Google Drive

Working collaboratively online is something that is very new to me, as I’ve never used Google Drive or anything similar to it. I had previously heard of Google Drive but I was unaware of the networking capabilities it had, instead of just being a place for cloud storage. Looking back at high school where doing group power points were like a weekly thing, Google Drive could have been useful. Instead of each individual having to do a section of the power point then sending it to one person to put all together, Google Drive could have cut out the extra work for someone. Using Google Drive the way we used it this week in order for a whole class to collaborate, would have made high school much easier.

            I can see how Google Drive could be a valuable tool for me to utilize in my other classes just because it makes it easier for groups to get work done. Instead of having to plan a set time to get together to work on a project, everyone could just do their portion of the work on Google Drive whenever is convenient for them and their schedules. Another way I could see Google Drive being useful is by using its cloud storage feature to save important documents and power points. Instead of having to carry around a flash drive and having to worry about losing it, it can just be stored in “clouds” on Google Drive and be accessed on any computer at any time.

            I’m sure that there are other sites that allow users to collaborate similar to the way that Google Drive does, but I’m unaware of them. Before having to use Google Drive this week I didn’t know it could allow people to collaborate in small groups or even large classes such as ours. I have heard of other websites that offer cloud storage online, but I’m not sure that they allow others to collaborate like Google Drive.

            In addition to use in the class setting, I can see many other uses for Google Drive. Since Google Drive allows many people to have access to the same document, it could be used for people to sign up for events or times for appointments. Another way Google Drive could be useful is by using it as a bypass for email, where employees could all have access to the same spreadsheet and just add to it and then it would be visible to everyone instead of having to email it after adding their changes. Regardless of its uses, I can see networking sites like Google Drive becoming an important tool to be used in the business world soon.

Being able to edit and manipulate digital photos has really become an ordinary thing in our generation due to the easy access to editing programs such as Photoshop. But like everything, editing and photo shopping pictures has gradually shifted from just fixing minor awkward nuances of a picture to drastically changing what the picture was meant to portray.

                For the most part, being able to edit or altar a photo can be a very useful in many different situations. I’m sure all of us have had the most perfect picture ever only for it to be ruined by everyone having red eyes, or just one person having their eyes closed. Being able to make everyone’s eyes a normal color again by editing may seem like just a simple thing, but it is really practical that instead of having to retake the picture, it is just an easy fix on the computer. Another good and ethical use for digital photo editing is to be able to enhance and make old black and white photos look new again. For instance, my grandpa had some old photos of his grandparents and his parents that he had found, but they were in such terrible shape they were almost unrecognizable. After me and my sister scanned them and edited them, they were probably much better quality than when they were first made.

                While there are many good times and situations to edit photos, there are also some times that it is used to manipulate people by changing the whole meaning of a photo. For example, in this photo below, a college student posted a picture where she had photo shopped a tornado into a picture behind her apartment in order for people to believe there was a tornado nearby.

 

This picture pretty much sums up why editing photos gets such a bad reputation and when editing photos is not appropriate. Just by seeing this woman post this on her Facebook page could cause panic throughout her neighborhood for no reason at all. This picture gained such a reaction, it was shared 250 times and even showed on the local news before it was found out to be fake. After many different people saw this photo and found out it was edited, I’m sure it ruined their ability to automatically see a photo and believe it’s real.

                Tampering with and drastically changing a picture gives photo editing a bad reputation, but its benefits and usefulness for fixing minor things is why it’s considered a piece of productivity software.

Before the start of this semester, my use and understanding of the Microsoft Excel program was at a very limited level. Between this class and a couple of my other classes this semester, I have really began to understand how to use Excel and how it can be such a useful resource. Excel can be used for many important things in life, such as creating a budget for a family or businesses and even to show statistics in graphs.

