231111 - Tenth

I remember searching on the Internet awhile ago on the future predictions of the Internet.

From here:

1. Audio Web Surfing

Guess what? There is really something like this called I'm Watch in the market now.

HAHA! Totally amazing isn't it?

At the first sight, I thought it was nothing much, just an iPod Nano 5th Gen kind of thingy, but OMG, it can do SO MUCH things with it!!

2. Web surf on any devices.

Well, for that I think it can be done since like quite a number of high-tech stuffs are under a Cloud network.

3. Input Revisited

By that it meant this,

I think I saw something similar to this, which is an laser keyboard.

Okay, I know it is a bit far from that but hey, it is cool enough isn't it?

4. Mobile Networking

This is something that is penetrating the market now, iCloud, Android 2.0 and Google Doc, where everyone can interact with one another on a same platform (:

5. The end of .com domination

So there are web url like del.icio.us .... So perhaps the url would have to catch up with the Personalization Era? :D

6. The Elimination of Internet Explorer

With so many competitors, IE really need to buck up with their standard of being virused, crashed and laggy-ness. If not, I'm afraid that Firefox, Google chrome or Safari will really really replaced it.

251011 Ninth

The Internet is an extremely powerful tool till that the government not only used it to ease the access of the transparency policy but to use it as a platform to gain votes for campaigns, especially nationwide election.

Take the Singapore General Election 2011 for example.

Social Media was such a strong tool that our Prime Minister Mr Lee used it to interact with the citizens. Seriously, I don't think it is 'cool' to do that, I would rather prefer the old way of

interaction via meet-the-people session in neighborhood markets or community centre.

But I can't deny the fact that the feeling is quite awesome when someone of such high rank actually reply your questions and answered to your suggestions.

Youtube, oh my youtube. My twitter and facebook timeline was filled with rally videos of all the candidates. How is this so?

Well, the spread of news via the Internet is phenomenal. I still remember on the night of the announcement of the results, I knew the results via twitter instead of Ch 5 News or CNA.

Yes, the traditional media is THAT slow in conveying news and they even filtered some of the necessary information that was provided but not announced to the public.

For example like how a certain candidate wish for a recount and stuff like that, it wasn't reported in the Live news at all. Instead, there were lame broadcast of all the actual rally support sites in various stadiums in Singapore. lols.

Without the Internet, YAM AH MEE won't be so famous now. I found a ridiculous but yet funny parody of Mr Yam on youtube. :D

Not only in Singapore, in other countries like USA or UK, people monitor their government via the web. And politicians used such platforms to give speeches and create interesting videos

to engage and pull their votes.

The next election would be 2015, by then I'm eligible to vote. I think that the usage of the Internet for politics won't be a 'new' thing. Instead, perhaps there would really be such thing as Internet voting for those Overseas vote.

Well, let's see!

241011 Eighth

// Our project are almost done and I've found something interesting while doing it.

Didn't know that mac computers are allowed to use the pre-installed QuickTime player to record on-screen activities!

Seen those youtube tutorials on how to hack adobe photoshops or generating keygen for passwords? YAH! I finally know how to create that kind of videos using Mac Os! :D

All you have to do is to click on your Quick Time Player in your Applications....

And select FILE > New Screen Recording!

It is as easy as that.

You could even choose to mute your environment, or insert your own voice while doing the video. :)

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Okay, back to the actual blog entry. So, we need to find ways of businesses using multimedia to promote their product.

I remembered a few months back that I came across a video by Google on their newest product Chrome OS. Where the whole browser system is your operating system.

Sounds cool eh? Well, here's the video!

Seems pretty cool huh?

You can find Chrome OS mostly in the newest tablet PCs :)

Instead of having a whole long list of news article or a feature page on the main web, by using such tools engage audience more. In this case, macromedia flash.

Therefore, by posting it up on youtube, viewers can vote their choice of whether the product is good or bad by liking the video or leave feedbacks under the comment area.

Personally, I think that having all my stuffs on the web is quite risky? Because there is still a high risk that your stuffs are gonna be rip off by hackers lurking in the random corners of the Internet world. D:

But nevertheless, it is an innovative idea for eliminating the traditional 'long' booting time for other normal computer OS.

151011 Seventh

Alright, so this week was about Virus and Worms on the net.

Something that I hate a lot when I was still using Windows a year ago, especially when I was using Internet Explorer and Hotmail, the virus content was AMAZING.

