iPad

A recent discussion topic is the announcement of Apple's newest product, the iPad. When I first heard that Apple was developing a tablet style touch screen computer, I was filled with excitement. I have used several tablet computers in the past and have been very pleased, and with Apple's ingenuity and reputation for sleek designs, I was looking forward to seeing how they proceed with this. When Apple finally revealed the product, I was very, very disappointed. From what has been seen thus far, this "tablet" did not live up to my expectations at all, and I think many others feel the same way. This tablet is no more of a computer than my iPhone. In fact, my iPhone can basically do everything most iPads will be able to do, such as make phone calls, send SMS, and use wireless 3G network for internet. You could think of the iPad as an oversized ipod touch, really:
The iPad runs the same operating system as iPhones and iPod touches, so that really limits it's capabilities as a computer. That means the applications you run on your Apple computer will not run on your iPad. Another thing is the lack of flash compatibility for Safari on the iPad, which really limits the browsing capabilities of the device. In fact, the benefits of portability are essentially negated by it's limitations of browsing and application use. It has no keyboard or mouse, so you have to be touching the screen for most interactions - so if you have the tablet on your lap, you will have to look down the entire duration of your use in order to view the screen. Furthermore, the iPad does not even contain a hard drive, so the storage space is very poor. My iPhone has the same amount of storage space as the entry level iPad, and my phone is only a quarter the size! And not to mention the name of the product always provokes a few chuckles. Unless they revamp this product after hearing all of the negative feedback, I think I'll stick with my iPad mini:
Another topic we discussed in class was the idea of being hardwired to print. Computers have not been used by the general population for too long of a time. Most adults are used to pen and paper, or at least printing off the documents which were created on the computer. I think that over time, the use of computer will become the absolute standard (as pen and paper was/is) and that everything will move towards being electronic - which is something we are already beginning to see. This semester at the University of Regina, 4 out of 5 of my classes have content on URCourses, and in all of those classes, assignments are distributed and submitted electronically via the URCourses system. Now, I don't need to print off a copy of my assignment to hand in, because it all exists electronically. This is much more convenient, and it is physically easier to organize, because I can misplace an assignment, but data can be searched on the hard drive of my computer. For some important documents, such as transcripts, important emails, I like to print off a copy in order to have both physical and electronic copies in case one or the other is lost or damaged. The beauty of electronic storage is that an electronic document that is on my computer can easily be uploaded to a server or storage service on the internet, and then can be accessed and downloaded anywhere I go. This may be the ultimate way to avoid losing an important document.

Google - Now Serving Cowardliness?

In class the other day, we were talking about Google censorship in China, and the implications of that. While it was believed that this censorship was limited to foreign countries, it was found that Google filters the suggestions that are shown when you type in a query. Immediately, I remembered a "motivational poster" that I saw a few weeks earlier:
Sure enough, this controversy was brought up and discussed in class. Google started out as a small search engine boasting that it had the best searching algorithm to find the most relevant web pages related to your search. However, as the search engine became more popular, Google has become a massive conglomerate of multiple services, such as online maps (Google Maps), advertisement (Google AdSense), and even internet browsing itself (Google Chrome). Google offers services and conveniences that have infiltrated our lives, and Google definitely has a significant impact on people all over the world.

So for Google to show search suggestions for "[____ religion] is", but not showing suggestions for "Islam is", is a huge controversy for many people. But is it really that controversial? Google clearly states in their help page that they "try to filter out suggestions that include pornographic terms, dirty words, and hate and violence terms." I think it is very possible that the most popular search results for "Islam is . . ." contain hate or violent terms. Remember that when you search for "Islam is . . .", there are results; there just aren't any suggestions. So while many people are saying that Google is censoring out Islam searches, they are just censoring the suggestions - not the results (or are they?). When people start typing their searches, by default the suggestions automatically appear below, it would be inappropriate to show a series of offensive phrases just because they were popular queries.

Also, we mentioned in class the fact that people accept EULAs for various software without even reading what it is they are agreeing to. Well, somebody took the time to read the EULA for iTunes and Quicktime, and there was an interesting clause in section 8:

How one could use iTunes to produce biological weapons is beyond me, but the fact that they include this in the EULA may imply that in fact there is a way. I am not suggesting that we go and try, but I thought that this clause in the EULA was very funny, and probably goes unnoticed to most people who have installed the programs (me included).

Social Networking

I was not registered for CS 280 until today, but I feel like web 2.0 has been an important topic thus far in the course. Web 2.0 is about everybody being able to contribute, whether constructively or destructively, to the pool of information on the internet. But it also goes beyond that, by giving people a way to link together and communicate.

There are a lot of popular websites now, and now most websites can be considered "web 2.0", or at least have some capability for users to add something. Here is a funny cartoon photo depicting the personifactions of a few websites:

When I first saw this photo, I thought the difference in depiction of Facebook and MySpace was funny, since I have used both websites. The depiction was funny to me because I used MySpace when I was younger, and Facebook now, and the cartoon basically shows the difference between the two sites. Facebook looks more mature, but still young, probably a college student. Myspace looks like a self-centred, obnoxious, teenager, and always has music on.

Both sites are social networking websites, and there are many similar sites on the web as well. So how do we choose which one to use? And why do we switch from one site to another?

The internet is young, and it is constantly changing. Maybe we switch websites because the newer ones are simply just better, or more fitting for what we need them for. I like Facebook alot better then MySpace simply because every MySpace page is completely cluttered and obnoxiously filled with sparkling animations in the background. Not to mention the music which automatically plays every time I click on a page, and half the time I can't find the music player to turn the noise off!

Facebook has a lot more tools that are useful for social networking, and features that people actually use. Such as the Events application. Now, instead of having to text message your whole phone book to tell them the plans, you can create that event on Facebook, and with a few clicks everybody will know the details and can R.S.V.P. just as easily. Ever since Facebook has gained popularity, it's features are becoming more and more embeded into the rest of our technology. Such as the Mobile Uploads feature, which allows us to take photo's with our camera-phones and add those photo's to our Facebook page without using a computer. How awesome is that!

While websites such as Facebook and MySpace are sites where your identity is made public and is mainly used to connect with friends or people you already know, there are many websites which provide a way for people to communicate anonymously with people who have similar interests. There are many discussion boards like these that I frequent, such as Sherdog, which is a board where users discuss the sport of professional Mixed Martial Arts. This was the first discussion board that I have joined, and I have joined many more since then. It is always interesting to see what people say or how they act when they can do things anonymously. Having the invisible shield of the internet protecting you from any physical harm can turn even the biggest wimp into an internet tough guy. On the other hand, anonymity can allow people to remove the filter from their thoughts and basically let out whatever is going on in their mind. Some of the funniest things I've read were in user comments on the YouTube videos that I've seen.

Well, that is it for the first blog post. The next post should be more relevant to class material, since I will have actually attended the lectures!

Test Blog

I have never blogged before. This is a test.

Is there a photo below?

Is there a link below?
Sherdog

Is there a youtube video below?