Cinch cast

http://www.cinchcast.com/drezar/138349

Final Project

I made my website so it would be useful for me now, but also helps me build a network for the future. I can make work for free now, hopefully for people that will refer my graphics to future clients. I will continue to build my portfolio and learn how to be more professional. Right now I can help others so they possibly help me.

Chapter 6: Continued

Every node in every network has its own address to make sure the data reaches its right destination. A standard IP address consists of four groups of numbers that range from 0 to 255, each group being separated by a period. Every 8-bit number in your IP address is called an octet. The combination for each of these quartets is 256. Once you combine all four of these octets you have 4,294,967,296 different values. There is a classful routing system that is used to assign specific IP addresses by classifying them in networks as Class E to Class A in order to maximize the number of IP addresses on each network. Class A and B are usually for big business, governmental, and education networks. Class C is used for smaller networks. Domain name systems (DNS) are a hierarchy of different servers to resolve domain names by translating those names into IP addresses. 

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/question549.htm

Chapter 6

A local area network (LAN) is made up of at least two or more computers connected together in a small area, usually to share files, resources, and online access. For a computer to connect to this LAN network it must have a network interface card (NIC). This NIC connects to a hub. This hub then connects to your modem. If you want a wired network you have to connect your computers to your hub by using an Ethernet cable. If you want a wireless LAN network you need a wireless access point. This peer to peer LAN connection is a inexpensive networking choice for a small business or home but, becomes impractical when connecting more than just a few computers. So when you have more than a few computers you need a client/server network. This type of LAN can support more data, provide network maintenance tools, and has more security features. 

Sources

http://www.hp.com/sbso/productivity/howto/wireless_lan/do_it.html

http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/local-area-network

Digital Portfolio Outline

The career I would like to pursue is graphic design. The programs I will use are InDesign, CMYK, Photoshop, Microsoft office, html, fireworks, Dreamweaver, flash, and action script. The program I will use to create a website will be circlepad.com. It has a really easy to use client for creating a website. The responsibility of a graphic designer is to produce graphics, sketches, layouts, templates, themes, typography for merchandising and promotions. I intend on showcasing those skills with my digital portfolio. 

Chapter 5

When browsing websites on the internet one of the most important things you want to make sure of is the site’s credibility. It’s especially important when you are searching for health issues; this information has to be accurate. The things you look for are identifying the author or sponsoring organization and then determining if the content on the site is presented timely and objective. Another way you can distinguish a good site from a bad one is by looking for sites with certain symbols that mean the information on the sites meet the quality standards.

Online banking allows people to save time by using the internet. Banks that offering online banking are known as a brick-and-click business. Banking online allows you to pay your bills, view account balances, transfer funds, order checks, change personal information, and almost anything else. One of the concerns with online banking is security. Online banks use the most sophisticated security technologies to protect your transactions and information. Paying bills online is very common and convenient, instead of getting mail from your physical address, you can just log onto the internet from anywhere and pay them. 

My PLN

I plan on building my PLN around graphic design by using web 2.0 tools. I have subscribed to a few blogs of established graphic designers, firms, and people like me. For the blogs that I have subscribed to I am able to read them with Google reader. These blogs provide me with important and sometimes personal information about graphic design. I also plan on being more active on social networking sites such as twitter, facebook, and YouTube. Creating an e-profile is very important especially with graphic design. On twitter I’m following many designers and firms. I will also start posting the projects I’m working. With facebook I could add friends and build connections with people I know that are involved with graphic design. Hopefully with these networking sites I will also come across some job opportunities for the future. On YouTube I could upload video tutorials of things I’ve learned about graphics and design. I will also keep my bookmarks on a social bookmarking site such as diigo and delicious. On these sites I will be able to share my links and view links to others libraries that I have subscribed to.

