Hello, my name is Rhiannon and this is the blog for my uni course New Communication Technologies (hence the not so creative blog title). i am so bad at computers and things like this that it is seriously unfunny so this will probably not be a very technically fun blog but thank god, it doesn't have to be. Over the next few weeks i'll be talking about the course obviously because that is the point of this. I will probably be complaining about how i am too dumb to understand a lot of the stuff and how my head is close to exploding. i will also probably attempt humor but i am not that funny so...
Have nothing to say about the course yet except that i think it's going to be interesting and probably for me, a little frustrating due to my computer illiteracy! If nothing else, i have now learned how to make a blog and that i am really not a very interesting person so i should never make a blog again but i am sure i will learn a lot more in the coming weeks.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Final.Post.Ever
Hello (for the final ever time!)
This is my last ever post on my first (and probably last) blog. This blog of course was a requirement for my uni course New Communication Technology and have to admit, despite being so new to so many of the different things we did and often having a slight fit due to difficulty I actually had a pretty good time with it.
I am now able to search without using Google on the Internet, I can tell you how big the world's largest pumpkin is (and if i ever actually need that information i will laugh), I can use Microsoft Word better, i can use Microsoft Xcel...well not a whole lot better and i can now do cool things with photos on Photoshop-okay mainly collages but still-whacky fun!
The course has been pretty fun although I have to admit (even if it might mean i fail) that i did sometimes struggle to figure out where it was going and how it would help me later on and in other courses. But now, as mentioned before i have learned new things and i am not quite as terrified by having to use the Internet as i was, which is always a bonus. Have learned a lot, have seen some kind of strange movies that i never would have seen otherwise which again kind of a bonus and have a newfound appreciation for hackers-even if they all do look like hippies. I am a fan of the hippy though so...peace.
This entry is supposed to be like 500 words long and i really doubt i will get there but just want to thank Adam once again for all his help. This course was pretty interesting and definitely introduced me to things that i never would have experienced otherwise. And i think that, as a budding writer and journalist i have learnt some skills which will help me further on in my life.
So thanks for reading my ranting weirdness. Be grateful you never have to read any more.
Bye (for the final ever time! Yay!)
This is my last ever post on my first (and probably last) blog. This blog of course was a requirement for my uni course New Communication Technology and have to admit, despite being so new to so many of the different things we did and often having a slight fit due to difficulty I actually had a pretty good time with it.
I am now able to search without using Google on the Internet, I can tell you how big the world's largest pumpkin is (and if i ever actually need that information i will laugh), I can use Microsoft Word better, i can use Microsoft Xcel...well not a whole lot better and i can now do cool things with photos on Photoshop-okay mainly collages but still-whacky fun!
The course has been pretty fun although I have to admit (even if it might mean i fail) that i did sometimes struggle to figure out where it was going and how it would help me later on and in other courses. But now, as mentioned before i have learned new things and i am not quite as terrified by having to use the Internet as i was, which is always a bonus. Have learned a lot, have seen some kind of strange movies that i never would have seen otherwise which again kind of a bonus and have a newfound appreciation for hackers-even if they all do look like hippies. I am a fan of the hippy though so...peace.
This entry is supposed to be like 500 words long and i really doubt i will get there but just want to thank Adam once again for all his help. This course was pretty interesting and definitely introduced me to things that i never would have experienced otherwise. And i think that, as a budding writer and journalist i have learnt some skills which will help me further on in my life.
So thanks for reading my ranting weirdness. Be grateful you never have to read any more.
Bye (for the final ever time! Yay!)
X-Celling
Hello, for the second last time! Yay!
This will be my last post, except for the evaluation one of course. The task was, once again a few weeks ago but i am doing it now so...
The task was to jump on Microsoft Xcel and do some spreadsheeting stuff. Have two words- Hated It! i did Accounting in year 11 and 12 and spent every lesson hating it, and in turn hating spreadsheeting. i am so beyond bad at it, it makes my photoshop ability look fantastic. Nevertheless got onto it feeling pretty okay, figured if nothing else i could just get really frustrated and that could be really entertaining for everyone else but mainly i just got irritated and then i got sick of it. But finished it, so it's all good. Had a few problems with the whole formula thing but that was always the bit that got me stuck back in Accounting, so hardly shocking. Despite that i did it! Yay!
I doubt i will really have to use Xcel a lot (thank god!) because i plan on having an accountant, or at the very least really smart friends who can do stuff like that for me. If not I have now got some basic knowledge which is always handy.
Bye (for the second last time)
This will be my last post, except for the evaluation one of course. The task was, once again a few weeks ago but i am doing it now so...
The task was to jump on Microsoft Xcel and do some spreadsheeting stuff. Have two words- Hated It! i did Accounting in year 11 and 12 and spent every lesson hating it, and in turn hating spreadsheeting. i am so beyond bad at it, it makes my photoshop ability look fantastic. Nevertheless got onto it feeling pretty okay, figured if nothing else i could just get really frustrated and that could be really entertaining for everyone else but mainly i just got irritated and then i got sick of it. But finished it, so it's all good. Had a few problems with the whole formula thing but that was always the bit that got me stuck back in Accounting, so hardly shocking. Despite that i did it! Yay!
I doubt i will really have to use Xcel a lot (thank god!) because i plan on having an accountant, or at the very least really smart friends who can do stuff like that for me. If not I have now got some basic knowledge which is always handy.
Bye (for the second last time)
Friday, June 1, 2007
Microsoft Word
Hello,
This week (actually a few weeks ago!) we had to do some basic Microsoft word stuff. Years of school assignments and writing have made me quite adept at basic things on Word-considering i use it every day you would hope i was at least not terrible at it! So for once i was not throwing a fit about how impossible it all is! I found this really easy to do, except maybe the mail merge part. i had done that before in year 12 but took me a moment to recall all that information! Luckily i had a very nice friendly person next to me who helped! And of course once again I bugged Adam a lot! It's the last week so i won't even again i promise!
