The Shadow

2006-12-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

The blognonomous project was a very different and interesting project. I found it to be very user-friendly, and open-ended with clear outlines. There are a few times where it is easy to forget an assignment, but I managed pretty well. I definitely learned more about the internet and privacy. I've always been big on privacy, and I am careful about what information I place online. I liked the secret identity theme. I've created multiple identities before, I think it must be the "secret agent" feel that I like most. From the class reaction, I would say most people, myself included, were able to keep our identity a secret. Now that we have revealed ourselves, let me tell you a little about my names. I got the name Jacques Clouseau from the Pink Panther movies. Clouseau was the clumsy French detective, played by Peter Sellers, who somehow solved the cases. The pink Panther series is a comedy classic I recommend. The name of my blog "The Shadow" was an old time superhero who could become invisible and had psychic powers, basically a dark, mysterious hero who has natural super powers like Superman but cool like Batman. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow (check it out) There was also a movie "The Shadow" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow_%281994_film%29 (this was a good movie) The user name on my blog, Pu Ping, is one of my favorite prank names, it looks normal until you say it. I like posting the assignments online so everyone can read my work and review, even someone not in the class can get information from my blogs. I plan to continue posting blogs as thoughts come to me. I had a lot of fun in this class, I learned a lot about technology, and had fun looking back on old technology I remember. I wish my other classes could be like this class.

2006-12-01T20:31:00.000-08:00

iPod

iPod is the worlds most popular portable digital music player and Apple has sold 15 million since it was launched in 2001. Digital cameras, camcorders and organizers were flooding the markets, but digital music players weren’t user friendly, had very low capacity and didn’t have a good design until the iPod was created.
The main designer Jonathan Ives led the team (which included Jon Rubinstein, Anthony Fadell and Stan Ng) that was working on the iPod and the iMac when Apple was in trouble, but it was Steve Jobs who made the iPod marketable. Jobs was good at looking at technology and knowing what would sell.
“iWoz (Steve Wozniak) said the iPod has changed the world it was a new revolution is Music “Unlike other MP3 players that were coming out at the time, it had its own software that Apple designed (iTunes) and it treated your computer as the center of things. The computer, your main computer, is where all the music can really be stored. The iPod is really a satellite and that turned out to be the perfect way to do things.” (iWoz, by Steve Wozniak, page 298-299, 2006)
The early iPods, released in 2001 was the 1st generation. They were larger than a deck of cards and the mechanical scroll wheel physically turned. They had from 5-10 GB for $399-$499. The 2nd generation in 2002 had a touch sensitive wheel and the FireWire port had a cover. These were 10-20 GB and cost $399-$499. The 3rd generation in 2003 had a dock connector port that became standard for all future iPods and came with touch sensitive buttons. They were from 10GB-40GB and cost from $299-$499. The 4th generation in 2004 had buttons that were integrated into the click wheel. It would be hard to carry around 500, ten song CDs, but my 20GB iPod does this and it is slightly smaller than a deck of cards. Color display was introduced with a photo viewer. These were 20-60GB and cost $299-$500. In October 2005 the 5th generation was released and it had a slimmer design, larger screen with video player. It was introduced in white and for the first time in black. It has 30-80GB and cost $299-$399. The 2006 revision has brighter display, longer video battery life and a music search function.
The iPod can play MP3, AAC/M4A, protected AAC, AIFF, WAV, audiobooks, MPEG-4, purchased music, TV episodes, some TV movies and as of September 12, 2006 it can play full length movies, with prices ranging from $9.99-$14.99. http://en.wikipedia.org.
I think the future of this technology is here to stay because Apple designed it right and succeeded where other MP3 players did not. One of my issues with MP3 players is the fact that the user is tethered to the computer. This is one of the reasons I still favor mini disc. The mini disc also features an optical input. An optical input allows CD quality recording using a fiber optic cable .They are trying to catch up to the iPod, but in my opinion they will never match the iPod. We can now take music, photos and movies with you wherever you go all in your shirt pocket. Maybe in the future we will be able to download and watch on another TV source, they will improve battery life and have faster recharging abilities, have higher capacity memory and decreasing prices while improving technology. In my opinion, there are some things I think should be incorporated into future iPods like having upgrading ability for older models and the ability to record from any source. A voice command maybe a convenient future option.
Bill Gates doesn’t think the success of the iPod can continue in the long term, but Bill is the competition and he is also basing that on Apples previous business problems. If Apple is smart they will not make the same mistakes they made in the past with the computer business. Steve Wozniak felt that the reason they had past problems were because marketing ran the company not the engineers. In an ideal company the engineers would build what they loved then the marketers would market them. But Wozniak loves his iPod and is happy to see Apple doing well again.
Apple designed the hardware and software to work together and there is consistency which makes it compatible and user friendly. The amount of information you can carry around with you is astounding. The iPod is a good product with a bright future.

