Show 'n' Tell!

I guess this is the last post of COM 125, whereby I show and tell, showing and telling what I've learned throughout this semester. I shared with the class my experience in using Microsoft Movie Maker and I'm glad that I'm given an opportunity to try out this software. I know that if its not because of this module, I won't even know about movie maker thus I am glad that I'm given a chance.

In addition, I shared with the class that I'm quite amazed in the different kinds of computer viruses that are existing now.

Lastly, I've learned something that its not from the textbook, which is to learn to talk in front of a large crowd. I have to admit that this has been quite a problem throughout my life and I guess this individual presentation gives me an opportunity to overcome my fear and increase my confidence.

Future of Internet: "Digital Newspapers"

We have to admit, we are not some guru or fortune tellers thus we will never know what the future holds for us. People are then discussing what the future of internet holds of us and I would like to share what I want from the future.

To be honest, it would be nice if the convergence of internet and newspapers allows us to have a “digital newspaper”. Of course, it’s definitely different from reading news article from the computer, rather it’s still in a physical paper form but this time, it is only a one page newspaper. Why so? Imagine that this one page newspaper, will have a displaying “screen” in front of the main page, which displays news and you could “flip” the page with your fingers (just like using an I Pad). Another feature could be this, in our newspapers today; usually there will be a picture and texts below to explain the news. With the technology in the future, newspapers can simply evolve to the point where, the text remains, but the pictures moves. For example, if this piece of news is covering a car accident, if it’s our newspapers today, it will be a picture of a car wrecked and texts below the picture, and for the newspapers in the future, there will be a “play” button on the “picture” and it will show the car crash or aftermath.

All of us know that the elections are coming, ever thought of this, if we are reading our newspapers, there’s a picture showing a PAP speaker, and we could simply press the “play” button and view the speaker giving his or her speech. Of course, this idea may be far fetch but I thought it would be being convenience to our lives, such as not have to carry a 50 pages bulky newspapers and with the help of the visuals, it may draw interests from the younger generations and probably the increase of viewership. Teenagers will no longer be ignorant to the world news as they probably start reading newspapers due to those “cool” inventions. However, I guess the cons of this invention will be the lost of other jobs. Garang-gunis will not be able to collect old news papers as they are now only a one page newspaper and they probably lose revenues because of that. In addition, with this kind of technology on your daily newspapers, how much will one cost?

I guess that this "cool" idea came to my mind when I watched Harry Potter. There was a scene whereby it shows that their newspapers has the fucntion like that, the motion pictures on newspapers.

Don't have to be a journalist to write journals!

As mentioned in most of the previous points, we are seeing a trend of technological evolution which constitutes to the improvement of our everyday lives. I’ve mentioned that the evolution of social media, multi media and etc, however there’s one more phenomenon that we can’t forego is the evolution of journalism.

In the past, I guess the only way to write a journal for the public to see is to be a journalist. An individual might simply need to go through the right channels and with strong language background just to be a journalist. However, with the help of advance technology comes with the uprising of “Citizen Journalism”. Now, journals are no longer written only by professional reporters and also by ordinary people like us. One of the more popular medium for citizen journalist is the “Stomp” and people are able to write any “news” and I mean ANY news. Of course, there will still be legitimate formal news but I’ve to admit that I’ve seen some ridiculous unconstructive “news” in it.


I guess the pros of citizen journalism are the fact that it gives ordinary people the sense of belonging and the freedom of speech. It also allows the release of catharsis as people can simply rant their feelings on the net and not just keeping it to themselves. However, I’m really not a big fan of “stomp” as I think the whole point of reporting news is to report facts. In addition, I do not think that we should report opinion based “news” and the probably this is the biggest problem with citizen journalism, whereby people do not know how to differentiate facts and opinions.

Although I’ve disclosed my displeasure for “Stomp”, I must say that Wikipedia serves much more purpose in our everyday lives. People are able to write definitions of words and edit other people’s work which provides us with direct information. I guess this is beneficial to must of us as I believe that majority of the information are valid and accurate but of course there’s on limitation. It is that students are not able to cite from Wikipedia for their research paper as lecturers do not recognize that as a legitimate source.

Social Media: Formal? Informal?

