Computers... aren't forever.

More specifically, their brains- the hard drives. Sure, they're made to be as durable as possible but they're not fail-safe, as everything that moves in this world has an expiry date due to wear and tear. That said, how do we maintain our storage devices and keep them in tip top condition, and not have them die on us within a few months of intense downloading usage? After going through several techie websites and numerous user reviews, I've compiled a list of maintenance freeware that will help keep your hard drives going strong (or at least notify you when they're failing, so you can backup your pirated data asap!)

• Disk Space Fan - helps you understand how your disk space is really used.
• CCleaner - cleans your computer's crap (that's what the 'c' stands for anyway), such as internet history and cache.
• Decrapifier - removes even more crap from your computer!
• Defraggler - a small yet hardy program that organizes your memory for more efficiency

Sure, computers are machines but they're not invincible like Barcelona FC, so give them all the help they can get and they'll repay you with love, reliability! No more crashing computers in the middle of writing your COM 125 blog posts/research paper! :P

Robots... Today!

Nope, I'm not gonna post about the , I'm gonna talk about robots that the common man (that's if you're residing in Spain, anyway) can use, today! According to this article from prevailing gadget site Gizmodo, there's a bank in Madrid that's so massive in size that you've to use robots to navigate your way around! Unless you want a workout, that is.

Apparently, they're intelligent enough to avoid colliding into other robots and people (including marked pathways so they won't crash into say, a toilet). They basically look like Ferrari-red, enclosed moving chairs.

It's really amazing how machines such as these were but a product of science-fiction only a few years ago, but now it's all reality- tangible technology that we can actually use. Granted, it's exclusive to this bank and probably expensive as hell to acquire, but it's a promising sign of what's to come. DBS/POSB, your move! :)

Multimedia

Multimedia, very broadly speaking, is media that is multi-faceted. This means the audio, visual (still and moving), text and interactivity are all fused together in a package that delivers a more meaningful, comprehensive message to its audience, as compared to just a singular form of media. This relatively new, and constantly evolving technology didn't just improve interpersonal communication, but also enhances the way advertising is used in the cloak and dagger business world.

Back in the day when traditional media was king, companies advertised their products via newspaper (pictures, text); radio (audio) and billboards (pictures, text). With the advent of the internet and the surge of numerous computer-based technological advancements, multimedia came into inception, and businesses around the world began their foray into the digital realm.

Unica is one such company that helps other companies with marketing communication- they design websites, brochures, business cards, and help to maintain and update online content; more impressively, they even use modern social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to reach out to clientele. I particularly like their slogan: "Turning information into communication". That's what multimedia, in the context of marketing and advertising, to me, is all about.

Internet Insecurity

"There is no security on this earth. Only opportunity." - Douglas MacArthur

That doesn't mean you shouldn't secure your computer and give cyber criminals the opportunity to access your valuable data! Imagine, passwords for your email, chat messengers, your bank and Facebook account, all privy to someone with malicious intent. You wouldn't leave your wallet unattended or your house door unlocked, so why shouldn't you guard your e-self?

There are several types of evil in the wired world: Destructive, replicable viruses and worms, trojans, phishing scams, mal and spy ware... The list goes on. If you're familiar with your own system, and know how to identify and nullify these numerous threats... Congratulations! Otherwise, you're a sitting duck in this ever-advancing world; crime, is irrefutably shifting to... cyberspace.

Listen up closely, soldier. There are malevolent presences out there who want your data, either for money or just to feed their twisted, sadistic hunger for chaos. You can prevent this from happening by simple, commonsensical measures such as keeping your passwords safe, changing them occasionally, etc.

It's also essential to use, and regularly update, protection software (freeware! :) such as Spybot (privacy) and ClamWin (anti-virus). Watch out for online scams- they look remarkably like the real deal and it takes a sharp eye to spot the difference- but it could be remove the "in" from your "insecurity".

Be safe, not sorry.

Learning is fun.

Learning is not studying. The word 'studying', personally, conjures images of a despaired student hunched over a desk frustratingly yanking his or her hair because of his or her lack of ability to memorize, and the amount of inordinate stress placed upon said person. Learning, however, is subtly different- the true acquiring of knowledge, not hard-memorizing data through repetition.

That said, what IS e-learning? e stands for electronic, so it's obvious that the word implies learning through electronic (digital) tools, such as computer interfaces. While the positives may be aplenty, such as extreme convenience, flexibility and accessibility, there are several drawbacks as well. F2F remains the richest form of communication, and who's to say an online student may be AFK or checking his or her Facebook/MSN concurrently? This is the main reason why academic certificates granted over the internet are still not as recognized as the ones from standard, tangible, brick-and-mortar institutions.

However, that's not to say that digital learning is totally useless; on the contrary in fact. It enables sharing of ideas across borders, and the amount of rich media content can truly engage an individual or a classroom. The tricky part here is balance- harnessing the power of the internet and all of its digital counterparts, together with the essential element of actually being there with your instructor and classmates, to create a truly conducive learning environment for all involved. But with holographic technology on the horizon, who's to say that you have to be there, to be there?

What is FREEDOM?

Today we had a presentation on China's commmunications regulations- more specifically, regarding the omnipotent technology that is the Internet. While many aspects and topics were covered, such as the theory that a country's governance system generally decides the extent of control and freedom, we've also concluded that political history plays a big part as well.

In the feudal era, the emperor of China decided what was good for his populace, because in his mind they did not know what's good for them. Contemporarily, the government might have taken this very same deep-rooted perspective with regards to communication control. Perhaps the authorities feel that the citizenry isn't mature enough for self-regulation, and that too much freedom might result in chaos and social instability.

