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!

Week #5: The Future Digital Classroom

What is a 'digital classroom'?

Basically, a digital classroom is a classroom in which technology is used to facilitate students' learning and support students' interactions with their teachers and students through the strategic use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).

So, if you are imagining a classroom where the students are using iPads to read model essays or watch videos about the life cycle of a butterfly, that is exactly what a 'digital classroom' is.

Already, now, there are some schools who are already integrating technology into classroom learning. When I was taking H2 Economics tuition lessons at TuitionGenius, we had to use iPads to read articles which were related to the topic that we were learning for that particular lesson. For example. an article of Greece's massive budget deficit was used as a case study for the topic of 'macroeconomic aims and policies'. My cousin who is a Secondary 2 student studies in Canberra Secondary School where the students there use Chromebooks for most of their subjects. Using Chromebooks, they are able to research information for their projects and also do quizzes.

A class of students using Chromebooks

Last year, in San Francisco, AltSchool tested how technology can help teachers maximize their students' learning. The students' attendance were automatically recorded when they arrived at school via an attendance app. Using iPads and Chromebooks, students studied independently from "playlists" of activities that their teachers have picked to match their personal progress. Data about each student's progress was then captured for teachers' later review. Not only that, classrooms were recorded and teachers could capture important moments by pressing a button just like how we all used to record our favourite television programmes using VCRs. The aim of this is so that all the data from this network of schools will be woven into a smart centralized operating system that teachers will be able to use to design effective and personalized instructions, and there is even a recommendation engine built in.

That's pretty cool right?

Imagine if we could take a step further...

Isn't this all amazing? Learning suddenly looks so futuristic and highly interactive. Everything seems so high-tech and flawless!

However, we have to keep in mind that what are shown in the video is an IDEALIZED visual of fruitful learning in a digital classroom. Technology can be used to maximize students' learning if the students themselves have a strong desire to learn. It would only serve to be counter-productive if the students engage with the technology present in the classroom to indulge in non-academic matters.

Even when studying in SIM, I could see people opening their laptops, using Facebook and reading fanfictions when lessons were being conducted. Furthermore, in some of these lessons, laptops were not even needed. 

For me, I am pretty open to this concept of a 'future digital classroom' as long as the classroom keeps learning personal with the intention to engage us and allow us to successfully grasp the lessons provided.

So....I hope you found my post helpful for Week 5's topic of 'e-learning'!  ^_^

Sayonara!

Week #4 :E-Marketing - How to Make It a Success?

First of all, what is 'E-Marketing'?

Electronic marketing, otherwise known as 'E-Marketing', is known as the application of marketing principles and techniques via electronic media and more specifically the Internet. E-Marketing is also synonymous with the terms 'Internet Marketing' and 'Online Marketing'.

Simply put, E-Marketing encompasses all the activities a business conducts via the worldwide web with the aim of attracting new businesses, retaining current businesses and developing its brand identity. 

Sounds like E-Marketing is quite an efficient way to spread the word about your product or service to the entire world!

So, how to make E-Marketing a success?

Well, there are many strategies that can be used, but these are the three most important ones: offers, content and relationship building. As long as all these three are adopted properly, good results can be expected. 

OFFERS

The basic idea is to urge people to get something that they really want and this can be done by offering a discount coupon or a general promotion for the products that your potential customers have indicated interest in. In order to pull off an attractive yet reliable offer, be sincere in wording the offers like a good friend trying to help people. When you appear sincere in that aspect, people would then think buying from you is a good decision.

For example, Julep regularly promotes offers during the holidays and seasons to their visitors and past customers.

CONTENT

It is important to inform people about the product or service that you are selling and strategically, it should be done in a succinct yet effective way. Sometimes, a brief introduction or a very information-rich e-mail are just not enough. You would want to persuade people into becoming your customers. So, a way to do this is to provide an email opt-in form after giving an attractive description about said product or service. This form would be a requirement for people to sign up on the site or connect to it with their Facebook account in order to get the full content and this becomes a better chance to convert them into customers. Also, when you designed the site in such a way that it caters to the customers' wants, they will start to see you as a trusted source, which makes them more likely to buy what you sell.

For example, on-demand podcast/radio show app Stitcher sends "Recommended For You" emails. This way, the emails feel like they are personalized just for the customers themselves and this sends a message that their preferences are being cared for, making them feel extremely special and happy.

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

The objective here is to create a stronger emotional bond with your subscribers through feedback in the form of e-mails or the filling up of surveys. It is even more advantageous when your subscribers share similar beliefs and opinions with you. However, it is necessary to distance yourself from those  who do not. A way to avoid being in their blacklist is to only talk about things related to your product or service. When your audience share a similar opinion as you, you instantly appear more trustworthy to them because people trust people who are similar to them.

In the example below, KISSmetrics sends a segmented, personalized and personal e-mail to a potential or past customer in a way that persuades the person to check the content and give feedback, meaning that the customers' comments are treasured and taken seriously.

Combine all these three and do it well and you're all set for pretty good results! Of course, what's the point of a masterful e-mail if no one is reading it? So build your connections and advertise your business in as many platforms as you can!

So, hopefully, my post is informative for Week 4's topic 'doing business on the Internet'!

Week #3: Twitter on the Decline...Since its Debut?

