Jill's Learning Log - NET 11

Net - 11 Final Thoughts

2008-05-29T18:30:00.000-07:00

Upon reflection of this unit I have learnt a lot of different things both practical and conceptual.

Practically some of the things I have learnt are:

That formatting in blogger is a lot different than in word and these differences need to be accounted for. If I was to start again I would probably post direct to blogger for projects etc however I can see that this would not always be practical either.

I have learnt a lot about online applications and how the Internet works. This especially applies to Web 2 and the many different ways in which the web is developing today into a much user friendly open atmosphere.

Also learning about HTML and other technical aspects of the web has furthered my understanding of how it all works and how I can apply that to everyday things I do on the Internet. This widely varies from my own searching and browsing on the Internet to applying practical sides of it to the web page that I run and my interactions with people whether it be via email or chat or any other application.

Conceptually I have learnt so many things that there are too many to list. Overall it has opened my thoughts to a much bigger picture of the Internet and world wide web, the future of it and how people that wish to stay informed regarding the Internets quickly changing and developing aspects need to stay constantly informed and up to date.

The Internet is a vast and complicated entity. There are so many different aspects of it and how it works that a lot of areas on it overlap and mix together. Overall I now look at the Internet differently and will continue to do so.

Module Five - Preparing for ‘future shock”

2008-05-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

Further penetration of broadband
My thoughts when reading the material in this module were that we are already living "in the future" as discussed by experts from five years ago or more.

The Internet is developing at such a rate that many of the things being discussed as little as a few years ago are already here and that over the next ten to twenty years it will be entirely up to human beings imagination, or maybe more frightening, Artificial Intelligence developments.

Broadband capabilities are increasing yearly, although obviously in this country our major telecommunication companies still have a long way to go before they reach a satisfactory level of service, as has been discussed by this class.

Perhaps the way of the future is wireless technology, as we are already seeing a number of smaller companies using this to bring services to customers at a more competitive rate than the larger providers are doing.

We are seeing an increase in competition for service although the reliability is still to be proved. Looking at popular computing forum such as whirlpool provides evidence that we are still very much in the exploration period for advanced broadband and wireless technology

http://whirlpool.net.au/

Increasing delivery of multimedia – video, voice etc;
The advent of systems such as U tube and personal pages such as My Space and Facebook have already seen a vast increase in the Internet becoming a more visual than textual tool. In the past people have adapted social spaces with emoticons. The future is looking more and more like we will be using a visual medium online. Will the advent of Voip protocol eventually see the end of the telephone and the start of web cams a normal medium of communication. Having personally trialled a mobile system which was supposed to deliver Internet and phone connection on the same line, I can say that the particular companies technology is still a long way off perfect. However there is no doubt that once this technology is developed further and the bugs ironed out it could well be the way of the future.

Visual image is no doubt now replacing large parts of the world wide web from previously textual ones. You only have to look at the sophistication of the online gaming world and how far it has come from the original mud's and moos of the earlier days of the Internet.

Increasing security & authentication – smartcards, digital signatures etc

We have already seen a huge increase in financial transaction that take place on-line over the last ten years. Digital encryption for electronic financial purchases is now common place across most financial institutions. There are a lot of free down loadable sources for protection against viruses and spy ware. Society is becoming more and more cashless, that is we are using computer technology to use cards rather than cash for most transaction, regardless of if they are on line or using a card through a shopping centre.

Wifi / portable computing / communication devices

Wireless technology and portable computing are becoming commonplace in our society today. The mobile phone now has capabilities of browsing and interacting with the Internet. although this could still be considered expensive the future will probably see these applications become more commonplace and cheaper to use. Current business people will have the world at the fingertips rather than relying on being "in the office" I believe this could see a far more decenter ed workplace as information is becoming more diverse. It will be fascinating to see how far communication devices will develop in our life times.

Wireless technology is currently experiencing huge growth in the gaming industry with the advent of such programs such as Wii which is now expanding its market from games to fitness. It would now seem that more and more of our previous social/entertainment parts of life are being incorporated by the Internet and advanced technology.

Intelligent agents

Human computer interface is not a new concept however the idea of artificial intelligence seems to be manifesting itself in our lives in a slow creeping way rather than with a big bag. We now accept that we will be talking to machines when ringing large corporation rather than humans. We interact with machine intelligence in game play and even to the extent people are talking online to machines through msn programs.

Will the future see more advanced commonplace artificial intelligence. Time will tell.

PEW Internet and American Life Project have a detailed article titled Future of the Internet. (Fox, S. et al. 2005)

http://www.pewinternet.org/ppf/r/145/report_display.asp

It is a detailed examination into where the Internet is leading us. Written in 2004 many of the areas discussed such as music, politics, health care and education are already changing due to Internet, and areas that weren't considered to be affected also are, such as religion. You only have to look at the vast amount of religious sites and documentation on the web to see this. Google religion today and you get the following result:

Results 1 - 10 of about 387,000,000 for religion

The Internet is now a part of so many aspects of our day to day lives it is hard to imagine how much more it will develop into the next generation. I feel the only thing that is not in doubt is that develop it certainly will.

Davison, N. (n.d.). The Future of Broadband. Retrieved May 28, 2008, from http://www.ugo.com/channels/tech/features/futureofbroadband/default.asp.

Fox, S., Anderson, J., & Rainie, L. (2005, January 9). Pew Internet: The Future of the Internet. Retrieved May 1, 2008, from http://www.pewinternet.org/ppf/r/145/report_display.asp.

Whirlpool Broadband Forums. (n.d.). Retrieved May 28, 2008, from http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/.

Module Five - Case Study: Peer to Peer

2008-05-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Decoding the P2P ‘ecology’

P2P as software / technical network

P2p seems to be a complex and often understated issue regarding the technology of direct file transfer between computers. This technology has become available due to the increasing amount of computers worldwide, affordability and from the people or companies that developed the software that made it possible. The pioneers of P2p such as Napstar have opened up the way for a very complex issues which involve p2p.

Information transfer

The primary idea of p2p is for file sharing between peers, in the majority known for music downloads. The idea however has and will continue to spread itself worldwide across the Internet to just about anything their is a demand for. Music is an obvious one, books, academic knowledge, programs etc are all things that are now being "shared" by p2p software.

Community

p2p creates the idea of community by bringing people with like interests together in the way of file sharing. The communities that have and may spring up in the future where like minded people are being brought together has no bounds for development in the future.

Security and privacy

Security and privacy may be the greatest issue p2p has today. With ever increasing amounts of virus's and spyware out on the Internet p2p users must increasingly be aware of them and ensure that their computers are protected. This could see and increase in trade for anti virus companies however the paradox of this is that more and more people will simply share their files amongst each other via p2p.

Socio-political considerations

The world is changing place and as more information comes to hand more people are opening to new ideas about information and resources and how to get them. The Internet has opened an entirely new way of looking at information and p2p has accentuated this. p2p may well forcibly bring companies to look at different ways to make profit and investigate how people interact.

Module Five - Information Ecologies

2008-05-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

I feel that the idea of the Internet being an ecology runs in line with what our basic understanding of what the Internet is.

Defining ecology 1) "the branch of biology dealing with with relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings" 2) the study of the interaction of people with their environment" (The Australian Concise Oxford Dictionary, Fourth Edition, 2004)

The Internet is a vast and varied resource of information and communication in which people are interacting with on a daily basis. The Internet could be broken down into many different separate ecology's, for example social, work, study, industry entertainment. The list could go on indefinitely.

Information and communication are the basis for the concept of and information ecology. The Internet give us the ability to present our knowledge of information on a world wide platform and thus create an ecology within it in its own rights. Communication is how we are sending the information to the world at large to express these ideas.

The information is what is creating the ecology and communication is how we spread it. The Internet is a tool for this ecology and human input is what makes it.

Blogger Formatting in Assignment

2008-05-08T23:09:00.000-07:00

Well today my blog decided to go crazy and won't format properly.

I have changed setting and repasted things etc and it is not working so for the sake of having my assignment in on time I have posted it as is and I will work on the formatting to try and de bug it next time I get a minute!

Module Four - Evaluating the Web

2008-04-14T00:03:00.001-07:00

Evaluating the Web

Annotation

Brad Myers is a Professor in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. He has been a consultant to over 50 companies on user interface design and is the author or editor of over 275 publications. Myers received a PhD in computer science at the University of Toronto and has also received the MS and BSc degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The paper A Brief History of Human Computer Interaction Technology briefly summarises important research developments in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) technology covering basic interactions, application types, up and coming areas and Software Tools and Architectures. Myers looks into the importance of university research in the future of development of the future. The paper was presented to outline how important research in the field of HCI is from universities and labs.

Myers, D. (1996). A Brief History of Human Computer Interaction Technology. Retrieved April 29, 2008, from http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~amulet/papers/uihistory.tr.html.

