What Could Happen to the Internet in Future? Let's Predict...

This is my final Blog, and I have 3 predictions on the future of the internet in the next say 10 years.

As of today, we are not only able to shop, bank, meet, and work with people online, but also share what we are doing every single minute by updating our statuses on social networking sites such as the Facebook or Twitter.

Moreover, we are also able to read online books, listen to music online at places like Youtube.com, watch the latest movies or TV series on Baidu, Zshare, and so on, as well as sharing and airing our views on a certain hot issue through blogging on LiveJournal and rating our favorite content of the day.

However, as we do know, technology and the Internet will continue to develop and evolve and there is no stopping this. Right now, its perils are equal to its potential. The debate over ‘net neutrality’ is at a fever pitch. There is a tug-of-war going on between an ‘open web’ and a more governed form of the web (like the Apple-approved apps on the iPad/iPhone) that has more security but less freedom.

So, what does this mean for the evolution of the Internet? Here are my Predictions.



Prediction 1:
The Death of the Open Web-The Internet's vulnerability is due to the introduction of Internet-centric products like the IPad or Smartphones which are not easily modified by anyone except their vendors and their approved partners. Moreover, these new technologies tend to have a higher degree of reliability as compared to the Internet, because they do not allow unapproved third-party code (such as the kind that could be used to install a virus) to run on them. Therefore, the security risks of the Internet may potentially kill it.

Prediction 2:
Interactive Landscapes-For example, billboards that watch us shop will make targeted suggestions based on our ages, locations and past buying habits, and stores will effectively be turned inside out as dialogue and personalized interaction with customers begins outside the store.

In my view, I sincerely hope this would not happen, at least not in Singapore, because I would get the feeling as if the sales assistant of the store is tailing me and breathing down my neck...EEWW!! Furthermore, I cannot imagine myself being attended to by a holographic salesperson, it's just not natural.

Prediction 3:
Creation of Cyborgs-We might be capable enough in future to install the Internet directly into a person through a tiny micro-chip. For instance, a blind person could have a micro-chip surgically implanted into his or her eye that transmit a signal to the brain to form an image.


"Through technology, we hold the reins to our own revolution". The future of the Internet would be decided by our actions, choices and decisions.

Here is a little tidbit which I would love to share with you readers, its a joke about the future technologies which we could have in future XD

My Second Last Post: Searching through the Internet for New Games

My Com125 Blog posting is almost over, that's a great piece of news to me so I decided to slack a little, and do a write up on a particular game which I am currently crazy about, which of course I found on the Internet.

I am not sure if you heard about this game, but from what I know, it is a little old, and it is called Swords and Scandals 2. I chanced upon this game by accident; I was looking for Diner Dash, but this popped up in my search on Google so out of curiosity, I clicked on the link and ended up getting myself addicted to this, hahaha.

If you haven't got a clue what this game is about, I suggest you watch this clip from a match in the gladiator arena between your gladiator and your computer controlled gladiator.



As I was reading through the experiences of other players for this game to see what skills I have to upgrade to improve my gladiator's performance level for every tournament round(s) in which there would be a boss in-charge of that particular level; you would have to beat him if you want to advance to the next, but please note that each boss has a specialty (e.g. agility, strength, magicka, defence, etc.) and are stronger than the ones you faced before/in the previous round(s).

In the first few rounds, I was so frustrated due to my inability to overcome the First Tournament Head "John the Butcher" that I searched the entire web for cheat codes which could allow me to gain limitless points for upgrades. After searching for a short while, guess what? I found a site which guided players to install the "cheating system". Check out the link for more information

http://www.cheatbook.de/files/swordsandsandals2emperorsreign.htm


I truly appreciate what the Internet has given me-fast information, quick searches, free downloads and games, the list seems endless. The Internet has allowed me to enjoy a wide range free games without having to buy any of them, and because of all these benefits presented to me I can't deny the fact that I love the Internet. I sure hope it does not disappear in the near future.

Google TV VS Apple TV

Here is a video which compares the differences between the Apple TV and the Google TV and recommends the better of the two.



What I Think?
Indeed, I have to admit that comparing the two TVs is just like making a comparison between apples and oranges, because they are just too different. Despite so, I have to agree with the dude on Youtube and say that it really depends on what you want to do with your TV.

You would choose the Apple TV for sure if you want to get access to a variety of movies and TV Dramas, Youtube and Netflix for downloading as well as having music and videos stored in iTunes on your computer.

However, should you not want to rely on iTunes and want full web browsing capability through your TV set, Google TV would be the one you should be gunning for; it also allows access to thousands of movies, Netflix included.

But just in case if you want the best of both worlds, I would recommend that you get a new HD TV with built in Google TV, then an Apple TV device through one of the extra inputs on the back of the TV, and you will have the full panoply of home media services – music, movies and web browsing.

Internet and Journalism, can they actually co-exist?

