Scratching the Surface of Animations

This past week we have worked some with finalizing our websites, getting the animations we created to actually work on the pages, and started working on with Scratch. This is a program for creating more detailed and complicated animations, using characters (or "sprites") that can move, spin, talk, grow, and even make sounds.  We dabbled around with it for a few days in class to get the hang of it, then went to work making several of our own projects. One of them limited the possible actions to 8 simple commands, which greatly restricted the options and forced creativity.

HTMLing

This past week in class we learned about HTML coding and how to make our own (rather simple) websites. It was kinda cool to see how messing around with the encoding text brought about real changes right there on the web page, even though it is very complex the more stuff you want to add. On Thursday we each designed several images in Paint and tried to program the webpages to play them in sequence to create an animation effect similar to that of Stop-Motion videos. Different words programmed into the right spaces determine the background color, text style, the alignment of photos or text, and every other little detail you can think of.

Internet Issues

Last week we discussed several different topics about the internet and its role in the categories. Several topics flowed together, such as how governments use and control the internet. Some countries like our own allows its citizens full rights to say what they want and view what they want (all problems of legality taken into consideration of course). Other places are not so lucky, like Egypt and Tunisia. Since the governmental bodies owned most of the wiring companies and hardware that provided Internet services, they were able to quickly shut it all off. They also got some help from outside governments who were heavy suppliers of cell-phones, bullying other governments into going along with their total shut-down efforts. It was all an attempt at stopping the political activism that had begun to erupt in the country, as groups were talking on Facebook and making gathering times for their rallies and protests.  I cannot even think what it would be like to live somewhere and not be certain whether or not the entire world wide web would be suddenly shut off or inaccessible to everyone I knew!  We should consider ourselves to be lucky to live in a country that provides us the freedoms we have.

"To the Cloud!"

To The Cloud--Start-up--Windows 7 by windows-videos

I remember those kinda corny commercials advertising cloud computing, and it was the first time I heard the concept. It's really very simple and yet very helpful: store your data (pictures, documents, movies, etc.) in The Cloud instead of on your hard-drive, so you can access it anywhere. The only set-back to this kind of computing would be if for whatever reason you can't connect to the precious internet, or else you wouldn't be able to access your data.  But, as we also discussed, the number of devices the average person carries around daily that can connect wirelessly and quickly to the internet is increasing too with SmartPhones and handheld devices, as well as WiFi being almost everywhere. And LAN computer ranges are increasing as well for networking offline.

Genius

I'm not saying that the guy we watched on those videos was a genius, but his ideas were basically perfect. After being smart enough to invent the CAPTCHA concept, he then realized how its increased security functionality was also wasting a lot of time due to its prevalence across the internet. His devising this way to have people subconsciously help digitize books through doing what they're already doing- and I emphasize for free- is nothing short of amazing.
He also came up with several other games for helping people translate books as they learn effectively how to speak another language is mutually beneficial to both the company and the willing users who save money on expensive alternative computer language programs.

Crowdsourcing

So today was possibly the most fun class I've had in college so far.
We played a few games trying to get people to think about crowdsourcing and how it can be a useful way to solve problems.  One group made  us play a game designed to teach the importance of sharing, or else the other members of the group would be killed off- it was funny to see how different groups treated the game differently, some being dominated by greedy fishermen and others cooperating so that everyone survived and got skittles in the end.

We also played the game where everyone in a group holds hands and tries to unfold back into a circle. We made multiple attempts, and although much fun and loud laughter was had in the hallways, I don't think either group ever fully got finished. But the key to that game also was teamwork; each person had to help each other out and talk through how to get untangled.

Modern Marketing

We had a guest speaker come in last week and talk about how he helps companies market themselves on the internet in order for them to get more business.  It was interesting to see how big a difference it makes on how much internet traffic a business' website gets based on whether it appears on Google's top few results or not.  People pour ridiculous amounts of money into online advertising because they know that's how most people shop nowadays, and getting your name out there is how you draw people in.
He also mentioned some other interesting ways of tagging products with things like "p8tches" that use QRCodes, which are essentially small squares that are similar to hyperlinks to a URL. You can simply scan it with a smartphone and go strait to a website for whatever object is being marketed.
The future of marketing is very interesting, and there are almost endless possibilities with the emergence of QRCodes and similar ways of interconnecting the web with the tangible world around us.

Rage Against the Machine

So this week we have had groups discuss their book reports, mostly about the internet and its effect on society.  It has lead to some interesting discussions about relationships, distractions, and intelligence.  The first group suggested that the vast amount of information on the internet and the ease at which it is all so readily available has caused us to become dumber. Why bother learning something when you can just google it on your smart-phone and have the answers pop up instantly?  The convenience of the internet might actually be hurting us as we adapt and start to become dependent on it.
The increased usage (more like booming craze) of personal networking websites has had some very big effects on the way people communicate with each other- emails replace written mail, facebook posts replace "checking in" with friends, and online chatting replaces face-to-face communication.
There are definitely some downsides to having a constant, interconnected online world from a sociological perspective as relationships seem to be more superficial and "screen-deep."

da Joey Code

This guy came in and talked to our class about different kinds of codes, some techniques dating way back to the times of Julius Caesar, and we got to practice writing messages with a partner in the different types of code.  One basic type is where letters represent other letters, more complicated ones include a jumble up of the words (similar to an anagram) to make it even harder to decode.
He discussed how different countries' military used these types of codes in the past to help send messages to one another, and how they have gotten more and more complex over time.
Nowadays we have computers that can make up incredibly more complicated methods of coding things for all sorts of purposes, from online banking to storing of various sensitive information.