Today, social media like Twitter, Facebook or MySpace is something majority of us will use. However, we tend to perceive it’s informality due to its functions and purpose. We probably used our own experience on these social media and determine its usage and tend to neglect its full potential as a social media. In other words, we simply use social media as a tool to allow our social network to stay connected. Take Twitter as an example, the most prominent function is probably to ability for us to release catharsis. We feel better when we “tweet” our sorrows and happiness and so we might simply degrade twitter’s function, thinking it is limited to on our informal social networking usage. On the same token, we will never imagine that Twitter, might be useful to anyone’s career or even an aid to become a president.

Back in 2008 presidential election, Senator Barack Obama was competing against Senator John McCain and Obama made a move which might lead him to clinch the presidency, and it is to simply create accounts of Twitter, Facebook and even MySpace. With the help of these social media, He was able to gather large, massive followings, and support he needed back then. He has used these platforms to further his agenda and to share his political message. “Followers” will then be able to acknowledge his agenda and this provided extended reach as compared to just media from television and news.

In addition, not only it provides extended reach to Obama’s quest to deliver his “Change”, this allows him to reach the younger demographics. People who just meet the eligible age for voting might not be a news addict and probably not know about politics. They might simply conform to the majority and vote blindly. Thus, with the help of these social media, younger demographics are able to understand more about the “Change” and probably have their own free will to choose.

Politicians must learn to go where their voters are and if their voters want to hear the issues and their take on them, they should deliver it to them in a format that they can readily accept and understand. The world has rapidly moved toward technology and there is absolutely no slowing down in terms of technology, new developments and speed. This might then be the reason why Senator McCain lost as he wasn’t technological savvy and I recalled one clipped that was showed in class, if I’m not wrong, he doesn’t know how to use the computer.

Movie Maker

This is the first time I'm using the movie maker, and it is really interesting! This is a tribute to my idol, Kobe Bryant. Hope you guys like it!

Multimedia : Iphone

Today, when parents walk into their children's room, they no longer see their kids playing “Donkey Kong”, “Super Mario” or even “Pacman”. They also no longer see huge game consoles connected to a huge television and controllers on their children's hands.

We are no longer living in the era of “Nitendos” or “Sega” and with the help of ever improving technology, the convergence of multimedia enables us to do so many things with one single device, the IPhone.

Although I do not own an IPhone, I am really impressed by its multiple functions as a phone. It is no longer use just for calling and texting, but it gives a computer-like experience like as if we are using our laptops with our mobile phones! Surfing websites, music library and even games, you name it, you got it! Thus, I wish to talk about IPhone games as it has brought gaming to a whole new level.
As mentioned earlier, it’s no longer “Super Mario”, and then what is it now? I would say it is the “Angry Birds” because the fact that a non IPhone user knows about this game, it must be really popular and addictive. I tried playing the game once using my friend’s IPhone; I was hooked like a teenager to his first puff of cigarette.

In this game, players take control of a flock of birds that are attempting to retrieve eggs that have been stolen by a group of evil green pigs. On each level, the pigs are sheltered by structures made of various materials such as wood, glass and stone, and the object of the game is to eliminate all the pigs in the level. Using a slingshot, players launch the birds with the intent of either hitting the pigs directly or damaging the structures, which would cause them to collapse and kill the pigs. In various stages of the game, additional objects such as explosive crates and rocks are found in the levels, and may be used in conjunction with the birds to destroy hard-to-reach pigs.

Despite the game play, I am still impressed by how multimedia enables us to play games with our mobile phones. Without consoles, television, wires, controllers and even game cartridges, we are able to use our fingers to play our favorite games, anywhere, anytime. In addition, it enables us to constantly “change” our games or applications in our mobile phones. If we are talking about game consoles, I used to pile up all my old games cartridges in my store rooms. I no longer play them but it takes up so much space in my house. Unlike the convention way, IPhone allow users to delete the games or application when it is no longer needed. Thus, thanks to the rise of technology, we have the luxury to experience it today.

Keep your computers "healthy"

As I am typing this post, I am hearing vacuum-like noise from my CPU, as if it is hinting me that there’s something wrong and need me to do a regular checkup on my computer. I have to admit, it’s been a long time since I last checked the “health status” of my computer.

