1.) The author mentions many ways you can maintain and tune your computer. Some of these methods for windows users include using a junk-cleaning program which is a program that scans your computer for "junk files", or useless files, and allows you to delete these files from your computer. Another method for windows users is using Windows' Disk Cleanup utility which is a program that again allows users to delete "no-longer-needed-files" and reclaim free space on your harddrive. Some methods for Macintosh users include getting rid of unwanted applications which involves using a utility called AppZapper which finds and deletes all components of an unwanted application. Another method includes deleting files you no longer need which involves using a program to uncover and delete files on your computer that you no longer need. Also, another method for Macintosh users include using a maintenance utility which again uses a program which takes care of regular system maintenance.
2.) I usually use the method of manually maintaining my computer by deleting unwanted files and regularly updating my system. This has worked fairly well, as I have been able to avoid viruses and my computer still works as fast as it did when I first bought it four years ago. I have not tried any of the authors suggestions because since I have kept up with maintaining my computer I see no reason to buy a program to do what I have done manually now for four years.
3.) Data scrubbing is an error correction technique that uses a program to periodically check your computer for errors, and when errors are found the program corrects the errors using another copy of the data, one with no errors. This is important because by using this you can avoid the accumulation of errors and reduces the risk of having uncorrectable errors.
4.) A "cookie" is a text file embedded on to your computer after visiting most commercial websites. They can be a good thing for convience reasons. For example, if you visit a previously visited site, your computer can read the corresponding cookie and tell who you are. Although cookies are not always good because some advertising networks can track these cookies on your computer and can track what websites you have visited and when you visited them.
5.) "Key Logging" is the method of tracking the keys struck on your keyboard so that the person striking the keys is unaware of it. Two methods the author recommends to keep your computer free of spyware include using a free program called Lavasoft Ad-Aware Personal which catches spyware and malware after it has entered your computer and allows you to remove it after the fact. The other method is to use a program called Microsoft Windows Defender which does real time scanning and let you know right when spyware or malware has infected your computer. The author also warns that before you install any free spyware or malware removal programs to make sure the program is not itself a spyware/malware promulgator by searching the name of the program at symantec.com, which is a company that monitors malware threats.
6.) Phising is a scam that is sent to thousands of people in hopes they will fill out their personal information and click submit, so that hackers or scammers can use this information against you. Pharming is a type of identity theft that is committed when you go to a phony website. It happens when you are directed to a phony site where they again ask you for your personal information that scammers will eventually use against you.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Chapter 8 Assessment
1.) Wi-Fi is short for "Wireless Fidelity". It is a set of instructions for configuring radios, that allow computers to talk to each other without wires. There is a single base station which is connected to the internet, which all other computers connect to, basically eliminating the need of data cables. The author mentions that other users, wireless phone headsets, microwave ovens as well as baby monitors may interfere with your Wi-Fi connection. This happens because Wi-Fi uses an unlicensed spectra to broadcast, one that is susceptible to interference.
2.) Three methods of telling if someone is using your wireless network are checking the website log for suspicious activity, check your security software for Intrusion Detection Alerts and software such as Wall Watcher and Securepoint Intrusion Detection to monitor incoming and outgoing activity over your network. Two methods of protecting your wireless network from outside usage include hiding your network by "closing" your network and encrypting your network by creating a software "key", that is used kind of like a password.
3.) The incident of a man being cited for using an "open" wireless connection is quite ridiculous. He was just in the right area to use it and wasn't doing anything illegal, just using the internet. Also, anyone has the right to "close" their wireless connection if they don' t want other people using it, if they choose to leave it "open", it should be legal for anyone to use it. I agree with the author's assessment because I also believe it is the owners responsibility to keep the network locked if they do not want to share it.
4.) One potential issue when using a VoIP service is obtaining a second phone line for the DSL connection because the phone number can not be the same for the VoIP service and the internet connection. Also, the traditional 911 emergency service doesn't work when called from a number using a VoIP service, no name or address appears when you call. Another issue is if the power goes out then so does your VoIP service and you have no phone. Finally, if your internet connection gets dropped, you will not be able to use your VoIP service.
5.) The author provides five things you should do with your e-mail when you receive it to help you deal with your e-mail. These five things include either delete the e-mail, answer it, let someone else deal with it (or redirect the message), save it for reference or tag it for later action.
