Blog Post Week 8

Blog Post One:

 

What is the difference between free and open software?

The difference between free and open source software is often difficult to describe. Perhaps the best explanation of open source software is found by doing a quick Google search, where several websites state that open source software is almost always developed publicly and found in source code form.

As for free software, people are free to manipulate any program at their own free will. Free software particularly plays into the hands of today’s internet savvy users, who can change and distribute programs through Torrent programs and online downloading.

Blog Post Two:

After compiling my video, I have encountered several errors in the editing phase. Both Windows Movie Maker and Sony Vegas seem to have troubles with rendering the video before publishing, and the process of embedding onto Blogger is totally new to me.

However, Xtranormal’s video programming has done much of the work, leading me to believe that most of this footage doesn’t belong to me – other than the fact that I provided the dialogue.

Overall I am happy with how my footage is coming along, but editing has never been my strong point. Hopefully things get sorted out before next week!

Blog Post Week 9

Blog Post One:

Essay Topic: What is communication? Do whales communicate? Do birds? Do atoms? Does DNA communicate? What would you suggest as the limits to communication? When does a failure of human communication occur?

My plan for this semester’s essay is to introduce the subject of communication as easily as possible, with a follow up in depth discussion on how animals and other forms of life communicate, while also offering my definition of communication.

In the body of my essay, the relationship between human communication and machine communication will be discussed, along with the barrier in communication different languages (English, Japanese etc.) oppose on humans. As a follow up, the communication between different animal life and how animals verbally speak to one another will be examined and compared to human life.

Concluding my essay, I aim to look at how communication in the future will exist.

Blog Post Two:

·         Sign an e-petition.

http://www.amcs.org.au/WhatWeDo.asp?active_page_id=538

·         Respond to a professional blogger at a major news site.

http://blogs.news.com.au/couriermail/andrewbolt/

·         What is Barack Obama up to today? Can you send him a message about the importance of freedom on the internet?

http://twitter.com/#!/BarackObama

Blog Post Week 6

Discuss issues arising out of the lecture particularly why Hollywood is having so much trouble adapting to the rise of the internet. For it 116 year history, cinema has depended on technological change for its existence and then for the new developments (colour, sound, TV, recorders, 3D, VHS, DVD, CGI) that have kept the format fresh and interesting to audiences who can quickly become jaded. What makes the internet different? Is downloading killing Hollywood or could it be the path to new beginnings?

After the rise of the internet and illegal online downloading, Hollywood has become noticeably nervous in recent years. The reason for this is not entirely due to a loss of money or finance – as Hollywood seems to still be reeling in millions of dollars with each new blockbuster screening. No, Hollywood is more concerned with the internet’s ability to reproduce, along with a much smaller audience in comparison to past years.

If Hollywood has adapted to previous technological advances such as colour television and the rise of CGI effects, perhaps today’s cinema is so concerned with the rise of the internet due to its unpredictability. With anonymity a key aspect of online downloading, copyright laws are often meaningless in most cases. The heavy distribution of illegal online content also falls out of Hollywood’s hands, leaving producers vulnerable to things such as illegal “leaks” or defamation.

But the internet doesn’t have to be Hollywood’s biggest enemy. After the music industry was also affected by illegal downloading and torrents, iTunes has helped to counter the problem by assuring artists some form of money for their work. This kind of online “database” method would be beneficial for Hollywood – even though movie buffs are against small screen viewing.

Blog Post Week 5

Scavenger Hunt

1. Where was the first University established and in which year?

  A: University of Bologna – 1088

2. What is Stephen Stockwell's band called and what does he play?  Can you name a couple of their songs?

  A: The Black Assassins, keyboard, vocals – Death Take Me Now, Drugs

3. What is the weight of the world’s biggest machine? How much did it cost to build?
  A: A German mining machine, which is said to weigh over 50,000 tons.

  

4. Who is Justin Bieber's lawyer, and what is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact the lawyer? 

  A: I believe this is wrong, but all I could come up with was Scooter Braun.

5. What is the cheapest form of travel from the Gold Coast to Melbourne?

 

6. Who is Hatsune Miku? What company does she belong to? What is her birthday?

  A: Hatsune Miku – Voice Synthesizer , Yamaha, August 31 2007.

