PCgamer20's Blog

For Tuesday, April 14

pcgamer20 — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:19:55 +0000

This article was written in 2006, but it begins talking about how AT&T will dominate the high-speed Internet service market. It then goes into talking about how users that want very fast speeds of the service would have to pay more. Later, the debate about “network neutrality” is discussed. This means that all data on the internet would be treated equally by broadband companies, which I agree with completely. I believe that broadband companies shouldn’t have control over the speed of the internet depending on what the user is doing. There should be one central fee that is paid for access, with no restrictions until data speeds are fast enough where data plans can be established to people based on who paid what. By data plans I mean when they start talking about having network traffic split-up into fast, slow, and medium lanes. This is said to help improve efficiency, but it is also costly for equipment. I don’t have a problem with firms managing data to help improve efficiency, but as soon as they try to control it and privacy is evaded, that’s when I am not as favorable. “Traffic jams happen. There is no end in sight for those traffic jams. The traffic jams are worse at certain times of the day. Whether it’s the 405 or the Internet.” If we use carpool lanes to allow some cars to bypass traffic on our freeways, Cuban asked, why not add HOV lanes to the Internet, so that media that needs fast service can get to its destination more quickly? I really like this statement by Cuban because it makes a lot of sense and I also like how he compared it to a real life situation.

“Hands off the internet!” Something I agree with completely. Some fear that by having Internet “fast lanes” to satisfy high-bandwidth needs could be the end of the Internet. With internet speeds continually increasing, I really don’t think that this whole packet filtering for high-bandwith sites is necessary. The demand for the “faster lane” service is out there, which is why some companies pay a premium for it. I think it’s smart on the ISP’s part by wanting to charge content providers like Google and Amazon to have their services available to users, but this would ultimately cause chaos. Though I do believe the internet isn’t bad the way it is now which speeds increasing, many seem to believe it could use some fixing to improve efficiency.

For Tuesday, April 7

pcgamer20 — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:40:54 +0000

http://www.microsoft.com/midsizebusiness/industries/automotive-technology.mspx

Talks about how cars will serve more as a platform with 35% of the value of the car being electronics. Gives examples such as Microsoft Sync and other types of hands-free operation.

For Thursday, March 26

pcgamer20 — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:30:05 +0000

Data mining sounds a lot like how RFID works, except it sounds a little more complicated. The Wikipedia article is just your basic background information and tells how data mining works and what it is. As long as the research does not go as far as seeing personal information about people then I don’t see why it wouldn’t be a bad idea. But when it goes past seeing a person’s confidential information and invading their privacy, then it’s gone too far. But by collecting certain types of information it seems that researchers can find better and more efficient ways of doing things. Once RFID becomes more popular, it will be much easier for researchers to discover information for Data Mining. This can be pretty scary though if they start accusing people of things by using association based off of things that people buy. Hopefully they will make some type of rule that prevents studies from getting too personal and out of hand.

I like the idea of statistical information though. Such as certain types of products being bought based on what their location in the store is. We talked about this concept in class with RFID. I’m curious as to when RFID will take over barcode.

For businesses, this type of data mining collection would be good because they can get an idea of who is willing to accept offers and who is not, based on the statistical information. This may even help them cut down on advertising costs by switching who they target.

From just reading the first few lines of the second article, I feel that this is the first step of trying to govern the internet…This article was also written in 2002, so who knows what types of things they are doing now in 2009 with technology that is much improved from 7 years ago. It sounds to me, as I read on, that this was a quick response to the events that had happened on September 11th. It sounds like a good idea as far as detecting terrorists, but it goes too far as to invading privacy of others. Also, it talks about how terrorists would eventually find out ways to avoid detection. Overall, I see how the government thinks it’s a good idea. I do think that the government will monitor the internet in the future, not anytime soon though. With technology upgrading as fast as it is, it makes you wonder as to whether these data mining techniques are integrated in.

For Thursday, March 19

pcgamer20 — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:49:08 +0000

http://www.rfid-weblog.com/50226711/rfid_being_used_to_counter_terror_in_germany.php

first article talks about how RFID face recognition can actually catch terrorists

