The final decade

So, we have finally reached the end of a very enriching blogging experience. I feel a sense of relief yet also a sense of waste, knowing that its all coming to an end.

The future will be here sooner than we would imagine and a decade down the road in 2019, what would the internet become? Well, gathering from what I am exposed so far in class, I would presume that the internet would not only grow and be even more available to countries and societies around the world, it would also become even more powerful. Powerful in a sense that it will be faster, it will connect to more places and more people and most importantly, more people would learn how to use it.

The internet has certainly become a growing source for entertainment for tons of people. Sites like YouTube makes video sharing so easy. I would assume that in the future, more and more people will be making their own 'budget' movies and putting them up on sites like YouTube. The usual big-budget Hollywood movies will still be around, but now there's a new flavour in town and that is free budget cheapskate movies that your neighbour produced, wrote and starred in.

Education will also be impacted. With primary and secondary schools already installing computer labs in their premises today, in ten years time, we could see students going to school with a thumbdrive than with a school bag. More group work will be inculcated to balance out any overtime spent on the computer and homeworl will all be done online and printed out if needed. The future will also see a drop in the amount of paper needed for textbooks and thats all good for mother nature.

I am able to make all these predictions about the internet because I feel that I have been well-versed with its nature thanks to COM 125 even though it is only at its fundamental stage. This course has taught me how to appreciate this medium even more and to feel its true impact on society. I have learnt the basic terms that keep the internet alive, like TCP/IP, RSS, podcasting and e-commerce. On top of that I have also learnt valuable lifeskills in this course like the benefits of Growth mindset and the elements of Bloom's taxonomy that gives us an info about education and learning itself.

All in all, I am glad I'm part of this course that offers so much more than its name suggests. Much appreciation to Mr. Abel Choy who made all these possible in facilitating our learning. The gains from this course will benefit me after graduation and far, far into the future.

The notorious ninth

So, we have come to the ninth posting just right after our mid-terms. Man, I really hope I fare well for the paper, it was hard, but it could be worse I guess. Just before the mid-terms we covered journalism and the internet, a topic which is really relevant to our field considering how we all are communication students. But whether com students or not, our lives are surrounded by journalism. As we make our way to work or school, we see newspapers being sold at every convenience store and read at almost every corner. Having said that however, it is not fresh news that traditional print and journalism is slowly getting out of business and that's not good news either.

We learnt in class that because of the internet, professional journalism is dying off because pro journalists are now not the only ones that have exclusive access to international news, and that the web encourages a shift in who creates, distributes own the news. Anyone close to where breaking news is occurring can take pictures or videos about it with a phone and simply blog about it online. During the incident where the white tigers in our zoo attacked a cleaner, videos of the attack were recorded and distrubuted by amatuers witnessing the mauling. Even our newpapers were publishing handphone-taken pictures of the attacks submitted by witnesses rather than sending a photojournalist to the scene (in which by then everything would have been over!).

Websites and blogs gives everyone that has an internet connection an equal chance of being online reporters. Such a drastic shift in power undoubtedly has its critics. With reference to the interview program video that we viewed in class, such freedom of speech has led to a widespread influx of wannabe-reporters jumping onto any story available and creating 'anarchy and chaos' in the process. To a certain extent, it is true that dodgy and bogus newswriting exist on the internet, but it is this phenomenon of not having a gatekeeper like an editor or producer to vet, approve or dismiss your work which makes citizen journalism so appealing to the masses.

Critics of citizen journalism can say all they want, but in my opinion, it is impossible to stop this wave. Just like the internet itself, citizen journalism is a socially natural phenomena. It is based on our human need to connect, to communicate and to discover. It doesn't have a starting point and it doesn't have an end point. It is a consequence of a generation of hungry communicators wanting to hear and be heard, and this present and future generations will have to learn through trial and error, to live with something that they have created. I believe this responsibility of ethical and truthful reporting/communicating is evident in most of us who blog and so long as we understand this, and understand that there are those who have yet to understand this, citizen journalism has a very bright future.

