Reflection

Welcome to my last ever post in this blog! 

Time passes really fast when you're just zoning out and waiting for the semester to be over! 

Since I'm active user of the Internet, I thought I knew everything there is to know about the Internet. And I was definitely wrong! In this module, I actually learnt quite a number of new things like the darkweb, distributed denial of service, the history of the Internet, web 3.0, the difference between VR and AR, and so many more! Really, the more I learn about more aspects to the Internet, the more intrigued I become. This may sound unrelated but this recent Suria drama called 'Alam Maya' is about solving cases using the Internet and I unconsciously find myself linking the terms used in the show to what I learnt during the module. 

Mr Abel Choy is a really caring professor who always asks whether we have any questions after every lesson ends. And he listens patiently to any of our queries and also posts interesting things like the Google tricks! I had no idea we could play the Brick Game through a Google Trick! He is also quite knowledgeable about the module he teaches.

I also love the blogging assignments that he assigned us and I think that's one great way to grade his students. The weekly blogging assignments give us opportunity to self-study and consolidate what we learnt during lectures. I always find myself learning more and with more depth as I did my own research.

Also, the group discussions allow us to interact with our peers and I find it a way to slowly overcome my fear of public speaking. Not only that, we also get to see a different perspective from other groups' discussions. 

And what a great way to end the module with show and tell sessions! I find what my peers shared very fascinating and I really applaud those who created very detailed presentation slides. 

Anyway, we have finally come to the end of our semester and all that is left is our final exams.

All the best for the final exam and remember to mug like crazy, okay?

Also, all the best for your upcoming semesters and life in general! 

Goodbye my fellow readers! 

Week #13: Web 3.0 - The Next Generation of the Web

For this post, I'll be blogging about the future of the Internet!

So, in my first post, I briefly touched on how Tim-Berners Lee planned to make data more open and accessible to everyone. Seems rather vague isn't it? 

Well, no worries, I'm going to elaborate about it in this post!

So, how does Berners-Lee intend to fulfill his objectives? 

I believe this is going to be done through Web 3.0. Before I dive into what that is, we learnt in the first lesson that Web 1.0 is mostly read-only and Web 2.0 is wildly read-write. 

So how does Web 3.0 differentiate from Web 1.0 and Web 2.0? 

According to our lecture(if you were not paying attention), Web 3.0 is going to be more connected, open, and intelligent with semantic Web technologies, distributed databases, natural language processing, machine learning, machine reasoning, and autonomous agents.

The video illustrates how the Web has evolved over the years and how it is going to be even more interactive with higher levels of user-generated content which is predicted to be the driving force behind the future of the Internet. It then goes to elaborate on how semantic technology is going to support collaborative business models and social network application tools, leading to lower barriers in the Internet. The future Internet is going to be viewed as ubiquitous, pervasive, mobile and available 24/7. To sustain this, networks have to be re-engineered - new networks have to integrate all kinds of devices, increasing efficiency of the Internet.

Simply put, this Web 3.0 is going to make everyone more connected, which in turn allows data to be more open and accessible to everyone in the world.

The foundation for Web 3.0 is believed to be application programming interfaces (APIs) by some experts. 

What is an API?

An API is an interface designed to allow developers to create applications that take advantage of a certain set of resources. 

Many Web 2.0 sites include APIs that give programmers access to the sites' unique data and capabilities. For example, Facebook's API allows developers to create programs that use Facebook as a staging ground for games, quizzes, product reviews and more.

But what goes beyond Web 3.0?

Is there going to be a Web 4.0? Web 5.0? Web 500.0?

Well, according to technology expert and entrepreneur Nova Spivack, the development of the Web moves in 10-year cycles. In 1996, most of the development emphasized on the infrastructure (back end) of the Web where programmers created the protocols and code languages used to make Web pages. That was for Web 1.0. In 2006, the focus changed to the front end where people use Web pages as platforms for other applications. That's for Web 2.0 and it seems that the cycle for Web 2.0 is approaching its end. Web 3.0 is going to focus the shift back to the back end in which programmers will refine the Internet's infrastructure to support the advanced capabilities of Web 3.0 browsers. 

And, once that phase ends, we'll enter the era of Web 4.0. Focus will return to the front end, and there'll be quite a number of applications from Web 3.0 being used as a foundation.

Here's a useful diagram that summarizes the focus of each generation of the Web.

Maybe, in the near future, we'll be seeing more interactive technologies and transformational innovation? Well, a lot of things can happen in a few years! But hopefully, this won't mean more distractions for us all!