All in all found this really quite easy and definitely uselful to revisit some of this stuff. Will definitly use later on in life-if not now!
This week (actually a few weeks ago!) we had to do some basic Microsoft word stuff. Years of school assignments and writing have made me quite adept at basic things on Word-considering i use it every day you would hope i was at least not terrible at it! So for once i was not throwing a fit about how impossible it all is! I found this really easy to do, except maybe the mail merge part. i had done that before in year 12 but took me a moment to recall all that information! Luckily i had a very nice friendly person next to me who helped! And of course once again I bugged Adam a lot! It's the last week so i won't even again i promise!
All in all found this really quite easy and definitely uselful to revisit some of this stuff. Will definitly use later on in life-if not now!
Friday, May 25, 2007
Modified Photo Time
Okay, this was the task for quite a few weeks ago and I have only just finished it as me and photoshop? Many, many issues there. We're no longer on speaking terms but i have finally finished it and i am done! Yay! So here are my photos.
Photo 1-Friends: This was my first attempt at using Photoshiop-EVER! So i decided the easiest way to do this assignment without my head exploding and me bursting into tears was to do a collage. Many different photos thrown in obviously, mainly ones that I liked. Especially love the cute dog with the ice cream!
Photo 2-Communication: Not really sure what i was thinking with this one but many, many, many thanks to Adam who helped a lot with this one and a lot during the others-I had many, many Photoshop issues! Nonetheless I really like this one, it's kind of funky and makes it look like I'm pretty okay at using Photoshop!
Photo 3-News-Worthy: Originally planned on doing something creative with Paris Hilton behind some prison bars but due to afore mentioned photoshop issues couldn't work it out so I did yet anything funky collage.
Photo 4-Australian: This is maybe a little bit more Kansas than Australian but I couldn't really think of anything else to do! I still like it.
Photo 5-Popular: This was the last photo I did and had no idea what to do with "popular" it is just so broad and weird, and since i am weird i thought of something weird to do. Watched the Logies and noticed that everything was "Popular New this" And "Popular Whatever else" and decided to do this fun collage. Notice a theme with my photos yet? Collages are easy!
Photo 6-Games: Again not so sure what to do, got a bunch of photos from the net and got interested in the whole Old Versus New idea with the whole technology thing and how it has advanced games and changed it. So this is my little ode to that.
Photo 7-Celebrity: Yes, another collage. Wasn't sure about this, and am annoyed at myself for putting Paris Hilton in there-she's not a proper celebrity! But then, what's the definition of a celebrity anyway? This pretty much gave me an excuse to tool around on imdb.com for a good reason for a change! And yes, there are three Firefly people in there and of course i had to add Joss Whedon!So those are my photos, hope you liked them, they took me a long time! Til next time. Bye
Friday, May 11, 2007
The Essay!
Fanfiction: Literature or Laziness?
Passionate fans will do extreme things for the art they love. This art can mean a TV show, a movie, books etc. An example of an extreme undertaking due to fandom is Alex Jessop, an 18 year old Supernatural fan who has organized a Supernatural-themed road trip around America…and she's from Australia. Alex, along with other fans whom she met over the Internet, plans to travel around the country visiting all the places the characters in Supernatural journey to (Campbell 2007:30). The biggest example of fan love is the invention and growing popularity of fanfiction. This essay will explore the use of fanfiction and the affect the Internet has had on fanfiction.
According to Wikipedia (2007) fanfiction is defined as “a broadly-defined term for fiction about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creators.” It is frequently referred to as fanfic. While fanfiction has been around for years, even possibly as early as the 17th Century it has really taken off with the invention and common use of the Internet (Wikipedia.org). This common use has made it possible to find hundreds of sites on the web devoted to fanfiction. Some, such as http://www.fanfiction.net/ cater to all kinds of fanfiction with categories including anime, TV shows, comic books, cartoons, songs and bands, movies and books. There are other sites which are narrower and simply have certain TV show fanfiction, such as ones for Wonder Woman, Dark Angel and ones for books such as Harry Potter and even Jane Austen novels. The Internet has made fanfiction more easily accessible to more people but this has been a double-edged sword as it also means that everyone can post fanfiction…no matter how bad it may be.
It is because of this that many people believe fanfiction has suffered due to the Internet. Having a technology that makes it possible for everyone to contribute is not always a good thing. Like with sites such as YouTube this means the quality of content is significantly lowered. Now, there are thousands of fanfiction stories out there and not all of them are worth reading.
In an attempt to counteract this bad quality some websites have filtering processes but how well these work is a matter of personal opinion. And despite this, practically anyone can make a website on the Internet so if someone else rejects them they can just make their own site; their own canvass to display this “art”. In this case of bad quality there are even websites which specialize in the worst of fanfiction. See http://www.godawful.net/ for examples.
Besides the issue of quality, there is also the problem of authorship to consider. “Fan fiction usually does involve surrendering some incidents of authorship.” (Tushnet 2007) Fanfiction writers are, of course not the creators of many of the characters and settings they use in their work and as such cannot claim to be due to the likely possibility of legal consequences. Some authors, such as J.K Rowling are fine with the creation of fanfiction based on their work. Rowling is even quoted as being “flattered” by it (Waters 2007). Despite this there is still always the problem of copyright. Some sites make fanfiction writers use disclaimers in their work. See http://www.fanfiction.net/ for examples.
So if fanfiction requires extra work, copyright wise and most of it is poor quality anyway, why do people bother to write it? In many cases it is fans wanting more. More stories, more creations, more chances to interact with, or at the very least read about the characters they have come to love. Fandom is a very powerful thing.
Fandom aside, surely it would be more profitable and worthwhile for people to create their own new and original art which actually has a chance of being published. This is probably true but there are some cases where fanfiction novels have been published. Called “novelizations” this genre includes new and original stories using already existing characters, just like fanfiction. TV shows such as Charmed, Bones, Dark Angel, Roswell and Buffy The Vampire Slayer all have their own set of novelizations by recognized authors. Many authors even specialize in novelizations but most also write original work. This is the same with many Internet fanfiction writers. Of course publication from a website such as http://www.fanfiction.net/ is not very likely and most writers are simply there to have their work read and reviewed. “Feedback is the lifeblood of fan fiction” (Freeman 2007).