The prosperous eighth

So, two more days before the end of the week and things have been going smooth in school so far, hopefully it stays this way! This week in COM 125, internet and politics. Wow, what a combination. When placed in the right hands, internet and politics can make such a positive impact on society, when in the wrong hands, well, I dare not imagine.

According to Wikipedia, politics is 'the process by which groups of people make decisions'. This shows how broad the word 'politics' is and although we usually like to associate politics with the decisions and actions of governments and world leaders, politics can also take place in a more micro-level like in school, in the workplace and even at home, (actually MOST probably at home!). The core of politics is communication, so if the internet enhances the efficiency and quality of human communication, then internet and politics can be said to be a perfect marriage.

Take the 2008 American presidential elections for example. Never have a presidential election in America been so internet savvy. The election campaign in all camps have made use of the connectivity of emails, interactive websites and blogs to raise awareness, spread news and get donations. Smart move. Because not only is it cheaper than getting TV and radio air-time, using new mediums automatically connects with a younger more tech savvy population. By making use of a medium that is personal, target audiences feel more connected and more empowered in making their voices heard and ultimately letting them feel that they can make a change and pursue their dreams, which is so important when garnering support.

Back in Singapore, our country is fortunately/unfortunately not as politically active. Even if our next election were to be more net-connected, I doubt it will change our political scene unlike our U.S. counterparts. One main reason I feel is because politics is out of the circle of concern in most Singaporean youths. Unlike schooling, job market and family and friends, politics finds itself far off the concern circle. I find that quite ironic as it is because of politics itself, that we can actually have a peace of mind to be concerned about school and find jobs. Because our government place efficiency and achievements above time-consuming political debates and arguments, that is why we can be more concern of school and work than in politics. That is a double edge sword as it leads to a society that is apathetic in the fields of politics but at the same time, allows the society to concentrate in working on the goals that propel a small nation like ours forward. This is a choice that has already been made before my time and judging our position with our Asian neighbors, its actually not a bad choice at all.

But change is the only constant and as mediums like the internet allow young Singaporeans to see the world and to educate themselves faster, the youth of our nation might want a system that focuses less on hardware and more on heart-ware, one that is less economy oriented, and more people oriented. I hope I can live long enough to experience such a change, hopefully, the benefits out-weigh the costs. The future is uncertain, but I guess that is why life is worth living. Till next time, live well!

The lucky seventh

So, another week just flew by and we are already in March! Let's just hope we all do well in our mid-terms! This week in COM 125, we got to explore the world of multimedia. Basically, multimedia is a communication platform supported by all the elements of audio, video, text, graphic and sound put together by the processing power of the computer. It is a pretty vague definition because well, lots of things can fall under multimedia. Computer games, educational software, marketing and virtual reality are just some of the few communication mediums that make use of multimedia.

Like me, you might find yourself asking, what so good about this multimedia thing anyway? For one, using the strength of multimedia can make your message or product more engaging. By making use of the visual, aural and physiological senses of your target audience/consumer, it is almost automatic that that they will be captivated by this platform. By providing a strong cognitive content, you will also increase the emotional affective appeal of your media and therefore making this multi-dimensional experience even more unforgettable.

Take 3-D rides for example. When I was in Universal Studios in LA couple years ago, I took a ride titled 'Back to the Future'. It isn't a new attraction but I'm sure everyone knows the movie of the same title and the 3-D ride is based on that movie. This ride isn't the usual roller-coaster type, it is one of those virtual rides where the 'car' moves up, down, left and right in a stationary position with a projected screen showing you are headed. Even before being on the ride, you are already greeted with an array of realistic laboratory props that trigger the visual senses while queuing up. Computer screens and video monitors are all around and they don't explain, but instead make you be part of the story which can only be completed when you complete the ride. All this build you up for the real deal and when the ride comes, I guarantee that 99% of all living beings will be blown away by what this attraction has to offer. Two words: sensory overload! (In a good way!) Of course not every message or product have to be made into a 3-D ride, but this illustrates the captivating and persuasive power of good multimedia.

