Week 8-IM and 3D Chat Environments

The online chatting environment has changed so much that it is now possible to chat in 3D. However, what really are the differences between regular Instant Messaging(IM) programs and a 3D environment? For IM programs such as MSN, we are able to log on and chat as if we are having a telephone conversation. However its different from an actual conversation in that we do not necessarily have to reply immediately. In IM, we are able to choose who we want to include in our contact list and converse with at any point of time. This in turn, eliminates any unwanted conversations with strangers and we are assured of our privacy in one way or another. In a 3D environment, we can do many more things than on a regular IM program. For instance, we are able to create our own avatars that represent our very unique traits. After doing so, we can move around, make friends, play games and even create our very own virtual homes, something that cannot be done in IM. This can be done in programs such as Active Worlds and IMVU. In Active Worlds, we can even use its 3D technology for businesses where we can sell products to consumers and carry out on line training and e-learning programs. In a 3D world, we can also choose who we want to converse with but its different from IM in that virtually anyone in the world can make contact with you. This can get pretty annoying when you are not interested in speaking with certain people. 3D represents an upmarket form of chatting online today. Though it may be perceived as a more interesting channel to converse by some people, IM does still have its advantages. It ultimately boils down to an individuals preference and what programs they are comfortable with using.

Week 6-Working with Photoshop, part 2

Jennifer Lopez is 1 of the most influential celebrities around today. She is someone who exudes confidence and flair that makes her stand out from the rest. She also owns her own clothing line, perfume, make several records and acted in a number of movies. The original image was cropped to focus as much as possible on Jennifer Lopez alone to emphasize her celebrity presence.

The above picture represents a game which I believe is called Mankind. I just used the clone-stamp tool to make the bottom part of the picture which was all black look brown so the picture looked kind of continous. Also, I went to Filter, Artisitc and selected Poster edges to give the picture a more cartoon feel which looks nice as graphics for the game.

Being popular usually means being liked by everyone. In high school, being popular can make your life so much easier because everyone looks up to you and wants to be your friend. Thats what I believe the above picture represents, hopefully. As I did not know what to do with this 1, I just enhanced it by going to Filter, Artistic and choosing Film grain to make it look different from its initial picture.

I guess that the Knagaroo is 1 of the most symbolic animals of Australia, thus the reason for chooding the above picture. For this 1, I only enhanced it by going to Filter, Artistic and then selecting Rough pastels. It was just to turn the plain picture into something more interesting and eye-catching I guess.

One of the most news-worthy stories today is about floods, especially in third world countries. The above picture clearly illustrates the seriousness of floods whereby property, life and nature are destroyed. For this image, I only used the clone stamp tool to get rid of any unwanted information to focus on the flooding.

Communication requires the receiver to effectively and intently listen and understand the message that the sender is trying to get across. The above picture shows just that. I used the clone stamp to get rid of a circular stamp like feature on the picture which served no purpose. I also removed small picutres of birds from the person's mouth to the other person's ear as it was kind of distracting.

Displayed above is a picture of 2 young girls hugging which symbolises the close friendship that both of them share. I chose this picture becuase they seem to be from different races and friendship is all about seeing past each others backgroud and accepting one another for who they are. I cropped the initial image which showed the full body picture of the girls into the 1 shown above to emphasize the closeness that they share with each other as friends. I also included the words "Friends Forever" to add a little colour to the picture.

Week 5 Tute-Photoshop

Univerity is supposed to be 1 of the best times of your life. It is where people from all walks of life come together to accomplish 1 common goal, to enrich themselves with knowledge so that they will be able to become somebody later in life. In the above picture, it shoes that university life is more than studying, its about having an all-rounded life. It promotes individuals to take up sports and have fun with friends yet at the same time, be academically sufficient.

I couldn't really find a picture representing uncoventional. However, it means something different, something that you do not see everyday. Something that captures your immediate attention once you lay eyes on it. In other words, it represents something extraordinary.

