Thursday, November 30, 2006

Course Evaluation

I have thoroughly enjoyed this course. Since i'm a third year IT student, i found the topics to be very interesting and the tasks to be quite easy. Adam is a knowledgable lecturer and i liked the fact of him bringing in guest lecturers such as Jason Nelson and Stephen Stockwell. I also found that the movies shown in class tie in nicely with the topics that were discussed throughout the fornight. I, personally, do not think there can be much improvements made to this course. This is probably one of my favourite subjects that i have done throughout my tertiary studies.
I recommend my peers to take up this course as they will surely enjoy it as much as i did.

Tutorial 9 Task

I found this tutorial to be quite simple to understand and do. I have had quite a bit of experince with using Powerpoint due to numerous presentations that I have to do for several courses.
However, this exercise might stump beginners to Powerpoint but after they dabble in it, then it should be easy to use its various functionalities.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Lecture 9 Summary

In today's lecture we discussed the various Electronic Media Ages and how they evolved.

The first Electronic Medai Age involves Centralised Dissemination.

In which was primarily based on the concept of having more than one source but many receivers in return.
Because of this concept the network is very limited, the basis for this limitation is due to the educational, technical and financial boundaries which limited the capacity to send and receive messages from others.

The second Electronic Media Age involves Decentralised Interaction.

The concept of this era was that varioius people are able to talk to several people at the same time, however restrictions were still evident for instance internet aswell as computer literacy limits the amount of people whom can access this technology. On the otherhand clearly the internet has one major advantage as it enables users to illustrate their views and opinions freely to a global audience.

The other topics discussed in this lecture which I found to be quite interesting were the concepts of Utopia.

Utopia, a world of perfection - living harmoniously with technology. This statement introduces various questions.

Could this world ever exist?
Does our present world depict this idea of utopianism?
What are the complexities and limitations of such a world?

Are the machines and technology that humans continue to develop eventually lead to a surreal world of utopianism in the future?

Technology should not be developed to the stage where it can overthrow the human race. Humans should have full controll over technology. They are created to better our existence not hinder it.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Lecture 8 Summary

During the first half of today's lecture we watched a film called ExisTenZ. Set in the near future with technologies such as Virtual Reality Gaming, ExisTenZ presents its audience with the positive and negative aspects of this advance technology. The film ending gives the audience the feeling of being disconnected from reality without ever really knowing if the lives we live are real or just a system that we are ported into. I find that some concepts of this movie are linked closely to those featured in the Matrix. They both prompt viewers to question their existence. Are we slaves to our technological advancements? Are we living in the Matrix?

The second half of today's lecture Professor Stephen Stockwell discussed the themes of Democracy. Democracy can be broadly defined as a way we represent ourselves, it is a chance to state one's opinion. However with this free will of expression the Greeks experience exclusion of citizenship especially amongst slaves and women, clearly illustrating the unjust democracy of that era. The influence of Athens however soon spread to Europe during the 17th and 18th Centuries which prompted changes in France and Britain which can be said to be the foundation of the democracy we know today.
In today's democracy we practice the Freedom of Speech through various means such as the Representative Government this country is ruled by. In contrast the Media has been claimed to be a corporate government organisation that filters the news and illustrate certain opinions to society. In relation to the Internet, this technological application has enabled users to participate and deliver their opinions freely and self-debate, example of these include Blogs and Forums. Clearly the Internet is valuable as it empowers people to search for others opinions aswell as formulating their own.

Is the Internet an effective way to demonstrate democracy?

The Internet provides skills in self-efficiency, training users that in order to produce results one must work hard as Professor Stockwell states, "keep hacking at it" which applies directly to hackers. Stockwell views hackers a somewhat positive outlook and are not neccesarily deviants of society unless they are crackers (Criminal Hackers).

Are hackers training for a new type of democracy?

The Internet not only enable users to have skills in self-efficiency but also encourages users to use the Internet for political change. He gave a couple of examples on how normal people, without Web experience, can use the Internet as a tool for gathering opinions of people and use it to combat the government.

This lecture has given me the chance to view democracy in a new and invigorating light. It has prompted me to read thoroughly into cyber democracy.

Tutorial 8 Task

This task I found to be very easy, being a University student we have had exposure to Microsoft Word frequently however it helped me to hone my skills in word processing even more. In contrast the mail merge section was interesting because i have had minimal experience with it.

Possible Essay Topic

I was thinking of some essay topics that i could do for the essay and came up with a few ideas.

