Internet - Impact

With the invention of the Internet, the speed of communication has speed up drastically that people from the last era could not have imagined. In the old days, it will take a letter a week or 3 weeks to its destination. Now e-mails has taken over the old form of letter, and to receive an e-mail it will only take nanoseconds. 

The speed of the Internet not only has improved in communication between friends and families, it has affected people in all different occupations such as business, retail, students and teachers, scientists, photographers, artists, musicians, etc. In the olden days, business’s were conducted through signing contracts face to face. All we need to do now is send an e-mail and reply with an agreement, and there you have one business transaction complete! 

In the old days, if you want to see or locate someone it would take days or weeks. With the introduction of the Internet, basically you can locate anyone anywhere in this world instantly. 

The most common way, and possibly the only way to locate people through the Internet is via social networking. Common social networking sites amongst people are Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Skype, MSN, etc. The advantages of social networking sites are that you can meet new people, chat to friends or colleagues whom you have not seem for a while, and maybe possibly connect with family members that you thought did not exist! 

Nowadays you can basically find anything you want to know on the Internet, anything. In principle, anything you want to learn, to clarify, to read, to teach, to watch, etc. You can find it in detail. In the old days it is almost impossible. You would have to go to an library to find out just one specific topic, and that would take you ages. 

The introduction of the Internet has also promote the introduction of the e-book, which has drastically minimized the cost of reading to readers. And purchase of books have now become eco-friendly as no papers are involved. You can now store up to thousands of books because of the computer. Whereas in the old days, you would need a big room to do the same thing. 

The above are only subtopics that I have touched a little on. The subtopics are mainly about how the Internet has changed the way we live. In the bigger picture, it has changed all facets of this world, including medicine, arts, history, wars, politics, philosophy, science, etc. It will take pages to describe the effects of this invention that has affected all the above. 

Can you imagine having just one day of not having any Internet? People of today must have Internet, if not there would be severe consequences. Business would take months to complete transactions, banks would take ages to process, friends inability to find long-lost-friends, it would be like going back to the dark-medieval ages. 

Justice

What is justice? What is the right thing to do? Do we always have to put moral and ethics in front of us? The video explains a Harvard Professor lecturing students about what the right things are for certain scenarios.



You don't need to watch the whole thing, but just go through 10 minutes of it. After watching the 10 minutes, come back here and post what you would do in the scenarios that were provided.

Personally, there would be 1 scenario I would do differently to everybody else in the lecture. If the cart could be stopped by me pushing a big (no offense intended in anyway) man to say 5 other people, I would certainly push the man down. My reason being would be, because if I could save 5 man for sacrificing 1 it saves more people. But if I save the man who is next to me, I would feel guilt for knowing I could have saved more lives if I pushed him down.

Whereas on the other hand, if you were to ask me to do the same thing in the doctor's scenario, I would not possibly do that. I would be violating the law to take one healthy person (who is only here for a checkup)'s life, to save 5 others' I would not be able. Unless the one healthy person agrees to sacrifice his life to save the other 5.

Comments are appreciated.

Computer Systems

Technology is involved in our every day life. The most used piece of technology are; cars, computers, telephones, WiFi etc. We use the technology around us, but do we know what the function of them are? How they work?

Over the last 3 IT lessons, we have learnt about the 6 key components and one of the few operating systems, in our case Linux (Ubuntu). We also took apart a desktop PC, and located the 6 key components, consisting of:

Motherboard
RAM (Random Access Memory)
Harddrive (HDD)/ (SSD)
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
Powersupply
Case

The 6 key components are included in all computers, Macs, PC's, Desktops, Laptops, Netbooks, etc.

But computers don't just work by the 6 Key Components themselves, we use the 4 layer model to describe the system.

Hardware - The mechanism of the computer. The 6 key components of a computer.

Software - The system that it uses, the way it runs. Software coding, different applications from one another etc.

Network - Wireless LAN, WiFi, connecting from one person to another such as ping-ing

4. People - Without people the computer is useless. People create the applications, social networking sites, websites, etc.

Each of the 6 key components have their own unique jobs.

Motherboard - The job of the motherboard is to 'connect' all the wires, cables, components etc altogether. The motherboard also is a structural support system for the RAM (to hold it in place) and CPU, etc.

(The large green beef jerky)

RAM - The RAM is a temporary memory storage system. In order for the RAM to be enabled to use the memory, you have to first open some applications from the HDD or SS, and then the applications then move to the RAM. The less RAM you have, the less applications it can handle. Thus causing lag. The RAM is a much faster in-comparison to the HDD/ SSD.  