                While I don’t really have a big use for Excel right now in my life outside of school, I can see a few ways how it could be useful to plan my finances. I could see myself using Excel to create a budget to show the amount of money I’m earning for my income as well as for expenses such as gas clothes, and school. I could also use some of the formulas we have earned to budget, for instance I could say that I want to save 10% of my income for the future and created a separate column just for that data. Another way I could Excel in my daily life could be to create a schedule of when I have to be at school and work. By entering this data in to Excel I could easily be able to find time frames where I have extra time available to do homework or spend time with my family and friends. Even though my use of Excel right now is limited to school, I can see how it could be used to organize and plan my finances and allow to save money for the future.

                Even though I don’t use Excel much right now, it is going to be a very important and frequently used tool for me in the future. I am an Accounting major, so as I continue in school to get my degree it is going to be something I use frequently in order to learn the nuances of accounting and finance. After I get out of school, Excel will be even more useful to me in order to create budgets and do taxes for clients using different styles and formats to make it easier to read. It is very important that I am able to retain my knowledge of the Excel program in order to be able to use it in my career field. But I am fairly sure by the time I graduate from Lenior-Rhyne, I will be using excel pretty frequently.

Operating System failure

                Even though most of the time we only think of Computers consisting of a keyboard, a mouse, a monitor and tower, there are many numerous other aspects of a computer that can go wrong and be harmed. Some of these less thought of computer parts are what makes up the computers operating system. Whether it is just due to a part failing or a virus attacking the operating system, it becomes a real hassle when it occurs. This problems can sometimes be easily fixed by a computer professional, but in my personal experience, it can also put the computer beyond repair.

                Whenever I was younger, my family had a HP computer that we ended up using for probably about 5 years, but it wasn’t without a few issues with the operating system. I don’t remember what website or download that caused it, but after about 2 or 3 years the computer got a virus and it slowly ate away at the speed of the computer until it finally came up with an error code saying it was unusable. Before this happened, we had McAfee antivirus-software which we thought would prevent a virus, but obviously it didn’t. In order to fix the computer to get it back to being operational, we took it to a computer repair shop and had them erase the virus (along with all our files and photos). After we got it fixed, we purchased a different antivirus software from Norton, and we didn’t have any problems for a few years. Whenever the computer had operating system issues for the second time, it had nothing to do with a virus getting past an antivirus software. A couple of years later, the computer didn’t show any warning and just quit and wouldn’t even turn on. Once again we took it to the computer repair man and hoped for an easy fix just like the last time, but instead he said it wasn’t a virus and we would have to get a new computer.

                After encountering these issues, I’ve found that not just any antivirus software is capable of keeping a computer virus-free, and it takes some research and sometimes a little more money to make your computer less likely to get a virus. But even if your computer stays virus-free, it is still prone to just completely failing for no good reason at all and sometimes even the best computer repair shop can’t fix everything.

New Input Devices

                As increases in technology become more rampant and more frequent, the range of options for input and output devices for computers becomes much greater. Rather than just simply using a keyboard and a mouse for input and a printer for output, there are now much more complex devices such as voice recognition, touch screen tablets, and 3D printers. The most interesting new input device I have seen is the Tobii PCEye Go which allows the gaze of an eye to replace the function of using a mouse.

                This piece of technology works very similar to motion recognition software that is used in videogames such as a Wii or Xbox Kinect except it focuses on just the eyes. The PCEye Go allows the items on the screen to be moved and opened based on the gaze of your eyes as an input device, instead of having to use the mouse. The product is easy to be set up, as it only requires a connection to a USB port (like a mouse), and then it only needs to calibrated on the screen before use. This input device is not a product that the general public would probably find to be of much use, but it does have its intended audience. This eye gaze technology is extremely beneficial to people who suffer from spinal cord injuries and ALS (Lou Gehrig Disease) that don’t have the physical capabilities to operate a computer with the standard input devices. For example, Steve Gleason a former NFL player who suffers from Lou Gehrig Disease uses the built-in keyboard feature on his PCEye Go to tweet and do other daily operations on the computer and was recently featured in a Microsoft commercial during the Super Bowl highlighting technology. While it may not be practical for everyone I think it is a really cool idea that opens the door for many people to continue to communicate despite physical difficulties. This idea is something that I can see be put in to wider use in the future, as it can help people who suffer from strokes and that are paralyzed to use a computer for personal use or even for work.

