Current Internet Regulation Issues. (2004). EURIM - The European Information Society Group. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.eurim.org/briefings/IWF_eurim2.htm
The report outlines a number of fundamental issues that need to be addressed in order to successfully implement a comprehensive yet flexible scheme for Internet regulation. It stipulates that a worldwide effort is required to ensure consistency and coverage. The EURIM's stance is that if an action is illegal in the real world then it is online, and that a multifaceted approach is required which can adapt and change with the growth and innovation of the Internet. The report does a good job of providing a thorough break down of the issues and concepts surrounding the topic, and outlines the foundation for developing a successful and accepted scheme.
Site 2: Internet Censorship: Law & policy around the world
Internet Censorship: Law & policy around the world. Electronic Frontiers Australia. Retrieved May 16 2009, from http://www.efa.org.au/Issues/Censor/cens3.html
The report contains a detailed summary of all the censorship and regulatory schemes, policies and legislation being put forward by a number of countries around the world. The contrast between leader opinions and government agendas is rather startling and demonstrates a significant lack of cohesion between industry experts and politicians in formulating sustainable and reasonable policy. The article also acts as a good source of links to detailed government documents as well as acts and reforms that have been designed specifically to combat child pornography and other illegal activities on the Internet.
Concept 26: Privacy and Security
“The Internet is a profoundly ‘open’ system and advanced Internet users are cautious about either accepting or sending material from and to unknown sources and are careful in releasing information about themselves in any form. Conceptually, the Internet challenges us to take greater responsibility for the protection of privacy and security than perhaps we are used to when dealing with the media.” (Allen, n.d)
The Internet has seen a remarkable explosion in popularity largely because of its versatility as a medium for delivering information, but also due to its users’ ever increasing demand for innovation and integration into everyday life. Physical, social and religious boundaries continue to be blurred as the universal structure and decentralised nature of the Internet continues to rapidly expand.
The ability for a user to instantly chat with someone on the other side of the world while listening to a new song from an upstart band and reading a live news feed from another country is completely unparalleled. No other medium of communication and information has been able to reach out and touch the world in such a profound way. In a sense it has “liberated” people and enabled them to change the world not only by providing access to an unlimited supply of information, but also by empowering anyone to contribute and make their views and ideas visible for the world to see.
With such great freedom and openness comes a degree of risk and the potential for abuse and exploitation. As the Internet becomes more and more integrated with the real world, this risk will continue to grow. Viruses, spy software, identity theft, stalkers and fraud are just some of the numerous risks associated with the use of the Internet. All these threats have one thing in common: privacy, and people’s right to protect their personal information and identity. In a study conducted in America, 84% of the participants said they were concerned with businesses and people they don't know being able to obtain personal information about them and/or their family. Furthermore, 54% surveyed stated that online tracking (such as cookies, and use of personal data) was potentially more harmful than useful and that 94% of the respondents wished to see those caught violating the privacy of others, disciplined in some manner (fox, 2000). In another survey conducted by TRUSTe, 57% say they take measures to protect their privacy (“Web users,” 2007). This represents a rather high degree of awareness and concern of users for their personal privacy and security while using the Internet.
What is rather surprising though is that despite such vigilance, a significant number of Internet users surveyed don't take measures to ensure their privacy, or just “hope” that something bad won't happen to them. In the TRUSTe survey, only 28% check website privacy statements “most of the time” (“Web users,” 2007). Even some of the most basic ways of protecting one’s identity online are only used by a minority. Techniques such as creating multiple email accounts (45% (“Web users,” 2007)), or faking personal details (24% (fox, 2000)) can go a long way to protecting details.
What might be behind the trend are the varied “perceived” risks associated with using the Internet. Individuals consider certain threats to be of greater or lesser concern than others and so some people are more likely to put themselves in harm’s way. A statement that sums it up nicely is “Individuals make choices based on trade offs in which they surrender a certain degree of privacy in exchange for benefits that are perceived to be worth the cost of information disclosure” (Dinev, n.d). Sometimes it's just far more attractive to ignore the obvious in order to benefit from the rewards!
Site 1: Privacy Concerns And Internet Use – A Model Of Trade-Off Factors
Dinev, T. (n.d). Privacy concerns and Internet use – A model of trade-off factors. Florida Atlantic University. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.ebusinessforum.gr/old/content/downloads/Privacy%20Concerns%20And%20Internet%20Use%20_A%20Model%20Of%20Trade-Off%20Factors.pdf
Investigating one of the most important issues plaguing the Internet today, Dinev explores with great detail the measures people take to protect their privacy, and the risks others take to make full use of the Internet and its many benefits. The author utilises data collected from a survey of 369 people to develop a theoretical model that can help to explain certain behaviors and how they can influence e-commerce based industry. The author goes to great lengths to develop a comprehensive understanding of the risks, benefits and influences that privacy of information can have on business, customers and society in general.
Site 2: Information Privacy On the Internet Cyberspace Invades Personal Space
Clarke, R. (1998). Information Privacy On the Internet Cyberspace Invades Personal Space. Xamax Consultancy. Retrieved May 16 2009, from http://www.rogerclarke.com/DV/IPrivacy.html
Clarke provides an examination of all the issues, positive and negative, associated with information privacy and its relevance for users on the Internet. The author’s approach is somewhat unorthodox as it isn't a direct analysis, nor is it an overview. Rather a thorough breakdown of a large range of topics that surround the issue, with a significant number of references which provide a means to extend the exploration. Even so, it is a great starting resource that is easy to use and links to a variety of links and articles that are of great interest.
Fox, S. (2000). Trust and Privacy Online: Why Americans want to rewrite the rules. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2000/PIP_Trust_Privacy_Report.pdf.pdf
Web users ignore their own privacy knowledge. (2007). Collector, 72, 7, pg. 19. Dinev, T. (n.d). Privacy concerns and Internet use – A model of trade-off factors. Florida Atlantic University. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.ebusinessforum.gr/old/content/downloads/Privacy%20Concerns%20And%20Internet%20Use%20_A%20Model%20Of%20Trade-Off%20Factors.pdf
Clarke, R. (1998). Information Privacy On the Internet Cyberspace Invades Personal Space. Xamax Consultancy. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.rogerclarke.com/DV/IPrivacy.html
Allen, M. (n.d). Internet Communications Concepts Document. Curtin University of Technology. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://lms.curtin.edu.au/webapps/portal
Anderson, N. (2009). The Future of the Internet is... Regulation?. Ars Technica. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/02/the-future-of-the-internet-is-regulation.ars
Current Internet Regulation Issues. (2004). EURIM - The European Information Society Group. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.eurim.org/briefings/IWF_eurim2.htm
Internet Censorship: Law & policy around the world. Electronic Frontiers Australia. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.efa.org.au/Issues/Censor/cens3.html
Tyler, J. (2003). When Can I Expect an Email Response? A Study of Rhythms in Email Usage. ECSCW. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.ecscw.org/2003/013Tyler_ecscw03.pdf
Tschabitscher, H. (2008). How Many Emails Are Sent Every Day? About.com. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://email.about.com/od/emailtrivia/f/emails_per_day.htm
Goodfellow, B. (2008) Getting Control of Your Email. CPA Tech Advisor. Retrieved May 16. 2009, from http://www.cpatechnologyadvisor.com/print/The-CPA-Technology-Advisor/Getting-Control-of-Your-E-mail/1$2163
Thorsen, T. (2005). China opens game addiction clinic. CNET.com.au. Retrieved May 16. 2009, from http://www.cnet.com.au/china-opens-game-addiction-clinic-240055783.htm
Guttridge, L. (2005). Korean StarCraft gamer dies. Play.tm. Retrieved May 16. 2009, from http://play.tm/news/6353/korean-starcraft-gamer-dies/
Foster, D. (1996). Community and Identity in the Electronic Village. Internet Culture. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://services.exeter.ac.uk/cmit/media/texts/porter1996/foster1996_community_and_identity.pdf
Young, K. (1999). Internet Addiction: Symptoms, Evaluation, And Treatment. Innovations in Clinical Practice. Retrieved May 16. 2009, from http://www.netaddiction.com/articles/symptoms.pdf
“The key to effective email management is to consistently and conscientiously respond to and act upon the email you receive, while recognising that others may not be as efficient as yourself.” (Allen, n.d)
A factor which has made the Internet extremely popular and successful is the way people are able to communicate with each other with such great ease. Someone can communicate with another person the other side of the world instantly. No longer is there a need to write letters and wait for them to arrive. Email forms the backbone of the vast majority of information exchange on the Internet and it is estimated that 183 billion emails are sent daily: more than 2 million a second (Tschabitscher, 2008). But with so many people using email to stay in touch and to conduct business, it is very easy to become overwhelmed with copious amounts of email traffic and it's often the situation that a lot of messages are overlooked and never replied to.
A growing trend with Internet users is the ever growing need for speed and volume. Mobile phone texting, instant chat, forums and social networking sites have embedded an expectation in users to expect more from technology. Also society in general is trying to fit more and more into less and less time. These two trends combined show a need for efficiency and promptness as anything else could be considered a “waste of valuable time”. Email is beginning to suffer as its is often used in a different manner to other forms of communication. It has a far more formal, business application where as other means are more for social purposes and often accompanied by media rich content.
Another major factor is how often email is checked and in what way. Joshua Tyler of Sun Microsystems discussed in the ECSCW journal that people only usually check their emails a couple of times a day, where as they would linger for large amounts of time on social network sites and instant chat programs (Tyler, 2003). Also the prevalence of spam email could be considered as a deterring factor for users to want to check email more often. It is estimated that over 70% of email is spam and that figure could even be higher (Tschabitscher, 2008).
