Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Final Project

  Hello class!

I have put together a video presentation for my project. It's not perfect but I hope you like it!
Thanks,
Eddie


http://youtu.be/L1yR1FvXZMM

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

SoundCloud!

I have just now gotten to SoundCloud to try it out...



https://soundcloud.com/ecor-2/eor1/s-SWms2

Thursday, December 5, 2013

ADVANCES IN SOCIAL MEDIA


Social networking is a communication tool via the Internet. The most popular are Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn. You can find an old friend, a long lost uncle or even a job. The information is there to be debated and disected to exhaustion. The dangers are also there and must be realized before an unfortunate encounter takes place. To go about carelessly and foolishly displaying information of a personal nature may damage of even ruin one’s reputation, so be careful!

According to the journal article: Social Networked Media: Advances and Trends (Izquierdo),
3-D glasses in action!
The future of social media interaction is evolving from a new generation of media tools into a richer, more life-like multimedia experience for web users. The progression of these tools is likely to include the 3-D element that has become popular in the motion picture industry and in Television. This feature would greatly enhance the experience and provide for a more personal perspective to social networking than the current text-based interaction. Capturing the user emotional state and physical activity would be key to this interaction and of course would be heavily technology dependent and requiring resources currently not available on most devices.




Ebroul Izquierdo (2011) School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science Queen Mary University of London, Mile end road, London, UK,

Email Communication


Email is a standard communication method that has developed into a sophisticated tool. No one knew just how important email would become when it was first introduced. In 1971, the first email transmission takes place. It is not the instant success that it would seem. SMTP, which is the “simple mail transfer protocol” was introduced in 1982 and it became the standard for email. Spam, a term derived from an obscure “Monty Python” sketch which illustrate that the canned meat of “Spam” can be served with every meal, and thus equating to the serving up of “spam” email.



            Email addresses contain the elements: user ID, host name and top-level domain. Email is sent via an email client. Some popular programs are outlook and thunderbird. An email client holds email that is downloaded to your computer from an email server. These servers use protocols to format the messages. Each client typically uses several protocols to ensure that messages can be read. Email messages are composed of several elements that allow for what is sent and who receives the message. The recipient is chosen via the “to” line as well as the “cc” address. The topic is contained in the “subject” line, while the content is displayed in the “message body”. There are many and various features included in the different email clients and most are universally available.


The etiquette of email is something that is unfortunate sometimes overlooked. I doubt that there is anyone who uses email who is not aware of this. Common courtesy seems to sometimes be lost in the “cyber world.” We should take care in what we say and just how we say it. It is common sense that should be our first thought when deciding on email or social media posts.


            Windows Live mail is an email client by Microsoft Corp. It has many useful feature and functions much like its big brother Ms. Outlook. You can use “Live Mail” to work with your Gmail, Yahoo or other web base account. Web based email is simple and functional in design and is convenient in that you can access it from any Internet connected computer. You have access to all of your old and current folders. There are many different web mail services to choose from including Yahoo and Gmail.

www-01.ibm.com

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

GOOGLE FORMS!


Google forms is quite a discovery! I was not aware of the existence of Google forms and was quite surprised. I could, I suppose go into an extensive discussion of what is possible with such a tool, but honestly the possibilities are endless. I can think of a few nice things that maybe could be useful. How about a party invitation? You display what the other invited guests are bringing and rule out everyone showing up with desert! 

You could take a vote on where to have the family reunion. Coordinating any sort of meeting or event could be simplified with any Google form. 


If you are in a band, you could send out a survey to all the fans on your mailing list and ask them what they thought of you last performance. You could take requests (and give a discount for responding) and give a shout out at the next show. 


Getting opinion on anything is easy with a form. Reaching consensus that avoids the tendency of distracting arguments could be really helpful, especially with my family! I can’t imagine my mom using “forms” but she could have decided on the dinner menu with no resistance from her kids! 


You can keep track of your budget and passwords and many other things and have access from any computer! So many things you can do!

Friday, November 15, 2013

LINKEDIN connections

Linked in!