In the case of reviewing the Internet is a huge help to writers. The ability to remain anonymous and receive reviews from perfect strangers can mean totally honest feedback. In the case of http://www.godawful.net/ maybe brutally honest feedback. There are measures up on most fanfiction websites to prevent “flaming”. Flaming is a word used in fanfiction speak which means “A negative, hurtful comment meant only to anger or upset a person.” (Freeman 2007). In most cases flaming is banned from sites and most fanfiction writers are careful to avoid it. No one likes to be flamed.
In conclusion it appears that the Internet has definitely helped fanfiction grow as a writing medium as well as a way to receive reviews anonymously and hopefully improve writing based on these. In this case a new communication technology has highly improved an already wonderful invention.
References
Websites
“Fan Fiction” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_fiction (accessed 5 May 2007)
“Godawful Fan Fiction” http://www.godawful.net/ (accessed 5 May 2007)
“Fanfiction.Net” http://www.fanfiction.net/ (accessed 5 May 2007)
Freeman, Megan.(2003) “A Fanspeak Dictionary” http://expressions.populli.net/dictionary.html (accessed 6 May 2007)
Tushnet, Rebecca (2006) “43 (B)log” http://tushnet.blogspot.com/ (accessed 6 May 2007)
Online Articles
Waters, Darren (May 2004). “Rowling Backs Potter Fan Fiction” http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3753001.stm (accessed 5 May 2007)
Magazine Articles
Campbell, Jill (2007) “I’ve Been Possessed By Supernatural” TV Week January 6-12: 30
For examples of Fanfiction check out the following websites
www.fanfiction.net
http://expressions.populli.net
http://marvelite.prohosting.com/surfer/fanfic/
www.valjeanfanfiction.com
And of course, there is
www.godawful.net
Passionate fans will do extreme things for the art they love. This art can mean a TV show, a movie, books etc. An example of an extreme undertaking due to fandom is Alex Jessop, an 18 year old Supernatural fan who has organized a Supernatural-themed road trip around America…and she's from Australia. Alex, along with other fans whom she met over the Internet, plans to travel around the country visiting all the places the characters in Supernatural journey to (Campbell 2007:30). The biggest example of fan love is the invention and growing popularity of fanfiction. This essay will explore the use of fanfiction and the affect the Internet has had on fanfiction.
According to Wikipedia (2007) fanfiction is defined as “a broadly-defined term for fiction about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creators.” It is frequently referred to as fanfic. While fanfiction has been around for years, even possibly as early as the 17th Century it has really taken off with the invention and common use of the Internet (Wikipedia.org). This common use has made it possible to find hundreds of sites on the web devoted to fanfiction. Some, such as http://www.fanfiction.net/ cater to all kinds of fanfiction with categories including anime, TV shows, comic books, cartoons, songs and bands, movies and books. There are other sites which are narrower and simply have certain TV show fanfiction, such as ones for Wonder Woman, Dark Angel and ones for books such as Harry Potter and even Jane Austen novels. The Internet has made fanfiction more easily accessible to more people but this has been a double-edged sword as it also means that everyone can post fanfiction…no matter how bad it may be.
It is because of this that many people believe fanfiction has suffered due to the Internet. Having a technology that makes it possible for everyone to contribute is not always a good thing. Like with sites such as YouTube this means the quality of content is significantly lowered. Now, there are thousands of fanfiction stories out there and not all of them are worth reading.
In an attempt to counteract this bad quality some websites have filtering processes but how well these work is a matter of personal opinion. And despite this, practically anyone can make a website on the Internet so if someone else rejects them they can just make their own site; their own canvass to display this “art”. In this case of bad quality there are even websites which specialize in the worst of fanfiction. See http://www.godawful.net/ for examples.
Besides the issue of quality, there is also the problem of authorship to consider. “Fan fiction usually does involve surrendering some incidents of authorship.” (Tushnet 2007) Fanfiction writers are, of course not the creators of many of the characters and settings they use in their work and as such cannot claim to be due to the likely possibility of legal consequences. Some authors, such as J.K Rowling are fine with the creation of fanfiction based on their work. Rowling is even quoted as being “flattered” by it (Waters 2007). Despite this there is still always the problem of copyright. Some sites make fanfiction writers use disclaimers in their work. See http://www.fanfiction.net/ for examples.
So if fanfiction requires extra work, copyright wise and most of it is poor quality anyway, why do people bother to write it? In many cases it is fans wanting more. More stories, more creations, more chances to interact with, or at the very least read about the characters they have come to love. Fandom is a very powerful thing.
Fandom aside, surely it would be more profitable and worthwhile for people to create their own new and original art which actually has a chance of being published. This is probably true but there are some cases where fanfiction novels have been published. Called “novelizations” this genre includes new and original stories using already existing characters, just like fanfiction. TV shows such as Charmed, Bones, Dark Angel, Roswell and Buffy The Vampire Slayer all have their own set of novelizations by recognized authors. Many authors even specialize in novelizations but most also write original work. This is the same with many Internet fanfiction writers. Of course publication from a website such as http://www.fanfiction.net/ is not very likely and most writers are simply there to have their work read and reviewed. “Feedback is the lifeblood of fan fiction” (Freeman 2007).
In the case of reviewing the Internet is a huge help to writers. The ability to remain anonymous and receive reviews from perfect strangers can mean totally honest feedback. In the case of http://www.godawful.net/ maybe brutally honest feedback. There are measures up on most fanfiction websites to prevent “flaming”. Flaming is a word used in fanfiction speak which means “A negative, hurtful comment meant only to anger or upset a person.” (Freeman 2007). In most cases flaming is banned from sites and most fanfiction writers are careful to avoid it. No one likes to be flamed.