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?

The annotation would be a lot more useful for giving information about what the article was actually about. It also has all the information that the other snapshot had however explains more about the authors credibility and what the paper is about

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 same as above would probably apply. They would be able to understand more of what the paper was about and its usefulness to them.

Module Four - Organising search information task

2008-04-14T00:02:00.002-07:00

Organising search task information.

For the purpose of this exercise I have chosen to save the information in Microsoft word for ease of use and easy extraction. It files easy in my Study folders and you can add links easily which will lead you to the information you need.

Organising search task information.

Site 1

URL: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~amulet/papers/uihistory.tr.html

Author: Brad A. Myers

Institution: School of Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon University

Blur/Summary/ Screen Shot:

. 1. Introduction

Research in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) has been spectacularly successful, and has fundamentally changed computing. Just one example is the ubiquitous graphical interface used by Microsoft Windows 95, which is based on the Macintosh, which is based on work at Xerox PARC, which in turn is based on early research at the Stanford Research Laboratory (now SRI) and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Another example is that virtually all software written today employs user interface toolkits and interface builders, concepts which were developed first at universities. Even the spectacular growth of the World-Wide Web is a direct result of HCI research: applying hypertext technology to browsers allows one to traverse a link across the world with a click of the mouse. Interface improvements more than anything else has triggered this explosive growth. Furthermore, the research that will lead to the user interfaces for the computers of tomorrow is happening at universities and a few corporate research labs.

Site 2

URL: http://www.cs.brown.edu/people/ifc/hci/stat.html

Author: John T. Stasko

Institution: Graphics, Visualization and Usability Center
College of Computing
Georgia Institute of Technology

Blur/Summary/ Screen Shot:

The area of human-computer interaction currently plays a vital role in computer science research and its importance will only deepen in the future. Understanding how to create computer hardware and software to facilitate their use by people is simply a fundamental area of computer science. The fastest, most powerful systems are useless unless people can adequately understand and use them. These are not new ideas, but they cannot be reiterated enough.

The emergence of the Internet and the World Wide Web and their roles in today's society further echoes the importance of HCI. These two "technologies" have brought ever increasing numbers of people to use and work with computers; people who, for the most part, are new to computing and who have had little, if any, interaction with computers before. A person's first interaction with something new is critical toward their future view of it, and this view may become permanent. Therefore, it is vitally important that usable, useful systems be built so that more people are able to benefit from the information that is now available.

Site 3

URL:http://www.temple.edu/ispr/prev_conferences/proceedings/2002/Final%20papers/David,%20Lu,%20Cai.pdf

Author: Prabu David, Tingting Lu, Li Cai

Institution: Ohio State university

Blur/Summary/ Screen Shot:

References

David, P., Lu, T., & Cai, L. (2002, Oct. 11). Computer as Social Actors: Testing the fairness of man and machine. Retrieved April 28, 2008, from www.temple.edu/ispr/prev_conferences/proceedings/2002/Final%20papers/David,%20Lu,%20Cai.pdf.

Myers, D. (n.d.). A Brief History of Human Computer Interaction Technology. Retrieved April 29, 2008, from http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~amulet/papers/uihistory.tr.html.

Stasko , J. (1996, November 12). Computing Surveys: Future Research Directions in Human-Computer. Retrieved April 28, 2008, from http://www.cs.brown.edu/people/ifc/hci/stat.html.

Module Four - Boolean searching task

2008-04-14T00:02:00.001-07:00

To get the biggest number of hits relating to the key words would require different search strategies in the Corpernic search engine. I thought changing the setting to search for any of the words rather than all of the words would bring a much larger results however was surprised by the outcome.

Looking for Educational sites only in Copernic did not wield as many results as i had hoped

Displaying results 1-10 of 55

Adding papers after internet human communication brought the following

Displaying results 1-10 of 61

Boolean searching would certainly be a far improved way of pinpointing exactly what you are looking for on the web.

Googles search engine was not as receptive to boolean commands as other engines however they do have a google scholar search engine which proved more useful.

Results 1 - 10 of about 5,090,000 for internet OR communication OR human site:.edu. (0.26 seconds)

Adding papers to this got the following:
Results 1 - 10 of about 76,100,000 for human and internet communication papers .edu. (0.42 seconds)

I also found that while trying to search for .edu sites a lot of other sites still appear. This often seems to be because the word edu is located in the sites. It also seems to draw a lot of .org and .gov sites.
Publish Post
This task proved to be more difficult than I would have originally thought. I started with a search for human Internet communications. Google and Corpernic however did not provide many sources for university only sites. I have found to date that the most promising results came from alta vista using .edu as opposed to Google or Corpernic.

In reflection I can see that the more specific you are in a search the better results you will achieve. However a lot will depend on what sort of search engine you are using.

Module Four - search engine task

2008-04-14T00:01:00.001-07:00

First Seach using Google

Results 1 - 10 of about 5,050,000 for internet and human communication. (0.42 seconds)

First five hits

Amazon.com: Human Communication on the Internet: Leonard ...

Amazon.com: Human Communication on the Internet: Leonard Shedletsky,Joan E. Aitken: Books.
www.amazon.com/Human-Communication-Internet-Leonard-Shedletsky/dp/0205360319 - 155k - Cached - Similar pages

Pearson - Computer-Mediated Communication: Human-to-Human ...

Resources for Speech Communication MySpeechLab; Close. View larger cover. Computer-Mediated Communication: Human-to-Human Communication Across the Internet ...
www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/academic/product/0,3110,0205321453,00.html - 55k - Cached - Similar pages

Computer-Mediated Communication: Human-to-Human Communication ...

Computer-Mediated Communication: Human-to-Human Communication across the Internet. Susan B. Barnes. Boston: Pearson Education, 2003. 347 pp. ...
www.anthrosource.net/doi/abs/10.1525/jlin.2006.16.2.284 - Similar pages

[PDF]

REVIEW OF COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION: HUMAN-TO- HUMAN ...

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
Chapter 5. considers the role of language as an essential element of human communication, and how the presence of. the Internet has altered this role. ...
llt.msu.edu/vol7num3/pdf/review1.pdf - Similar pages

Email is ‘third revolutionary step in human communication’ | The ...

Email is ‘third revolutionary step in human communication’ ... Email, or communication using Internet technology, is the third revolutionary step in ...
www.theregister.co.uk/2001/03/19/email_is_third_revolutionary_step/ - 28k - Cached - Similar pages

First Search using Copernic

Displaying results 1-10 of 49

First Five hits.

Pixel Group
A creative digital agency with result driven ideas. [Sponsored Link]
www.PixelGroup.com.au/ - 98%
Result found by: Copernic

Web Conferencing Services
Audio and Web Conferencing with free recording; only 3¢/min [Sponsored Link]
www.GlobalConference.com/ - 98%
Result found by: Copernic

Amazon.com: Human Communication on the Internet: Leonard ......
Amazon.com: Human Communication on the Internet: Leonard Shedletsky,Joan E. Aitken: Books.
www.amazon.com/Human-Communication-Internet-Leonard-Shedletsky/dp/0205360319 - 89%
Result found by: CompuServe, Netscape Netcenter, AOL Search

Human Communication on the Internet [Paperback] | Target.com
Shop for Human Communication on the Internet at Target. Choose from a wide range of Books. Expect More, Pay Less at Target.com
www.target.com/gp/redirect.html/ref=tgt_adv_XSNG1060 - 89%
Result found by: FAST Search (alltheweb.com), Yahoo!, AltaVista

Both search engines gave me useful links and site for information pertaining to my subject however the millions of results returned by Google was a big difference to the copernic search. Some results were similar. Copernic game me options on how to sort the results by score, date, site visited etc. Of note to me was that wikipedia scored in both searches. Interesting.

Both search engines gave useful information although googles extra search options at the bottom of the page were useful if I were looking for something specific like images, quotes, characters etc.

Module Four = Downloading tools / plug-ins Task

2008-04-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

Looking through the options I already have a lot of the tools mentioned so I decided to download the following:

Copernic Meta for PC

Bookmark Buddy for Windows

Both were relatively simple to download.

Bookmark buddy for Windows seems relatively easy to use. It combines both sets of my bookmarks from both Internet Explorer and Firefox and could be a useful offline tool to refer back to web sites. It also tells me which sites have been used and favourites etc.

This tool is on a 30 day trial so although useful I can't see myself using to the extent where i would want to pay for it. Not when there are so many other free applications out there.

Copernic - Search Engine

Copernic offers a lot of different applications and a wide range of searching options.
In particular the email search interested me and I am looking into it further.
Also it has the ability to save your search results so that you don't need to go back through browsers to find other results.

Module Three - Legal Issues

2008-04-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

After reading the material on the copyright website I then looked up the curtain home page and went to the A-Z index.

