Friday, 17 October 2008
Pros and Cons of ID cards:
Id cards are being used a lot in modern society. They bring a whole new level of security to the table and have many advantages and disadvantages.
Firstly, advantages. Higher levels of security means that data / items are much safer because only individuals with the correct card can access the room / safe etc. Security gaurds can check the ID card to make sure the person if who they say they are and there is also electronic tages on most so there is a human check then a computer check. Overall ID cards bring a higher level of security all round but there are also some disadvantages.
ID cards are a hastle to keep getting out and using, if you work in a business that requires you to show your ID card pretty much whereever you go it can become an annoyance. Also if the card is lost it can mean no access to areas you need to go until you get a new one / find it. Cards can be forged if they are only for use with humans (If a security gaurds checks it not a machine for example)
More info here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2657143.stm
Firstly, advantages. Higher levels of security means that data / items are much safer because only individuals with the correct card can access the room / safe etc. Security gaurds can check the ID card to make sure the person if who they say they are and there is also electronic tages on most so there is a human check then a computer check. Overall ID cards bring a higher level of security all round but there are also some disadvantages.
ID cards are a hastle to keep getting out and using, if you work in a business that requires you to show your ID card pretty much whereever you go it can become an annoyance. Also if the card is lost it can mean no access to areas you need to go until you get a new one / find it. Cards can be forged if they are only for use with humans (If a security gaurds checks it not a machine for example)
More info here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2657143.stm
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Managing Information Overload
People with jobs in IT need to be able to overcome the vast amount of data they send and receive. SO much information pases between people that by the end of the day, most employees working in IT have to trawl through a hundred or so E-mails and documents they have been sent. Tools need to be made so that this data income is kept under control. One way of keeping the information income to a minimum is to use "filters." To cope with volumes of data, e-mail filters can be used to screen out less-than-critical messages and prevent an overwhelming amount of data from being sent to a person. Filters can block known 'spam' sites and can also block e-mails and documents with certain keywords in such as: games / violence etc. If the filter has a keyword to block 'games' then any website that essecively says 'games' it will block.
Sunday, 12 October 2008
Making choices
Because mobile phones are a fairly recent invention, i believe that a simple, cheap and user friendly phone is needed for someone who has been brought up without all the new technology. I have been using Google to search for cheap mobline phones, as i think the more you spend the more complicated the phone will be. So if we choose a cheap phone it will be a basic model.
I have looked at:
www.phones4u.co.uk
www.carphonewarehouse.com
Most of the phones for sale are on contract, which means you pay monthly. I don't think this is the best idea to have her pay monthly for sya, 1000 minutes and 500 texts when they won't get used. The best option would be pay as you go.
Using T-moblie's website i located a phone that is cheap and simple.
http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/mobile-phones/phones/pay-as-you-go/nokia/2610-black-payg/overview/
At £19.99 this phone can text, call, picture messege and use the internet. Which is more than is needed for her. The phone is small enough to carry around as expected and the layout is simple and easy to use. It is also pay as you go.
I think this is the phone i'd chose for my grandmother because it meets all the criteria that i believe would make a good phone for an elderly woman with no experience of mobline phones etc.
I have looked at:
www.phones4u.co.uk
www.carphonewarehouse.com
Most of the phones for sale are on contract, which means you pay monthly. I don't think this is the best idea to have her pay monthly for sya, 1000 minutes and 500 texts when they won't get used. The best option would be pay as you go.
Using T-moblie's website i located a phone that is cheap and simple.http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/mobile-phones/phones/pay-as-you-go/nokia/2610-black-payg/overview/
At £19.99 this phone can text, call, picture messege and use the internet. Which is more than is needed for her. The phone is small enough to carry around as expected and the layout is simple and easy to use. It is also pay as you go.
I think this is the phone i'd chose for my grandmother because it meets all the criteria that i believe would make a good phone for an elderly woman with no experience of mobline phones etc.
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
Discussion on Pirated Entertainment.