Few days ago, I’ve just learnt that there are a few symptoms of computer virus attack. Firstly, your computer will start to slowdown, secondly, it will shut down by itself and lastly, it will crash. I then realized that recently, I need at least 15 minutes just to start up my computer and it takes really long to load my websites. I guess I am oblivious to all the symptoms that my computer is having, thus, I am certain now that my computer is really “sick” and it is invaded by viruses. However, what kind of virus? Research was done and I subsequently found out that there are a fair bit of different computer viruses like “Trojan Horses”, “Worms” and “Zombies”


The “Trojan Horses”, as majestic as it sounds, it is not really a good idea to have that in your computer system. Unlike other viruses, “Trojan Horses” need to be installed in your computer in order for it to work its “magic”. This may be achieved by someone having physical access to your computer or in the more common way by you downloading and installing a seemingly harmless piece of software. Once it’s being installed, it acts as a function which remembers the key that you typed. Imagine, every password you typed on your computer, credit card numbers, e-mail passwords or even passwords of your bank accounts, are recorded by the “Trojan Horses” . Hackers then are able to retrieve personal information from you or even “steal” your money from your bank accounts.

Secondly, it is the “worms” virus. Unlike normal virus, it has the ability to replicate itself, and generally do not require human interactivity to do so. “Worms “copy themselves from computer to computer rather than file to file like most viruses, and because they require no human help to do so, they can spread much more rapidly through a system than a normal virus. Usually, it arrives in an email with an attachment, tempting users to open it. Once it is open, “Worms” will start wiggling and spreading through your computers.

Lastly, it is the “Zombies” virus, just by the name of it; we know it is not something we want in our computers. The “Zombies” itself doesn’t cause any damage to the system; however it serves as an aid for hackers as they simply trigger it to attack one’s computer system. Similar to “worms” it arrives in emails and tempts users to open it.

So how do we prevent those imbeciles?

I would say that there are a few precautions we can take and it will lower the risk of getting those viruses. Firstly, we should “build’ a firewall, software which will block out harmful sites which may contain viruses. Secondly, we need to constantly update our anti-virus software as it definitely serves as an “anti biotic” for our computers and the ability to eliminate the viruses. Lastly, we take responsibility by not opening emails which contents that we are not sure of. As long we are discipline to not get tempted, we are doing our computers a big favour.

Is E-Learning really effective?

Today, with the advancement of technologies, we are able to do things with much ease. As mentioned on the previous post, we are able to shop at home with the help of technology and we might as ourselves this question, “what else we can achieve at home without even leaving the house?” I then started to wonder that since I always felt that going to school is a hassle, why we can’t attend school from home.

In Singapore, we are actually exposed to “E-Learning” whereby students will attend a short lesson from home digital media. However, the whole concept of “E-Learning” is to allow students to explore the usage of digital media, and students eventually still need to attend school. Now, the question is, “If students purely participate in the program of E-Learning and no longer attend school, will it be effective for the students?”

Similar to E-Commerce, E-Learning will definitely provide similar advantages to the students. In terms of time saving, students no longer need to travel to school and spend the whole day in school studying. Students could also save money as they tend to no spend more at home as compared when they are in school. In addition, I believe that only the really determined students who can fight off distractions will be beneficial to this program. Thus, implementing E-Learning will help students develop independence and maturity as they learn how to prioritize, not be distracted and not procrastinate.

However, as impressive as it sounds, I believe that traditional learning in school is more than just receiving knowledge from a teacher. It consist the art of public relation which we learn in school through out our lives. Public relation is something that we need to experience ourselves and it can’t be taught by anybody, certainly not from digital media. We learn public relation through the interaction with friends and whenever we are stress from school work, friends will be there to give you emotional support. What happens when we have zero face to face communication with friends when we adapt E-Learning? I don’t think that the society will be any close to being cohesive. In addition, although E-learning might be allowing students to be more independent, it doesn’t provide a physical disciplinarian to monitor the students. I read about the “Milgram Experiment” when it talks about people obeying orders when there is a physical presence monitoring them. Thus, students participating in E-Learning will probably tend to procrastinate more than students who are attending schools.

In conclusion, as much as technology is able to ease our lives, I do not wish to forgo the chance to “learn” public relations as I think that public relations will help you through life more than any other things.

The world of E-Commerce

“I need new clothes for Chinese New Year; however, I’m cropped up with all the projects in school. Do I really want to walk around a shopping centre for hours and might end up not getting any thing? Or should I simply switch on my laptop and browse through shopping sites with just a click of my mouse?”
This might sound familiar to many of us, as we are living in technological savvy world, e-commerce made a mark by easing our lives, allowing us with options of shopping online. “Time saving” is probably one of the most attractive attributes that e-commerce can provide us as compared to traditional business. Shoppers no longer need to travel to town, walk in and out of the stores, and probably wouldn’t buy any item as they might get a cheaper deal else where.

