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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!