My Future

So as weird as it may sound, I still am somewhat unsure what I want to do after graduation.  I am planning on graduating in December later on this year, majoring in computer information systems.  As of right now, I want to look into going into IT with any company that is hiring.  I think i am more intrigued about managing computer networks and communicating with others as a great future job.  This could change however after I graduate because sometimes things change for a reason.  My intentions right now are to stay in Columbia because my family lives here and I want to stay close to them if possible.  I am not sure if I would be willing to moving to another state, but I might if it provides the best opportunity available.  I know God has a plan for my life so I will continue to follow Him when the times get rough.  Hopefully after settling for a job, I want to get married within the next 6 years or so.  For some reason I can myself having a home in Columbia and also having a family in there.  Trust me, I will never turn into a USC fan as long as I live...I just like the area because I grew up there.  I think that's one of the fascinating things about the future: you really don't know what to expect to happen but it is always cool to think about it.  I do look forward to the day I can walk across the stage at Littlejohn Coliseum and say I got a degree from what I believe is one the best universities in the state of South Carolina.  I am truly proud to be a Tiger and I will always represent orange and purple as long as I live. Go Tigers!

The Nerd Influence

I want to begin this blog by saying this simple statement: we ALL have some sort of nerd in us.  Some won't believe that but I truly believe this is the case for everyone.  When you think of your typical nerd, you think of geeky glasses, jeans and old dirty t-shirts, and most of the time having a lot of facial hair.  But this is not all the things that classify a nerd.  Nerds also have passions for the craziest things and of course nerds are truly smart.  Most will agree that in order to get to Clemson, you have to be somewhat smart to attain a high GPA, high class rank, and a high SAT.  Some will argue and say that they never had to try in high school or that they never study and get good grades.  The true claim, however, is that even if they don't  study they still know the material somehow which makes them smart somehow.  Along with being smart comes having a personal favorite thing to do.  Since we all have grown using the latest technologies and adapted to being able to use them on a day to day basis, we have grown tech savvy, which also contributes to being nerdy.  We all have specific games we love to play, whether it be video games or any game, that also defines a nerd attribute.  As I type this blog, I am using bigger type words, telling me I can speak in an intellectually way.  I will be the first to admit that I am one because I truly enjoy learning about the computer technology  and  learning programming language is a big interest to me.   I don't think that is bad to be a nerd, but there are people that need to admit they do have a side of nerdiness in them.  So in this way we all have the nerd influence, meaning we influence others to be nerds.  Now you can look at yourself and understand that you are in some ways a nerd. :)

Is Net Neutrality Justified?

The ongoing issue of net neutrality continues to debated over how we use the Internet.  Net neutrality's principle is that government and Internet Service Providers should have not be allowed to control what content we see or have access to.  It basically is a way of applying the freedom of speech context to the Internet.  Many people are in favor of net neutrality because Internet should be looked at as a freedom and privilege to use because it has had a great effect on how people express their opinions and how they use services online.  Internet service providers and the government want to control specific information for specific websites by having their own pipe set up to speed up online use for their own purposes.  By doing this, they are forming a discrimination of online use, which is why people are against the idea.  ISPs supposedly want this because it helps them with competition, but if they control their own content, then we have to pay fees to access certain networks in the area.  It all comes down to money.  The Internet should be a freedom for everyone and content does not need to be monitored.  If this is allowed in the future, more people will also be concerned with what is being monitored, which diminishes privacy.   Unfortunately, I do believe in the near future, net neutrality will truly lose its true form because our government always seems to get their way because of the control they have.

Using RSS Feeds

I have heard before what an RSS feed was, but my MGT 455 class helped me understand exactly what it does and what it is used for.  An RSS feed is a simple of idea of combining news feed material from several sites to be shown together.  One way of doing this is to use Yahoo's application called YahooPipes.  By using this application, we can easily form a pipe that generates specific content to a pipe, which can be displayed on a screen.  On the screen we can find related articles that deal with that sites content, entered in by the user making the pipe.  A cool feature of YahooPipes is that you can filter information you want to see or not see.  If i want to find related articles dealing with the word "sports" from msn.com, a list of articles dealing with sports will pop up on the RSS feed. By doing this, you can view any article that satisfy your interests.  Each day, the feed will be updated with current articles.  People that would love this are people that love daily news.  You can wake up in the morning and go to your RSS feed and check to see the latest on your favorite topics of interest.  I was quite intrigued on how simple this is to use and will most likely use this since I was able to make one.  RSS feeds are another way of showing how easy it is to view information at the tip of a button.  The way we can read news that we enjoy is just another reason showing how technology is serving us in a better way.  To learn more about how to create your own pipe, search or go to yahoo.com and look for YahooPipes.    