Because of the popular chain emails on Hotmail, every mail received was a threat. And back then, there wasn't any security scan available for email hosts, so inevitably, the spreading of all the virused documents was uncontrollable.

This not only affect my leisure of being on the internet, I can't even chat well with my friends on msn. Have you guys had this issue before?

Someone suddenly said, ' hey I saw your picture somewhere.... click this link.' For the first time, I clicked the link out of curiosity because the sender is a good friend of mine. Who knows.... I got the virus just like that.

I don't know how to see or check whether it is a virus, worm, bug or trojan. It just screwed the whole computer no matter how much I uninstall the program. Seems quite deadly huh?

Years after, anti-virus came into the market.

Being a cheapo, I went and download a FREE ANTI-VIRUS software on download.com and guess what. The virus was IN the ANTI-VIRUS. Inception much.

So that hits me and I went to purchase Norton Anti Virus to cope with everything. It's scans and amazing and deleted almost all the bugs that are threatening my system. :D

Ah... Norton..

Now there are different kinds of Anti-Virus software available in the market to tackle different kinds of viruses..

From gaming to internet to tracking to spyware... you name it, they have it.

I've some friends who experienced hackers that hacked into their social network accounts. But I think, the most common reason is that they didn't empty their cache when they were surfing in a public computer... Dumb move.

So now, I'm a mac user and virus-free! Ever since I switched to Macintosh, I never have to deal with those pesky pop-ups and irritating download-worms and bugs.. Although I do miss the variety of softwares that Windows provide, but Im a convert!

;D

Sixth 081011

So we have to create our own video huh?

It's is quite hassle to do a tutorial actually, those blogger make it seems so easy. Uploading to youtube is the worst, the wait is utterly long. haha..

But ta dah~ I managed to shoot it with my canon camera, edited it with iMovie and upload it on youtube. Enjoy~~ :D

Fifth 011011

Haha, such situation won't be there if we have alerts or notifications on our phones isn't it?

Onwards to the future of E-learning or digital classroom. Technologies are evolving annually and it's amazing speed alter the definition of learning dramatically.

For example, instead of seeing little children holding big cardboard books, you'll see them playing with kindle or ipad on public transportation. It's up to the point that you don't know if technology is killing the fun of physical learning or not.

Okay, back to e-learning.

My first taste of E-learning was in 1996, where I'm still a little kiddo in Kindergarten in a little computer lab called EDNO LAND. In there, a room filled with huge computers with embedded software to let us learn via cartoonic scenario. It was a great experience, but not much on learning though because I was more focused on playing instead of interpreting what I need to learn. haha.

All the while in Primary and Secondary School, I had elearning lessons on how to type, how to use Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Office. Back then, it was quite enriching because it is new to me.

In the recent years, we could see that the trend of E-learning really flourished. From the traditional computer labs, now we could see laptops being integrated to lesson usage. There would be no more A1 size paper presentations, instead, there would be powerpoint presentations.

Like how Republic Polytechnic Classroom environment is! Personally I wasn't from RP, but I knew how their system works (due to friends).

Okay the FHM Stickers are a bit distracting.

But nevertheless, this is a typical scenario of how RP's classroom look like. In the morning, everyone would be given a problem to solve. At the end of the day, students are expect to present their solutions to the class.

This enhance learning, yes, but most of friends forgotten how to write by the end of their tertiary education. LOL.

And here comes a new product Microsoft Surface.

A multi touch panel?

To be honest, I've seen this thing, something similar back in 2010 when I was working in Singapore Science Centre.

In one of their exhibition, i-Space, they have this multitouch panel or table to exact where visitors could draw, paint, and send the info into an interactive wall for display.

Pretty neat in predicting the future huh? haha.

It pretty seems like an enlarged Ipad to me. like an iTABLE I supposed?

I personally don't think that this technology would be successful as it is just another multi functional device that is bigger and allows more people to deal with it at a single time.

However, my words could be wrong, if people would buy this device and increase family bonding time.

It just don't really work for me. OPPS =X

240911 Fourth

This week, the class focused the topic on E-commerce. In layman term, it's 'Doing business on the Internet'.

Doing business on the Internet was never a foreign thing to me.

In 2007, I started out a small business online in Blogger selling my handmade accessories. It was hard to advertise as there weren't much tools to use.

The only thing that I can announce the launch of my shop was using tagboard ( a little message box at the side of the blog ).