I followed the links to Curtain Policies and Procedures and found Logo Use Procedures.

http://policies.curtin.edu.au/policies/viewpolicy.cfm?id=959f55ad-fec2-11dc-b6c5-253dc30d60f2

Curtain logo is copyrighted and therefore unauthorised use is not allowed.

On my website I do not believe I have used anything that would break copyright laws. The images I have used were public domain and not copyrighted to the best of my knowledge.

Module One - Further Exploration

2008-04-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

Having downloaded the Internet tool bar some time ago and running into some time issues I finally got back to it.

I opened it easily and it shows up on my desktop as follows

Firstly I tried a search which was easy to use and found the relevant information easily. After a little playing around I found I could search for various things such as the web, images etc.

This is a definite bonus as it eliminates having to open separate browsers for different requirements.

I found this toolbar to have vast amounts of information on it however feel it is going to take some time to work through it.

An example of some of them are as follows:

The toolbar seems to have so much on it that I found it a bit overwhelming. I was jumping from such things such as system information, currency converter, language translator etc etc

I used the trace tool in the toolbar and got the following result.

The paths from my previous traceroute to this one were different however it is hard to compare as I am now using a different server from a different location. I did note however that some of the ip's were the same or very similar suggesting that the path is roughly following the same path.

This Internet toolbar certainly has some advantages to it and I can see why it would be so useful to get into the habit of using, especially for someone that has high levels of work and Internet use.

Module Three - Web 2.0

2008-04-06T22:35:00.002-07:00

I feel Web 2 is about the Internet being more user friendly for the non computer literate. It is opening the world of communication and knowledge to anyone who has Internet access.

The Internet Communications Blinklist is a great way of storing information instantly. The comparison between it and a html written list is that you no longer have to store anything on your computer and upload through ftp. You can also briefly describe the link and give and opinion.

Probably given the choice blink list is something that is being constantly updated and would be the preferred choice of use. I only need one url to access the blink list.

Web 2 and and such applications as blink list is removing a time consuming process of storing and recording your sites and data. Especially if you want to send your sites on to other people.

Web 2 is the new user friendly Internet for everyone. There are very few things that a person could not achieve on line with most of the web 2 applications these days.

Module Three - blogs

2008-04-06T22:35:00.001-07:00

Blogs can be very useful for any number and variety of reasons.

Some examples of this would be:

Personal recordings and reflection,
Journalism
Academic recordings
Advice manuals
or basically just about anything you could think off.

The lists of blogs appear to be endless. Blogs therefore are a great way of people expressing themselves, or getting information out there. Blogs can also generate business through such things as AdWords. There are lots of blogs on blogging and how to blog.

Blogging is like a worldwide arena for a person to express themselves.

There is no reason not to like blogs. They are easy to use for the non computer literate, often informative and you don't have to pursue topic you don't like.

Blogging is a quick and efficient way to publish and idea or opinion or knowledge.

Module Three - ftp

2008-04-06T22:33:00.000-07:00

This task turned out to be more difficult that I original thought due to not having downloaded the VNP client advised by curtain. However once I overcame this small problem with the help from my classmates all was fine.

The ftp client was easy to use and I found where my files needed to go without a problems.

The url for my website is

http://student.curtin.edu.au/~14086764/

Module Three- WWW Standards

2008-04-06T22:14:00.001-07:00

Optional ‘standards’ task:

Summary - 5 Most important "rules" for writing online.

* Headings - Make sure your viewers can find what they are looking for

* Layout - Ensure your layout is clear and easy to scan

* Be Concise, brief and use Keywords to ensure you don't loose your viewer

* Usability - Ensure that you are using a format that will capture you aimed at audience. Different groups of people are attracted to different things

* Interactivity - Make sure your web page is usable. Avoid overcrowding.

All of the above relate back to the the fact the people "Scan" a web page rather than read it. In order for you to get your message across clear use of headings, a layout that is concise and clear and is written to aim at its intended market. Keywords are important and html links can be useful if you wish to have more detail that some and not all readers will be interested in. As a whole though the term "scannable" would still be between early observations and now one of the most important. People do not read a web page as easily or comprehensively as they would a paper document so you need to condense your writing to get your message across in a shorter format.

Optional ‘standards’ task 2:

Test your web page according to the W3C standards by going to their ‘validator’ page. If your page does not conform (it probably won’t!) record in your learning log why you think this is: try and identify the particular tags or code that are causing trouble. Are the problems related mostly to display, usability, or accessibility?

I tested my index.html page and the first attempt had approximately 40 errors on it. Interesting. I feel the main problem with my personal entries is keeping things in order so that when you are trying to insert something "fancy" you keep the tags in correct format.

I decided to put the web page I run to the test as a matter of comparison.

This was the result

So my page edited by a editor and used by hundreds of people every week still had errors although no where nearly as many as my attempt at HTML myself. My conclusion is two sided. I need to learn a lot more about html however regardless of whether they should or not things work on the web even if the coding isn't prefect. It probably isn't good practice however is probably a very common problem as more and more people can "write" a web page using software to circumnavigate learning html.

I am now pleased to say that after editing my index.html page has been validated and is HMTL Valid. Please refer to Module Three - HTML for more on this

Module Three - HTML

2008-04-01T16:10:00.001-07:00

I undertook this task with some interest as after running a web page for a couple of years and using a html editor called KompoZer (this is a free download) I was finally going to be forced into thinking about what I was doing. I do have some knowledge of html and how it works however probably not enough for someone who runs a web page. Most html editors have some bugs in them so it will be nice to have a clearer idea of what I am looking at.

I found Joe Barta's So you Want to make a web page site fairly simple to follow. I downloaded the Note Tab Lite Program he recommended and got underway.

HTML - The advantages of html editing is the vast range of stuff you can manage to do. It gives a lot more freedom and understanding of how things work and lets you be more creative. You control the site from your computer and only upload and download as you need. To get a true understanding of web pages and how they run it is probably essential to have some knowledge of how html works and how to use it. For the inexperienced however it is time consuming and fiddly.

Blogging - Blogging is done on-line. It is great for straight forward and quick work which you want displayed and seen. You don't need ftp's or need to have any knowledge of html. You basically just have to know the basics of being able to use a browser and follow links, sign up, start typing and off you go.
However as everything is on-line you need to be reliant on the blogging site you use. It also limits variation and creativity.

My view at the moment is that html is going to be very useful to understand, however when editing my web page i will stick with an editor. Reason - I am going to end up wasting far to much time playing around with code

One sticking point I have had on this is the html validation. When checking the main page of the web site I run it had 9 errors and was not HTML 4.01 transitional. It does however function as a web page that is used by hundreds of people. For the purpose of this task I felt and learning basic html my page should be Validated correctly. First attempts had LOTS of errors.

I finally got it down under the 10 mark and slowly worked through these. It took more time than I thought but for my own satisfaction it was rewarding to get the following message:

Module Two - Newsgroups - 2

2008-03-30T17:21:00.000-07:00

Let the fun being. Many years ago i was a member of a couple of newsgroups and found that
whereas they were informative quite often there was a core group of very active members who generally overwhelmed most of the conversation and that quite a lot of flaming was happening within the groups.

I decided to find a newsreader program. A Search of google produced the following site

http://news-file-grabber.ralph-brooks.alienpicks.com/

Which gave me the download for News File Grabber which is free newsgroup reader.

After downloading it I had to add which server I was going to use. I consulted with this with my father who is a big newsgroup user. His recommendation was Aioe.org

http://news.aioe.org/

Aioe.org hosts a public news server, an USENET (NNTP) site that is intentionally kept open for all IP addresses without requiring any kind of authentication. This site is especially designed for those who wish a simple and quick way to read the USENET news without needing to post an huge amount of articles

This worked fine and after exploring the program I went into the "manager" and downloaded some 53340 different newsgroups ! So now i need to decide which one interests me. The program has a very easy drop and drag function to pick out a group you are interested in and drop it into your own personal file

After choosing a group rec.food.cooking I found I couldn't post messages. I was getting the following error:

Server My Server responds with: 441 Banlist

I need to explore this further however it for the sake of this exercise I decided to log on through Google and post that way.

I posted the following:

1 message - Collapse all

jellysk...@yahoo.com

View profile

More options Mar 31, 10:43 am

Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking

From: jellysk...@yahoo.com

Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2008 16:43:54 -0700 (PDT)

Local: Mon, Mar 31 2008 10:43 am

Subject: Cold Weather

   Reply   |   Reply to author   |   Forward   | Print   | Individual message   | Show original   | Remove   | Report this message   | Find messages by this author   

Hi Everyone,

I am new to this group and would love to hear some of your ideas for
cooking for cold weather.

It would be great to expand my collection of ideas for casseroles etc
and things that you can pre cook and freeze for those busy days.

Thanks

Jill

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My conclusions about newsgroups are that they can be fantastic if you are looking for a particular topic. They are basically an open information network where you can pursue just about any topic you can think off.