I have connected on Linkedin and it seems like a good think for professionals. It seems more formal than the Facebook or Google sites and thus maybe more geared to that audience. Maybe it will help me find work someday, but time will tell. I have connections with friends in rather high places, but I don't know if I can call on them to get me connected. Just not sure if I want to mix business with old friends. My other concerns are that, all of my personal data is up there on the web and this is just more of the same, but with information that is NOT, most definitely not intended for a broad audience. I don't want people knowing my work history any more than I want them seeing me get the morning newspaper off my front lawn in my bathrobe! I mean, it concerns me that at some point that there will be a breach and of course there will be and then my whole life will be public knowledge! Just think about that for a moment...that job that you had and lost, for what ever reason is now public. I don't mean to say that I'm a spy and that the security of the nation is at risk, but maybe we don't quite know the consequences of the whole thing just yet! I know, I know...we're all in this together and it will affect us all equally at some point, but I just don't want it to be ME first!

Friday, November 1, 2013

The mobile Executive.


The  effective use of mobile devices in business can possibly be best measured from the top down. For the average person, the need is mostly a convenience and not mission critical, but in the intensely busy and hurried existence of business executives, the need to communicate is magnified by the responsibility level.
Old Office Technology
 
Executives use both smart phones and Laptops, but they use laptops more, but only by a small percentage (%5) difference. Twenty-five percent of all executives use both devices. A large percentage of executives use more than 2 devices. The average is 3.46, while CEOs use 4.21 devices, while CFOs use about the same (4.22) devices each. That sounds like a too many!

  



Privacy!

Twelve percent of executives use their smart phone most often, but most consider the PC as the most important device at their disposal as it has features not available on a mobile device (Excel and Office programs). Younger execs see the smart phone as their most important communication tool, while older execs not so much.
 
 

Not so smart phone!

 
The younger the Exec the more likely they are to use the device to communicate via text or email rather than voice.  Almost half of these senior execs had a preference for making business purchases on the internet (mobile or otherwise) as opposed to the phone. The younger execs tend to be less concerned about the type of device used as the older(over 40) execs, who still prefer a laptop (PC) device, but the younger groups preference is clearly for mobile technologies and apps.
 

 

Complete "mobile" office!

Mobile Executive!


 
Their preferences lean towards the convenience of mobile access to boost productivity. In fact, almost 50% of all executives believe that within the next 3 years, their primary tool for business related tasks will be a mobile device such as a smart phone or tablet. As these devices become more powerful, with enhanced features, the popularity will likely also increase. Mostly these execs feel the need to be connected on a constant basis. The total amounts of communications they receive are astronomical and they need to be accountable 24 hours a day. The mobile device is the only thing that reasonably accommodates this need.

 
Forbes: The Untethered Executive
http://images.forbes.com/forbesinsights/StudyPDFs/The_Untethered_Executive.pdf

Monday, October 28, 2013

Symbaloo...
 


I have just begun to sort out my web links!

TWITTER me now!


I have my own Twitter account! I wonder why it took so long? I am sure the advantages will be clear once I get used to this platform. It is something that some have used to express their opinions on the important subjects matter to us. From politics to personal issues, you can speak your mind on Twitter, but do you dare? It takes courage to say what you feel and what you think. I suppose that the best policy is to be honest and admit that I’m not sure about speaking too much on any subject, but I suppose I could talk most extensively on subjects that I am familiar with. Some of my reservations are the backlash that one can experience on such social media sites. I have been on Facebook several times and I have managed to anger most of my family in some way or another. It is not the same as sitting across the table from someone and the message can be misunderstood quite easily. We can learn just how important, genuine human personal contact can be by having a bad experience on FB or Twitter. I have seen the headlines and seen the reactions of celebrity Tweets gone bad! No one is perfect, but the medium can be quite unforgiving and traumatic in the end. I can honestly say, yes I do have reservations, but I will not fear the cost of the truth when it comes down to it! With that being said, it is quite an interesting concept that the whole world can hear what you say from behind the cover of the internet. So I wonder if I have anything to say and anything really important to say. Well maybe, but if I think about that, it seems way to intimidating, so I will just take a chance and not take it all too seriously!