"The Effects of Mobile Phones and on Social Behaviour"

This will be an interesting topic with lots of sources i could reference to.
Nowadays it seems that everyone possesses a mobile phone and many cannot live without one. It has become a social norm which has its positives and negatives.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Tutorial 7 Task

I found this Excel exercise to be fairly easy to do since i have had experience using the program prior to this course. The menus and such for Excel is very similar to what is used in Word so understanding where the main features are is beneficial to knowing how to perform tasks. The formulas were easy to use and understand. Creating graphs can sometimes be a hassle but in this tutorial it was quite easy to comprehend.
I found using Macros to do the hardest task in this tutorial. It's very useful if you need to automatically calculate a series of data. It can be hard to get it working correctly but once its configured it will make the job alot easier.
Overall i found this tutorial to be very useful as it allowed me to gain a better understanding of how Excel works and to make full use of its capabilities.

Lecture 7 Summary

In today's lecture we were given an academic view of video games. There are various types of video games including arcade, consoles, computer, MUDs and MMOGS. Most people are exposed to arcade, console and computer games.

The medium of video games come from a range of disciplines for instance Narratology in which games focus on more on the storyline while in contrast Ludology focuses on the game and play elements of the game. An example of Narratology video games would be like the Final Fantasy series whereas Ludology would be like Counterstrike.
Though primarily video games were used for entertainment today some games allows the player to escape reality and invites them to live in a virtual world, a great example of this is the World of Warcraft phenomena. The interaction the users are able to have with the game characters creates a sort of obscure bond, that some people are not able to experience through social contact with humans, and the environment creates a backdrop for an unrealistic world filled with mystery and danger which can be tempting if your life is boring and monotonous.

On a final note games can be a great source of entertainment if it is indulged on occasions. But if it becomes part of who you are then lines should be drawn.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Tutorial 6 Task



Friends

The question of friendship arises with this picture.











High Tech

Human beings spliced with High Technology. Our future?




















News

The information that makes up the news is a distorted view of reality.





















Summer


This is a portrayal of the on-going weather changes due to global warming, that will eventually lead to our demise.














Games


A games to suit all ages












Celebrity

The bombardment of Celebrities














Still working on the 'success' one....

Lecture 6 Summary

In today's lecture Adam discussed the various current technological applications we use today which are continually emerging alongside the Internet.

Instant Messaging (IM) first became popular with the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) in 1988. However only text-based back then it was popular because of the real time communication between users. This was before chatrooms were implemented. ICQ (I Seek You) became an alternative as it allowed users to add personal contacts and to leave messages for users to retrieve at a later time. After the success of ICQ, a blethora of Instant Messengers emerged onto the market, today there are Instant Messaging software such as MSN, Yahoo, AIM, Googlechat etc.

Portable music and podcasting are clearly popular with the current generation of Internet users. This led to the development of numerous portable MP3 players such as Apple iPods and iRivers. MP3 are a proprieter format which means copyright laws apply to it.

Peer to Peer (P2P) and Filesharing are used by nearly everyone nowadays, it is a convienient way to exchange files and data between users however there is a lot of debate on the legitimacy of the data distributed.

Voice over IP (VoIP) and Voice Chat are technological applications that are currently emerging in our society at the moment. The introduction of these technologies are either going to be embraced by telephone companies or refused as they primarily allow users to make cheap telephone calls.

The second half of the lecture discusses the topics of Free and Open source software. Firstly Open source software is free for anyone to download and use an example of this would be the Linux operating system. The figure responsible for the introduction of the idea is Richard Stallman, which he refers to as copyright flipped over.
GPL is legally binded contract that control the use of the free and open source software, which protects the people whom invest time in making really good programs that are not sold for commercial gain. I learnt that Open source software offers us a way to get completely free software which is ecnomical, legal and moral.

It was interesting to find that Creative Commons allows people to apply a license to things that they create and subject to legal protection of some of their rights while being free from copyright. It gives people the freedom to use information without the free of being sued.
The EFF is similar to the Creative Commons as it deals with the law and digital media across the entire spectrum. They are both non profit organisations.

I found this lecture to be very informative as I gained some knowledge on the stuff that I could "borrow" from other people without being sued by them. But in order to know explictly about the laws that apply to digital content and such, I will read up thoroughly on this topic at my leisure. Yay.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Essay Topic Progress Report

I have done a bit of research for the first essay topic on the lecture notes for day 2. I find the question to be abit hard to understand. I will try to research more on this topic and also wait for more topics to come up before choosing the right topic for me.

