baharrison

Christmas technology

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 11:47:38 -0500

Its Christmas time....and I wanted to write about how technology is affecting this holiday.

Not long ago...I was writing my Christmas letter to send to Santa. I was always excited about it and I even mailed the darn thing. If I was a kid now....I wouldn't do that. Santa has e-mail. I can get my letter to him in seconds. http://emailsantaclaus.com Go there and e-mail him. You never know when he might see it.

What about all of these blow up decorations outside. I can't stand them. It seems so....cheap. I apologize for those who might read this who love them.....but I will never have one.

Thoughts on wireless

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 11:42:23 -0500

Sometimes my mind wanders. the other day, I was sitting in class thinking about wireless technologies. I will admit....I got somewhat scared. Wireless is all around us. Wireless is basically THROUGH us. There really is no way to avoid radio frequencies unless you are in a specially designed space for that. You can't see them. Most people don't even realize how much is going on around them as far as radio frequencies go. I also thought....could this be hurting us physically? Could so many radio waves be penerating us that it will eventually cause harm? We may never know..... here is a link to an article on wikipedia about this....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_electronic_devices_and_health

Without the Renaissance

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 11:38:17 -0500

Where would we be without the European renaissance? I sat today thinking about what the world would be like if that time period hadn't flourished like it did. Would we still be plowing fields with donkeys or mules? Would we still be fighting battles in wooden ships and with cannons? That period of time started an enlighteni=ment period that has really continued through today. Before that time, people were basically discouraged to learn more and become advanced. The government had control of things to avoid learning. I wonder if I would even be writing this e-mail today without their discoveries and knowledge.

Renaissance of Technology

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 22:24:03 -0500

Has there ever really been a time when technology was so quickly adapting and evolving. Everything today has to interact with as much OTHER technology as it can. A cell phone not only has to make calls today, but if it doesn't take pictures, then we are upset and call the phone inferior. Today, typical phones come with video capabilities, internet capabilities, let alone messaging and picture taking. In the traditional renaissance period, things were being created all the time, however, there really wasn't the collaboration taking place like there is today. It seems almost as technology isn't being invented, yet it is being combined with other technologies to make it better.

Fitting into the mold

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 08:49:07 -0500

I just got back a few days ago from a job interview with Cisco out in California. Interviewing with around 90 other applicants, I didn't know what to think about the job or the interview process in itself. To be honest, I was just excited to get out of Indiana for a few days to hang out in California. After talking with a lot of the applicants, I quickly realized that I was in a league of my own as most of the applicants were undergrads. I don't believe I came across another grad student the entire 2 days I was there. Well, that did give me an advantage when it came to the interview process. After a LONG day of presentations and sales simulations, I finally was able to interview with 2 Cisco associates. IT went extremely well and they were impressed with my background and knowledge. I figure I stand out among undergrads fairly easily. Here is the problem. The Cisco ASE position has a 12 month training program. That program is almost an exact repeat of my CICS education. Obviously, this program is intended for undergrads. It seems as if Cisco doesn't work with people who don't fit into their mold. That is disappointing. I am not going to do another entire year of what I am curently studying.

3G Entry

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 22:30:13 -0500

I thought it would be nice to insert the overiew of my 3G report. Everyone is so hyped up on WiMAX that I thought I would write about 3G a little.

3G technology is not something that is going to evolve smoothly as it becomes more readily available to consumers. It is a technology that takes time to iron out all of the kinks and get most of the carriers on the same page. For the carriers, they have to find the model that works for them. Each carrier will have its own appreciation for the technology and will develop their individual model based on that appreciation. Some of the issues that they must consider is how many users they will want to support from a given tower and how much bandwidth they will need to supply for their service. With the high cost of each revolution of the technology, you won’t find the carriers developing systems on each of those technologies. The cost involved with deploying each one would be something that the carrier services simply could not afford. For example, when EV-DO was released in Release 0 most carriers did not deploy that system. Most of the carriers waited until Rev. A of the technology was released until they bought into the system. Rev. A provided the bandwidth that they wanted to be able to provide to their subscribers. The chart on the following page will show which technologies are currently being used or being developed. Note that many of the technologies listed are still expected to be deployed within the next year.

If you are ever interested in readin more...I have a paper on it.....and check out this site http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/ni/3G/technology/index.html

What is information renaissance?

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 09:27:51 -0500

I had trouble completely defining the information renaissance. I spent some time browsing through some websites to no avail. However, I think I finally figured it out. You need to think about combining th european renaissance with the "renaissance" of today.