The main downside of them is possible spamming and flaming. I guess in this information free age it is a bit like television however. You quite often here people complain about what is aired on t.v. The solution for adults is simple. If you don't like it don't watch, or join. The issue could be a lot more complex for children however the parental role of supervision then comes into play.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Module Two - Chat

2008-03-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

With so many chat programs to choose from it was confusing trying to figure out
which one to use.

Deciding to try a few different ones I signed up with ICQ, Yahoo and MSN.

ICQ
Downloading the program and signing up seemed relatively easy and did not take long at all.

MSN
My children already use this program so it was just a matter of getting and I.D. which was no problems at all.

YAHOO
I already had Yahoo on my computer and had an i.d. so this was also not a problem.

ICQ
I managed to get in touch with a fellow student Peter on ICQ and we chatted for a while.
My main problem was trying to figure out how get in touch with people. The postings on our forum made the ICQ identity problem a lot easier and I now have a number of classmates signed up although I am yet to chat with any except for Peter.

Michelle, one of our class mates has created a group called NET11 which I managed to locate and join. I am yet to have a group discussion and hopefully have not left it too late.

MSN and Yahoo.

Both MSN and Yahoo seems fairly easy to navigate as well. The major difference between these and ICQ is that MSN and Yahoo interlink and you can talk to across the programs whereas ICQ appears to be stand alone. As a result of this MSN and Yahoo are a lot more interactive and accessible however ICQ seems somewhat simpler to use.

Being a regular user of email I can see the pros and cons of both methods of communication. Email seems more direct and easier to record and file. Chat is instantaneous and a group can follow the conversation together.

My overall feelings about chat is that where as it is a useful social tool, it is not suited to serious conversation. It seems to me to be too fragmented and harder to follow.

I am sure once more familiar with chat programs I would be a lot more comfortable using them.

Group Chat
I have had a couple of group conversations using msn and ICQ and we did talk about some of the pros and cons.

Some of the pros that came to light in groups discussions were being able to communicate instantly. Also using chat as a workplace tool to communicate with far flung locations. Another was IRC gave the ability to overcome accents when in normal one on one conversation so that people were on an even level of understanding, especially across different races in different counties.

The cons of IRC were mainly it made for an abbreviated conversation and could be disturbing if you are concentrating on somethings else. Also it came to light that many business have not embraced this or many forms of Internet use probably due to lack of resources and information. One of the cons pointed out was that for someone with slow typing this form of communication
is difficult as they can not keep up with the conversation.

MSN seemed to be the most popular form of chat amongst the class however on a personal note I found ICQ simpler to use, quicker and less intrusive.

Module Two - Email

2008-03-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

Being very familiar with emails I undertook this task fairly confidently.

1. What information about a user's email, the origin of a message, and the path it took, can you glean from an email message?

The users email address tells you there user name i.e. fred then @ (at) then the domain that they are using

2. In what cases would you find it useful to use the 'cc', 'bcc' and 'reply all functions of email?

'cc' The cc function comes in useful when you are addresses the email to one person or a group however you wish to copy in other people. That way the email is directed to the person in the 'to" however alerts people in the 'cc' that the email is a matter of interest to them.

'bcc' The bcc function is useful when you are either emailing someone and wish to 'blind copy' in another person or people without the "to" address recipient knowing, or alternatively if you are posting an email to a larger group of people and do not wish for their email address's to be revealed to each other.

3. In what ways can you ensure that an attachment you send will be easily opened by the receiver?

With there being many different types of attachments you can send via email the only way to ensure that the receiving party can open you attachment is to either know the person you are sending it to and exactly what software they have on their computer, or alternatively sending the file as a plain text file (ASCII) or in a format that can be read by most applications such as 'rtf' (rich text format).

The problem with the second option is so many attachments to emails are now photo's, excel files, video or pps etc. In these cases you need to confirm with the receiving party that they can open your attachments.

4. What sorts of filters or rules do you have set up, and for what purpose?

You can set up filters and or rules in most email programs to route mail to the appropriate folder that you wish it to go to. This gives you the ability to filter your message if you get a large amount so you can pick out the important ones and file the others for later browsing. This could apply in such cases as you were a member of a newsgroup, or if you wished to filter out "junk mail" from you in box.

5. How have you organised the folder structure of your email and why?

My folder structure in my email client (Outlook Express) is set up with everything going directly into my In Box as I get a lot of emails from people I don't know due to the nature of the web site I run. I then have various sub files such as Personal, Web Page, Correspondence, Computers, Humour etc where I file everything. Although at times my in box does get overcrowded it gives me the ability to find old emails easily by subject. Also nothing gets filed out of my in box until it has been dealt with. This ranges from passing on humourous emails from friends to answering queries etc to do with my web page and various work that I do.

Module Two - Tasks - Email List

2008-03-06T17:06:00.000-08:00

I have previously been on a couple of mailing lists however not for some time. The first thing I did was use the link to go to Yahoo's Groups. The main problem with decided to join a mailing list I have found is simply deciding which group to join. If you start looking into each and every subject too closely you are going to end up very confused as their is simply too much to choose from for the human brain to digest. I therefore decided for the purpose of this exercise to choose the first thing that interested me quickly and start to have a look around. In staying with the subject I chose the following
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/netizenz-zone/

The first group that interested me was the following,

3	netizenz-zone 4960 Members, Archives: Membership required Jokes, Interesting/Funny Pictures, Messages, Polls, Quotes, Religious, Information, Education, Sharing Views and Ideas, Discussions, Black and White, Right and Wrong, News and ...(more)

netizenz-zone

4960 Members, Archives: Membership required

Jokes, Interesting/Funny Pictures, Messages, Polls, Quotes, Religious, Information, Education, Sharing Views and Ideas, Discussions, Black and White, Right and Wrong, News and ...(more)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once I entered the group underneath its welcome banner they had the following blurb
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is the Spot..
Netizenz-Zone makes your day fine,
gives a new look towards life,
shows up hidden emotions and feelings,
talks the true human spirit,
and on and on and on.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All very interesting however i could not access anything else without joining and I wasn't ready to do that as yet. So back to the groups page to look again.

After looking around a few different subject and finding a lot of the groups are members only
I then Decided to follow something totally different I found the following:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Top > Cultures & Community >Food and Drink > Cooking and Recipes

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After all my children always tell me there is nothing at all to eat ! This group is a public group however seems to be a promotion for a cooking web site. Fair enough. After finding the following

vegetarianrecipeexchange · Vegetarian Recipe Exchange -

Most of the messages there seemed to read as follows.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

move, 3/10/2008, 12:00 am

Reminder from: vegetarianrecipeexchange Yahoo! Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vegetarianrecipeexchange/cal move Monday March 10, 2008 All Day (This event

Posted - Thu Mar 6, 2008 10:58 am

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is starting to look to me like a major problem with these mailing list groups is spam. Thinking that I might try the other link I went to the following http://lists.topica.com/channels/books/ I found this web site easier and more clearly laid out than Yahoo's. Example as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Art & Design	Music	Software
Books, Movies & TV	News & Information	Sports & Recreation
Developers	Personal Finance	Travel & Leisure
Food & Drink	Personal Technology	Women & Family
Health & Fitness	Small Business	More...
Internet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I followed a few links to a book group. Deciding if I was going to get anywhere I needed to sign up I did so. Once I filled in the first form i got the following screen appear
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Featured Favorites

Choose from newsletters that educate, entertain, and give you a professional edge and from special offers by select Topica advertising partners. When you choose the content or offers below, you're requesting that we share your information with that partner.

KleinHosting.com" border="0" height="40" width="100">

KleinHosting.com
Affordable Web Hosting, Cheap Domain Names and FREE BLOG with every Domain!

developerWorks: Technology Edition" border="0" height="40" width="100">

IBM developerWorks: Technology Edition
Get links to the developerWorks tools, code, tutorials, and articles you've come to rely on, every week, in your inbox.

developerWorks: Products Edition" border="0" height="40" width="100">

IBM developerWorks: Products Edition
Learn how to solve real-world problems using IBM technology. Get the articles, tutorials, and technical support you need.

Dollar
Sign up with Dollar Rent A Car and save! Sign up now for our e-mail specials and you'll receive special deals on car rentals, hotels and more. This truly is a win-win situation, so what are you waiting for?

alphaWorks" border="0" height="40" width="100">

IBM alphaWorks
Are you looking for breaking developer news? Check out the bi-monthly alphaWorks newsletter for free access to IBM's emerging technologies.

AARP The Magazine" border="0" height="40" width="100">

AARP The Magazine
It's content that fits your lifestyle: revealing profiles, savvy money-saving tips, important health news, helpful travel tips, and much more, from AARP The Magazine's award-winning website.