In conclusion it appears that the Internet has definitely helped fanfiction grow as a writing medium as well as a way to receive reviews anonymously and hopefully improve writing based on these. In this case a new communication technology has highly improved an already wonderful invention.
References
Websites
“Fan Fiction” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_fiction (accessed 5 May 2007)
“Godawful Fan Fiction” http://www.godawful.net/ (accessed 5 May 2007)
“Fanfiction.Net” http://www.fanfiction.net/ (accessed 5 May 2007)
Freeman, Megan.(2003) “A Fanspeak Dictionary” http://expressions.populli.net/dictionary.html (accessed 6 May 2007)
Tushnet, Rebecca (2006) “43 (B)log” http://tushnet.blogspot.com/ (accessed 6 May 2007)
Online Articles
Waters, Darren (May 2004). “Rowling Backs Potter Fan Fiction” http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3753001.stm (accessed 5 May 2007)
Magazine Articles
Campbell, Jill (2007) “I’ve Been Possessed By Supernatural” TV Week January 6-12: 30
For examples of Fanfiction check out the following websites
www.fanfiction.net
http://expressions.populli.net
http://marvelite.prohosting.com/surfer/fanfic/
www.valjeanfanfiction.com
And of course, there is
www.godawful.net
Friday, April 27, 2007
Cyber Worlds
Okay, as per this week's task have just spent the last hour on a website called Habbo Hotel which is basically a chat room which has been spruced up to be a 3d version with little people walking around as the people chatting. Like cartoons kind of thing. So...Sims but with actual people.
I have to say I do like the game Sims but the whole online chatting thing...not my cup of tea...there just isn't any attraction to me. Maybe it was just the two I tried (ActiveWorlds and Habbo) but people did not seem very interesting. Nothing to say, nothing to do, felt kind of lost and overwhelmed.
The main differences between the 3Ds and the normal chat rooms is of course the graphics and the fact that you appear as a character on the screen rather than just a group of text. I guess this is more exciting in a lot of ways but for me it just seemed to make things more confusing. It is impossible to tell who is talking to who and what is going on! Maybe it is because I am so new to this and have never been on a site like this before or even a normal chat room experience but the whole thing just made me remember why I avoid the internet. Bad spelling and a lot of wasted time. No offense to anyone who likes it, I can see how it could be good, socialising in the comfort of your house (or in my case classroom), that I like. And also the whole being able to chat to people on the other side of the world, experience different cultures without travelling, that kind of thing. It's just I feel like losing that face to face contact means the conversation is very stilted. There are no emotions and no facial expressions, even with these new 3D worlds so things are still entirely based on the text. Yes you can snowboard or dance or walk around or whatever but...why not just step outside, get some sun and socialise the normal way? The best thing about this task is that I have now decided this will be my topic for my essay. I was going to do texting and the impact on communication but there is a lot more information out there on chat rooms and the internet so I think I will go that way instead.
Generally though I feel like the whole chat room thing is overrated, I'd rather hang out in person!
Bye for this week
I have to say I do like the game Sims but the whole online chatting thing...not my cup of tea...there just isn't any attraction to me. Maybe it was just the two I tried (ActiveWorlds and Habbo) but people did not seem very interesting. Nothing to say, nothing to do, felt kind of lost and overwhelmed.
The main differences between the 3Ds and the normal chat rooms is of course the graphics and the fact that you appear as a character on the screen rather than just a group of text. I guess this is more exciting in a lot of ways but for me it just seemed to make things more confusing. It is impossible to tell who is talking to who and what is going on! Maybe it is because I am so new to this and have never been on a site like this before or even a normal chat room experience but the whole thing just made me remember why I avoid the internet. Bad spelling and a lot of wasted time. No offense to anyone who likes it, I can see how it could be good, socialising in the comfort of your house (or in my case classroom), that I like. And also the whole being able to chat to people on the other side of the world, experience different cultures without travelling, that kind of thing. It's just I feel like losing that face to face contact means the conversation is very stilted. There are no emotions and no facial expressions, even with these new 3D worlds so things are still entirely based on the text. Yes you can snowboard or dance or walk around or whatever but...why not just step outside, get some sun and socialise the normal way? The best thing about this task is that I have now decided this will be my topic for my essay. I was going to do texting and the impact on communication but there is a lot more information out there on chat rooms and the internet so I think I will go that way instead.
Generally though I feel like the whole chat room thing is overrated, I'd rather hang out in person!
Bye for this week
Friday, March 30, 2007
Search Engine Entry
Hey again
This is my second post of the day because last week there was so much to do i panicked a little and only got half of it done. So...luckily this week's stuff was a little easier and i did it. So here is last week's stuff...
Basically it involved answering a few questions about search engines. I got my information from my brain, a friend who mentioned something this morning and Wikipedia and ABC online for the last question.
Q1: What is a search engine?
My own definition doesn't make a lot of sense but this is my blog so you have to hear it...
A search engine is the place where you start that gives you websites relating to the topic you enter into the search engine...and now for the real definition:
According to Wikipedia.net a search engine is "...an information retrieval system designed to help find information stored in a computer system..."
Q2: How do search engines rank the stuff they find on the Internet?
According to my friend who told me this for some random reason this morning, search engines rank stuff by popularity, so how many times they are used and not actually how useful/reliable/real/good the information is. However on ABC online there is a little dropdown box beside where you enter your search item that says "search based on..." And the criteria currently selected was "Relevance" so...
Q3: who, or what, makes one page (that you might get in your search results) more useful than another one, so that it is put at the top of your search results?
Well this question kind of threw up on my above theory didn't it? I'm going to stick with it however and say that search engines simply rely on how often a page is used and this is how they judge reliability. Also, it seems like engines highlight all the times your search words as used in the website or article or whatever so this could be another way in which they are choosing the most relevant. Of course this doesn't necessarily mean they are the most relevant.
Q4: what are some of your favourite search engines? why do you like one more than others?