The fact is that although emailing someone won't necessarily guarantee a response, it does have major advantages over other forms of communication and it is unlikely to see a downturn anytime soon. The context in which people decide to use email and the responsiveness of the recipient are factors that need to be taken into consideration. Although certain users might place more emphasis on checking their emails more often, it is unfair to expect everyone to be able to respond promptly. It might be a reason why a lot of businesses have email disclaimers that state that a response will be sent within 24 hours of receiving an email.
Site 1: When Can I Expect an Email Response? A Study of Rhythms in Email Usage
Tyler, J. (2003). When Can I Expect an Email Response? A Study of Rhythms in Email Usage. ECSCW. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.ecscw.org/2003/013Tyler_ecscw03.pdf
Tyler provides an in depth study into email use and user behavior and explores topics such as responsiveness, expectations and appropriateness. The report attempts to provide understanding as to why some people have great expectations on others to respond to email in a prompt fashion, and why timely replies may not always be possible. It also compares email with other forms on online communication in order to understand it's advantages and disadvantages and to establish the best ways to use it and respond to it. Over all, the journal is very detailed and unearths some very interesting points in regards to user perceptions, requirements and expectations.
Site 2: Getting Control of Your Email
Goodfellow, B. (2008) Getting Control of Your Email. CPA Tech Advisor. Retrieved May 16. 2009, from http://www.cpatechnologyadvisor.com/print/The-CPA-Technology-Advisor/Getting-Control-of-Your-E-mail/1$2163
Goodfellow attempts to simplify the often arduous task of organising email. He states that if a user does not keep on top of it, it will get out of hand and may lead to great time wasting and reduced productivity. He offers several ways of dealing with email, and uses a similar approach to what a lot of people use to organise their personal snail mail. Although not strictly a journal article exploring the conceptual nature of email, it does however provide a solution to overwhelming mail traffic and could provide a means of better email management, and responsiveness.
Concept 14: Cyberspace is informationally created 'space'
“The sense of space is essential for humans - or at least many humans - to be able to express their identities in special and rich ways.” (Allen, n.d)
Humans have always had a desire to experience life in many different and varied ways. Through stories, books, films, and plays, a desire to escape reality has become a major form of entertainment and for many, a life long hobby. It is no surprise then that as the first computers became available and as the Internet came into fruition, people were already looking for ways of being able to utilise such technologies for purposes of escapism and entertainment.
The concept of creating or occupying “space” is the foundation for escapism. Being able to take on a role or be involved in an environment (virtual) is a very powerful ability and offers those participating the chance to experience something that they wouldn't normally be able to experience or would otherwise be impossible to achieve.
Technologies such as virtual reality and games enhance the experience further by stimulating a number of senses (primarily sight and sound), and enabling the participant to before absorbed into “another world”. Such environments can be very desirable, especially for people who's real life is highly stressful, boring or otherwise not very interesting. But sometimes this comes at a cost. People can become absorbed in “other worlds” so much, that all they want to do is maintain that experience to the point where real life is no longer as engaging. They “lose” themselves and become obsessed and addicted. “Gamer addiction” is becoming a growing problem worldwide to the point where gaming addiction clinics are appearing in China (Thorsen, 2005), and the occasional extreme case of people dying due to neglecting to eat, sleep and drink (Guttridge, 2005).
Escapism and ones sense of “space” is not restricted to games though. A trend that is currently growing at a phenomenal rate is blogging and social networking. The ability to have a “personal area” to create, interact and communicate is becoming extremely popular among young and old alike. Countless hundreds of millions of people worldwide take advantage of websites such as facebook, myspace and blogspot to express themselves, customise their own space and create an “identity” online. For some, such sites have allowed them to present their talents and as a result, have become extremely successful. People who may not be very popular or talented in real life, have gone on to be Internet superstars overnight.
In a more formal sense, the Internet is also a great tool to explore artistic talents. Many sites are popping up which showcase artwork, poetry and other creative means for the world to discover and enjoy.
In many ways, the Internet has become a sandbox for which the world uses to explore, create and contribute to. It isn't as though the Internet has created the concept of “space” and “identity” more or less it has become yet another, easily accessible means to vent to the world.
Site 1: Community and Identity in the Electronic Village
Foster, D. (1996). Community and Identity in the Electronic Village. Internet Culture. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://services.exeter.ac.uk/cmit/media/texts/porter1996/foster1996_community_and_identity.pdf
Although the article is somewhat dated, Foster provides an in depth insight into the increasing popularity of the Internet and how the interactions of people show signs of belonging and community. He demonstrates how people with similar interests and tastes converge and share their experiences, thereby interconnecting and developing close and complex personal relationships. The article offers an interesting view into the Internet boom and is a good source to reflect on what was being experienced over ten years ago considering what we know now.
Site 2: Internet Addiction: Symptoms, Evaluation, And Treatment
Young, K. (1999). Internet Addiction: Symptoms, Evaluation, And Treatment. Innovations in Clinical Practice. Retrieved May 16. 2009, from http://www.netaddiction.com/articles/symptoms.pdf
Young explores the emerging issue of mental illness and addiction among Internet users. She goes into great depth to explore the symptoms, cures, causes and possible future complications of such conditions. A major issue plaguing practitioners is the relative lack of knowledge about Internet related conditions and uncertainty in how to treat the condition. The author also identifies that a lack of self esteem, a desire for increased popularity and self worth, and escapism are somewhat responsible for bringing on the condition in Internet users and that it will only get worse as the Internet becomes more popular.
Concept 22: Public space and regulation
“Advanced Internet users are alert to regulatory processes in public discussion and ensure that they do not break them without good cause.” (Allen, n.d)
The Internet is very unique as it is one of the only communication media not to be heavily regulated. TV, newspapers, etc all have some sort of regulation and policy for use. Not only that, they are heavily monitored and policed in an attempt to catch unlawful and otherwise disruptive activities. The real decision to be made is whether to regulate or not to regulate? Should the Internet be policed by a global governing body which is assigned to crack down on antisocial behavior and protect innocent minds from unsavory content? Or should it be left to expand and prosper as a free and open space for people to have their say and to encourage collaboration and innovation? To a smaller degree, web masters have a tendency to establish and enforce policies that help to ensure equal opportunity and foster a more cooperative environment for their visitors. However, many websites do not. This lack of consistency is just one of many issues which are hampering global leaders’ efforts to establish suitable policies and maintain legislation to “maintain” the Internet.
One of the key issues is whether or not the Internet can in fact be regulated. Due to its immense size, decentralised nature, and rate of growth, is it at all possible to regulate even a small portion of it? Just say the “governing body” decided that a particular website contravened regulations due to its content and subsequently blocked it. It’s more than likely that a large number of people have already seen the content and may have already distributed it further through the web. It's also a strong possibility that even if that site was taken down, several others like it would appear just as quickly.
Clearly site-blocking alone is not the answer. A level of uncertainty and apprehension would be instilled in the Internet community as to what exactly would be blocked. Would it be limited to just “inappropriate” content deemed unfit for children, or could that be expanded to include other material such as political views or opinions? And the risk of false positives would make the Internet unusable and plagued with problems. An Internet regulation gathering in Colorado this year brought together academics and industry experts to try to address some of the issues associated with policing the web. One thing was clear, it's not practical for government to “...outlaw every possible thing that could go wrong on the Internet”, rather regulators should address “real” problems (Anderson, 2009).
As to what those “real” problems are, the conference was unable to clarify, but one large step in the right direction is the concept of “network management”; putting the onus on service providers to take responsibility for their users actions and to take measures to limit illegal activity and inappropriate content from filtering through. But such an arrangement is likely to be inconsistent on a case by case basis as certain providers will have greater needs than others, which according to Professor Jim Speta will leave the regulations “open to … political decision-making” (Anderson, 2009).
It is clear that currently, officials are unable to decide on the correct measures to take in setting up Internet regulation. Until governments around the world are able to agree on a set of terms and appropriate legislation, it is unlikely that Internet regulation will be able to achieve the intended goals and even less likely that a global authority will be established to police such matters.
Site 1: Current Internet Regulation Issues
Current Internet Regulation Issues. (2004). EURIM - The European Information Society Group. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.eurim.org/briefings/IWF_eurim2.htm
The report outlines a number of fundamental issues that need to be addressed in order to successfully implement a comprehensive yet flexible scheme for Internet regulation. It stipulates that a worldwide effort is required to ensure consistency and coverage. The EURIM's stance is that if an action is illegal in the real world then it is online, and that a multifaceted approach is required which can adapt and change with the growth and innovation of the Internet. The report does a good job of providing a thorough break down of the issues and concepts surrounding the topic, and outlines the foundation for developing a successful and accepted scheme.
Site 2: Internet Censorship: Law & policy around the world
Internet Censorship: Law & policy around the world. Electronic Frontiers Australia. Retrieved May 16 2009, from http://www.efa.org.au/Issues/Censor/cens3.html
The report contains a detailed summary of all the censorship and regulatory schemes, policies and legislation being put forward by a number of countries around the world. The contrast between leader opinions and government agendas is rather startling and demonstrates a significant lack of cohesion between industry experts and politicians in formulating sustainable and reasonable policy. The article also acts as a good source of links to detailed government documents as well as acts and reforms that have been designed specifically to combat child pornography and other illegal activities on the Internet.
Concept 26: Privacy and Security
“The Internet is a profoundly ‘open’ system and advanced Internet users are cautious about either accepting or sending material from and to unknown sources and are careful in releasing information about themselves in any form. Conceptually, the Internet challenges us to take greater responsibility for the protection of privacy and security than perhaps we are used to when dealing with the media.” (Allen, n.d)
The Internet has seen a remarkable explosion in popularity largely because of its versatility as a medium for delivering information, but also due to its users’ ever increasing demand for innovation and integration into everyday life. Physical, social and religious boundaries continue to be blurred as the universal structure and decentralised nature of the Internet continues to rapidly expand.