AARP Bulletin Newsletter
Your prescription for the latest Medicare news, resources, and more.

MyFreeStuffPlus - Free Stuff and Bargains
Join us and receive updates on free stuff, free to try offers, and bargains. New products and offers added daily.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There was everything above plus a lot more. A lot of advertising ! Annoying but I have come to conclusion that if advertising on the web helps run the free stuff than its something we all need to get used to. The next screen after deciding not to take up any of the above is as follows:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After getting through all of this I finally managed to join. Now to find a list I am interested in.

I will try this one
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

t Directory

Category:

Top | Entertainment | Food & Drink


List Name	Recommended Recipes (RecommendRecipes)
Purpose:	Don't get terrible recipes in your email, get Recommended Recipes! GREAT FUN!
Website URL:	http://www.freebiesunlimited.net
List Type:	Unmoderated discussion
Subscription:	Does not require owner approval
Archive:	Readable by anyone
Created:	Nov 09, 2001
Owner:	RecipeMan
To Join:	Subscribe here, or send an email to ihaverecipes-subscribe@topica.com
To Post:	Send mail to 'ihaverecipes@topica.com'
Stats:	263 subscribers / <>
Categories:	Entertainment \| Food & Drink

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had to then verify my email address before I could get any further which i did by clicking on a link in an email they sent me. To date i haven't had anything back from this group and I am pursuing a group on Yahoo Lists. I will join that one too and wait and see how much input I get from it. My conclusions from this exercise are that there is no easy answer about what sort of communication method is better, that is is entirely up to the individual involved and their personal needs. Some of the con's with emailing lists however are:

* Finding the area of interest you are looking for. Due to the huge volume of groups now on the web there is maybe too much to choose from. * Once finding it finding a group that will suit your personality. * Avoiding the spam that seems to be generated at this sort of site * Avoiding getting caught up in the huge amount of advertising on these sites. * Finding a group that is up to date and has enough people to make it worthwhile.

The pro's are that prior to this sort of group was set up if you had an interest in a topic you needed to go our and research it at a library, bookstore or educational institution. Today with extensive mailing lists on just about every subject a person could think of it makes getting feedback and idea on subjects a lot easier. Not only do we have access to further our knowledge on something but we also can get other peoples views and ideas about how things work.

I feel the major difference between a public mailing list group and a discussion group such as ours on webct is that the mailing lists group is open to the public for anyone that wishes to discuss a topic. This leaves room for spammers, advertisers and unsavoury people to be involved. Our discussion group on webct is set up specifically for a group of people who are studying a set topic, and therefore the nuisance of spam and off topic information is avoided.

Module One - Internet Tools

2008-03-04T15:48:00.000-08:00

After reading the article on trace route tools i moved on to find a site which offered one.

Google quickly led me to http://centralops.net/co/ which was one of the sites recommended.

It was very easy to use and gave me the following result.

Tracing route to curtin.edu.au [134.7.179.53]...

hop

rtt

ip address

domain name

70.84.211.97

61.d3.5446.static.theplanet.com

70.84.160.162

vl2.dsr02.dllstx5.theplanet.com

70.85.127.109

po52.dsr02.dllstx3.theplanet.com

70.87.253.21

et3-1.ibr03.dllstx3.theplanet.com

157.238.225.5

xe-4-4.r03.dllstx09.us.bb.gin.ntt.net

129.250.2.153

ae-2.r20.dllstx09.us.bb.gin.ntt.net

129.250.3.130

as-0.r20.hstntx01.us.bb.gin.ntt.net

129.250.3.25

ae-0.r21.hstntx01.us.bb.gin.ntt.net

129.250.3.121

as-1.r21.lsanca03.us.bb.gin.ntt.net

129.250.5.90

xe-0-1-0.r03.lsanca03.us.bb.gin.ntt.net

198.172.90.102

p4-1-1-0.r03.lsanca03.us.ce.gin.ntt.net

203

201

195

202.158.194.77

so-3-1-0.bb1.b.syd.aarnet.net.au

213

211

208

202.158.194.33

so-2-0-0.bb1.a.mel.aarnet.net.au

222

220

216

202.158.194.17

so-2-0-0.bb1.a.adl.aarnet.net.au

244

202.158.194.5

so-0-1-0.bb1.a.per.aarnet.net.au

249

244

247

202.158.198.178

gigabitethernet0.er1.curtin.cpe.aarnet.net.au

244

249

202.158.198.186

gw1.er1.curtin.cpe.aarnet.net.au

244

248

249

134.7.16.46

244

247

250

134.7.248.65

te1-1.b309-sr.net.curtin.edu.au

252

248

244

134.7.179.53

Trace complete

A total of 20 hops were recorded between sites.

When using the ping tools I got the following results

Ping

See if a host is reachable

source code: view | download

Pinging curtin.edu.au [134.7.179.53] with 32 bytes of data...

Results

count

ttl (hops)

rtt (ms)

from

109

252

134.7.179.53

109

249

134.7.179.53

109

247

134.7.179.53

109

244

134.7.179.53

109

247

134.7.179.53

Statistics

packets	sent	5
	received	5	100%
	lost	0	0%
times (ms)	min	244
	avg	248
	max	252

-- end --
URL for this output | return to CentralOps.net

Therefore average milliseconds are 248.

The IP NUMBER of the hostname curtin.edu.au is 134.7.179.53

In doing this exercise it makes you realise in much clearer terms just how quickly computers and the Internet work. You know in theory that the Internet is computers networked and exchanging data with each other however to see how many ip's they pass through and how quickly they do it is fascinating. The Internet is invented and ran by humans, however there is no human equivalent for such fast exchange of data.

Module One - Tasks - File Transer Protocol (FTP)

2008-03-03T16:56:00.000-08:00

Downloading the ftp client was easy. I went straight to the site recommended and following the links.

http://www.ftpplanet.com/download.htm

While downloading the program i looked at the user guide.

http://www.ftpplanet.com/ftpresources/ftpnew-user.htm

FTP or file transfer protocol is the main way in which to transfer files over the Internet. This usage applies to file sharing such as music or movies however I quickly realised that i have already used ftp probably many times a week in my role as a web master for a web site. FTP is essential for web master to transfer files to and from the server where your web page is located.

After downloading the Ipswitch ftp program i had problems connecting to the curtin site. I am not sure at this stage if this has something to do with my Zone Alarm blocking me and I am looking into it. For the purpose of the exercise however I ran the ftp program which i use called WS_FTP which is a free program for non business users only.

With this ftp I had no problems connecting. I quickly located the readme.text file in the MSC Folder.

The answer the the question is

CAPITALIZATION

Having used ftp on a regular basis I found this process easy. After successfully gaining access via my own ftp program i then played around with my Zone Alarm setting and attempted to access the program via Ipswitch FTP again, which this time i managed with no problems.

Conceptual Research & Reflection Project

2008-03-03T15:19:00.000-08:00

Concept 7 Netiquette

Good communication practice on the Internet is not something one 'learns', but something one 'practices' so as to teach others, less familiar than yourself, how it is done. (Allen, n.d.)

Netiquette on the internet is simply the practice of good and polite conversation or correspondence adapted to modern day usage. Due to the fact that people view things online differently than they do a letter or printed document an informal netiquette is necessary for internet use. Advanced internet uses need to understand current netiquette and practice it to encourage others less advanced to not only do the same but enable them to understand what the posting means.

Bad netiquette is perhaps a result of people being uninformed however it also becomes obvious that the sheer anonymity of the internet can encourage people to behave differently that if they were actually interacting with people face to face. This is summed up nicely by Virginia Shea

“The message of Netiquette is that it's not acceptable. Yes, use your network connections to express yourself freely, explore strange new worlds, and boldly go where you've never gone before. But remember the Prime Directive of Netiquette: Those are real people out there.” Shea, V (2006)

To bring people to awareness of bad netiquette we must as advanced Internet users set the example, making our correspondence correct, our contributions valid and our web sites usable and polite. A good way of making a point about bad netiquette is to tell people to “Adhere to the same
standards of behavior online that you follow in real life” Shea, V (1997) If expert uses except this standard then the less familiar have a guideline to follow.

The RFC 1855 Netiquette Guidelines, (Hambridge, S 1995) bring many different forms of netiquette
to light for different purposes such as email, user groups, mailing lists and other things. This brings
to light that there are different standards for different methods of use, and that a good idea for
directing new users to any form of communication is to direct them t  “If you’re entering a chat room
 or message board for the first time, take a while to familiarise yourself with the rules that may apply.”
(Shannon, R 2008)

A good way of getting people to understand and follow basic netiquette guidelines would therefore
be to direct them to frequently asked questions of user groups and discover by reading for
themselves the nature of the group or list they plan to participate in. For instance two of the rules
that Shea, V (1997) list are the following “Corollary 4: Read the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) 
document” and “Corollary 2: Lurk before you leap.” These both make very good sense and new
users would be benefited by being reminded of this. Too be involved in a group or list a person
should understand exactly what the nature of it is about.