(The green beef jerky)

Harddrive - The Harddrive is the permanent computer memory. Once the computer is booted up, the Harddrive launches the OS in our case a Linux OS 'Ubuntu'. Once the laptop/ desktop is booted up, you can launch your applications from there. It passes on the information or applications that are being used to the RAM, which then get transferred to the CPU. The Harddrive is a very slow piece of equipment. Thus, we now have developed a new component called the Solid State Drive (SSD). 

(The heavy, slow, faulty Hard Disk Drive)

CPU - As the name speaks for itself, the CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the central area of processing data, which gets projected on your laptop/ desktop screen. The CPU also processes applications, games, etc. which then is projected onto the screen.

(Metal flap is the shield of the CPU. Little 'hook' on the left of the image)

(CPU Chip. If you flip the CPU chip over, you can see a little gold triangle in one of the corners)

The 'little golden triangle' is for you to make sure you insert the CPU back into its shield the right way.


Powersupply - Again, the name tells you all about it! The power supply supplies the main components with electric currents. 

(The large wire is the powersupply wire coming out from the powersupply unit)

Case - The function of the case is simple, to protect the internal competents, and to act as a external barrier and infrastructure. The case is built with many holes around, the 'holes' can be audio jacks, USB ports, Ethernet ports etc. 

(The case of the PC is located to the left, and has already been removed)

How to take apart a PC (Desktop)
Steps:
1. Unscrew all screws that are holding down the case.
2. Get a camera to record each step, and each process.
3. Start unplugging all the wires slowly and cautiously. If there are some wires that are hard to pull, do not forcefully pull them out. 
4. Then slowly, lift a hook-like object which holds down the CPU, and then carefully take out the CPU chip. Note - CPU looks like a SD Card, and is covered by metal. 
5. Then locate the RAM, the RAM looks like 3 long pieces of green beef jerky. There are 2 levers, after lifting the two will release the 2 / 3 pieces of RAM
6. Locate all the screws that are holding the Motherboard down, and unscrew all of them. Note - The motherboard looks like a large piece of green beef jerky. The motherboard is the component that is at the bottom. 
7. Basically, that's all to it! ... 
8. Except, after you finis taking apart your PC, and finished reassembling it. You may also consider installing an OS (Operating System), we used an Linux OS called Ubuntu. All you need to do for installing an OS, is simply click on your mouse, and wait. 
9. Enjoy the process! 


After having fun taking apart your PC and venturing through all the different components, and after you finish installing your OS. Then you can connect to an network, and start interacting with other people on the web.


Connect to a Router - "Use an RJ45 cable to connect your computer to a router."


Talk to Another Computer - 
"Open up Terminal
Find your IP Address 
Ping a friend/ colleague etc. - ping (classmate IP)"


Pinging websites - 
Open up Terminal
type in: host www.(whatever website you wish to go to).com
Terminal should then unfold 6 or more lines with numbers that read 72.14.203.106 etc. Not all of them will be the same, since the website may have multiple server locations
After that, you can simply copy '72.14.203.106' to your web browser and it should lead you to Google
That is to find the host server location
To cancel the 'requests' press Control C (On Mac) 
Then type: ping www.(whatever website you wish to go to).com and numbers should flow out again. 
You can also use them for connecting to the website you so wished for.


My Personal Experience with Computers
Being honest with you, I've never understood a computer. I've never been good at using one, and probably never will be as good as other classmates of mine. I've always been inept about how they work and how to use them. 


I only learn the primary things about them, such as how to use documents, how to save your work, how to access your e-mail and so on. 


So I have gained valuable knowledge and experiences throughout this whole entire unit, although it has not finished yet. I've learnt more in-depth about how computers work, how they are built, and how the interior looks. In fact, I've never thought once before outside of school, how does a computer connect to a network, (seriously, no joking). If I would have not been involved in this unit, I would never have acquired the knowledge about the 6 key components of a computer, and how they work. Ironically, all of those 6 key components are used in things such as mobile phones, televisions, printers, etc. 

Representation in the Media

Today in ICT we took notes about how media is represented.

Media can be fake, yet it can be real. It is not controlled by us. It is controlled by people or organizations most likely the government. Media does not necessarily have to be the Television News. It can be things you hear on a radio, glossy magazines, newspapers, flyers, posters, etc. And quite a lot of it is artificial. But yet at the same time if we didn't have these types of artificial media, our knowledge is limited. Yet at the same time the media needs to make some sense of reality.

Media can also be bias. You may see in many movies, history programmes or documentaries, that they only show one side of the war. And they say this side is so-and-so cruel because of so-and-so. But then what about your side? You have probably done so-and-so, but they don't reveal this for many reasons including politics. This means that media can be bias. The producers only highlight some of the events that have occurred, and most of the time can be bias. Therefore when receiving media you should consider:

•Who produced it? (Was it a journalist, country, student, organization, etc.)
•Who is in the presented piece of information? (American soldiers in Afghanistan fighting, are civilians included, etc.)
•How is it represented? (Is it represented only from the standpoint of the American soldiers? Are there viewpoints from civilians and fighters in Afghanistan?)
•Why was it presented in that particular form? (Japanese slaughtering dolphins. Why did they present it as a movie. Why not present it as a newspaper article?)