The ability for a user to instantly chat with someone on the other side of the world while listening to a new song from an upstart band and reading a live news feed from another country is completely unparalleled. No other medium of communication and information has been able to reach out and touch the world in such a profound way. In a sense it has “liberated” people and enabled them to change the world not only by providing access to an unlimited supply of information, but also by empowering anyone to contribute and make their views and ideas visible for the world to see.
With such great freedom and openness comes a degree of risk and the potential for abuse and exploitation. As the Internet becomes more and more integrated with the real world, this risk will continue to grow. Viruses, spy software, identity theft, stalkers and fraud are just some of the numerous risks associated with the use of the Internet. All these threats have one thing in common: privacy, and people’s right to protect their personal information and identity. In a study conducted in America, 84% of the participants said they were concerned with businesses and people they don't know being able to obtain personal information about them and/or their family. Furthermore, 54% surveyed stated that online tracking (such as cookies, and use of personal data) was potentially more harmful than useful and that 94% of the respondents wished to see those caught violating the privacy of others, disciplined in some manner (fox, 2000). In another survey conducted by TRUSTe, 57% say they take measures to protect their privacy (“Web users,” 2007). This represents a rather high degree of awareness and concern of users for their personal privacy and security while using the Internet.
What is rather surprising though is that despite such vigilance, a significant number of Internet users surveyed don't take measures to ensure their privacy, or just “hope” that something bad won't happen to them. In the TRUSTe survey, only 28% check website privacy statements “most of the time” (“Web users,” 2007). Even some of the most basic ways of protecting one’s identity online are only used by a minority. Techniques such as creating multiple email accounts (45% (“Web users,” 2007)), or faking personal details (24% (fox, 2000)) can go a long way to protecting details.
What might be behind the trend are the varied “perceived” risks associated with using the Internet. Individuals consider certain threats to be of greater or lesser concern than others and so some people are more likely to put themselves in harm’s way. A statement that sums it up nicely is “Individuals make choices based on trade offs in which they surrender a certain degree of privacy in exchange for benefits that are perceived to be worth the cost of information disclosure” (Dinev, n.d). Sometimes it's just far more attractive to ignore the obvious in order to benefit from the rewards!
Site 1: Privacy Concerns And Internet Use – A Model Of Trade-Off Factors
Dinev, T. (n.d). Privacy concerns and Internet use – A model of trade-off factors. Florida Atlantic University. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.ebusinessforum.gr/old/content/downloads/Privacy%20Concerns%20And%20Internet%20Use%20_A%20Model%20Of%20Trade-Off%20Factors.pdf
Investigating one of the most important issues plaguing the Internet today, Dinev explores with great detail the measures people take to protect their privacy, and the risks others take to make full use of the Internet and its many benefits. The author utilises data collected from a survey of 369 people to develop a theoretical model that can help to explain certain behaviors and how they can influence e-commerce based industry. The author goes to great lengths to develop a comprehensive understanding of the risks, benefits and influences that privacy of information can have on business, customers and society in general.
Site 2: Information Privacy On the Internet Cyberspace Invades Personal Space
Clarke, R. (1998). Information Privacy On the Internet Cyberspace Invades Personal Space. Xamax Consultancy. Retrieved May 16 2009, from http://www.rogerclarke.com/DV/IPrivacy.html
Clarke provides an examination of all the issues, positive and negative, associated with information privacy and its relevance for users on the Internet. The author’s approach is somewhat unorthodox as it isn't a direct analysis, nor is it an overview. Rather a thorough breakdown of a large range of topics that surround the issue, with a significant number of references which provide a means to extend the exploration. Even so, it is a great starting resource that is easy to use and links to a variety of links and articles that are of great interest.
Fox, S. (2000). Trust and Privacy Online: Why Americans want to rewrite the rules. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2000/PIP_Trust_Privacy_Report.pdf.pdf
Web users ignore their own privacy knowledge. (2007). Collector, 72, 7, pg. 19. Dinev, T. (n.d). Privacy concerns and Internet use – A model of trade-off factors. Florida Atlantic University. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.ebusinessforum.gr/old/content/downloads/Privacy%20Concerns%20And%20Internet%20Use%20_A%20Model%20Of%20Trade-Off%20Factors.pdf
Clarke, R. (1998). Information Privacy On the Internet Cyberspace Invades Personal Space. Xamax Consultancy. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.rogerclarke.com/DV/IPrivacy.html
Allen, M. (n.d). Internet Communications Concepts Document. Curtin University of Technology. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://lms.curtin.edu.au/webapps/portal
Anderson, N. (2009). The Future of the Internet is... Regulation?. Ars Technica. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/02/the-future-of-the-internet-is-regulation.ars
Current Internet Regulation Issues. (2004). EURIM - The European Information Society Group. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.eurim.org/briefings/IWF_eurim2.htm
Internet Censorship: Law & policy around the world. Electronic Frontiers Australia. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.efa.org.au/Issues/Censor/cens3.html
Tyler, J. (2003). When Can I Expect an Email Response? A Study of Rhythms in Email Usage. ECSCW. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.ecscw.org/2003/013Tyler_ecscw03.pdf
Tschabitscher, H. (2008). How Many Emails Are Sent Every Day? About.com. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://email.about.com/od/emailtrivia/f/emails_per_day.htm
Goodfellow, B. (2008) Getting Control of Your Email. CPA Tech Advisor. Retrieved May 16. 2009, from http://www.cpatechnologyadvisor.com/print/The-CPA-Technology-Advisor/Getting-Control-of-Your-E-mail/1$2163
Thorsen, T. (2005). China opens game addiction clinic. CNET.com.au. Retrieved May 16. 2009, from http://www.cnet.com.au/china-opens-game-addiction-clinic-240055783.htm
Guttridge, L. (2005). Korean StarCraft gamer dies. Play.tm. Retrieved May 16. 2009, from http://play.tm/news/6353/korean-starcraft-gamer-dies/
Foster, D. (1996). Community and Identity in the Electronic Village. Internet Culture. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://services.exeter.ac.uk/cmit/media/texts/porter1996/foster1996_community_and_identity.pdf
Young, K. (1999). Internet Addiction: Symptoms, Evaluation, And Treatment. Innovations in Clinical Practice. Retrieved May 16. 2009, from http://www.netaddiction.com/articles/symptoms.pdf
Monday, May 18, 2009
Let off??
Well last Friday I was made redundant...
Two more weeks and then I'm let off.
I wasn't really phased at all. It turned out to be a great opportunity to finally get a chance to move in with my gf and get a better job in the big smoke.
Turns out that the recession is hurting the Uni's badly as well and she is unable to leave res, even if financial difficulties were taken into consideration! They say they have 70 vacancies (apparently 14 is really bad and means they aren't doing their job...) so even if she could leave, she would need to pay for the rest of the year :s
So yeah, that's thrown a spanner in the works. Now I'm really not sure whether it's best to try and stay where I am and get a job, or move closer to her and try and find one there.
Hard to say how long my savings will last if i move. Rent in Melbourne is shocking.
Even if i could find a job in my current location, I would probably only be in it for 6 months before moving to Melbourne when my gf can leave the uni residence...i doubt employers would agree with that.
Then when i tried to get the ball rolling to get on benefits today, they told me that they can't do anything until THE day I leave the job...not a day less or a day over as that means I wouldn't be able to apply?? Makes no sense to me either. Hate for something to happen and I'm unable to attend the local Centrelink on THAT day.
Decisions, decisions...
Two more weeks and then I'm let off.
I wasn't really phased at all. It turned out to be a great opportunity to finally get a chance to move in with my gf and get a better job in the big smoke.
Turns out that the recession is hurting the Uni's badly as well and she is unable to leave res, even if financial difficulties were taken into consideration! They say they have 70 vacancies (apparently 14 is really bad and means they aren't doing their job...) so even if she could leave, she would need to pay for the rest of the year :s
So yeah, that's thrown a spanner in the works. Now I'm really not sure whether it's best to try and stay where I am and get a job, or move closer to her and try and find one there.
Hard to say how long my savings will last if i move. Rent in Melbourne is shocking.
Even if i could find a job in my current location, I would probably only be in it for 6 months before moving to Melbourne when my gf can leave the uni residence...i doubt employers would agree with that.
Then when i tried to get the ball rolling to get on benefits today, they told me that they can't do anything until THE day I leave the job...not a day less or a day over as that means I wouldn't be able to apply?? Makes no sense to me either. Hate for something to happen and I'm unable to attend the local Centrelink on THAT day.
Decisions, decisions...
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Refine, Define
Now to improve the chances of getting the best possible results.
for starters "the smallest dinosaur" is a little broad and could be refined a bit more. It's fairly specific, but can be interpreted in a lot of different ways which can lead to varied results.
* To obtain the largest number of hits, adding some logic to the search term will help.
With that in mind, dividing the string with OR operands will yield the largest number of results.
ie. "the smallest dinosaur" becomes "smallest OR dinosaur" which in tern, yields 63,100,000 results in Google! Big difference from the original 188,000 results.
* To refine the search more, the AND operand will make the search a little more specific by only including results which contain all terms
ie. "smallest AND dinosaur" yields 315,000 which is less than "smallest dinosaur" which yields 409,000
* To refine the search even more and only include results from Universities, add "AND university"
ie. "smallest AND dinosaur AND university" which produces 168,000 results.
These results are best if using operands to refine, but I still think that the best method to refine and define is to ask a question.