http://i.gizmodo.com/319717/rfid-guardian-firewalls-your-personal-rfid-tags

Title says it all

For Thursday, March 12

pcgamer20 — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:45:27 +0000

This article is very interesting to me because I’ve never really thought in depth about how Google, or the internet in general, has altered the way we read. I almost have a feeling as if Nicholas Carr is right. Many of the situations he talks about relate to me exactly. I’ve never been a big fan of reading books, but it makes more sense to me now as to why I don’t find reading very exciting, and why it’s more difficult to stay focused. “That’s rarely the case anymore. Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do.” If I need to read a book for a class, I have to sit down and tell myself not to lose focus or get side tracked. Being someplace quiet with no computer or any other distractions help. Even then, it can sometimes be hard to complete the reading because my mind begins to wander. I agree with the part where he talks about the way we read books has changed. Since the information is available to us online, we can find an immediate answer. The problem is that it doesn’t always stick in our heads. If we forget, we can look back online again. But, a huge controversy nowadays is that many people are finding it difficult to read long books and articles because the way we get our information now is being altered by the internet. Carr states that because we skim small bits of information on the web, it changes the way the brain thinks and has an effect on when we read longer articles. “Even a blog post of more than three or four paragraphs is too much to absorb. I skim it.” For articles that are really long I will usually skim them unless it’s for a homework assignment or required to be read. I’ve used the internet for a long time, at least since I was five years old and I also have found it difficult for me to read long books and articles. “There are signs that new forms of “reading” are emerging as users “power browse” horizontally through titles, contents pages and abstracts going for quick wins. It almost seems that they go online to avoid reading in the traditional sense.” This just makes you think if this will change the way reading is taught in schools in the future. “It’s becoming our map and our clock, our printing press and our typewriter, our calculator and our telephone, and our radio and TV.” To me, this is only the beginning. With the technological advances I’ve seen in my short lifetime so far, the possibilities in the future are looking up. “The human brain is just an outdated computer that needs a faster processor and a bigger hard drive.” I agree with this statement completely, because there is no possible way that we could hold and process all of the information that is available to us on the web. We can process and hold bits and pieces of information, but it’s not possible to hold everything. After a while, sometimes we forget the information, and if we need it, the internet is available for us to quickly look it up. Because there is so much information, sometimes finding the right kind can be tough, especially if you don’t know how to search for it properly, or don’t know which sources are credible.

For Tuesday, Feb. 24

pcgamer20 — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:34:19 +0000

The article begins by talking about how the University of Washington is studying how college students function in the digital age. Next it talks about how there are two types of research, everyday life and course-related. It then says that the first step that most students take for everyday life research was Google. This is also very true for me. If I have simple questions or need to find news information fast, I can go to Google and, for the most part, find out exactly what I need to know. But when it comes to finding course-related research for a class, sometimes it can be more difficult. It also can depend on what kind of teacher you have and how picky they are on where you get your sources from. The next step that students said they take was Wikipedia. Usually the first source brought up after a Google search is a Wikipedia site. Sometimes this information can be unreliable but in most cases it isn’t. It then states that academic libraries, professors, and course texts were not used as sources in any of the examples that they heard from other students. This is not a very big surprise to me. The only way I would use any of those sources is if I could find absolutely nothing about my topic on the internet, which is very rare.

Next in the article was the frustrations and challenges. On all of the challenges that were stated for course-related research, I think I’ve encountered all of them at least once in my life when trying to write a research paper. For everyday research, I’ve run into a few of those problems, but it is easier to find a satisfying solution. In my opinion, it a lot easier to find information for everyday life than course-related. To be honest, I really think the hardest challenge to overcome is conducting research to meet another’s expectations. If you’ve got a teacher that expects a lot and is very strict on what your sources are and where you get them from, it can make things more difficult. Also, I believe that the person’s interest in the topic can effect on how much time and effort they put into the research. If I’m forced to do research on a topic I’m not interested, it’s not only going to make it harder but I may not put as much effort into finding information as I would if I had a topic I liked. The same goes for reading books and articles. If I’m forced to read something that I’m not interested in, I’m less likely to perform well on homework assignments or quizzes.

8 out of 10 students were self-described procrastinators. I consider myself a procrastinator. It’s been a bad habit of mine for a long time but I always seem to get the work done on time and in good condition. I also like to work on something for one long session rather than spacing it out into many small sessions. Very rarely will I start an assignment early unless I have a very high interest in it. Procrastination also helps me get motivated. When it is getting close to the deadline for an assignment being due, it is sort of a wake up call for me to get the work done. Doing research papers is one of my weaknesses but I usually always find ways to cope with my fear and stress of them. The ways can be different depending on the situation. Finding information usually isn’t my problem. How to start, what to write based on the information I found, and how to write it are usually the problems that I struggle with.

For Thursday, Feb 19

pcgamer20 — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:54:45 +0000

The Scientific Research Potential of Virtual Worlds starts off talking about how virtual world environments have made new research possible in social and behavioral sciences. The stat that caught my eye was that there were 8.5 million subscribers to World of Warcraft and 6.5 million to Second Life, and Second Life is free while World of Warcraft has a monthly fee. The article states that second life is good to conduct experiments in social psychology because real-world facilities can be built and subjects can be recruited. It says that World of Warcraft would be better for studying statistics examining social networks and economic systems because they are frequently used. Virtual World games online allow makers to experiment and study the actions of other users to enhance gameplay

