Week 5 Lecture!

Boy-exciting stuff this is! The lecture this week covered social media, web 2.0, virtual communities etc etc.
The early years of the internet were all about meeting people will similar interests to yourself. Now the focus has moved away from the groups of people with common interests to networks where you the individual is the common thread.

Tim O’Reiley and others made a new type of internet called Web 2.0. This new web included: Folksonomy, user-generated content and open API. The internet was no longer read only; average people could now contribute. Weblogs, social network services and content sharing communities came about.

We then talked about privacy. Who has access to the information we place on the internet? Who owns this content? To be honest, Im not sure. I think people like the believe they own their own stuff, but Im beginning to think not. Perhaps the site you are on eg// Facebook owns your stuff on Facebook. But is own the right word?

The difference between IM and 3D worlds…

MSN and 3D worlds are very different in my opinion. When you think of MSN I, personlly, think of teenagers talking to their friends overusing smily faces and the term ‘lol’. 3D worlds makes me think of weirdos on computers for hours, disguised as porn stars and buff men, when in fact, they are anything but. I suppose this could be the attraction to 3D worlds; Be whoever you want to be. Anyways, here are some of the differences I thought of:

MSN you have to approve who you speak to and have the ability to block them from communicating with you. Im not 100% what its like in 3D worlds but I don’t think it’s the same. On MSN you only talk to random people if want to and accept or add them.

On MSN you just type conversations to friends. 3D worlds you do more. I think its kinda like a game ??

MSN is a simple download and doesn’t use many downloads. 3D worlds eat downloads for breakfast.

These are a few differences I could think of. Im not an expert on either (I don’t use them!) so I could be completely wrong…im open to discussion!

MSN

Lecture 2

‘Every abstract machine is linked to other abstract machines,
not only because they are inseparably political, economic, scientific, artistic, ecological,
cosmic – perceptive, affective, acting, thinking, physical, and semiotic
– but because their various types are as intertwined as their operations are convergent.
Mechanosphere.’

Deleuze and Guattari A Thousand Plateaus

This was our introduction to the second lecture and I think it really summarises the content discussed. In the lecture, we learnt a bit about how the internet works (which kinda went over of head) and basic history of the computer and the internet. One thing mentioned in the lecture that grabbed my attention was the amount of money people can make in this industry! Like one of the founders of Apple Steve Jobs was worth over $100 million by the age of 25. Thats amazing. I mean, I do realise that a lot of work would have gone into the company, but still! Wow!

One of the key things learnt in the lecture was that – i would not have known this before nor would I have ever thought otherwise until now.

It is important to understand that the internet is not the same thing as the web.

The web is just one part of the broader internet which includes many other things as well as the Web.

The Internet is an interesting thing

When surfing the net, my engine of choice is google (like the mass majority Im assuming). It’s just so easy to use, fast, clear and convenient. Im also guilty of using Wikipeida more than I should. If I don’t know what or who someone is i use it as, once again it’s so easy! Of course, not for school work. We got me thinking, how do search engines work? So, i googled it and found a very interesting site – http://computer.howstuffworks.com/search-engine.htm/printable

It said – To find information on the hundreds of millions of Web pages that exist, a search engine employs special software robots, called spiders, to build lists of the words found on Web sites. When a spider is building its lists, the process is called Web crawling.  In order to build and maintain a useful list of words, a search engine’s spiders have to look at a lot of pages.

How does any spider start its travels over the Web? The usual starting points are lists of heavily used servers and very popular pages. The spider will begin with a popular site, indexing the words on its pages and following every link found within the site. In this way, the spidering system quickly begins to travel, spreading out across the most widely used portions of the Web.

“Spiders” take a Web page’s content and create key search words that enable online users to find pages they’re looking for.

Interesting stuff Im assured! Defiantly got to thank those little spiders, if they didn’t exist I’d be forever stuck in a library going through hundreds of books to find a simple answer. Thanks little guys, and thank you google.

Tute task 1

1.    What did Alan Turing wear while riding his bicycle around Bletchley Park?

A gas mask! Using a live search ‘Alan Turing bicyle’  the following page came up http://www.fusionanomaly.net/alanturing.html

2.    On what date did two computers first communicate with each other? Where were they?

I searched using AltaVista and got some great results. September 2nd 1969.
“Then there are the true purists who believe that Sept. 2, 1969, is the Internet’s real birthday. On that date, the world’s first router employing packet switching technology connecting two computers.” http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-5842105.html

3.    What is Bill Gates’ birthday and what age was he when he sold his first software?

By simply going to www.biography.com and searching for ‘Bill Gates’ I found the answers! His birthday is October 28th 1955 and he was 15 when he sold ‘traf-o-data’; a computer program that monitored traffic patterns in Seattle.
4.    Where was the World Wide Web invented?

Using the live search engine ‘World Wide Web invented’ this page was found http://www.boutell.com/newfaq/history/inventedweb.html. It tells me that Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau invetned it in 1990. I then searched again using this new information to discover another site http://www.bookrags.com/biography/robert-cailliau-wcs/, which says Robert Cailliau was in Belgium when the WWW was invented.

5.    How does the power of the computer you are working on now compare with the power of a personal computer from 30 years ago?

By live searching ‘Computer History PC’ i learnt that t he first PC ran on a 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 microprocessor (http://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/?year=1981) Nowadays, computers run on around 3.06GHz (using www.apple.com) So thats 4.77 MHz – 3.06GHz!
6.    What is the weight of the largest parsnip ever grown?

‘Heaviest parsnip’ was live searched. The results read – The world record for the heaviest parsnip is held by a Mr Norman Craven from Canada, weighing in at a colossal 12lb 9oz.
7.    When did Queensland become a state and why is the Tweed River in New South Wales?