Today, with a click of the mouse, you are able to shop ten “stores” in one go, and the best part is you are able to do it when you’re on your comfortable bed.
In addition, there are also benefits for the “boss” of the online shops. They can afford to be a one man show, thus, able to save cost by not employing shopkeepers and by not renting stores in a shopping centre. Well, I guess the only “employees” they have is their computers and internet.

However, we shouldn’t just focus on the pros of e-commerce, but cons as well. It is true that online shopping sites are able to save consumer’s time; however they will never ever be able to give consumers the sense of security of their products, at least for the first instance. When a consumer first visited a shopping site, they will never know what the quality of the product is, the size of the clothes as they will never be able to go to the fitting rooms like in traditional shops. Thus, it is harder to build rapport with consumers than traditional shops.

As for the securities and privacy of the e-business, it’s never as secured and private as compared to traditional shops. Traditional shops have the luxury to put all confidential documents and accounting documents in hard copy without going through computer. Although there’s a lot of work to be done, it will be more secure and private when those documents are kept in a safe or even your locked drawer. However, as for e-business, all their transactions, consumer’s particulars and accounting documents, all of those are definitely stored in their computer. As long as competitors want it and they are somehow computer savvy, they might simply hack into your account and retrieve information. Even if it’s not the case of hacking, what if the hard drive fails? And you will have to bring it for repair? Think about the case of Edison Chen.

Well, whether is it traditional business or e-business, there will be a possibility that the lost of information and as long as e-business have precautions against hackers, they will still have a greater advantage than traditional shops.

"Tweet" Vs "Facebook-ing"

“Tweet… Tweet”, back then, all of us will consider that as an imitation of the thin chirping sound made by small or young birds. However, today we can’t help but associate “Tweet” as a function to post short messages on “Twitter” website. “Twitter”, is the new social media sensation today.

“Twitter” to me, it’s more of like a mini blog, mini msn and a mini “facebook”. Users are able to “follow” their friend’s tweets and vice versa. They are able to post pictures, have mini chats and able to express whatever feelings they are having at that point of time. However, there are limitations on this new sensation. “Twitter” only allows users to type one hundred and forty characters in one “tweet” and users are more likely to be confined to their friends as compared to “facebook”. Then why don’t people stick to blogging, msn or even “facebook”?

Imagine this scenario, you are on a bus, this lady accidentally stepped on your feet with her heels. If it was a one time situation, you probably won’t sweat the small stuff, but what happens when it’s more than twice? You might then want to share your pain or even anger to someone, but you’re alone. This is a point of time when you start “tweeting” and I’m sure that the one hundred and forty words are more than enough to express what ever you’re feeling. I doubt that anyone would have a flow of emotions that they need to write on one thousand words on a blog.

As for the fact that your “followers” are mostly people you know, the privacy you are having is definitely more or less greater than “facebook”. Although users might still be able to post their emotions on “facebook”, however, do they really want to share information with their “friends” that they had never met before? I would say that “twitter” will be considered a venue for releasing of catharsis and emotions to be shared among friends and “facebook” is a tool for expanding your social network.
I am definitely not a pro “twitter” or an anti “facebook” person, as I feel that both social media are different in nature and it has their own unique specialty. As for “facebook”, it is definitely an efficient tool to expand your social network as it allows users to search for their long lost friend and even a tool to find their life partner. In order to appeal to all age groups, “facebook” also provides games for the young age thus I would say “facebook” is much all rounded and popular in this aspect.
In conclusion, I refuse to pick which social media is the best between “twitter” and “facebook” as I find both are effective based on different preset agendas. Although I am not able to pick a side, I would have to admit that both “twitter” and “facebook” plays a pivotal role in our lives. Whether is it, able to rant about someone or to “add” more friends into your lives, I am certain to say that it will be difficult for most of us if both social media are gone. Especially with the help of internet and technology, we are able to access both social media with our smart phones thus it has become an essential tool in our lives.

Is Social Networking dangerous?

