Lecture - Week Two

Well in what is fast becoming my 'favourite' day of the week (but really, having to drive 45 mins for ONE lecture at 8AM!!!), Steven Stockwell took the lecture and we learnt all about the history of computers and the internet.

It all started with a man named Charles Babbage, who created the 'Difference Engine' which was used to calculate and print mathematical tables. Ada Byron, interpretting another of Babbage's inventions came to be known as the first computer programmer. Though things really started to take off with Alan Turing when he created a computer able to break German 'Enigma' codes in the war.

IBM were the official company to commercially produce computers in the 1950s. From then came along Xerox PARC in the early 1970s and in 1975 the first PC computer was born. Around this time Bill Gates created a little company in his garage called Microsoft. Two computer nerds Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak joined forces to create Apple and within a couple of years were rich enough to never have to work again.

In 1980 IBM and Microsoft become associated and gave Apple a bit of competition. Around this time when Apple's popularity was sliding Steve Jobs quit and didn't return until the late 90's, resurrecting Apple's position in the computer world.

We also learnt in the lecture about the difference between the internet, the web and cyberspace and a brief history of how the internet began.

Lecture - Week One

Well I'm a little belated in writing this- but better late than never right?

Our first lecture for New Communication Technology was more just an introduction to the course. We went through the types of different communication technologies.

Examples of old; oral, graphic, written and radio.
















Examples of new; computer, mobile phone and internet.


















Josh also briefly touched on convergence technology, which we ended up learning more about in our tute the following week..

Convergence

CONVERGENCE

- Refers to previously separate technologies such as voice (and telephony features), data (and productivity applications) and video that now share resources and interact with each other. (Wikipedia)

- The merging of distinct technologies, industries, or devices into a unified whole. (Miriam Weber)

Some examples of convergent technology are:


The iPhone


The 'coolest' thing a person could own right now. The iPhone is an Internet-connected, multimedia GSM smartphone designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPhone functions as a camera phone (also including text messaging and visual voicemail), a portable media player(equivalent to a video iPod), and an Internet client (with email, web browsing, and Wi-Fi connectivity). For more info

Facebook

Anybody and EVERYBODY has a facebook account these days. Facebook is a social networking website that has a number of features allowing users to; add friends, send them messages, update their status and inform their friends of their whereabouts and actions, upload photos and chat using an instant messaging application.

Digital Camera


A digital camera (or digicam for short) is a camera that takes video or still photographs, or both, digitally by recording images via an electronic sensor. Digital cameras can display images on a screen immediately after they are recorded, store thousands of images on a single small memory device and record video with sound.





The Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft. A prominent feature of the Xbox 360 is its integrated Xbox Live service that allows players to compete online and download content such as arcade games, game demos, trailers, TV shows, and movies. Major features of the console include its Windows Media Center multimedia capabilities, mandatory support of high definition in all games, movie rentals and game downloads from its online marketplace and the ability to watch HD DVD movies with an add-on drive.

Here is examples of edited pictures:

1.

BEFORE

AFTER



I changed the exposure and saturation.


2.


BEFORE



AFTER



I changed the brightness and flipped the image horizontally.

The Highlight of My Splendour 2009

Friendly Fires - Day Two.

First Tute + First Post

First Tute - Wednesday 29 July

Set up gmail account and set up blog account.

Class is going very slowly!!!! Still over another hour to go!