I was thinking about titling this NET11: Module 5 - Information ecologies, but since this is the last post `Final thoughts` seems more appropriate. So here goes lol.
The Internet is constantly viewed as something strange and unusual that the media delights in scare mongering about. In reality its nothing more than a technological evolution of human communication and interaction. We've gone from communicating via wall paintings, to writing letters, to telegrams, to phone conversations and now we have the internet. I suppose the biggest problem when it comes to people's understanding and acceptance of the internet is the fact that its happened so fast and its so different (on the surface) to anything we've had before.
The internet is on such a larger scale than anything before it. No other method is able to connect so many people from so many walks of life in such a relitivly simple manner. At first the internet was contrictive in the fact that in order to create a website you had to know HTML. This isn't the case anymore as `Web 2.0` is coming of age and user created content is taking over.
With the increasing user built content the internet is evolving from mostly information, to primarily communication. Instead of meeting friends at a cafe for a chat, people are meeting up in chat rooms. Our lives are moving from entirely physical, to somewhat virtual, with the greater percentage of jobs out there being based, if not entirely then partially, on the internet.
Society has buit itself to the point that the sudden removal of the internet would be catastrophic, so it's not so far fetched to call it an ecology. It doesn't matter if you call it an `information ecology` or a `communication ecology`, the internet is both and the loss of it would have immeasurable consequences.
~ I've probably not covered everything and I think I'm rambling but since times up and my head is spinning this is pretty much all I've got left. It's been an interesting course and I wish I had the time it diserved to devote to it. I've certainly started thinking about things in a different light and hopefully I've managed to articulate my wandering thoughts well enough. Good luck in your future endeavours to anyone that reads this and sorry if my nonsensicle ramblings makes your head hurt >.<;
Cheers,
Kalina
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
NET 11: Module 4 - Evaluating the web
Task 1
Title: F-Shaped Pattern For Reading Web Content
URL: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html
Author: Jakob Nielsen
Annotation: This article written by Jakob Nielsen, Ph.D., principal of the Nielsen Norman Group, details the reading pattern of online readers. Nielsen explains how an eye tracking study found that readers typically adopt an F-shape pattern when reading online data. He also touches on the implications of said pattern and what that means to the average web developer.
Task 2
1. in terms of your own future use, which 'body ' of information (ie. the original 'snapshot' of the site, or your own, annotated, analytical version) would be most useful to refer back to?
To refer back to? It would have to be the original. The annotation is good for keeping track of why I had that site bookmarked but not for referring back to.
2. In term of external users (i.e. if you included this site as a hyperlink or resource on a website) which body of information would best help them judge if the site was useful or of interest to them?
For external users the annotation would be better. A lot of people don't bother clicking on hyper links anyway so if there is a brief annotation to tell them what the site's about without having to click all the better. If they do click after reading the annotation then they'll know what they're in for.
Title: F-Shaped Pattern For Reading Web Content
URL: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html
Author: Jakob Nielsen
Annotation: This article written by Jakob Nielsen, Ph.D., principal of the Nielsen Norman Group, details the reading pattern of online readers. Nielsen explains how an eye tracking study found that readers typically adopt an F-shape pattern when reading online data. He also touches on the implications of said pattern and what that means to the average web developer.
Task 2
1. in terms of your own future use, which 'body ' of information (ie. the original 'snapshot' of the site, or your own, annotated, analytical version) would be most useful to refer back to?
To refer back to? It would have to be the original. The annotation is good for keeping track of why I had that site bookmarked but not for referring back to.
2. In term of external users (i.e. if you included this site as a hyperlink or resource on a website) which body of information would best help them judge if the site was useful or of interest to them?
For external users the annotation would be better. A lot of people don't bother clicking on hyper links anyway so if there is a brief annotation to tell them what the site's about without having to click all the better. If they do click after reading the annotation then they'll know what they're in for.
NET 11: Module 4 - Searching the web
Organising search information task
First, choose the best three sources found in the previous task
Using whatever software or tool you think appropriate, record the following information about those sites:
* URL.
* author,
* institution,
* blurb/ summary / screen shot (this can be a direct copy of an appropriate abstract or introductory paragraph on the site: but make sure you record and reference it as such)
Again, using any useful software you have downloaded, or utilising your existing software, record this information on your computer in the way that you think will be most useful to you in terms of preparing for your concepts assignment (that is, in terms of how easy you will find it to access, retrieve, understand, contextualise and recall why you saved it - and with what!).
* LOG ENTRY:
Record this information in your learning log, and also detail how you saved this information, what software you used and why.
This is kinda weird since I've already done the assignment, but meh w/e.
URL: Blinklist. I can add it to it's own area include a comment to remind me of why I chose that site and if my computer packs it in, it doesn't matter.
Author: Again Blinklist, just add the information to the comment when blinking the site. Copy and paste! (I'm guessing you mean author of the article not author of the page >.>)
Institution: Blinklist >.> for the same reason as above.
Blurb or Summary: Blinklist. Can just add it to the comment.
Screenshot: Fraps. Hit F12 and then move the file into an appropriate folder, after renaming the file so I knew what it was for.
Other than Blinklist I didn't use any software to get the info I needed when I did my assignment and more often then not I just wrote a few notes to remind myself of things on a piece of paper. I've got absolutely not intentions or interest in downloading a website onto my computer and everything listed can be obtained by copy and paste.
Note ~ Of course it's just dawned on me that the words in the search might have had to have something to do with this course and with the concepts assignment... even though there's no mention of that till the end of the tasks page.
So technically the first part of this is still right, since it did say -> "words of your choosing", but I guess I'll drag out some bookmarks that I had for the concepts assignment and use those for the rest.
URL: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html
Author: Jakob Nielsen
Institution: Nielsen Norman Group
Blurb/summary/screenshot: Detailed information about the reading pattern of web users and in particular the F-Shaped pattern.
URL: http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=120470
Author: Sara Dickenson Quinn
Institution: The Poynter Institute
Blurb/summary/screenshot: Script from a presentation about the reading habits of online and offline news readers.
URL: http://www.psy.dmu.ac.uk/drhiles/Savant%20Syndrome.htm
Author: Dave Hiles
Institution: The Virtual Office of Dave Hiles
Blurb/summary/screenshot: An essay by Dr David Hiles about the Savant syndrome.
First, choose the best three sources found in the previous task
Using whatever software or tool you think appropriate, record the following information about those sites:
* URL.
* author,
* institution,
* blurb/ summary / screen shot (this can be a direct copy of an appropriate abstract or introductory paragraph on the site: but make sure you record and reference it as such)
Again, using any useful software you have downloaded, or utilising your existing software, record this information on your computer in the way that you think will be most useful to you in terms of preparing for your concepts assignment (that is, in terms of how easy you will find it to access, retrieve, understand, contextualise and recall why you saved it - and with what!).
* LOG ENTRY:
Record this information in your learning log, and also detail how you saved this information, what software you used and why.
This is kinda weird since I've already done the assignment, but meh w/e.
URL: Blinklist. I can add it to it's own area include a comment to remind me of why I chose that site and if my computer packs it in, it doesn't matter.
Author: Again Blinklist, just add the information to the comment when blinking the site. Copy and paste! (I'm guessing you mean author of the article not author of the page >.>)
Institution: Blinklist >.> for the same reason as above.
Blurb or Summary: Blinklist. Can just add it to the comment.
Screenshot: Fraps. Hit F12 and then move the file into an appropriate folder, after renaming the file so I knew what it was for.