At the beginning of scientists get a 2^nd life, it talks about how scientists do real research projects on Second Life, an online virtual world. Scientists even have their own lab buildings in the virtual world of Second Life. One of the scientists is building a virtual nuclear reactor to help train future engineers on how to deal with nuclear waste. This seems like it’s the beginning on how the virtual world will be used to train humans how to use skills they learn online in the real world. In the article it states that more than 300 universities and museums are a part of second life. Even organizations like NASA are involved. The article later talks about how scientist-avatars guide students through educational programs. It makes you think how long it will be before classes are offered to take on Second Life. Taking classes online is already an option at some schools, but taking it into a virtual world like Second Life is a whole new step. A stat in the article said that Americans make up less than one third of the members in Second Life and that more than 100 countries are involved. I had no idea how big the virtual world actually was. Anyone can listen to lectures that are streamed through Second Life’s audio system. In the future, images via webcam from live lectures will be streamed, making communication easier. Users can develop their own plants and animals into the second life world, but they can occasionally get out of hand and the creator has to delete them because they were designed too poorly.

Basically the articles talk about how people can learn skills in the virtual world to apply to the real world. New studies are available with these new virtual worlds. Even though the participation in Second Life in the U.S. is now at a low number, I believe it will increase as people become more familiar with it. It just makes you think of how the virtual world will evolve in years to come.

For Tuesday, Feb 10

pcgamer20 — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:43:18 +0000

The first article starts off with Mieszkowski talking about how easy her job is and how she can multitask while doing it. The job consists of doing tasks such as matching a color to a photograph. Fees can range from dollars to cents depending on the task. Thousands of workers have done tasks on Mturk.com. It’s cheap to pay the people to work and the work gets done more efficiently. But, it’s simply stated that if the companies don’t like the quality of work they are receiving, then they won’t pay them. Some complain that they should at least offer minimum wage. One person states that you could not make a living off doing this job alone. I tend to agree. Some people do the tasks just to pass time when nothing else is going on. After reading the article, I have a slight interest in trying transcription to make money online.

The second article starts off talking about a photo site called iStockphoto which is open for amateur photographers to sell their photography for low prices. This gives competition to professional photography which may be more expensive. The article then goes on talking about how companies have grown through contributions of online users. Then it goes into talking about how companies used to look overseas for cheap labor, but now everything can be done from anywhere as the people involved are connected to the network. Moving further into the article, it begins talking about how television shows are incorporating video clips from the internet. “The most efficient networks are those that link to the broadest range of information, knowledge, and experience.” I really like this quote because the internet has revolutionized the way of getting information. The way Wikipedia works is one of the best examples to compare to the quote.

What I learned from reading the articles is that companies can get work done by having people do small tasks online for them. It’s faster, more efficient, and cheaper. Companies can also learn on how to make improvements based on user input. Even though you probably can’t make a living off of doing tasks on Mturk.com, I’m sure that there will be more opportunities in the future on other sites. Having a virtual workplace like this can only make you think of what the possibilities are in the future virtual work world. Even having jobs in Second Life could be a future possibility.

Wiki’s

pcgamer20 — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:04:20 +0000

I definitely think that the use of wiki in schools at any level would be a great idea. With technology becoming more advanced, I believe that all students will be required to have a laptop for classes in the near future. Wiki’s, in general, are pretty easy to use, but even offering classes that teach students how to use wiki’s properly and efficiently would be a good idea. A wiki class might even be able to eliminate going to an actual classroom, being able to do work online from a home computer. It is also cheap and wouldn’t cost schools a lot of money to add in. Elementary school’s could have introductory classes with very basic assignments that get students in the swing of things. In middle school the classes could start to get more advanced. By the time the students reach high school and college they will have a great knowledge of how to use wiki’s perfectly. Then they will be able to use the knowledge they have learned in the real world after school.

Having wiki’s in the classroom would be a great idea because it could be used for homework assignments. First students would create their own accounts. Next, the instructor of the class could assign an essay. Then, let’s say someone posted up an essay looking for some proofreading help. Other students would be able to see and make transformations to the paper, and it would attach their name to the change so there is no confusion. Students could even help the person out by posting a link to an article that relates to the topic. Professors could give participation grades to those who help make corrections to the essay. Professors could also step in and make posts of their own. Additionally, students wouldn’t be able to toy with assignments that teacher’s post because it displays their name next to the post, based on the settings that are set

Also, Teachers and Professors would be able to post all homework assignments and provide links which help students process information. The best part is the option of keeping a history, which would be a great option for students to look back at old documents and information when having to prep for tests and quizzes. Students could even have fun and make FAQ pages.

This would not be a good idea if there was not someone to manage all of the information. But overall I believe that wiki’s would be a great idea to add into school systems. Just look at how far Wikipedia has come from 2001. It now has over 12 million articles.

Class Discussion

pcgamer20 — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:28:13 +0000

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/12/the-armys-new-f.html

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/07/mmog.html#previouspost