I am a Googler, I always use Google to find things, when i have an assignment or have to find out something my first thought is "I'll Google it!" Not only is this fun to say but also really automatic. I think the reason for this is simply availability, at my high school Google was the homepage and that was the one that everyone used due to this. I have never really used Yahoo but i do sometimes use MSN but mainly i am a Googler.
Q5: Can you find some current news stories about search engines?
Google has been in the news a bit saying how in the future they think machines will be the ones doing all the language translation and not top linguists. I kind of thought that was already happening...
Okay, that is the end of last week's work that I have done this week.
Bye again
This is my second post of the day because last week there was so much to do i panicked a little and only got half of it done. So...luckily this week's stuff was a little easier and i did it. So here is last week's stuff...
Basically it involved answering a few questions about search engines. I got my information from my brain, a friend who mentioned something this morning and Wikipedia and ABC online for the last question.
Q1: What is a search engine?
My own definition doesn't make a lot of sense but this is my blog so you have to hear it...
A search engine is the place where you start that gives you websites relating to the topic you enter into the search engine...and now for the real definition:
According to Wikipedia.net a search engine is "...an information retrieval system designed to help find information stored in a computer system..."
Q2: How do search engines rank the stuff they find on the Internet?
According to my friend who told me this for some random reason this morning, search engines rank stuff by popularity, so how many times they are used and not actually how useful/reliable/real/good the information is. However on ABC online there is a little dropdown box beside where you enter your search item that says "search based on..." And the criteria currently selected was "Relevance" so...
Q3: who, or what, makes one page (that you might get in your search results) more useful than another one, so that it is put at the top of your search results?
Well this question kind of threw up on my above theory didn't it? I'm going to stick with it however and say that search engines simply rely on how often a page is used and this is how they judge reliability. Also, it seems like engines highlight all the times your search words as used in the website or article or whatever so this could be another way in which they are choosing the most relevant. Of course this doesn't necessarily mean they are the most relevant.
Q4: what are some of your favourite search engines? why do you like one more than others?
I am a Googler, I always use Google to find things, when i have an assignment or have to find out something my first thought is "I'll Google it!" Not only is this fun to say but also really automatic. I think the reason for this is simply availability, at my high school Google was the homepage and that was the one that everyone used due to this. I have never really used Yahoo but i do sometimes use MSN but mainly i am a Googler.
Q5: Can you find some current news stories about search engines?
Google has been in the news a bit saying how in the future they think machines will be the ones doing all the language translation and not top linguists. I kind of thought that was already happening...
Okay, that is the end of last week's work that I have done this week.
Bye again
Picture Time!
Okay, hi.
So the task for this week is to put pictures/images up which represent certain things-summer, friends etc. I have found all my pictures from the web due to the lack of camera and am so unsure about them it is not even funny but here they are-
This is image one and it is supposed to represent "Friends". I think it does this as who isn't friends with their teddy bear? If you in fact have a teddy bear. Plus i love garfield and thought this picture was really cute.
For anyone who doesn't know (and everyone should!) this is the spaceship "Serenity" from tv show Firefly and the movie Serenity. It is supposed to represent "high-tech" and what is more high tech than a spaceship? I probably should have found a picture of a real spaceship and not a tvland one but...this is me and i really love Serenity and Firefly.
Okay, so technically i used two pictures but they totally relate to one another...and of course a tv show! This is the Daily Planet in "Smallville' (bottom image) which of course is in Superman (top image) as well. The representation is supposed to be of news and what makes you think of news quicker than the Daily Planet? Probably a lot of things but i chose this one.
Again two images here. I wanted to be kind of different and think outside the box but i also don't want to fail my assessment by doing something stupid and weird. The top picture is of Rachel Bilson the actress who played "Summer" in the OC and the bottom picture is of a kid at the beach in "Summer"time...so of course the representation is Summer. I also had a picture of Summer Glau, an actress and a beach ball but I'll spare you those- i think the weird kid is enough.
The next topic we had to represent was simply "unconventional" which was a really hard thing to pinpoint coz not only is it intangible but everyone's idea of conventional and unconventional are not necessarily the same. So above i have two pictures both depicting Patch Adams, a doctor who in like the sixties or seventies (not sure of time) who used "unconventional" methods to help his patients. If you've seen the movie you'll know but if you haven't basically he used entertainment and laughter in much the same way as clowns and special organisations like Camp Quality do nowadays to make time in hospital a little less awful for people. The first picture is the real Patch Adams and the one beneath is Robin Williams playing him in the movie "Patch Adams".
The final topic is university life. The first photo is the obvious view, students in a library looking all smart and studious and then the bottom photo is the university life after dark kind of thing, Greek Week, toga parties are part of uni life as well so there is that.
Well I hope you enjoyed my little picture show, i now have to do the task for last week which i didn't get finished...oops.
Bye
Friday, March 23, 2007
Scavenger Hunt
Hi it's me again.
This week's task is to answer a bunch of slightly kooky questions by using the Internet. I for one am a huge lover of the Google but we have to use "alternatives" here so if all my answers are wrong then it's not my fault-they should have let me use Google!
Question 1: What is the weight of the world's biggest pumpkin?
The Journey: Am wondering if there will ever be a time in my life where i will need this information but am looking anyway. Tried Guniess World Records which i thought was rather creative but no match so am trying ask jeeves. Okay have done that and am amazed by the newfound knowledge that there are actual websites called "Ten Steps to a Giant Pumpkin" People actually do this? Still ahve to find the record though so...
Answer: Okay found it, not entirely positive it is correct but can't find anything else and really don't want to spend the whole tute on one question so...the world's heaviest pumpkin was grown by Ron Wallace in Rhode Island and weighed...1502 pounds. This is the 2006 record.
Source: http://www.backyardgardener.com/record.html
Question 2: What is the best way to contact Grant Hackett?
The Journey: Seriosuly, the last person i would ever think to contact but here goes...okay there is officially a website for every stalker. I actually found a website called contactanycelebrity.com but it charges you money and i will find a free way if it kills me.
