We had a happy day...
Wishing all my friends and teachers a Happy Chinese New Year and a happy holiday! :D
Thursday, January 31, 2008
A special day (because Anita hardly brings her cam to class!)
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Steamboat vs. Second Life
~ Samy, Wida , Myself and Brenda...All going a little crazy with the utensils ~
My Toastmasters family and I went for an early Chinese New Year Steamboat dinner at Seoul Garden.
While enjoying the food and friends, I was thinking of COM 125 and Second Life...Weird huh?
I agree that Second Life can do lots of things for people, but I do not think that it can be the solution for all.
You can hold your own concert in Second Life.
You can buy an island in Second Life.
You can even change your gender in Second Life!
But is this all real? Of course NOT!
I rather be happy with my current life than live in a fake world.
People might think that I am not adventurous and boring, but I prefer the real world.
When I think of all the people in my life, I feel good and am satisfied.
Time is precious, I will spend it with my loved ones.
Friday, January 25, 2008
"Virtual life can't replace real one" by Lindsay Huggins Cavalier Daily
Hey readers, I find the below blog entry an interesting read...read on!
After a long day of classes and work, I usually follow the same routine. I grab a snack, catch up with my roommates, check my e-mail, and finally, peruse Facebook. Yes, I admit, Facebook-ing has become a part of my everyday routine, and I would be more ashamed to admit it if this were not the case for so many of my friends as well. But whether we like to acknowledge it or not, the online worlds of sites like Facebook and MySpace have collided with our "real" lives here at the University.
Many of us have come to rely on this collision for even the most basic human contact, whether that be keeping in touch with friends from home, staying connected with the social scene, making new friends or trying to remember the ones we met last night. While undeniably valuable for some things, this virtual world is also potentially threatening to our lives outside of the computer screen.
What prompted this concern for me was a glance at Google's list of top "googled" sites of 2007. One of these sites in particular caught my eye, an online community called Second Life. From its Web site, Second Life is described as a "3-D virtual world entirely created by its Residents."
Created in 2003, it now has millions of users, all of whom "retain the rights to their digital creations" and have the ability to "buy, sell and trade with other Residents." In other words, this virtual world operates on a very real economy, with its own currency and business practices that actually relate to the real world. The "Linden Dollar" has real value, and businesses can thrive and fail. In fact, one of the virtual banks collapsed recently, causing anyone who had invested in the establishment to lose a combined $750,000.And if you think that's strange, then think about this. Second Life is also home to copyright lawsuits.
What is so disturbing about a site like Second Life is what it replaces in real life.
While people are so busy building their perfect avatar, changing everything "from the tip of your nose to the tint of your skin," they are escaping from their own insecurities in real life. While people are busy buying property and starting businesses with Linden Dollars, they are avoiding outlets for their ambition in the real world. While people are busy meeting other avatars and starting relationships, they are avoiding the people around them in real life. These online communities provide one thing: an escape.
Sure, some will argue they are merely entertaining, and lots of people enjoy playing harmless games like the Sims. But when a site takes itself so seriously that money and sexual health are at stake, there is something seriously wrong.
All of the hours spent perfecting your profile so it describes you (but better) and trying to find the right picture that looks like you (but better) could be spent actually doing something with the people around you, the people who exist outside of your virtual world.
Facebook and MySpace are not serious distractions unless you let them become serious distractions, but on a whole, our generation is becoming less and less reliant on human contact. We e-mail more than we write letters. We text message more than we call. We send Facebook messages more than we personally invite friends to parties. And in many ways, this is a great step in terms of time and efficiency.
But we must be careful with what we sacrifice in order to take advantage of the ease of online communication. There is still nothing better than an old-fashioned letter in the mail or an hour-long phone call from an old friend. Virtual communities are really just that: virtual. And they should stay that way.
Retrieved from http://media.www.lhueagleye.com/media/storage/paper485/news/2008/01/23/Opinion/Virtual.Life.Cant.Replace.Real.One-3163858-page2.shtml, on 25th Jan 08.
After a long day of classes and work, I usually follow the same routine. I grab a snack, catch up with my roommates, check my e-mail, and finally, peruse Facebook. Yes, I admit, Facebook-ing has become a part of my everyday routine, and I would be more ashamed to admit it if this were not the case for so many of my friends as well. But whether we like to acknowledge it or not, the online worlds of sites like Facebook and MySpace have collided with our "real" lives here at the University.
Many of us have come to rely on this collision for even the most basic human contact, whether that be keeping in touch with friends from home, staying connected with the social scene, making new friends or trying to remember the ones we met last night. While undeniably valuable for some things, this virtual world is also potentially threatening to our lives outside of the computer screen.
What prompted this concern for me was a glance at Google's list of top "googled" sites of 2007. One of these sites in particular caught my eye, an online community called Second Life. From its Web site, Second Life is described as a "3-D virtual world entirely created by its Residents."
Created in 2003, it now has millions of users, all of whom "retain the rights to their digital creations" and have the ability to "buy, sell and trade with other Residents." In other words, this virtual world operates on a very real economy, with its own currency and business practices that actually relate to the real world. The "Linden Dollar" has real value, and businesses can thrive and fail. In fact, one of the virtual banks collapsed recently, causing anyone who had invested in the establishment to lose a combined $750,000.And if you think that's strange, then think about this. Second Life is also home to copyright lawsuits.
What is so disturbing about a site like Second Life is what it replaces in real life.
