Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Hw Assignment 17

wireframe- a skeletal three dimensional model in which only lines and vertices are represented

module- any of a number of distinct but interrelated units from which a program may be built up or into which a complex activity may be analyzed

HTML- Hypertext Markup Language, a standardized system for tagging text files to achieve font, color, graphic, and hyperlink effects on World Wide Web pages

hypertext- a software system that links topics on the screen to related information and graphics, which are typically accessed by a point-and-click method

bookmark- a record of the address of a file, web page, or other data used to enable quick access by a user


I used the Dictionary application for Mac OS to find all of the definitions here.

Hw Assignment 16

According to Reuters' Twitter to Launch Business Tools by Year-End article on Wired.com, Twitter hopes to capitalize on it's new found popularity by charging advertisers and adding simple business tools to its interface.

I think it will be smart to pay attention to what Twitter does in the next year.  If it does succeed in its aim, we will observe many more copy-cats applying the same planning to their sites.  It will be interesting to see if they are able to apply a business model to their site, considering that there was no preplanning for such a thing in the first place.




article

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Hw Assignment 15

hacker- a person who uses computers to gain unauthorized access to data

computer virus- a piece of code that is capable of copying itself and typically has a detrimental effect, such as corrupting the system or destroying data

spyware- software that self-installs on computers and tracks the user's Internet use, mainly for marketing purposes

phishing- the activity of defrauding an online account holder of financial information by posing as a legitimate company

encryption- to convert (information or data) into a cipher or code, esp. to prevent unauthorized access


I used the Dictionary application for Mac OS to find all of the definitions here.

Hw Assignment 14

In John C. Abell's Teens Love Aggregation and 'Free', Newspaper Study Finds article on Wired.com, we "find" that internet era teens like things free, short, and simple.  They enjoy things like visual hierarchy, eye-friendly page layouts, easy usability, non-clutter, short summaries, and categories.   They view news as a commodity and are indifferent to news brands.

I'm not quite sure how this information would be a surprise to anyone.  Other than teens viewing news as something that can be found anywhere, all the other features mentioned in the previous paragraph, are things that everyone is generally interested in.  People like not having to scroll forever in hopes of finding something  of importance amongst a cluttered stream of screaming ads and tables.  Since many of us (in class) have either built, will build, or work for someone building a site or page, these may be things we might want to keep in mind.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Hw Assignment 13

dataveillance- the extraction of private information about a people or groups from algorithmic study of the residue of their various electronic and digital transactions and activities

hierarchy- a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority

server- a computer or computer program that manages access to a centralized resource or service in a network

network- a number of interconnected computers, machines, or operations

weblog- (blog) a Web site on which an individual or group of users produces an ongoing narrative


I used the Dictionary application for Mac OS to find all of the definitions here.

Hw Assignment 12

In the Find lost Web Pages article on Wired.com, we are given quite a few methods and free services that help find pages that are bogged down or have been removed from the internet.   These include Coral Cache, Google Cache, Internet Archive, and the Wayback Machine.  The article also lists to web-based bookmarking services (Ma.gnolia and Del.icio.us) that have page caching features available.

These can be useful in accessing more information over the internet, looking at the changes in web design over the years, and elevating your hassle as you "surf the web."  Also, if you did not know about internet caching before, this is a great start.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Hw Assignment 11

information technology- the study or use of systems (esp. computers and telecommunications) for storing, retrieving, and sending information

technology transfer- the transfer of new technology from the originator to a secondary user, esp. from developed to less developed countries in an attempt to boost their economies

infowar- hostile actions against an enemy's information infrastructure

web site- a location connected to the Internet that maintains one or more pages on the World Wide Web

database- a structured set of data held in a computer, esp. one that is accessible in various ways



I used the Dictionary application for Mac OS to find all of the definitions here.