                As technology continues to improve and become more sophisticated it is refreshing to see it be used for purposes that improve the quality of lives for people. The use of the Tobii PCEye Go is just one example of an input device that has made it capable for people with disabilities to be able to connect to and use the Web.

   Here are the sources I used:

http://www.tobii.com/en/assistive-technology/global/products/hardware/pceye/

http://mashable.com/2013/02/15/steve-gleason-tweets-with-eyes-als/

Internet Hoaxes

As technology has greatly improved throughout our generation, the internet has become a mega hub for information. With access to information so easy that just a key word ran through a search engine can result in thousands and even millions of hits. This way of getting information has become one of the most popular ways to gain information for a topic whether it be academic related or just for useless trivia. But unfortunately, reading something on the internet doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s accurate.

            While the vast majority of the internet is used for good reliable information, there are a small percentage of sites that just specialize in providing false content. Just recently as I scrolled through my newsfeed I noticed an article that said the Super Bowl was rigged and the Broncos got paid to lose. Personally, as soon I saw it I was like that’s got to be fake, but it soon became apparent that more and more people actually believed it and was sharing them to their walls. This websites are to look official just like any other accurate media outlet so I can see how someone could just automatically think that it’s a real news story. In that specific article, it had a quote from the Commissioner of the NFL and false facts which made it seem even more like a real credible news story. After I read that article I decided to go to the website’s homepage to see what the deal was and what kind of website it was. On its homepage it stated that huzlers.com is a combination of real shocking news and satire news to keep its visitors in a state of disbelief. While to some, this could be looked at as a website to just get a good laugh from, others could view it as 100% factual.

            Websites such as Huzlers.com are the reason why a site’s credibility has to be put in question before it can be used in an academic manner. It’s really sad that a few bad eggs have to spoil the whole bunch, as there are numerous factual websites out there that have good information but are times not allowed because of the internet’s bad reputation. If the internet didn’t have a credibility issue, it would be much easier for the public to be fully informed about what is going on throughout the world and the country without wondering if what they’re reading is really true.

http://huzlers.com/
http://huzlers.com/superbowl-xlviii-believed-to-have-been-rigged-and-currently-under-investigation-by-nfl/

Targeted Advertising

The use of targeted advertising by companies and search engines is a result of our lives becoming more centered on the internet than other advertising mediums. Being able to track and advertise to a consumer specifically is much more economical and efficient for companies than spending money on billboards and TV commercials that people may not see, but it is dangerous for the consumer.

            While it is just “business as usual” for companies, targeted advertising can be a very disturbing thing for consumers to be involved in. The scariest thing about being tracked online is its unbelievable accuracy, such as on YouTube during election campaigns there are advertisements specifically for your congressional districts. Regardless of the intent, it’s not a good feeling to know that there are databases out there that have information about your online viewing history, which could also be very personal. If the information from these companies gets hacked or sold to the wrong person, a person’s privacy could easily be compromised. Situations and potential mistakes such as these are why targeted advertising is dangerous to the everyday consumer. It’s not easy to be able to avoid being targeted, as just about everything that is sold in stores can be found cheaper online which makes the audience at risk even greater.

            Being targeted by online advertisers and potentially losing our sense of privacy is just a price that we as a society have paid in order to become more connected and more efficient. Buying products from Amazon and online just in general has become much cheaper and convenient as those packages can just be sent to our houses instead of having to go physically buy them. With technology also advancing to the stages where more and more people spend time online reading newspapers and watching TV shows instead of paying outrageous bills, it just makes it that much more appealing to spend time online. With fewer people watching TV and reading newspapers it just makes sense for companies to advertise more online through targeting consumers. By targeting and tracking people online it allows companies to get almost a sure thing by advertising only to people that are actually interested rather than just advertising to everyone like they do TV. While it’s just good business for them, it is a dangerous habit that really runs the risk of invading people’s privacy.    

            Targeted advertising is an evil that we as a society have brought on ourselves by spending more time online. Having our information tracked and saved puts our privacy at great risk without us even knowing.