2006-11-22T11:41:00.000-08:00

Review of Felicity Smith's blog. The most recent article I could find was about online classes.
Smith makes the point thatonline classes cheapen the learning process. I don't think thats entirely true. If you have a bad teacher in a regular class, then you will not learn anything there. And when it comes to basic or pointless required classes, an online course can make it easier.

2006-11-21T20:46:00.000-08:00

I believe the biggest issue is probably the internet. I remember the early days of the internet, and am amazed at how big it has become in such a short time. The internet has completely revolutionized communication worldwide. Small businesses can now sell worldwide. If there is a hard to find item, look it up online. We can read news from any country. The internet is a truely amazing marvel of technology that has affected every aspect of our lives. As with any technological advancement, there is going to be some bad things, but I think the bad things about the internet are small and easilly outweighed by the good. The one problem of any technology is, how dependent are we on it? My philosophy is: if something can go wrong, plan for it. Modern conviences are great, but how many of us know what to do when it does not work? If we have no power how many people will be trying all day to push a switch on a can opener to open a can of food while the rest of us simply use our swiss army knife and enjoy a meal. There is nothing wrong with technology that makes life easier, we just have to know what to do when it does not work.

2006-11-14T21:05:00.000-08:00

Are we happy yet? The digital age has without question put the world at our fingertips. I am always amazed at the flow of information from around the world. Life is faster, check payment for example used to take at least a week to process, now it takes about a day, before computers banks and big businesses would hire accountants to file through all the paperwork and do the calculations overnight, now as we saw in that triumph of the nerds video, a spreadsheet program can cut hours or days of work into a few minutes. Currently, we are still in transition to digital tech, but things are improving, especially as the bugs are fixed. Life is becomming easier and more efficient thanks to technology.

2006-11-10T21:06:00.000-08:00

Review of Frances Hoffman's blog. Hoffman's main concern with electronic voting is the risk of hackers. I like how he brought up the point of paper ballots and a biased recount. Again, with any new technology, there are going to be problems, if these can be worked out then there will be no cause for concern. Hoffman expresses his concerns about electronic voting, but still takes an optimistic look at the technology.

2006-11-07T20:45:00.000-08:00

Electronic voting advantages and disadvantages. Can electronic voting be hacked? Yes, anything can be hacked or broken into, nothing is foolproof. The question is how likely is it to happen? I do not feel hackers are as big of a problem as system errors are. A simple solution is to have the results in each voting location printed on a single sheet, like a receipt, into a locked box, (to prevent tampering), in addition to the results on a harddrive. This will also help reduce use of paper, trees and flower children everywhere will thank us. My experiences with electronic voting have been nothing but positive. Electronic voting is new, so some initial errors are to be expected, but these will be worked out. Looking back on the 2000 election, with so many counts and recounts that you'd think The Count from Sesame Street (who loves to count) was in charge, And lets not forget all the jokes about "hanging chads", do you really think paper ballots are so great and error free? This is the 21'st century. I feel its about time we use computer technology in voting. After all, how can computers improve lives if we don't use them. Where I used to live, I voted on paper ballots where you use a magic marker to connect a line on the canidate you want to vote for. The one old voting style I find laughable in the punch cards. I don't know how many people remember punch card computers, but this technology was phased out in the 1970's, I remember learning a little about them in the '80s, but most of the machines had been replaced with newer, better equipment. Yet 25 years later, this long outdated technology still appears in some voting districts! I worked a lot with the Apple 2 many years ago, its a great machine, but I think it would be a little hard to post this blog, or do a lot of other required assignments today. I would love to see the look on a teachers face if he/she asked to turn in assignments and I hand them a 5 inch floppy disk. I think the electronic voting machines are very easy to use, and that most of the people who complain have computer phobia. (out of curiosity, anyone know what this is called?) I know a few people who are not really computer literate, who have no problem with the electronic voting machines. So why is there so much debate about newer, faster, and more accurate voting technology, and no solutions to the few problems with current electronic voting in the government? That my friends, is a little thing called beaureauracy and politics.