Other than Blinklist I didn't use any software to get the info I needed when I did my assignment and more often then not I just wrote a few notes to remind myself of things on a piece of paper. I've got absolutely not intentions or interest in downloading a website onto my computer and everything listed can be obtained by copy and paste.
Note ~ Of course it's just dawned on me that the words in the search might have had to have something to do with this course and with the concepts assignment... even though there's no mention of that till the end of the tasks page.
So technically the first part of this is still right, since it did say -> "words of your choosing", but I guess I'll drag out some bookmarks that I had for the concepts assignment and use those for the rest.
URL: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html
Author: Jakob Nielsen
Institution: Nielsen Norman Group
Blurb/summary/screenshot: Detailed information about the reading pattern of web users and in particular the F-Shaped pattern.
URL: http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=120470
Author: Sara Dickenson Quinn
Institution: The Poynter Institute
Blurb/summary/screenshot: Script from a presentation about the reading habits of online and offline news readers.
URL: http://www.psy.dmu.ac.uk/drhiles/Savant%20Syndrome.htm
Author: Dave Hiles
Institution: The Virtual Office of Dave Hiles
Blurb/summary/screenshot: An essay by Dr David Hiles about the Savant syndrome.
NET 11: Module 4 - Searching the web
Boolean searching task
Taking the same key words of your last search, think about how you would best search for the following:
* the biggest number of hits relating to these key words
* information most relevant to what you ACTUALLY wanted to look for!
* information coming only from university sources
LOG ENTRY:
Discuss your strategies with the class and record the exact search terms you used in your learning log
Well since this log has to be done by tomorrow, the first part of the log entry "discuss your strategies with the class" is just not gonna happen. Not been a good study period for being up to date enough to interact with the class (not that I've wanted to with the limited free time I've had either -.-).
Original search terms = adobe photoshop under linux
Biggest number of hits = If we're going for sheer numbers then - adobe OR photoshop OR under OR linux = 2,630,000,000 hits. If the aim is big numbers plus some semblence of relevance then adobe OR photoshop OR under linux works better but has less hits with 33,900,000.
Most relevant information = adobe AND photoshop AND under linux (276,000 hits if you're curious).
Info from uni sources only = (adobe AND photoshop AND under linux) AND university. While this query doesn't return alot of university documents, this is mostly due to the subject matter.
For an example of how this query works try this search: `(climate AND change) AND university`, as apposed to: `climate change`.
Taking the same key words of your last search, think about how you would best search for the following:
* the biggest number of hits relating to these key words
* information most relevant to what you ACTUALLY wanted to look for!
* information coming only from university sources
LOG ENTRY:
Discuss your strategies with the class and record the exact search terms you used in your learning log
Well since this log has to be done by tomorrow, the first part of the log entry "discuss your strategies with the class" is just not gonna happen. Not been a good study period for being up to date enough to interact with the class (not that I've wanted to with the limited free time I've had either -.-).
Original search terms = adobe photoshop under linux
Biggest number of hits = If we're going for sheer numbers then - adobe OR photoshop OR under OR linux = 2,630,000,000 hits. If the aim is big numbers plus some semblence of relevance then adobe OR photoshop OR under linux works better but has less hits with 33,900,000.
Most relevant information = adobe AND photoshop AND under linux (276,000 hits if you're curious).
Info from uni sources only = (adobe AND photoshop AND under linux) AND university. While this query doesn't return alot of university documents, this is mostly due to the subject matter.
For an example of how this query works try this search: `(climate AND change) AND university`, as apposed to: `climate change`.
NET 11: Module 4 - Searching the web
Search engine task
What to do:
1. Choose your most commonly used internet search engine and do a search with words of your choosing. Record the first hit and number of hits in your learning log.
Search engine = Google
Words of choice = adobe photoshop under linux
First hit =
Review: Photoshop under Linux
22 Apr 2003 ... Embedded Linux support engineer, and former Adobe test engineer, Cal Erickson gives the ... Adobe Photoshop running under CrossOver Office ...
www.desktoplinux.com/articles/AT7770280571.html
Number of hits = 262,000
2. Using copernicus or similar, set it up to search at least three search engines (including one that will search the 'deep web') and repeat eactly the same search. Record the number of hits in your learning log, and compare to your first search. What differences did you notice? Why? Which search, on first glance gave you the most promising results?
Program = Copernic
Search engines enabled = 13
Number of hits = 39 (number of hits per search engine was limited to 10. [bumping the hits per search engine up to 300 makes the program shutdown >.>])
Copernic took a lot longer to find fewer results, granted it was searching 13 search engines, but still... If you take into consideration that each search engine will return results in a frction of a second, it could be that it was searching 13 engines in an ineffcient manner. Or, the degredation is an illusion based on the fact that when you visit one search engine it loads fairly instantly, however, when you ask it to search 13 at the same time then place additional relevance checks on top of the pre-existing relevance checks each search engine provides the whole process can seem to take quite some time. Either way... it was sloooowwww.
If you're only looking at the first 5 results then they pretty much gave the same results, only difference being that the results were in a different order.
What to do:
1. Choose your most commonly used internet search engine and do a search with words of your choosing. Record the first hit and number of hits in your learning log.
Search engine = Google
Words of choice = adobe photoshop under linux
First hit =
Review: Photoshop under Linux
22 Apr 2003 ... Embedded Linux support engineer, and former Adobe test engineer, Cal Erickson gives the ... Adobe Photoshop running under CrossOver Office ...
www.desktoplinux.com/articles/AT7770280571.html
Number of hits = 262,000
2. Using copernicus or similar, set it up to search at least three search engines (including one that will search the 'deep web') and repeat eactly the same search. Record the number of hits in your learning log, and compare to your first search. What differences did you notice? Why? Which search, on first glance gave you the most promising results?
Program = Copernic
Search engines enabled = 13
Number of hits = 39 (number of hits per search engine was limited to 10. [bumping the hits per search engine up to 300 makes the program shutdown >.>])
Copernic took a lot longer to find fewer results, granted it was searching 13 search engines, but still... If you take into consideration that each search engine will return results in a frction of a second, it could be that it was searching 13 engines in an ineffcient manner. Or, the degredation is an illusion based on the fact that when you visit one search engine it loads fairly instantly, however, when you ask it to search 13 at the same time then place additional relevance checks on top of the pre-existing relevance checks each search engine provides the whole process can seem to take quite some time. Either way... it was sloooowwww.
If you're only looking at the first 5 results then they pretty much gave the same results, only difference being that the results were in a different order.
NET 11: Module 4 - Downloading tools / plug-ins task
Task: Peruse a selection of web tools and download at least 2 unfamliar programs and record which I download and what use they will be, if at all.
I can soro that! (catch cry of a friend, sorry had to add it lol ;) )
1. Adobe's pdf reader
Got this installed already. Besides the fact that I make a lot of pdf documents, there are so many sites that utilise this file format. A number of munfacturers put their product brochures up as pdf since it can be as many pages as they need it to be and will look the same no matter what type of web browser the user is using.
2. Flash/Shockwave Players
Installed already. I used to do Flash animation, haven't done it in ages though and can't even remember any of the Actionscript >.< Very handy for making things look the way you want without having to wangle the HTML or CSS, specially since you can add a preloader to it. On the flip side, to do any of the really neat stuff you need to really know the Actionscript, which is a coding language that Flash uses, it's based on Javascript.
