Tutorial 4 Task

Scavenger Hunt Questions - ANSWERED!


Most people know of or have used search engines such as Google and Wikipedia. But why are these two the most commonly used? Are there better ones out there with more accurate information and less 'crap'? The simple answer is: Yes. Here is the proof.


Q) Who was the creator of the infamous "lovebug" computer virus?

A) Former student of the Philippines' AMA Computer College, Onel de Guzman was the creator that 'spread the love' through a virus sent via email with the heart stopping subject, "ILOVEYOU" which caused an estimated damage of $10 billion. Unfortunately, there was no actual law against .... in the Philippines at the time, so charges against Guzman were dropped. He did, however, admit he may have spread the virus unintentionally - "woops!"

Yahoo Answers - http://computerbytesman.com/lovebug/index.htm


Q) Who invented the paper clip?

A) The paper clip - such a simplistic idea and invention yet so practical and useful! So who was this genius? William D. Middlebrook can take credit for this as he patented the paper clip on the 9th of November in 1899. Just think, Uni would've been a whole lot messier without the paper clip - especially if the stapler wasn't invented.

Idea Finder - http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/paperclip.htm


Q) How did the Ebola virus get its name?

A) This virus was first observed at the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo so it was given the name, 'Ebola virus'. How original!

Dogpile Search engine -http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/ebola/qa.htm


Q) What country had the largest recorded earthquake?

A) Chile is the country that has had the largest recorded earthquake to date which occured on the 22nd of May in 1960. This devastating natural disaster scored a whopping 9.5 on the Rhichter scale.

Ask Jeeves - http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/world/10_largest_world.php


Q) In computer memory/storage terms, how many kilobytes in a terabyte?

A) There are 1,073,741,824 kilobytes in a terabyte. Not a very easy fact to remember, but who cares about terabytes anyway?

Dogpile Search - http://www.t1shopper.com/tools/calculate/


Q) Who is the creator of email?

A) Ray Thomlinson was the God who created email in 1971. If it wasn't for him, who knows what the business industry would be like today?

Yahoo Answers - http://www.yahooanswers.com


Q) What is the storm worm, and how many computers are infected by it?

A) The so called 'storm worm' is a backdoor Trojan horse that spreads itself through the use of Microsoft opperating systems. As of 2007, it is estimated that the storm worm has come in contact with somewhere between 250 000 and 10 billion computers and we won't even go in to how many $ that is!

Yahoo Answers - http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Asz9CdYgvLIAmc9re4Ajv0QjzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20071201163655AA8cWhV


Q) If you wanted to contact the prime minister of Australia directly, what is the most efficient way?

A) With so much spam flying around the internet and so many viruses being spread through email, it is understandable that the internet and email are not considered a secure means of communication when attempting to contact 'Kevin 07'. Apparently, Australia Post if the most efficient way to contact our priminister, but if you ask me, I think you've got a better chance of getting his attention if you climb the Q1 and hang a big sign from it saying, "IM GOING TO JUMP IF THE PRIME MINISTER DOESN'T CALL ME IN 1 HOUR.
PH. 0414860896"

Dogpile Search - http://www.pm.gov.au/contact/index.cfm


Q) Which Brisbane based punk band is Stephen Stockwell (Head of the School of Arts) a member of?

A) Mr Stockwell played keyboard for The Black Assassins. Respect.

Answers Seach engine - http://www.griffith.edu.au/school/art/staff/stockwell.htm


Q) What does the term "Web 2.0" mean in your own words?

A) Web 2.0 referes to a second generation of Internet based networking sites and tools with the main purpose of connecting and sharing. Putting it in 'teenage' terms, that means sites like Myspace and Facebook, Chatrooms, Wikipedia etc. etc. etc.

Yahoo Answers - http://www.yahooanswers.com

See... You really do learn something new every day. In some cases (like today), you learn ALOT of new things.

Tutorial 3 Task

Amen To New Communication Technologies!

Technology has come a long way since Samuel Morse invented the first electric telegraph line in 1843, and in my opinion, thank God for that!

Personally, I enjoy being able to talk to my friends anytime, anywhere and being able to send my mum a text message when I’m in my room to see if dinner is ready yet. Nowadays, there are just so many different ways of communicating that are user friendly, accessible and reliable that anyone can use them. As a typical 19 year old, my favourites at the moment would have to include MySpace and Facebook (yes, I do have both) and, of course, my favourite accessory, my mobile phone! But if these are the new communication technologies that appeal to me, what is everyone else into?

A recent survey conducted for the students studying New Communication Technologies at Griffith University, Gold Coast showed that good old Email is still alive. Not one person that took the survey said they had not used Email once in the last month, while a massive 55.8% said they use Email daily. Online gaming is another form of communication that is becoming very popular. Programs such as 2nd Life allow the user to create a person they want to be and interact with others in an online world. Although it would be expected that programs like this are most popular for children, it is actually adults who use it most frequently. An episode on 4 Corners actually interviewed a lady in her mid 30s who uses 2nd life about 15 hours a day. The survey also showed that only 1.1% of students haven’t used a mobile phone once in the last month and 46% have used IM (Instant Messenger) or “chat” daily. Overall, 74% voted that new communication technologies give us more control over our lives. HOORAY! So it’s all pros and no cons with the communication technologies of today?
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.


Online Relationships
Friendly or Freaky?