So before taking in what everything the News says, think about the above. And try to differentiate whether it is true or false data.


Things that are included when presenting media (Gender categorization)


When you pick up a newspaper, you literally notice the difference whether it is for boys or girls, or men and women. This is a way of advertising in newspapers, or in different types of media. But gender is not only associated to humans, but it can also be associated with objects.

What makes them appeal to you that it is targeted for men/ women  is simply by presenting it as masculinity or femininity, which determines which audience it is intended for.

Typical masculinity characteristics are often revealed as a strong man with a six pack. A man who is tough, sweaty and hard.

On the other hand, feminine characteristics are often described  fragile, soft and fragrant

For example, in advertisements you will often see a car advert with a man driving the car. But on the other hand, if there were an advert for an airline they would use a female to represent it.

When a female is presented in an advert, they tend to highlight:
•beauty
•size/ physique
•emotional
•relationships

They tend to give the image they are part of a family and they work as part of a team.

Whereas, a male is represented as:
•strong (physical and intellectually)
•physique
•independent

Male characters tend to be presented as isolated, as if they are the 'spotlight' type of person.

Before this lesson, I knew that the media was controlled, and obviously there is lots of bias action that takes place. I did not know that much about artificial material in media as much as I have a understanding now.

I generally don't pay much attention to gender categorization in the media, but after writing down some notes, I now have a solid understanding.

Why are people addicted to social networking sites like Facebook? (Project)

Problem: That kids are spending more time on social communicating websites
Reason: Our reason being choosing this is because we think Facebook affects the way people behave. It also is bad for hygiene as you sit indoors all day, and stare at a screen/iPhone (etc.). As that is just one of our concerns.

As Facebook keeps track of everything you post, every chat you have with others, birthdays, events, etc. It can be dangerous?         

Benefits:
- Chat with friends around the world
- Being more social with friends
- Can play games that you can’t find anywhere else


Costs:
- Spend more time indoors
- Facebook can keep your personal information
- Giving away information to companies
- The student gets lower grades
- Damages real life socialization
- Get addicted not only to games but also the web. And it will possibly destroy how you live.



Social networking is the easiest way to communicate, and you basically lose everything that school teaches you. When on Facebook, you become uncontrollable, and you start trolling on people’s profiles posting rude things.


Statistics:

At the moment, there are 500 million people who actively use Facebook. Averagely, people spend 700 million minutes in a month on Facebook. People have an average number of friends at 130.

Yes, it can be fun. There are many things you can do on Facebook playing applications and games. There are 900 million people who interact with event, applications, games, community pages. etc)

But Facebook is becoming more of a problem because when someone creates a post, or comments on your posts, people sometimes get really offended, and take it hard. So in real life, there could be severe consequences. That is also a type of bullying (cyberbullying). E.g. There was a high school student who had an account on Facebook who was constantly getting hated on, bullied, being teased etc. She eventually killed herself because she couldn’t take it anymore. The people who kept teasing her ended up getting arrested.



Also when you create a Facebook account, there is a piece of text which you are “supposed” to read and agree to, but let me ask you; How many people read that statement to agree on. I bet you in our school at the moment, no one has read that statement. And that statement provides information which could be pretty crucial if you ask me. Facebook could possibly sell your information to companies without telling you. In fact, the account and privacy settings are pretty much useless.

Did you know? People are so attached to Facebook that when someone just comes up to you and says; your Facebook page is so boring, it has 0 comments, 0 photos etc. People will get offended. And that could affect your social life with them. A college student was relaxing over the weekend, and was excited to see his friend come from Seattle to visit. But he got offended straight after she said; your Facebook is so boring. He then replied straight away with: “So is your face”. A typical phrase teenagers use.

Addiction

After you have used Facebook for 2-6 months, you will start to realize there isn’t much left to do neglecting that fact, people still go on Facebook everyday during class, instead of studying, being in the library, while watching a movie at home you will have your laptop on your lap. This person says: He has many friends who should be studying for an upcoming test constantly press F5 (PC) (For Mac it is Command R) to refresh their Facebook Wall just to see if there is anyone who has posted anything. The most common thing people do after spending 6 months playing lame games etc. Posting photos, updating their status every 10 minutes, commenting on other’s walls, post inappropriate things, stalking , etc. And when you post inappropriate comments, there are so many people who will spread it around, to their friends, to your mutual friends, to everyone. Your friend tells your friend, that tells their friend, that tells their friends. And eventually it would be possible that you would be famous in their community for being an ignorant/ wet blanket.



