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 At the rate that new nasty stuff is being created, our antivirus becomes outdated very very quickly.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!