"Facebook is the Devil"

I thought the Facebook debate on Thursday actually went pretty well, as both teams presented their information and had valid arguments (and some less persuasive but light-hearted comments like "Facebook is the Devil.").  While I can't claim to be completely objective since I was actually on one of the teams, I can see the many Pro's and Con's of having a facebook account.

Most of the problems were not with facebook itself, but rather the difficulty of using it safely. The website itself does not really pose many threats to identity theft, blackmail, cyber-bullying, or similar issues unless the user operates in a manner that puts that information out there. (Idiots posting pictures of themselves doing embarrassing things at parties are going to reap the social consequences)
As Thomas said, "The problems are with the people using facebook, not the site itself."
And not to mention there are many positive qualities to having a facebook as well, like keeping in touch with people easily who are farther away, easy and quick messaging, sharing pictures, posting videos, and more. Social networking is the popular thing to do these days, so it's how many teens connect with each other and remain "in the loop" with their friends; many highschoolers and college kids consider it to be almost necessary for maintaining a typical social lifestyle these days.

Creepers' Delight

So this past week kind of scared me with all the information that people were able to gather about each other. It was shocking how many sites there are out there that (for a small fee of course) can help you find all sorts of information about a person using only their name and a few other basic facts.
I also had no idea that so many high school sporting records are kept and posted online for anyone to go and look at. For someone like my friend Josh, whose dad created a web page for recruiters to find some stats about him, there was a plethora of information that he was completely unaware is out there for anyone to see!
We also learned about how digital footprints are left behind by computers, printers- anything electronic almost- and how there really is almost no anonymity on the internet anymore.
It seems the highly informative, readily available internet can be used to find a lot about almost anyone- but keeping in mind that others can find out what you're doing on the computer too!

RescueTime is Slanderous

Okay so maybe my title is a little harsh... but it did say I was "less productive than 92% of people." I mean, that's a pretty severe statement to make about somebody! Overall I must say, it gives a dark picture of how productive people are on their computers. Not many people at all received high marks for their laptop usage, and it seemed this was due to the fact that people's homework wasn't all done on the computer.  While RescueTime reports that we (as a class) were not very well organized or good at scheduling our time, it failed to account for the fact that most of our work for school might not take place on the computer.
Other problems found were the way it only considers the top tab in internet browsing, so things going on in the background aren't counted even if they are running.

While it did exactly what it claimed to do, there are a few kinks and changes that could be made in order to make it run smoother and give a more accurate report. But hey, nobody's perfect.

If You Fell From a Tree...

So Convocation went pretty well. I arrived what some might call "fashionably late," sprinting up the stairs just in time to sign in right as everybody was about to enter the building. We took our seats as some of the teachers and students processed into the lower floor seating; some people were recognized for various achievements and awards. Then the main speaker was introduced, Christopher McDougal, the author of the book Born to Run, and he gave a short but well-spoken talk about how to survive a 100 foot fall... wait, what?
This guy wrote a book all about running. The physical make-up of our feet structure. A story about freak athletes and crazy tribal runners. Ancient humanoid hunting techniques. And he talked about some completely unrelated guy falling from the sky?
As you might have guessed from my almost-tardiness that I had just rolled out of bed and had not fully woken up yet, so my brain wasn't quite connecting the dots.

The interesting thing about the Falling Man story is that he survived by doing the exact opposite of what human nature would have told him to do. He remained calm, didn't scream, tried to maintain a wide body position so as to have as much surface area and wind resistance as possible, and he stuck his arm out at the last moment to brace his fall. (How his friends were able to recount in vivid detail his mid-air maneuvering in the dark I'm not sure, but we'll give them the benefit of the doubt for the sake of making a point.)
By defying conventional "wisdom" or what he might naturally want to do, he kept his calm and tried his best to survive. And he did!

So if you ever fall from a metaphorical tree, instead of screaming and bracing for impact, try a new approach to an old problem. You might just discover something- and survive a 100 foot fall.

Technology

One quote I thought was interesting from the movie we watched in class was when one mother exclaimed, "It's like kids these days are pre-programmed with knowledge of how to work electronics from birth!"
I've grown up with all this modern technology around me; I had a computer class in elementary school where we learned basic skills and typing practice. It's just the way the world is, I haven't known anything different.
But it's interesting to look at older people, like say my parents, who have not had nearly as much practice (or engulfment) in technology, and notice how little they understand about computers. Even though I may not know how to do some task on a computer, I can mess around for a few minutes and normally figure it out. My parents do not have the slightest clue where to even begin. I remember once watching my mom clicking on random words on a website, not knowing the difference between which ones have active hyper-links and which ones are simple HTML text.

We really are immersed in a world so electronically driven with technology that didn't even exist just a short while ago, that it's hard to tell even amongst ourselves how it is changing the way we do life.

Week Two

This week we learned more in detail how bits are used to make up everything:  how combinations of 1 and 0 can represent squares on a grid.
We also played a game with bowling pins to represent how computers share packets from each other, one at a time, and have to rearrange the information in order. They also send copies to make sure no errors happen along the way.  We learned a "magic trick" that demonstrates how this idea works of counting up the 1's and 0's.
We also met in the library and learned a lot about how to do research, the intercollegiate library system we have, and what sources are considered more credible than others.

Overall it's been a fun week,  hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend, and this upcoming week too!

Week One

My thoughts concerning the first week of classes were as follows:

1) "Hell yeah we're actually in college!"
 followed up with...

2) "I'm really done with school at noon?!"
only later to discover...

3) "No wonder we have so much reading and stuff to do outside of class..."

But anyway, overall I am pretty pumped for this Hon1515 class and my other ones as well; my teachers seem pretty cool and work load definitely isn't too much to handle. So far, so good!