2006-11-03T21:13:00.000-08:00

Review of Fake Name's blog. Fake Name brought up one topic that I agree is a hard part about online classes; getting assignments done on time. Even if someone is not a procrastinator, it is easy to forget about assignments. I agree with Fake Name about regular classes that make you use a stupid online service like angel (which I can't describe without lots of four-letter words). This class is different, I like this class and blogger.com. I found blogger so easy that I was expecting something to go wrong, and nothing did. I am very happy with this class and blogger.com, I wish others were the same. By having a personal website run by the professor and the use of blogger.com, both of which are trouble free, I think I learn more about technology, and have fun at the same time. Overall, Fake Name wrote a very good report. While Fake seems to take a slightly negative view of online classes, due to personal experience, Fake sounds like he/she still maintains an open mind on the issue. I appreciate the compliments, and I don't think fake was too narrow. It is good to keep an open mind, especially with rapidly changing technology, what sucks today may be great tomorrow after the bugs are worked out.

2006-10-31T18:46:00.000-08:00

How effective are online classes? With the rapid advancement of computer technologyrecent years, online education will become a bigger issue. As for my opinion, I do not think there is a general yes or no answer because it is a case by case basis. While online classes may not work in one scenario, it may be perfect for another. For example; a chemistry class has laboratory work that few people have the equipment to perform. Many other traditional classes have fieldtrips and hands-on activities that make learning fun. These activities can not be performed on a computer alone. The good news about online classes is in the case of English of really boring philosophy classes. These classes are mostly reading, so nothing is lost by reading in the comfort of your own home where you can take a break when needed, unlike in a classroom, (especially if you get a "Ben Stein" type of teacher). Online classes are great for people who live far away, or if you are in a small university, (like F.G.C.U.) that has required classes, (but does not offer a lot of the damned classes!). An online class from another university can sometimes be taken for credit. It is important to remember that online classes still have due dates, so don't get too comfortable. In conclusion I think online classes are a good thing. While they can't replace certain classes, they can replace a lot of topics that can be extremely boring in a traditional classroom. It is the 21'st century, and technology is going to have an increasing influence in just about every aspect of life, so its good to analyize different situations.

2006-10-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

The videos I have posted are some pretty funny commercials from wolkswagen. I like to have a little comedy in my blog. Check them out.

VW GTi Commercial (Wrecking Ball)

2006-10-27T09:18:00.000-07:00


VW commercial with Helga and some sort of mad scientist engineer that deal with "pimped out" rides. Check out www.vwfeatures.com (or www.vw.com) for more info.

VW GTi Commercial (Catapult)

2006-10-27T09:16:00.000-07:00


VW commercial with Helga and some sort of mad scientist engineer that deal with "pimped out" rides. Check out www.vwfeatures.com (or www.vw.com) for more info.

2006-10-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

Review of Gabriella's blog. After reading Gabriella's blog, I agree with what she said about video games being used as a scapegoat. Another great point is how many parents are never home and have no contact with their children. This is a terrible problem. My parents looked after me when I was a kid, and while they couldn't be everywhere I was, I feel I made resopnsible decisions because they did their job as parents. I also agree with her on the Janet Jackson incident. I personally don't see what the big deal was over her showing her breast, it's probably about as real as her brother's nose. I am happy to see that Gabriella and others see the hyprocracy of the media.

