Overview

Its been a long long journey ever since the start of this semester.

From e-commerce to Internet tools, from politics to journalism. If there is but one thing that I have learned and that I have hoped to share with you guys it's that the Internet is a wonderous place. It brings disparate fields together and has made our lives convenient.

When asked what are the things humans need to survive, ask most people and they will say food, water and WiFi. The first two are obvious and have been needed for our survival since time immemorial. However, the last one is curious. Up until recently, we didn't understand this idea of WiFi but it has become so ingrained in our lives that we complain when we can't get a good connection. Without it, we can't access our emails or Facebook or read news online or message each other or......you get the idea. The Internet has made our lives convenient but also dependent on it.

In the beginning I said that we are slowly moving towards a new Internet, Web 3.0. And through these few months, we explored the many fields that the Internet has transformed or created. So what does the future look like for the Internet?

For the last time, let's look at an infographic on the future of the Internet.

Of course nothing is ever set in stone so these predictions can always be proven wrong. However, at the rate things are going, the future seems bright for the Internet.

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog as I journeyed through the Internet and I hope that you have had as much fun reading it as I did writing it. I also hope that you, the reader, has gone further beyond the information presented here and explored the Internet on your own. To the websites and places I got the information from for this blog, I thank you.

As I bid you adieu for the last time, have some cute cat videos on me. It's 60mins of cute cats.

Thank You!

Dangers of Internet Journalism

The Internet is a curious beast. On one hand, it is killing traditional spreadsheet news. On the other, it is giving them a lifeline by alllowing news makers to take advantatge of a new way to reach new audiences.

Let's look at the statistics on digital readership.

Most of our generation don't even order the usual spreadsheet newspapers anymore. Straits Times? What's that? The New Paper? Seriously, who still reads that tabloid?

But the problem with Internet Journalism is that there is alot of trash running wild on the Internet. With traditional news agencies, one could still control the content and verify it. Standards were kept and journalistic intergrity secured. With the rise of quick reads and snazzy headlines, those values that allowed journalists to be the gatekeepers of the Fourth Estate have quickly broke down.

Everyone with access to the Internet can become a citizen journalist. All you need is a blog or twitter or facebook account and people will read what you write. Maybe they wouldn't read everything but at the very least, they will read the snippets. And that's the problem.

Case in point, let's look at Singapore's very own citizen journalist website, STOMP.

In 2012, STOMP staff Samantha Francis posted a photo on STOMP claiming that she took a photo of the train door open while the train was in motion. After an investigation, it turned out that the photo was a) not taken by her, b) taken from social media and c) fake. She was, understandably, fired. You can read the story here.

In 2013, STOMP reposted fake news taken from a satire website called newnation.sg. The story can be found here.

Despite being owned by SPH, fake news still managed to get onto the website. If there was any semblence of journalistic processes, it was sorely lacking at STOMP. And that's the problem. It is neigh impossible to check every single piece of fact or information or picture or video submitted by the public. To do so would take up so much time that the news will never get published. 

Or how about the recent Lee Kuan Yew death hoax. A picture that was supposed to be a screengrab of the Prime Minister's office regarding the death of Lee Kuan Yew went viral. What was supposed to be a hoax was soon spread around WhatsApp and Facebook as real news. To their credit, the proper news agencies, CNA and Straits Times fact-checked and refrained from publishing the hoax but reputable news agencies did publish the hoax as real news.

In this age of 24-hr news cycles, news becames stale and old very quickly. The rush to attact eyeballs means that news agencies need the latest news. There is only so much and so many places old-school journalist can go and cover and so it looks like the trend to citizen journalism to contribute stories will continue. But we must be aware of the dangers.

I apologize for this very long and wordy post. So here's a video of cats.

Politics on the Internet

Eschewing the big, concert-like events, Former First Lady of the US, former Senator and former Secertary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that she would be running for President of the United States in 2016. If she succeeds, she will possibly be the world's most powerful woman and person. And in a twist, she did it via a short, 2-min YouTube video. Let's have a look at it.

But why? Why would someone, anyone doing as important as announcing their intentions to run for position as the head of a superpower break with tradition and release a low-key video? Isn't the point of politics to be as loud as possible to get your name out?

Maybe not.