Answer: Do not have one. This question cannot be answered by me and my lack of internet knowledge. If you really want to contact Grant Hackett you'll just have to ask someone else.
Question 3: What is the length of a giraffe's tongue?
The Journey: One word-ew.
Answer: Again gross, the giraffe can extend its tongue up to 18 inches or 45 cm.
Source: www.animalplanet.com
Question 4: How would you define the world "ontology"?
The Journey: Again, something easy. i like words so i know a website...i hope
Answer: According to the source it is "the metaphysical study of the nature of being or existence" and my translation of this is to study the idea of "being" so living i guess, existing by using philosphy like speculative or abstract reasoning (metaphysically).
Source: www.dictionary.com
Question 5: What was David Cronenberg's first movie?
The Journey: This is actually a totally easy one for me (thank god!) IMBD is like my favorite website and has everything about movies ever...practically.
Answer: Stereo in 1969 as director and writer.
Source: www.imdb.com (Internet Movie Database)
Question 6: When was the original Hacker's Manifesto written?
The Journey: I really hope this is not a serial killer's book...Okay it's not a serial killer book but it is really confusing. I have found two answers so i will put them both down.
Answer 1: A Hacker Manifesto by McKenzie Wark was published October 4, 2004.
Source: www.amazon.com
Answer 2: The Hacker Manifesto by The Mentor. Written January 8 1986.
Source: www.mithral.com
Question 7: Why do all the phone numbers in Hollywood films start with 555?
The Journey: Exactly no idea where I'm going to find the answer to this one...
Answer: Okay i think i accidentally stumbled on a site that was a blog of a previous student in this class even though i did it through askjeeves.com. The answer is apparently to keep people from seeing real numbers on screen and attempting to call them and harassing poor people who are not actually characters in a movie. It started about 30 years ago according to my source.
Source: http://sanchia.blogspot.com/
Question 8: What is the cheapest form of travel from Crete to Rhodes?
The Journey: Am trying to remember that commercial that advertises all those air fares, the one on tv about all the different air lines being there but as I have no idea where Crete or Rhodes is, i might start there.
Answer: Crete and Rhodes are in Athens and the cheapest way to get from one to the other is by ferry.
Source: www.lonelyplanet.com
Question 9: What song was top of the Australian Pop Charts this week in 1965?
Answer: "If I ruled the world" by Tony Bennet
Source: Took from another member of class.
Question 10: Which Brisbane band includes Stephen Stockwell on keyboards and vocals?
Answer: Black Assasins
Source: Another member of the class again.
All done! Have to admit that I did use Msn.com a little, but mainly as a starter. Kind of learnt that i actually do know some ways other than Google to find stuff which is good to know. At least now i wonlt have to say "I'll google it!" with everything...but that's still fun to say and the easiest way!
This week's task is to answer a bunch of slightly kooky questions by using the Internet. I for one am a huge lover of the Google but we have to use "alternatives" here so if all my answers are wrong then it's not my fault-they should have let me use Google!
Question 1: What is the weight of the world's biggest pumpkin?
The Journey: Am wondering if there will ever be a time in my life where i will need this information but am looking anyway. Tried Guniess World Records which i thought was rather creative but no match so am trying ask jeeves. Okay have done that and am amazed by the newfound knowledge that there are actual websites called "Ten Steps to a Giant Pumpkin" People actually do this? Still ahve to find the record though so...
Answer: Okay found it, not entirely positive it is correct but can't find anything else and really don't want to spend the whole tute on one question so...the world's heaviest pumpkin was grown by Ron Wallace in Rhode Island and weighed...1502 pounds. This is the 2006 record.
Source: http://www.backyardgardener.com/record.html
Question 2: What is the best way to contact Grant Hackett?
The Journey: Seriosuly, the last person i would ever think to contact but here goes...okay there is officially a website for every stalker. I actually found a website called contactanycelebrity.com but it charges you money and i will find a free way if it kills me.
Answer: Do not have one. This question cannot be answered by me and my lack of internet knowledge. If you really want to contact Grant Hackett you'll just have to ask someone else.
Question 3: What is the length of a giraffe's tongue?
The Journey: One word-ew.
Answer: Again gross, the giraffe can extend its tongue up to 18 inches or 45 cm.
Source: www.animalplanet.com
Question 4: How would you define the world "ontology"?
The Journey: Again, something easy. i like words so i know a website...i hope
Answer: According to the source it is "the metaphysical study of the nature of being or existence" and my translation of this is to study the idea of "being" so living i guess, existing by using philosphy like speculative or abstract reasoning (metaphysically).
Source: www.dictionary.com
Question 5: What was David Cronenberg's first movie?
The Journey: This is actually a totally easy one for me (thank god!) IMBD is like my favorite website and has everything about movies ever...practically.
Answer: Stereo in 1969 as director and writer.
Source: www.imdb.com (Internet Movie Database)
Question 6: When was the original Hacker's Manifesto written?
The Journey: I really hope this is not a serial killer's book...Okay it's not a serial killer book but it is really confusing. I have found two answers so i will put them both down.
Answer 1: A Hacker Manifesto by McKenzie Wark was published October 4, 2004.
Source: www.amazon.com
Answer 2: The Hacker Manifesto by The Mentor. Written January 8 1986.
Source: www.mithral.com
Question 7: Why do all the phone numbers in Hollywood films start with 555?
The Journey: Exactly no idea where I'm going to find the answer to this one...
Answer: Okay i think i accidentally stumbled on a site that was a blog of a previous student in this class even though i did it through askjeeves.com. The answer is apparently to keep people from seeing real numbers on screen and attempting to call them and harassing poor people who are not actually characters in a movie. It started about 30 years ago according to my source.
Source: http://sanchia.blogspot.com/
Question 8: What is the cheapest form of travel from Crete to Rhodes?
The Journey: Am trying to remember that commercial that advertises all those air fares, the one on tv about all the different air lines being there but as I have no idea where Crete or Rhodes is, i might start there.