2006-10-26T18:51:00.000-07:00

What effect does "virtual violence" have on real life? In my opinion, very little. First of all, the majority of video gamers are in the late teens to 20's, most in their 20's, therefore I don't see how it can affect on kids when they don't play it. The age group of gamers is also the reason why there are a lot of mature game titles. Its because the manufactures are listening to the market demands, not because they are trying to push an agenda. There are plenty of games that are made for younger players. When you compare violent video games to television, movies and music, video games are nothing. I think movies are much more violent and realistic. Many movies have wanton and gratuitous violence, in music a lot of rap songs promote violence and denigration of women, yet the media, (the same media that complains about video games) either says nothing, or in most cases actually promotes it. I think that is hippocratic horseshit. While graphics are getting better on video games, movies are real people acting on film, and are viewed by a much larger audience. I think some of the war games might make younger people appreciate their parents and/or grandparents who are veterans, because they can virtually experience what their parents and/or grandparents experienced in real life. While stories are great, virtual experience gives you a better perspective than words alone. Violent crime has been around much longer than video games. Some people blame games because they don't want to accept personal responsibility or the fact that some people are just plain evil. As someone stated in class,"Did the game Frogger make people go play in traffic?"
I love video games, I've played them all my life, from the Atari to Nintendo to Playstation 2. Violent video games did not yet exist when I was a kid, so my parents did not have that concern. I would not let a kid play a some of the games I play until they are more mature. Video games are just that, a game. It is a fun fantasy that can improve hand/eye coordination relieve stress and have fun. I wonder how many people who complain about video games actually played or viewed them, so they actually know what they are talking about.

2006-10-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

Review of worthmoreblog. This person takes a very different look at star trek. Taking a somewhat pessimistic view, the author suggests that star trek is a fantasy for people who pollute to be able to go to another planet when the current one is too polluted. I disagree. As I stated before, I think Star Trek brings out that sense of adventure and exploration in people. It has inspired many creative people to invent stuff to improve lives.

2006-10-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

The Wizard of Woz

Steve Wozinak is a co-founder of the Apple computer, who along with Steve Jobs started the personal computer revolution in 1976. Stephen “Woz” Wozinak was born in California in 1950. When “Woz” (as he was called) was 13 he won a science contest for building a computer-like machine, which could add and subtract. “Even in grammar school Wozinak would get so engrossed in mathematical ponderings that his mother had to rap on his head to bring him back to the real world”. (Hackers, levy)
In high school Woz would draw diagrams and when his friends would ask what he was drawing, he said he was designing a computer. Woz and his friend Alan Baum would get computer manuals read them and then redesign the computer to work better and easier.
Woz and another high school friend, Steven Jobs, were the masterminds for beating the telephone system by making their own “Blue box”, an illegal pocket-sized attachment that would allow the user to make free long-distance phone calls. He even sold them door-to-door at Berkley.
Wozniak was working at HP (Hewlett Packard) and did some side work for Atari when he re-met Jobs at Atari. Working at Atari provided side

benefits, Woz went to a bowling alley where they offered a free pizza to any one who scored over a certain level on a coin operated video game. “After a number of pizzas, his amazed companion asked him how he had beaten the game so easily. ‘I designed it’ said Wozniak between spasms of laughter”. (Hackers, levy)
Woz and Jobs designed what would be the Apple I in Jobs garage, then came Apple II and PC’s boomed. In a quote from Steve Paul Jobs he said “Woz [niak] was the first person I met who know more about electronics than I did.” http://ie.cs.vt.edu/~history/Jobs.html Woz received the National Medal of Technology in 1985.
After leaving Apple with $45 million in 1985, people would always ask him for money. Woz had donated about 7 million to charities. Then he developed a company called Cloud 9, making remote controlled devices. He brought the first universal remote control device to market in 1987.
Today, Wozniak is 55 years old and lives in Los Gatos California. It is 15 miles south of Apple headquarters. His kids attend Los Gatos schools where Woz taught 5th grade students and was involved in more charitable activities in the field of education. His goals were to be an engineer and teach 5th grade, and that is what he did.
Wozniak has written an autobiography titled “iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It.” It was released this fall and is now available.
Back in 1976 Wozniak was asked how he thought a personal computer would change people’s lives. He responded by saying that they did believe that computers would fit into every home because of the price and would be used for normal home things, like recipes and checkbook balancing. He didn’t expect the magnitude of the revolution. Millions of lives were affected all over the world. He didn’t set out to change the world, he was just doing what he loved. He made the best product he could. But he did change the world, his creations have exploded.
Woz was also asked about Apple and he said Apple was not the company he hoped it would be. He worked at HP and Apple, but it was HP that was “composed of top engineers and multiple labs full of scientists developing new devices out of physics and chemistry”. http://ei.csvt.edu
Woz still maintains some of the hacker ethics. Since the Viet Nam war and the draft lottery, Woz has never trusted authority even though he has met lots of good people in the government. While Wozniak made the blue box, he was an ethical phone phreak who paid for his own calls. The blue box was used for the real mission of phone phreaking: not to steal or mess up the system, but to find flaws, curious things and secrets the phone company never told anyone about.
It was really interesting studying Steve Wozniak. Not only was he an extremely intelligent person, but he also has a good sense of humor. I wonder what computer technology would be like today if it wasn’t for Steve Wozniak.