In 2008, a Senator from Illinois deftly used the Internet to win an election. His name is Barack Obama. You might recognise that name. He's the current President of the United States.

In this day and age, politicians of all stripes need to use the new medium of the Internet as deftly as they did TV and Radio. With smartphone penetration at such a high rate,a good majority of the electorate now possess a means or a way to connect to the Internet. This infographic will explain why.

True, more time is spent in front of the TV then on YouTube watching videos BUT don't forget. Most of the time spent on TV, we're not paying attention to it. Well, at least the younger ones are not ... and we are the future voters. So if politicians don't start paying attention to the Internet now, it's gonna be too late for them when they realise they need to. Mastering the Internet as a means of communication will be difficult, especially with all the distractions online. However, as with TV and Radio, practice makes perfect.

But this also assumes that we are politically engaged - which not all of us are. Politicians recognise this problem and are hence taking the steps to engage the electorate.

Let's take the current British Parlimentary Elections as an example. Compared to the previous election in 2010, parties are doing what they can in this one to up voter engagement amongst the young by capitalising on social media. The below shows the current penetration on social media.

Now I wonder...when it is Singapore's turn, how will our parties do?

Internet Tools - The Google Tools

When we think of tools, we think of something that would make our life easier. It's the same when we're surfing the net. We want tools that makes our life easier.

Let's now look at Google, one of the biggest Internet tool providers around.

Sure, we all know about Google. Heck, its even in our lexicon. When we want to tell someone to search for something on the Internet, we tell them to Google it. Google search might be what made Google famous but it is not the only tool that Google provides.

Lets look at some of the other tools that Google provide.

1) Google Scholar

I love this. As a student, it has made my life so much easier. It is the Google Search of acadamic text. Just type in what I need and BAM, research papers from just about every related discipline appears. Below is an infographic on how popular Scholar is.

2) Google Books

Who likes walking to the library? Why can't we just get the books we want when we want them? Oh wait! WE CAN.

Introducing Google Books. It turns my tablet into an e-book. You might think that there are limited choices but you'll be pleasently surpised. The range and diversity is staggering.

In my library, I have books that are as similar as chalk and cheese. I have Dante's Inferno and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I have Romeo and Juliet and A Little Bit of Everything for Dummies.

Truly the selection is vast.

3) Google Earth

Google Earth is like Google Maps but you know, for the Earth. But not only is it Maps for Earth, it also allows you to explore the stars and the cosmos. AND with so many Easter Eggs hidden in it, you can almost play this like a game.

If you do not have this yet, DOWNLOAD IT NOW. If you have no idea how to use it, then watch this handy video

And now lets look at some of the cool easter eggs.

And there's Google Mail, Google Maps, Google Alerts and this list doesn't even cover Google's other items like Blogger or YouTube. Truly, Google has become your one-stop shop for the Internet.

Multimedia on the Internet

The Internet is a curious place. There are many things to do, see, look, listen. Soon, we might even be able to touch and smell the things on the Internet.
The beauty of it all is that what was once in the past would now soon be possible in the future.
Feel like being in the middle of the battlefield? Done. Wanna be a couch surfer? Done.
There is only so much traditional video, text and pictures can do. And then there is Virtual Reality.

Despite the failure of early Head Mounted Displayes in the late 1990s, technology has advanced to the point where virtual reality is quite possible soon. Lets look at how VR can help in your job.

Virtual reality seems to be the future for not only gaming but also the Internet. The purchase of VR headset maker Oculus Rift by Facebook seems to be proof that the tech giants believe that will be the future. Not to mention extra sensory devices like the Kinect.

But wheres the fun if you can only see it. What happens if you want to feel as if you're walking in the game zone? Being able to duck, to run to hide and not run into your wall? Then check this Kickstarter project out.

Its called the Omni and it promises just that.

According to the information the makers of the Omni posted in Kickstarter, "We are in the midst of a revolution in virtual reality. The release of affordable head mounted displays and low-cost sensor technologies has brought the decades-old dream of true virtual reality closer than ever, but there’s still one more piece to the puzzle: the Omni.The Omni takes virtual reality to the next level— allowing anyone to stand up and traverse virtual worlds with the natural use of their own feet. The Omni is the first virtual reality interface for moving freely and naturally in your favorite game. Moving naturally in virtual reality creates an unprecedented sense of immersion that cannot be experienced sitting down. That's why we developed the Omni. "

The only downside I see to this is when I eventually get tired of standing and want to sit down as I play my games.