3. Media Players
I'm pretty sure I have all 3 options installed (Quicktime, Real and Windows Media). Not a fan of Windows media player, not a big fan of Windows full stop (I'd live in Linux if it wasn't for the Windows onry software I have to use >.<). If a site gives an option of which player you can use, I usually choose Real, just find it easier to use... that and I don't like Windows and Apple >.>
4. Search Manager/Combiners
Didn't have installed :O Do now though >.> I downloaded and installed Copernic. I usually just end up using Google to find things so it'll be interesting to see what turns up with multiple search engines working for me instead of just one.
5. Bookmark Manager
Haven't downloaded and don't intend to either. Firefox has a pretty good inbuilt bookmark manager and on top of that I use Blinklist since I have 3 computers that I use and trying to keep up to date bookmarks on all 3 is frustrating at times.
6. Offline Browser/Copier
Didn't have any of the ones listed installed but I do have Google Gears installed which does the same thing. Not that I use it alot, since I'm really not interested in downloading a website onto my harddrive. It's rare that I don't have access to the web and when I don't have access to it something pretty drastic has happened (Victoria bush fires and the heatwave the preceeded it was the latest reason for Internet troubles, that knocked about our Internet for about 2 weeks... and I'm in Tassie ._.).
I can soro that! (catch cry of a friend, sorry had to add it lol ;) )
1. Adobe's pdf reader
Got this installed already. Besides the fact that I make a lot of pdf documents, there are so many sites that utilise this file format. A number of munfacturers put their product brochures up as pdf since it can be as many pages as they need it to be and will look the same no matter what type of web browser the user is using.
2. Flash/Shockwave Players
Installed already. I used to do Flash animation, haven't done it in ages though and can't even remember any of the Actionscript >.< Very handy for making things look the way you want without having to wangle the HTML or CSS, specially since you can add a preloader to it. On the flip side, to do any of the really neat stuff you need to really know the Actionscript, which is a coding language that Flash uses, it's based on Javascript.
3. Media Players
I'm pretty sure I have all 3 options installed (Quicktime, Real and Windows Media). Not a fan of Windows media player, not a big fan of Windows full stop (I'd live in Linux if it wasn't for the Windows onry software I have to use >.<). If a site gives an option of which player you can use, I usually choose Real, just find it easier to use... that and I don't like Windows and Apple >.>
4. Search Manager/Combiners
Didn't have installed :O Do now though >.> I downloaded and installed Copernic. I usually just end up using Google to find things so it'll be interesting to see what turns up with multiple search engines working for me instead of just one.
5. Bookmark Manager
Haven't downloaded and don't intend to either. Firefox has a pretty good inbuilt bookmark manager and on top of that I use Blinklist since I have 3 computers that I use and trying to keep up to date bookmarks on all 3 is frustrating at times.
6. Offline Browser/Copier
Didn't have any of the ones listed installed but I do have Google Gears installed which does the same thing. Not that I use it alot, since I'm really not interested in downloading a website onto my harddrive. It's rare that I don't have access to the web and when I don't have access to it something pretty drastic has happened (Victoria bush fires and the heatwave the preceeded it was the latest reason for Internet troubles, that knocked about our Internet for about 2 weeks... and I'm in Tassie ._.).
Friday, February 20, 2009
NET 11: Module 3 - Web 2.0
Ok so, task is to look at two different sites, one is a simple HTML list of bookmarks the other is a list of bookmarks through the website Blinklist. First one representing Web 1.0, second Web 2.0.
What is the difference between the two?
Aesthetically the Blinklist one is far better, its easy to read, well laid out and easy to navigate. The simple HTML page does the job, but its a static page. In order to change the contents of the HTML list the HTML itself has to be edited, whereas the Blinklist list merely takes a few clicks. The Blinklist option allows anyone that can access the web to be able to create a list of bookmarks, no HTML or CSS knowledge is required.
What are the benefits?
The benefits of the Blinklist option is that anyone can do it, you just sign up download an extension for your browser (if you want to) and start adding. The content of Blinklist is also kept 'off site', which means that if your harddrive fails and you lose all your data, you won't lose your bookmarks. This also means that you can have access to them from any computer, anywhere in the world.
The HTML option gives you greater flexibility as you're in control of every aspect of it. It is also held on a server of your choosing, meaning that it can be as public or private as you wish. I'd say that the greatest benefit of the HTML list is control, you're in control of it all.
Which format do you think you would like better and why?
I like the Blinklist option better, its quick easy and no fuss. Sure the HTML gives you greater control and all but unless there is a specific need for a completely custom page, the HTML is to much of a hassle for something so simple.
What is the difference between the two?
Aesthetically the Blinklist one is far better, its easy to read, well laid out and easy to navigate. The simple HTML page does the job, but its a static page. In order to change the contents of the HTML list the HTML itself has to be edited, whereas the Blinklist list merely takes a few clicks. The Blinklist option allows anyone that can access the web to be able to create a list of bookmarks, no HTML or CSS knowledge is required.
What are the benefits?
The benefits of the Blinklist option is that anyone can do it, you just sign up download an extension for your browser (if you want to) and start adding. The content of Blinklist is also kept 'off site', which means that if your harddrive fails and you lose all your data, you won't lose your bookmarks. This also means that you can have access to them from any computer, anywhere in the world.
The HTML option gives you greater flexibility as you're in control of every aspect of it. It is also held on a server of your choosing, meaning that it can be as public or private as you wish. I'd say that the greatest benefit of the HTML list is control, you're in control of it all.
Which format do you think you would like better and why?
I like the Blinklist option better, its quick easy and no fuss. Sure the HTML gives you greater control and all but unless there is a specific need for a completely custom page, the HTML is to much of a hassle for something so simple.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
NET 11: Module 3 - Blogs
My thoughts on Blogs, hmmm...
I'm actually only new to this whole blogging thing, but so far I'm really liking being able to post a nice long blog without having to worry about trying to find a scrap of paper or a working pen lol. I've usually just read blogs and have never considered my opinion to be of any worth. In a way blogging is very liberating and a good way to break free of old chains that bind hard. Over thinking and probably putting way to much on the shoulders of simple HTML lol.
Most blogs I run into are connected to web comics, where the artist uses the blog to inform about any delays in getting the comic done and subtly reminding everyone about the link to the online store. I've also come across Photoshop/Illustrator tutorials nestled in blogs and usually they have some awesome links to go with them that the blogger has found during their browsing. I once inadvertently stumbled on a blog that was dedicated to the life of a person's avatar, they were using the blog as part of their role play.
I've always seen blogs as another way for an individual or a group to express themselves and share their thoughts and ideas with the world (or whoever happens to click onto their blog at the time). A little while ago I saw a documentary about politics in Italy, the main thing that jumped out about it was the plan by the the Italian government to force anyone with a website and/or blog to register with the government and pay a tax. Countries have been trying to police the Internet for some time and except for China they've pretty much failed. Although even in China there are ways around the system, I know some people that have been able to bypass the site blocking. Over here the plan by the government to 'protect the children' (all that goes through my head when I here that is, "oh won't someone think of the children?!", waaay to much Simpsons >.>), would not only strain our already pathetic off shore connections, but it could be abused, as I vaguely remember it being said that the government would decide what is and isn't appropriate content.
Anytime governments talk about policing the Internet, all it comes across to me as, is a bunch of old politicians frantically trying to keep a lid on an already open tin of worms. As much as they try they will never be able to stop peoples opinions or their ability to find ways of expressing them.
Note~
If you're interested in the Italian law that I mentioned earlier, here's a link to the blog of Beppe Grillo. Grillo is an Italian comedian that has been using comedy as a way of voicing his concerns and crticism of Italian politicians and policies.