An advantage of paying a supplier for legal music downloads, such as Apple iTunes is that you are funding the band who made the song, buying their songs will increase popularity/reknown and mean they can continue making music. The download is legal so you need not worry about having your Internet cut off by your ISP. ISP's have started to collect information about people sharing music illegally and can cut off your connection if they deem it appropriate. If your illegal downloading is caught you can be fined for it because you are breaking the copyright laws. Legally downloading music may cost a fair amount but it may be the cheaper option if you end up getting caught and paying thousands of pounds in fines:
"Criminal penalties can be as high as five years in prison or $250,000 in fines."
http://www.cmta.com/brochure.htm Has more information.
The disadvantages of buying pirate DvDs, espacially from market stalls is that the quality will be terrible and even the sounds / language cannot be garunteed to be good or english. Also if the DvD doesn't work its more than likely you either won't be able to find the same person who sold you the DvD again or if you do find him, they probably won't tank back the DvD. Most Pirate DvD's are filmed from the backs of cinema's with a handheld camera so you know the quality is going to be poor before you even purchase it.
Downloading movies takes a lot of time because they are normally 2 hours long. This means the file size is pretty big and the site you're downloading from wont have a good downloader. Also just like Pirated DvD's the movie will have to have been filmed in the cinema with a handheld camera becuase it isnt released properly yet. Thi smeans the quality will be poor, maybe even to the point were not much can be seen in the movie. Also it may be relased in a counrty that doesnt speak english so you won't be able to understand it after downloading it for a few hours.
Visiting websites that host illegal music can be bad for a number of reasons. Firstly it may contain malware and unwanted things trying to download and install on your machine. Also you'll most likely be expected to pay for a membership fee... to download illegal music which you could end up being caught out for and charged even more money in fines. Also the music could be 'live' or a remix or a cover band playing the song, so you can't be sure what you're downloading.
Dowloading illegal music can stop new bands from workng their way up in the music industry. If their fans are just downloading the bands music then they band won't sell many CD's meaning that the sellers won't think they are a popular band and could cancel their contract etc. Bands make the most money from gigs and CD sales. If no-one is buying the CD's then the band are technically making half as much money. This will discourage music companies from signing new bands if they know they won't make much money.
"Criminal penalties can be as high as five years in prison or $250,000 in fines."
http://www.cmta.com/brochure.htm Has more information.
The disadvantages of buying pirate DvDs, espacially from market stalls is that the quality will be terrible and even the sounds / language cannot be garunteed to be good or english. Also if the DvD doesn't work its more than likely you either won't be able to find the same person who sold you the DvD again or if you do find him, they probably won't tank back the DvD. Most Pirate DvD's are filmed from the backs of cinema's with a handheld camera so you know the quality is going to be poor before you even purchase it.
Downloading movies takes a lot of time because they are normally 2 hours long. This means the file size is pretty big and the site you're downloading from wont have a good downloader. Also just like Pirated DvD's the movie will have to have been filmed in the cinema with a handheld camera becuase it isnt released properly yet. Thi smeans the quality will be poor, maybe even to the point were not much can be seen in the movie. Also it may be relased in a counrty that doesnt speak english so you won't be able to understand it after downloading it for a few hours.
Visiting websites that host illegal music can be bad for a number of reasons. Firstly it may contain malware and unwanted things trying to download and install on your machine. Also you'll most likely be expected to pay for a membership fee... to download illegal music which you could end up being caught out for and charged even more money in fines. Also the music could be 'live' or a remix or a cover band playing the song, so you can't be sure what you're downloading.
Dowloading illegal music can stop new bands from workng their way up in the music industry. If their fans are just downloading the bands music then they band won't sell many CD's meaning that the sellers won't think they are a popular band and could cancel their contract etc. Bands make the most money from gigs and CD sales. If no-one is buying the CD's then the band are technically making half as much money. This will discourage music companies from signing new bands if they know they won't make much money.
Monday, 6 October 2008
Analysing the “good old days”
Paper based systems in office enviroments needs to be changed. Too much space is used to store the paper. Also it means more trees are being cut down.
Two applications that are effective for office use for typing and replacing paper based systems are 'Mircosoft Word' and 'Microsoft Excel' The programs are both very similar, they are basically virtual paper were the user types in what they want written, just like handwriting it but with typing. Benefits of there programs are that it a mistake is made then it can easily be corrected. Another advantage is that the documents are stored onto the computer or a server. This means there is less space taken up by filing cabenits etc.