In terms of marketing communication, a corporation that uses multimedia and is my favorite is sporting brand Nike. Nike's marketing campaign has a modern, sleek feel about it and it is consistent in the design of their advertisements, products and consumer outlets. Visually, their posters features text that define the spirit of competition and sport straight to the point and graphic display a soccer or tennis star caught in the midst of action. Their television ads feature real life soccer stars using and testifying for Nike products which makes audiences want to use Nike products too. In computer games like FIFA 09, players in the game are also using Nike products! So you are not only just visually and aurally being exposed to Nike, but in an alternate reality, you are using them too!

From shops, to posters, to TV ads, to games, Nike have covered them all to ensure that their potential customers are surrounded and engaged in a multimedia world of text, graphic, sound, video and gameplay. There are questions probing whether this overwhelming method is ethically good or bad for people, but whether good or bad, it is definitely effective.

The number of the beast

So, what an end to a real busy week, and its not even end of semester yet! But we all survived and that's always good news. This week, we were exposed to the topic of internet security, something which all of us can certainly relate to. How many times have you heard a friend complain to you about his/her computer problems due to a virus or worm? Friends aside, how many times have we ourselves been the target of virus and worms and because of that, lose valuable data on our beloved PCs? 'Reformat' is such a frightening word.

Thus, I feel that it is actually essential for every PC user to be educated in proper internet security, similar to what we have been through in COM 125 this week. First off, what is a computer virus? It is essentially a program code that is designed to destroy or corrupt systems and survives by replicating or copying itself within. A scary resemblance to the biological counterpart. Worms are also programs that destroy other programs but unlike a virus that needs a host, a worm simply wriggles through loopholes in networks like emails. Trojans are an interesting one, just like the myth, Trojans are destructive programs that pretend to be normal or 'friendly' programs which when executed, will most probably lead to the execution of your computer system.

Phishing is also another threat to internet security. It works by stealing private information like credit card numbers and passwords from users so that the evil people behind the phishing tool can use it for themselves. Sometimes they get our private information by setting up a fake website that looks like a legitimate one (like a bank homepage) and when we fill in fields like 'username' and 'password' to gain excess, that is when we offer our private info on a silver platter for them.

So how do we deal with all these dangers? It is not impossible to protect ourselves by using protection and risk-prevention tools. Personally, I use Spybot - Search and Destroy to get rid of spyware and Ad-aware to get rid of unwanted ads or suspiscious files that latch onto my computer while using the web. Both of these programs do a reasonable job in keeping my com clean and you can get them at download.com (make sure you update them often). These two tools that I usually use removes spyware and unneccessary programs but they don't always eliminate viruses or worms. For that, I use a free online scan provided by Panda Security called Active scan 2.0. Active scan does a pretty good job at scanning your entire PC and alerts you of any viruses, worms or malicious software. I must say that Active scan 2.0 doesn't get rid of viruses though, you either have to search for the infected files yourself and delete them or pay for Panda Security's Anti-virus software. Panda Security is not the only website out there that provides free virus scanning services, many websites like Trend Micro Housecall do the same. If you are looking for more anti-spyware, anti-virus, firewall or cleaning tools and programs, filehippo.com is a good place to look for one that best suits your needs.

As the saying goes, 'cure is better than prevention', hey wait a minute, its the other way around! Prevention is always, always better than a cure, hence, it is better to be reserved than to be reformatted. Update your computer and web browser often and only download from sites that are clean and well-established. Never open attachments from wierd email senders and scan for viruses and worms constantly. Be safe, and surf safe for happy days!

The fifth instalment

So, there goes another week and even more lessons learnt in the limitless world of computing. First off, we were tasked to explore Google and the tools and programs that this immensely huge corporation has to offer on its website. There are indeed many interesting tools that can be found to make web browsing easier and more fun. Tools like Google Trend allows you to observe what other people are searching for and Google Doc lets you create, edit, save and share documents.