"what is the smallest dinosaur"
138,000 results. smallest number so far. funny enough, the first result was the first from my original search, but the rest of the results are a lot more specific.
for starters "the smallest dinosaur" is a little broad and could be refined a bit more. It's fairly specific, but can be interpreted in a lot of different ways which can lead to varied results.
* To obtain the largest number of hits, adding some logic to the search term will help.
With that in mind, dividing the string with OR operands will yield the largest number of results.
ie. "the smallest dinosaur" becomes "smallest OR dinosaur" which in tern, yields 63,100,000 results in Google! Big difference from the original 188,000 results.
* To refine the search more, the AND operand will make the search a little more specific by only including results which contain all terms
ie. "smallest AND dinosaur" yields 315,000 which is less than "smallest dinosaur" which yields 409,000
* To refine the search even more and only include results from Universities, add "AND university"
ie. "smallest AND dinosaur AND university" which produces 168,000 results.
These results are best if using operands to refine, but I still think that the best method to refine and define is to ask a question.
"what is the smallest dinosaur"
138,000 results. smallest number so far. funny enough, the first result was the first from my original search, but the rest of the results are a lot more specific.
Organising the web
Copernicus was right; the Earth does revolve around Google...um i may have miss paraphrased that...
One thing is for sure, Google has boomed and all due to an endeavor to organise the vast amounts of data on the Web.
To be honest, I can't remember the last time I used a search engine other than Google to find stuff. It has so many things going for it. Simple interface, Quick loading, great results, customisable.
For the purpose of this blog, I visited a couple of other alternatives I used years ago. MSN and Yahoo and was shocked to see so much advertising :S
Yes Google does have advertising, but it is far more subtle and not so in-your-face. It doesn't appear to be as commercialised as other search engine alternatives either.
Now for the tute.
Pick my fav search engine and search. easy.
Google: "the smallest dinosaur"
First Result:
1. What Was the Biggest Dinosaur? What Was the Smallest?
17 May 2001 ... The smallest dinosaurs were just slightly larger than a chicken; Compsognathus ("pretty jaw") was 1 m (3 ft) long and probably weighed about ...
pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dinosaurs/sizes.html
Total Results: 188,000 (0.26 seconds)
Now the comparison. I picked Copernic from the list.
My first impression? ewww. any piece of software that requires me to give out my name, email etc before i can even install it gets a big thumbs down from me.
The concept though is interesting. A do-it-all program that covers net and desktop search.
My first search was exciting! lots of status bars! lists of search engines the search term was being matched against! Only downside was the speed...or lack there of. It was a pretty slow search, but I wasn't too fused as it was very much like a cross referencing meta engine.
Copernic: "the smallest dinosaur"
First Result:
1. Dinosaure. Ask.com. 98% relevance.
Total Results: 30
Ouch, that was disappointing. Only 30 results, and the first result was a "sponsored link" which in reality was a link to the ask.com engine...with the misspelled term "dinosaure" (come to think of it, it's actually the french spelling...but odd none the less)
At this time, I think ill stick with Google ;)
One thing is for sure, Google has boomed and all due to an endeavor to organise the vast amounts of data on the Web.
To be honest, I can't remember the last time I used a search engine other than Google to find stuff. It has so many things going for it. Simple interface, Quick loading, great results, customisable.
For the purpose of this blog, I visited a couple of other alternatives I used years ago. MSN and Yahoo and was shocked to see so much advertising :S
Yes Google does have advertising, but it is far more subtle and not so in-your-face. It doesn't appear to be as commercialised as other search engine alternatives either.
Now for the tute.
Pick my fav search engine and search. easy.
Google: "the smallest dinosaur"
First Result:
1. What Was the Biggest Dinosaur? What Was the Smallest?
17 May 2001 ... The smallest dinosaurs were just slightly larger than a chicken; Compsognathus ("pretty jaw") was 1 m (3 ft) long and probably weighed about ...
pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dinosaurs/sizes.html
Total Results: 188,000 (0.26 seconds)
Now the comparison. I picked Copernic from the list.
My first impression? ewww. any piece of software that requires me to give out my name, email etc before i can even install it gets a big thumbs down from me.
The concept though is interesting. A do-it-all program that covers net and desktop search.
My first search was exciting! lots of status bars! lists of search engines the search term was being matched against! Only downside was the speed...or lack there of. It was a pretty slow search, but I wasn't too fused as it was very much like a cross referencing meta engine.
Copernic: "the smallest dinosaur"
First Result:
1. Dinosaure. Ask.com. 98% relevance.
Total Results: 30
Ouch, that was disappointing. Only 30 results, and the first result was a "sponsored link" which in reality was a link to the ask.com engine...with the misspelled term "dinosaure" (come to think of it, it's actually the french spelling...but odd none the less)
At this time, I think ill stick with Google ;)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Reader
Well, the tute said to pick two i hadn't used before, but I've come across most on the list before, so I decided to pick a couple I wasn't particularly familiar with.
Adobe Reader. Pretty common, but I couldn't really tell you what its good for other than easily printing PDF documents lol.
First thing first. Installing it. I didn't need to as i already had the latest version, but from memory it is a pretty decent sized installation file considering what the program does; view and print PDF's...
The good thing is it's propriety and free. The catch comes when you want to be a little more adventurous and want to change or create a PDF document...then you need to purchase the proper writer version. Either that or use a program like Cute PDF :P
Despite the limited file types it can open and the limited operations it can handle, it's still pretty handy as a lot of formal documents on the web these days are in PDF format.
The other program I've picked is Apple Quicktime.
Usually i have nothing to do with Apple products as they are always lacking in some vital way, and always promote to be updated which is annoying.
The only reason i have Quicktime installed is for viewing .mov files. Other media players can achieve the same goal, but i find that it is also good for viewing file formats that other programs just can't handle. Or even for files which have some odd audio encoding that only really works for Quicktime.
The first thing i noticed was the amount of advertising for the "new and improved" pro version...gah I hate that. Especially when they offer menu options, only to be directed to a page advertising the other premium version...
The good thing about Quicktime is the clean interface. It's pretty straight forward and not too cluttered. Opens a large number of file types too.
Adobe Reader. Pretty common, but I couldn't really tell you what its good for other than easily printing PDF documents lol.
First thing first. Installing it. I didn't need to as i already had the latest version, but from memory it is a pretty decent sized installation file considering what the program does; view and print PDF's...
The good thing is it's propriety and free. The catch comes when you want to be a little more adventurous and want to change or create a PDF document...then you need to purchase the proper writer version. Either that or use a program like Cute PDF :P
Despite the limited file types it can open and the limited operations it can handle, it's still pretty handy as a lot of formal documents on the web these days are in PDF format.
The other program I've picked is Apple Quicktime.
Usually i have nothing to do with Apple products as they are always lacking in some vital way, and always promote to be updated which is annoying.
The only reason i have Quicktime installed is for viewing .mov files. Other media players can achieve the same goal, but i find that it is also good for viewing file formats that other programs just can't handle. Or even for files which have some odd audio encoding that only really works for Quicktime.
The first thing i noticed was the amount of advertising for the "new and improved" pro version...gah I hate that. Especially when they offer menu options, only to be directed to a page advertising the other premium version...
The good thing about Quicktime is the clean interface. It's pretty straight forward and not too cluttered. Opens a large number of file types too.
Utilising utilities
Something that I have overlooked in recent times is the value and convenience utilities can provide.
I was once a nut for utilities. I had hundreds of MB's of useful/useless programs.
My biggest problem was keeping them all up to date, keeping track of what I had and didn't have, and the occasional case of finding a utility that screwed my computer up big time :S
After hoarding so many across several computers, I knew it was time to stop and just let it go *sob*
As it turned out, it was around such time that I finally got my own (and fast) internet connection. The days of installing small programs was over. Everything I needed I could get online, or as a plugin.
However, I do have a small collection which i always use, and i was pleased to see a few of them in a list of utilities we are to test out in the week 4 tutes.
I was once a nut for utilities. I had hundreds of MB's of useful/useless programs.
My biggest problem was keeping them all up to date, keeping track of what I had and didn't have, and the occasional case of finding a utility that screwed my computer up big time :S
After hoarding so many across several computers, I knew it was time to stop and just let it go *sob*
As it turned out, it was around such time that I finally got my own (and fast) internet connection. The days of installing small programs was over. Everything I needed I could get online, or as a plugin.
However, I do have a small collection which i always use, and i was pleased to see a few of them in a list of utilities we are to test out in the week 4 tutes.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Web next
Web 2.0 is interesting as it isn't so much a "new" computer language rather a technology. A use of existing methods in a way that is different.
I guess the biggest and most well known use is that of Google and it's affiliates. Youtube, Gmail, iGoogle, Google maps, etc etc. they all make extensive use of Web2.0 technology.
The ability to dynamically update pages on the fly without a postback (ie. a reload of the page) is typically what Web2.0 is all about.
Not only does it look cool, but makes the overall web experience more fluid and quicker. Of course, it isn't perfect and is limited to the capabilities of Javascript, and that of the users computer and browser settings.
I guess the biggest and most well known use is that of Google and it's affiliates. Youtube, Gmail, iGoogle, Google maps, etc etc. they all make extensive use of Web2.0 technology.
The ability to dynamically update pages on the fly without a postback (ie. a reload of the page) is typically what Web2.0 is all about.
Not only does it look cool, but makes the overall web experience more fluid and quicker. Of course, it isn't perfect and is limited to the capabilities of Javascript, and that of the users computer and browser settings.
Broken record
By now its pretty clear what i think about blogs and social networking...
Needless to say, i don't really want to explain again why...even for a tute question.