Or or or how about this haptic feedback vest. Another project on Kickstarter, this vest allows you to feel whatever your character is feeling. 

Shot to the chest? BAM. Shot in the back? BAM. Shot in the most unfortunate of areas? BAM BAM BAM.
The KOR-FX Gaming Vest: 4DFX Haptic Feedback System is a great compliment to the Omni and the Oculus Rift. Now most of your senses will be engaged.

From the Kickstarter page: 

Virtual Reality 

KOR-FX alone provides a unique and rewarding experience. However, when combined with head-mounted VR displays, motion-tracking systems or any of the other new, exciting VR technologies currently available or in development, the KOR-FX vest provides the tactile component of a completely immersive experience that was not possible until now. 

And because it plugs in to your standard audio port, you don't need fancy gadgets or technical skills to use it. 

BUT WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

See, as we start slowly moving from WEB 2.0 to WEB 3.0, its about time that we started thinking about the different ways we experience the Internet and the media on it. Static pictures and normal videos are starting to get boring. Imagine the day when we can finally smell the advert we see on the screen or taking part in virtual fights and actually feeling the hits or being able to explore a new country by walking in a virtual map.

The possibilities are endless!

Internet Security

When it comes to Internet security, most of us don't think much about it. Once we have downloaded our Norton or McAfee, we think that we are immue to viruses, worms and torjan horses (not the one from Troy).

WRONG!

An antivirus is only as good as the coding built into it. Like our immue system, we can only prevent that which we know of. At the rate that new nasty stuff is being created, our antivirus becomes outdated very very quickly. I have an old laptop that runs on Windows 98. It never had an antivirus and so is full of it. Its like a cesspool of infection. When I started up the computer in 2005, within 5 minutes, the entire computer hung due to all the porn popups that kept appearing.

So how does a virus work?

But What's the Difference? We constantly throw the words virus, trojan and worm with such impunity that we use them interchangebly. Again, WRONG. They are not the same thing as the following video will explain.

So, how do we protect ourselves against such things?

Or if we just follow this few tips:

• Don't open email attachments unless you're expecting them. Many viruses are attached to email messages and will spread as soon as you open the email attachment. It's best not to open any attachment unless it's something you're expecting.
• Keep your computer updated. Microsoft releases security updates that can help protect your computer. Make sure that Windows receives these updates by turning on Windows automatic updating.
• Use a firewall.‌ Windows Firewall (or any other firewall) can help alert you to suspicious activity if a virus or worm attempts to connect to your computer. It can also block viruses, worms, and hackers from attempting to download potentially harmful programs to your computer.
• Use your browser's privacy settings. Being aware of how websites might use your private information is important to help prevent fraud and identity theft. If you're using Internet Explorer, you can adjust your Privacy settings or restore the default settings whenever you want. 
• Use a pop-up blocker with your browser. Pop-up windows are small browser windows that appear on top of the website you're viewing. Although most are created by advertisers, they can also contain malicious or unsafe code. A pop-up blocker can prevent some or all of these windows from appearing.

And there you go. Once you know what to do, Internet security is  very easy. Now go and

Video Blog

A long long long long long long time ago I did up a video while I was still in JC for my team's Project Work presentation. Before you view the video some background information is in order.
My team was working on a theoratical way to get more people to know and learn about the Kristang Cutlure and the video below is the introduction to our presentation. It was meant as a way to get the audience to start thinking about what would happen if we lost this culture and what it would mean for Singapore culture as a whole.

After a bit of tidying up, here's the fruit of my labour. Pardon the lack of video-editing skills, thats really not one of my strong points........

The music was from E.S Posthumous and I edited it down to fit the video. The music is titled Menoutis.

Disclaimer: I do not own the copyright to any of the images that appear in the video.

And here's one I did on the 2009 Financial Crisis

The montage is a mashup of ABBA's Money Money Money and and The Winner Takes It All.

Disclaimer: I do not own the copyright to any of the images that appear in the video.

And now, after suffering all through those videos, here's a picture of a cat.