Chapter 5 - Portals

When using the internet people most commonly use a web portal as their home page. To make a portal your homepage all you have to do is change the settings of the browser you use. There are many different kinds of portals. They can be a horizontal portal, vertical portal, general consumer portal, or a industry portal. A horizontal portal is a consumer portal that you are able to customize to meet your specific needs and interests. An example of a horizontal portal would be My MSN or My Yahoo. A general consumer portal gives the user a wide range of content that commonly includes search tools, reference tools, current weather and news, and usually an email account to go with it. Since these portals offer such a large range of content they appeal to a very large audience. A vertical portal is usually used when someone wants to know more about a specific interest. For example if someone is interested in information about cancer they could use the National Cancer Institute portal. A industry portal is a portal that can be used as a market space. Most industry portals give the specific industries' information, links, and advertising.

SL - Blog Entry 3

During the final phase of the project we found out what editing software was best for both audio and video. We had to do the voice overs during this phase which turned out to be easier then expected. Were not the best actors so we had fun with it. We also learned that it was tough aligning the voice tracks with the video tracks. We also added some special effects and credits. The credits were easy to add, but the special effects and sounds took some time. Looking back on this project I learned that it's sometimes harder to work in a group. What I learned that I found most useful was knowledge of the different video recording/ voice recording/ movie editing software.

SL - Blog Entry 2

During the second phase of the project thinking of the storyline took a long time. We needed to find out the setting, the dialogue, and what we were going to wear/props we were holding. Even though the dialogue was the hardest part Jeff was really enthusiastic and had some great ideas. Our story was intended to be a comedic horror type genre. Since we were using second life it’s hard to make something actually look scary so we thought adding some funny dialogue would provide enough comic relief to make the machinima look interesting. The jobs were Jeff, Elena, and Joe were to create the storyboard and do the voice overs. Jeff and Elena edited the movie. Joe recorded the movie. Then all of us did some screen acting.

SL - Blog Entry 1

During the first phase of the project I learned which recording software worked best. Also when recording we found it was best to look at things from the mouselook view perspective. I also found out that its easy to find a good setting using by using the destination guide. It is harder to find a perfect setting since you can't own a house and its hard to build new things. Another thing that became a problem was other people around us talking and for one scene whenever a zombie or dog bit someone it would spam the chat box.

Social Media

Social media is online tools that let people collaborate, communicate, and share content/ideas over the internet. Web based discussion groups and newsgroups are a place where people with similar interests can express their thoughts and opinions to a network of people that they probably would never would have met in person. Text messaging allows people to send short messages usually containing text, audio, or video from their cell phones. Some service providers allow the user to send a webpage to someone using a multimedia messaging service. One of the earliest forms of chat was Internet relay chat (IRC), which was a text-based communications tool. When you connect to an IRC network, you can choose from a list of the available channels on the network that you can join to chat with friends. Blogging is becoming more popular and is used as an online tool for sharing your opinions and ideas to a certain audience. Micro blogging is basically blogging to a private audience. It is used mainly by businesses to inform their customers of new offers and services. It can also be used to give status updates to only your close friends and not to everyone that would normally read the updates. The way social networking online works is when you join the site you create a profile that describes yourself. Then you add other people from that site to your network, and then your network grows larger as your friends connect with new friends and then they connect to their friends.