@EddieOnTheMoon

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Google vs. Bing and Yahoo and...


 


There are different kinds of search tools available to us or the internet, including directories such as Yahoo!
 These are arranged in a particular hierarchical form of categories. Navigating through directories requires “drilling down” to a website of the internet. Search engines use web crawlers or spider bots to process a search. Each search engine has a unique algorithm that is key to the results presented. The information collected varies from site to site but may include the page title and URL. Searches like Google use what is called a “Natural Language Search” and there is no question as to why this is so popular. It more closely resembles the language we use. It uses Boolean techniques to allow for an infinite combination of variables to define the search criteria. The “and” operation can narrow the returns with only the inclusion of “A and B” results. While the “or” operation would allow a wider range for “A and B” and the “not” will limit the results to just “A” and not “B”.
            With a basic knowledge of set theory, one can comprehend the scope of these variables in a search operation. The full explanation can be found at the link below.
 
            The competition between the search engine giants is fierce! It’s not surprising, considering the value of the player’s stock and reputation. Google stock is hovering near $1000 and the story about Bing copying Google was all over the news a few years ago.
 
 
 
 
Bing is running behind the Google giant and that’s not so easy for a dominant force such as the Microsoft corporation, the wheels behind the Bing search engine.


Internet Search…an insight


 
Searching the internet is something that everyone does. Everyone who uses the internet anyway! Most of us have never pondered the finer points of this necessary process and indeed there are finer points. Has anyone ever asked you if you know how to formulate a “search query”? Sounds like a requirement for a coastguard captain’s job! This is simply a more defined search that contains certain “keywords,” that can narrow the results. It’s like asking for a specific flavor of ice cream as opposed to just “ice cream.” If you need parts for your car for example: you would not enter “car” into a search text box, you would enter “Chevy Impala” so as to get parts specific to your particular model. The search results list would give you some result that should contain a “hit”, or positive results.
If you need a fender that is a certain color and year then you might try a targeted search. That will give you more specific results based on keyword combinations. To evaluate the credibility of your search results you must judge the objectivity. The easiest route to this end is to discover the “primary source”, which is the origin or the information. The scope and quality of the information can be found in the details and the currency is an indication of relevance. The overall design and functionality of a website can indicate the quality of work offered and can be a clue as to the validity of the information found within.



 

Monday, October 14, 2013

My Personal Learning Network!



A personal learning network. I am almost sure that it's as complicated as it sounds! I have looked at the video twice and it's really not such a simple concept. Maybe it will look more simple after it all comes together. I have Twitter and Classroom 2.0 and Google+ and Pinterest and the list goes on. I really want to narrow it down to be functional! I really see the potential in creating a powerful network that can give me the knowledge that I need to go to where I want to go with my Web developement and career. The challenge is not insurmountable but it's somewhat daunting to me.


 I have found some useful information on Pinterest and I can use several of the ideas already.I have had a Twitter account but have not been very active, but now I maybe have a need for it and I'm starting to understand the usefulness of it.The truth is, I may have heard in the media such casual use of Twitter and had sort of written it off. I'm pretty good at thinking "outside of the box" and I will use that mentality here to make my plan work! I'll keep you all posted and hope we can learn together!
Cheers,
ED

Saturday, October 12, 2013


IP addresses, clients and servers, uniform resource locators? Who knew? It just goes to show that you can see and use something everyday without having the very slightest clue or idea just exactly what it is! All the particular features and functions of an Internet web browser that I took for granted and never noticed have now become clearly visible to me! It reminds me of the reaction I get from my wife when I try to explain to her how I fixed her car. I can literally explain to her every function and device that makes a car go, but when it comes to the Internet is a different story altogether. She doesn't really need all that but rather that it will get her to and from college or the mall safely. The same is true of Firefox or Safari and most of these facts may not be relevant to most people who are just surfing the web. I don't think my wife would need to know what an IP address is, nor would she even care in the slightest as this is the sort of a technical fact. Some of the things that we do with regard to a web browser are second nature and are done without even thinking about the steps and the technical background underneath the operation. We all know what happens when we are driving a car and we step on the gas pedal and go, but very few of us "technical" types indeed know exactly why. I'm sure that most of us do things like create a favorite, or check our history and print a web page without even thinking about it but there's quite a lot going on behind the visible that makes it all happen and that is definitely worth knowing!