The Disruptive Innovations of Today

As most of us know today, many forms of technology are taking over existing innovations from earlier times.  This is defined as a disruptive innovation.  It's basic idea is that a new product is slowly but surely making disrupting an existing market of a similar product.  In some ways it is transformed completely and in other ways its continuously changed to make the product better.  The original intention of most new technologies is just to make the product better and by doing this sometimes its past product is forgotten.  We are seeing more disruptive technologies surface because of the increase of new technology.  I first remembered when DVDs were the next big thing which completely wiped out VHS tapes.  I also remember how cassette tapes also became obsolete when CDs came out.  But now both of these products are being represented on the web. Now most people will buy music through ITunes or download movies online through Netflix.  I don't believe that this will kill the DVD and CD market, but it certainly is satisfying the customer in a more accessible way.  Overall, the web is changing the way we use existing products and to me it is for the best.  For one reason, the web provides a way of accessing information anytime anywhere and now you can buy products anytime.  It has also increased competition with other companies to get the best product available online.  This trend will grow more as more companies do a part of their business using online websites.  

The Cloud and GoogleDocs

Before my MGT 455 class, I had never really been introduced to GoogleDocs because I am an active Windows user so I usually use Microsoft Office.  I have learned, however, that GoogleDocs is a pretty useful too that allows a user to edit documents online.  By updating each document. a user can now have access to everything they work on by means of logging on to their Google account.  The idea of this new way to edit documents is done through cloud computing.  Cloud computing is basically a way for a user to make changes to anything they would like that is within the cloud, which is by an online server.  Some of its advantages include security, up to date saved copies, and easy functionality for everyone to understand.  For GoogleDocs, you can change a file anytime you want without the worry of ever losing the file (ex: your computer crashes). It is also secure by access of having the correct username and password.  Unlike Microsoft Word, it has the simplest ways to edit without too much complexity.  Many users of GoogleDocs enjoy the freedom of maintaining files and organizing in an easier manner with less hassle about how the system works.  It is also good because you can access GoogleDocs on any computer instead of having to access just one computer from Microsoft Office.  Although I am most likely going to use Microsoft Office because I am already adapted to it, I would not mind having files that I would need on the go, such as if I needed my Resume printed for a future job.  Cloud computing is becoming the new norm as companies like Cisco and IBM are making their products and services by it.  It is only normal to say that cloud computing will become the next big thing in years to come.

Privacy?

So as we have talked about before in class, privacy is one the latest issues people have discussed.  After watching the video on how Google  is running its search engine and how it collects data, I certainly believe everything I do is being carefully monitored.  Every search term I take a part of is collected by Google and they are able to draw information on the type of person I am because of it.  In some ways, I find this rather intriguing because information now days is easily accessible because of the unlimited use of current technology we have.  In other ways I must ask: Is this really okay to hold this much information about myself? Should I be more careful on how I search?  Not only is my information available online, but it also tracked on by my cell phone.  Anywhere and anytime someone could be monitoring the things I talk on the phone with.  There are even some companies out there that have exclusive information about me that I probably have never even heard of.  I find it truly amazing how finding information has become so easy that almost ANYONE can do it.  It doesn't even take a rocket scientist to find simple data on someone because of the means of the Internet.  As some of you have heard, Sony has been recently hacked by a group of people forcing many members of the Playstation 3 to try and secure their information before identity theft strikes hard.  Because of all of these things, I truly believe we can't have true privacy because technology finds multiple ways to disengage its meaning.  

The Idea of Consumer to Consumer

In class we have so far looked at the types of e-commerce that the Internet provides and how it is making businesses grow.  One idea we looked at was how consumer to consumer business works and why it creates great profits.  This type of website is one in which a consumer interacts with another consumer who are wanting to buy things of similar value.  One of the best examples of this is Ebay.  Here a consumer will auction out items they want to sell in order to gain profit on items they no longer want.  Another consumer, who is interested in the item, will place bids on the item until the auction day ends (determined by the seller).  This creates opportunity for both in that the seller can make money and the buyer can get items at a lower prices.  For Ebay, they can continuously work their business by having others auction while they host the website and obtain money from each sale on each transaction.  All transactions that take place will help Ebay continue to grow based on transaction or commission fees on every sale.  In another way  they are a business to consumer model because they are allowing consumers to use this type of auction in the first place.  It benefits all parties involved which is why it is a success.  This type of e-commerce, in my opinion, is the best model because it allows for better growth for the company and for its consumers as buyers and sellers.  I believe that in the future more companies will have this type of model because it cuts down on costs of dealing with other companies, focusing on consumers themselves.