I'm actually only new to this whole blogging thing, but so far I'm really liking being able to post a nice long blog without having to worry about trying to find a scrap of paper or a working pen lol. I've usually just read blogs and have never considered my opinion to be of any worth. In a way blogging is very liberating and a good way to break free of old chains that bind hard. Over thinking and probably putting way to much on the shoulders of simple HTML lol.
Most blogs I run into are connected to web comics, where the artist uses the blog to inform about any delays in getting the comic done and subtly reminding everyone about the link to the online store. I've also come across Photoshop/Illustrator tutorials nestled in blogs and usually they have some awesome links to go with them that the blogger has found during their browsing. I once inadvertently stumbled on a blog that was dedicated to the life of a person's avatar, they were using the blog as part of their role play.
I've always seen blogs as another way for an individual or a group to express themselves and share their thoughts and ideas with the world (or whoever happens to click onto their blog at the time). A little while ago I saw a documentary about politics in Italy, the main thing that jumped out about it was the plan by the the Italian government to force anyone with a website and/or blog to register with the government and pay a tax. Countries have been trying to police the Internet for some time and except for China they've pretty much failed. Although even in China there are ways around the system, I know some people that have been able to bypass the site blocking. Over here the plan by the government to 'protect the children' (all that goes through my head when I here that is, "oh won't someone think of the children?!", waaay to much Simpsons >.>), would not only strain our already pathetic off shore connections, but it could be abused, as I vaguely remember it being said that the government would decide what is and isn't appropriate content.
Anytime governments talk about policing the Internet, all it comes across to me as, is a bunch of old politicians frantically trying to keep a lid on an already open tin of worms. As much as they try they will never be able to stop peoples opinions or their ability to find ways of expressing them.
Note~
If you're interested in the Italian law that I mentioned earlier, here's a link to the blog of Beppe Grillo. Grillo is an Italian comedian that has been using comedy as a way of voicing his concerns and crticism of Italian politicians and policies.
NET 11: Module 3 - WWW Standards
5 Rules for writing online (so says me :D)
1. Be concise - This might seem obvious but given that the average user spends no more than 30 seconds on a site before moving on, it's really important to let them know exactly what they're going to find on your site in those 30 seconds. Otherwise they'll just leave and probably won't even bother to bookmark your site let alone remember to come back to it. It may seem a hard task to do for a site that has research essays on it, however just a brief, well worded, synopsis at the top of the page may be enough to entice the viewer to keep reading.
2. Layout - Very important, not just for the text but also for the entire web page. The text needs to be easy to read yes, but the page also needs to have a flow that enables the reading of the text. If the text doesn't look like it belongs then the reader is not only going to have a hard time trying to read it, but they're not going to want to read it.
3. White space - I know, it's apart of layout, however it does deserve a special mention. Having the right amount of white space in between words and paragraphs can greatly change the readability of the text. If there is to much then words become to far apart and the entire text seems fractured. If there is not enough white space then the words start to blend into one and the reader ends up with nothing but a huge headache.
4. Colour - Probably one of the biggest mistakes I've seen in a number of web pages is the wrong colour font for the colour background. If people can't see it, then they won't read it.
Here is a link to show you what I mean.
5. Load time - As I said before, people don't spend much time on a site before moving on. If the page doesn't load quick enough then it doesn't matter how well the text is laid out, what colour it is or how relevant it might be to their needs. If the site is going to take a bit to load, you can write into the HTML to load the text first. This would at least give the viewer something to do while they wait.
Here is a link to the a list of the webs worst web pages for 2007, even Microsoft ended up on the list LOL. Here's one for 2008.
Just about every rule I've come up with is some way based around layout, for me if it doesn't look right then I don't really care what information the site holds. More often than not I'll just move on rather than trying to read through a poorly layed out site.
Just about every rule I've come up with is some way based around layout, for me if it doesn't look right then I don't really care what information the site holds. More often than not I'll just move on rather than trying to read through a poorly layed out site.
Legal Issues
Have you used images or words on your web page or website that contravene copyright laws?
For websites that I've done for others, no, I haven't breached any copyright issues as all images and data have been their property and they've owned the copyright.
For my personal blog, that's kinda a grey area. I have images of my avatar and in game items that I've picked up. Now, whilst the avatar and her equipment is technically mine as I pay a monthly installment and I've put the effort into her, in actual fact they still remain the property of the company that owns the game. However, I make no claims to owning copyright and free advertisement is not somthing they commonly turn down. If they were to act on one screenshot of in game items and activity then they'd have to act on all. That would cost them not only the money needed to take such action but also it would decimate the game's community and they'd lose practically all their customers. In short their hip pocket just doesn't allow them to be that petty.
It would probably fall under the 'fair use' clause as there is somewhat of a mutual understanding between the two parties. The game company gets free advertisement and the player gets to put the images on their site so long as there is a note that all images relating to the game are the property of the game company.
Would you be in breach of copyright if you put the Curtin logo at the top of your web page for an assignment?
Technicalities gotta love em.
Technically, yes, you would be in breach of copyright as the Curtin logo is the property of Curtin University and it's affiliates. However, certain allowances are made when it comes to academia and again the 'fair use' clause comes into play. So long as the logo was used for an assignment that was to be submitted to Curtin, then I couldn't see there being a problem. I guess the issue would get sticky if you tried to use that same assignment else where without first removing the logo.
NET 11: Module 3 - HTML Tags
I kinda feel like I'm cheating in some way by already knowing about HTML and CSS. That being said I don't know a lot so I guess it all works out... and I'm rambling :o Focus! Focus!
So task: Follow tutorials and make a web page then reflect on the whole thing.
HTML is pretty simple if all you're doing is making a plain text filled page. It starts to get frustrating when you start adding the pretty stuff and having to contend with the different browsers and how they handle the code. Though when you've finish your web page and it all works it's like you've just one a victory over a horde of zerglings (well is it for me anyway).
The differences between HTML and blogging?
With HTML you have to do everything, the layout, the design and the input for the website. Blogging on the other hand is usually more like posting on forums, the site has already been designed and the HTML is already in place, you just need to add the text.
Blogging is also geared more towards a personal journal whereas HTML is creating webpages.
What do you like best?
If I'm just wanting to put a bit of info up then I'll just put it on my blog and be done with it. However I do prefer to make and design websites for their specific tasks. I like having the control that comes with hand coding the HTML (even if it is a bit messy at times >.>).
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Conceptual Research & Reflection Project
Concept 14: Cyberspace is informationally created 'space'
“MUDs (and derivative graphical worlds) are the pre-eminent form of 'spatialising' on the Internet: they are not merely about communication, but about the construction of a 'shared hallucination' of spatial context.” (Allen, n.d)
It is human nature to want to socialise and gather with like minded people in a ‘space’. The Internet offers the opportunity to create ‘space’ for specific purposes that are accessible from almost anywhere in the world. These spaces can be in the form of chat rooms, discussion boards, forums, email lists, online games etc. Each is different, yet inherently similar in the sense that they all enable communication between people in a created environment, that, for the duration of the experience, is as real as the participants deem it is.
Many discussions have occurred as to the ‘reality’ of online interactions. Some say that your relations with a person isn’t ‘real’ unless you meet them in the physical world, others disagree and say that communication is communication and is ‘real’ no matter its delivery. The created space online has blurred the line greatly between what is and is not ‘reality’. Online games have been a major player in the uncertainty of reality as they present entire virtual worlds to live in with many offering the ability for avatars to marry.
