MSN vs. IMVU

Well hello again!

Here is week 5 tutorial task. It asked us to examine both MSN and a 3D virtual world, such as IMVU, habbo hotel and sites like that.

Personally, I'm not a fan of 3D worlds, I think that's taking Internet chat rooms to the extreme!! So I'll try to remain unbiased.


What are the qualitative differences between the regular IM program and a 3D environment?

Being in a 3D environment gives the user a sense of 'reality'. The people that they are talking to on the computer have an avatar that it essentially them. Although it doesn't necessarily make the game being played a more realistic game, it just portrays that image.

What is different about the kinds of socialising that happens in these spaces? Does the 3D aspect make much difference?

Also, in 3D chat rooms there are quite a lot of players. They come from all over the globe, and could be anyone. This makes 3D chat much more dangerous then MSN, as the people you talk to on MSN are added by you. 3D Chat is especially dangerous for young kids, as thy are lured into the excitement of creating their own world, but not realising the dangers of talking to other people on the Internet.

Until the next chapter...
~Bre

Lecture 5

Well hello again!!

Surprised to see you here! How have you been? Enough chit chat, we have a lot to get through!!

Lecture 5 was one of the best so far. Well, that or last week, where we were watching awesome town!
*Come along with us!* *clap clap**come along to awesome town!* Good times.

This lecture was all about web 2.0 - Compared to web 1.0 (which, really, doesn't exist). It's the new web, just like a new generation! From what I understood of he lecture, Web 2.0 is a more 'user friendly' style of Internet, that has more features (including security) for users.

Also, is a more "read-write" style of content, where users can add information to pages (Such as Wikipedia, and even blogs)

We also looked at "Social Media" With the promise of getting over 100 followers I put the term "social media" into one of my tweets. Alas, No such luck! Perhaps everyone IS a social media expert... but I guess that just goes against the general definition of 'Expert'

The question "Are we consumers or creaters" was posed in the lecture, that really got me thinking, because we are definately consumers of the internet, we view things that really aren't ours..... But, on the other hand, if you have a facebook or a twitter then you are a creater, because you create something that other people consume!! I think therre is no clear line as to weather you are a consumer or creater, nor should there be!

Thanks to the lecture, I am not addicted to 'lamebook' - it's hilarious... I logged onto 'arsebook' - but quickly left... i'm not entirely sure how that is appropriate/relates to social media? Looked like a porn site to me?!



Until the next chapter....
~Bre

What a story!!

Check this out!! What a story!! It's about a boy who was 16 who used all sorts of technology to hack into phone lines!!

Worth a read!!!

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/29787673/the_boy_who_heard_too_much/print

Until the next chapter....

~Bre~

Lecture 1

The lecture for week one was mainly housekeeping for the semester ahead.

Assessment and content looks exciting, the trick is to keep up with the blogs (which, as you can tell, I've learnt the harder way!!!!)

Well, that's about it from my notes!!

Until the next chapter...

~Bre~

Lecture 2:Summary

Hey there!

So, lecture 2 was very information filled, leaving lots of time for sleeping! Just Joking! It was a really good lecture, about the history or computers! Stephen told us how the very first computers were used for maths and science, and I believe they were also used to keep cards or prisoners? Maybe I misheard, but I believe that was the case.

He also talked about how 'Apple' started at "Home Brew" meetings of IT 'nerds'.... Well, now those nerds are rich, so, I will never make fun of a World of Warcraft fan ever again. Well....maybe. No Promises.

I simply loved this quote from the lecture:


' (Cyberspace is) a common mental geography, built, in turn, by consensus and revolution, canon and experiment; a territory swarming with data and lies, with mind stuff and memories of nature, with a million voices and two million eyes in a silent, invisible concert of inquiry deal-making, dream sharing, and simple beholding '

Benedikt

It very much so captured the essence of the Internet, such a wonderful invention, that is so amazing, yet full of 'lies' and 'deal-making' - It captured the essence of the "two sided" Internet really well. That's what I feel Internet is, very two sided. The invention itself is wonderful, but the content that goes on within the Internet is anything but wonderful. It a very interesting point that Benedikt had made.

I also never realised that there was a difference between the "Internet" and "World Wide Web"

Overall the history of the Internet is amazing!! I can't wait to see what the Internet holds in the future!

Until the next chapter...
~Bre~

Lecture 3 and 4

This lecture was the materical for both lectures 3 and 4, as lecture 3 was a public holiday.

We spoke about camera angles and how different shots mean different things. I think that mostly camera angles are rather obvious, but I found it quite interesting to see how they are used to portray the "Who, What, When, Why, Where and How" of a film.

It was also interesting to see how just the Angles, but the spaces used in the shot. i.e - head space and such.

The rules such as the rule of thirds and the 180 degree rule were also extremely interesting things that I had never thought about before.

Overall it was some really interesting material that I learnt!! I hope I can now analyze movies and interpret them a little different when watching them through gathering this new information!

Until the next chapter...

~Bre~

10 Questions

Here are 10 questions from the tutorial task that I had to answer WITHOUT google or any popular search engine. Let's see how nerdy I can get!








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



Gas Mask (Lecture Notes)







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

1969. UCLA (ucla.com)










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


Born on Oct. 28, 1955. He was 13 When he first created and sold his first software. (Off Microsoft.com)








4. Where was the World Wide Web invented?

CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research), in Switzerland. (Yahoo! Answers)

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?