Till my next post (which will be my last)! See ya!

Week #12: Innovation = Invention x Commercialization

For this lesson, we learnt about innovation through the Internet. Mr Choy keeps stressing this helpful diagram that summarizes the four different types of innovation: transformational, functional, experiential and process. 

In case you tried to google for this diagram, you can't find it because I created this diagram myself using the paint application. Haha. It only took 5 minutes, no biggie.

Okay so I'm going to elaborate on the four different types of innovation. 

1. Transformational Innovation

This innovation type occurs when all of the three criteria are met, as shown in the diagram. So this means that the innovated product aims to fulfill customers' desires with the use of technology and customers have to pay for these products.

During class, Mr Choy gives us the example of driverless cars which is also known as an autonomous car or a self-driving car. Here's a video to give you an idea how these driverless cars work and how they seek to meet one of the human needs: transport.

 A driverless car has the same transportation capabilities like a traditional car. As an autonomous vehicle, it is capable of sensing its environment and navigating without human input. Such an invention would definitely benefit an extremely large group of people, especially those who have problems with mobility.

However, there is a concern on whether these people can actually afford these cars. A study by IHS Automotive predicts that driverless cars would be sold at a price between US$7000 and US$10,000 in 2025. 

Yikes!

Well, I'm not well-informed about the prices of cars in general. I don't know what price is considered as relatively cheap or expensive but since the price is as much as my semester fees for four modules, I consider it quite costly! 

2. Functional Innovation

This innovation type occurs when the product is driven from the development of new technology, meeting customer's needs as a result.

An apt example of this would be the useful buses apps in Singapore called SG Buses and SG BusLeh. I use the former and it is extremely helpful in telling me the arrival times of the buses that I would be boarding. 

It also has information on the entire bus route of the bus service and all the available bus services in a given bus stop.

Say, after being informed that the bus 302 is going to arrive in 5 minutes, I can leave my house at the right time so that I don't have to wait unnecessarily long. And I can also brace myself for a very long wait! After downloading this app, somehow, there is this huge burden that got removed from my shoulders somehow haha. Not exaggerating. 

3. Experiential Innovation

A formal definition for this innovation type is an otherwise commoditized offer in a mature market is differentiated by modifying the customer's end-to-end experience from initial encounter to ultimate disposition.

If you are confused by the formal definition, don't worry! You're not alone! I'm just as confused as you!

Simply put, a product is considered to be an experiential innovation when it aims to meets the customer's needs and helps to earn profits for businesses as well. But, it does not have the technology aspect as shown in the diagram.

An example of such product that instantly comes to my mind is KFC's new Parmesan Chicken that was introduced last month!

 Being a (somewhat) loyal patron of KFC, this food item is unprecedented in the history of KFC's menu (at least in the Singapore branch). They have cleverly innovated their menu item by sprinkling the chicken with parmesan cheese and offering an equally tempting truffle-flavoured cheddar sauce in the meal.

4. Process Innovation

According to InnoviSCOP, process innovation refers to "the implementation of a new or significantly improved production or delivery method" and this includes significant changes done in the existing techniques, equipment and/or software.

An example that I found via research is the sequencing of human genome by Celera and Human Genome Project. Technology is used to facilitate these efforts to find cures for human diseases. Also, profits can be gained when such cures were successfully founded. 

I hope now you would be more well-informed about the four innovation types after reading my post.

Till my next post, bye bye!

Week #11: Citizen Journalism Today

This week, we had an interesting lesson on 'Internet and Journalism'. I have the intention in becoming a journalist, be it whether I'm the one directly writing the article or editing others' works, which is why I took this communication course in the first place so that I would be more well-equipped with the necessary and useful skills needed in becoming a great journalist.

As more and more people have Internet access, they take advantage of the many different online platforms like Facebook and Twitter and even news sites to create and disseminate their own point of view of certain events. This phenomenon leads to a skyrocketing rise of citizen journalism.

But first, what is 'citizen journalism'?

Citizen journalism is when members of the public with a lack of journalism experience report information and disseminate that information in a public platform. Basically, they are acting like professional reporters and journalists, just without the professionalism.

So, as we learnt in class, the Internet has encouraged a shift in who creates, distributes and ultimately owns the news, leading to professional journalists losing their monopoly on international news. This in turn leads to a number of obvious problems behind this democratic news-gathering process.

It is quite a trend among citizen journalists to exaggerate their reports and they could be acting as such because they want their news to get noticed very quickly. Another problem is that since citizen journalists are mostly doing their reports based on their own free will i.e. without being paid, they do not give the same level of commitment to their work as professional journalists do.