Bibliography
Levy, Steven. Hackers. 1984. Delta Publishing
Wozniak, Steve, with Smith Gina. iWoz. 2006. W.W. Norton & Company
The Seattle Times, Business & Technology. Q&A with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. By John Boudreau. April 10, 2006
Srivastava, Manish. Steven Wozniak. http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/WOZNIAK.HTM
Wikipedia. Steve Wozniak. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wozniak

2006-10-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

The cult of star trek. A very good question. While there are some devoted fans, and some fanatical fans, some are just bizare. Like the fan who wanted a sample of their blood. Anoyne see that episode of Futurama where the crew went to a planet where the original star trek cast were being held by a obsessed alien fan? I loved the part in the end where the crew was wondering if the alien was all that bad, discussing all the good things he did for them, then Fry says, "And all you had to do was put up with one annoying Star Trek fan" The crew looks at each other and Leonard Nemoy says, "Let's get the hell out of here" Great episode. Star Trek is a good series that I guess gets more attention than Star Wars because star trek was a tv series with movies. Many people are facinated by the future and technology on star trek, but I think what drives people is the sense of adventure. There is a lot to space that has yet to be explored. Like acient sailors who were drawn to the unexplored sea to see what is out there, people want to voyage into space and take a few risks to discover something new.

2006-10-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

Inspector's report of Desiree Lee's blog. This person makes a good point about how science fiction has fueled the imagination. Especially the part about medical technology. Advancements in medicine have made life better and more comfortable. A lot of prople have good teeth thanks to advanced technology, compared to our grandparent's generation, who mostly wear false teeth.

2006-09-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

Science fiction has had a huge impact on technology. Cell phones are a good example, I remember when portable phones came in a bag, like a briefcase, then the cell phones that were like a brick. I think the calls also cost $1 or $2 dollars per minute, like making an international call to talk to someone who is less than a mile away. Now phones are so small and cheap, the question is what do we do with the growing waste? Global positioning satalite is amazing. The idea that a handheld device can contact sattelites in space and tell you exactly where you are to within a few meters is something out of a James Bond movie. I bet a lot of lives have been saved by GPS. Space travel has always facinated me. I think Science fiction shows us that there is a lot of potential in exploring space. I think one device that has revolutionized our lives is the computer chip. Look how fast things have progressed after the computer gained widespread use. When robots used th be seen only in movies, (played by some guy in a metal suit) now they are building cars and industry. Personal robots are in the near future. Science fiction has and will continue to inspire many to create. I'm still waiting for a real darth vader lightsaber sword.

2006-09-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

Inspector Clouseau's reporton Pop N' Fresh's blog. I agree with the part about how hackers moved computers from restricted access to our desktops. Next time you use a computer, thank a hacker. I think information that is needed should be free, not personal info. That is the impression I got from the book. If you know how things worked in the old days, and you reed the book with that in mind, it gives you another perspective and makes more sense. I love the book.

