Week 9 Entry: Politics and Media

SPRING 2011 COM 125: Introduction to the Internet

Blog Entry 8: Making or Breaking Politics

Over the weekend, I got the chance to watch "The Adjustment Bureau", starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. Matt Damon plays young politician David Norris. Norris was in the running for the US Senate, when an old high school video of his crawled out of the woodwork to foil his political campaign, ultimately disgracing himself. The press did a good job covering this event and bringing up past disgraces, like a fight in a bar. The media painted him as a 'childish' person, who was not capable of running in politics. Within days, Norris, who was initially ahead in votes, ended up losing the election.

The movie's good by the way (:

While modern politicians can use the media to their advantage, there are also some obvious disadvantages. In the US, politicians like Barrack Obama had a very comprehensive presidential campaign, using celebrities and all types of media to promote his candidacy. This is something we are not likely to see in Singapore soon. There has been some progress, like the introduction of the new People's Action Party (PAP) members recently and the use of Facebook for people to follow up on their activities; but the progress is slow.

Unlike Singapore, the US has the freedom of speech and expression, which therefore allows full media coverage over everything - from politics, to the critique of systems, to the politician's personal life.

Week 8 Entry: Multimedia

SPRING 2011 COM 125: Introduction to the Internet

Blog Entry 7: Multimedia on the Internet

A.C. Quote of the Day: "Catch up by learning how to learn."

"Multimedia is a computer-based interactive communications process that incorporates text, graphics, sound, animation, and video." What I found most interesting about class today was the topic of multimedia combined with engineering. Honestly, the best example that could be given would be that of the Apple corporation.

I currently own a 4th generation iPod Nano and an iPad. It was very interesting to watch Steve Jobbs' presentations of the new devices that were created by Apple. From the iPod, to the iPhone, to the iPad. It was funny watching and hearing reactions from the audiences when Touchscreen technology was first incorporated into the iPhone. They were in such awe and were gasping and clapping in excitement.

I sat there finding myself amused at the reactions like these technologies were created a decade ago, when they were actually created within this decade. This only shows how quickly technology is developing every single day.

Another fascinating video we watched involved using hypermedia to treat PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) patients. I find myself not fully agreeing with the therapy, because I think that it could cause people to become even more depressed instead of overcoming the problem. Class ended with a discussion on Education in multimedia application.

As for ideas of life-saving during a crisis?

I think that phones can have radio receivers, applications for Morse code and in-built tracking devices. GPS-tracking and maps would come in handy too. While these may sound like we're taking a step back from technology, we need to rely on these oldies-but-goodies to save lives in a crisis. This is also in consideration of the fact that phone receptions are lost, particularly in time of crisis and chaos.

Week 7 Entry: Cyber-crime in Singapore

SPRING 2011 COM 125: Introduction to the Internet

Blog Entry 6: Internet Security Woes

This week we talked about Internet security and the various threats that we, as computer users, are vulnerable. I finally know the differences between a Computer Virus, Worms, Trojan and Phishing. (: These digital epidemics are things that many people are still unaware of. To protect yourself from these, be one step ahead: Get anti-virus protection.

In September 2010, it was reported that 70% of Internet users in Singapore are victims of cyber-crime.

"A new study, released by Symantec consumer division Norton, revealed that 70 per cent of Internet users in Singapore have fallen victim to cyber-crimes including computer viruses, online credit card fraud and identity theft. And, 71 per cent do not expect cyber-criminals to be brought to justice." http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1080159/1/.html

Aside from that, I found an interesting case of a Singaporean hacker who faces 180 years in prison charged with posting a fake July 2005 bomb threat on a technology website and 60 counts of illegally accessing a wireless network. This incident occurred shortly after the London bus and subway bombings.

It was reported that Lin Zhenghuang, then 21, was charged for a fake warning of a bomb threat at a local bus stop, with violating Singapore's Computer Misuse Act.

Cyber-crime is serious. And the law can catch up with you. But lately, cyber-crime and "cool" idea of hacking has been portrayed as something good and useful. We see it in movies and television crime serials. In these shows, hacking is usually done for the "greater good".

I guess that it would get harder to distinguish between the good and the bad as the media constantly crosses moral boundaries. People do get influenced sub-consciously. They just don't know it yet.

Week 6 Entry: The Powers of GOOGLE

SPRING 2011 COM 125: Introduction to the Internet

Blog Entry 5: Goooooooooooooooogle (:

I don't know about you, but I use Google everyday. Specifically, Google Chrome. This week, I decided to try using Google Insights for Search. This tool is somewhat similar to Google Trends. It allows users to gain insights on topics of choice and gives a visual representation of regional interest. It also displays the top searches, which allows users to more easily find more specific topics. Using this tool, I found out more about the rising use of Social Networking sites in the region for my Communication Writing class project. There are points on the graphs that are marked out by events which causes a spike or dip in the graphs.

However, I also found that the database was rather limited in specific topic choice. It wasn't able to generate information like "Objectification of women in beer advertisements" for example. The word order also matters for the search. Words placed in a different order gave a different set of results. I guess that there could be room for some improvement?

Another tool that I like to use (and can't avoid either) is Android. Through my phone, I am able to access my Gmail account, and very importantly, Google Maps. I believe that this is a very useful tool for anyone who is geographically-challenged. Google Maps allows users to pinpoint our current locations, and offers different traveling routes to various destinations of choice - via bus, car, or your own feet. It even gives an estimated time of arrival at the destination. These are just some of the few Google tools that I use very often, not forgetting Google Scholar, which is helpful when I need to look for school research.

There are endless possibilities to working with Google. It is constantly producing new technologies that would benefit their users in as many ways possible.

The one thing that fascinates me is Google motto: 'Don't be Evil'. It amused my family more when I asked and told them about it (:

"...Don't be evil. We believe strongly that in the long term, we will be better served-as shareholders and in all other ways-by a company that does good things for the world even if we forgo some short term gains. This is an important aspect of our culture and is broadly shared within the company."

In 2009, Google actually quietly dropped this motto as shown in this news link: http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/mt/archives/2009/04/google_quietly.php

Week 5 Entry: E-learning

SPRING 2011 COM 125: Introduction to the Internet

Quote of the Week: "To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge." - Socrates

Blog Entry 4: Do you think E-learning will be a success in the future?

I had my first dose of E-learning when I entered secondary school in 2003. I was excited to try out the school site and found it highly interactive.

I guess it's every student's dream to be rid of school. No more classes, scary teachers, or time taken from daily schedules. In recent years, the idea of E-learning has become more and more popularly recognized by many students. Now, there is a way to skip school and still, catch up on what you've missed. Furthermore, if you are unclear of some information given, you can immediately check up answers on the internet. While it is highly convenient, it has a higher chance for a student's complacency as well.

The technology is here now, and functioning properly. The question of it being a success in future is a different story altogether. It is hard to determine if people would actually do better in schools via E-learning. If that is the case, people in the teaching profession are in danger of losing their jobs. I do not think that E-learning could possibly replace physical schools in future. Indeed, there are online degrees that are now offered, but I think that there are still people who doubt the credibility of such courses.

E-learning takes away one very important element in education and upbringing. And that is, face-to-face interaction. In the working world, a person cannot just be expected to sit behind his or her computer all day and not meet a single soul. Employers still like conducting face-to-face interviews, and the skill of interacting cannot simply be learnt via E-learning.

All in all, the success of E-learning technology is dependent on how the individual defines 'success'. Because, like I mentioned earlier, the technology is working properly, which is already a success.