Bleh....

Although my blogging hasn't been a weekly task that i've stuck to, I have taken a lot from the lectures and tutorials. NCT has given me an insight to the concept of new media and how it is utilized in our society in many different ways. I've learned that the future of communication and information transfer, along with the technologies that go hand-in-hand with them, shape the way we interact with each other as humans. This has been an incredible realisation for me.

In terms of the lectures, it has taken me until the last week (one day before then exam to be exact) to really appreciate the amount of time and effort that goes into them. The lecture content is not only easy to read and informative, but totally in-depth. The additional links and references to other texts really helped me study for my exam !

Micrsoft Excel

I knew excel was tricky but this tutorial sent me crazy. I couldnt figure out how to make the cells in the gains and losses column actually say GAINS and LOSSES. It kept telling me that there was something wrong with the coding in the formula bar ! Then I moved onto the macro part of the tute... i was nowhere. I finished recording all of my macros and it was telling me to make a customized toolbar for my fresh new macros haha Long story short, my toolbar was useless. I wouldnt suggest microsoft hire me to design their next set of buttons and toolbars for excel '08.

Despite all the mishaps of the excel tute, i do feel that i could design a basic spreadsheet with basic formulas. Just dont ask me to print !

Microsoft Word

The tutorial today was very simple. The instructions at the beginning of the task were basic. However the last two tasks of mail merging and tracking changes were new to me. Mail merging seems to be something that i will never use again in my life, due to the lack of formal letters that I send in my daily routine. The track changes toolbar was something that I had never been introduced to and enjoyed getting to know. Tracking changes within my essays will definitely make editing my work a lot easier to follow.

Virtual Reality

The introduction of 3D Virtual Reality Chat Rooms combines users worldwide in an online community. This relatively new concept of online virtual contact provides users with ease of communication. In addition to the convenience factor, 3D Chat Rooms also allow users to interact with people worldwide from the comfort of their homes. Virtual reality is a major contributor to socialisation amongst the youth of the world. By engaging in 3D Chat Rooms the youth of the world can communicate, forming bonds of friendship in a dimension not possible through that of a phone call or email.

Contemporary technology such as computers and the internet are found worldwide. With the access to 3D Virtual Reality Chat Rooms being easier than ever before, the popularity of this technology has increased vastly (Markley,1996). The youth of the world are being introduced to 3D Chat Rooms at an earlier age. One of the most influential ways of initiating the youth of the world into 3D Chat Rooms is through educational systems. Schools are beginning to use virtual reality technology, including 3D Chat Rooms, in the classrooms “From architecture departments to science labs…it has been a hit with teachers around the globe” (“Active Worlds and Education,” n.d).The use of 3D Virtual Reality in schools gives the youth of the world the opportunity to personally engage themselves in worldwide socialisation with other young people. By having such ease of access as well as educated knowledge of 3D Chat Rooms, the youth of the world are exploring this technology and its full potential.

3D Chat Rooms are not only used by the youth of the world in terms of textual communication. With the introduction of voice messaging to 3D Virtual Reality Chat Rooms, the youth of the world can not only see what their international and local friends are saying, they can also hear them. The inclusion of voice messaging in Virtual Reality 3D Chat Rooms adds a dimension of personality to the technology rarely experienced in online communication platforms. By communicating using voice chat, the youth of the world can actively engage and hold conversations with each other. This experience is unique to the contemporary generation of the world’s youth. Introduction of this technology to the youth of the world equates to a higher level of socialisation and international interaction.

The merge of virtual reality technology with chat room communication is a relatively new concept. Although the term virtual reality and its mechanical counterpart have been circulating the world for almost forty years, 3D Chat Rooms have only been introduced in the last eight years. The popularity and praise that the combination of these two expansive technologies received, gave and indication that 3D Virtual Reality Chat Rooms would play an influential role in the way we communicate with each other. When technological advancements such as Virtual Chat Rooms are introduced to older technologies such as telecommunication and mailing, there becomes a shift in preference, according to ease of communication. Emerging trends amongst the youth of the world indicate that communicating and networking friends is high priority. The combination of ease of communication along with the essence of a fresh technology seems to attract the youth of the world (Hirst & Harrison, 2007).

However being simple and new is not the only temptation 3D Virtual Reality Chat Rooms offer. 3D Chat Rooms provide an element of safety for the user, with the option to conceal one’s identity when engaging in online conversations. The provided safety aspect also attracts a portion of the world’s youth who feel uncomfortable revealing their identity in a 3D Chat Room environment.

Another appealing aspect of 3D Virtual Reality Chat Rooms is the cost. Software for 3D Virtual Reality Chat Rooms such as Active Worlds are free to download to one’s personal computer. In contrast to 3D Online Chat Rooms is using the telephone or the mail system which has an initial set-up fee as well as some on going cost. This is seen as an attractive gimmick to the world’s youth, as their income must be carefully budgeted whilst still involving themselves in entertaining pastimes and social interaction.

3D Virtual Reality Chat Rooms have contributed to the socialisation of the world’s youth by allowing the youth of the world to communicate and share information with each other on an international level. The online chat room Active Worlds has users from almost every country on the planet. Active Worlds allows users to create their own personal chat room, where the user selects and invites people who they would like to communicate with. This gives the youth of the world to power to design chat rooms where the topic is specific, therefore attracting other young users with the same interests. The notion that allowing young people with the same interests, living worldwide the chance to communicate, is that online 3D Chat Rooms create a sense of socialisation that may not exist in the young users offline life.