So, how can citizen participate and contribute in the betterment of society through citizen journalism?

Professional journalists adhere to a code of ethics that guides them in reporting fairly and truthfully. By following these guidelines, professional journalists are able to build their credibility and earn their audience's trust.

An example of such code of ethics is the SPJ Code of Ethics from the Society of Professional Journalists.

Citizen journalists too can abide by these guidelines, thereby raising their editorial and ethical standards of their posts. So, here are some guidelines for you citizen journalists out there!

1. Be truthful and accurate

Always report your observations first-hand. This means you must not modify pictures or video footage and quotes of interviewees. No one would appreciate people who exaggerate news accounts just to get some attention. Do not be a Pinocchio!

Also, always double-check your sources and make sure you always credit your sources, if they are any. If anything seems shady and you cannot verify them, do not post them and leave it to people who are more knowledgeable about the issue.

2. Differentiate between facts and opinions

In the case of reporting news, stick to the facts and leave out any personal views so that your piece would be written objectively (factual account) whereas in the case of of writing an analysis or commentary, be sure that you are only writing from your own perspective (opinion).

3. Be fair and transparent

Weigh both sides of the issue before publishing your reports.

And, if you happen to have a vested interest in the issue or a conflict of interest with it, declare that in your posts so that your readers would know where you are coming from. This is a practice of transparency.

4. Minimize harm

There are some stories where people feel uncomfortable sharing so do your part by respecting their privacy and not pry into their lives. In particular, be extra sensitive towards victims of tragedies.

Also, please do not risk your safety in your effort to report a story. Value your lives.

5. Be accountable

Do take responsibility for all of your reports. Be receptive to comments and feedback. Remember that by publishing online, you are exposing yourself to the rest of the world who would criticize your work. If you were to make any mistakes, admit them and correct them.

I guess this is it for my post #11!

Until next post, see ya!

Week #10: Of Global Support and Riots - Social Media Edition

If you think about it, it's crazy how Internet use has gotten so out of hand. While it has mostly harmless impacts like viral videos and memes, Internet use has also led to bloody results, such as riots.

But, before I get to the bloody part, I'm sure most of you have heard of the 'French flag' Facebook filter introduced by Zuckerberg in light of the Paris attacks last November. 

Looks familiar? Maybe you've also switched to this filter to show your support for Paris, whether you actually know about what happened to Paris or you just want to follow the crowd so that you don't appear ignorant.

For me, it's great that Zuckerberg took the initiative to raise awareness about the terrorist attacks in Paris. However, where were the flag filters for the Middle Eastern countries when ISIS attacked them? How come there were no hashtags or Facebook coverage for the 10-year-old Yemeni boy who was lit on fire as a sickening imitation of ISIS' murder of a Jordanian pilot last March?

For one, I am truly appalled by this obvious display of selective grieving as demonstrated from social media use.

Now on to the bloody part...were you aware of the 2015 Baltimore riots? I'm sure some of you have seen it on the news or read it in the newspapers but did you know how it originated?

Well, from the context of my post, the answer is obvious, isn't it?

The Baltimore riots all started with the death of an African-American man named Freddie Gray who was allegedly killed by racist police officers on 12th April 2015. This sparked an outcry among the community in major social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Inspired by the 2013 film 'The Purge', protesters planned for an organized violence against 'white police officers' following Gray's funeral. They had agreed for the protests to take place at Mondawmin Mall and downtown Baltimore.

True to their word, they raided the streets of Baltimore, burning cars and buildings, and looting or damaging a dozen businesses.

According to a police commissioner, at least 15 officers were wounded. The officers were injured as a result of protesters throwing rocks and bricks at them.

The riots got so out of hand that a state of emergency had to be declared by Maryland governor Larry Hogan. Even a mandatory curfew had to be issued to minimize collateral damage. More than 280 state troopers had been deployed to assist the city police in Baltimore.

While there were social media users trying to provoke and incite more violence, there were thankfully some social media users who shared photographs and videos online to raise awareness about these riots in order to help those who suffered during this chaotic riots.

Yes, social media use can get violent and hostile but at the same time, it can also be used for a greater and better change. So, act responsibly when using social media and think twice before changing your profile picture to the newest Facebook filter or tweeting about an unrest.

Until my next post, see ya!

Week #9: VR and AR

This week, we learnt Multimedia on the Internet whose aim is to emulate the real life environment as closely as possible, tapping into most of our five senses to create a multi-sensory experience.