An advantage of paper based documents is that if the computer/server breaks it may mean loss of all the data or that it cannot be acessed for a while. With paper it can be retrived from the filing cabinet at any time.
Typists and secretaries jobs were affected when office pakcages started to come into the workplace because if they didn't learn how to use the software effectively by the time it was in their workplace, the company may fire them and hire someone who could use it.
This means lots of ICT jobs were created as people were needed to maintain and fix the computers and servers. Also people who were already using these software packages would be hired over people who didn't know how to use them.
Two applications that are effective for office use for typing and replacing paper based systems are 'Mircosoft Word' and 'Microsoft Excel' The programs are both very similar, they are basically virtual paper were the user types in what they want written, just like handwriting it but with typing. Benefits of there programs are that it a mistake is made then it can easily be corrected. Another advantage is that the documents are stored onto the computer or a server. This means there is less space taken up by filing cabenits etc.
An advantage of paper based documents is that if the computer/server breaks it may mean loss of all the data or that it cannot be acessed for a while. With paper it can be retrived from the filing cabinet at any time.
Typists and secretaries jobs were affected when office pakcages started to come into the workplace because if they didn't learn how to use the software effectively by the time it was in their workplace, the company may fire them and hire someone who could use it.
This means lots of ICT jobs were created as people were needed to maintain and fix the computers and servers. Also people who were already using these software packages would be hired over people who didn't know how to use them.
Friday, 3 October 2008
Tool Man:
"John is a sales representative selling tools to garden centres and DIY stores. He travels over 1000 miles a week to see new and existing clients. For the past 20 years he has carried around a large diary, an address book, a large road atlas and numerous A-Zs as well as numerous small coins for phones. He prides himself on his punctuality, but even he is occasionally late as he struggles to find a new client or is delayed by traffic. He always takes along a calculator, and a bulky sales catalogue with the latest price lists and order forms. He is usually on the road four days a week, six hours a day and spends every Friday in the office ensuring all his administration and sales are handled properly. He has always said he quite likes the time spend in his car between appointments, as it is his time when he can listen to CDs undisturbed.
State how john could use the following ICT to change and hopefully improve his working style: PDA, GPS, Laptop, software, Mobile phone, and the internet."
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John has too much phyical stuff with him. A-Z's and roadmaps etc. If he bought a Laptop he could use the internet to look up a routefinder or map. To get rid of the coins for phonecalls, he could use a instant messaging program or even better; Skype. (www.skype.com) Skype gives free calls to anyone who has Skype. He could use this to save money and time stopping at phone boxes to call people. E-mail would also suffice. With a GPS John could put it in the car, type in the clients location and follow the route to the client. This would get rid of all the maps. Using a PDA would be useful as its basically a small electronic diary. It would save space and money of new diaries. Also whatever he notes down can be edited. With a mobline phone he could, again, stop using loose coins and phone clients while on the move. Also if there is an emergancy he can call for help. With the Interent on a Laptop he could look at the newest items in the catalogue, online. This would save him from taking huge catalogues with him everywere.
The only problems of being 100% technology reliant is that, if John gets to a meeting / client and his laptop won't work, he cannot sell to the client because all his catalogues, referances and nots are on it. Having backups on paper would help the situation.
State how john could use the following ICT to change and hopefully improve his working style: PDA, GPS, Laptop, software, Mobile phone, and the internet."
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John has too much phyical stuff with him. A-Z's and roadmaps etc. If he bought a Laptop he could use the internet to look up a routefinder or map. To get rid of the coins for phonecalls, he could use a instant messaging program or even better; Skype. (www.skype.com) Skype gives free calls to anyone who has Skype. He could use this to save money and time stopping at phone boxes to call people. E-mail would also suffice. With a GPS John could put it in the car, type in the clients location and follow the route to the client. This would get rid of all the maps. Using a PDA would be useful as its basically a small electronic diary. It would save space and money of new diaries. Also whatever he notes down can be edited. With a mobline phone he could, again, stop using loose coins and phone clients while on the move. Also if there is an emergancy he can call for help. With the Interent on a Laptop he could look at the newest items in the catalogue, online. This would save him from taking huge catalogues with him everywere.