6.) Methods the author provides to reduce the amount of spam you receive include not letting spammers know you exist by not posting your e-mail address anywhere online. Another method is not ever replying to a spam or clicking the "unsubscribe" link. Also, you can never buy anything advertised via spam. You could also use your internet service provider's spam filtering options to filter out spam. Also, you can use the spam filtering capabilities that come with your e-mail program, similar to that of your internet service provider's. Finally, you can use a third party filter, which is a system that you run your e-mail through that filters out the spam for you.
2.) Three methods of telling if someone is using your wireless network are checking the website log for suspicious activity, check your security software for Intrusion Detection Alerts and software such as Wall Watcher and Securepoint Intrusion Detection to monitor incoming and outgoing activity over your network. Two methods of protecting your wireless network from outside usage include hiding your network by "closing" your network and encrypting your network by creating a software "key", that is used kind of like a password.
3.) The incident of a man being cited for using an "open" wireless connection is quite ridiculous. He was just in the right area to use it and wasn't doing anything illegal, just using the internet. Also, anyone has the right to "close" their wireless connection if they don' t want other people using it, if they choose to leave it "open", it should be legal for anyone to use it. I agree with the author's assessment because I also believe it is the owners responsibility to keep the network locked if they do not want to share it.
4.) One potential issue when using a VoIP service is obtaining a second phone line for the DSL connection because the phone number can not be the same for the VoIP service and the internet connection. Also, the traditional 911 emergency service doesn't work when called from a number using a VoIP service, no name or address appears when you call. Another issue is if the power goes out then so does your VoIP service and you have no phone. Finally, if your internet connection gets dropped, you will not be able to use your VoIP service.
5.) The author provides five things you should do with your e-mail when you receive it to help you deal with your e-mail. These five things include either delete the e-mail, answer it, let someone else deal with it (or redirect the message), save it for reference or tag it for later action.
6.) Methods the author provides to reduce the amount of spam you receive include not letting spammers know you exist by not posting your e-mail address anywhere online. Another method is not ever replying to a spam or clicking the "unsubscribe" link. Also, you can never buy anything advertised via spam. You could also use your internet service provider's spam filtering options to filter out spam. Also, you can use the spam filtering capabilities that come with your e-mail program, similar to that of your internet service provider's. Finally, you can use a third party filter, which is a system that you run your e-mail through that filters out the spam for you.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Chapter 6 & 7 Response
1.) For the destination Negril, Jamaica, the website first provides a general overview of the destination. In the overview topics such as how carefree Jamaica is and the town’s nickname which is the “Capital of Casual”. The number one rated hotel to stay at Shields Negril Villas based on consumer reviews of service, location and the actual room. Some recommended things to do while in Negril, Jamaica include scuba diving, visiting Rick’s Café, visiting Jungle nightclub and visiting Negril light house. Recommended restaurants to visit include the Hungry Lion, Sweet Spice, the LTU Pub and Drai’s. There is also plenty of expert advice offered on the website including how to plan a trip to Negril, Jamaica, what to do when arriving, how to get around and a general orientation of Negril, Jamaica.
2.) Twitter is a social networking and microblogging website, similar to Facebook or MySpace. On Twitter, users can send and read messages known as tweets, which are text posts of up to 140 characters. These tweets are featured on the users homepage or but can also be displayed to the users followers. Personally I do not use Twitter.
3.) In order to check your credit report the author suggests you visit the website annualcreditreport.com. On this website you will asked to verify your identity through a series of questions. Along the way you will be asked to buy a subscription and to pay to see you FICO score, this is unnecessary, just ignore them. According to the author you should be looking for signs of identity theft or negative marks on your credit record. So overall, you do not need to pay to see your credit report. Although your FICO score, which is what lenders use to determine whether or not to give you a loan and what rate of interest they will charge if they decide to give you a loan, will have to be paid for in order to see it.
4.) Microfinancing is the idea of lending small sums of money to individuals in poor countries. The author recommends the website kiva.org, a microfinance group. Kiva is an organization that believes people are generally generous, and look to these people to donate to struggling entrepreneurs across the globe. They believe these struggling entrepreneurs can be very successful when given the chance and donating helps create relationships across the globe. As an organization, Kiva promotes dignity, accountability and transparency. Two people trying to support their businesses through Kiva are Leonora Stets and Alibala Nagiyev. Leonora is an entrepreneur from Western Ukraine who sells womens footwear in the marketplace. Alibala is a 56 year old man who runs his own barber shop in Agsu City.