Netiquette rules whilst are not hard and fast are good starting points for the uninformed to become user friendly. There is a lot of information and groups on the Internet where there seems to be no or little netiquette applied rules. Advanced Internet users need to be aware of situation which endanger people and post advice on how to avoid it. There are many different forms of bad netiquette, some of which can be annoying or rude, however perhaps the most dangerous is the predator or criminal out there that uses Internet groups to break the law.

“When you’re communicating on the Internet take special care not to give out personal information to strangers and to treat others with respect. Be aware of the risks involved in communicating with people you cannot see and may never meet in person. Take time to consider what you write to others, and be careful to avoid humor and sarcasm except with the best of friends. You can’t assume that your messages are private, so be careful about what you write.” Ackermann E, Hartman K, (2000)

The overall concept of netiquette and good communication on the Internet should be taken that advanced Internet users need to create the impression on line that they would wish to in normal life. As stated in (Scheuermann, L, Taylor, G (1997) “While online service providers, employers, and governments each encourage good Net behavior by punishing major netiquette breaches, it is the individual users who play the biggest role in encouraging netiquette standards of politeness and courtesy.” It stands to reason that setting the example and providing useful and accessible information is the most sensible way of encouraging correct netiquette on the Internet.

Annotations

Site 1: NET-ETHIQUETTE Mini Case Studies of Dysfunctional Human Behaviour on the Net

http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/II/Netethiquettecases

Roger Clark is a consultant specialising in eBusiness, information infrastructure, and data
surveillance and information privacy. He works through his own company
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd, and published his website with the infrastructure provided by the
Australian National University. Roger holds degrees Honours and Masters Degrees from the
Faculty of Commerce at the University of N.S.W., where his studies focused on the discipline
of Information Systems. He later gained a doctorate from the Australian National University.
His web site since being established in 1995 has attracted over 25 million hits and is linked
to from over twenty thousand pages. The web site has extensive references and links to information
and examples of netiquette use.

Site 2: Internet and Web Essentials: What You Need to Know

http://www.webliminal.com/essentials/eoc-rtfs/ch03.htm

Ernest C. Ackermann is a Professor of Computer of Science and holds a M.A., Ph.D., 
Pennsylvania State University and a B.A., Montclair State College. He currently teaches at
The University of Mary Washington in the United States.  His textbooks are used by hundreds of
schools and universities, and he presents workshops and tutorials on Internet usage.
Karen Hartman has a Masters of Arts degree in Library Science and has worked as a reference
and bibliographic instruction librarian.  She currently works in the U.S. State Department as an
Information Resource officer.

Internet and Web Essentials: What You Need to Know, website summarized the published book and expands in details various areas of the Internet including email use, communications, and user net. The summary gives extensive examples and exercises as well as links to relevant content.

Bibliography

Ackermann, E., & Hartman, K. (2000). Chapter 3--Communication on the Internet. Retrieved April 23, 2008, from http://www.webliminal.com/essentials/eoc-rtfs/ch03.htm

Clarke, R. (1998). Roger Clarke's Netethiquette Cases. Retrieved April 23, 2008, from http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/II/Netethiquettecases.

Hambridge, S. (1995). RFC 1855: Netiquette Guidelines. Retrieved April 23, 2008, from http://www.stanton.dtcc.edu/stanton/cs/rfc1855.html.

Shannon, R. (2008). HTMLSource: HTML Tutorials. Retrieved April 23, 2008, from
http://www.yourhtmlsource.com.

Scheuermann, Larry, Taylor, Gary. (1997). Netiquette. Internet
Research, 7(4), 269-273. Retrieved April 23, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 117541423).
http://proquest.umi.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/pqdweb?did=117541423&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=22212&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Shea, V. (1997). Netiquette, by Virginia Shea, Table of Contents and Welcome Page. Retrieved April 23, 2008, from http://www.albion.com/netiquette/book/index.html.

Sullivan, Brian (2002, March). Netiquette. Computerworld, 36(10), 48.  Retrieved April 24,
200, from ProQuestc Computing database. (Document ID: 110226640).
http://proquest.umi.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/pqdweb?did=110226640&sid=1&Fmt=6&clientId=22212&RQT=309&VName=PQD

12. Communication and Information are related

Advanced Internet users actively create new contexts for the information they receive as part of asychronous communication (and other forms), and then give those contexts form and utility through mechanisms such as email folder filing systems; automated processes; etc. (Allen, M, n.d)

As the Internet is developing constantly the Internet user is getting more and more options on how to record information. Such processes as filing systems in email folders and filters are becoming more developed. The use of online tools to record information and use these tools to communicate more widely with associates. As stated by Marin and Poulter “Rapidly occurring innovations in information and communication technology, particularly the widespread adoption and use of the Internet, have impacted how individuals and organizations retrieve and distribute information.” (Marin J, Poulter, A. 2003) The start of web 2 and a user’s ability to create many of there own spaces are one of the most impressive ways in which the way in which we store and look at communication and information.

The email folder and its filing system has been one of the main ways Internet communication has been stored. Emails play a large role in our personal communications. To effectively be able to refer back to things we must store these communications in folders which have been well named and are relevant to the information that they hold. The Digital Curation Manual states “This task can be largely automated, although regular human intervention is invariably required to ensure transient or temporary mails are properly deleted and that an adequate and useful folder system is established. “ (Pennock, M 2006)

Depending on our set up we can have our email filing system on our own computers or use and online email service such as hotmail, yahoo or Gmail. Another application that has been in use for a long time is the book marking system of our Internet browsers in which you can have sub folders for different subjects.

Some other applications now in use for storage of communication and information are such Web 2 applications such as blink lists, online storage facilities such as Yoono, RSS feeds which keep you up to date with topics of interest and sites such as del.icio.us which is an online social book marking site. Paul Anderson discusses this up in his report What is Web 2.0? Ideas, technologies and implications for education.

“Secondly, what does topology tell us about the shape of what might be called our ‘information environment’? How does this impact on the diffusion of new knowledge and the sociology of new content creation? In the Web 2.0 era in which blogs and wikis are an important part of the mix, much is made of the Internet ‘conversation’ afforded, particularly by the rise of the blogosphere.” (Anderson, P, 2006)

All of these web 2 applications are giving us the ability to store information more effectively and more importantly online. The ability to do this takes the danger of loosing information if our own computer crashes. Online tools give us the freedom of movement in our work as we do not need to have our own computer to access our information.

There are also a number of education sites coming into the information storage game. We are now seeing such application as facebook, bibme, Universities own student storage areas, myspace and facebook This is discussed by Paul Anderson

“One area where this is already having an impact is the development of Virtual Learning
Environments (VLEs). Proponents of institutional VLEs argue that they have the advantage of any corporate system in that they reflect the organisational reality. In the educational environment this means that the VLE connects the user to university resources, regulations, help, and individual, specific content such as modules and assessment.” (Anderson, P. 2006)

The range of information storage and how we can distribute it is getting larger all the time. Internet users can have one site such as yoono to store their information or break it down into different areas of their life such as study, business personal.

There are also now a number of applications which and internet user can download, quite often free of charge from the internet to assist in giving the information they receive form. A couple of examples of these are programs such as Bookmark Buddies and Toolbars which can store vast amounts of data, communication and information. The other aspect of this is the development of furthering the web to include mobile technology where users can access there information from a smaller device such as a mobile phone.

Annotations

Site 1: Digital Curation Centre

http://www.dcc.ac.uk/about/

Maureen is a Research Officer in UKOLN's R&D team (UK). Her areas of interest include digital preservation approaches, digital archiving & repositories, authenticity of digital objects and e-government.

The Digital Curation Centre’s web site is for U.K. institution to store, manage and preserve data to help ensure their enhancement and their continuing long-term use. Maureen Pennock’s Curation Manual: Curating E-mails has a lot of information about managing email and digital data, especially in relationship to how to format both information, attachments and communication. The web site as a whole provides a lot of useful link and information.

Site 2: Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC)

What is Web 2.0? Ideas, technologies and implications for education

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/techwatch/tsw0701b.pdf

Paul Anderson the Technical Editor of the JISC Technology and Standards Watch Paul has a degree in computer science from the University of Leeds and has nearly twenty years experience both in academia and in industry. He has written a number of articles on computer related subjects.

The web sites is mission is to provide world class leadership in the use of Information and Communications Technology to support education and research. The paper that Paul Anderson wrote covers many areas of web 2 development and applications and how they affect education and information in many areas. Along with that particular report the web site has a lot of useful information in regards to internet research.