Online games, in particular MMORPGs, are unique when it comes to created space. The games still run with the same format as a single person game, that is they have quests to complete and storylines to follow, however, the fact that they are online opens them up to the intricacies of human interaction. They are literally virtual worlds with their own races, rules, economies and social acceptability’s. Each game’s player base determines what is and is not acceptable within its society. Whilst this is true of other forms of online communication, the seemingly closed nature of these games, combined with the lore of the particular game, makes them an interesting experiment in human behaviour and interactions. Of particular interest is the natural progression of gathering into groups or ‘guilds’. All players are partaking in the same virtual world, yet rather than playing as a single community their needs and desire to be around like minded people sees them forming groups, as happens in the ‘real’ world.
The MMORPG, Second Life, is perhaps one of the best uses of created space for the purpose of communication. Unlike most MMORPGs, Second Life has no quests to complete, no alternate race to play or storyline created by developers. Its sole function is to act as a space for people to socialise and create they’re own space within a space to interact with others. Second Life, is exactly as its name suggests a second life for its members that, for some, runs in parallel with their ‘first life’.
Site 1:
Title: How is Online Communication Different?
About.com. (2003). “How is Online Communication Different?” About.com. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/computerstuff/a/onlinecom.htm
This is an article about the differences between people’s online and offline communications. It lists some examples of the key features which aren’t part of face-to-face communications, such as, gender switching and the use of nicknames. It’s interesting to see how differently we communicate when the other person is no where to be seen.
Site 2:
Title: Coldwell Banker Puts Real House on Second Life Block
Phillips, Ashley. (2007). “Coldwell Banker Puts Real House on Second Life Block” abc News. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3437446
An article from abc News about a real estate agent putting a real $3 million dollar (US) property, situated in Seattle, up for sale online in Second Life. The house was completely recreated in Second Life, which enabled prospective international buyers to tour the house without having to make the trip to the US. It really is another example of the virtual world blending with the physical, whether we’re ready for it or not.
Concept 23: Human-computer interfaces
“Interacting with websites feels similarly impersonal or, more subtly, further indicates the extent to which humans readily accept the presence of machine-like ‘intelligence’ in their lives.” (Allen, n.d)
For years humans have been fascinated by the idea of artificial intelligence. At first it was a science fiction idea for machines to interact with humans and today, to a certain extent, this remains true. Yes, we interact with computers and our everyday lives are full of fridges telling us that we need to buy more milk, or washing machines telling us that its cycle is over and requires unloading. However, these are just simple programs running their course; the word ‘intelligence’ is used quite liberally in society, even more so when it comes to computers.
Before we can classify an entity as having ‘intelligence’ we must first define what it is to be intelligent. This is no small task and it is a problem that has plagued the scientific and philosophical communities for hundreds of years. Whilst there are currently various I.Q tests around, they don’t allow for variations in a person’s ability. A good example is a savant. Savants have serious mental or physical disabilities, yet have remarkable talents in, usually, one field. They would normally fail an I.Q test, however if tested on their particular talent, they exceed ‘normal’ parameters.
When it comes to computers we are fortunate to be able to define intelligence quite accurately. Intelligence in a program can only truly exist when it is dynamically responding to events it has not been programmed for. For example, while it’s a good party trick, a chat bot being able to fool people is not intelligence, as it is not capable of dynamically creating a response to a specific input. In more human terms, in has a very limited vocabulary and responds with a default message when it encounters input that it doesn’t have a predefined match for. In the case of a chat bot, we can see that while it appears to have a glimmer of ‘intelligence’ it is in fact simply intelligent programming.
As artificial intelligence is mostly measured by how closely it mirrors human behaviour, in order to truly call a program intelligent, it would need to be able to interact and evolve without any human altered code, past the original version of itself. This process would be similar to the growth of a human child. From birth we have only our most basic of instincts yet we develop knowledge and skills through what we experience and are taught. We have no programmer to periodically update our software and install new data, we are autonomous beings. For those searching to create true artificial intelligence, this would have to be the ultimate goal.
Site 1:
Title: Intelligence
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia (2008) "Intelligence". Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 8, 2009, from http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761570026/intelligence.html
An encyclopaedic definition of intelligence, that goes into detail about the difficulties of defining intelligence. It also covers how different intelligence is dependant on the culture that perceives it. An example being that one culture may conceive intelligence as the ability to solve mathematical equations, while another culture defines intelligence by a person’s navigational skill.
Site 2:
Site 2:
Title: Aiko, Fem-bot.
Ramadge, Andrew. (2008) “It's not about sex, says Aiko robot inventor Le Trung” NEWS.com.au. Retrieved February 5, 2009, from http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24807784-5014239,00.html?from=communities
Artificial intelligence! Not quite. This article is about a Canadian inventor that has developed a life sized female robot that can interact with people. It’s getting pretty close to artificial intelligence but it’s not quite there yet. The programmer still can’t walk away completely and let it learn on its own yet. Yes she can slap a person if they verbally abuse her, but this is because she has been programmed to do so, its not a learned response.
Concept 27: The persistence of history
“Moreover, while new systems ‘appear’ different, they often use or include much older, traditional applications. For example, various identifier commands (ping, traceroute etc) can be used within IRC; telnet and ftp are tightly interlinked with http for web browsing.” (Allen, n.d)
History itself is persistent in all things, be it the natural evolution of life, or our most modern of technologies. Very rarely is a new idea actually new, more often than not it is based around something that was conceived years earlier. Unless the day comes that the internet is thrown into the trash and reborn, the older technologies are not likely to disappear any time soon, be they in their original forms or as the backbone for newer technologies. Even then, there is a high probability that there will still be a remanence of the older technology in the ‘new’ version of the Internet.
Knowledge and understanding of the older technologies is not just a nice idea, but is virtually required. Many Fortune 500 companies still run off older technology due to its reliability and at this point in time there is no need for them to upgrade. Cost is also a major factor in all things, these days especially, and the sheer cost involved with overhauling the current systems would be staggering.
In a sense it can be likened to the car. Despite the evolution of the car, at its core remains an engine, as it stands, the same type of engine that was used when the Model T Ford first rolled off the production line in 1908. Even with the ideas and advancements that are being developed, the engine is still an integral part of the car. Some of the new ideas, such as Hydrogen fuel, can be traced back to 1807. Unless the car can completely remove the use of an engine then its historical
technology will never be eliminated.
Even if the car was to be reinvented to the point of not requiring any technology of its predecessors, knowledge of the older technologies would still be required. It takes years for older outdated technology to completely die out and in some cases it has a chance at a revival. Vinyl records, for example, were replaced with the newer, and some say better CDs. Today however, they are not only still around but are also making a comeback as music industries attempt to combat the illegal
download trend that is occurring.
No matter the circumstance, history has always found a way to influence the future and the internet is no different. The older technology will continue to persist well into the future as either a backbone for more modern systems or as a redundancy should everything else fail.
Site 1:
Title: What goes around comes around.
Spanbauer, Jan (2009). “What goes around comes around”. Advance Titan. Retrieved February 5, 2009, from http://www.advancetitan.com/?se=Arts+%26+Entertainment&s=7389
This is a link to an article detailing the new rise in popularity for the humble vinyl record. The vinyl record never truly died and it’s fascinating to see that a very modern problem has heralded its return. With illegal downloads at an all time high it’ll be very interesting to see how much of the market vinyls can reclaim for the record companies, especially in the current financial climate.
Site 2:
Title: The History of the Automobile
About.com. n.d “The History of the Automobile” About.com: Inventors. Retrieved February 8, 2009, from http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aacarsgasa.htm
It’s interesting to look at the recycled ideas of the past, especially the hydrogen fuelled engine. This site has a timeline of key points in the history of the car engine, as well as some in depth information on certain individuals whose contribution was immensely important to the engines development.