5.) According to the website it will take until the end of September 2011in order to pay off the debt. During this time you will pay $93.04 in interest. Some trends in payment that the website recommends are paying off the majority of one debt at a time before concentrating payments on other debts and generally paying less off at first and over time making larger payments on your debts.
6.) I found the chunk of information interesting on keeping track of loans between roommates. I found this interesting because it is something that applies to me right now and I was unaware of billmonk.com, a website used in order to keep track of loans between groups of friends.
2.) Twitter is a social networking and microblogging website, similar to Facebook or MySpace. On Twitter, users can send and read messages known as tweets, which are text posts of up to 140 characters. These tweets are featured on the users homepage or but can also be displayed to the users followers. Personally I do not use Twitter.
3.) In order to check your credit report the author suggests you visit the website annualcreditreport.com. On this website you will asked to verify your identity through a series of questions. Along the way you will be asked to buy a subscription and to pay to see you FICO score, this is unnecessary, just ignore them. According to the author you should be looking for signs of identity theft or negative marks on your credit record. So overall, you do not need to pay to see your credit report. Although your FICO score, which is what lenders use to determine whether or not to give you a loan and what rate of interest they will charge if they decide to give you a loan, will have to be paid for in order to see it.
4.) Microfinancing is the idea of lending small sums of money to individuals in poor countries. The author recommends the website kiva.org, a microfinance group. Kiva is an organization that believes people are generally generous, and look to these people to donate to struggling entrepreneurs across the globe. They believe these struggling entrepreneurs can be very successful when given the chance and donating helps create relationships across the globe. As an organization, Kiva promotes dignity, accountability and transparency. Two people trying to support their businesses through Kiva are Leonora Stets and Alibala Nagiyev. Leonora is an entrepreneur from Western Ukraine who sells womens footwear in the marketplace. Alibala is a 56 year old man who runs his own barber shop in Agsu City.
5.) According to the website it will take until the end of September 2011in order to pay off the debt. During this time you will pay $93.04 in interest. Some trends in payment that the website recommends are paying off the majority of one debt at a time before concentrating payments on other debts and generally paying less off at first and over time making larger payments on your debts.
6.) I found the chunk of information interesting on keeping track of loans between roommates. I found this interesting because it is something that applies to me right now and I was unaware of billmonk.com, a website used in order to keep track of loans between groups of friends.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Chapter 5 Assestment
1.) You can verify if e-mails are a hoax or not by visiting Snopes.com, which is a clearinghouse for urban legends and bogus e-mails. The website filters through hundreds of e-mails a day, filtering out all the ones that contain bogus information or are hoaxes. The first example of a e-mail sent to the masses was one that stated a 13 year old girl from Philadelphia named Ashley Flores was missing. Snopes.com received this e-mail and determined that it was false. The second example of an e-mail sent to the masses was an e-mail that claimed Starbucks refused to give free products to G.I.'s serving in Iraq. Snopes.com again received this e-mail and determined it was also false.
2.) The first method you can use is simply saving the website page as a text file. You can also save it as a complete website and store it on to your hard drive with the formatting and images all left intact. Another method, for Mac users, is to save the webpage as a standalone PDF file, which can be viewed in Adobe Reader or Apple's Preview Utility.
3.) Four uses of Fundrace.org include, finding out if and how much your neighbors contributed to political campaigns, finding out anyone that may have contributed to a political campaign including their address and who in the same area contributed to that campaign and you can also use Fundrace.org to organize block parties in order to raise funds for your party or favorite presidential candidate. Jerry Springer donated an amount of $4,600 to Hillary Clinton in 2007.
4.) Liveplasma.com is a visual music "discovery engine". You enter the name of an artist and it displays related bands. By clicking on one of the related bands, Liveplasma generates a map of related bands surrounding it. Its function is to help people discover new bands which are related to and similar to bands that they like. During a search on Liveplasma.com, the website displays the name or the artist you searched in the middle with a web of connected artists around it. The more closely related the artists are, the closer they are in relation to the artist you searched. There is also a target on the screen which allows you to navigate through the web of artists with ease.
5.) Bit Torrent is a method of sharing files that actually makes the files more accessible, in proportion to the number of people downloading them. It works by making everyone's computer pitch in on the job of sharing files. As your Bit Torrent application is downloading the file, it is simultaneously uploading, what you have downloaded so far to other users. Although you need to be careful because many Bit Torrent search sites online point to files of copyrighted movies, music and software. It is illegal to download copyrighted material and may result in jail time for those who use Bit Torrent to download these files.