Harmful Emails

Since email is so popular it is the main method used for spreading computer viruses and worms. The ways these are spread are through the email’s attachments. These attachments can be very misleading so if you’re suspicious or don’t have a good security system you definitely shouldn’t run it. The way a worm works is when it’s in your system it is able to self replicate, these worms can send emails to addresses that they acquire from the computer its infecting, and their file is usually around 150KB in size. An email virus is usually some sort of computer code that when activated will have a very harmful effect on your computer. Sometimes these viruses are even distributed by email worms. Some of the harmful effects would be they can corrupt/delete data, steal data, use your computer to harm a website. They can also destroy your reputation if the virus gets into your address book and forward itself to people you know. Some viruses that place a Trojan horse on your computer could also let the person who wrote the virus hijack your computer and use it. A Trojan horse is a form of malware that usually appears as a useful application, but is very malicious. I know there are three different types of Trojans, they can be a keylogger, backdoor, or a IRC Trojan. Unlike a worm a Trojan does not replicate. There are also two distinct parts to a Trojan the client and the server. Keyloggers are used to give the hacker your passwords. Remote access ones (backdoor) will allow the person to have total control of the person’s computer. A IRC Trojan uses the computer as a botnetwork that is controlled by IRC. I personally have never had any problems with any viruses or worms. Also I must say email attachments are not the only way you can get one of these you have to be careful what you download and be careful with removable media since they are usually not scanned. To prevent these things you need a good anti-virus progam, a good firewall, isolate any infected computer, consistently update your anti-virus programs, and scan any email attachment. The anti-virus I use right now is Norton anti-virus and the firewall I use is Zone Alarm. These are two programs I highly recommend. A cheaper but still highly effective alternate I recommend is Kaspersky.

Here are some of the settings I have. Norton is very customizable.

A Sudden Crossover

Windows Mail

If you receive a lot of emails it becomes important to keep organized. You can do this by creating message folders. With windows mail you can create these folders the same way you would create any other folder. Another way to organize your message is by applying rules to certain messages, that send those messages automatically to a specific folder. To create these rules you click on the tools command > click the mail command > to upon the new mail rule dialog box. In this box you will be able to set the actions and select the conditions for the rule. Creating contacts is also essential when using email. To create a new contact you go to the windows contacts folder and click on the new contact button. You can add their personal information and email information to their contact. To use this contact when you decide who you want to open the select recipients dialog box while in the To: line. Then you just click the name of the contact you want to send the email to then hit the to button to add them to the message's recipients.

Email

Email is the exchange of computer stored messages through the internet or a computer network. The benefits of email are its accessibility, low cost, speed, and are easy to manage. What I like about email now is how easy it is to manage. With many email clients it’s really easy to compose your message and send it to anyone since nearly everyone has an email address. Another thing useful about email is how you can receive attachments. Another feature that I learned about email that I found interesting was the anatomy the email message. I will able to use these lines more effectively now. When reading about email etiquette I thought it was funny that it said “when you want to convey a particular feeling or emotion in an e-mail message, you can make use of an emoticon. I also understand that it is important to make sure the reader understands what you are trying to say without any misinterpretations. I never used windows mail since you can make almost any other email client your default. I found it helpful to know what the different icons next to email messages mean such as a flag means the message requires further action. I will also remember to make sure the subject of the message is something meaningful.

I've used aol mail ever since I created my first screen name. It has a really simple and easy to use interface.

Career Goals

My major is web production.My career goal is to find an occupation that I truly enjoy, and will challenge my mental capabilities every day, as well as fulfilling my monetary goals. About five years from now that career would be a freelance graphic designer.
From the knowledge I learned from this course I will be able to present my work through powerpoint more professionally. I will also be able to communicate more effectively through social networking sites. I can also apply what I learned from this class to search the internet more efficiently and accurately. I also hope to expand my knowledge on website creation from this course which would really help if I decide to become a freelance designer. What I learned from this course will prepare me for when I transfer to RIT.

Chapter 3: Continued.

As online videos become more popular the number of search engines that specialize in indexing videos has increased. More and more companies have been featuring their videos on news sites, web portals, social networks and blogs. YouTube’s success has been a result of its easy to use upload system and its growing community of people that submit their own videos. YouTube’s biggest issue has been video copyright protection. Many videos are being copied and then re uploaded without permission from the owner of that video. Many of these copyright infringements can be avoided if the up loader would give credit (cite the source) to the original owner in the video itself or the description. When I read the part about paying for or copying an essay online I thought “wow”. The definition of plagiarism is copying someone else’s written work or ideas and passing them off as their own without citing its source. I don’t see how someone could claim something they copy and pasted as their own. If there is a site where you couldn’t see the essay until you bought it I think that would make it harder to tell if it actually was plagiarized. Then I read how these papers are traced and thought it takes a lot of effort to try and get away with plagiarizing almost enough as to write the actual paper. As for the consequences I’ve never really heard of a person getting caught cheating, so I guess that’s why this still exists? When citing web sources it is important to be precise so you properly give credit where credit is due so you’re not plagiarizing because you were not able to cite it correctly. Information that is considered common knowledge does not have to be cited. It is also important to know the specific citing requirements of the college that you go to. 