Concept 33: Information and attention
“One of the newest and most significant ways of thinking about the Internet is termed the ‘attention economy’ (Goldhaber). In this kind of economy, the most valuable commodity is people’s attention (which can be, for example, bought and sold in the advertising industry): successful websites and other Internet publications / communications (says Goldhaber) are those which capture and hold the increasingly distracted attention of Internet users amidst a swirling mass of informational options.” (Allen, n.d)
There are many issues that arise when designing for the Internet; the attention span of the users is possibly one of the most frustrating. The first issue is load times. The average attention span of users when it comes to the load time of a web page is approximately 4 seconds, according to studies under taken in 2006. A few years earlier the attention span of users was found to be 8 seconds; the drop in attention spans can be attributed to the introduction of broadband technologies.
If the user is around long enough for the page to load and begin browsing, the page then has to be designed in a way that facilitates the ability to obtain information quickly. With the use of eye tracking technology, a study of how users actually browse a web page found that users typically follow an ‘F’ pattern when viewing a site. That is, they start from the top left and upper area before moving down in the shape of an ‘F’.
However, despite the fact that attention spans seem to be decreasing, another [eye tracking study] found that when a user finds what they’re after, they actually spend more time reading online articles than offline articles. This would infer that grabbing the user’s attention is even more important than first thought. This is easier said than done though with the immense competition there is on the Internet. The desire/need to grab the user’s attention can also lead to some unpleasant experiences for the user. Not only do some websites go overboard with the advertisements that they have on their site, making them hellishly slow to load at times, but online advertisements can themselves be annoying, frustrating and dangerous.
For a long time online advertisements were kept to the sides of web pages and didn’t interfere to much with the users experience of the page. Now days though with the increase in competition and the introduction of ad blocking software, advertisers have had to find new ways of grabbing a user’s attention. As well as the traditional side ads on web pages, advertisers have also come up with annoying pop up ads (thankfully these can be blocked by most web browsers) and scrolling ads. Animation has also been implemented in online ads thanks to the Flash plug-in, unfortunately more often then not these ads are nothing, but visual noise and an annoying distraction for users. The strive to capture the users attention has also lead to spy-ware, software developed to be downloaded onto a user’s computer without their permission (and in most cases, without their knowledge) with the purpose of tracking or altering their browsing experience, or at worse case scenario, further infecting their computer with malicious software – all by loading a small amount of code embedded in a webpage. These are not only an invasion of privacy but can also lead to more serious events, such as identity theft.
At the end of the day, our attention span for any particular thing is determined by our interest, despite the immensity of the Internet and the techniques employed to draw our attention to one specific area over another. If we want it, we’ll find it and it will have our attention.
Site 1:
Title: EyeTrack07 ASNE Presentation Script
Quinn, Sara Dickenson. (2007) “EyeTrack07 ASNE Presentation Script”. Poynter Online. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=120470
This link is to a presentation script of an eye tracking studies results. Whilst this study paid particular attention to the reading habits of offline and online news readers, it’s interesting to see how much more the participants read when they found something that interested them. What’s also interesting is that the participants that were reading the online material read more than those reading the offline material.
Site 2:
Title: Scientific Web Design: 23 Actionable Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies
Laun, Christina. (2007). “Scientific Web Design: 23 Actionable Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies”. VirtualHosting.com. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.virtualhosting.com/blog/2007/scientific-web-design-23-actionable-lessons-from-eye-tracking-studies/
Designing for the attention span of a gnat is hard; having a hit list of ideas to counter this problem is like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Interpreting scientific studies isn’t always so easy either. This website takes 23 issues that were found with website design through eye tracking studies, translates them and then gives easy to understand solutions to the problems.
Bibliography
About.com. (2003). “How is Online Communication Different?” About.com. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/computerstuff/a/onlinecom.htm
About.com. n.d “The History of the Automobile” About.com: Inventors. Retrieved February 8, 2009, from http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aacarsgasa.htm
Hiles, Dave. (2002). “Savant Syndrome” The Virtual Office of Dave Hiles. Retrieved February 8, 2009, from http://www.psy.dmu.ac.uk/drhiles/Savant%20Syndrome.htm
Hof, Rob. (2006). “Second Life's First Millionaire” The Tech Beat. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2006/11/second_lifes_fi.html
Jordan, Tim. n.d. “Cyberpower and the Meaning of Online Activism”. Cybersociology Magazine: Issue Five. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.cybersociology.com/files5_timjordan_cyberpower.html
Laun, Christina. (2007). “Scientific Web Design: 23 Actionable Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies”. VirtualHosting.com. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.virtualhosting.com/blog/2007/scientific-web-design-23-actionable-lessons-from-eye-tracking-studies/
Loj, Eugene. (2006). “The User Attention Span” Event Marketing Articles and Event Promotions. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.eugeneloj.com/2006/12/the_user_attent.html
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia (2008) "Intelligence". Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 8, 2009, from http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761570026/intelligence.html
Moschovitis, Christos J. P. et al. (2007). “Chapter 4 - Because It's There: 1979 – 1984” History of the Internet. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.historyoftheinternet.com/chap4.html
Nielsen, Jakob. (2006). “F-Shaped Pattern For Reading Web Content”. Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html
Phillips, Ashley. (2007). “Coldwell Banker Puts Real House on Second Life Block” abc News. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3437446
Quinn, Sara Dickenson. (2007) “EyeTrack07 ASNE Presentation Script”. Poynter Online. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=120470
Ramadge, Andrew. (2008) “It's not about sex, says Aiko robot inventor Le Trung” NEWS.com.au. Retrieved February 5, 2009, from http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24807784-5014239,00.html?from=communities
Second Life (2008). secondlife.com. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://secondlife.com/
Spanbauer, Jan (2009). “What goes around comes around”. Advance Titan. Retrieved February 5, 2009, from http://www.advancetitan.com/?se=Arts+%26+Entertainment&s=7389
Wolfram, Stephen. (2002). “A New Kind of Science”. wolframscience.com. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.wolframscience.com/nksonline/page-1178a-text?firstview=1
“MUDs (and derivative graphical worlds) are the pre-eminent form of 'spatialising' on the Internet: they are not merely about communication, but about the construction of a 'shared hallucination' of spatial context.” (Allen, n.d)
It is human nature to want to socialise and gather with like minded people in a ‘space’. The Internet offers the opportunity to create ‘space’ for specific purposes that are accessible from almost anywhere in the world. These spaces can be in the form of chat rooms, discussion boards, forums, email lists, online games etc. Each is different, yet inherently similar in the sense that they all enable communication between people in a created environment, that, for the duration of the experience, is as real as the participants deem it is.
Many discussions have occurred as to the ‘reality’ of online interactions. Some say that your relations with a person isn’t ‘real’ unless you meet them in the physical world, others disagree and say that communication is communication and is ‘real’ no matter its delivery. The created space online has blurred the line greatly between what is and is not ‘reality’. Online games have been a major player in the uncertainty of reality as they present entire virtual worlds to live in with many offering the ability for avatars to marry.