I do agree there is a purpose and use eg. technical guide, Q&A, medical guide, status update. But some of the other applications are useful for a lot of people (millions it seems) but just not for me.
Needless to say, i don't really want to explain again why...even for a tute question.
I do agree there is a purpose and use eg. technical guide, Q&A, medical guide, status update. But some of the other applications are useful for a lot of people (millions it seems) but just not for me.
No go
According to the discussion board, the ftp tute isn't working as intended, so I might just skip over it and hope either a) it is fixed, or b) i won't get in trouble for not doing it!
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil
Copyright laws are interesting. It's a topic which makes people recoil, and others lash out.
Ask anyone whether they have broken copyright laws, and they will say never! Yet they somehow possess an extensive collection of movies, music and images on their computer...
So a discussion on Copyright on the web is often dismissed and not deemed to be particularly important.
The reality of such laws had quite and impact on me recently. A new client wanted to have their website remade. It turns out that they had been nailed for Copyright infringement! The majority of the images on the site had been stripped as they happened to have been lifted from another site, the the owners weren't happy and threatened legal action.
I'd have to say it's the first time I've heard of such a thing happening. I for one have not breached copyright on the test website i created. Having no images made that easier (and in hindsight i probably should have added one anyway...).
Something as innocent as adding the University logo to a page would be seen as a breach of Copyright. The logo is the intellectual and trading property of the organisation and is what they use to represent themselves. For someone else to use that what add an assumption that they are somehow speaking or acting on behalf of the organisation and so is not right without the explicit permission of the owner.
Ask anyone whether they have broken copyright laws, and they will say never! Yet they somehow possess an extensive collection of movies, music and images on their computer...
So a discussion on Copyright on the web is often dismissed and not deemed to be particularly important.
The reality of such laws had quite and impact on me recently. A new client wanted to have their website remade. It turns out that they had been nailed for Copyright infringement! The majority of the images on the site had been stripped as they happened to have been lifted from another site, the the owners weren't happy and threatened legal action.
I'd have to say it's the first time I've heard of such a thing happening. I for one have not breached copyright on the test website i created. Having no images made that easier (and in hindsight i probably should have added one anyway...).
Something as innocent as adding the University logo to a page would be seen as a breach of Copyright. The logo is the intellectual and trading property of the organisation and is what they use to represent themselves. For someone else to use that what add an assumption that they are somehow speaking or acting on behalf of the organisation and so is not right without the explicit permission of the owner.
Did you get stimulated? I sure did!
Yup, K Rudd stimulated me. $900 in the bank. Came through last week.
Interesting policy to say the least. Nearly impossible to gauge the magnitude of the effect it will make on the economy.
Locally though, it seems it has made quite an impact already. A client who happens to be a butcher was telling me that since the recent tax payments, business has gone through the roof. A lot of people have been buying meat in bulk as well as more gourmet options.
It seems that with a little money in the pocket, people DO want to buy scotch fillets!
Interesting policy to say the least. Nearly impossible to gauge the magnitude of the effect it will make on the economy.
Locally though, it seems it has made quite an impact already. A client who happens to be a butcher was telling me that since the recent tax payments, business has gone through the roof. A lot of people have been buying meat in bulk as well as more gourmet options.
It seems that with a little money in the pocket, people DO want to buy scotch fillets!
Windows Screensho7s
With all the hype going around about Microsoft's new addition, Windows 7, I have been tempted to download it and give it a shot, but I'm just too lazy :P
I was able to find a comprehensive list of screenshots outlining some of the features of the new OS.
It looks snazzy, but i feel it doesn't make good use of space. I'm not going to comment much more than that as i haven't had a good look at the functionality.
If the preliminary comments made by beta users are anything to go by, it seems promising...
I was able to find a comprehensive list of screenshots outlining some of the features of the new OS.
It looks snazzy, but i feel it doesn't make good use of space. I'm not going to comment much more than that as i haven't had a good look at the functionality.
If the preliminary comments made by beta users are anything to go by, it seems promising...
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Validate me
The next part to the week 3 tute. WWW Consortium validation!
Yikes, didn't really expect that I would need to run the page I made in the last post through the validator... silly really, considering this tute is about standards and correct coding! :o
Expecting the worse, there weren't many errors. 3 errors and 4 warnings. All 3 errors and 3 of the warnings related to character encoding and doctypes. In layman terms, the webpage didn't start with the correct document headers as outlined by the w3c's HTML 4.01 transitional standards.
Unfortunately that was one area that was overlooked in the tutorial.
You are probably wondering about the 1 warning I haven't talked about yet. Well it turns out I miss used the <b> bold tag and used it as a block level element >.< shouldn't use it to surround a chunk of tags. Ah well.
Yikes, didn't really expect that I would need to run the page I made in the last post through the validator... silly really, considering this tute is about standards and correct coding! :o
Expecting the worse, there weren't many errors. 3 errors and 4 warnings. All 3 errors and 3 of the warnings related to character encoding and doctypes. In layman terms, the webpage didn't start with the correct document headers as outlined by the w3c's HTML 4.01 transitional standards.
Unfortunately that was one area that was overlooked in the tutorial.
You are probably wondering about the 1 warning I haven't talked about yet. Well it turns out I miss used the <b> bold tag and used it as a block level element >.< shouldn't use it to surround a chunk of tags. Ah well.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Yay! Some coding!
Finally getting around to doing a little coding in this subject. Even if it is rather simple.
The tutorial was terrific! Very nicely laid out, easy to follow and very informative. Everything a learner needs to understand the basics of HTML (and a little CSS).
I was even impressed if the notes on possible shortcomings and things to look out for as well as tips and links to other resources.
So after following some of the tips and tags, i came up with this:
(gah! i wish this blog would just display the image in its original format and size...)
I already knew a lot of the tags described in the tutorial and didn't expect to learn much more, but i was surprised to discover several tags i never knew existed!
Tags such as the definition list, quote, and attributes for the horizontal rule might just be handy in the future ;)
I think HTML is still the simplest and the best. Modern scripting languages might enable people to develop funky looking sites, but sometimes the simplest of things are the best. There is nothing like a clean, well laid out site.
Obviously WYSIWYG editors, such as that in a blog are a great way to quickly make content, but even knowing a small amount of HTML can be far more powerful in what you are able to achieve.
The tutorial was terrific! Very nicely laid out, easy to follow and very informative. Everything a learner needs to understand the basics of HTML (and a little CSS).
I was even impressed if the notes on possible shortcomings and things to look out for as well as tips and links to other resources.
So after following some of the tips and tags, i came up with this:
(gah! i wish this blog would just display the image in its original format and size...)
I already knew a lot of the tags described in the tutorial and didn't expect to learn much more, but i was surprised to discover several tags i never knew existed!
Tags such as the definition list, quote, and attributes for the horizontal rule might just be handy in the future ;)
I think HTML is still the simplest and the best. Modern scripting languages might enable people to develop funky looking sites, but sometimes the simplest of things are the best. There is nothing like a clean, well laid out site.
Obviously WYSIWYG editors, such as that in a blog are a great way to quickly make content, but even knowing a small amount of HTML can be far more powerful in what you are able to achieve.
I have returned
Well, not really. I was always here, but as you probably noticed, I haven't posted in a long time.
Why? Not sure. Don't really have a lot to talk about, and constantly just posting about tutes is boring...too many are doing that.
I think of a blog as something "unique", so doing all the same ol' same ol' as everyone else in this course would be quite a drag on the tutors...I'd hate to sit through dozens of blogs with very similar content. That's not to say my blog is somehow different...it's hard trying to be "original" all the time.
So I come back to the original point; not posting for a while. Procrastination isn't going to help me pass this subject, so it's time i get stuck back into it.
Why? Not sure. Don't really have a lot to talk about, and constantly just posting about tutes is boring...too many are doing that.
I think of a blog as something "unique", so doing all the same ol' same ol' as everyone else in this course would be quite a drag on the tutors...I'd hate to sit through dozens of blogs with very similar content. That's not to say my blog is somehow different...it's hard trying to be "original" all the time.
So I come back to the original point; not posting for a while. Procrastination isn't going to help me pass this subject, so it's time i get stuck back into it.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Disjointed Conversations
heh it appears i missed one of the tasks in week2 tutes.
Well i decided to try MSN as the chat program.
It was a great start...I couldn't even install it...for some reason, the online downloading app just sat idol...no downloading progress. So i did the slightly convoluted way of installing it. I searched for an older, standalone version, and once that was installed, upgraded it with the streaming download.
This gave me the chance to see the two different versions of MSN. Quite frankly, i prefer the older look rather than the jazzy new interface, although the new interface is interesting and offers a little more in the way of customisation.
As with any new chat program, the path of the conversation i had was rather predictable. Starts of with the "hello!" "hi!" and works into the "so where are you from?" to "what do you do for a living" and "i like artichokes too!!!" and before long, they get the general gist of sending messages, and turn to the more annoying past times of emotes, and MSN specific "winks" and "nudges" >.< gah!
I'd like a dollar for every different emote, wink and nudge i received ;) hehe
But in all seriousness, i found MSN to be rather good. Not spectacular nor inadequate, but it seemed it has been created for it's purpose; sending quick messages and the exchange of greetings.
I'm used to Skype which is essentially a VOIP or in other words, online telephone system which happens to have the added advantage of chat, and file transfer.
It's clear to see that MSN is far more suited to messaging than chat. setting up voice was a pain and when it did finally work, not everyone was easy to hear. Skype is far superior in that regard.
Over all, i think MSN is a pretty popular and useful tool. The adverts are annoying but most can be removed and from time to time, the connectivity can drop out for no apparant reason, but as i sooned discovered after mentioning it to my friends, most people seem to use it as a means of staying in touch.