The only problems of being 100% technology reliant is that, if John gets to a meeting / client and his laptop won't work, he cannot sell to the client because all his catalogues, referances and nots are on it. Having backups on paper would help the situation.
Online Entertainment:
Using the interent, a wide variety of entertainment facilities are avalible to us. There are videos, music, games, chatrooms and much more.
Recently i have used the following Online Entertainment:
Played World of Warcraft using the interentet. WoW is an MMORPG, a game with millions of people playing at once and who can all intereact and chat woth eachother.
Used MSN: MSN is a chat service where you cna talk to friends as long as they are logged onto their account on MSN>
Watched TV shows and movies: Streaming movies and TV shows is a great idea, it means that you can watch any episode of any show when you want.
Listening to music on websites is also good, it means you dont have to buy the music, and aren't breaking the law by illegally downloading music.
Used YouTube to watch videos: YouTube is a site were anyone can make an account and post videos of pretty much any genre. It is a great way to see new things.
Java etc can be used to play browser based games. theres games tend to be 2D flash games but are still fun to play if bored.
These kinds of entertainment are aimed at younged people, i'd say 12-20ish. Anyone can use them but working adults wouldn't spend much time playing 2D games. THough music and video is great for anyone who wants to listen or watch free music and TV.
Limitations on these types of entertainment are that the applications can only be as good as modern computers are now and that the interent browser / speed can handle. If a user has a weak internet connection it will take a long time from them to navigate round the web, stream videos and download data so much of the entertainment has to be limited to what is possible at the moment.
Recently i have used the following Online Entertainment:
Played World of Warcraft using the interentet. WoW is an MMORPG, a game with millions of people playing at once and who can all intereact and chat woth eachother.
Used MSN: MSN is a chat service where you cna talk to friends as long as they are logged onto their account on MSN>
Watched TV shows and movies: Streaming movies and TV shows is a great idea, it means that you can watch any episode of any show when you want.
Listening to music on websites is also good, it means you dont have to buy the music, and aren't breaking the law by illegally downloading music.
Used YouTube to watch videos: YouTube is a site were anyone can make an account and post videos of pretty much any genre. It is a great way to see new things.
Java etc can be used to play browser based games. theres games tend to be 2D flash games but are still fun to play if bored.
These kinds of entertainment are aimed at younged people, i'd say 12-20ish. Anyone can use them but working adults wouldn't spend much time playing 2D games. THough music and video is great for anyone who wants to listen or watch free music and TV.
Limitations on these types of entertainment are that the applications can only be as good as modern computers are now and that the interent browser / speed can handle. If a user has a weak internet connection it will take a long time from them to navigate round the web, stream videos and download data so much of the entertainment has to be limited to what is possible at the moment.
Download services:
Downloading data from the interent is a useful resource. It can save the user from going out of their way to purchase the phyical item which would use fuel etc.
Items my family have recently downloaded are:
Music - Saves space (No CD's but the songs can be burned onto a blank CD if wished)
Videos - Downloading my favorite movies and TV shows means i can watch them when i want instead of having to be free when a certain program is on TV
Patches for programs - Patches can be downloaded to update a program on your PC. there help to keep the program running as it should.
Programs - I have downloaded a program to convet MP4 files, that were only usable on iTunes, to MP3 so i could use them outside of iTunes.
Downloading data saves travelling expensives, which i guess is good for the planet as it means less pollution. The only problem is that large files can take a while to download onto your computer. Also if the file is from a free website it can contain viruses etc that can harm your machine. Trusting some software downloads can be risky.
Items my family have recently downloaded are:
Music - Saves space (No CD's but the songs can be burned onto a blank CD if wished)
Videos - Downloading my favorite movies and TV shows means i can watch them when i want instead of having to be free when a certain program is on TV
Patches for programs - Patches can be downloaded to update a program on your PC. there help to keep the program running as it should.
Programs - I have downloaded a program to convet MP4 files, that were only usable on iTunes, to MP3 so i could use them outside of iTunes.
Downloading data saves travelling expensives, which i guess is good for the planet as it means less pollution. The only problem is that large files can take a while to download onto your computer. Also if the file is from a free website it can contain viruses etc that can harm your machine. Trusting some software downloads can be risky.
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