Summer can be perceived to be 1 of the hottest time of the year. However, it is also 1 of the funnest seasons. Its the time when people dress in their best summer attire and head out to the beach as shown above to have some fun in the sun. They engage in activities ranging from picnics to surfing to sun tanning, almost anything fun you can think of. Oh, and you would be able to lose some weight too due to the terrible heat....hee...

Newspapers and television are where we get the latest information on whats going on in the world. From how the worlds economy is doing to threats of terrorism, everthing can be assessed via newspapers, the TV and the Internet. News keeps us up to date of global events and makes sure we take the appropiate measures to respond to them effectively.

The computer has been transformed from a mechanical tool in Charles Babbage time to something so much more sophisticated. It is now capable of proceesing documents in programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Photos can be uploaded, saved and printed. Poeple can also be contacted all over the world with a click of the mouse. It has made our lives more convenient and exciting.

People need friends in order to function properly in this world, or at least I think so. Friends are people who will stick with u through the good and bad, and not make judgements about you. They are there for u to have fun times with and to enjoy life to the fullest.

Weeks 3 & 4 Lecture Summary

In week 3 Lectures, we learnt about the birth of the computer. Several prominent people mentioned included Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, Alan Turing and Gordom Moore.
Charles Babbage developed the Difference Engine in the 19th century which could be used to calculate and print mathematical tables. Ada Lovelace aided Charles Babbage in his wonderings about the Analytical Engine. She also 1st conceived of a machine which would be able to compose and play music, produce graphics and be of use everyday. She also conceived the 1st computer program.
Alan Turing worked at Bletchley Park with mathematicians and cryptographers to devise the 1st working computer, The Bombe, used to break secret German 'Enigma' codes. After World War II, he investigated programming, neural nets, and the prospects for artificial intelligence.
Gordom Moore propounded Moore's Law: the capacity of microchip's doubles every 2 years. His 2nd law states that as capital costs are rising faster than revenues, financial feasibility will limit the rate of technological development.
Then, we were taught about the beginings of Apple, IBM and Microsoft and how each of the comapnies worked with each other to be what they are today.

In week 4, we were introduced to the Internet, Web and Cyberspace. Internet is the sum of interconnected computer hardware and the software that runs it, the Web is a particular application of the Internet that is particularly easy to use and Cyberspace is the sum of users' imaginations as they use the Internet.
Also, we were presented with some ealry internet applications such as the email and IRC and recent ones such as Instant Messaging, VoIP and Voice chat and 'Virtual Worlds'.
Then there was the term Netiquette which represents etiquette on the Internet. It is based upon the Golden Rule, do unto others as you would have them do to you. Another term, Cracking referred to computer crime and is different from hacking. An example of a cracker was Kevin Mitnick who got into the US Air Defence System in his youth and later did a year for reading a computer company's email. Yet another term was Viruses, which have the potential for massive damage for little input.
The topic of economics cyberspcae was also touched upon whereby it stated that Information:
a) is an activity, experienced not processed, propagated not distributed.
b) is a life form, it wants to be free, replicating in the cracks of possibility, perishable and always changing.
c) is a relationship between sender and receiver, the meaning generated has a unique value to both.
d) and that it can be commodified, but most importantly it is its own reward.
An important aspect of economics of cyberspace was copyright which applies to the expression of ideas and the material on the net. Lastly, there was the possibilities and probelms of the Information Economy. It touches on questions such as what is our product, market and how do people pay for what we've got and how to make a living out of an idea?
Information technology is converging so that all forms of it, which includes telephone, radio, television and print can be accessed from 1 point.

Over the past 3 weeks, we also watched Alphaville, a film about that combines the genres of dystopian science fiction and film noir. It was shot in real locations in Paris and touches on the technocratic dictatorship. For a full account of the plot summary and influences, see the website below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphaville,_une_étrange_aventure_de_Lemmy_Caution

Next up are pictures and a short summary explaining their meaning...