Learning: Just Not In The Real World

E-Learning! This is my favourite word. Everytime we heard the word e-learning in school, all we really heard was a word that gave us a week long holiday. We think we know what e-learning meant. It meant that it was time to discuss answers with friends, a free pass to cheat. But in a way, this has meant that a generation of students had grown up perverting what e-learning actually meant.
In the age of dial-up connections and slow Internet speeds, e-learning was an idea that came before its time. It just took too long to download a 5min video let alone a 1hr lecture.

Fast forward to today. Such limitations no longer exist. Videos are downloaded in minutes and live streaming is no longer interrupted because a call came through on your phone line. With that said, what exactly is e-learning?

E-Learning or distance learning, is a way for someone to learn while not being in the same location as the teacher. Thanks to Pintrest for the handy infographic.

Or you can go to https://www.pinterest.com/pin/131800726567306285/ if you find the infographic too small. Sharp-eyed UB students would notice that BlackBoard is listed in this timeline. YES, you have been using e-learning without realising it.

Of course, nowadays, with companies tripping over themselves trying to provide a way to get information to everybody, I'm looking at you Facebook, even in the remotest part of the world, our technology has advanced to the point where we can attend virtual lessons held on another continent.....or not even in REAL LIFE.

Take Second Life. Yes I know, Second Life went passe a long time ago but when it was still being actively used, Universities around the world like Duke used it as a virtual meeting spot and to even conduct lessons.

Lets look at some of the more famous ones that people are aware of today.

1) Khan Academy

No list is complete without Khan Academy. Started in 2006, its founder, Salman Khan started his website by posting videos to YouTube to teach his cousin and other family members who needed help with their homework. Today, popular around the world,  some Not-For-Profit companies have created offline versions of his work and distributed to remote parts of Asia to assist in teaching in schools.

Visit them at https://www.khanacademy.org/. You will need either a Facebook or Google+ account to access the content if you don't want to set up a Khan account. I guess you Khan do without one!.....ok sorry.

2) Coursera and EdX

These two are part of the growing wave of MOOC (Massive Open Online Course). MOOC is a fancy way of saying: E-Learning by <Insert Brand Name University>.
From Harvard to Stanford, HKU to Todai, every university worth its salt has at least one MOOC. Not only can you get lectures by some of the world's top professors, you can do so for a nominal sum and without the hassle of actually being in those classes.

This 4min video will explain all there is to it with MOOC.

And Really, thats all there is to e-learning. It is fast, growing and it literally is giving you the ability to control your own learning. Want to study the Physics of Death but can't afford to do so? There is an MOOC for you. How about Statistics for Dummies ? Or Gender Through Comic Books? SIGN UP FOR An MOOC. Unfortunately, you still cannot get credits or a degree this way but hey, who knows, One day you actually might!

A New Place to Window Shop

If you're like me and are one of the three billion guys out there, then you would know how it feels like to shop with a female (sorry ladies, we really don't like being a manaquin for your handbags). But what if there was a way for your other half to do their shopping at home? What if all she needed was a computer, a mouse and your credit card?

Enter:

E-COMMERCE!

Just like how the picture describes it, e-commerce is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. She can do her shopping right in the comforts of your lap with easy access to the atm (i.e you). This, my poor man, is called B2C or Business to Consumer and is but one of the many ways businesses are trying to reach their customers along with Business to Business (B2B) and Consumer to Consumer (C2C).

But what is e-commerce exactly?

E-commerce is not just about how much stuff you can buy. It is about the experience. About recreating the entire shopping experience right at home. We all know the Alibaba's and the Amazon's, titans of e-commerce. But what is more important is that the website must be clean not cluttered, easy on the eyes and most important of all, user-friendly. 

Now that we understand the basics of e-commerce, lets look at some of the most successful e-commerce websites:

1) Fallen Hero

This website is clean, responsive and user-friendly with a very easy to use checkout page. How many times have we been stumped because we couldn't find our ebay account? If you want to increase your sales, learn from them. They have already had an increase of about 143% just from shoppers who use their tablets.

2) ASOS.com

Who hasn't heard of ASOS.com? Look at their website and interface. Their ethos from e-commerce speaks for themselves. According to Paul Rouke from PRWD (a leading internet marketing company), he said that 

Across devices, in fashion retailing ASOS continues to deliver an exceptional experience in many areas - service proposition, site speed, genuinely valuable shopping features, integration across devices, and just lots of lots of ecommerce best practice.