We all love to be loved, and we all hate to be alone at some point. Today’s new communication technologies are a way of ensuring quick entertainment and, even better, immediate company 24/7. But we have to ask ourselves, if MySpace, Facebook, MSN Messenger and Chat Rooms are open to anyone – children, teens and adults alike, are we putting ourselves at risk? Because these ways of communicating are so enjoyable, exciting and ambiguous, they are a magnet for children and, likewise, paedophiles. We’ve all heard terrible stories about cyberstalkers preying on children, but what about 56 year old Raymond Merrill who was drugged and burned to death by his online lover and her real life boyfriend after they had received the $10 000 Merrill had agreed to give her to set up a clinic and used his credit card on numerous accounts. While it’s amazing that we can be online with our friends and loved ones, we must remember that we are sharing this space with strangers – and sometimes not always the friendly kind.

Some people like the fact that you can give yourself whatever kind of online presence you like and you can pretend to be someone you’re not. Users of 2nd Life often comment on how it makes them happy to be able to create who they want to be and see what it’s like to live through their life.

The only online friend I have ever had turned out to be a fraud. I once made friends with a girl called Talitha on MSN Messenger who I knew was friends with a friend of mine who lived in another town. We hit it off from the start and would chat for hours on end, gossiping and bitching about our friends. Not that either of us new each other’s friends, but it sure felt like we did after hours and hours of chat. Eventually, we decided it was time to meet. We arranged for her to come and stay with me for a week and I thought it was going to be great. But when I actually met Talitha, she was so different and we actually had nothing in common at all. The week wasn’t a total nightmare, but it was a bit awkward and we didn’t find it anywhere near as easy to chat in real life! It’s no surprise that we don’t keep in contact anymore.


Privacy
How Much Is Too Much?

I guess, in the end we have to draw the line somewhere. Although talking online is fun and exciting, it can be dangerous and precautions need to be taken. In my opinion, it is best to keep your MySpace and Facebook profiles private, and only accept friend requests off people you know. However, sometimes people may want to make new friends. An example of this is people who want to meet people in another country of a similar age if they are planning on travelling there. In cases like this, I believe the best safety tip is common sense. Remember the person is a stranger. Just think - you wouldn’t walk up to a stranger on the street and give them your address or telephone number, so why would you give personal details to an online stranger?

Tutorial 2 Task

My name is Carmen Grace Hamilton. Most people call me Carmen, Carms, Carmie, Carmenator, Carmen Sandiego, Carmen Electra or one of the many phrases where my name may be put into a sentence, for e.g. "Carmen-Atcha" meaning (Comin' At Ya).
I originated from a tiny town called Yeppoon and moved to the Gold Coast about 4 years ago where I now live in Burleigh. This is where I intend to stay until I complete my studies at Griffith as I am enjoying the benefits of living at home with my parents - no rent and good food!


ME EATING AN ICECREAM!

Anyway, enough about me! This blog provide a space for me to attempt to do the weekly tasks and show that I've learned something useful! FINGERS CROSSED!

Today I learnt about:

Networking

What is a network?
In general, the term network can refer to any interconnected group or system. More specifically, a network is any method of sharing information between two systems (human or mechanical). (Wikipedia's definition for "network")

Some examples are:

• Social networks (real life)
• IM (Instant Messenger) / chat
• MySpace
• Facebook
• Youtube
• Online gaming / MMOG
• Email (address book)
• Mobile phones
• File sharing / p2p
• Bulletin boards / forums
• Weblogs / journals
• Ebay / ecommercce
• Flickr / photo sharing
• Wikipedia

Networks are all around us and are evolving at a rapid pace. It's no wonder that they are having a great impact on today's culture!

My study strategy is to summarise the content from the lectures on this blog so bear with me, or find something better to do!

The 1st Lecture:
Defining Communication and Technology

Communication: any process that transfers, transmits or makes information known to other people
For eg. Aristotle's basic model of communication:
The speaker produces a message that is heard by the listener.

When technology was introduced, old mates Shannon & Weaver made a few alterations:
The speaker produces an effect on the transmitter which sends a message (which is degraded by the noise of the transmission process) that is intercepted by the receiver which converts it into an effect that is heard by the listener.

BUT! It couldn't be that simple so they introduced:

Intersubjectivity - where the listener interprets the message but alters it by projecting their own experiences and understanding onto it before they pass it on!

Intertextuality - when people combine information from previous messages with the new message... hmm

Technology: the scientific study of mechanical arts and their application to the world.

Marshall McLuhan believes that technologies are an extension of the human body... 'a tool is an extension of the hand' and so on and so on...

Analog technology functions by representing various forces (through dials) and the relatively imprecise modulation of those forces
- analog is 'old skool'
- often associated with old communication technologies - the many shades of grey

Digital technology relies on storing bits of binary information (whether the current of electricity or light in on or off) and allows for the precise modification of forces.
- digital is more dominant, but its certainty can be boring
- often associated with new communication technologies - black and white

Binary - some special number system that only uses the digits 0 and 1!

Convergence - the 'coming together' of different technologies to create a more complex interaction that can be accessed from the one device

Communication Investigation
- Communication Studies
- Media Studies
- Cultural Studies

Communication Related Jobs That Emerged
- Journalism
- Public Relations
- Advertising
- Marketing
- Design

Areas of Investigation for New Communication Technologies
- Cyberculture Studies
- New Media Studies
- Cyber Studies
- Internet Studies
- Web Studies - Web 2.0

AND ALL OF THIS HAS COME ABOUT IN A CENTURY!!! WHAT WILL COME ABOUT IN THE NEXT CENTURY?

The 2nd Lecture:
R.I.P. EMAIL?