Zelda's internet predictions.

I remembered that lecture when Mr Choy showed the class a video of Singapore 2015 by IDA. My first reaction to it was "Hello?? Be more realistic."

I think that Web 2.0 will still be around for another 5 years. Although technologies like 3.5G or the 4G iPhone have been launched, I feel that these are just teasers of what is ahead and Steve Jobs or Bill Gates might not have discovered that yet.

Yes, new stuff like Windows 7 and Office 2010 are available and really interesting and fun to use. However, these are just upgrades from the old versions. For Microsoft Surface to be accepted by the masses seems like a pretty big task to do. I believe that Bill Gates needs to read more about Charles Darwin's philosophy about evolution.

Although I'm not much of a fan of Apple products, I admire how Steve Jobs market Apple. He is an awesome marketer. He launches iPad which isn't that fantastic, as a teaser. Then tells the whole world that the iPhone 4G is going to be launched in June in the States!

I think internet has to make slow and steady changes so that everyone can keep up. If not, how are the folks in the deep parts of China going to understand how to use a computer?

Top 5 changes of the Internet.

When the World Wide Web started in the late 1980s, all the information that was available, was from universities, the military or the government.

Today, we can surf with our iPhones or Blackberries. So what are the top 5 changes of the internet??

1. Interactivity! Have you ever once realized that interacting with a site has become far more sophisticated as compared to the black screen and green words in the 90s? I reckon the computer mouse to be the greatest invention (apart from air con). Simply because without it, we won't be able to get the freedom to see, do, hear what we want. And of course receive the feedback we desire too!
2. Speed. The time I first had contact with the internet was when I turned 8. My dad used a dial-up connection. So, as you can guess it, uber slow. Today, Google is able to perform a search for "Nexus One" for less than 1 second. Talk about speed!
3. Complexity. In the past, only a person who knows coding could access the web. Today, with the aid of web design, anyone can use the web without having to actually attend a computer class.
4. Connectivity. Remember my dad's old dial up computer? Well, the Woo family has traded that in for 5 new laptops. There has always been that social debate about the computer taking away family time. In fact with these 5 laptops at home, my sisters and I are able to communicate with my dad when he's on an overseas trip.
5. Lastly, the internet has changed the lifestyle of people. In the past, we may not be all slaves to the computer. Today, on the other hand. If my computer were to crash and burn while I'm writing my Com 125 report, I would just go into a crazy frenzy and definitely start cursing and swearing. The internet definitely has provided so many advantages but at the same time as users, we need to be mindful of how it can affect our lives negatively.

Journalism online.

There's this huge debate about how newspapers might become obsolete in the near future. Hmmmm.......

I think. Newspapers will still be around. Remember Transformers? The first movie, duh. When the Decepticon hacked into the communication system satellite.

Simply because, the credibility of the information online is highly questionable. Anything in print has to be edited, vetted through then published. Of course there is the 101 other processes in between.

Journalism online will probably be something that reports more light-hearted news like entertainment or lifestyle like Stomp and MSN news.

However for stuff like the Iraq war or the Financial Crisis, I think that the newspapers would give a much better insight and focus on the story.

So, newspapers are here to stay and internet will just be a supplementary avenue for news.

Facebook.

What is Facebook???? It is a social networking site that is at the peak of the trend of social media.

Here's a Peter Chao take on Facebook.

Ok. I have been found guilty of Facebook addiction. So what's so awesome about Facebook?

Actually I think, Facebook and the iPhone are VERY similar. Both have apps. Both are meant for communication. And both have millions of users.

I think the awesome thing about Facebook is the apps. Of course the games and the photo albums. We all play the games there and stalk your friends photos and status updates. Well, aren't we all curious.

Last year, the Facebook fever caught up with my mom. So now she has a Facebook profile too. She's 50 and found an old secondary school classmate who actually moved to Utah. How awesome is that! Of course, along the way, I too found loads of long lost friends. But wait, wasn't there something similar too?? Remember Friendster?

Well, Friendster in my opinion, was pretty successful in Asia. But until the American culture caught up with Asia, people turned to Facebook instead. Plus, Friendster's actually pretty boring, if you ask me.

So, these are my thoughts about the awesome-ness about Facebook.

How to make your surfing safe?

Today's entry is about how to make surfing safe.

Firstly, you'll need an anti-virus software. Questions like "how, what, why, where" will appear in your mind. Ok. I'll start with the "how".

How to get an anti-virus software? You can make a purchase of it (of course a licensed program). Where? Usually in most computers, the manufacturer has probably preloaded a trial version software that will expire in either 30 days or 60 days or 90 days, depending on what kind of software it is. You could choose to purchase a license online from that preloaded anti-virus software company. Or you could head to your nearest IT shop like Challenger or Harvey Norman.

Now, I have answered the "How" and "Where" questions. Here's the "What" answer. What kind of anti-virus software to buy? Well, there are many out there. Some good, some not so good. Here are some recommendations I think are reliable.

• Norton
• AVG
• NOD32

So when you have gotten the anti virus software, the first thing you need to do is to scan your computer for any potential threats. After that, do remember to perform periodical scans on your computer for the latest threat versions.

And now, you're set and ready for safe surfing!

Video!

Well, apparently, the new Windows 7 does not have Windows Media Player. So if anyone's using Windows 7, please download the Vista version. It works perfectly well!

iPhone vs Blackberry vs Android

The handphone saga has taken place once again. About 10 years ago, it was the war between Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericsson. Wow. At that time was the design war. Today its the war about how many apps one phone can hold!