Well i decided to try MSN as the chat program.
It was a great start...I couldn't even install it...for some reason, the online downloading app just sat idol...no downloading progress. So i did the slightly convoluted way of installing it. I searched for an older, standalone version, and once that was installed, upgraded it with the streaming download.
This gave me the chance to see the two different versions of MSN. Quite frankly, i prefer the older look rather than the jazzy new interface, although the new interface is interesting and offers a little more in the way of customisation.
As with any new chat program, the path of the conversation i had was rather predictable. Starts of with the "hello!" "hi!" and works into the "so where are you from?" to "what do you do for a living" and "i like artichokes too!!!" and before long, they get the general gist of sending messages, and turn to the more annoying past times of emotes, and MSN specific "winks" and "nudges" >.< gah!
I'd like a dollar for every different emote, wink and nudge i received ;) hehe
But in all seriousness, i found MSN to be rather good. Not spectacular nor inadequate, but it seemed it has been created for it's purpose; sending quick messages and the exchange of greetings.
I'm used to Skype which is essentially a VOIP or in other words, online telephone system which happens to have the added advantage of chat, and file transfer.
It's clear to see that MSN is far more suited to messaging than chat. setting up voice was a pain and when it did finally work, not everyone was easy to hear. Skype is far superior in that regard.
Over all, i think MSN is a pretty popular and useful tool. The adverts are annoying but most can be removed and from time to time, the connectivity can drop out for no apparant reason, but as i sooned discovered after mentioning it to my friends, most people seem to use it as a means of staying in touch.
Clarity
It was a surprise to see senator Conroy on Q&A last night. I think it was a very brave move considering the turmoil he's created in regards to the compulsory internet filter.
What was more of a surprise was my reaction by the end of the program! He pretty much summed up what i suspected; people have blown the scheme way out of proportion, and that the sensational claims have no factual basis.
In some ways i was very disappointed in the scheme in the first place. I don't think its the responsibility on the Government to enforce such restraints, but then again, it's their responsibility to do what it can to protect people that are unable to do so themselves such as children.
It was reassuring to know that the scheme is very much in a trial phase. And that, even after these trials, nothing is final and if the scheme falls over, they wont continue with it.
I say that if the filter does significantly slow the net, then of course they wont go through with it. But it seems it is part of a feasibility study to see if a number of systems, brought together, can make a difference and improve the safety of the net.
For all those out there saying "OMG! they can't censor the net! what about freedom of speech!?" well i have news for you: stop being a moron and actually look into what exactly you are saying...the filter is not designed to filter political content nor block peoples views...it is designed to block content that is ALREADY regulated by the ACMA. ie. content that is already considered inappropriate. content that is already classified but has skipped such classification because of the nature of the internet.
If you think that freedom of speech is an issue here, it's highly likely that you are a 1st year Arts student who after a few weeks of studying sociology, think you are the almightly expert on the topic. Either that or an easily convinced and simple minded fool who is likely to join your local universities Communist Socialist group.
If none of the above applies, then grow up and act your age. Use some common sense, and do some research before blurting out sensationalist and unfounded claims. Even just an hour of research will show you what the goals and objectives are of the scheme.
What was more of a surprise was my reaction by the end of the program! He pretty much summed up what i suspected; people have blown the scheme way out of proportion, and that the sensational claims have no factual basis.
In some ways i was very disappointed in the scheme in the first place. I don't think its the responsibility on the Government to enforce such restraints, but then again, it's their responsibility to do what it can to protect people that are unable to do so themselves such as children.
It was reassuring to know that the scheme is very much in a trial phase. And that, even after these trials, nothing is final and if the scheme falls over, they wont continue with it.
I say that if the filter does significantly slow the net, then of course they wont go through with it. But it seems it is part of a feasibility study to see if a number of systems, brought together, can make a difference and improve the safety of the net.
For all those out there saying "OMG! they can't censor the net! what about freedom of speech!?" well i have news for you: stop being a moron and actually look into what exactly you are saying...the filter is not designed to filter political content nor block peoples views...it is designed to block content that is ALREADY regulated by the ACMA. ie. content that is already considered inappropriate. content that is already classified but has skipped such classification because of the nature of the internet.
If you think that freedom of speech is an issue here, it's highly likely that you are a 1st year Arts student who after a few weeks of studying sociology, think you are the almightly expert on the topic. Either that or an easily convinced and simple minded fool who is likely to join your local universities Communist Socialist group.
If none of the above applies, then grow up and act your age. Use some common sense, and do some research before blurting out sensationalist and unfounded claims. Even just an hour of research will show you what the goals and objectives are of the scheme.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Email Lists
Well my experience of email lists was mixed.
I joined a Lord of the Rings email list focused around the books and the movies, and half the time, people wouldn't respond to others emails, and when they did, it was rather easy for the topic to go off on a tangent.
Despite that, it was a rather unique way to discuss topics.
The best bit is you don't necessarily need to look at topics you have no interest in as is sometimes the case with forums and discussion boards, and you can contribute and view posts on the go if your mobile has email access.
I will stick with forums, as it is a lot easier to follow the flow of the discussion, and i get enough spam everyday as it is :P
I joined a Lord of the Rings email list focused around the books and the movies, and half the time, people wouldn't respond to others emails, and when they did, it was rather easy for the topic to go off on a tangent.
Despite that, it was a rather unique way to discuss topics.
The best bit is you don't necessarily need to look at topics you have no interest in as is sometimes the case with forums and discussion boards, and you can contribute and view posts on the go if your mobile has email access.
I will stick with forums, as it is a lot easier to follow the flow of the discussion, and i get enough spam everyday as it is :P
Communicating on the Web
Ah yes, more tutes to document...
Other information that can be gleamed includes other recipients of the email, if it has been forwarded, the past senders of the email (in the body of the email), time and date the email was sent, and if the sender has a signature attached to the email, pretty much everything about the person including phone number, address, place of work, etc!
In regards to emails, essentially it allows the sender of the email to add additional recipients to an email. The same objective can be achieved by adding such recipients to the 'To' field, but the discrepancy is that if the email is not necessarily addressed to the recipient, it is better practice to add them to CC. It notifies all the recipients that those added to CC are being sent the email for refernece purposes.
BCC on the other hand, is similar to CC although no one knows that the email has been sent to them. It is a great way to address an email to a lot of people without everyones email address being visible to all recipients. Newsletters for example can benefit as each email may be sent to thousands of recipients and they don't neccessarily want to have to see thousands of email addresses on their newsletter!
Also, using a program to zip the files to a .zip or .rar format will ensure that the files sent are small in size, and won't be blocked my email filters.
On a more obsure note, keeping the name of the file simple and oppropriate will stop attachments from being blocked, but will also let the recipient know what the file contains.
Others include rules that automatically send emails to certain folders in my inbox that are either from certain senders, or have certain titles (regular newsletters etc) and filters that block pesky senders.
It helps to break up all the emails into types so that i don't need to sift through hundreds of emails for the one I need or filter the list by name, date etc.
- What information about a user's email, the origin of a message, and the path it took, can you glean from an email message?
Other information that can be gleamed includes other recipients of the email, if it has been forwarded, the past senders of the email (in the body of the email), time and date the email was sent, and if the sender has a signature attached to the email, pretty much everything about the person including phone number, address, place of work, etc!
- In what cases would you find it useful to use the 'cc', 'bcc' and 'reply all functions of email?
In regards to emails, essentially it allows the sender of the email to add additional recipients to an email. The same objective can be achieved by adding such recipients to the 'To' field, but the discrepancy is that if the email is not necessarily addressed to the recipient, it is better practice to add them to CC. It notifies all the recipients that those added to CC are being sent the email for refernece purposes.
BCC on the other hand, is similar to CC although no one knows that the email has been sent to them. It is a great way to address an email to a lot of people without everyones email address being visible to all recipients. Newsletters for example can benefit as each email may be sent to thousands of recipients and they don't neccessarily want to have to see thousands of email addresses on their newsletter!
- In what ways can you ensure that an attachment you send will be easily opened by the receiver?
Also, using a program to zip the files to a .zip or .rar format will ensure that the files sent are small in size, and won't be blocked my email filters.
On a more obsure note, keeping the name of the file simple and oppropriate will stop attachments from being blocked, but will also let the recipient know what the file contains.
- What sorts of filters or rules do you have set up, and for what purpose?
Others include rules that automatically send emails to certain folders in my inbox that are either from certain senders, or have certain titles (regular newsletters etc) and filters that block pesky senders.
- How have you organised the folder structure of your email and why?
It helps to break up all the emails into types so that i don't need to sift through hundreds of emails for the one I need or filter the list by name, date etc.
Shout!
Wow! I'm actually impressed with blogging for the first time!
Don't worry, I still dislike it with a passion, but the ability to add widgets and gadgets is amazing if you have a look around.
Having used forums quite a bit in the past few years, I naturally was curious to see if it was possible to add a Shoutbox to the blog.
For the uninitiated, a Shoutbox is a little area set aside so that people can make a quick and brief remark about anything on a site.
More often than not, it's a great way to have a quick convo with all the users on the site at the time. The best bit is it keeps track of all the past messages that have been left.
So i was amazed to find ShoutMix which not only provides you with the code to make such a box on any website, but allows you to fully customise it!
<--- So go check it out over here and tell me what you think :)
It takes all of a minute to sign up, generate your own shoutbox and place it on your site :)
Don't worry, I still dislike it with a passion, but the ability to add widgets and gadgets is amazing if you have a look around.
Having used forums quite a bit in the past few years, I naturally was curious to see if it was possible to add a Shoutbox to the blog.