Answer: Crete and Rhodes are in Athens and the cheapest way to get from one to the other is by ferry.
Source: www.lonelyplanet.com
Question 9: What song was top of the Australian Pop Charts this week in 1965?
Answer: "If I ruled the world" by Tony Bennet
Source: Took from another member of class.
Question 10: Which Brisbane band includes Stephen Stockwell on keyboards and vocals?
Answer: Black Assasins
Source: Another member of the class again.
All done! Have to admit that I did use Msn.com a little, but mainly as a starter. Kind of learnt that i actually do know some ways other than Google to find stuff which is good to know. At least now i wonlt have to say "I'll google it!" with everything...but that's still fun to say and the easiest way!
Friday, March 16, 2007
Another Week, Another Whinge
Hi all, (if there is even anyone there then horray!)
Another week so another lot of text from me going on about nothing (yay!) Feel free to run now if the mood so takes you. If not...
Have just looked at some other people's blogs for this class and have a feeling maybe I am totally going to fail this assessment but at least now I have some people on my blog-yay! Even if I'm going to fail I still have to do this week's tutorial task which is actually pretty good and simple so that's good. I like actually having something to write about, gives me some focus and keeps me from staring blankly into space and then making an idiot of myself on screen (I think I've already done that! Just in case I haven't-here's more!)
So first I am going to do this task which is a simple kind of discussion about me and technology and what I use. Firstly I hardly ever use the internet which explains why I am so, so, so, so very, very, very bad at this class and why my blog is about as interesting as that stupid tv show about meerkats (sorry if you like that show, I really don't). I am a firm believer in speaking rather than typing (despite wanting to be a writer) and I am a huge lover of sarcasm (thank you Joss Whedon-if you don't know who Joss Whedon is, get off my blog! Just kidding you can stay). Due to this Whedon sarcasm I so love I find it a bad idea to speak over the internet as sometimes sarcasm doesn't always commute and people think that when I say things I really mean them, and I don't always. Also, I am kind of weirdly obsessive compulsive about spelling and on the Internet people's spelling is bad and that depresses me. So, due to this I don't have any people that I only know over the net and personally I find that kind of strange but as I haven't experienced it I can't really judge. But having read all those media exaggerated articles on little girls getting kidnapped and stuff due to internet buddies I am just a little bit over-cautious. There's just something about the person you're talking to possibly being fifty thousand years old and a murdering freak that kind of weirds me out. Crazy huh? (oh and there's the sarcasm!) When I was a bit younger I went on some chat rooms and ended up in trouble with my parents so that might have something to do with it too...
I do however use other communication technologies quite extensively, for example like most teenagers (I'm exaclty 18 and one week in case anyone cares) I can't live without my mobile phone, however I am constantly living without credit! But texting friends (and parents looking for me!) has become the kind of lifeline I can't live without. The other day I was wondering what I did before I had a mobile and honestly, I could hardly remember. That kind of frightened me. My phone, for anyone who cares is pink and a flip phone which are the only two reasons I bought it. It's small and cute, I can't tell you what it does that makes it fancy or fun, I do know there is like one game on there and a camera but I only use it to text and receive calls (I never have enough credit to make any!)
I've had a mobile for about three years I think, not too certain I have the worst memory! And use it all the time (as stated above). The great thing about it is that my cousin lives in Leeton (tiny Stars Hollow-esque town in NSW that you kind of crash into on your way through two slightly larger but still tiny towns) and I text her a lot coz I don't have an email address that I have told her. I guess now that I have one I can text it to her! Ah, the joys of communication technologies.
The other communication technology that I cannot live without (sadly) is the television. That fun world of attention deficit. I rarely watch the news but I recently have started to a lot more often but usually use tv to kill my brain cells with stupid shows, many from the US. I find myself, more and more constantly using pop culture references from TV shows, mainly ones like Gilmore Girls (I am totally addicted and not ashamed to admit it...okay I'm a little ashamed.) Also Supernatural (again addicted and a little ashamed), Smallville, Simpsons (kind of hate it but can't avoid it), Charmed, Buffy, Firefly (there's your Joss Whedon) etc. All the ones that make people shake their heads at me in disgust. An offset of this is the movie theatre which I constantly frequent and also use references and many quotes from and of course the DVD player. I can't imagine life without these three things.
One technology I use more than any other is my laptop. I am wanting to be a writer (I'm not really one yet but am trying!) and so use that constantly. Not sure if that counts as communication though as I don't really show it to people...
And the last one I will babble about is my CD player. I got two new cds yesterday and so this morning I played one as I was getting ready for uni. It was Evermore Real Life (if anyone cares) and due to this I have had Unbreakable (track 3 or 4) stuck in my head all day-I guess that's an example of how technology can affect you all day huh? I usually use my CD player whenever I am on my laptop or in my room but also listen to the radio a lot so I hear the news sometimes but not very often (I change channels to hear more music! Oops!)
Now that I have (hopefully!) answered the tutorial task (if not...damn, there's that failing thing) I am going to say some stuff about the lecutre I had this morning. By the way despite what it says on my blog posts it is Friday, the 16th March and about, I don't know, between 3 and 5 o clock I guess.
Okay, so in the lecture we watched a movie called Alphaville, okay maybe it was just me and maybe I was just distracted by the freakily deep scary voice of the voiceover guy that effectively wigged me out but that movie was confusing! So far it is making absolutely no sense to me. I hope that by saying this I have not just condemned myself to an even worse mark... But seriously I get that there are French people, apparently there are some hookers and a guy with a camera but...yeah that's about it! I really did try to concentrate which for me is a HUGE feat, I have a very, very small attention span, one that does not really commute French black and white movies apparently. I have used commute twice in this blog and am kind of wondering if I used it in the right context...I hope so.