These are the most viewed videos on youtube for this month. It has a movie trailer, 2 viral videos, and 2 music videos. If you look at the videos with the most views of all time you would see mostly music videos and few unique videos that were uploaded by people whose videos have become viral. 

Chapter 3

When searching for information on the internet it is important to know how to search effectively to find what you’re looking for. One of the first steps is developing your search query. This query should have a specific keyword to narrow your search results. These keywords are used to find relevant web pages in the search results list. The results contain web pages that are most relevant to the keywords you searched. I know that Google has a really complex page ranking system which measures each page’s importance to give good search results. The engine asks questions about the keywords such as, If the keyword is in the title, url, or description. To evaluate the credibility of your search results you could look at the source, the quality of the page’s content, and the site’s overall design and functionality. The authority is the person who owns or sponsors the site. Search engines such as Bing and Google use a spider, or web crawler that searches the web. A web crawler is a program or script that browses the web in an efficient manner. Different engines have different indexes for the web crawler to search through. If you can’t find what you’re looking for using a regular search engine you should try using a metasearch engine, which is an engine that produces search results that have been compiled using multiple search engines. When creating your search query there are many techniques you can use to get better results. Search engines usually ignore question words since they are usually implied. If you group two keywords together with quotation marks such as “college subtends”, you should get good results. If you add unnecessary words that are already related to your search query you could possibly eliminate some good sources.

Chapter 2

Printing a webpage is quite simple all you have to do is highlight the information you want to print then click the print button. To save a web page all you have to do is click the page button, which is located on the command bar and click save as. You can save the web page as a .htm, .html, or a .txt file. There are also many browser features can be customized. On firefox you can personalize your browser as much as you want, there are so many different add ons. You can also change things such as your command bar and history. 

As you can see Firefox is my favorite browser and has been customized a lot. You can choose what to hide by right clicking the command bar. I’m hiding the pointless search bars I downloaded. Another thing that I clearly customized is the theme. I also added my bookmarks to the bookmarks toolbar for better accessibility. I also changed my search engine to bing and added a skype extention. The last change would be my home page which is msn.com. This page changes the most frequently. To protect your computer from hackers you should have a firewall. A firewall is a piece of computer software or hardware that is intended to prevent unauthorized access to your system software or data. These firewalls often warn users about harmful communications or just directly block them. When shopping online most people shop from sites they trust or are known companies. Its important to not risk your credit card number. You should never send someone your credit card number in an email, legit sites would never ask for it in an email.

GoAnimate.com: o rly by HFaXx

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

RSS Feeds

RRS stands for Really Simple Syndication. An RSS reader is a type of software that allows you to subscribe to read syndicated web site content. This content includes blogs, news, and links to web site content. Many of these feeds are free and can be read from many popular web browsers. After you subscribe to feeds, you can open that feed page at any time to view the update. I use google reader to view the feeds I've subscribed to when i'm not on my laptop. With google reader you can see multiple feeds being updated in one place.In internet explorer the browser checks every web site for any available RSS feeds that you can subscribe to. With mozilla firefox you have to download the add on to have an RSS reader. I like the RSS ticker reader because you can see it at all times and is automatically updated. To subscribe to a feed with this ticker all you have to do is go to bookmarks > subscribe to this page. 

Go Animate

GoAnimate.com: lul by HFaXx

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com.