We shouldn't always look at things from the perspective of a Westerner, for opinions and perspectives differ broadly across cultures and continents. That said, the Grass Mud Horse is a pretty humourous and witty attempt from the Chinese at defying their government's stern stance on internet censorship! Do you see it in the picture below? Click on the link above to find (and laugh) out more!

Social Media

No, it's not media that is sociable per se (HA!), it's media that, in this context of internet computing, "describes the online technologies and practices that people use to share opinions, insights, experiences and perspectives with one another".

Surely, you'd have thought of several ubiquitous examples by now. Friendster, Facebook, MSN, Skype, blogs... Even podcasts are considered part of this ever-evolving aspect of modern living. Most people know how to use these technologies, but how well do you really know them? These that, in a mere decade ago, seemed absurd to even conceive of?

For instance, RSS is a tool that enables users to receive updates from online publishers as and when they choose to, greatly enhancing convenience for the regular visitor, while also ensuring that the publishers get their content fed to all who want to read them as efficiently as possible. It's almost like having a dog that fetches a select piece of newspaper from the newsroom, everytime a new story is published! RSS stands for Rich Site Summary, by the way.

According to some, the prevalence of social media has caused several problems (particularly for adolescents) such as internet addiction, social isolation and invasion of privacy; in my personal opinion, while all these are valid, noteworthy problems, it is just as important to realize that the technology of social media is an incredible power that works both ways- if used the right way, many, if not all, will stand to benefit from its host of advantages. Well, thanks to the online community encyclopedia that is the Wiki, you can find out more about social media... right now.

Google Docs > MS Word/Open Office?

V V

As diligent undergraduates, we have numerous research papers to write on a (much too) frequent basis; Microsoft Word and the free, open-source program that is Open Office are probably the most widely used platforms on which we compose our dissertations; while they offer a host of benefits such as formatting and solid stability, they have to be downloaded and installed to be utilized.

Now, if you were to use a public computer that has limited administration rights that prevents you from installing programs, you might not be able to do your homework there and then, and by the time you get home you'll probably forget the brilliant ideas you had in your head, due to distractions such as your Playstation 3 or Xbox.

The invention of Google Docs is a fantastic solution to this problem- you can do your work online anytime, anywhere, regardless of the computer you're on, so long as you've an internet connection. The other benefits, as listed on the official page, include:

• Upload from and save to your desktop
• Edit anytime, from anywhere
• Pick who can access your documents
• Share changes in real time
• Files are stored securely online
• It's free!

In my opinion, Google Docs is an extremely useful tool for everyone to compose essays/love letters and communicate project ideas on the go. Yet another awesome service from the computing behemoth that is Google. And no, I'm not working for Google... yet. ; )

Internet killed the Journalism star! Or has it?

Thanks to the advent of the internet, traditional journalistic elements such as the newspaper, radio and television have all lost a substantial share of their respective viewership. Most of the content available on the web is free and more importantly, dynamic. Pictures and videos of news articles can be easily saved and distributed via a host of communication technologies, enabling sharing and discussion between online users.

Of course, some still prefer to read the news off solid, recyclable paper; some'd rather get their fill off the car radio on the go; and some would rather the ubiquitous idiot box. There is no doubt that the internet has changed the way news is delivered around the world today; media corporations should (if they haven't already) use all platforms to complement one another in order to ensure they keep up with times, and ultimately, their customer.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

That's 10 'ha's for Cnet journalist Kent German's top 10 dot-com flops. Where there's light, there's darkness. Yin and yang. Black and white. North and South. What I'm trying to say is, there's always an opposite, a polarity. For every good idea in the world there's bound to be a bad one somewhere.

The hallmarks of the internet, such as Gmail, Facebook and Twitter were brilliantly conceived ideas. A really bad one, as listed in the article, is Flooz.com.

According to the author, Flooz is basically a third-party company that you buy credit from, credit which you can then spend at selected retail outlets. Have they ever heard of money? Why would anyone needlessly convert cash in the bank to an online currency that can only be used at a limited number of stores? The only justification for this was also non-existant: there was apparently (and fatally for Flooz) little to no incentive for anyone to do so.

Other than laughing learning how some good ideas went really bad, I also finally realized what IPO stood for! It's an abbreviation for initial public offering, and it's essentially when a company offers public shares to the public for the first time. Seriously though, it makes me wonder how the billions of dollars wasted on these successful failures could have been put to better use. Like so.

Introduction to Introduction

I've something to confess. The first time I saw the name of this module I was a bit cynical. Introduction to the Internet? At this time and age, is there a neanderthal who doesn't know how to use the internet to browse and communicate? Has anyone really not heard of MSN or Facebook? The infinitely pervasive and truly ubiquitous communication tool known as the internet is so essential to modern everyday living now that it sometimes feels like it's the only thing working with gravity to hold the world together.

I digress. After the first few lessons, I realized that there's so much more to just learning how to access the internet and its immeasurable amount of tools. Apart from gaining a bit more computing knowledge, such as the difference between the internet and an intranet, I've realized that it's important to also understand how the world has been, and is, constantly shaped by the web socially, politically and culturally. The intriguing Google v China issue will have far-reaching implications. I can't wait to see how this pans out. Will the world's largest search engine get its way, or will the rising economic behemoth that is China emerge victorious?

The basic history and evolution of the internet isn't something to be overlooked as well. As George Orwell once said, "He who controls the past, controls the future." To have a better grasp of the exciting future that bears so much potential, we have to appreciate how and why the internet was created. Which is why you should attend every class despite it being 830 in the am, like me! :) Stay tuned for more.