We then learnt about Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.

Firstly, what is VIRTUAL REALITY?

Virtual Reality (VR) is an artificial, computer-generated simulation or recreation of a real-life environment which can be explored and interacted by a person.

In the video above, we are able to swipe the screen as we use our smartphones or tablets to view the video. In doing so, we are able to view our surroundings in a virtual world and witness all the attacks. I find it really amazing!

Another example that I want to give is this called 'Virtual Knee Surgery'.

This game simulates an actual knee replacement surgery and I find it quite interesting and fun. I have played it countless times.

It shows you the pre-surgery process and in this case, it asks YOU to help decide whether the patient is healthy enough to undergo the surgery.

Also, it shows you the step-by-step process, including cleaning the patient's leg with Betadine solution which is to kill the bacteria to prevent any bacterial infection.

In addition, it enables you to act like a surgeon and perform the surgery on the patient. As shown in the pictures above, I was told to slice the leg open using the scalpel.

Other than that, it also asks me questions on why a surgery requires so-and-so and the doctor will praise me when I get a question right but will still remain encouraging if I were to choose the wrong answer.

For me, I get easily squeamish so I winced when I was tasked to stitch or cut the femur using a bone saw. The sounds emitting from the bone saw sounded really realistic too!

Moving on...

What is Augmented Reality?

Augmented Reality (AR) is a form of technology that superimposes computer-generated enhancements into existing reality and enables users to interact with it.

I tried my hand on two of the AR apps that are downloadable in the Apple Store.

Firstly, it is SnapShot Showroom which allows me to virtualize furniture in my house.

In this case, I want to visualize different types of furniture in the living room. 

As shown in the images above, I am able to change the size of the couch. However, I am certain the actual couch is three times bigger than the one superimposed into my living room.

Next, I superimposed a lamp which is called 'Capitol Lighting' according to the app. I am able to purchase it and as you can see, it costs $790.00. 

This is why I stick to superimposing. Haha.

The second AR app that I tried is ARBasketball. 

Through it, I am able to superimpose a mini-basketball court where I can practise my basketball throwing. I find it fun though I highly doubt my basketball skills in real life are going to improve! Haha

All I have to do is to print out this image and place it on a flat surface with adequate light, and I can start my basketball practice!

Here are some screenshots. 

This is not a bad score for a beginner. *pats my own back*

Yeah...so it's interesting trying out these VR and AR applications. I admit I'm not that keen on AR much because I prefer interacting with the real environment instead of a computer-generated one.

Anyway, till the next post! Bye bye!

Week #8: Cyber-crime in Singapore

This week, we learnt about Internet security. For the past weeks since the beginning of this module, we have been exploring the seemingly endless benefits of the Internet from its helpful tools to social media. Unsurprisingly, the Internet has a dark side too in which we as Internet users are equally susceptible to virus threats and online scams.

I often read the local newspapers and it is actually pretty common for these cyber-crimes to happen in Singapore. Which is why we commonly see these types of posters that warn us about these crimes.

In fact, such crimes have been largely increasing over the years. Among them are credit-for-sex scams, online scams targeting buyers and sellers, cheating involving e-commerce and Internet love crimes. 

From 1,665 cases in 2014 to 2,173 last year, cheating involving e-commerce increased by 30.5% with the total sum cheated at about S$1.76 million, with the largest amount at approximately S$50,000. Meanwhile, from 1,450 cases to 1,887, online scams targeting buyers rose by 30.1%, with the total sum cheated being at about S$1.34 million. Sellers are susceptible to scams too, though not as much as buyers as the number of cases increase from 122 to 153 which is an increase of 25.4%. with the total sum cheated at about S$120,000.

For example, there was this 12-year-old girl last year who had sold her iPhone online through Carousell. She had believed that her buyer was a male student but was mistaken when they met up as he ended up to be a man in his twenties and with dyed hair. Unfortunately for her, the man started to sexually harass her in public and when she alerted a passer-by, the man stole her phone and ran away with it. The poor girl ended up being emotionally distraught and had to seek counselling for the traumatic experience. Now, she is still selling her goods online but she has her parents accompanying her whenever she meets her buyers.

What happened to the girl was rather unfortunate of course so we all have to learn to be extra careful when we meet buyers or sellers and make it a point to meet them at public places. Otherwise, it would just not be money that is scammed out of us but our innocence too.

Credit-for-sex scams are where culprits use mobile messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Viber to ask unsuspecting victims to purchase gift cards or virtual credit in exchange for sexual services. 