Recently I have been contemplating on what phone to get. The iPhone? The Blackberry? Or the Nexus One? Ok, who am I kidding?? Nexus One ain't hitting the shores of Singapore anytime soon.



Anyway. These days, phones aren't phones anymore. They do not just only make and receive calls, they have an in-built camera, Wifi, email settings and a huge load of other functions.

As technology advances, will the computer be replaced? I wonder. Of course the good designing people would still need computers thanks to programs like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. But what about the everyday people?

I wonder. So are photos replacing computers? Well, I have yet to make up my mind on which phone. :S

What you use?

To surf. Duh. Not a surfboard or some weird skis. Surf a site. -.-

Well, at hand Netizens are so blessed with almost anything. When I first started using the computer which was in 1994, my dad only had Netscape in the PC.

Today we have Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Morzilla Firefox, Opera, Flock..... The list is endless.



Here's the link to the top 10 you can use.

Now now, isn't this a case of market saturation? Too many similar products in one single market. Of course this "market" I'm talking about is the World Wide Web. Of course there are 101 kinds for us to choose from. However, would it be another case of déjà vu? Remember the dot com boom? So would Google and the other explorer service providers relive the dot com boom, in turn being Web 2.0 boom? Hmmm. I guess time will prevail.


P.S.: The writer was using Firefox to surf for some 5 years but changed to Chrome just last year.

Youtube learning!

Quote Andrew Matthews:

Everyday is a learning day!

Apparently he is right. Today many of us carry a mobile phone. Some of us own a Blackberry. And we like to be unique. So we do modifications to our phones. However having to be a Singaporean, we tend to be stingy and pretty much cash conscious. So how now? Paying a person to do it might be not worth it. Good thing there's youtube! Woots!

Now changing the BB casing is a breeze.

But wait. What if I'm stuck with my statistics homework and I still don't understand after countless tries. No fret. Youtube saves the day!


I personally have subscribed to a few channels that teach stuff. From cooking to make up to even stats. In some way it allows for more time flexibility. I could be watching a movie in the afternoon but attending a stats lecture at night. Also, it allows for free learning. Youtube is free. Anyone who wants to learn can learn. How cool is that!

So still pondering how to cook that medium rare steak for your girlfriend on Valentine's Day? Youtube it!

Pay like the Japanese.

All this while, I have always thought the Japanese were awesome. Although this is technology some 3 years back, it has actually hit the shores of this sunny island - Singapore. View the clips and understand.


Heard of FeliCa technology? It is actually a RFID smart card system. You have seen it in your ez-link card and in the SIM student card too. Well, as in the clip, the Japanese pay through their mobile phones! In Japan, they have this mobile phone service provider called NTT DoMoCo. Which allows their customers to make payments just by flashing their mobile phones!
Of course there is bound to be setbacks in such convenient technology, however such convenience in my opinion has reduced the idea of notes and coins. In fact eliminated the idea of a credit card too! Being a clubber myself, I have lost money when I open my bag to pick up a call, or my credit card will slip out of my pocket. However if you were to just pay with your phone, I guess the purse will be very much lighter! Well, now I'm just waiting for Blackberry to follow the Japs!

I am addicted to Facebook.

Well, I have no qualms about admitting this addiction. Most of us have it. A few of us don't. And the newest member to Facebook is my old man! Seriously. A 52 year old dude. In case you have got no idea how my dad looks like here's a picture.


Just recently my boyfriend and I had this debate about Facebook. He thinks Facebook will end up like Friendster - dead. I think Facebook will prosper for many years to come. Often I like to make comparisons about social sites with search engines. Of course there is no like to these 2, expect for both being on the web. Remember something called Excite.com? During the Dot com era, I had an account with them but soon lost track 2 years after. Or how about Yahoo? Some of us may still be using Yahoo, but I have also forgotten my Yahoo account. Is dot-com still the IN thing?

Well, recently I discovered the joy of android phones.
Google Nexus One.
Motorola's Motoblur. So I think, in time to come, Facebook and Twitter and blogs will just be something like virtual addresses to us. So much so that even the government will be able to keep track of where we are online. Maybe I do secretly hope that human race will evolve into a way it resembles scenes from the movie trilogy - The Matrix. Insane but cool.

The Internet.

We use it on a daily basis. We use it for emails, facebook-ing, porn, getting to know people, for downloading music and movies, research etc. Now as students of UB, we got to learn more about it. Hmmm. I wonder, is there actually such a need? I'm not saying that Mr Choy is a horrid lecturer. Hell no.

Perhaps we have gotten so used to it being part of our lives, we forget certain key points why we have it, why we use it, how we got it.

To me the internet came in when I was 12. Before that there was no such thing as MSN chats or ICQ. To me the computer was a huge white box that had a black screen with green text in it. Oh and I played Pac-man on those machines. That was about it. So when I was 12, my father brought home another similar machine. And I remembered everytime we used the internet, we couldn't use the telephone.

Today, 2010. We are able to make phone calls via our computer, purchase the latest Victoria's Secret lingerie or even make money by being a blogger online.

It has only been week 1 of my learning journey about the internet. And I reckon, this course is going to be somewhat like the study of Charles Darwin's human evolution but the internet style.

There is more to write as the semester progresses. I guess its about time to learn how to appreciate the internet for what it is.