‘Queensland history’ was live searched and this page was found http://www.qld.gov.au/about-queensland/history/
A section in the article reads – In 1851 a public meeting was held to consider Queensland’s separation from New South Wales. Queen Victoria gave her approval and signed Letters Patent on June 6 1859 to establish the new colony of Queensland. Thus, Queensland became a state on June 6 1859. The Tweed river runs along the border of Queensland and New South Wales.
8.    What was the weather like in south-east Queensland on 17 November 1954?

Using a yahoo search, I found a discussion board which was obviously created by another student in that same class! Their was a tropical cyclone.
9.    Why is is Lord Byron still remembered in Venice?

Using www.biography.com and searching for ‘lord byron’ I found that his name is infact George Byron. A live search was then done on George Byron and this page was found – http://www.englishverse.com/poets/byron_george_gordon
It says – ‘He moved on to Venice where he was feted by the Italians as a revolutionary poet’. So, he is still remembered because he was discovered, so to speak, in Venice.
10.    What band did Sirhan Chapman play in and what is his real name?

I once again used a live search on ‘Sirhan Chapman’ and discovered he played keyboards in the band The Black Assassins – http://www.blackassassins.net/CDlaunch.html. I then live searched The Black Assassins and found this site, http://members.optusnet.com.au/~toxicoh/blackas.htm. It displays:
Steve Stockwell: keyboards, vocals
Therefore, Steve Stockwell aka Sirhan Chapman played in the Black Assassins.

Beware: Parents want Facebook

Remember how time-consuming and painful it was to show your mum how to use a mobile? And then how to text? And then how to use predictive text? Well I do, and not that fondly. But that was for our benefit, no more phone calls from mummy, just a nice, discrete text message. The other day when my mum asked me to set her up a Facebook to ‘chat to old friends’ my alarm bells went off. No way am I having my parentals stalking my page, viewing my images and heaven forbid commenting me. 
Parents, we come from two totally different generations, Facebook was designed for us. We have been here longer than you (nearly 3 years I should brag), it’s time for you to back away from the computer. 

I started using Facebook many moons ago when my sister’s boyfriend’s friend told me to make one. As a gullible teenager I obliged and had a total of four friends. I’d never even met one of them, but apparently that’s ok on the Internet. I never regarded it as harmful, being friends with someone you don’t know, I wasn’t even fussed when I found out that Businesses could use your photos for advertising (honestly, off all the pictures to pick from, they choose yours? I think not.) But now that parents want to try and be hip and cool, I feel my privacy is in grave danger. 

We, as the people of tomorrow, need to stop this travesty from occurring. I’m am placing this information in your hands; do with it as you please. The future of your Facebook fun is at stake.

Move over iphone

Is this mobile the way of the future?

Top 5 Guilty Pleasures

C’mon, we all have them. Everybody has a few secrets regarding songs they like or TV shows they secretly adore, or even being quietly attracted to a not so attractive celebrity. Well here are my top five (guilty) pleasures that I’m sure others will agree with:

1. Girls of the Playboy Mansion on E! The show follows the lives of Hugh Hefner’s (former) blonde girlfriends Holly, Bridget and Kendra. At first glance many think its just ‘soft porn’ or trashy TV and too tell the truth its a little bit of both – but what a hoot! These girls are/were living the dream life with free trips to Europe, parties for their pooches and free plastic surgery! Its’ a secret love of mine that is now out in the open, and now I actually want to purpose the DVD’s also.

2. An obvious one, but still guilty. JUSTIN TIMERLAKE, what a babe. Whenever his songs come on the radio I can’t help but pump it up and jam along…only when alone of course.

3. Drinking milk from the carton. Again, sounds a little juvenile but lots of people think this is a gross act to perform and that milk is just for babies. Well I love it and I have a glass nearly every morning and night and because I don’t have to share, why bother with a glass??

4. Taking pictures with the sole purpose of posting them on Facebook. It’s like the grown up revision of dress-ups where the girls come around, you borrow clothes and do each others hair to basically look fabulous for possible friends.

5. To skip ahead and read the last page of a book to see how it ends. No explanation needed, I know it kinda spoils the book if you ever actually finish it, but really, how often does that happen?

Hello fellow bloggers!

As a first time blogger, or a ‘blogging virgin’ this all seems a bit strange to me – talking to oneself on the internet with the hope that someone out in the blogis-sphere will find it stimulating enough to read seems down right bizarre. But here I go.

The lectures for New Communications Technologies seem to go hand in hand with my nap time- no offense to the speaker. I’m sure what he is saying is highly valuable and I should be frantically scribbling down notes but my erratic and non-existent sleeping patterns make for an unsuccessful outcome. Perhaps I should sleep more, or just plain old sleep. 

The tute for the class did, however manage to grasp my attention. Facebook was mentioned so I found myself wide-awake. This is pretty much what happens every night before bed. “Oh, ill just check my Facebook quickly then ill go straight to bed.” But, unfortunately someone has posted new photos of me that I MUST comment on (or ‘untag’), or poked or messaged me and my self-control goes out the window. Two hours later I find myself lying in bed, overtired. I single handedly point the finger at Mark Zuckerberg. 

But enough about blogging and Facebook, what ever happened to Myspace? Do people still use this ancient form of communication? I, myself was a myspace addict in the early years of High School. It was pretty much the coolest invention since tamagotchis. But I cannot remember the last time I logged in. Was it just something that I out grew, or was it because I moved onto something bigger and better?  I’m thinking a combination of the two. Perhaps, Facebook will soon become obsolete in my life like myspace – perish the thought. Maybe five years from now ill find myself saying “ill just check my twitter account then go straight to bed…” I guess only time will tell.