I bet you are curious on how credit-for-sex scams actually occur. Well, there would be this female stranger who would add the contacts of her unsuspecting victims, which are men most of the time, on mobile messaging platforms and then initiate the conversation by sending an attractive picture of herself. If the victim continues to entertain her messages, she would keep replying and eventually she would either offer cheap sexual services or express keen interest in meeting the victims face-to-face in an effort to know said victim better. 

However, there is a catch. 

Firstly, the victim would have to buy her a $100 or $150 Alipay or iTunes card, then scratch the code and take a picture to show it to her so that she could use it. After that, the victim would receive a call from her so-called pimp or boss in which said victim would have to transfer a $500 security fee or a $1,000 deposit to a specified number. And if the victim refuses to comply, the "pimp" or "boss" would send his teams of gangsters to ruin the lives of the victim's family.

Sounds like a rather unbelievable yet elaborate scam isn't it? I mean, who would fall for such painfully obvious scams like these? Believe it or not, there are people who do. They must be either really stupid or horny or both to fall for such scams.

Anyway, such scams surged from 66 cases in 2014 to 1,203 last year, with the total sum cheated at about S$2.9 million and the largest amount at S$74,000. 

So, if you happen to be the lucky person to get contacted by a girl asking for a store card, delete her as a contact immediately. Otherwise, you might be moaning about being cheated out of your hard-earned money. 

Next, what are Internet love scams?

Well, as shown in the image above, the scammer would approach unsuspecting victims on a social media platform like Facebook Messenger or Line and start declaring his or her keenness in befriending said victims.

After knowing said victim for say, a couple of weeks, the scammer would then made an unnaturally immediate declaration of love for the victim and out of the blue, they announce that they are making plans to fly to Singapore just to meet the victim.

However, rather unsurprisingly, they encounter a problem and would need the victim's help. They would need said victim to transfer a thousand dollars to them and gave extraordinarily vague details about the whole thing.

Needless to say, there are people who fall such traps because even if such scams are painfully obvious, some of the victims have invested their emotions in these online relationships and were just desperate to be loved by others. And yeah, there was a spike in Internet love scams from 198 cases in 2014 to 383 last year, with the largest amount cheated at S$528,000.

Sure, we all love to make friends and talking to strangers online can be rather exciting but the moment a person you've never met asks you for money, just stop talking to them and block them immediately because obviously they have a hidden agenda from day one.

Quite a worrying trend, isn't it? To think that such scams happen in our homeland and here we are, meeting buyers and sellers without second-guessing them. 

Here is a helpful website that educates the public more on online scams and even provide personal accounts from victims. Hopefully, this post has succeeded in informing my fellow readers of such rampant cyber-crimes and allow you all to be more careful and alert in the future!

Till the next post, bye bye!

Week #7: Google Play

For this post, I'm going to write about one of the Google tools, Google Play.

What is Google Play?

Basically, Google Play, formerly known as the Android Market, is the official app store for Android smartphones and tablets. Through Google Play, Android users are able to download and purchase software applications, music, movies and books.

This is how the homepage of a user's Google Play account looks like on a website.

Since I use an iPhone, this account is based on my mom's Samsung Galaxy S6. My mom loves playing games that are related to sweets and candies so her Google Play account recommends some games based on her download history. Helpful, isn't it?

So, in this case, how to download an app?

When you find an app that you like, just simply click on the item and follow the on-screen instructions. If you are not intending to purchase anything, ensure that the items that you clicked on are labelled 'free'. Besides, if you have not filled in the payment information, you would not have to worry about purchasing things accidentally. 

If you have any trouble with Google Play, you can enlist help from Google Play Help. Certainly, your queries will be answered there!

I hope now you have become more enlightened about Google Play!

Till the next post, sayonara!

Week #6: How To Catch A Ball

So, for this blog post, I am required to create my own movie.

If you ask me, I think this video is embarrassingly bad! I think a lot of people will find it DUMB DUMB xD See what I did there? :P

Anyway, this is not my first time making my own video. Usually, I edit short videos but this is the first time, I actually created a movie with effects and overlapping audio tracks. And this is also the first time I'm using Sony Vegas pro.  

So, unsurprisingly, I struggled a lot in editing the video. I think I spent around one hour editing it and it gets a little frustrating at times. Since I'm an amateur, I had to consult other YouTubers on how to do certain things using the application.

So, as you can see, I struggled A LOT. 

Nevertheless, it was still quite enjoyable.

Would I make another video?

Absolutely not! 

Anyway, see you next post!