For the uninitiated, a Shoutbox is a little area set aside so that people can make a quick and brief remark about anything on a site.
More often than not, it's a great way to have a quick convo with all the users on the site at the time. The best bit is it keeps track of all the past messages that have been left.
So i was amazed to find ShoutMix which not only provides you with the code to make such a box on any website, but allows you to fully customise it!
<--- So go check it out over here and tell me what you think :)
It takes all of a minute to sign up, generate your own shoutbox and place it on your site :)
New Google panic button!
While browsing the net, i came across this new feature for Gmail.
Pretty much it's a button that can stop the sending of an email. If you accidentally send an email to the wrong person, or discover a mistake just after you have already sent the email, you can hit the button and it will stop it from being sent.
Although you only have a 5 second window of opportunity to stop the email from being sent, I think it's a pretty cool feature which i will probably use a lot!
Pretty much it's a button that can stop the sending of an email. If you accidentally send an email to the wrong person, or discover a mistake just after you have already sent the email, you can hit the button and it will stop it from being sent.
Although you only have a 5 second window of opportunity to stop the email from being sent, I think it's a pretty cool feature which i will probably use a lot!
The leaking sieve
A recent revelation for the proposed nationwide Internet Filter has been the supposed "leaking" of the ACMA's Internet Filter Black List.
Obviously, the ACMA has comeback saying that it is not the same list and that there are some inconsistencies. Even if it isn't 100% current, it is still a very damaging leak and one that has placed doubts in the minds of even the biggest advocates of the proposal in it's ability to adequately achieve the intended objectives...
P.S. you may find that due to the huge surge in traffic to the wikileaks.org website, you may not be able to access it from time to time.
Obviously, the ACMA has comeback saying that it is not the same list and that there are some inconsistencies. Even if it isn't 100% current, it is still a very damaging leak and one that has placed doubts in the minds of even the biggest advocates of the proposal in it's ability to adequately achieve the intended objectives...
P.S. you may find that due to the huge surge in traffic to the wikileaks.org website, you may not be able to access it from time to time.
A drop in the ocean
In case you haven't heard (been living in a cave for the past year?), the Australian Government has proposed a nationwide, compulsory, ISP based, web filtering system with the intention of "protecting our children" from the evils of the Internet.
The primary aim is to block child porn sites but it appears as though the scope of the filter is being extended to include other "inappropriate" sites.
Currently in a testing phase with a handful of (unknown and small time) ISP's, the project has been met with strong resistance from the general public as well as the countries biggest ISP's including Telstra, iiNet and Internode.
Quite frankly, I can't see how this project can possibly come close to protecting our children from being exposed to elicit content on the Internet. For starters, the filter will only block a couple of thousand sites with an anticipated number coming closer to 10,000. But with over 4,200,000 porn pages on the Internet amounting to 400,000,000 individual pages, it will only be a drop in the ocean...
I agree, children being exposed to pornographic images and content on the Internet is a serious issue, but wasting vast amounts of money on a system that is flawed and unreliable (has a great potential to block legit sites), and will slow down the Internet is not a step forward, but a set back.
The solution? Education! and parental responsibility! it doesn't matter what you do, kids will ALWAYS be exposed to situations that are not child friendly. That's life. But punishing the public is not going to ease the problem.
Parents MUST be held responsible for the actions of their children. Too often, kids are let go and are free to get into trouble and mischief. Supervision will significantly reduce the problem and education about the dangers of the Internet must be taught in schools, the same way that kids are taught not to talk to strangers.
We need to recognise that technology and the world is changing rapidly and being complasent about educating children about new and present dangers won't cut it anymore.
The primary aim is to block child porn sites but it appears as though the scope of the filter is being extended to include other "inappropriate" sites.
Currently in a testing phase with a handful of (unknown and small time) ISP's, the project has been met with strong resistance from the general public as well as the countries biggest ISP's including Telstra, iiNet and Internode.
Quite frankly, I can't see how this project can possibly come close to protecting our children from being exposed to elicit content on the Internet. For starters, the filter will only block a couple of thousand sites with an anticipated number coming closer to 10,000. But with over 4,200,000 porn pages on the Internet amounting to 400,000,000 individual pages, it will only be a drop in the ocean...
I agree, children being exposed to pornographic images and content on the Internet is a serious issue, but wasting vast amounts of money on a system that is flawed and unreliable (has a great potential to block legit sites), and will slow down the Internet is not a step forward, but a set back.
The solution? Education! and parental responsibility! it doesn't matter what you do, kids will ALWAYS be exposed to situations that are not child friendly. That's life. But punishing the public is not going to ease the problem.
Parents MUST be held responsible for the actions of their children. Too often, kids are let go and are free to get into trouble and mischief. Supervision will significantly reduce the problem and education about the dangers of the Internet must be taught in schools, the same way that kids are taught not to talk to strangers.
We need to recognise that technology and the world is changing rapidly and being complasent about educating children about new and present dangers won't cut it anymore.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Path Finder 2.0
Well after downloading the suggested freeware tool 'A-Tool bar' http://www.tucows.com/preview/323577
It crashed when i went to run it. Damn you 64bit Vista!! Ah well. I have a better idea anyway ;)
Visual trace route! http://visualroute.visualware.com/
This site only has two starting locations, but offers an interesting way to represent tracert information. Better standalone programs are available which achieve a similar result.
When i used the tracert command via command prompt, I had about 21 hops with an average ping of 119ms. The only latency was between the Sydney and Perth routers which makes sense.
It crashed when i went to run it. Damn you 64bit Vista!! Ah well. I have a better idea anyway ;)
Visual trace route! http://visualroute.visualware.com/
This site only has two starting locations, but offers an interesting way to represent tracert information. Better standalone programs are available which achieve a similar result.
When i used the tracert command via command prompt, I had about 21 hops with an average ping of 119ms. The only latency was between the Sydney and Perth routers which makes sense.
Path Finder
It seems the tasks are getting a little more interesting now...
Time for some trace route.
A lot of "fun" (depends what tickles ya fancy ;) ) can be had doing a tracert to different servers and seeing what routers you get a response from.
One method is through a website such as http://network- tools.com/
A quick trace to curtin.edu.au reveals a list such as what follows:
What it reveals is a list of routers that relay requests from the site to the Curtin Uni server.
Time for some trace route.
A lot of "fun" (depends what tickles ya fancy ;) ) can be had doing a tracert to different servers and seeing what routers you get a response from.
One method is through a website such as http://network- tools.com/
A quick trace to curtin.edu.au reveals a list such as what follows:
What it reveals is a list of routers that relay requests from the site to the Curtin Uni server.The IP addresses are those of each router on the way, and the three sets of numbers in microseconds are the average response times (ping) to and from the router. Obviously the lower the ping number the better.
What's interesting about this particular trace is that there appears to be some latency issues between hop 9 and 10. If the next set of pings were lower again, then the spike could be disregarded as a router priority issue. In such a case, a high ping is not due to latency and is not really an indication of the true ping to that router.
Also the timeouts may be due to a firewall in the way. The average ping to the Curtin server (ip: 134.7.179.56) is about 243ms.
I booked it!
That's right, I have my tickets to attend the Australian International Airshow!
I can't wait!
I've been once before as a kid and loved every minute of it. I guess living near a RAAF base most my life fueled an interest and love for all things that can fly. Dad used to park on the RAAF road so we could watch the touch-and-go at night.
The RAAF roulettes are pretty amazing too. I would often watch them practising above the house.
Also sometimes at night I could feel the bombs going off at the bombing range which was a good 30km away!
I can't wait!
I've been once before as a kid and loved every minute of it. I guess living near a RAAF base most my life fueled an interest and love for all things that can fly. Dad used to park on the RAAF road so we could watch the touch-and-go at night.
The RAAF roulettes are pretty amazing too. I would often watch them practising above the house.
Also sometimes at night I could feel the bombs going off at the bombing range which was a good 30km away!
Monday, March 9, 2009
FTP - File Transfer Pleasure!
When first asked to use FileZilla for some tute questions, i was pretty wrapped as I use it on a daily basis.
So much of my work involves uploading files to hosting servers and to date the easiest and smoothest way has been to use a third party program like FileZilla. The best part is that you can use it in either passive or active mode which is great for servers that are configured differently.
Refer to this link for info on the two different modes: http://www.slacksite.com/other/ftp.html
I can think of far more exciting things to do with ftp technology, but alas, I had to find a file and quote this: "CAPITALIZATION MATTERS!" ...which was actually fun! As the server was full of random stuff! Some of the photos where quite nice, but I'm too scared to post any in case I over stayed my welcome >.>
So much of my work involves uploading files to hosting servers and to date the easiest and smoothest way has been to use a third party program like FileZilla. The best part is that you can use it in either passive or active mode which is great for servers that are configured differently.
Refer to this link for info on the two different modes: http://www.slacksite.com/other/ftp.html
I can think of far more exciting things to do with ftp technology, but alas, I had to find a file and quote this: "CAPITALIZATION MATTERS!" ...which was actually fun! As the server was full of random stuff! Some of the photos where quite nice, but I'm too scared to post any in case I over stayed my welcome >.>
Some flowers and a kiss should do it
Wow! Blogs are such high maintenance!
Let them go a couple of days and they want to know where the hell you have been!
I now have my first comments (yay) and reactions. Although I did forget that i had enabled comment moderation >.< (sorry everyone)
The subject in general has been crazy. So much reading, writing, monitoring, commenting. I'd hate to think what it would be like if i was doing the standard four subjects...
Maybe if i give my blog some flowers it will behave *wink* *wink* .
Let them go a couple of days and they want to know where the hell you have been!
