Open Book, Blank Pages: October 2015

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Predictions from the video "Epic 2014 & Epic 2015"

After watching Epic 2014 & re-watching Epic 2015, it is made obvious how much of their prediction is mere speculation.

In Epic 2014, the narrator talks about the evolution of the internet starting with Tim Berners-Lee creating the world wide web, talking next about the beginning of companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Blogger, Friendster, and TiVo (which wasn't mentioned in 2015). Next, the narrator explains how Microsoft, Amazon & Google try to out perform one another or buy up the smaller companies like Blogger, Friendster, and TiVo. It is at this point that speculation kicks in and constructs like the Google Grid (created from GoogleNews, Blogger, G-mail, and TiVo) or large conglomerates such as Googlezon (a merging of Amazon and Google) bring down social media. This leads to media being tailored to each individual by what they're interested in which, put by the narrator, seems to be news of no real value (being sensational and in the moment).

Epic 2015 begins much the same way that Epic 2014 did though, instead of TiVo, the narrator placed importance on Apples I-Pod and how its multimedia streaming capabilities make it easier for people to access the news. Epic 2015 also goes into the creation of the Google Grid and Googlezon and explains how it will bring down media as we know it; However, even if the masses aren't getting news of real value, everyone is connected.

Ultimately, from watching both videos, initially created from a speech given by Robin Sloan and Matt Thompson at Poynter Institute in 2004. the only info that was really accurate were established facts, prior to each video being released. Both videos were themselves sensational and in the moment and relied heavily on the viewer to give in to the possibility that a company like Googlezon could control the media that each person receives. Now that 2015 is slipping away and no such entity exists, this video seems to be of little importance. On the flipside, whos to say Googlezon wouldn't be created if these videos would never have been made.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Creating a first .html page:

I suppose I found this assignment fairly easy and straight forward with the instructions given by the instructor. This is my first time creating an .html and I found it as a neat experience though I've only scratched the surface. I played around with the background color a bit and found that the colors don't translate smoothly (i.e. "lavender" appears to be "sea green" and "sea green" appears to be "blue").
furthermore colors like "Bob", "Kyle" or "Tom" appear to be "black" while colors like "Thomas" appear to be "blue". I also played with the picture feature and wasn't able to pull the picture if I wasn't connected to the internet which hopefully is a small, obvious, but important fact (if your program has no access, to a feature it will not display that feature). On the other hand, features like background color and the scrolling of text (<marquee>Text</marquee>) still worked which got me wondering where the coding for these features is stored (probably wherever data for my browser is stored but I don't really know). To be honest, I've only been programing is only about a year with Java and Python, these being the only two languages I know so far, and half expected the .html to crash when it wasn't connected to the Internet.

here is my source code:

<html>
<title> Hello world </title>
<head> hi </head>

<body><body bgcolor="Thomas">
<br>
this is simple text
<br>
<marquee> hello world </marquee>
<img src=http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-political-map-2000px.jpg></img>
</body>
</html>

here is the result:

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

How E-mail and the Postal Service are the Same or Different

This short blog is aimed to explore the what is the same and different in regards to E-mail and traditional post. This is also meant to get one to think about how E-mail has evolved from a jargon heavy construct to a more user friendly system that most people are familiar and comfortable with using.

Similarities

Both are responsible for sending and receiving messages known collectively as mail
Mail, whether physical or electronic, can contain different forms of media such as letters, pictures, or even files
Both are delivered to a location depository known by both as inboxes or mailboxes to a unique address for each participant.

Differences

In the real world, errors are easily identified and corrected in regards to addresses or directories. (if one uses incorrect spelling on an envelope, the postal service may still find where it needs to go whereas mistyping a web address could send ones message anywhere).
In regards to the postal service, one always receives hard copies; However, in regard to E-mail, one always receives soft copies. (i.e. a six-pack of root beer is about 912 calories and is enjoyed by this blogger immensely, a virtual six-pack of root beer gives me no calories and makes me want a root beer. Also don't bother comparing Girl Scout cookies to Google cookies).
In favor of E-mail, messages get sent almost anywhere, instantaneously. (there is a reason why the postal service is considered Snail Mail).
When sending mail over the internet, costs are usually non-existent but with mail, costs can range anywhere form a 10 cent stamp to a large amount depending on size and weight (this is where shipping comes from).

If these similarities and differences stir up any ideas or if you feel like adding your own, feel free to leave a comment.