Welcome to my 10th Blog entry which will discuss about the capability of the Internet and Traditional Journalism being able to co-exist with each other successfully.

The Internet, Web 2.0, the dawn of Citizen Journalism has created concerns for the Professional Journalistic Community. Some professional journalists are threatened by the fact that they have a higher chance of losing their jobs, and printing companies are afraid that they might be losing or running out of business due to the decrease in demand for printed news or newspapers.

Do watch this cartoon which highlighted the concerns and benefits of the new form of Journalism; this is being portrayed by two characters, the traditional newspaper and the computer. Its pretty funny, that's what I think.



What are Citizen Journalists?
Citizen Journalists are people like myself who post the latest news, our viewpoints, and encourage comments from people from all walks of life as long as they have access to the internet, on our blogs, etc.

Why Does the Pro-Journalism Community React the way they do?
Since the professional journalists were the ones who held the monopoly on international news, I can totally understand why they are not yet ready or willing to give some of their "written prowess" to the unprofessional citizen journalists/bloggers.

My View
However, I think that they are making too much of an issue of this revolution, because in days before the World Wide Web, I believe that as a pro-journalist, they were already integrating new technologies into their news-gathering techniques as time changes and technology advances; they should stop whining and adapt to this change.

For instance, previously news was recorded with a pen and paper by the journalist who was at the scene, then tape recorders emerge which helped a typical old-fashioned journalist to not miss out any important points for a particular story that he or she was covering, and so on. Today, news reporters/journalists still continue to utilize this piece of equipment.

My point is that the Internet is just another tool which pro-journalists can use to distribute unbiased, accurate and updated information at a much efficient and quicker rate to the citizens of their respective countries and contribute to the global "news pool".

Moreover, professional journalists come and go, newspaper companies are profit-motivated, so it should not be of any surprise if such journalists were fired or retrenched for not having good column ratings or not being able to get interesting news.



Beware of News Online of Citizen Journalists
Citizen Journalists/Bloggers tend to write their post/news from a very personal viewpoint which has a higher tendency to be biased as compared to the pro-journalists.

However, citizen journalists do allow other perspectives to surface which to be honest is not a bad thing, because it encourages readers to have a much more wider understanding and perhaps call for certain actions to be carried out to address "grievances". A good example would be the Foreign Workers issue in Singapore.

Conclusion
All in all, I feel that the Internet and Journalism can exist together, and that this revolution should be viewed in a more optimistic way.

Additional Information
This video shows varying viewpoints on the Journalism Revolution

The Internet, the force in Politics for and used by Politicials

Hey guys, welcome to my 9th Blog which intends to identify the link between Politics and the Internet. Mr. Abel had previously highlighted the use of the internet by Barack Obama during the 2008 US Election. Initially, I just wanted to emphasize the effective ways with the help of the internet of course, which helped further Obama's Campaign that led to his victory.

However, since the Singapore's 2011 General Elections is coming up in May as well, I decided to include this segment by making a comparison between the usage of the internet by Obama, the People's Action Party (PAP), and the Opposition to rally support from the masses to further their cause.

Indeed, the success of the Obama Campaign had resulted in the Singapore Government's better understanding of the internet, but we cannot deny the fact that both parties have come a long way from the "Manual" style of campaigning to a combination of "Manual" and "Cyber" style of campaigning; this allowed these parties to reach out not only to the middle or older generation of voters, but also the younger "above 21 years" generation of voters, and get them to be more aware, more interested, and more participative in the coming "Social Media" Elections.

Similarities

In addition to going around and meeting the residents of the different constituencies, candidates used numerous forms of social media.

1. All parties engage the use of online video, blogging, and social networking to establish an even more meaningful connections between the candidate and voters; this helps in the strengthening of relationships between the average Singaporean and candidate/ potential candidate.

• The People's Action Party had 41 out of the 81 PAP members in parliament join Facebook in 2010. For instance, George Yeo, Minister of Foreign Affairs and a MP of Aljunied GRC actively shares snippets of his personal life and work as a Minister with his 17,000 fans on Facebook to strengthen his vote base, and gain the confidence of the citizens.

• Another example would be the Opposition, the Worker's Party in Singapore which uploaded short speeches of their candidates on Youtube to increase their popularity, especially if they made good rebuttals that Singaporeans appreciate.

• Similarly, President Obama of the United States of America createdMy.BarackObama.com for his presidential campaign, the campaign's online social networking website, and it reaped five million "friends" on more than 15 social media sites and three million friends on Facebook alone when the election ended.

Here are 3 videos which proves my point, but the last video was already shown during Mr. Abel's lecture, so I am really sorry about that...anyways, Enjoy :)

Diferences
While the Obama Campaign used a wide range of social media for fundraising which successfully allowed him to gain more funds to propel himself further in the "rat-race", the Singapore government had restricted the marketing efforts of political parties. Other than the "I love SDP" Danny Bear Mascot, and the easily identifiable "white shirt and white pants",and so on, that's just it.