But the tool that genuinely interest me is Google Mars. It is as if Google Earth is not ground-breaking enough, Google brought its interface and technology to allow Earthlings to look at Mars. I have to state however, that if you expect the same interactivity and the cool zooming factor of Google Earth, then Google Mars may not be as exciting. BUT, I personally feel that Google Mars is a real potential. With human expeditions planned by 2020 and colonies to be created by 2050, it wouldn't be long before we can type an address or landmark on Mars and be able to view it here on Earth on Google Mars. For now though, we can only observe the surface of Mars via satellite photo and still be amazed by the colour of the different depths of Mars. Tags of spaceship landings like the Beagle 2 and the Mars Pathfinder can also be found and are marked on the map. All in all, I feel this webpage as serious potential in the future, till then, we can still gaze and admire at the craters and rocks that belongs to our planetary neighbour.

Another of the things that we were required to complete this week was to make our own movie and edit it on Windows Movie Maker. Honestly I could already foresee that this will be a fun and creative exercise to do simply because I have already been personally making and editing short videos of my own with my friends. I recently had an idea to film a kung fu video specifically a parody of the movie Ip Man and coincidently this week, we are required to make a movie for COM 125. Hence, I got help from two of my friends, one to act as an opponent and another to operate the camera.

We shot this scene at a small open field and it starts with a soldier (played by my friend) instigating a fight with a kung fu master (played by myself). Both characters face-off before the arrogant soldier demands the name of the kung fu master. I translated the dialogues into subtitles in the scene so as to make use of Windows Movie Maker’s ‘add title’ ability. Spelling errors and grammatical errors in the subtitles were made purposely so as to genuinely reflect old Chinese martial arts movies. Besides the use of the usual timeline editing, cropping of scenes and fade-in/fade-out transitions, I also used the movie maker’s ‘old film’ effect which gives the video a gritty and classic touch just like vintage Hong Kong movies.

Of course the kung fu master wins at the end and along with some props and fake blood; I had lots of fun making this video. Windows Movie Maker certainly made this project possible and what makes it interesting is that it is simple to use and its abilities are almost limitless. As with most software, it is through the constant practice and use of Windows Movie Maker that I learned its capabilities and this exercise certainly gave me another chance to further use and explore them. Having said all that, I present to you my video, Hip Man:

The forth horseman

So, it is time for another posting and I am making an early posting today as compared to the rest because, well, there is just so much things to ponder upon! I mean if last week as full of learning, then this week is like learning overflow! First off I would like to note that whatever I have learnt so far in COM125 is definitely not what I expected and I like it that way. This module has offered me so many important life lessons that are extremely useful outside the classroom as well. Thanks Mr. Choy!

We first started the week learning about learning. That's right, a paradox, but how useful. we identified the difference between having a fixed mindset and a growth mindset, whereby a person with fixed mindset is primarily concerned about how smart he/she looks and avoids challenges, criticisms and learning new things just to keep up to that image. That results in static learning. A person that embraces growth mindset sees challenges and criticism as a way of further learning. As such, the potential of a person with growth mindset is limitless.

We also covered what is called Bloom's Taxonomy. This is a classification of different learning objectives that educators like teachers can use to systematically educate students. Bloom's Taxonomy consists of Affective, Psychomotor and Cognitive domains. Affective deals with emotional reactions, Psychomotor is the effective use of a tool or instrument and Cognitive is knowledge-based. (Link to more info on Wiki click here)

Videos regarding the use of digital media were also shown to us and the usage of digital media in the field of education is an interesting thought. I feel that digital media can in fact make learning more effective simply by its broad info spectrum and sheer speed. Some examples can already be found in COM 125 class. Our lecturer consistently uses digital media to highlight points and show examples. Imagine a class full of students with the fastest internet connection and tasked to complete an assignment. Research that would typically take weeks years ago can be completed in seconds. Of course the internet can be a distraction to some students, but coupled with a growth mindset, students will be less distracted and even collaborate with instructors. This means that students learning in an environment that effectively uses digital media can actually learn so much more in the same amount of time as a regular student. The future is indeed amazing.

Hopefully this post isn't overly boring, there is still so much more to talk about but I'll need more than a single webpage to do so! Till next week, stay fun!