Tutorial 5 task



Friends
When i hear the word 'friends' this kind of image comes to mind. A bunch of people making faces together at a camera. It is the epitome of friendship right here in this pic.


High Tech
When i think of high tech, the first thing that normally springs to mind are weaponry. For what reason, i dont know.








News
News nowadays feature alot on governmental issues which is illustrated so well with Bush's head in this pic. The guy with the awkward smile is Secretary Leavitt.

Summer
In Australia, most people will either relate summer to the beach or a bbq. This photo shows a girl floating around in a inflatable raft reading a book. I'm pretty sure she's enjoying her day.
Unconventional

This unorthodox medical treatment is done by heating the inside of a cup to get rid of oxygen and quickly pressing it tightly against a flat surface of person's body. It draws out harmful toxins from within the body.





University Life
This is a typical view of a university campus. Students walking in and out of the campus building holding books and backpacks. There are usually people sitting on the stairs too.

Lecture 5 Summary

In today's lecture we had guest lecturer Mr Jason Nelson whom discussed "Net.Art and Digital Creativity."

At the beginning of the lecture each student briefly introduced themselves and explained which course they were enrolled in. This gave the class the opportunity to know each other a little more and for a change gave a chance for an informal lecture.

In the past decade the Internet and its functionality has evolved. As Jason Nelson explains the Internet has been used to "shop" online through various mediums such as Ebay and pet.com which enabled users to "shop" online however a disadvantage with this technology medium is that the users are not able to physically inspect, touch and interact with the product. This can be further exemplified as Jason explains when a child purchases a toy usually they enjoy unwrapping the product, touching and interacting or playing with the product rather than viewing it on the computer which does not allow them to have the same interaction.
Jason discussed the 'number one economy source on the Internet' - Online Gambling. He illustrates that online gambling is dominately popular because of how effortlessly users can lose their money. Not suprisingly porn was the second economy source on the Internet as Jason outlined this is because of the privacy aspects as many users view as an advantage, as he exemplified.

Jason subsequently discussed the idea of the Internet being anonymous as fabricated. He illustrated that through the users IP address anyone can track where the user is located. Although this can be countered through a program called 'IP Blocker' which enable users to block other people from seeing what the user has downloaded.

Jason then introduced his digital artwork through his website : http://www.secrettechnology.com
I found it be very fascinating as he showcased his various digital art pieces. I found them intriguing on how and where he got his inspiration from in creating these digital art. Jason's digital art allows users to interact with the art pieces. Interestingly Jason said he was not really the artistic person which can create drawings or sculptures rather he said that technoloogy enable people without any talent a chance to create.

And through this he demonstrated that the Internet was full of 'one-day gimmicks'which people create, for instance the Million Dolloar homepage created by a young guy(http://www.milliiondollarhomepage.com/blog.php). This website is full of pixel images which are sold at various prices which ultimately made a million dollars in total.
This is an example of some of the gimmicks people create that can be found on the Internet.

Jason discussed also the idea of 'viral' which can be defined as an online flu pandemic, a certain object such as a video or an email spreading through the Internet at a fast rate.
Clearly the Internet's functionality is no longer traditional as it continues to evolve. I found this lecture to be very interesting and fascinating it gave me a different outlook of the Internet and its functions.

Lecture 4 Summary

In today's lecture Associate Professor Stockwell introduced to the class the topic of Virtual Reality. He enabled us to go beyond what we know as reality as Professor Stockwell illustrated as the 'positive realism' to a different world of virtual reality. During the 19th and 20th centuries "development in technologies...radicially altered the economy of the planet" (Stockwell) With these changes in turn it introduced screen age and virtual rationality.
Virtual Reality can be defined as "a system that enables one or more users to move and react in a computer-related environment"

The idea of virtual reality are evident today in movies such as the Matrix, which provided audience with a view into the future of computer generated worlds, which machines dominate humans, on the otherhand eerily to some certain degree isn't our society today dominately operated by machines?

For me I found it interesting to learn how Virtual Reality works by the convergence of techniques used in simulation, animation and computer games - entertainment as the catalyst for other purposes. Prior to this lecture, I did not know that there were varoius types of Virtual Reality simulations. Another point I found fascinating was the problems associated with dabbling in a Virtual Reality environment. The applications of Virtual Reality and its different uses has provided me with a new outlook on how to utilize this fast growing technological advancement.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Tutorial 4 Task

3D chat programs such as ActiveWorlds and IMVU are quite different to instant messengers such as MSN messenger and Yahoo Messenger. MSN and Yahoo allows users to chat on a more personal level without having to interact to strangers or have contact with anyone that is not welcome in the conversation. They are programmed so that you must manually add a friend onto your contact list therefore giving you the power to chat to only the people you desire. Active World allows anyone in the chat room to approach you and start a conversation.