Online games, in particular MMORPGs, are unique when it comes to created space. The games still run with the same format as a single person game, that is they have quests to complete and storylines to follow, however, the fact that they are online opens them up to the intricacies of human interaction. They are literally virtual worlds with their own races, rules, economies and social acceptability’s. Each game’s player base determines what is and is not acceptable within its society. Whilst this is true of other forms of online communication, the seemingly closed nature of these games, combined with the lore of the particular game, makes them an interesting experiment in human behaviour and interactions. Of particular interest is the natural progression of gathering into groups or ‘guilds’. All players are partaking in the same virtual world, yet rather than playing as a single community their needs and desire to be around like minded people sees them forming groups, as happens in the ‘real’ world.
The MMORPG, Second Life, is perhaps one of the best uses of created space for the purpose of communication. Unlike most MMORPGs, Second Life has no quests to complete, no alternate race to play or storyline created by developers. Its sole function is to act as a space for people to socialise and create they’re own space within a space to interact with others. Second Life, is exactly as its name suggests a second life for its members that, for some, runs in parallel with their ‘first life’.
Site 1:
Title: How is Online Communication Different?
About.com. (2003). “How is Online Communication Different?” About.com. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/computerstuff/a/onlinecom.htm
This is an article about the differences between people’s online and offline communications. It lists some examples of the key features which aren’t part of face-to-face communications, such as, gender switching and the use of nicknames. It’s interesting to see how differently we communicate when the other person is no where to be seen.
Site 2:
Title: Coldwell Banker Puts Real House on Second Life Block
Phillips, Ashley. (2007). “Coldwell Banker Puts Real House on Second Life Block” abc News. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3437446
An article from abc News about a real estate agent putting a real $3 million dollar (US) property, situated in Seattle, up for sale online in Second Life. The house was completely recreated in Second Life, which enabled prospective international buyers to tour the house without having to make the trip to the US. It really is another example of the virtual world blending with the physical, whether we’re ready for it or not.
Concept 23: Human-computer interfaces
“Interacting with websites feels similarly impersonal or, more subtly, further indicates the extent to which humans readily accept the presence of machine-like ‘intelligence’ in their lives.” (Allen, n.d)
For years humans have been fascinated by the idea of artificial intelligence. At first it was a science fiction idea for machines to interact with humans and today, to a certain extent, this remains true. Yes, we interact with computers and our everyday lives are full of fridges telling us that we need to buy more milk, or washing machines telling us that its cycle is over and requires unloading. However, these are just simple programs running their course; the word ‘intelligence’ is used quite liberally in society, even more so when it comes to computers.
Before we can classify an entity as having ‘intelligence’ we must first define what it is to be intelligent. This is no small task and it is a problem that has plagued the scientific and philosophical communities for hundreds of years. Whilst there are currently various I.Q tests around, they don’t allow for variations in a person’s ability. A good example is a savant. Savants have serious mental or physical disabilities, yet have remarkable talents in, usually, one field. They would normally fail an I.Q test, however if tested on their particular talent, they exceed ‘normal’ parameters.
When it comes to computers we are fortunate to be able to define intelligence quite accurately. Intelligence in a program can only truly exist when it is dynamically responding to events it has not been programmed for. For example, while it’s a good party trick, a chat bot being able to fool people is not intelligence, as it is not capable of dynamically creating a response to a specific input. In more human terms, in has a very limited vocabulary and responds with a default message when it encounters input that it doesn’t have a predefined match for. In the case of a chat bot, we can see that while it appears to have a glimmer of ‘intelligence’ it is in fact simply intelligent programming.
As artificial intelligence is mostly measured by how closely it mirrors human behaviour, in order to truly call a program intelligent, it would need to be able to interact and evolve without any human altered code, past the original version of itself. This process would be similar to the growth of a human child. From birth we have only our most basic of instincts yet we develop knowledge and skills through what we experience and are taught. We have no programmer to periodically update our software and install new data, we are autonomous beings. For those searching to create true artificial intelligence, this would have to be the ultimate goal.
Site 1:
Title: Intelligence
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia (2008) "Intelligence". Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 8, 2009, from http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761570026/intelligence.html
An encyclopaedic definition of intelligence, that goes into detail about the difficulties of defining intelligence. It also covers how different intelligence is dependant on the culture that perceives it. An example being that one culture may conceive intelligence as the ability to solve mathematical equations, while another culture defines intelligence by a person’s navigational skill.
Site 2:
Site 2:
Title: Aiko, Fem-bot.
Ramadge, Andrew. (2008) “It's not about sex, says Aiko robot inventor Le Trung” NEWS.com.au. Retrieved February 5, 2009, from http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24807784-5014239,00.html?from=communities
Artificial intelligence! Not quite. This article is about a Canadian inventor that has developed a life sized female robot that can interact with people. It’s getting pretty close to artificial intelligence but it’s not quite there yet. The programmer still can’t walk away completely and let it learn on its own yet. Yes she can slap a person if they verbally abuse her, but this is because she has been programmed to do so, its not a learned response.
Concept 27: The persistence of history
“Moreover, while new systems ‘appear’ different, they often use or include much older, traditional applications. For example, various identifier commands (ping, traceroute etc) can be used within IRC; telnet and ftp are tightly interlinked with http for web browsing.” (Allen, n.d)
History itself is persistent in all things, be it the natural evolution of life, or our most modern of technologies. Very rarely is a new idea actually new, more often than not it is based around something that was conceived years earlier. Unless the day comes that the internet is thrown into the trash and reborn, the older technologies are not likely to disappear any time soon, be they in their original forms or as the backbone for newer technologies. Even then, there is a high probability that there will still be a remanence of the older technology in the ‘new’ version of the Internet.
Knowledge and understanding of the older technologies is not just a nice idea, but is virtually required. Many Fortune 500 companies still run off older technology due to its reliability and at this point in time there is no need for them to upgrade. Cost is also a major factor in all things, these days especially, and the sheer cost involved with overhauling the current systems would be staggering.
In a sense it can be likened to the car. Despite the evolution of the car, at its core remains an engine, as it stands, the same type of engine that was used when the Model T Ford first rolled off the production line in 1908. Even with the ideas and advancements that are being developed, the engine is still an integral part of the car. Some of the new ideas, such as Hydrogen fuel, can be traced back to 1807. Unless the car can completely remove the use of an engine then its historical
technology will never be eliminated.
Even if the car was to be reinvented to the point of not requiring any technology of its predecessors, knowledge of the older technologies would still be required. It takes years for older outdated technology to completely die out and in some cases it has a chance at a revival. Vinyl records, for example, were replaced with the newer, and some say better CDs. Today however, they are not only still around but are also making a comeback as music industries attempt to combat the illegal
download trend that is occurring.
No matter the circumstance, history has always found a way to influence the future and the internet is no different. The older technology will continue to persist well into the future as either a backbone for more modern systems or as a redundancy should everything else fail.
Site 1:
Title: What goes around comes around.
Spanbauer, Jan (2009). “What goes around comes around”. Advance Titan. Retrieved February 5, 2009, from http://www.advancetitan.com/?se=Arts+%26+Entertainment&s=7389
This is a link to an article detailing the new rise in popularity for the humble vinyl record. The vinyl record never truly died and it’s fascinating to see that a very modern problem has heralded its return. With illegal downloads at an all time high it’ll be very interesting to see how much of the market vinyls can reclaim for the record companies, especially in the current financial climate.
Site 2:
Title: The History of the Automobile
About.com. n.d “The History of the Automobile” About.com: Inventors. Retrieved February 8, 2009, from http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aacarsgasa.htm
It’s interesting to look at the recycled ideas of the past, especially the hydrogen fuelled engine. This site has a timeline of key points in the history of the car engine, as well as some in depth information on certain individuals whose contribution was immensely important to the engines development.