It was hard at first, trying to get people to know my products and to accept payment for them ( there wasn't iBanking at that time ). So transactions were all done via meet-ups and ATM transfers.

D: I got scammed for a few times when handling via meet up as I made my product but the person chose to MIA.

On the other hand, I was a frequent customer online too. Bought stuffs from girls all over Singapore.

I could still remember one time that I got cheated of $50 in a participated pre-order. In the end after much threatened from the various victims, the owner succumbed and return us all our cash as we have her bank account number. (Seriously, stupid or what)

But now, things are different! There's iBanking, Paypal and the 'shopping cart' method easily available in html for all blogshops.

There are not much Blogshops around anymore. Instead, everyone is moving on to the dotcom domains and to the much sophisticated 'Online Shop' interface.

One of the online shops that I frequent often is MODPARADE.COM

It is one of the successful blogshop-to-online shop in Singapore. I followed them when they are at modparade.livejournal till now where they even own a retail shop at Haji Lane.

Like what we've learnt in class. In the online store, there's no rental fee, perhaps the monthly domain subscription, but that's a fraction of their total profit. And their products are cheap, about $26 onwards.

Invoices, delivery order are all recorded via emailing. And you'll get the item within days.

But on the other hand, their retail shop products are much more expensive. Ranging from $50 to $89.... a bit risky no? Unless you have the cash to spare, it is worth it as it always 'fashion over comfort'. In the case, the comfort of your wallet. haha.

I've visited places like EBAY, YAHOO AUCTIONS, GMARKET and ETSY as well. It is using a multi box interface ( I don't know the actual name for it) but it's different from the shopping cart experience.

You could be a seller as well. Just set up an account and you are ready to go. As a customer, all you need is to search for what you want under the category and purchase through the user!

This is the interface of gmarket korea. Singapore's version is exactly the same in English (:

Despite the disadvantages like delivery time and products QC and all. I'll still support online shops as most of them provides quirky and interesting things all the time :)

How about you? Do you online shop often?

P.S. Our group is doing E-Biz: Marketing as well! ;D

15092011 Third

So this week, we are being fed with information about Social Networking Sites. How do they work, etc.

It is quite amazing. How we evolved from MIRC to Friendster and to the oh-so-overused Facebook.

Yes, don't judge me, why can't I use MIRC huh?! I was an avid fan of it even if it needs me to suffer with my 56k Dial-Up Connection back in my primary school days. I love the simplicity of #HASHTAGS that leads you into the 'room' to interact with people. Ah... Life was so simple then.

Okay, so I was given a task to search for a 'New' social networking web. And after some fidgeting on Google, I found this Asianave.com

It denied my access initially as they claimed that their web layout doesn't go well with my browser. =\ awkward much. But I still use Google Chrome to view it anyway.

So it's interface was.... meh~ and the color scheme wasn't appealing to me at all. It looked like some virused con site that will lead me to sacrifice my email & get to know all those weirdo desperados or whatever kind of cyber people on it.

As the description on Wiki goes like, oh, it is popular in Asia. I meant like DUH, of course that it is supposed to be popular in Asia because it is named ASIANAVENUE.

I didn't want to sign up for it as it looked kinda 'spooky'.

But it is funny on how they describe their own 'space'. And they even focused on 3 types of areas, which is your own online space, probability of finding your another half and enlarge your social network. HAHA.

This looked more pathetic than the current - passe Friendster. I seriously don't think there is any usefulness because the segregated and isolate the Asians? It is a global village out there in this 21st Century.

Speaking of Friendster, do you guys know how does it look like now? I believed it is being taken over by Google or so and transformed it into a gaming web. And yes, I still remember my password and all because I totally stopped using it in 2008. I hate how all my testimonials, photos and customized profile page were all gone. What a big refresh.

I managed to find a screen shot of the Old Friendster Interface. Everything was clean and color-themed according to the person's decision. Too bad Facebook came along and minimalized everything.

Next up, MYSPACE.COM.

Yes, probably I'm one of the few among my friends in Singapore that has an Myspace account. I was bored during one of my poly days and created this account. Was quite shocked at the transformation now as it used to be similar like Friendster, everyone can customized their profile page and the whole theme was majorly blue.

But now, it look similar to Facebook with the status option. Very similar interface to www.playlist.com though.

Do you know about this 'WHOLIVESNEARYOU"?

It is a Singapore-based Online Network I think. I forgotten by username and password!!