Bibliography

Allen, M. (n.d) Internet Communications,Concepts Document Asynchonicity. Retrieved May 8, 2008 from http://webct.curtin.edu.au/SCRIPT/305033_a/scripts/serve_home

Anderson, P. (n.d.). Published reports 2006-2008 : JISC. Retrieved May 8, 2008, from http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/services/services_techwatch/techwatch/techwatch_ic_reports2005_published.aspx.

Chandler Project - Welcome. (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2008, from http://chandlerproject.org/.

Jones, W., Dumais, S., & Bruce, H. (2005). Once found, what then? A study of keeping behaviors in the personal use of Web information. American Society for Information Science and Technology, 39(1), 391-402. Retrieved May 5, 2008, from http://www3.interscience.wiley.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/cgi-bin/fulltext/109882778/HTMLSTART.

Marin, J., & Poulter, A. (2003). Dissemination of Competitive Intelligence. Journal of Information Science, 30(2), 165-180. Retrieved May 6, 2008, from http://ejscontent.ebsco.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/ContentServer.Net/ContentServer.aspx?target=http%3A%2F%2Fjis%2Esagepub%2Ecom%2Fcgi%2Freprint%2F30%2F2%2F165%2Epdf%3F%26UCI%5FFMT%3DKEV%26UCI%2EUserIP%3D134%2E7%2E248%2E130%26UCI%2EPID%3D.

Pennock, M. (2006, Jan. 1). Curation Manual: Curating E-mails. Retrieved May 7, 2008, from http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resource/curation-manual/chapters/curating-e-mails/.

Silver, D. (2008). History, Hype, and Hope: An Afterward . First Monday, 13(3-3). Retrieved May 8, 2008, from http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2143/1950.

Supyuenyong, V., & Islam, N. (2006, July 13). PICMET 2006 Proceedings,. Retrieved June 5, 2008, from Knowledge Management Architecture: Building Blocks and Their Relationships. http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/services _techwatch/techwatch/techwatch_ic_reports2005_published.aspx

Concept 23 – Human-computer interfaces

The Internet lessens the recognition of difference between humans and computers because, at a distance, it is often feels similar to communicate and act on the Internet regardless of whether one is speaking with a human or a machine.

Humans have gradually accepted the presence of artificial intelligence in their life for many decades. With the invention of the first computer in the 1940s right through to the internet as it is today our lives have been quickly inundated with machine intelligence and we are increasingly dealing with machines rather than people in everyday life. From 1956 when John McCarthy (Oracle Think.com, 1997) first hosted a conference on artificial intelligence development started and has continued ever since creating a diverse array of areas where humans and machines communicate. “As popular computing has grown, the role of HCI (human-computer interaction) has increased.” (Canny, J 2006) Human Computer interfaces have been developing over the years a

On and off line gaming is a huge business today where people play themselves against machine and take it for granted. There are a multiple of web sites dedicated to online gaming. A search for online games through Google alone results in 87,200,000. A website called Zillions of Games describes itself as “The first infinitely expandable PC gaming system.” (Zillions Development Corporation, 2004) Often the machine is more capable due to clever programming than playing against another player. In our everyday lives we accept more and more that a machine is going to play a major role. Most social sites such as msn for Internet Relay Chat have chat bots such as spleak (Spleak Media Network, 2008). Development in automated avatars is also making the internet and machine more lifelike. (Fix 8, 2008) Most companies we now contact have us talking to a machine before we get to talk to a real person. We are becoming immersed in the machine as much as we take eating breakfast for granted.

As human beings we understand that a lot of our interaction is with machines rather than humans because we now feel it is normal for this to happen. The use of the internet and a humans understanding of it could be entirely dependent on the user themselves For instance Olson give the example

“For example, a recent study of expert/novice searchers of large knowledge sources (such as the World Wide Web) showed that both strategies and successes were highly dependent on domain expertise. The person familiar with medical information sources was much better and faster at confirming the appropriateness of a treatment for a diagnosis than the layman and worse at finding the best price for a consumer product. The search strategies were highly dissimilar and fully dependent on the domain of expertise (Bhavnani et al. 2001).” (Olson, G, Olson, J (2003)

Our perception of the internet is going to be vastly different depending on if we are an experienced user or a novice.

Many actions that we use today on the internet are direct human to machine contact. We now accept that a machine is processing our money or taking our orders, recording our diaries and sending our mail however the process through how this works is that there is human interaction at the other end. The diary would not be there unless you needed it or the bank that has our money has humans controlling it. We have now accepted that many procedures that used to take more human labour is now being handled by machines and that it is normal to deal with machine for these tasks. As stated in the website for Centre for Trade Policy Studies,

“Bank tellers have been replaced by automatic teller machines; receptionists and operators have been replaced by voice mail and automated call menus; backoffice, record-keeping and other clerical jobs have been replaced by computers; layers of middle management have been replaced by better internal communications systems.” (Lindsey, B 2004)

There is much speculation on the direction of the human /machine relationship One such example us Nick Bostrom’s

“Several authors have argued that there is a substantial chance that superintelligence may be created within a few decades, perhaps as a result of growing hardware performance and increased ability to implement algorithms and architectures similar to those used by human brains.” (Bostrom, N 2003)

The next generation of Web 2 applications, increased development in artificial intelligence could take human computer interfaces even further however time will tell.

Annotations

Site 1: A Brief History of Human Computer Interaction Technology

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~amulet/papers/uihistory.tr.html

Brad A Myers has a PhD in Computer Science and has received a Master of Science in Computer Science and Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering. He has published books and many Journal Articles on the subject of user interfaces and has received many awards and honours in that field. He currently works in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute, School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University’

The paper A Brief History of Human Computer Interaction Technology outlines the history of the subject and explains various applications that have occurred from this technology. It explores how research from universities and laboratories have advanced human computer interaction and explores some future uses

Site 2: The Future of Human-Computer Interaction

http://www.acmqueue.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=402

John Canny received his B.Sc. in Computer Science and Theoretical Physics from Adelaide University in South Australia, 1979, a B.E. (Hons) in Electrical Engineering, Adelaide University, 1980, a M.S. and Ph.D. from M.I.T, 1983and 1987. His areas of research are Artificial Intelligence (AI), Control, Intelligent Systems, and Robotics (CIR), Graphics and Human-Computer Interaction (GHCI) and Security (SEC). He currently teaches at the Berkeley University of California

The paper published on Queue explores the relationship of human computer interface through the past present and future. It explores various interfaces for the future of the subject and perceptions for the future and privacy.

Bibliography

Artificial Intelligence. (n.d.). Retrieved April 22, 2008, from http://library.thinkquest.org/2705/.

Blandford, A. (2001). The Social and Interactional Dimensions of Human-Computer Interfaces. Expert Systems, 18(1), 13-18. Retrieved May 5, 2008, from
http/www.blackwell-synergy.com.dbgw.lis.curtain.edu.au - 1468-0394.00151.

Bostrom, N. (2003). Ethical Issues in Advanced Artificial Intelligence. Cognitive, Emotive and Ethical Aspects of Decision Making in Humans and in Artificial Intelligence, 2(1), 12-17. Retrieved May 5, 2008, from http://www.nickbostrom.com/ethics/ai.html.

Canny, J. (2006). The Future of Human-Computer Interaction. ACM Queue, 4(6). Retrieved May 5, 2008, from http://www.acmqueue.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=402.

Fix8 - Bring the Virtual World to Reality. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2008, from http://www.fix8.com/.

Lidsey, B. (2004, Mar. 17). Job Losses and Trade A Reality Check. Retrieved May 5, 2008, from www.freetrade.org/pubs/briefs/tbp-019.pdf.

Myers, D. (1998). A Brief History of Human Computer Interaction Technology. Retrieved April 29, 2008, from http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~amulet/papers/uihistory.tr.html.

Olson, G., & Olson, J. (2003). Human-computer interaction: Psychological aspects of the human use of computing. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 591-516. Retrieved April 22, 2008, from http://proquest.umi.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/pqdweb?did=310003491&sid=2&Fmt=4&clientId=22212&RQT=309&VName=PQD.

Spleak Media Network. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2008, from http://corp.spleak.com/.

Stasko , J. (1996, November 12). Computing Surveys: Future Research Directions in Human-Computer. Retrieved April 28, 2008, from http://www.cs.brown.edu/people/ifc/hci/stat.html.

Zillions of Games -- Unlimited Board Games & Puzzles. (2004). Retrieved May 5, 2008, from
http://www.zillions-of-games.com/.

Concept 26 – Privacy and Security

The Internet is a profoundly ‘open’ system and advanced Internet users are cautious about either accepting or sending material from and to unknown sources and are careful in releasing information about themselves in any form. Conceptually, the Internet challenges us to take greater responsibility for the protection of privacy and security than perhaps we are used to when dealing with the media. (Allen, n.d)

The internet is not a private space and as such users must realise that necessary measures are taken to protect not only ones personal details and identity however their own personal computer as well, to protect from all facets of internet use whether they be financial, personal or prevention of annoying spamming and overload of unwanted emails. There are many different aspects to internet security and privacy and they can affect many areas of our lives. The need is to recognize this and take steps to prevent data getting onto the web that we would not want known by the world at large, and to prevent unwanted invasion of our own computers.

