Final Post

For the final blog post of the semester (and potentially the final academic one of my life), I will talk about the future of the Internet and technology in 10 years time. Well, if I knew about what the future would be like, I would be a rich, rich man. But since I don't have my crystal ball, I would just have to imagine and also extrapolate current information and bring things to a logical point, I hope. So, here we go.

Basically, I feel that software will just get faster and better, and hardware will get cooler and cooler. A decade later, who knows, we could have computers in our brains, and holograms and printers and cameras and whatnot all on our bodies. Essentially, we become like this:



But really, I can foresee the technology of the Internet becoming more and more intuitive, like this video that we have watched:

Sixth sense



Or Microsoft Surface

Holograms, anyone?


Or how about even telekinesis?

The race is on for companies to produce the most intuitive system that people will take to like fish to water, birds to air. Internet technology, would therefore be ubiquitous, all around us. Everything that we know would converge onto the Internet and integrated into one gadget. I can predict that things are going to become faster, smaller, lighter and oh-so-much cooler!

I also predict that we become so dependent on technology that we will literally die in a day without it. Transport, meeting new people, businesses, politics, education, everything will just stop in their tracks when say, an alien invasion sends out an electromagnetic pulse to disable Earth. As you can figure out, I am not so much of a techie.. I prefer to keep things simple. But hey! Sometimes you have just got to go with the flow. I do admit that technology does pose endless possibilities, limited only by our minds. It's a cool time to be in!

But in all honesty, nobody really knows what the future would be like. Technology that excites people now may become redundant tomorrow. Who knows, something new may come up on the market and shake up the entire world, just like Microsoft or Google is doing. So, I will avoid speculation but I will say what I know, that the future is going to be so advanced that we would all look back and realise how primitive we are right now.

To sum things up, this module has opened up my eyes to the wonders of technology and the Internet. I learnt a lot of things that I would have never known about without taking this course. The concept that perhaps impacted me the most would be the growth mindset. This is relevant to the things that we are seeing that are happening before our very eyes, that are changing the world. Now that I am 'enlightened', I can no longer ignore the future; but rather I have to face it and more importantly, embrace it. It's going to be tough, it's going to take a lot of trial and error, it's going to take plenty of effort and most importantly, since this is technology we are talking about, it's going to take a whole lot of money. But the future is filled with potential, and I intend to embrace it and squeeze every thing I can get out of it. I also learnt that everything amazing right now starts from an idea, perhaps that is where I should get started too.

Week 11, March 23, 25

I am a firm believer that democracy is not for everyone, that democracy is only for the mature and responsible person. This is because democracy is a huge responsibily to shoulder and not everyone can act responsibly. The same goes to the freedom of speech and via extension, journalism.

Here are the elements of journalism:

1. Journalism's first obligation is to the
truth.
2. Its first loyalty is to the citizens.
3. Its essence is discipline of verification.
4. Its practitioners must maintain an
independence from those they cover.
5. It must serve as an independent
monitor of power.
6. It must provide a forum for public
criticism and compromise.
7. It must strive to make the significant
interesting, and relevant.
8. It must keep the news comprehensive
and proportional.
9. Its practitioners must be allowed to
exercise their personal conscience.

Although people may critique the media for the representation and coverage of news, that it is biased and skewed and whatnot, I still think that only qualified personnel should be allowed to produce news. There are many issues that are very debatable and I am too lazy to get into. However, I do think that professional journalism will not be overtaken by Internet journalism.

While journalism as an industry is not keeping to the lofty standards set, this does not mean that citizen journalism is the perfect alternative. I believe that many of us have come across blogs or whatnot that just present opinions as facts and vice versa. To people who are trained to think critically, this would not pose an issue as we understand that we cannot take everything at face value, not even the news. However, to the less informed, they may accept everything that they see.

Anonymity is another issue that poses a problem to news and journalism on the Internet. Nobody knows who is saying what anymore. With the advent of weblogs, it is easier to say things that are not true when behind the computer screen, to appear to sound authorative, to say whatever's on your mind without thinking it through or checking sources and assorted unethical behaviours. If it doesn't get the response you seek, just go on to a new blog. After all, it's free and easy to use. This means that there is a lack of accountability and one can do anything he/she wants.