I have also noticed that chat programs such as MSN messenger allows users to set their current status of availability - away, busy etc. This is a practical feature for use at work, school, uni and such. I view Active World more as a game then as a chat program as it encourages you to interact with members continuously. It doesn't allow the user to set their status as away or busy.
I personally prefer to use either MSN or Yahoo over the emerging 3D chat environments because they are more suited to my needs.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Tutorial 3 questions

What is a search engine?

A program that searches documents for specified keywords and returns a list of the documents where the keywords were found.

How do search engines rank the stuff they find on the internet?

The search engine lists the results according to how relevant they think it matches the search query. However sometimes the results returned have minimal relevance to the search query.

who, or what, makes one page (that you might get in your search results) more useful than another one, so that it is put at the top of your search results?

Results are listed on the top of your search results if they position the keywords in a sentence form so that the relevance to the query is clearly visible.

what are some of your favourite search engines? why do you like one more than others?

I normally use Google for searching because i find that the search results are more spot-on and the image search is quite handy and loads quickly. However i have started to use other search engines since commencing this course.

Can you find some current news stories about search engines? (for example, Google has been in the technology news a bit lately).

Google Earth discovering inland dunes shaped like arrowheads that may be sign of tsunamis.

Tutorial 3 Scavenger Hunt

1. What is the weight of the world's biggest pumpkin (include the year of this record, is there a more recent record)?
The largest pumpkin ever grown is 1,502 pounds. It was grown by Ron Wallace of Greene, Rhode Island. It was weighed in on October 7, 2006 at the Rhode Island Weigh-off.
(http://www.pumpkinnook.com/giants/record.htm through askjeeves)

2. What is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact Grant Hackett?

If you want to contact Grant, please write to the Miami Swimming Club, their address is:Miami Swimming ClubPO BOX 2461BURLEIGH QLD 4220
(http://granthackettonline.free.fr/?page_id=107)

3. What is the length of a giraffe's tongue?

It can reach to a size of 22 inches in length.
(http://www.bellsouthmspioneers.org/ZooGiraffes.htm)

4. How would you define "ontology"? In your own words, what does it mean?

Ontology is the study of being or existence. Ontology can be said to study conceptions of reality. It has one basic question: "What is there?"
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontology)

5. What was David Lynch's first film?

"Six Men Getting Sicker" in 1967.
(http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=100454&mod=films)

6. When was the original "Hacker's Manifesto" written, and by whom?

January 8, 1986 by Loyd Blankenship aka The Mentor
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_Manifesto)

7. What is the capital of Bhutan, and what language do the citizens speak?

The capital city is Thimphu. Their official languages are Dzongkha and English
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhutan)

8. What is the cheapest form of travel from Bergen, Norway to Ornskoldsvik, Sweden?

Walking.....?

9. What song was top of the Australian Pop Charts this week in 1972?

The first time ever I saw your face by Roberta Flack

(www.weddingcentral.com)

10. What punk band was Stephen Stockwell (head of the school of arts) in?

The Black Assassins.

(http://www.brisbanewritersfestival.com.au/2005/content/standard.asp?name=StockwellS)






Lecture 3 Summary

During the third lecture of New Communication Technologies Adam discussed the topics of Media and how it has involved into various mediums.

The lecture began with a viewing of a short video clip titled "EPIC". It outlined issues relating to the rise of the Google empire and how competitors such as Microsoft implement their strategies to combat Google's success in the industry. The video was narrated in a chronological timeline illustrating how print media could soon be obsolete and be replaced by digital media. I found it to be very interesting and makes me think of how fast technology is growing in our world. I will definitely view the video again at a later date.

The lecture progressed with the discussion of academic principles used to investigate issues around communication which are:
  • Communication Studies
  • Media Studies
  • Cultural Studies

Adam talked about communication studies in the USA for the last century which listed significant events that occured each decade. Next was Culture Studies in Europe.

The last half of the lecture was reserved for the discussion of New Media, Internet Studies and Cybercultural Studies. It was broken up into three subcategories:

  • Popular Culture
  • Cyberculture Studies
  • Critical Cyberculture Studies

Monday, November 20, 2006

Lecture 2 summary

Today was the second lecture of the course New Communication Technologies. Within this second lecture the brief history of computers and the Internet was discussed.