Yeah, so the movie confused me and that guy's name Charles Babbage (dude who invented the difference engine and attempted that other engine that didn't take off-see I was listening!) just amused me to no end (yes I am actually a five year old masquarading as a uni student-well this is the internet!) All I could think about was that if I had known this guy his nickname so would have been Cabbage! I know, I know I did warn you in my first post that I am not that funny. Sorry.
Okay that is all I am going to write for now, I think I have written enough, I have definitely written more than I did for my original post which after seeing some others I am worried is too short. If so...eh. Okay, have a good week and wait for next week's adventure.
Another week so another lot of text from me going on about nothing (yay!) Feel free to run now if the mood so takes you. If not...
Have just looked at some other people's blogs for this class and have a feeling maybe I am totally going to fail this assessment but at least now I have some people on my blog-yay! Even if I'm going to fail I still have to do this week's tutorial task which is actually pretty good and simple so that's good. I like actually having something to write about, gives me some focus and keeps me from staring blankly into space and then making an idiot of myself on screen (I think I've already done that! Just in case I haven't-here's more!)
So first I am going to do this task which is a simple kind of discussion about me and technology and what I use. Firstly I hardly ever use the internet which explains why I am so, so, so, so very, very, very bad at this class and why my blog is about as interesting as that stupid tv show about meerkats (sorry if you like that show, I really don't). I am a firm believer in speaking rather than typing (despite wanting to be a writer) and I am a huge lover of sarcasm (thank you Joss Whedon-if you don't know who Joss Whedon is, get off my blog! Just kidding you can stay). Due to this Whedon sarcasm I so love I find it a bad idea to speak over the internet as sometimes sarcasm doesn't always commute and people think that when I say things I really mean them, and I don't always. Also, I am kind of weirdly obsessive compulsive about spelling and on the Internet people's spelling is bad and that depresses me. So, due to this I don't have any people that I only know over the net and personally I find that kind of strange but as I haven't experienced it I can't really judge. But having read all those media exaggerated articles on little girls getting kidnapped and stuff due to internet buddies I am just a little bit over-cautious. There's just something about the person you're talking to possibly being fifty thousand years old and a murdering freak that kind of weirds me out. Crazy huh? (oh and there's the sarcasm!) When I was a bit younger I went on some chat rooms and ended up in trouble with my parents so that might have something to do with it too...
I do however use other communication technologies quite extensively, for example like most teenagers (I'm exaclty 18 and one week in case anyone cares) I can't live without my mobile phone, however I am constantly living without credit! But texting friends (and parents looking for me!) has become the kind of lifeline I can't live without. The other day I was wondering what I did before I had a mobile and honestly, I could hardly remember. That kind of frightened me. My phone, for anyone who cares is pink and a flip phone which are the only two reasons I bought it. It's small and cute, I can't tell you what it does that makes it fancy or fun, I do know there is like one game on there and a camera but I only use it to text and receive calls (I never have enough credit to make any!)
I've had a mobile for about three years I think, not too certain I have the worst memory! And use it all the time (as stated above). The great thing about it is that my cousin lives in Leeton (tiny Stars Hollow-esque town in NSW that you kind of crash into on your way through two slightly larger but still tiny towns) and I text her a lot coz I don't have an email address that I have told her. I guess now that I have one I can text it to her! Ah, the joys of communication technologies.
The other communication technology that I cannot live without (sadly) is the television. That fun world of attention deficit. I rarely watch the news but I recently have started to a lot more often but usually use tv to kill my brain cells with stupid shows, many from the US. I find myself, more and more constantly using pop culture references from TV shows, mainly ones like Gilmore Girls (I am totally addicted and not ashamed to admit it...okay I'm a little ashamed.) Also Supernatural (again addicted and a little ashamed), Smallville, Simpsons (kind of hate it but can't avoid it), Charmed, Buffy, Firefly (there's your Joss Whedon) etc. All the ones that make people shake their heads at me in disgust. An offset of this is the movie theatre which I constantly frequent and also use references and many quotes from and of course the DVD player. I can't imagine life without these three things.
One technology I use more than any other is my laptop. I am wanting to be a writer (I'm not really one yet but am trying!) and so use that constantly. Not sure if that counts as communication though as I don't really show it to people...
And the last one I will babble about is my CD player. I got two new cds yesterday and so this morning I played one as I was getting ready for uni. It was Evermore Real Life (if anyone cares) and due to this I have had Unbreakable (track 3 or 4) stuck in my head all day-I guess that's an example of how technology can affect you all day huh? I usually use my CD player whenever I am on my laptop or in my room but also listen to the radio a lot so I hear the news sometimes but not very often (I change channels to hear more music! Oops!)
Now that I have (hopefully!) answered the tutorial task (if not...damn, there's that failing thing) I am going to say some stuff about the lecutre I had this morning. By the way despite what it says on my blog posts it is Friday, the 16th March and about, I don't know, between 3 and 5 o clock I guess.
Okay, so in the lecture we watched a movie called Alphaville, okay maybe it was just me and maybe I was just distracted by the freakily deep scary voice of the voiceover guy that effectively wigged me out but that movie was confusing! So far it is making absolutely no sense to me. I hope that by saying this I have not just condemned myself to an even worse mark... But seriously I get that there are French people, apparently there are some hookers and a guy with a camera but...yeah that's about it! I really did try to concentrate which for me is a HUGE feat, I have a very, very small attention span, one that does not really commute French black and white movies apparently. I have used commute twice in this blog and am kind of wondering if I used it in the right context...I hope so.
Yeah, so the movie confused me and that guy's name Charles Babbage (dude who invented the difference engine and attempted that other engine that didn't take off-see I was listening!) just amused me to no end (yes I am actually a five year old masquarading as a uni student-well this is the internet!) All I could think about was that if I had known this guy his nickname so would have been Cabbage! I know, I know I did warn you in my first post that I am not that funny. Sorry.
Okay that is all I am going to write for now, I think I have written enough, I have definitely written more than I did for my original post which after seeing some others I am worried is too short. If so...eh. Okay, have a good week and wait for next week's adventure.
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