However, there are sites out there that provide the news in a balanced and responsible. It is just that they are the exception, rather than the rule. Most 'journalistic' websites or blogs are in my opinion, just a facade, a cover for them to mouth off and spread rubbish.

Citizen journalism? Bah! How can one be a citizen journalist if he/she don't know what is journalism and is not trained in it? I do know a bit of medicine and I could learn more on my own but does that make me a citizen doctor? Granted that there are good citizen journalists out there, with all due respect I salute you for making a difference. But majority are not citizen journalists; they are just people mouthing off. Sensationalism seems to be the name of the game. Trained personnel without ethics is one thing, untrained personnel without ethics is another.

Week 10 March 16, 18

Week 10 to-read-list
1. Internet activism, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Politics have never, ever interested me one bit for over 20 years of my life. (I know, I am getting old... D: ) That is, until the recent presidential race in America last year. There was so much buzz about it that one cannot help but notice. As we all know, right now the world is on the brink of a new phase, a new chapter as history is made by President Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States of America. It is amazing to see how a race, once shackled by slavery in less than 50 years ago, now has a representative as the most powerful man on Earth. It is powerful symbolism and sends a powerful message to the world. Yes, we can. Yes, we can.

President Obama is unique in many ways. But one way that he stands out is that he is tech and media savvy.

Obama's website

Obama's Facebook account

Obama and iPod

Obama and SMS

Technology, especially the Internet forms the backbone of his campaign which we all know by now was extremely successful. Many people argue that Obama appealed to the younger generation, the politically apathetic generation by reaching out to them through these means. Television is no longer the sole purveyor of politics. Internet has changed the entire dynamics. And you know what? This is so much less expensive than buying spots of television. Facebook? Free. Sms? Free smses are bundled with many phone plans. Internet webpage? Not free but with 24/7 access and a wide outreach. It just blows the mind to think about how the next presidential elections will be fought. Maybe television will be paying candidates to follow them! Reality TV at it's finest... NOT!

Is this the new wave? Could the Internet be the saviour of Singapore politics? Can we freely express our views on Singapore politics on the Internet? Is the government watching? (if you are, I really love Singapore! :P) Am I going to be blacklisted? Am I going to be the a political candidate in the next elections and use the Internet to become maybe a MP, maybe be in Parliment or even the President of Singapore? Who knows? More importantly, who cares in Singapore?!?!?!

On a lighter note of politics, I don't want to overload you with the 'Yes, we can' MTV for Obama. This video is more lighthearted and easier on the eyes :P and it created quite a stir when it came out and made 'Obama Girl' a star in her own right. Watch her cavort around lip-synching about how she has a crush on Obama. Yes, that's not her real voice. But it doesn't take away the 'value' of the video one bit, does it? And how many votes you think she won for Obama? :P

Week 8, March 2, 4

Week 8 to-read-list
1. Multimedia, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimedia

Multimedia is such a part of our lives right now that we consume it without giving it much thought. Some multimedia sites where you get to do stuff for free...

Youtube (of course!!!)

Miniclip (for simple games to while away your time!)

Online Flash Games (more games!!)

Facebook (where you get to interact with friends and play games and do all sorts of silly stuff)

.. And much much more... You can really get lost in the Internet surfing these sites and engaging multimedia! Before you know it, your weekend is spent entirely on multimedia and you go to school on Monday looking and feeling like a zombie. It's that immersive and addictive.

Anyway, we are supposed to compare different multimedia ads so here are a couple of ads by market leading companies Nokia and iPod that are quite good in my opinion.

Nokia


I don't own a Nokia phone but I feel that this is an unique ad that enlists the use of multimedia to great effect. It really impresses me.

iPod


This advertisment was way ahead of its time in the usage of music and great graphics to highlight the iPod. I don't own an iPod but this was a breakthrough at the time it was released and really stirred up a lot of buzz and interest.

Multimedia is such a part of our lives that we don't even know that we are consuming it. Gone are the days when pictures can't move and words are just confined to paper and music is just on MTV or radio. Everything is becoming amalgamated into multimedia. Good or bad? It's up to you to decide for yourself.