2006-09-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

In my opinion hackers were considered revolutionary for their time because computers were new and not very well understood outside of computer tech groups. With the formal and orgsnized control that IBM had on computers, I doubt they would have nice things to say about hackers.

2006-09-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, parts of the hackers ethics still stand and some are obslete. Access to computers and information is free. IBM is still a big company but, they do not have the monoply on technology. I really like the quote on hacker's point of view about traffic,"the system of randomly programmed red lights and oddly laid out one-way streets causes delays which are so goddamned unnecessary that the impulse is to rearrange signs, open up traffic-light control boxes . . . redesign the entire system." Prehaps we should put them in charge of traffic engineering, and maybe things would get done right. Mistrust Authority-Promote Decentralization is good to some degree, what is the biggest obsticle to progress? Bureaucracy. I like the hacker thought pattern, it reminds me of myself. I am analyitical and calculating, I like things to work right. I also like judging hackers by their skill, just because someone does not have a fancy degree does not mean they are an idiot. I think computers have changed our lives for the better. Computers have made things faster, more accurate, easier and fun. While there are some drawbacks, I think the good outweighs the bad, the bad can be improved.

2006-09-15T21:14:00.000-07:00

Inspector Clouseau here, I am reviewing the blog of Jack Mehoff. The name reminds me of the movie "Black Sheep", A good movie I might add. On the most recent post about privacy vs. security, I agree with Mr. or Ms. Mehoff. I especially liked the topic of how some people so freely give out private information. I wonder how many people who complain about loss of privacy have a myspace blog about their favorite toilet paper. I value my privacy and don't give out more personal information than absolutely necessary.

2006-09-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

The question of privacy vs. security is not a new debate. Before the revolutionary war, British authorities had what was called the writs of assistance. This was permission from the king that allowed authorities to search any property and sieze what they want. This is why the fourth amendment was created. I have no problem with searches as long as the rules in the constitution are followed, ie. search warrant, judicial oversight. The constitution is a foundation of this country. Other countries like The People's Republic of China do not have guarenteed rights, (I think we all know what happens there) I think we can have freedom and be secure if we all take action, instead of sitting on our ass and expecting big brother government to do everything for us.

2006-09-09T00:48:00.000-07:00

Review of SUPER SAIYANwritten by Piccolo:
This person is definateltely a anime fan, just look at the name. I myself love anime. This person gives great, honest reviews from the perspective of a saiyan. I agree with what they posted.

2006-09-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, people, especially kids spend too much time in front of a screen. Sure I work online, play playstation 2, and watch some tv. But I balance it with reality. I go swiming, driving, and other fun real sports whenever I can. There is a problem today with overweight kids, and I think one of the reasons is lack of physical activity. The risk of injury from outdoor activity is nothing compared to the health risks from obesity. Nature is beautiful on tv, but nothing can compare to seeing it in person.

2006-08-29T21:50:00.000-07:00

In addition to the Q-link. The site claims you will have more energy, less stress, etc. Interestingly, it never says what problems people have that it can cure. I believe this is for legal reasons. All they really say is about how these metals are supposed th create harmonic balance.
There is a lot of refrence to titanium. In my opinion this is part of the gimmick, because new uses for titanium have been discovered, it sounds cool and hi-tech. So when you take a piece of jewlery made out of something like nickel, most people probablly wouldn't take a second look at it, but if you make it out of something like titanium, and add some fancy worded spiel about the product and its health improving qualities, more people will pay high prices for it.

2006-08-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

On the topic of pseudoscience alternative medicine. I reviewed the Q-link. I guess the best way to start is to tell what the site lacks in solid and circumstantial evidence. First, if this product is a miracle cure all, Why is there no mention of it in major medical journals like the New England Journal of Medicine? Why are there no doctor quotes or endorsements. You don't have to be a professional in statistics to know that their research is shaky. Someone claims they magically got better, well one person's experience doesn't tell me much because they might be working with the salesman. When medications are researched, many people are tested and some are given a placebo to determine if the problem is in their head or not.

2006-08-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

This is a test of my new Blogger I.D. This is only a test.
Had this been an actual posting, there would be something interesting to read.