 
Websites are composed of pages, much like a book or magazine. These pages are written with HTTP code and are arranged so as to have a logical flow to facilitate easy navigation. Web sites may contain video and audio content as well as graphics of many sorts to enhance the experience for the visitor. Rich media can act to grab your attention and lead you to maybe to make a purchase or join a social media site. To get to any web page, you must first know the address or domain name. A domain name is displayed as text, while an IP address (internet protocol address) is it’s numerical equivalent in the form of binary numbers and can be difficult to remember unless you are very good with numbers. A DNS name server is what takes a domain name and translates it to an IP so that you don’t have to type the IP numbers. A URL or Uninform Resource Locator contains a protocol and a domain name. It is what is displayed in the address window of your browser. It may also contain a path and file name (for example a PDF if you are reading a document). There are many options to consider when using a web browser, for example: you can use the history feature or a favorites list to go to a website that you have been to before or you can have “auto complete” configured to remember the sites that you have typed in before.When you do get to a web page you may be tracked by something called a "cookie" for the purposes of providing you the convenience of remembering your personal information such as your address. The file is stored on you hard drive and is accessed when you visit a site that it is associated with. This can be convenient for your preferences on a particular website. If you should decide to make a purchase on a website, it would be best to have the Secure Sockets Layer protocol in place (HTTPS://) on the URL so as not to put your account information (Personally Identifiable information or PII) at risk of being "hacked!" Hackers are those who would use malicious code or spyware to obtain PII for the purpose of monetary gain, compromise or otherwise malicious intents.Malicious websites may try to fool you into divulging your PII for similar reasons. Often they are duplicate sites posing as a legitimate site designed to fool you into delivering your credit card number or your bank username and password and of course this could be devastating to your finances. The homepage or primary page is usually identical to a familiar site and can be very convincing and is of course on an alternate server location than the legitimate one. The "Smart screen filter" feature of Internet Explorer can defend against such websites.Other concerns for risk are "Spyware" that can try to obtain PII and "Adware" which can provide unwanted solictations for shopping websites. Also of concern are viruses, which can lead to problems from program crashes to Operating system crashes requiring a complete system re-image and total loss of data.A good antivirus program can protect against a virus.Web filters can be configured to restrict content to protect children from unwanted access to inapropriate materials.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Net Neutrality


I didn’t realize that "Net neutrality" was import to anyone, including me until I read the article in PC magazine (Net Neutrality and Why You Should Care). I suddenly realized just how the big telecom companies are putting the “squeeze” on consumers. They are reacting to the fact that all of their content is now not so exclusive to their service. In fact, they are providing the very service (internet) that allows customers to avoid the use of their cable box and service. Example: my brother does not own a television. In fact, he views all of his “TV” entertainment on his computer and only needs an internet connection. Once you make the connection (no pun intended!) as to why the telecom companies are raising their fees, you can begin to understand just how important the internet is to all of us. The fact that providers have spent so much money on lobbying is certain proof that they take the idea of "Net neutrality" seriously, and so should you. First of all, these providers are rigging the game. They have colluded together to inflate the price of internet access and will be viewed in the future as we now view "Big Oil" companies. When you drive past the service station and cringe at the price of gasoline it is not surprising to think that you will have the same reaction when you look at your wireless or internet bill, now or in the very near future. I have just canceled my Time Warner service as it had topped out at sixty-one dollars a month! That's outrageous (you think that’s bad: my wireless bill is more than a small Toyota!)! Only 3 years ago I was paying $19.99 per month. I don't think it's fair that they can charge that much just because they can. This is part of the issue as we view the “Internet” as free, and if you cannot afford the access, then how can you believe it be considered as “Free?” The fee problem is of course, just one of the ways the telecom companies are “restricting” the internet, but it is the most important one. So, if Net neutrality is not on your mind now, then it will be in the future!