(mouse over and click)

Week 7 Feb 23, 25

Week 7 to-do-list

1. Virus, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2. Spyware vs Viruses - Understand the Difference - Microsoft Security

So, we learnt about hackers and viruses and crimes such as phishing and fraud and all the nasty things about the Internet. Here are some of the crimes commited by our very own 'enterprising' Singaporeans not content to do it the 'normal' way... Money laundering

Singaporeans, being rather tech savvy, are victims more than perpetrators of the evils of the Internet it seems... Phishing

And here is a discussion about an Act being passed in Singapore.

Hackers, in the past, used to be depicted as this:

Now, they are like this:

What hope do we normal people now have? Smart AND good looking? We are doomed! Seriously, we should just give up all our passwords and personal information to the hackers right now. What hope do we have?

But seriously, the Internet is becoming a less safer place by the minute. You never know what link will lead to your demise, what download will cause your whole life's work to be erased in a second or what link will lead you to a porn site...

The basics of Internet security, at least from my point of view, is simple. And why am I qualified to tell you this? I have been using my computer and of course the Internet for more than 2 years and nary a virus or worm... So, here are my top 3 tips...

1. Don't use the Internet. Simple, but very inpractical... So..

2. Don't download things willy nilly... You never know when you are getting more than you bargained for... Use sites like Download.com for virus free programs...

3. Use a free antivirus and antispyware to regularly scan your system. I use AVG and Ad-aware by Lavasoft.

Bonus tip: Emails are less, but still an important area to watch out for viruses... But filters on free online mail services like Gmail or Yahoo Mail are rather good. Just don't open weird files. Nobody has a crush on you or free stuff to give away. Remember, if it is too good to be true, in the end you WILL get screwed...

That's it! Surf safe now, kiddies...

Week 6 Feb 16, 18

Week 6 to-read-list
1. Google Guide
2. Web search strategy

We are supposed to produce a movie using Windows Movie Maker and I decided to make a slideshow of the photos from my Korea trip way back in 2006. A younger, slimmer looking me with cheesy poses and weird photos. I tried to use different effects and transitions just to showcase them. And I sure hope that the colours match the music. Go on a trippy adventure with my embarrassing photos! So, enjoy laughing at me while I bury myself with shame and more shame.



Also, we are supposed to choose a Google online tool as well and I choose.... Google Language Tools! This is such a useful tool for me, especially when I am looking at clothes online at Japanese websites. By the way, Japanese have the best clothes to buy online, although it is not such a good idea to buy now with the ridiculous yen exchange rate.

Anyway, back to Google Language Tools. Although it is a pretty useful tool, it is not infallible. Just a simple test will show you why. Translate anything from English into another language, and translate it back into English. Chances are that the results will come out different, even if you didn't change anything! And if you are bi- or multi-lingual, sometimes the results of the translation will amuse you. This just proves that language is an art, with all its nuances and different usage and context that is difficult for computers (science) to deal with. Human beings are not obsolete yet!!! =D

That being said, Google Language Tools is still extremely cool. Where else will you get to see seldom used languages such as Pig Latin (no, not used by pigs but an ancient language), Hebrew and even one called Bork! Bork! Bork!... I am a linguistic person, so this tool fascinates me.

Week 5 Feb 9, 11

Week 5 to-read-list

1.Virtual education, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2. Electronic learning, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This week, we learnt about learning. Interesting topic for an Introduction to the Internet class. I feel that in Singapore, learning is not as lauded as it should be; rather, perhaps due to our 'meritocracy' mentality coupled with our inherent 'kiasuism', learning has taken a backseat to raw grades. Afterall, people in Singapore don't care as much for intangible qualities compared to your qualifications. This has led to what people call a 'paper chase'.

Think that I am ranting against the system? Think again. Look at the work that primary and secondary schoolers are doing. In the past, there was a focus on rote learning and memorization. Does this reflect intelligence? I think not. But if you can't memorize well and don't learn by rote well, you are out of the 'game'. You get streamed... And now, schools are trying to make up by 'teaching' creativity! How do you teach creativity? You can develop and nurture but not teach creavitiy. That's the exact antithesis of creativity if you have to teach it.