One of the most important areas in which to protect ourselves is financially on the internet. A person should never give out financial details on the open internet and certainly not by email which can be stored and forwarded. The most secure way to take care of financial transactions on line is by ensuring that you use an encrypted program. As stated on the Frontline International Foundation for the Protection of Human Right Defenders “Methods of encryption have been integrated into various Internet services. Some of them affect us all.” Vitaliev, D. (2007). When giving out any financial details on the internet you must ensure that the organisation has secure programming.

Another area of great concern is protecting your personal details. One of the ramifications of doing business or socializing on the internet is not really knowing the people you are interacting with and as such would you really wanting them knowing your true name, where you live, who you family is and so on. There are many ways to protect your personal details when interacting on line. The main one is not revealing your true name.

This also applies to using any sort of online communications such as internet relay chat or user groups. Information on the net is stored and can be accessed at a later time by anyone. Any organization that you do business with, especially online may be vulnerable to leaked or hacked data or may openly share your details The Privacy rights clearing house site states “Use of your information for marketing is not limited to companies you do business with. Many companies sell or share your information to others. If you sign up for a free magazine subscription, the company may share your information with affiliates. This is similar to what happens with traditional junk mail, but since you have entered the information yourself into an electronic system, sharing with other businesses can be done rapidly and cheaply.” (Flint L, 2008)

Email is not a personal communication and as such care needs to be taken as to its content and who you reveal your email address to. It is sensible to have at least two email addresses. One for you real Isp account for friends and necessary business transaction however for any else it is sensible to have an anonymous account with a company such as hotmail or yahoo. Get Net Wise advises “Consider creating multiple e-mail addresses or accounts. Use one address for family and friends only. Do not post this address online or give it to merchants.” There are encryption programs to protect you content however the safest policy is to not post anything that you want truly private. “Relatively easy-to-use e-mail and file encryption software is available for free, such as Pretty Good Privacy (PGP, available at: http://www.pgpi.org/ ), which runs on almost all computers and even integrates seamlessly with most major e-mail software.” McCandlish, S (2002)

The dangers of email also extend to spamming in which you receive numbers of unwanted emails from advertisers ranging from anything from pornography to health care.

Everything done on the internet has a privacy and security issue. Search engines, cookies, browsing the web are all aspect that need to be considered when looking at internet privacy and security. If you are recorded on a web site or application then your details can be searched by anyone. Search engines can also record what you have searched for and your isp “Search engines have and use the ability to track each one of your searches. They can record your IP address, the search terms you used, the time of your search, and other information. “(Flint L, 2008) A search engine is not an anonymous application and therefore you need to think about what you type into it. All internet users should consider all of the above factors prior to using the internet.

Site 1: EFF's Top 12 Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy

http://www.eff.org/wp/effs-top-12-ways-protect-your-online-privacy.

Stanton McCandlish Was educated at The University of New Mexico, Eastern New Mexico University and The College of Santa Fe and is currently working as Communications Director at CryptoRights Foundation and Principal at McCandlish Consulting. His areas of expertise are Web standards compliance, Web usability auditing, blog installation & customization, Web site design & redesign, management of Web development teams, media relations, public relations; organizational communications strategy, advocacy, policy analysis

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is a web site dedicated to championing the public interest in every critical battle affecting digital rights. EFF's Top 12 Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy has a lot of links to programs to help protect oursleves online and links to other privacy web sites.

Site 2: World Privacy Forum

http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/index.html

Pam Dixon founded the world privacy forum in 2003 and also serves as co-chair of the California Privacy and Security Advisory Board, a state level board which reports to the California Secretary of Health. She has researched and published both books and papers and report on technology-related privacy issues. She has also written two critically acclaimed books about technology and consumers.

The World Privacy Forum is a not for profit organization which focus’s on providing information about in-depth research, analysis, and consumer education in the area of privacy. The web site has extensive information about online security and privacy as well as links to other helpful sites.

Bibliography

Bacard's, A. (2007). Author Andr&eacute Bacard's "Facts, Fables & Foibles". Retrieved Apr. 25, 2008, from http://www.andrebacard.com/remail.html.

Dinev, T., & Hart, P. (2006). Privacy Concerns and Levels An Empirical Investigation of. e services journal, /, 25-59. Retrieved May 5, 2008, from http://muse.uq.edu.au.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/journals/eservice_journal/v004/4.3dinev.html.

Dixon, P. (2008). World Privacy Forum: Search Engine Privacy Tips . Retrieved Apr. 25, 2008, from http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/searchengineprivacytips.html.

Electronic Privacy Information Center. (2008.). Retrieved Apr. 25, 2008, from http://epic.org/.

Email Security and Internet Privacy by Privacy Resources. (n.d). Retrieved May 6, 2008, from http://www.privacyresources.org/.

Flint, L. (2008, Apr. 1). Privacy in Cyberspace. Retrieved Apr. 25, 2008, from http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs18-cyb.htm.

GetNetWise | Use Multiple E-mail Addresses. (2008). Retrieved Apr. 25, 2008, from http://spam.getnetwise.org/tips/addresses.

Mccandlish, S. (2002, Apr. 10). EFF's Top 12 Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy | Electronic Frontier Foundation. Retrieved Apr. 25, 2008, from http://www.eff.org/wp/effs-top-12-ways-protect-your-online-privacy.

Suh, B., & Han, I. (2003). The Impact of Customer Trust and Perception of. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 7(3), 135-161. Retrieved Apr. 6, 2008, from http://ejscontent.ebsco.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/ContentServer.Net/ContentServer.aspx?target=http%3A%2F%2Fmesharpe%2Emetapress%2Ecom%2Findex%2F925WUNK9EFE9N95A%2Epdf.

Vitaliev, D. (2007). Digital Security and Privacy for Human Rights Defenders. Retrieved May 6, 2008, from http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/manual/en/esecman/chapter2_7.html.

Module One - Telnet

2008-03-02T18:47:00.000-08:00

Telnet - Downloading and using.

Having been a long time user of google i went straight to google search and looked for telnet.
Firstly i read about it briefly in wikipedia and then starting looking for a program which was both free and easy to download.

There always seem to be many options for this sort of thing and i fairly quickly found http://dtelnet.sourceforge.net/. Downloading the program and running it was easy and after fairly quick look it was simple to follow the instructions given in the module.

Once in the telnet program i wasn;t sure about the question on the first page

What kind of Terminal are you using?
V > VT100
W > NCSA VT100
Choose one ( V,W ) v
Please confirm: are you using a VT100 or compatible terminal? ( y/n )

So basically I figured i would try one and if that failed then try the other one. First go was successful and I was able to access the system.

I quickly figured out how to search by author and accessed the authors name "Bennahum".

The process seemed simple and easy to use.

I then moved on the the blinking lights. Once again i found it easy to log on and use.

After watching the Star Wars show i realised that a lot of data must have gone into creating it. It reminds me of a comparison between early black and white t.v. with "effects" and currently computer generated effect. This leads to thought about how radically and quickly over the last 20 years computer technology has come forward and especially about how far forward is can go in the future.

A lot of creative design and imagination has gone into the blinking lights show to create a very realistic interpretation of the star wars movie with the technology available.

Overall Telnet has obviously played a vastly important role of bringing both information and creativity to the Internet prior to access more readily obtained by accessing the world wide web.
Telnet is a data only application that seems to be most readily used for accessing remote computers. Telnet stands for Telecommunications Network, Its original use was to for remote computers to access information from libraries and still is, however is also used for connection to specific programs on a remote computer, connecting to an on-line database and connecting to a moo or mush environment to communicate with others.

Five Top Tips for New Bloggers

2008-03-02T18:02:00.000-08:00

Topic

Top five tips for new bloggers.

Tip 1 - Research

Research exactly you want to blog about and the reasons why you are blogging whether it is for fun, fortune, fame, education or any other reason.

Tip 2 - Check out Blogging Web Sites

Look closely at blogging web sites and find a site that suits and reflects your own character and personality, and spend the time needed to make the site reflect who you are and the character you are trying to put across.

Tip 3 - Keep Records

Ensure that you record, preferably in a decent password keeper program, your blogs url and password. The worst scenario would be that you suddenly have a great idea for your blog only to realise that you have lost the url or can't remember you password and by the time you find them your thoughts have gone.

Tip 4 - Interest

Keep your blogging clear, interesting and to the point. Make sure that your title reflects what you are blogging about.

Tip 5 - Spell checking and proof reading

Ensure that you have proof read and spell checked your blog and that the content of the blog is appropriate. It will be on the Internet for all to see.