The Online Dating Game

As most people know, almost 1 out of 5 relationships start online and as the Internet continues to revolutionize the way we live our lives it will only increase.  Some may ask why this is occurring or why it is becoming so popular.  I believe this has to do with the way Internet is always available.  You can access it anytime and can search everything imaginable.  I was curious about what exactly is available as far as Internet dating sites are concerned so I did a quick search in Google.  I saw the main ones most know in EHarmony, Match.com, and Zoosk.  I found that a lot of them are now are more categorized to deal with specific interests people really enjoy.  One site I just visited was about looking for singles older and more mature type ages.  It offers a list where you can tell your age, your income, and then provide an example of matches available to you.  However, you must sign up to see better matches and add information to your profile for others to view you.  In some ways I believe there is a risk that you may meet some people that are nothing like their profile indicates.  Mostly though people have had success in finding great connections and true love.  It is amazing to me to see how just 10 or so years ago it would have been weird to meet online but now meeting online is regular and seen as ordinary. In the years to come this trend will only continue to grow and it does seem that at some point almost half of relationships will be started by online dating websites. 

The Future and Web 2.0

As we all know, the Internet has revolutionized better ways of accessing information from locally to the entire world.  At first, Internet was small, inexperienced, and did not satisfy many individuals because plans to make it grow were not well known.  But as time has passed, the Internet has changed in a way not many could have imagined.  The transition for web 1.0 and web 2.0 has made its biggest impact in the past 10 years.  Internet now has become radically transformed in social media and for business that mostly everything we do in finding information now involves going online.  For businesses, everyone now can use certain websites to host their material through a server that allows excellent security.  The addition of social media allows businesses to contact others through enhanced email, instant messaging, tele-conferencing, and so on to make their business known.  Advertisements on Google and Yahoo also help companies get their name out. Businesses can also be formed online.  A few include Ebay and Amazon that are commonly known by most people today. The other ways of web 2.0 include more ways to communicate by Facebook and Myspace.  The user can now express their thoughts by wikis and blogging where every can see what they think and believe.  Even searching for information is organized that almost anyone can find anything they need. 

I believe we will continue to see rapid changes to the Internet as social media grows.  It is certainly nice to be able to do much more than before when finding information was the only Internet capability.  This will continue as our technology expands throughout the future.

Pervasive Networking Today

With the way technology has grown over the past decade, not many could imagine how many ways we can communicate today. For the longest time the telephone was the only way we could communicate and we only had one of those in our homes for use. Now the cellphone has been revolutionized not only to talk but to access the Internet. This is an example of pervasive networking, a way of making communication available to everyone through different types of object we use.  The cellphone can be used for many different things besides the Internet which include: gaming, texting purposes, sending pictures, accessing apps through iPhone, etc.  The keyboard used for texting has made it easy to text, using the similar keyboard that we all use on our laptops and computers. Even reading now can be done using e-books that can be accessed online. The kindle is a hand-held device from Amazon that allows a person to read books on the screen. They can be purchased by Amazon at lower prices than normal books. One can't help but think that this type of technology could make publishing become extinct in the next 10 years. I really enjoy having this technology and being a part of this era we live in. These ways of pervasive networking will only continue to grow as we get older.  I do believe it is necessary because communication is important in every part of our lives.  Pervasive networking will continue to be essential as technology trends continue to grow.

The Evolution of Networking Today

It doesn't seem long when I first starting to use the Internet through dial-up. I was around the age of 14 and getting online was once a privilege and was short lived since the phone line was absent while I used the Internet. Fast forwarding about 7 years later everything has evolved in the computer networking world.  There are now faster ways to view the Internet through broadband Internet and wireless. E-mail has become one of the best ways of communication for job workplace and by contacting friends and family.  Our cellphones have been transformed from basic calling to texting, viewing the internet, fast speeds of data usage, gaming, etc.  Almost everyone uses wireless or broadband Internet and most have a laptop for easier access. Colleges are requiring laptops because more information is found online and therefore can be accessed anytime by students.  Teachers use computers to post daily updates from class, notes, etc. to keep students aware of class material.  Books can now be electronically read by e-books.  The wireless industry has grown to almost everywhere you can imagine, including wireless networking cards that can help you get online on the go through a wireless hot spot.  Heck now there is Internet on televisions that Apple has introduced. The way we interact is more developed online by sites called Facebook and Myspace where a user is allowed freely to talk to friends, family, etc. whenever they want.   I never would have imagined this 7 years ago, but computer networking is a part of everyone's daily lives today.  Computers will continue to transform and do more than we could even think of for years to come.  I am glad to be a part of this growing technology that we see today.