Everyone signed in will need to provide information about their current location and you'll get to know who lives near you and add them as friends! It is quite creepy and awkward to find your never-spoken-to-them-before neighbors in it. :|

So many social network sites, yet there are some which are ultra successful and yet some which are being buried down under. Why?

I believe that it is all the doings of the word of mouth. Like for example, in 2006, I didn't know what Facebook is about until my popular senior told me about it and urged me to sign up. Okay, so I did but I neglect it so much because I was more active on Friendster instead.

Soon, virus videos and flash .gif images started to flood Friendster, causing me to force to abort it and 'migrate' to Facebook. Therefore, I think it is not how WOW Facebook is, it is on how the current 'HOT' network site maintains itself to keep its users intact.

Social Networking Webs are certainly good for businesses as they provide information about a particular consumer's habit. However, to me, it is quite irritating to see people tagging me in their products' pictures. Sorry, but this kind of no-effort marketing skills doesn't attract me at all.

I'm a heavy twitter user. But I ignore all marketing links that someone my friends tweeted about. Seriously, I'm not interested.

Perhaps it is based on each individual on how they react to advertisements? I don't trust auto-mated tweets on how awesome this product it. I still prefer reviews and realistic shops.

But as time goes by, I think that slowly, there would be more interesting and interactive media forming as a trend. Who knows that if FB and Twitter might have the same state as Friendster? haha.

oh yah, " Would you please write me a testi? " (A favorite phase amongst Singaporean teens back in the Millenium)

06092011 Second

Today's topic would be about Social Media.

This has been a fairly popular topic among the courses that I've been taking for the past few semesters. Many lecturers used this as a discussion and project topic for us to work on.

What exactly is Social Media? For me, it is like a cyber community center where everyone can interact with anybody.

I've found this interesting picture online, 9gag.com, which practically summarized what Social Media is all about with the popular Social Media Webs. It is funny how we all started with Friendster and ended up on Google+ now. According to Mr Choy, it is just a simple web interface but however, due to it's simplicity, people are addicted on how free and easy-to-use it is.

Long gone the yet famous Friendster and hello to "+1" and "Likes" of Google+ and Facebook.

It is a new thing to know about this word, "PROSUMER" today. Well, we are all under the influenced of the Social Media. We are both the Producers and Consumers of it. Hence, the word Prosumer.

Later on, we moved to the web interface of WEB 1.0 to WEB 2.0. As of now, I know that WEB 3.o is up and going. The famous one that I can name would be HABBO. It is much like a online game/chat/irc web and it involves in avatars instead of a static user profile picture. Teens around the world are using it, including me, but however, I've stopped using it because the instructions are getting more and more complicated and I abhore pixellated stuffs.

This is Habbo! :D

And during March 2010, I've converted myself from PC to MAC. Interface, command keys are all different. But I'm surprised on how easy MAC is! Apart from it's coolios design, it's command and low-virus interference makes me love it so much.

MAC FOR THE WIN!

01092011 First

So, the first day of my Fall Semester 2011 (thanks to Hari Raya Puasa), I had a morning lesson at 830am with the familiar Mr Abel Choy.

It's good to work with the lecturers that taught you before as you will be familiar with his working style. (:

Ahh, Internet. What have I learnt on that morning?

I was brought back in time, where Internet was first started. It was such a complicated work that link up computers together. I could still remember my first encounter with the Internet back in 1999. Where my sister bought a computer, brand: COMPRO ( not even compaq -_-"). It was huge and bulky. My internet service provider was SingNet and I hate when I need to plug in the house fixed line telephone wire in order to connect. And every single incoming call would disrupt the connection. Life was hard then and all I could play on the Net was Neopets. But I'm glad that it is still around! :D

Ah! How familiar this could be.. Netscape Web Browser. Everything seems so classic now.

And there is the Intranet where I used during Primary/Secondary school for my computer lab sessions. Reminiscing on how my teachers love to let us to save unlimited folder/files into the system.

Moving on, IP Addresses... I used to go online and track spammers that talk bad about me on my personal blogs. It is absolutely amazing because I can get to know where they come from, from which server and stuffs. Apparently, our local Police Force are somewhat trained to track down IP Addresses for Cyber Bullying or Slandering or Hacking. Awesome stuffs.

There are loads of stuffs that we can do on the Internet now. Perhaps that is why it is so addictive and I'm happened to be one of the addicts to it.

More about the Internet to the next week!