Having a growth mindset means that you are open to learning and are motivated to learn. This is something perhaps Singaporeans should start to adopt. This is a mindset that I myself have to adopt even right now. Perhaps grades are not as important as one thinks it is. Rather than just striving for grades, I should be trying to learn as much as I can. But some teachers out there are so grade oriented that you feel like you can't learn anything from them. They are not open and they don't teach so good. Case in point:

Perhaps a growth mindset has to also start with instructors and teachers.

We also learnt about Bloom's Taxonomy and how it applies to us. I found out, well not exactly as I sort of knew it all along, that I am strong in the linguistics area. But it is still good to learn about the other areas that I am strong and weak in. Perhaps the area that I can work on is the area of music. I should pick up a musical instrument and listen to more songs. That doesn't seem like unenjoyable learning to me at all! And I thought that I was rather good in spatial-visual things but apparently not. I should draw more or even go out into space more. I heard that going into space requires a great deal of spatial-visual ability. Now, this sort of learning I don't mind.

Week 4, February 2, 4

Week 4 to-read-list
1. Electronic commerce, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2. Consumer Privac, Blake T. Bilstad, Esq; Keith P. Enwright, Esq.

So, this week we learnt about e-commerce and all that jazz. Interesting topic, for someone who once harboured hope of setting up an online business and earning a bit of money on the side but just didn't have the time, the energy, the ideas and the resources to start an online business. That, and I am just plain lazy. :D
So, this is the top 10 reasons why e-commerce succeed, in my opinion and in no particular order. All must fall in place for an online business to work.
1. Product
The product is extremely important, and basically the foundation to build businesses, not to mention an online business. Great products are physical items, services and even ideas. I read in Reader's Digest that there is this 20-something year old, who set up a business based totally on fulfilling other people's ideas. And he is successful! Now, that is next level.
2. Timing
Timing is everything. A great product will fail if the timing is wrong.
3. Demand
4. Word of mouth
In the Internet, word of mouth travels so much faster in forums, via chatting and social media.
5. Good customer service, including customer dispute and returns
6. Fair pricing, including shipping costs and options (very important to me, at least!)
7. Proper security
8. Navigable and attractive website
A website must be user-friendly to really rake in the dough.
9. A dash of luck
10. Paying customers, what else? ;D
And here are the top 10 reasons online businesses fail, in my humble opinion again. ;)
1. Lousy or ill-conceived product
2. Wrong timing
3. Lack of demand
4. Negative word of mouth
5. Poor customer service
6. Unfair pricing, including exorbitant shipping costs and options
7. No proper security set up
8. Unnavigable and unattractive website
9. No luck
10. No paying customers.

Week 2 Jan 19, 21

Week 2 to-read-list

1. Social Media, Spannerworks
2. What is RSS?
3. RSS, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So we had another COM 125 lesson today and I learnt something right from the very start of class; to have your blog on the 'honorable mention' list of our instructor, you have to:
1. Write interestingly, or,
2. Have lots of pictures, or,
3. Have music on your blog.

Well, I can't declare that I am able to write that interestingly but I can overload people who visit my blog with loads of pictures and the latest songs.. But I don't think I would be doing that anytime soon. So you have to just bear with my less than interesting writing. :P


Jesting aside, after today's class, I realised that I have not been using the Internet to it's fullest potential. I will be the first to admit, that I don't jump on the bandwagon of new technology easily and perhaps that has led to somewhat of a lagging behind. But I am resolved to in the words of Mr. Choy, to 'find the firewood in the forest'.


Web 2.0. We are living the Internet revolution. It seems to be like exciting times are ahead. A power shift, from the 'elite' to the 'people' is happening. But being the cynic that I am, it helps in times like this to pause and consider. Some people hop unto the bandwagon of 'revolution' like it's the Second Coming. But I take the wait and see approach. Web 2.0 with its interactivity and authorship and 'democracy' seems fine and dandy. But look beyond the surface and you will discover that it is not all fine.