While people are so busy building their perfect avatar, changing everything "from the tip of your nose to the tint of your skin," they are escaping from their own insecurities in real life. While people are busy buying property and starting businesses with Linden Dollars, they are avoiding outlets for their ambition in the real world. While people are busy meeting other avatars and starting relationships, they are avoiding the people around them in real life. These online communities provide one thing: an escape.
Sure, some will argue they are merely entertaining, and lots of people enjoy playing harmless games like the Sims. But when a site takes itself so seriously that money and sexual health are at stake, there is something seriously wrong.
All of the hours spent perfecting your profile so it describes you (but better) and trying to find the right picture that looks like you (but better) could be spent actually doing something with the people around you, the people who exist outside of your virtual world.
Facebook and MySpace are not serious distractions unless you let them become serious distractions, but on a whole, our generation is becoming less and less reliant on human contact. We e-mail more than we write letters. We text message more than we call. We send Facebook messages more than we personally invite friends to parties. And in many ways, this is a great step in terms of time and efficiency.
But we must be careful with what we sacrifice in order to take advantage of the ease of online communication. There is still nothing better than an old-fashioned letter in the mail or an hour-long phone call from an old friend. Virtual communities are really just that: virtual. And they should stay that way.
Retrieved from http://media.www.lhueagleye.com/media/storage/paper485/news/2008/01/23/Opinion/Virtual.Life.Cant.Replace.Real.One-3163858-page2.shtml, on 25th Jan 08.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Topics for Homework Two :D
Here are the topics for homework #2:
1) Second Life
2) Experience on how RSS and Podcast works
3) Comments of learning on the Blog
1) Second Life
2) Experience on how RSS and Podcast works
3) Comments of learning on the Blog
Funny yet educational :D
For those that missed today's COM125 class, you missed out on some really really funny!
Mr. Abel showed the class a series of videos which were perfectly made to do two things:
1) Entertain the audiences
2) Teach us about the many features of the Interent
Not only were the videos funny, I learnt quite a bit from them. :D
I love it when teachers show us videos as it makes my day a lot more interesting!
Here is the link to download those videos:
http://www.commoncraft.com/show
Thank you to Mr. Abel again!
Mr. Abel showed the class a series of videos which were perfectly made to do two things:
1) Entertain the audiences
2) Teach us about the many features of the Interent
Not only were the videos funny, I learnt quite a bit from them. :D
I love it when teachers show us videos as it makes my day a lot more interesting!
Here is the link to download those videos:
http://www.commoncraft.com/show
Thank you to Mr. Abel again!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Homework 1: The Internet and its Past
The Internet is a network of networks, connected to one another by communication lines globally.
Although the Interent is reletively new, it has grown to be one of the must haves in modern day life.
The early Internet users were computer experts, engineers, scientists, and librarians. Unlike today, the early Internet was a very complex system that not many could understand and use.
As the functions of the Internet were standardized (e.g. e-mail), it became a lot easier for non-technical people to learn to use it. Although it was not easy by today's standards, it did open up use of the Internet to many more people.
Women and the Internet
Although the Interent is reletively new, it has grown to be one of the must haves in modern day life.
History of the Internet
The Internet grew out of an experiment which begun in the 1960s by the U.S. Department of Defense; who wanted to create a computer network that would work under harsh situations (like war). That network was ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) which linked U.S. scientific and academic researchers.The early Internet users were computer experts, engineers, scientists, and librarians. Unlike today, the early Internet was a very complex system that not many could understand and use.
As the functions of the Internet were standardized (e.g. e-mail), it became a lot easier for non-technical people to learn to use it. Although it was not easy by today's standards, it did open up use of the Internet to many more people.
Women and the Internet
Historically, the technological realm has been dominated by men, but it is wrong to believe that women have not contributed to scientific advancement. Actually, women's contributions to science and technical advances has often been undermined and silenced in order to enhance and advance the masculine discourse. According to Helen Fallon, women's contributions have been ignored, when in fact women have been responsible for several important inventions, including the sewing machine, the electric mower, the printing press and computers. Fallon explains that during the 40's, women created information processing systems which contiune to be used today. Unfortunately, the lack of women in the Sciences does not provide many role models for young girls who are interested in science and technology.
However little women may feel connected with technology, they involve themselves within the technological realm of the Internet. Researches like Winter and Huff found that women are unsing the Internet to communicate with other women. Women were more comfortable "chatting" with other females online, as compared to "chatting" with males.
References
Ross Shannon (2007). The History of the Net. Retrieved from www.yourhtmlsource.com/starthere/historyofthenet.html on 19 Jan 08.
Women and the Internet: An Exploratory Study of Feminist Experiences in Cyberspace. Retrieved from www.netwomen.ca/research/litrev.htm on 19 Jan 08.
Topics for Homework One
*(^.^)*
The list of topics to choose from:
1) The Internet - its History and/or evolution
2) The Future of the Internet
3) Web - A Social Media
The list of topics to choose from:
1) The Internet - its History and/or evolution
2) The Future of the Internet
3) Web - A Social Media
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
~ Greetings from Anita ~
HaPpY 2008! And welcome all to www.anitaboey.blogspot.com!
In this blog, I will be discussing very interesting topics about the Internet! :D
I will update my blog weekly, so my loyal readers will get to read new posts every time they visit!
In this blog, I will be discussing very interesting topics about the Internet! :D
I will update my blog weekly, so my loyal readers will get to read new posts every time they visit!
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