Who needs to reinvent the wheel when you have a clear focus on delivering what visitors expect and desire?

Mr. Rouke, we agree. Nuff said.

ANDDDDDDDDD Now, for some of the worst around the web

1) Ling's Cars

This website looks like it was the offspring of someone high on LSD and Weed. Do i really want to lease my car from someone who has a flight attendent in my FAQs? I WANT A CAR NOT A PLANE. And look at the design. It looks like it was made from a bunch of random stuff put together, like one of those spam websites that does nothing.

No Ling, NO NO NO.

2) Arngren.net

Regardless of the sites language, I have no idea WTF IS GOING ON. Its confusing, its cluttered and after using the site you're still going to wonder what they are actually trying to sell. Am I here to buy a space shuttle? Or a baby dinosaur? This site looks like the yellow pages went digital or one of my grandmother's catalogues. 

3) Mercia Tourist Board

The Mercia Tourist Board is an example of G2C or Government to Consumer e-commerce. It is there to attract you to come and visit Mercia but really, who wants to visit a place where everyone has had plastic surgery. No offence Barbara Streisand but even that much plastic can't save you from looking any younger.

So...what is e-commerce? 

To me, it is something that replicates the entire shopping experience from home. It is not about how cute your website looks but rather, how adept are you at keeping my attention. I want information and to buy your stuff but as some of these examples show, there is still no one recipe for success. Who knows, maybe in ten years we would prefer our e-commerce sites to look like Arngren.net but until then.....ASOS.com, 

Marketing on Social Media

Quick. Open up your Facebook account. How many ads do you see in your feed? Chances are, you will see at least two on the right and plenty more buried in your newsfeed.

So what you might ask. Darling, that ad you have bought and placed and Facebook can potentially reach 1.2 BILLION people. No other form of media has the reach and pull of social media. So what can we do to join the craze?

1) Join Social Media
2) Post Company on Social Media
3) Post Intersting Stuff on social Media
4) Give plenty of discounts on Social Media
5) Sit back and watch the money fly into your pocket



Or Not

Because it is such a new mode of publishing, working on Social Media can be very daunting.


The above infographic shows just how much you need to do to get your marketing to work. Lets look at some companies who have used social media effectively.

1) TOMS

TOMS gained popularity with their “one for one” policy, where they donate a pair of shoes for every one sold. With over 2 million followers on Twitter, they have used social media effectively by getting an audience with social tools and campaigns that keep the spirit of giving alive.

TOMS annual One Day Without Shoes campaign asks fans to go barefoot to raise global awareness for children’s health and education and they do so by being linking it well with social media. Not only do they have a dedicated page on their website, but they host Instagram meet-ups in several cities, offer a toolkit for those who want to participate, and a Pinterest board full of shareable fact photos and participant photos.

Here's their Facebook page for last year's event.




2) Recyclebank

Recyclebank is a company that rewards people with deals and discounts for taking everyday green actions. They are leveraging their position as green-lifestyle educators to be a hub for social buzz.

Recyclebank is using Earth Month to create community awareness on social media under #LivingEarthMonth. They have created a microsite that features content from Twitter and Instagram and aims to inspire readers to make the most of Earth Month.




Information from Forbes.com

But, for every good campaign, there are just as many bad ones. So.....without further ado......lets look at some bad social media campaigns.


1) K-Mart

K-mart is a big box retail chain and Kmart was excited to reveal they would be open earlier than ever this Thanksgiving and would stay open through all of Black Friday. So when customers complained about the ethics of the decision, a stumbling Kmart social team responded with over 100 caveman-like statements. Thanksgiving and Black Friday are two of the biggest shopping days in the US.


Here's what their wonderful PR team replied to complaints:




Anyone wanna guess what their reply to customer compaints are?

2) British Airways

While many of us might just post a complaint on a companies FB page and forget about it, props to those with the dedication to buy a sponsered tweet to complain about it.

Annoyed by BA’s failure to find his father’s lost suitcase, Hassan Syed paid for this Promoted Tweet, which was seen by more than 76,000 users:





Despite such being the subject of such a public complaint, BA failed to respond to Syed for eight hours as the message had been posted outside of its customer service hours.