Democracy works best when the people are knowledgeable and mature enough the handle the responsibilities of democracy. In Peter Parker A.K.A. Spiderman's immortal words, 'With great power comes great responsibility.'

(For more on Spiderman, click on the picture)


But take a look around the Internet; there are people who are able to publish their views without censorship and that not necessarily be a good thing. People being people, will abuse the democracy of the Internet, particularly Web 2.0 applications to propagate their misguided notions. Others who don't understand the difference between viewpoints and facts, between right and wrong are easily influenced by these kind of authors. Given the fact that more and more children are Internet-savvy, this proves to be a conundrum for the IT generation. What is right and what is wrong? WHO is right and WHO is wrong? Web 2.0 potentially has the power to blur these lines and create a wider grey area in every area of life. Information is available just like that, at a click of a button and 24/7; but to quote a famous book, 'What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but to lose his soul?' That's food for thought, don't you think?


That being said, I am still appreciative of how far the Internet has come. Something that wasn't mentioned in class that I feel is quite relevant is the proliferation of forums online. Forums are highly interactive, with users being able to view other member's posts and send them private messages. And I feel that forums have the advantage of amassing and distilling vast amounts of information into different 'threads' and caters to a wide spectrum of audience. You can find forums on the most specialized topics such as beatboxing, fashion, or even home repairs or cooking. Forums also provide people with the chance to interact with a community of like-minded people from all around the world. Superfuture, a lifestyle forum, is one such forum I frequent.

Sitting in class today, I learnt about new technology that I am interested to try out. Like mentioned earlier, I am very slow to jump unt0 bandwagons so don't laugh at me if you people out there are experts at these programs already. But one very interesting piece of technology is RSS, or Rich Site Summary. Read more about RSS from the links above. But this is something that could have extremely practical use for the heavy Internet user to save time and effort. I am going to try out RSS soon, using Google Reader. Tell you more about my experience soon!

Week 1 Jan 12, 14

Week 1 to-read-list
1. History of Internet
2. Internet history timeline
3. From Wikipedia, the free encylopedia
4. weblogs: a history and perspective
5. Folksonomy, From Wikipedia, the free encylopedia

The Internet is a part of our everyday lives, so much so that I feel that we have started to take it for granted. We use the Internet, but we do not have a clear grasp of how the Internet actually works and how it came about. I reckon that history of anything doesn't really appeal to our generation of quick fixes and short attention spans but as our instructor for COM 125 mentioned, knowing the history of something is for our benefit; so that we better know how to deal with the future.

Having a blog leads to the idea that we can be candid regarding what we are blogging about and so, I will stick my neck out a bit here. I have to admit that when I learnt about taking this course, I gave a little groan; after all, we are the IT generation and what else can we learn about the Internet that would be beneficial to us? We take to new technology like fish to water. And now we have to study the theory behind it?

But I have to admit, that the Internet actually makes for fascinating studying; not studying in an academic way but analyzing it and all that. And something that I realised in class, outside of the teaching, was that Internet has made it possible for simple ideas to really take flight and grow into a global phenomenon, which was unthinkable in decades past. Yahoo, Google, Youtube, Facebook and the wave of new Internet technology proves this point. It got me thinking, that I could become rich too, if I had an idea!

Also, being part of the generation that started off with DOS and typed commands, I am suddenly amazed when reminded in class about how far IT has evolved in a mere decade. Through IT and the Internet, I have my eyes opened to the wonders of online encyclopedias where information is literally at our fingertips, of search engines that can find any thing I desire at the click of a button, of social networking sites where I can reconnect with long lost friends and make new ones, of video hosting sites where you can find the most obscure videos, of online shopping sites that suck my money dry at the click of the mouse and much much more. Here are 5 sites that I visit regularly in my leisure time:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Check out these sites if you haven't. You may like them! (The icons are all hyperlinks.)

So what exactly have I learnt in class this week? That the Internet is growing and its potential is seemingly unlimited. I have barely scratched the surface of the Internet and this perhaps is a good time to start exploring the possibilities of the Internet; for my self growth and for a good grade for COM 125. :P