By communicating with other young people internationally, the youth of the world is also given the opportunity to expand their knowledge of cultural and religious differences. By immersing themselves in online 3D Chat Rooms, young users become more aware of the diversity that exists in the world, and are therefore begin to break some of the barriers which may be present between opposing nations.

By engaging in the immersive world of online 3D Chat Rooms the youth of the world are creating bonds of friendship with other young people internationally. This gives these young 3D Chat Room users the benefit of an increased network of friends and contacts. Creating this network system of friendship is a vital element in a young person’s life.

The youth of the world once lived in a situation where it was impossible to make any form of contact with each other on an international level. That boundary has been removed over many years of technological advancement. The contemporary model of communication amongst the world’s youth is that of infinite possibilities.

There are many aspects which contribute to socialisation amongst the youth of the world. However social behaviour would be impossible without communication. It is from our desire to communicate which we have created this new concept of communication such as the 3D online Chat World. It is also from our desire to unite as a global entity that we have constructed Virtual Realities in which people from every country on planet Earth may converse without prejudice or discrimination. It is through our knowledge of ourselves that we have bridged the language gap between nations.

Through the use of new technologies such as web-based microphones and virtual reality mapping devices, there have been major advancements in terms of ease of communication (Pimental & Teixeira, 1995). Online 3D Virtual Reality Chat Rooms have utilised these technologies, allowing users to communicate in a faster more simplistic ways than that of email or telecommunication. The word’s youth have embraced this expanding technology, using its benefit for themselves in regards to communication. By immersing in the online realities of 3D Chat Rooms, the world’s youth are expanding their social lives in terms of communication skills, knowledge of cultural and religious backgrounds and expression of self.

After generations of attempting to further our communication skills, the youth of the world are now standing atop a pinnacle of technological evolution. This level of technology reached, has opened many new doors in terms of the future of communication. The youth of the world are set to become the most interconnected generation to grace this planet.

References

ActiveWorlds Inc. (1997). ActiveWorlds and education. Retrieved May 6, 2007, from http://www.activeworlds.com/edu/index.asp.

Hirst, M., & Harrison, J. (2007). Communication and new media: From broadcast to narrowcast. South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.

Markley, R. (1996). Virtual realities and their discontents. USA: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Pimental, K., & Teixeira, K. (1995). Virtual reality: Through the new looking glass. USA: McGraw-Hill Inc.

· What is a search engine?

A search engine is a website which allows users to enter topics, questions and words to have them crosschecked with all websites that relate to them information entered.

· How do search engines rank the stuff they find on the internet?

Search engines rank results according to keyword location and frequency.

· who, or what, makes one page (that you might get in your search results) more useful than another one, so that it is put at the top of your search results?

A program called WebCrawler sorts through information entered by the user and produces an ordered list according to relevance of topic.

· what are some of your favourite search engines? why do you like one more than others?

My favourite search engines are Google and Ask. Google because it’s the most popular search engine on the internet and I figure there must be because its good. Ask because you can actually ask the internet questions and it gives you the closest thing to a reply, very new-age.

· Can you find some current news stories about search engines? (for example, Google has been in the technology news a bit lately).

Yahoo is currently under lawsuit over the disclosure of a man’s details. The man was imprisoned for sharing his views on a multi-party system of government and was charged for the “incitement to subvert state power”. The man claims that Yahoo gave his personal detail to the police, which led to his arrest.

Finally.

1. What is the weight of the world's biggest pumpkin?

The worlds biggest pumpkin weighs 731 pounds !

www.strangecosmos.com/content/item/6453.html

2. What is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact Grant Hackett?

The best way to contact Grant Hackett is by emailing glai@granthackettonline.com

http://selina.tblog.com/post/439793

3. What is the length of a giraffe's tongue?

A giraffe’s tongue can reach 18 inches in length

http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/vecase/Behavior/Spring2002/Kawwass/giraffe.htm

4. How would you define the word 'ontology'? In your own words, what does it really mean ?

I would define ontology as the study of physically and metaphysically existing.

www.dictionary.com

5. What was David Cronenberg's first feature film?

D.Cronenberg’s first feature film was “Crimes of the Future” which was produced in 1970.

6. When was the original 'Hacker's Manifesto' written?

The Hacker’s Manifesto was first written on January 8, 1986 by The Mentor.

7. Why do all phone numbers in Hollywood films start with '555'?

Hollywood films use the prefix 555 because is it not designated as the area code for anywhere in the United States. Therefore they use 555 as their prefix so that no subscribers as harassed by people wanted to test out the numbers they see in films. http://www.omegarobot.com/article/555.html

8. What is the cheapest form of travel from Crete to Rhodes?

To travel from Crete to Rhodes, the cheapest way is by ferry.

9. What song was top of the Australian Pop Charts this week in 1965?

The song on top of the Australian pop charts this week was Help! by The Beatles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles

10. Which Brisbane band includes Stephen Stockwell on keyboards and vocals?

Steve plays in the Black Assassins. http://www.brisbanewritersfestival.com.au/2005/content/standard.asp?name=StockwellS