I now have my first comments (yay) and reactions. Although I did forget that i had enabled comment moderation >.< (sorry everyone)
The subject in general has been crazy. So much reading, writing, monitoring, commenting. I'd hate to think what it would be like if i was doing the standard four subjects...
Maybe if i give my blog some flowers it will behave *wink* *wink* .
Sunday, March 8, 2009
I want more
After doing the telnet tasks, i wanted to do a bit of exploring and see what other hidden gems are out there in the interwebs ( :P )
Well i was a little disappointed. It's hard to find any good ones that are still operating.
When i stumbled across the dr.nostrum.com (port 2000) Mud, I got freaked out and halted my exploration for a while. Something about text based role playing games is unsettling...
Well i was a little disappointed. It's hard to find any good ones that are still operating.
When i stumbled across the dr.nostrum.com (port 2000) Mud, I got freaked out and halted my exploration for a while. Something about text based role playing games is unsettling...
cmd Telnet
I've had to do a few tasks for my course. Sometimes the best way of doing things also happens to be the simplest.
In this case, the humble command prompt is by far the best way to use telnet. Jazzy GUI's are great and all, but why bother when you can achieve the same results with a couple of written commands? xcopy is also a great example of just how powerful DOS prompt can be.
So what did I need to telnet to? Deakin Uni's Library! It's interface brought back memories of using the old macs at the local community library as a kid.
A quick search for "bennahum" gave me the following results:
Now this is a good use of DOS and telnet! Starwars animated in ASCII characters! :D
A quick telnet to towel.blinkenlights.nl brings up the fourth episode of the series. Albeit it is unfinished which is a shame (yes, i actually sat down to watch it all!) but still rather ingenious in the creators use of characters to form images.
I've always had a soft spot for ASCII images. I'm not sure what it is, but i guess it brings back memories of Dad printing them out on the noisy dot matrix printer.
In this case, the humble command prompt is by far the best way to use telnet. Jazzy GUI's are great and all, but why bother when you can achieve the same results with a couple of written commands? xcopy is also a great example of just how powerful DOS prompt can be.
So what did I need to telnet to? Deakin Uni's Library! It's interface brought back memories of using the old macs at the local community library as a kid.
A quick search for "bennahum" gave me the following results:
Of all the possible authors in the world to search for, the creator of the tutorial decided to pick the name of a guy who wrote a finance book, and happens to have the same last name as someone who wrote a book on dance... Ah well, at least the name kept me amused during the course of this task.
Now this is a good use of DOS and telnet! Starwars animated in ASCII characters! :D
I've always had a soft spot for ASCII images. I'm not sure what it is, but i guess it brings back memories of Dad printing them out on the noisy dot matrix printer.* ,MMM8&&&. *
MMMM88&&&&& .
MMMM88&&&&&&&
* MMM88&&&&&&&&
MMM88&&&&&&&&
'MMM88&&&&&&'
'MMM8&&&' *
|\___/|
) ( . '
=\ /=
)===( *
/ \
| |
/ \
\ /
_/\_/\_/\__ _/_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_
| | | |( ( | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | ) ) | | | | | | | | | |
| | | |(_( | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
jgs| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
http://www.xmission.com/~emailbox/ascii_cats.htm
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Circles, lines and triangles
Well I've just spent the last six hours doing some R&D for my flashy new banner! Check it out and tell me what you think!
I'm pretty thrilled with it. To be honest, I had no idea what it would eventually look like, but I think the elements have come together to mimic an authentic looking Soviet poster :)
I'm pretty thrilled with it. To be honest, I had no idea what it would eventually look like, but I think the elements have come together to mimic an authentic looking Soviet poster :)
What's in a Name?
Well those of you who have decided to read through my first post and onto the next have made a conscious decision to persevere with my ramblings and probably have a few questions to ask.
I bet the first of which is "how on earth did you come up with the name of your blog??" followed closely behind with "so if you are so against blogging, what made you change your mind?"
Well I'll explain the later first which will help to explain the former.
The reason I've started a blog is because i need to. Study is a funny thing. It often makes you do things you really thought you would never do, as well as achieve things you never thought possible. Maybe over the course of the next fourteen weeks you will bear witness to something truly amazing; A cynical and tenacious "non-believer" adapting and embracing the blogging revolution! ...or maybe the experience will just reinforce what i already believe ;)
I just happen to be undertaking a correspondence subject with Curtin University in WA. The subject is different in that it's a technical IT course, but incorporates a philosophical componant. It makes you think out side the square a bit and looks at basic internet concepts in a variety of ways. One aspect involves maintaining an online blog.
The title of my blog is kinda in reference to the "Iron Curtain" that formed post World War II dividing Europe. The "them" and "us" mentality i have in regards to blogging is represented and the lifting of the curtain is symbolic of my willingness to "break down the wall" of resistance I've put up against anything to do with blogging.
Yeah it's pretty deep, but now that im in the swing of things with blurting out thoughts, theres no stopping me!
I bet the first of which is "how on earth did you come up with the name of your blog??" followed closely behind with "so if you are so against blogging, what made you change your mind?"
Well I'll explain the later first which will help to explain the former.
The reason I've started a blog is because i need to. Study is a funny thing. It often makes you do things you really thought you would never do, as well as achieve things you never thought possible. Maybe over the course of the next fourteen weeks you will bear witness to something truly amazing; A cynical and tenacious "non-believer" adapting and embracing the blogging revolution! ...or maybe the experience will just reinforce what i already believe ;)
I just happen to be undertaking a correspondence subject with Curtin University in WA. The subject is different in that it's a technical IT course, but incorporates a philosophical componant. It makes you think out side the square a bit and looks at basic internet concepts in a variety of ways. One aspect involves maintaining an online blog.
The title of my blog is kinda in reference to the "Iron Curtain" that formed post World War II dividing Europe. The "them" and "us" mentality i have in regards to blogging is represented and the lifting of the curtain is symbolic of my willingness to "break down the wall" of resistance I've put up against anything to do with blogging.
Yeah it's pretty deep, but now that im in the swing of things with blurting out thoughts, theres no stopping me!
Friday, March 6, 2009
And so the journey begins...
Now this is definitely something i never thought i would do; start a blog.
For years i have proclaimed to the world (which really only encompasses a handful of friends who are still willing to listen and a couple of random people on the street who probably don't know what the 'Internet' is anyway...)
opps, i guess I've now joined the count less millions world wide who use such services to "have their say" and to show the world how "unique" they really are. Oh, yeah, i shouldn't forget the most important reason! To "network" with other people!
What does "Networking" even mean? Is it no longer cool to just "make friends?" or to "meet new people?" lol, i guess i must be behind the times or maybe just not that easily influenced with the latest crazes and trends.
Like all trends, they eventually fade away and become replaced by new ones. I can't see blogging being any different. Well, i guess there will always be blogging, but its popularity will decline as new technology pushes new and engaging concepts.
Now that I've gone out on a limb, here is a list of suggestions for any up and coming bloggers out there (*warning the following list may be inappropriate for some younger readers*):
For years i have proclaimed to the world (which really only encompasses a handful of friends who are still willing to listen and a couple of random people on the street who probably don't know what the 'Internet' is anyway...)
"I will never start a blog and i most definitely will not join a social network site!"
opps, i guess I've now joined the count less millions world wide who use such services to "have their say" and to show the world how "unique" they really are. Oh, yeah, i shouldn't forget the most important reason! To "network" with other people!
What does "Networking" even mean? Is it no longer cool to just "make friends?" or to "meet new people?" lol, i guess i must be behind the times or maybe just not that easily influenced with the latest crazes and trends.
Like all trends, they eventually fade away and become replaced by new ones. I can't see blogging being any different. Well, i guess there will always be blogging, but its popularity will decline as new technology pushes new and engaging concepts.
Now that I've gone out on a limb, here is a list of suggestions for any up and coming bloggers out there (*warning the following list may be inappropriate for some younger readers*):
- Beverages: siting here writing for so long is taxing. It's only just occurred to me just how thirsty i am. i guess it's time for another beer...
- Comfort: a comfy chair and a good quality keyboard is a must. I suggest a back lit keyboard for those long nights blogging. Either that or some lighting, which subsequently helps to avoid spilling the aforementioned beverage all over your desk, mouse, keyboard, computer, lap and good quality high back leather chair...
- Uniqueness: for most bloggers, making your blog stand out in the sea of spam is a must. I for one couldn't care less, but if becoming a blogging superstar appeals to you, have a signature trait of sorts which you use across all your posts. Wh3th3r it b3 r3placing 3v3ry "e" in your posts with a "3" (not r3comm3nd3d), or something a little more original, having that strange or unique factor can be the difference between a bland blog and a popular blog.
- Styles: theres nothing worse than reading a page thats in a size 12, times new roman font on a white page...brighten it up! with so much css and html intergration plus a copious number of themes available, its criminal not to have a bash and google some code to give ya blog some bling. Its also a criminal offence in 32 different countries to over use fonts, colours and styles on websites, but its a blog! its "you"! jazz it up and go nuts! (refer to point 3, oh and yeah im not going to reference that statement as i have no concrete evidence to support it, which is often the case for most of my arguments...lol)
- Readership: even if you have no friends, blogging can be a great way to create some! whats the point of slugging it out in front of ya compy when no ones going to read your rants! make your blog live to the public, post it on appropriate blog exposure sites. try this link for a start: http://www.howtomakemyblog.com/how-to-set-up-a-blog/get-traffic-by-building-your-blog-awareness. You know you have succeeded when you start getting truck loads of spam comments on your blog as well as the occasional stalker trying to steal your identity. Better still, if you cant find any friends blogging, do what this guy did: http://namb.la/popular create your own! >.>
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