Web Browsers

My favorite web browser is firefox. Other commonly used browsers would be Internet explorer, google chrome, and safari. These web browsers contain a homepage, search engine, display area, and tons of other buttons and tools that make navigating the web so much easier. I like firefox so much just because of the customization. I believe google chrome is a little faster, but is quite boring. According to wikipedia the primary purpose of a web browser is to bring information resources to the user. This process begins when the user inputs a URI. The most common URI would be http: this identifies a particular resource to be retrieved over the HTTP. Here is a screenshot of my browser, I have a lot of things hidden so not everything is shown.

Domain Names

Since IP addresses are too difficult for most people to remember, web servers are usually referenced by a domain name. This domain name is the text designated to one or more IP addresses. When you type in a domain name in a browser, the browser looks up the IP address associated with that domain name by requesting the IP address from a name server. To find the IP address that corresponds with that domain name you would have to look it up by using the nslookup command.  All domain names are unique, therefore domain names must be registered kind of like trademarks.  The domain names are organized and grouped by TLD. TLD differs from nations, .us would be for the US and .uk would be for United Kingdom.

Web Portals

I use msn.com as my web portal. A web portal is special website that contains a large amount of information and services. Other common web portals would be aol, igoogle, and yahoo. These web portals act as a starting point for people when they start their web browsers. MSN is known as a general interest portal other portals such as golf.com would be an example of a special interest portal. Special interest portals show information that would appeal to the specific interest of the viewer. According to about.com these web portals are well funded and staffed by full time employees. These portals also feature search engines, news, weather, shopping, online communities, and web email all in one place.

Net Neutrality

 My thoughts on the issue are big companies such as google and verizon should stop trying to exploit and manipulate the internet for their own greedy agendas. When I think of net neutrality I think to myself. What will they actually block or charge extra for? None of these companies own the internet therefore they shouldn’t be able to control it. I also think it is very shallow of google to sell out just because of android’s operating system. I also believe the internet was meant to be free. After reading about the amount of millions these companies are lobbying with I would think they are going to nearly inevitably win this battle. They have already won disputes in the past. My parents have to pay around 60$ dollars a month for my phone bill and around 40$ dollars a month to use the internet. If prices go up even more that would just put the country in a recession again. Nothing good could come out of censoring the internet.

Chaper 1

The first chapter in the book described who uses the internet, internet activities, the history of the internet, and described connecting to the internet. After reading the first few pages I noticed just how many commas are used when talking about the internet. From describing all the people who actually use the internet, the different communication carriers, to its various uses. Business owners use the internet to maximize their profit or maintain good relationships with their members, consumers, and partners. Consumers can use the internet to purchase things online and pay their bills. Many of these things could be done without the internet but usually in a less efficient manner. I use the internet commonly to search for answers, download music, and communicate with friends. I found it interesting how different people use the internet. I also believe it is amazing how a web page could be created from a program such as notepad. From the chapter I also learned what many of the common acronyms associated with the internet stood for. Such as HTML which stands for hypertext markup language and TCP/IP which stands for transmission control protocol/internet protocol.

I’ve always been interesting in learning about the history of the internet. The government in the 1960s felt pressured by the Soviet Union to connect their computers so they would be able to the data and computing power to more than just one location so they would be less vulnerable. One of the first milestone in the creation of the internet was in 1966, a new network was launched called ARPANET. I also found interesting the names of the universities that helped create the internet (MIT, Stanford, UCLA). In December 1969 four universities were able to join the ARPANET network which became the foundation of the internet today. Bolt Beranek and Newman (BBN) was able to create the hardware, programming, and design. In 1971 the first chat between two computers to place. Later that year email was created. In the 1980s different networks were created as members of the general public became more interested. In 1993 the first browser was created and was called the worldwideweb. By the end of the year 1994 there were about 10 million users. Today there are nearly 2 billion people around the world that have access to the internet. They have access to these networks from Internet service providers.

After reading this chapter I feel so grateful to be in a generation where the internet is such a common form of technology. I was able to listen to music as I wrote this and was able to submit this assignment at my own leisure as a result of the internet.