Many advances have occurred in the past 30 years if technology. This includes more space, data and memory. (Common Knowledge) :)

6. What is the weight of the largest parsnip ever grown?



8 pounds 6 ounces. (Ask.com)







7. When did Queensland become a state and why is the Tweed River in New South Wales?

June 6, 1859. Tweed river was a convenient landmark to make the distinction between NSW and QLD (http://www.qld.gov.au/)









8. What was the weather like in south-east Queensland on 17 November 1954?
Cyclone (Bureau of Meteorology)










9. Why is is Lord Byron still remembered in Venice?

He was a leading poet, and commonly known as the "Don Juan De Marko" of Venice, for his romance and antics with women. (Bing.com)

10. What band did Sirhan Chapman play in and what is his real name?

Black Assassins - Stephen Stockwell. (Bing.com)

Extra Stuff.....

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

Pages go in order of relevance to your key search words and by popularity!

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?

By companies that pay for search engines to put their business up the top! The businesses that have paid this fees have their adds up the top of the page.

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

Personally, I prefer using 'Google' - It's all about the was I was brought up with technology. When I was younger, the way to search on the Internet was google, no questions asked. I didn't even know that there were other search engines for years! I believe that it has a larger variety of sources and websites, and is also so plain and simple to use. The home page is never cluttered, type in what you're looking for, and BAM! there's your answer, first link on the page. Yes, I love google.

I also don't mind using "Yahoo! Answers" every now and then. You ask a question, and the wider public answers it for you. Sometimes it can be more reliable, especially when asking for personal opinions!!

My e-love life

Yes, I admit, I've been having an e-love life for the past, ohhh, I don't know, 6 years?

No, I don't mean dating online or falling in love with my World of Warcraft soul mate some where on the other side of the world. No, this love life is my love of the Internet. It all started when I was, oh, say, 12? *remembers in a dream like sequence*

I was possibly the only kid in my grade 7 class without MSN messenger. My parents refused to let me have MSN, because it was 'dangerous' and 'a waste of time'. I remember constantly begging my parents to let me have MSN - after all, I was allowed a computer in my room, but not MSN - how cruel! After months of begging, they still didn't give in. So, I went out to a friends house and created one. Yes, I created an MSN account that I would never use, but still, it meant I had one.

From there on in my love for technology only grew. I found Neopets, which was, at the time, the greatest website of all time. In about grade 8 My parents gave in, and let me have MSN, after I told them all the benefits of keeping in touch with my new 'high-school' friends. In about grade 9 I decided to create a 'MySpace'. It was all the rage, what, with changing background and songs along with commenting all your friends. It was all about who had the best home page and who had the most comments and friends.

I now also have a music myspace. It's about the only thing I use myspace for now days.

I jumped on the 'facebook' and 'twitter' bandwagons pretty quickly after they came out. I love using twitter, even with being called a 'twit'. I love to follow D list celebrities and politicians, as I believe they have the most interesting things to say.

I am often sceptical about social networking sites however. I see issues such as the multiple suicides due to bullying, and it really worries me. I try to analyse everything I am thinking before I post something on a website, because I am well aware that once things are on the Internet, they are out there for everyone to see. Especially as I want to follow a career as a politician, you would have for something as silly as a photograph of you partying get out.

But social networking sites aren't all doom and gloom. As longs as they are used properly then they can be lots of fun. After all, those facebook quizzes are ever so accurate, Looks like I'm marrying someone with the initials I.E - Thanks Facebook!! Now, I can scan all my future partners to make sure they have the right initials before we start dating.

I love Internet Explorer. Who knows, I might just marry it!

Until the next chapter.....

Bre
xx :)

the new reality...

I found this video on the Internet, and I found it really interesting. It talks about how the new technologies virtually drown out all old forms of communication. Videos, Newspapers and even P2P file sharing is all available for free on the Internet, causing leading businesses to fold their companies and focus just on their online counterparts. i.e - BBC and Life magazine.

It goes on to predict that most sources such as TV and Radio will only be used by online users, forcing a collapse in the television market. This video is quite a reality hit, and I'd definitely recommend taking a look. Although some of the information is quite far fetched, and not really backed up by any facts other than speculation, it is still a good watch, as long as it is taken light-hearted, and not literally.

Until the next chapter...

Bre

xx

Introduction to me!!

Well hello there! Thanks for coming to my blog! I shall try to make it as riveting as possible!

My name is Breanna Rose, but I get called Bre for short. I am 17 years old and am studying a Bachelor of Communication at Griffith University (Nathan Campus).

I have started this blog for the subject "New communication technologies". Basically I have to post a few time every week about my thoughts on the subject, plus, my tutorial activities - Fun stuff!

But, firstly, before I talk about boring old uni work, perhaps you'd like to know a little bit about me? (If not, go to page three, skip past the emerald forest, battle the three headed pig, then, deliver the secret package to the queen, then, once you have completed this quest, you may go on to my other posts!)

I work at a video store, which sounds like a great job, but takes a portion of my soul every time I go to work. I also work for Brisbane City Council. Well, I lie. I am employed with BCC, but only did a little bit of seasonal work. But still, the title "Casual Support Officer" has a nice ring to it. (Which I technically am)

I do voluntary work for Cr Shayne Sutton, Labor Leader of the Opposition. She is such a wonderful lady to take me under her wing, and I absolutely soak in all the information that I learn while I am in the office! I am majoring in Politics, and hope to eventually become a politician or work in the political sphere.

Well, I think that's about all for now.

Until the next chapter...
~Bre~