2.) The first method you can use is simply saving the website page as a text file. You can also save it as a complete website and store it on to your hard drive with the formatting and images all left intact. Another method, for Mac users, is to save the webpage as a standalone PDF file, which can be viewed in Adobe Reader or Apple's Preview Utility.
3.) Four uses of Fundrace.org include, finding out if and how much your neighbors contributed to political campaigns, finding out anyone that may have contributed to a political campaign including their address and who in the same area contributed to that campaign and you can also use Fundrace.org to organize block parties in order to raise funds for your party or favorite presidential candidate. Jerry Springer donated an amount of $4,600 to Hillary Clinton in 2007.
4.) Liveplasma.com is a visual music "discovery engine". You enter the name of an artist and it displays related bands. By clicking on one of the related bands, Liveplasma generates a map of related bands surrounding it. Its function is to help people discover new bands which are related to and similar to bands that they like. During a search on Liveplasma.com, the website displays the name or the artist you searched in the middle with a web of connected artists around it. The more closely related the artists are, the closer they are in relation to the artist you searched. There is also a target on the screen which allows you to navigate through the web of artists with ease.
5.) Bit Torrent is a method of sharing files that actually makes the files more accessible, in proportion to the number of people downloading them. It works by making everyone's computer pitch in on the job of sharing files. As your Bit Torrent application is downloading the file, it is simultaneously uploading, what you have downloaded so far to other users. Although you need to be careful because many Bit Torrent search sites online point to files of copyrighted movies, music and software. It is illegal to download copyrighted material and may result in jail time for those who use Bit Torrent to download these files.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Chapter 3 & 4 Assestment
1.) Three methods mentioned by the author that allow you to browse websites without harming your computer are getting anti-virus software, losing internet explorer and start using firefox as well as using a firewall in order to block unauthorized attempts to access your computer.
2.) "Proxy Bidding" is an automated bid, that bids for you each time you're outbid. For example, if the maximum you are willing to pay is $20 on a product that has a current high bid of $10, "proxy bidding" will automatically bid a dollar higher than the high bid until that $20 limit is reached. "Proxy Bidding" serves the purpose of helping the bidder pay less for products that may not reach their maximun paying price during the auction.
3.) Sniping is entering your bid at the very last possible moment before an auction closes. It serves the purpose of not allowing other interested bidders to react and outbid you, allowing you to go on and win the auction.
4.) Triangulation occurs when the seller in an auction uses a stolen credit card to buy the product the buyer had just won in the auction from an online store. The true owner of the credit card sees the charge, he goes to his bank to dispute the charge, who in turn finds the address that the product was sent to, the buyer's house. In order to avoid this scam the author suggests that you should never make a payment using a wire transfer. Also, if you recieve the package and it is marked as a gift and the address of the person who paid for it is hidden, you should immediately contact the auction site or where the product came from.
5.) Otherwise known as "single use numbers", virtual credit card numbers are issued by a credit card company who generates a unique and temporary 16 digit number that looks and works just like a regular credit card number. Although these virtual credit card numbers come with a spending limit that is determined by the owner. This serves the purpose of protecting the owner of the credit card from hackers who will be rejected if they try to use the virtual credit card number.
2.) "Proxy Bidding" is an automated bid, that bids for you each time you're outbid. For example, if the maximum you are willing to pay is $20 on a product that has a current high bid of $10, "proxy bidding" will automatically bid a dollar higher than the high bid until that $20 limit is reached. "Proxy Bidding" serves the purpose of helping the bidder pay less for products that may not reach their maximun paying price during the auction.
3.) Sniping is entering your bid at the very last possible moment before an auction closes. It serves the purpose of not allowing other interested bidders to react and outbid you, allowing you to go on and win the auction.
4.) Triangulation occurs when the seller in an auction uses a stolen credit card to buy the product the buyer had just won in the auction from an online store. The true owner of the credit card sees the charge, he goes to his bank to dispute the charge, who in turn finds the address that the product was sent to, the buyer's house. In order to avoid this scam the author suggests that you should never make a payment using a wire transfer. Also, if you recieve the package and it is marked as a gift and the address of the person who paid for it is hidden, you should immediately contact the auction site or where the product came from.