I expect to see more of these approaches in future Singapore elections, so just a gentle reminder to those who are like myself, a first time voter, to remember to cast your votes on the 7th of May 2011...or you would be in trouble...oops XDXD

Virtual Realities Solely for Entertainment Sake?

There are many who have avatars in a world in a dimension known as the Virtual Reality (VR). VR is something like an online community. In this alternate cyber world, characters/people are able to buy and sell properties in their own currency, make new friends, etc., while enjoying the experience as if it were some interactive game which consist of multiple players.
Here is a video about Second Life which is a 3D Virtual Reality...



While having fun in this virtual reality may be for the average people like you and me, the concept of the VR is used to help others who are not as fortunate. For instance, the VR is utilized to aid people who are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), physiotherapy for disabled patients or those who experienced a stroke, as well as the treatment of phobias.

Using a 3D camera and specialized software that captures the patient’s image in the form of avatars. Under the guidance of professional therapists, the patients perform a series of therapeutic activities and exercises in a virtual game-like environment. Scores are then recorded to rate the patients’ performance which would allow them to assess their progresses themselves and boost their self esteems.

Moreover, it can help to increase agility in limbs and the rate of recovery of patients with stroke or those who had encountered unfortunate accidents. To add on, patients who are paralyzed neck-down can use the VR as a way to lead a "normal" life, and this system keeps their brains active and would prevent them from sinking into further depression.

This is a video which shows the effective use of the Visual Reality System by a paralyzed individual.



In addition, the VR helps individuals to conquer their fear of spiders and the horrors of war (for soldiers that is). Professor from Brunswick designed a program for people with arachnophobia (afraid of spiders) known as “Fear of Spiders” to help individuals in overcoming their fear. To add on, soldiers are mentally prepared for warfare by introducing them to games like Call of Duty, Battlefield, and so on.

A trailer from the Call of Duty where one of the soldiers seemed to be retelling his war story/experience.



In conclusion, VR is no longer used by people in just the gaming arena, rather it has been integrated to improve the quality of life for those who are ill or with problems that they are not able to overcome in reality. I sincerely believe that this system will benefit mankind in the long-run.

What I believe are the Top 5 Most Dangerous Viruses ever

Today, my 7th Blog will take on a "red-carpet" sort of approach. Instead of counting down for the best dressed celebrity, I would be announcing the top 4 viruses which I believe are extremely dangerous and caused the most harm to computers, starting from number 4.

Before this happens, I intend to give a little introduction on what computer viruses are capable of doing to your computer(s) and how this happens.

Computer Viruses can cause plenty of problems for users. Although such viruses have a relatively short history, the damages that some of them have caused have prompted cyber-experts to carefully and cautiously review the issue of how to protect the users' computers from virus attacks. Some viruses led to serious damages and affected a large number of companies, universities and even governments.

Here is a video on what computer viruses tend to do to your computer, and other people's computers.



Starting at Number 4:
The Melissa Virus (1999)-This virus was acknowledged in March 1999 when it successfully shut down the Internet Mail System; it got blocked by the e-mails which were infected by this virus, or worms as it is called, and this caused the servers to overload and result to other serious problems. It was hidden in a file called "List.Dic" which featured passwords that served as keys to unlocking 80 pornographic websites, and it was sent through email to different users. Most Importantly, the Melissa Virus had the ability to multiply on Microsoft Word 97 and 2000 and Microsoft Excel 97,2000, and 2003; in addition to all that, the virus could mass mail itself from Microsoft Outlook 97 and 98.

At Number 3:
The Conficker Virus/Downadup worm (2009)-This computer virus had infected an approximate total of 3.5 million worldwide with China, Russia, and Brazil being the three most affected countries. Using the patched Windows flaw (which was intended to distantly compromise computers that ran un-patched versions of Microsoft's Operating System), it spread successfully across the Web. The most destructive power this virus have is that it is capable to make infected computers download destructive codes from a random drop point.

At Number 2:
Nimba (2001)-This virus infected hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide shortly after the unfortunate September 11 incident. Considered to be one of the most complicated viruses, it has 4 different methods of infecting computer systems and is able to duplicate itself; it infects Microsoft Web Server, Internet Information Server (IIS), and computer users who opened e-mail attachments.


Last but Certainly Not the Least, At Number 1:


I Love You Virus (2000)-The virus managed to infect computers around the world overnight. By sending passwords and usernames which were stored in the infected computers, it sent a copy of itself to everyone in the Windows Address Book and with the user's sender address; it also made a number of malicious changes to the user's system.

NOTE: I might be wrong so I truly welcome anyone's opinions on which viruses are the most dangerous and cause the most harm.

Knowing that such viruses do exist, I would suggest computer owners to install an effective anti-virus software like Security All-Suite or Antivirus. Although this might not be foolproof, there is no harm installing a software which protects your computer. I always believe that it is better to be safe than sorry.