7. Find a live webcam in Belarus. Find a place to stay in Antarctica.

  A: http://webcam.21.by/

8. What song was top of the Australian pop charts this week in 1991?

  A: (Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams

9. What type of car is used to make ‘Google Street View’?

  A: Volkswagen Beetle

10. Translate these questions into Spanish and then translate them back into English.

1. Dónde estuvo la primera Universidad establecido y en que año

Where it was the first University established and in which year

2. Lo que es la banda de Stephen Stockwell llamado y lo que hacen juega

What is the band of Stephen Stockwell called and what cause he plays

3. ¿Qué es el peso de la máquina más grande de mundo? Cuánto hizolo costó para construer

What is the weight of the largest machine of world?  How much hizolo cost to build

4. Quién es el abogado de Justin Bieber, y lo que son la mejor manera (más rápido, más seguro) contactar al abogado

Who is the lawyer of Justin Bieber, and what are the best way (faster, surer) to contact the lawyer

5. Lo que es la forma más barata de viaje de la Costa de oro a Melbourne

What is the cheapest form of trip of the Coast of gold to Melbourne

6. ¿Quién es Hatsune Miku? ¿A qué compañía pertenece ella? Lo que es sus cumpleaños

Who is Hatsune Miku?  Why company belongs she?  What is its birthday

7. Encuentre una webcam viva en Bielorrusia. Encuentre que un lugar para permanecer en Antártida.

Find a webcam alive in Belarus.  Find that a place to remain in Antarctica.

8. Qué canción fue parte superior del taponazo australiano traza esta semana en 1991

What song was splits upper of the Australian pop outline this week in 1991

9. Qué tipo de coche es utilizado para hacer 'Vista de Calle de Google'

What type of car is utilized to do 'View of Street of Google'

10. Traduzca estas preguntas en español y entonces tradúzcalos atrás al inglés

Translate these questions in Spanish and then translate them behind to the English.

Blog Post Week 4

Task 1:

Did Social Media Cause the British Riots?

Although the British Riots were originally sparked by a police shooting, social media certainly played both a positive and a negative role during London’s violent scenes last month.

One of the problems with companies such as Twitter and Facebook, is its ability to spread information within minutes. This kind of quick access is especially useful for criminals, and in this case, both social media sites helped looters avoid pressure and authority from the police.

However, following British Prime Minister David Cameron’s response to the possibility of “cracking down” on communication devices in England, Cameron also recognized the benefit such devices had for families seeking shelter and connecting with loved ones during the riots.

Perhaps the biggest concern though is the fact that the riots were planned online from the very beginning. Prior to the uprise of the internet, the magnitude of such events would likely have been much lower, yet the exposure the internet gains within seconds allowed the riots to escalate fast.

Overall, this is an issue that the United Nations does need to take rather seriously. It is a basic human right to allow people the use of “free speech”, yet when it is used to rebel against democracy and propose a threat to others human rights, an issue is easily noticed.

Further reading and reference:http://www.apc.org/en/node/12807/

Task 2: 

Pick a social networking site that you either regularly visit or know about, i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Bebo, Livejournal, Tumblr, Google+, etc., and discuss in 200 words how you understand the Terms of Service that all users must agree to to be invited into the site.  

The Terms of Service on Twitter:

The services featured on Twitter.com allow a user to publish content of 140 characters or less to a list of their followers. The kind of content allowed on Twitter varies, although by publishing "tweets", a user recognizes that anything he or she says is vulnerable to scrutiny and investigation depending on the context. In addition with the content a user provides, Twitter enables a single person to publish thoughts or information to the world. However, Twitter's privacy act states that the company is entitled to collect any information published in a tweet, and is also entitled to share information with the United States government and several other countries for "storage".

Enclosed in Twitter's "Content on the Services" section, the company consents that any tweet published "is the sole responsibility of the person who originated such content". Twitter clearly states that the company is not responsible for the truthfulness or accuracy of a tweet, and can not be held accountable should information published be incorrect or misleading. Finally. Twitter also informs its users that both the company name and the sites logo are subject to copyright laws and trademark laws within the United States. By using Twitter, an account holder is free to publish information to the outside world, but defamation laws are taken seriously by the site and its owners.