5.) Otherwise known as "single use numbers", virtual credit card numbers are issued by a credit card company who generates a unique and temporary 16 digit number that looks and works just like a regular credit card number. Although these virtual credit card numbers come with a spending limit that is determined by the owner. This serves the purpose of protecting the owner of the credit card from hackers who will be rejected if they try to use the virtual credit card number.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Multimedia Proposal
Proposal #1: My first proposal for the multimedia project is the topic of how to create a home recording studio. The project will iclude possible places for a home recording studio, options of how to create one depending on what place within the home the recording studio is, what materials are needed and what equipment is needed. Many options will be offered varying in price. The project will suggest what to do in order to create a home recording studio for various price ranges. This is how I will chuck the material. It will then be further broken down in to where in the home it would be best to create a home recording studio based on the price range, what materials and equipment to use again, based on the price range, and finally how to set up the studio. It will be relatively easy to find prices of equipment and materials online, and I will use my knowledge of recording studios in order to assess what will be needed for the creation of the home studio. Forseeable issues include industry jargon, and how to decipher for the audience, as well as shortening the content of the matter without leaving out any key issues.
Proposal #2: My second proposal for the multimedia project in an informational presentation on Led Zeppelin. Topics to be covered would include, history of the band, members of the band, discography as well as defining moments in their career. I would organize the presentation chronologically, starting with the origin of the band and ending with the present day. Possible chuncking would involve time periods, their early years, established career days and where and how there music still impacts music and people in the present day. Each of these categories would be broken into band history, music recorded during that era, defining moments and their impact on music. Again, it will be relatively easy to research the band online and as a personal favorite of mine my own knowledge will help greatly. I don't forsee any issues in preproduction except the fact that there is so much information out there, it may be tough making sure all key information is included in the presentation.
Proposal #2: My second proposal for the multimedia project in an informational presentation on Led Zeppelin. Topics to be covered would include, history of the band, members of the band, discography as well as defining moments in their career. I would organize the presentation chronologically, starting with the origin of the band and ending with the present day. Possible chuncking would involve time periods, their early years, established career days and where and how there music still impacts music and people in the present day. Each of these categories would be broken into band history, music recorded during that era, defining moments and their impact on music. Again, it will be relatively easy to research the band online and as a personal favorite of mine my own knowledge will help greatly. I don't forsee any issues in preproduction except the fact that there is so much information out there, it may be tough making sure all key information is included in the presentation.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Chapter 2 Assessment
1.) The author mentions using the application FlickrDown a utility that makes it easy to download hundreds of photos from Flickr at once.
2.) When you delete a photograph from a memory card the file doesn't get deleted immediately, it simply tosses the address of where to find the file away. The file space just sits empty until new data is added into that file space which will overwrite the previous file. In order to recover a deleted photo, you can use a recovery program online to pull those files from the trash and restore them.
3.) The Freesound Project located at freesound.iua.upf.edu. Three sound clips I found available at the website were punches and slaps, cars starting and driving and police sirens.
4.) So far, over 30,000 books have been converted to digital format. The top 5 e-books viewed form the site include, in order from first to fifth, are
6.) The first extension I found interesting was FastestFox which speeds up repetitive tasks, parallelized downloads, auto-loading of next page, improved searching, and more. Also, I found the Flash Video Resources Downloader which keeps your flash player up to date and compatible with youtube, google videos, dailymotion and many more flash websites. I also found an extension called SmoothWheel in which takes the jerkyness out of using the scroll wheel on your mouse, it scrolls the page smoothly instead.
2.) When you delete a photograph from a memory card the file doesn't get deleted immediately, it simply tosses the address of where to find the file away. The file space just sits empty until new data is added into that file space which will overwrite the previous file. In order to recover a deleted photo, you can use a recovery program online to pull those files from the trash and restore them.
3.) The Freesound Project located at freesound.iua.upf.edu. Three sound clips I found available at the website were punches and slaps, cars starting and driving and police sirens.
4.) So far, over 30,000 books have been converted to digital format. The top 5 e-books viewed form the site include, in order from first to fifth, are
- The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4) by J. Arthur Thomson (615)
- Manners, Customs, and Dress During the Middle Ages and During the Renaissance Period by P. L. Jacob (573)
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (438)
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (428)
- Illustrated History of Furniture by Frederick Litchfield (364)
6.) The first extension I found interesting was FastestFox which speeds up repetitive tasks, parallelized downloads, auto-loading of next page, improved searching, and more. Also, I found the Flash Video Resources Downloader which keeps your flash player up to date and compatible with youtube, google videos, dailymotion and many more flash websites. I also found an extension called SmoothWheel in which takes the jerkyness out of using the scroll wheel on your mouse, it scrolls the page smoothly instead.
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