Adam discussed the history of computers during the first half of the lecture. A prominent person in the early years of the computer was Charles Babbage whom invented the first digital computer. Computers, which I learnt today was primarily used for mathematical calculations, which is far from what computers are used for today!!!


The daughter of the famous poet Lord Byron, Ada was the first to conceive a machine which was was able to compose and play music, produce graphics and be of everyday use.
Alan Turing was responsible for the development of the computer. He hypothese that computers could be capable of computing numbers, thus the first computer was produced - the Bombe which to my suprised was used to break German codes during the war.
Gordon Moore introduced the Moore's Law which was the capacity of microchips doubling every two years.

Adam also discussed various large computer manufacturers such as Xerox PARC, Apple, IBM and Macintosh.

The second half of the lecture Adam outlined the Internet and its complexities. We viewed a short movie called Warriors of the Net which was a very informative and easy to understand explanation on the workings of the Internet. One thing that Adam noted " it is important to understand that the internet is not the same thing as the web ", this is a common misinterpretation that people make.

Today's lecture was interesting and informative - it gave me a different perspective of the Internet and the early stages of its creation.

Tutorial 2 task: Information about Blog Friends

By viewing my friends' blogs on their blogpage, I feel that i have learnt abit of them on a more personal level, especially in their introductory post. It allowed me to have a better understanding about their lives, their past and present. It also gave me a chance to see their writing styles.

Simer
Simer mentions about memory usage and performance requirements that is needs for 3D chat programs is much higher than instant messengers. This fact will be one of the deciding factors for many people when choosing the type of chat environment they will use. Even with the requirements listed on the website, users might still experience lagging due to the CPU memory that is required for smooth running.

Trent
By reading Trent's blogs, it can be said that he is quite clever. He voices his opinions well and has alot of say about the topics discussed in the lectures. His blogs are enthusiastic and can be funny at times.

Tutorial 2

Culture on the Internet

New communication technologies can be a very effective tool in allowing Internet users to communicate with family and friends without ever having the leave the comfort of your home. It is a fast, safe and cheap solution to keep in close contact with loved ones. It is fast becoming the preferred method for the younger generation over the telephone, written letters and other forms of 'old school' communication techniques.

I, personally, haven't had many experiences with making friends over the Internet. I don't frequent chat rooms due to the anonymity factor of Internet users. I would like to get to know someone and be able to judge if they are the person they portray. I feel that you cant really know a person unless you have met them in person. And even if u were to meet in person, the awkwardness is something i would like to avoid. I mainly use MSN messenger to keep in touch with relatives that are overseas and just general chatting to my friends. It is easy to use and gives me the flexibility to chat to whoever and whenever i want.

I have been using these technologies for approximately 7 years now. However, i started using them more frequently when i enrolled in the Bachelor of IT in 2002.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Lecture 1 Summary

Today was the first day of the "New Communication Technologies" course. The lecturer is Adam Muir and he is currently doing his PHD which will be completed at the start of next year.

When i first read the course outline and i saw things such as cd-roms and broadband as new technologies, i was like "wha..." but then adam explained that the outline is from 2001 ;)

He discussed the meanings of 'communication' and 'technology' using examples which gave the class a clear understanding of the words.
These two words can be defined as:
Communication is any process that transfers, transmits or makes information known to other people.
Technology is the scientific study of mechanical arts and their application to the world.

Technology can be split into two categories. They are 'analog' and 'digital' technologies. Analog technology functions by representing various forces and the modulation of these forces.
Digital technology relies on storing bits of binary information.

Another topic that was discussed was 'convergence'. It was also interesting =)
I look forward to learning more on the topics that will be covered in the rest of this course.

Introduction: First day of summer school

hellooo,

My name is Sam and this is the first day of "New Communications Technology/Communications and Digital technology". So far, this day had been quite interesting due to the fact that the lecturer is a funny guy.

A bit about myself:
im 22. I am doing the Bachelor of IT degree. I study at the Nathan campus but i live on the coast. This summer semester will be my last semester. I am unsure whether to do a Masters of Business Administration or to find a job. I am actually leaning towards studying part time and working simlutaneously. I'm abit worried about finding a job as i feel that the stuff taught in my lectures don't really apply to what is needed in the real world. But i will try my hardest to find a job i like and put everything I have into making it work out. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.

Sam