This is a picture of where Facebook is mostly used in the world;




Also a problem with Facebook users are that once a friend request appears and you don’t know them, people usually accept. (But I myself go to their profiles and see if I recognize them, if not I would decline the request). But for the average Facebook user, they simply check for mutual friends and press accept. Just because they want to brag about they want to pretend that they have more friends. I have seen many people who are on my friends list that I know add people that they don’t know who are on my friends list. E.g. Someone on my friend list only had 60 mutual friends between me and him that he actually knew. But he just basically stalked my profile and looked at my friends list and pressed add everyone (which he doesn’t know). And now we have 179 “mutual friends” between us. And that is a risk-factor because you are adding people whom you do not know.

If you were at school, and there was only 1 hour left until you could get home. I can assure you 90% of the people who have Facebook will go on to check their wall posts. Instead you could just wait 1 hour till you get home.



Technology

Now in the modern world, children are so spoilt. Everyone you see most of the time will at least have these following: A PS3/ Xbox360, NDS/PSP, iPod Nano/3Gs, iPhone 3Gs, iPhone 4, iPad. Most of the people will have at least those items. Don’t you think we are spoilt these days? And on the iPhone’s it is so handy that you just need to slip in your pocket to bring it everywhere. So then you could go on Facebook 24/7 and you will constantly see people on the streets plugged in with earphones and tapping around on their iPhone screen. The technology is pretty overused in the modern day that we are in today.



Bibliography:
http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics
I used this source because the statistics come from Facebook.
http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/thinking-tech/bullying-and-the-unintended-consequences-of-facebook/3638/ I used this link’s example in one of my PPT slides, because it is from CBSNews
http://media.barometer.orst.edu/media/storage/paper854/news/2009/03/05/Forum/Facebook.Use.With.Caution.Or.Suffer.Consequences-3660603.shtml I used this link because I was searching for another example of social networking consequences, but came up with this. And I have to say, that my opinions are the same as his, and I believe that his information is true, by observation of people in my Facebook friend’s list  

Blogging Reflection

Since this is the very first blog I have ever made, I have learnt many different things along the way of making this blog. I have learn things not just about the blog, but also embedding videos from Youtube. I never tried to embed a video before, but with the help of my IT teacher I have learnt how to do this. I also found many websites that I thought that they didn't exist, so I have realized that their are loads of things to search for and learn on the Internet.

How did I do in the process? Well, many of the posts such as LibraryThing, Youtube embed videos, Google Docs, etc. All were mostly done by the help of my Teacher and friends. So I thank my IT teacher a lot for teaching me how to Search, and post things. Etc.

The first time using blogger, and not having any knowledge or help on how to post things onto blogger... I had lots of trouble finding how to post things onto it. Especially how to get LibraryThing onto the sidebar was the hardest to do. It almost took me over an hour until I managed to get it on the sidebar. But again, it wasn't me who figured it out, it was when my teacher taught my friend how to do it, and I followed him.

Although I learnt a lot from this project... I do not necessarily think it is beneficial or neither is it that superficial... Because, in the real world, how often do you use blogs? Apart from if you are a IT teacher. So I do not necessarily would say it is beneficial to my learning. But once again, I do appreciate and thank my IT teacher for using his time to teach me this.

I might use it to store some work though!

Next time, if I were to approach another project like this, I will try to approach it differently by trying to figure it out myself, but, if it does take a quite of a long time, I will approach my friends or my teacher for some guidance!

Again, thank you to my IT teacher.

5 Top Tips When Searching

5 tips that will make searching much easier is;

1. Keeping your search Simple! Keeping words simple eg. Pristine landsmarks, type in untouched landsmarks.

2. Use less words to describe. Yes, using as much detail to describe something is important in you English exam, where your teacher will say: Remember! Put as much detail as possible! But when searching, simple is best, and keeping short is easier for the search engine. E.g. Whether in Chicago Illinois, instead just put Illinois weather.

3. Advanced Search: Not always is it good to always keep it simple, sometimes, you need more detail, to describe!

4. Location: Sometimes, if you can't find the exact things you need, use where you found it. E.g. A red fish. Red fish, Mediterranean sea, stripy, spiky.

Welcome Message

Hi, welcome to my blog. My name is Fung and I am a secondary school student. My interests are reading books, and playing outdoor sports. My most favourite sport is football, because it consists of communication and teamwork.
This blog is for saving my school work, and posting educational videos to help myself remember work I have done. Most of it will be written work, although I will post some videos, reviews, and interesting texts from my school research, or research I think is interesting that I will see in my own time.