Remember remember Facebook and Twitter. 24/7 they are. Social media doesn't sleep just because customer service is close.

3)Nokia

Once an industry giant now a shadow of its former self, one day, Nokia snapped.

Looks like Nokia New Zealand have been playing too much Snake.



Nokia, I salute you for saying what we all have been wanting to say a long long time. 

Social Media - Crack for the Masses

Nowadys, many of us are on at least one social media platform.
We eat, breathe and live our lives openly on it. We cannot do without it. Personally, I hate it because is like a succubus, constantly calling out only to suck all the time out from us. Yet, I cannot do without it because it has been invaluable in helping me stay in contact with friends from around the world. 

Without it, I feel like a part of me is missing and like an addict, I need my my Facebook fix. 

 But what is it about social media that gets us all hooked? 

Before we answer that question, lets first understand what social media is. Is it just about Facebook and Twitter? Or are there other facets to this mysterious monster?

This is Social Media:

Psych. But really, doesnt it feel as if fireworks go off in our heads when we stalk a cute girl or dig up the skeletons in others closets?

But seriously, what is Social Media?

And essentially, that is what social media really is, a new way for us to make ourselves heard and be heard. But with a new platform popping up every now and then, how can we make sense of all the chaos? Presenting (Insert Trumpets) the Social Network Infographic:

After a slow start, right around the turn of the millenium, there was literally an explosion of social media sites. But the Internet is a brutal place. One by one, the interest in the various webs have ebbed and flowed and along with it, the popularity of social media sites. I still remember when I was a kid, ICQ was my life then we moved on to friendster to myspace to Blogger, skipped flickr, ignored Buzz and now live on Facebook and almost exclusively watch TV on YouTube. 

The beauty of the above infographic is that it gives a comprehensive look at what social media is. Its not just about the Facebooks or Twitters. It is also about the YouTubes, and wikis and blogs. Even sites like TripAdvisor and HungryGoWhere are considered social media sites. 

I.E Social Media is anything where YOU make the news.  YES....YOU!

Without you, there is no social media. Why did sites like myspace and friendster disappear? Because we stopped using them. So companies are now designing their websites to attract new users and keep current ones. 

The following video explains what I mean. 

Social media is actively being used to change our behavior to keep us constantly using it. It is dangerous, addictive and wonderful. The constantly changing nature of social media makes it neigh impossible to pin down. As explained by Bart Simpson,

And yet, we constantly buy into the social media game. We cannot get out of it on our own. Like a crack addict, we want more and more only because everyone else around us are goading us own. Like an addict, we are constantly pressured to continue using it because we know that if we don't we would very quickly forget what is going on around us. It is pervasive and futile to fight against. It is here to stay.

So really, I suppose, All we can do now is.........

Happy 45 Internet!

Web 1.0

Web 2.0

Web 3.0........

You wouldn't realise how old the Internet really is just by looking at how many versions of it we have. But here it is, this year.... YOU ARE 45!!! The web as we know it, invented by Sir Tim Berners-Lee is only 25. So cheers to you Americans, French and English, your pioneering work in laying the infrastructure for the Internet has given us this wonderful web.

Lets look back on your life story:

But why stop at a picture? Here's your life story in four minutes.

Oh Internet, I can't see into the future but I know that you have given me alot of love. From giving me a language translator so that I could finish my Chinese essays to pictures of cats in adorable poses, you have been with me every step of my life. You never get angry and have enough domains so that everyone is satisfied. I like .com but I know you prefer it when I call you .gov.

You are always available, 24/7, giving me the gift of Facebook and the chance to link up with friends (and Princes from Nigeria) from far flung places. With Google Earth, you have allowed me to explore the deepest oceans and marvel at the wonders of space, all in the comfort of my chair. When I was a child, you introduced me to Wikipedia and since then, as a student, I go no where else for "substantiated citable sources".

But how do you do it? How do you seem to run ever faster, moving information at blistering paces, while getting all the more fat? Please oh Internet, share with me your secret for the low low price of just $19.99.  

So what will the future hold in store for you? I don't have that answer....but I hope that you never go away.

Cheers to you, Internet! May you live another happy 45 years.

GOOD MORNING!

Good Morning World! It's going to be a WONDERFUL DAY.........not