The information renaissance is about new found ways to explore information. Never before has anyone been able to access so much information with the click of a button or scroll of a mouse. It can be a scary time for people who aren't involved in this renaissance. I knowolder people who are just frightened by things such as the internet and a cell phone. We are moving to a time when technology is REQUIRED. Banking is going online. Bill paying is going online.

European Renaissance

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:22:51 -0500

"The Renaissance (French for "rebirth"; Italian: Rinascimento), was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. It encompassed the revival of learning based on classical sources, the rise of courtly and papal patronage, the development of perspective in painting, and advancements in science.[1] The Renaissance had wide-ranging consequences in all intellectual pursuits, but is perhaps best known for its artistic aspect and the contributions of such polymaths as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, who have inspired the term "Renaissance men". (http://wikipedia.org/renaissance)

I think the renaissance period was an exciting time. To see everything happening around you all at one time musthave been great....wait...that is what is hapening now. Things are constantly changing around us. Here is the difference. This was new to these people. They had grown accustomed to what they had always known. This new found knowledge was brand new. I would imagine it was scary for some people. I think I would have been excited. I love new things.

Lagging behind

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 11:34:17 -0500

I am a technological person. I like new stuff. It bugs me when I come across people who just don't get it. I'm not talking about old people who never knew technology. I am talking about people who still subscribe to dial up service with AOL. I'm not saying AOL was a bad service....but it was a service of about 10 years ago. I understand that I have to step out of my shoes sometimes, but that is hard. I am surrounded by technology. I go to work, where I am a GA in technology.....I go to class, which is basically technology.....I go home to check my e-mails and watch shows I missed on my TiVO. It is such a part of my life that I just don't understand people who don't know how to keep up with it. Someday I'll figure it out.

Web 2.0

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 08:43:44 -0500

I hink web 2.0 is an interesting subject to study. Befoe CICS, I had never even heard the term before. Wikipedia defines it as a perceived second generation of web-based communities and hosted services — such as social-networking sites, wikis, and folksonomies — which aim to facilitate creativity, collaboration, and sharing between users. In all honesty, I never really thought about the web in this way before. I just thought the web was the web. I think the internet is moving this direction. It is all about collaboration and getting your piece of information out there. I have even written some information on Wikipedia. The interesting thing is, however, that people use this as a credible source of information. That is SCARY. I can write on open heart surgery, but I know nothing about it.

Human Communication pt.2

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 22:55:43 -0500

Modern technology has allowed people to stack many different forms of communication together in order to build a more clear and concise message. The telephone allows a sender to not only deliver a message with language, but also with tone and timbre. Written communication on computer systems has grown over the past decade. The problem with delivering a message with a system such as instant messaging (IM) is the fact that many times messages are misconstrued because of a lack of tone. Sarcasm is nearly impossible to create on such message systems. A common IM system developed by America Online allows for users to utilize emoticons, facial expression icons, which show emotion. Many users of this system couple these emoticons along with their written text to produce a much clearer message. The more communication methods that are used together generally allow the sender to create a more defined message.
Communication methods have evolved over time, from the Native American method of using smoke patterns in the sky to modern technologies such as VoIP and Cellular technology. The basic principles, however, have remained generally the same; transmitting a message from one source to another single source or multiple sources. The goal of the entire Information and Communication industry is to develop and maintain methods of communication that transmit messages in a faster and more understandable way. It is exciting to think about what the future may hold for means of sending people’s thoughts and ideas to others.

Human Communication pt.1

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 22:54:59 -0500

Human communication can be defined in its simplest form as transmitting some sort of message or information from one source to another. Today, people are so technologically dependant that much of people’s communication relies heavily on mediums such as instant messaging, e-mails, and telephones. These current communication techniques have harnessed many different facets and characteristics of modern communication. Today, there are so many communication methods available; people often overlook many of the aspects that are so integral to human communication.
Communication is unavoidable. Without saying a single word, a message can be conveyed in a crystal clear manner. For example, men are notorious for being so enthralled in a television show or sporting event that often times they block out what anyone around them might be saying. This conveys a nonverbal message to others in the room that the person watching the television program has no interest in what is going on around them. That person does not intend to communicate, however, it is unavoidable. How people carry themselves is unintended communication. The clothes that individuals wear in public is a form of communication as well. Many times, people communicate without putting any thought into the message they are conveying.
There are forms of nonverbal communication that are completely intentional. “Flipping the bird” is a great example of intentional non-verbal communication. In the American culture it is commonly known that sticking up the middle finger alone is a sign of disrespect and conveys a vulgar message to its receiver. A round of applause is a great example of a means of communication that conveys a congratulatory message. Facial expressions can be one of the best ways to judge another person’s mood or attitude at a specific moment. These nonverbal messages that are sent by a person can be unclear and misunderstood by the receiver.

(continued in next blog)