It seems like whoever has a web cam, had visited the Chatroulette, one of the social networking tools available in the world. Chatroulette was launched in 2009 whereby users are able to video chat with people around the world. This allows access and interaction between people all over the world. Although users may "see" the other party through web cam, it is still a virtual platform. Users do not physically interact with the other party, but the question is, is it safe?
The following is a response from a Chatroulette user.


Apparently, this female user was surfing Chatroulette alone, and chatted with a male user who showed his private part through the web cam. According to Singapore's law, he committed "Insulting of a Women modesty", however, he is from a different country. Will he get punish for his actions? I doubt so. Maybe to some people, they might simply feel disgusted but what if because of these perversity acts, others undergo trauma and developed depression? Who will then be the one who pays the price? Definitely, not that guy.

In reality, we are able to physically interact with people, however for the virtual world, sometimes, whatever we disclose may not be as genuine as it seemed. Take the following clip for example,



A group of guys used a video image of Jessica Alba to trick guys act stupidly in front of the web cam. This is considered to be "Gender Bending" in the virtual world. Male users are pretending to be female users for certain motives. As for the previous example, their motives are purely trying to play a prank on others. To pretend to be another gender is considered lying, and who knows what ulterior motives the person might have.

One of the reasons why people don't reveal whoever they really are on the virtual world, is they are trying to find "Self acceptance online". It is because social networking enables those who have not been able to find acceptance due to their physical characteristics in real life to be themselves online. For some people, they might not interact with people in real life as well as the virtual world. Often, they find themselves much comfortable to chat by "fingers" and not "mouth". They don't feel nervous or stress as they don't meet the other party. Well, in this case, it will be alright if this individual just wanting to befriend people online.

However, what if a user portrayed himself as someone who is totally not him? Just imagine, an ugly guy using a video image of a very good looking guy and started chatting with girls. He might then use sweet talking techniques which he probably Google-ed online to allow the girl to believe he is some kind of Casanova. We can now see the "dangers" within the social networking itself.

Although the Chatroulette serves as a convenient medium for people to chat much freely, it might also be dangerous for users. Well, to support my point of view, the name Chatroulette was originated from Russian Roulette, and we all know Russian Roulette is a crazy and dangerous game.

Importance of Internet

Today, we are living in a world whereby internet plays a pivotal role in our lives. With the help of new technologies, we are seeing people having the luxury to access internet anywhere, any time. People no longer need to travel across the world just to say “Hi, how are you?” And no longer need to wait for days beside your mailbox. However, does our younger generation truly understand how fortunate they are to be living in an era where internet and technology are well developed? I must say, I might be fortunate enough to witness an era when internet and technology were not as developed as today.
If I were to write this post twenty years ago, it probably will be this,

Twenty years ago, I probably would take about two hours to write one entry, but today, I might just spend forty-five minutes to type the same entry now. Not only the writing of dairy, internet aids us in more ways then we expected.
When I was in my primary school days and needed to find a friend to play games, what I did was to take a bus which its journey lasted for fifty minutes to his house and then played our game consoles. I then need to take that same bus trip home and by the end of the day, Ill be exhausted. What about kids today? I seldom see them travelling that far just to play games on a game console. Why would someone travel so much when they can switch on their ultra fast computers at home, connect to internet and start playing online games with friends? Nowadays, kids wouldn’t be finding their friends to play marbles like the older generation anymore, as they are now into online gaming.

The accessibility to internet gives users much convenience these days and this is another reason why internet is pivotal.
Speaking of convenience, during my primary school days, whenever there’s project work, we will definitely be meeting in the library to discuss our project. It was mainly due the face that libraries were the only option for us to search our materials. We then spend hours looking for materials before even starting on our project. What about today? We just type “www.google.com “and insert keywords and we might just be able to search for our materials in a matter of seconds.

In addition, back then, lets say even if we were not required to search for materials, we will still be meeting at the library for discussion. Why? Simply because there were no “MSN”, “Facebook”, “Skype” or any other chatting tools. Unlike today, we simply have “online meetings” and we save all the travelling time and this is definitely another important advantage on having internet today.
Lastly, with the aid of internet and the creation on “Email”, it gives us so much convenience, especially in an organization. Imagine, if the head of an organization wants to deliver a message to his one thousand workers, and if there is no internet, is he really going to manually write one thousand letters?
Thus, with the help of internet, messages can be delivered anywhere, anytime which plays a pivotal role in our growth in efficiency.