Concept 33: Information and attention
“One of the newest and most significant ways of thinking about the Internet is termed the ‘attention economy’ (Goldhaber). In this kind of economy, the most valuable commodity is people’s attention (which can be, for example, bought and sold in the advertising industry): successful websites and other Internet publications / communications (says Goldhaber) are those which capture and hold the increasingly distracted attention of Internet users amidst a swirling mass of informational options.” (Allen, n.d)
There are many issues that arise when designing for the Internet; the attention span of the users is possibly one of the most frustrating. The first issue is load times. The average attention span of users when it comes to the load time of a web page is approximately 4 seconds, according to studies under taken in 2006. A few years earlier the attention span of users was found to be 8 seconds; the drop in attention spans can be attributed to the introduction of broadband technologies.
If the user is around long enough for the page to load and begin browsing, the page then has to be designed in a way that facilitates the ability to obtain information quickly. With the use of eye tracking technology, a study of how users actually browse a web page found that users typically follow an ‘F’ pattern when viewing a site. That is, they start from the top left and upper area before moving down in the shape of an ‘F’.
However, despite the fact that attention spans seem to be decreasing, another [eye tracking study] found that when a user finds what they’re after, they actually spend more time reading online articles than offline articles. This would infer that grabbing the user’s attention is even more important than first thought. This is easier said than done though with the immense competition there is on the Internet. The desire/need to grab the user’s attention can also lead to some unpleasant experiences for the user. Not only do some websites go overboard with the advertisements that they have on their site, making them hellishly slow to load at times, but online advertisements can themselves be annoying, frustrating and dangerous.
For a long time online advertisements were kept to the sides of web pages and didn’t interfere to much with the users experience of the page. Now days though with the increase in competition and the introduction of ad blocking software, advertisers have had to find new ways of grabbing a user’s attention. As well as the traditional side ads on web pages, advertisers have also come up with annoying pop up ads (thankfully these can be blocked by most web browsers) and scrolling ads. Animation has also been implemented in online ads thanks to the Flash plug-in, unfortunately more often then not these ads are nothing, but visual noise and an annoying distraction for users. The strive to capture the users attention has also lead to spy-ware, software developed to be downloaded onto a user’s computer without their permission (and in most cases, without their knowledge) with the purpose of tracking or altering their browsing experience, or at worse case scenario, further infecting their computer with malicious software – all by loading a small amount of code embedded in a webpage. These are not only an invasion of privacy but can also lead to more serious events, such as identity theft.
At the end of the day, our attention span for any particular thing is determined by our interest, despite the immensity of the Internet and the techniques employed to draw our attention to one specific area over another. If we want it, we’ll find it and it will have our attention.
Site 1:
Title: EyeTrack07 ASNE Presentation Script
Quinn, Sara Dickenson. (2007) “EyeTrack07 ASNE Presentation Script”. Poynter Online. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=120470
This link is to a presentation script of an eye tracking studies results. Whilst this study paid particular attention to the reading habits of offline and online news readers, it’s interesting to see how much more the participants read when they found something that interested them. What’s also interesting is that the participants that were reading the online material read more than those reading the offline material.
Site 2:
Title: Scientific Web Design: 23 Actionable Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies
Laun, Christina. (2007). “Scientific Web Design: 23 Actionable Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies”. VirtualHosting.com. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.virtualhosting.com/blog/2007/scientific-web-design-23-actionable-lessons-from-eye-tracking-studies/
Designing for the attention span of a gnat is hard; having a hit list of ideas to counter this problem is like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Interpreting scientific studies isn’t always so easy either. This website takes 23 issues that were found with website design through eye tracking studies, translates them and then gives easy to understand solutions to the problems.
Bibliography
About.com. (2003). “How is Online Communication Different?” About.com. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/computerstuff/a/onlinecom.htm
About.com. n.d “The History of the Automobile” About.com: Inventors. Retrieved February 8, 2009, from http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aacarsgasa.htm
Hiles, Dave. (2002). “Savant Syndrome” The Virtual Office of Dave Hiles. Retrieved February 8, 2009, from http://www.psy.dmu.ac.uk/drhiles/Savant%20Syndrome.htm
Hof, Rob. (2006). “Second Life's First Millionaire” The Tech Beat. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2006/11/second_lifes_fi.html
Jordan, Tim. n.d. “Cyberpower and the Meaning of Online Activism”. Cybersociology Magazine: Issue Five. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.cybersociology.com/files5_timjordan_cyberpower.html
Laun, Christina. (2007). “Scientific Web Design: 23 Actionable Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies”. VirtualHosting.com. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.virtualhosting.com/blog/2007/scientific-web-design-23-actionable-lessons-from-eye-tracking-studies/
Loj, Eugene. (2006). “The User Attention Span” Event Marketing Articles and Event Promotions. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.eugeneloj.com/2006/12/the_user_attent.html
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia (2008) "Intelligence". Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 8, 2009, from http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761570026/intelligence.html
Moschovitis, Christos J. P. et al. (2007). “Chapter 4 - Because It's There: 1979 – 1984” History of the Internet. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.historyoftheinternet.com/chap4.html
Nielsen, Jakob. (2006). “F-Shaped Pattern For Reading Web Content”. Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html
Phillips, Ashley. (2007). “Coldwell Banker Puts Real House on Second Life Block” abc News. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3437446
Quinn, Sara Dickenson. (2007) “EyeTrack07 ASNE Presentation Script”. Poynter Online. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=120470
Ramadge, Andrew. (2008) “It's not about sex, says Aiko robot inventor Le Trung” NEWS.com.au. Retrieved February 5, 2009, from http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24807784-5014239,00.html?from=communities
Second Life (2008). secondlife.com. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://secondlife.com/
Spanbauer, Jan (2009). “What goes around comes around”. Advance Titan. Retrieved February 5, 2009, from http://www.advancetitan.com/?se=Arts+%26+Entertainment&s=7389
Wolfram, Stephen. (2002). “A New Kind of Science”. wolframscience.com. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.wolframscience.com/nksonline/page-1178a-text?firstview=1
Monday, February 2, 2009
NET 11: Module 2 - Chat Task
I would have gotten this up sooner but with the heatwave that hit last week all of my computers were out of service. I couldn't connect to the internet even if they were working since we had major networking problems with the heat and our server came pretty close to blowing up >.<
It started with a one on one chat with one of my fellow students. Which was fine. One on one or even in small (and I mean small, no more than 5 or so) groups this kind of chat is fine, but then the rest of the people got online for that evenings chat group and that's when I started to hate the experience.
Everyone that logged on had been doing so every Sunday night for a few weeks by the time I joined and it was very easy to feel like I didn't belong (even if it wasn't meant that way it still came across as though I was an intruder). It was like being the new kid at school... again. To top it off, there were over ten people logged on and vertually everyone was trying to talk at once. Anytime I did pluck up the courage to say something it didn't matter as it was either to late by the time I'd finished typing, or whatever I did say got spammed out by everyone else's questions and comments.
Instant messaging is a great medium for communication, however when it comes to large groups of people it would be easier to keep up with the conversation in a face to face setting. As it's easier to determine when a person is finished saying their piece and in a face to face situation people rarely talk over each other (unless they're in a heated argument, then everything is fair game).
However this is just an observation about that nights chat group. I've had heated arguements and rolling conversations with an entire Linkshell of people (Linkshells can have hundreds of people in them but the average linkshell will have around 15 people) and there's not really been an issue with talking over everyone. I guess a certain amount of familiarity with the people involved with the conversation is one of the most important factors as to how well this medium works or doesn't work.
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