I remember back in 2008 when Twitter became such a huge craze in my secondary school. When my friend mentioned about how she argued with another classmate about me the night before, I was definitely intrigued but did not press further because I viewed Twitter as a fad. In spite of that, I still created my own Twitter account but was hardly active. It was only years later when I realized that Twitter actually has its own usefulness like knowing what are the trending topics at any point of time which allows me to be updated with current affairs.

This was how the Twitter icon looked like when it first started. 

So, how did Twitter begin?

Twitter was founded by this group of men working in a podcasting company called Odeo on March 2006 and they are Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone, Evan Williams and Noah Glass. Formerly, Twitter was called 'twttr' as part of a popular trend to drop the vowels of companies and services. However, Twitter didn't instantly gain popularity. In fact, Odeo's business was even killed and went through a buyback. It was only in 2007 when Twitter finally exploded with more than 60 thousand Tweets being posted per day at the 2007 South By Southwest (SXSW) Interactive conference. 

The above picture shows how Twitter gained popularity over time. I find it amazing how quickly Twitter went viral after gaining traction at the SXSW Interactive conference. 

The picture above shows the Twitter statistics in 2015. I bet you are as impressed as I am after seeing these statistics but...is Twitter actually doing well?

Believe it or not...it isn't..

Trust me, I was just baffled as you all are. But it's indeed true.

According to this article, Twitter had already accrued more than $400 million in losses and apparently it has lost more than $2 billion in total since launching a decade ago. To make matters worse, it seems that Twitter is predicted to lose even more, as much as $748.2 million. 

So what is the problem here?

It seems that the problem lies with Twitter's subscriber growth. In the last quarter, its user base only grew by only 1.3%. 

Even though the user base in Twitter comprises of around 300 million users, it is not the number of users itself that is the problem. It is the fact that the numbers are not growing fast enough to justify what the premium investors are paying. And not only that, 300 million users just pales in comparison to Facebook's 1.5 billion. 

What Twitter has to fix and improve is its ad model. Apparently, it has not been able to target users in quite a laser-like manner as Facebook.

However, it seems that Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter, has returned (I didn't know he left) and people are optimistic for a turnaround with his return.

I know next to nothing about businesses and how they work. From Twitter's example, it seems that even enormous statistics are not enough to gain profits and I view Twitter as a social media giant. Truthfully, I was saddened knowing that Twitter has been in such predicament for years since its launch. 

Well, hopefully, Twitter can start to improve on its statistics, business-wise. 

I hope you guys are enlightened by my post for Week 3's topic! 

See you next post!

Week #2: Social Media Usage in China

I'm sure that it's common knowledge to everyone that Facebook is banned in China. And based on this little piece of information itself, many questions are raised like why is Facebook banned in China, are there other popular social media that is banned in China and if there are, what are they, and finally, what is the social media usage in China like?

In class, Mr Choy pointed out that China has the most number of Internet users in the world. The picture shown above shows a more recently updated list and it still proves that China is not letting up from its first position. Not only that, the gap between China and the second country, India is really wide - a difference of 299 million!

With such massive statistics like this, it simply begs the question: Does at least ONE person among these reported 674 million Internet users in China use some form of social media? Obviously the answer is 'yes' because Facebook is not synonymous with social media. 

But, first, answering the first question: Why is Facebook banned in China?

A little dig into the search engine (I used Google by the way...) and results have shown that the ban of Facebook came about at the aftermath of the 2009 Xinjiang riots . 

In short, the riots were about ethnic unrest between the Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese in Xinjiang, one of the most politically sensitive regions in China. People within the region then went online through blogs to disseminate pictures of the riots to the rest of the world and express their distaste towards the issue, questioning the government policies. In fear that this would spark even more violence, Chinese authorities swiftly removed these comments. This then culminated in the ban of Facebook and Twitter. 

Shocking, right? Who knew the reason for the Facebook ban would be so bloody?

So, since Facebook and Twitter are banned as a result of these riots, what are the odds that other popular social media platforms are banned in China as well?

To no surprise, Instagram, WordPress.com and Blogspot are among many social media that are banned in China. 

Moving on to the next question: So what is the social media usage like in China?

China does have its own social media platforms but interestingly, they are somewhat 'copycat' versions of popular social media - of which they are sometimes referred to as "C2C model" by researchers on Chinese Internet innovation. And, if you're wondering, 'C2C' means 'Copy to China'. For example, China's answers to Facebook and Twitter are QZone and Weibo respectively. Below is a useful summary of the social media landscape in China. 

However, what I find much more interesting is how QQ, one of China's popular instant messaging service, claims the top position in the country in terms of monthly active users (MAUs) and despite the vast majority of its users living in China, it also claims the second-place spot in the worldwide rankings behind Facebook! 

Truly amazing! 

Furthermore, 87% of China's social media users now access via mobile devices each month and there is a growing number of users every second - 2.5 new users every second to be exact .

And, at 1 hour and 43 minutes per day, social media accounts for just under half of all the time that people spend online in China with social media users spending their time 23% longer on social media than they do watching TV each day although there are many TV viewers engaging in 'second-screen' social media use at the same time. Below is the rundown of social media usage in China.

So, I've really learnt a lot about social media usage in China and I'm truly amazed and impressed from the research that I have gathered.

Before I close this post, I'd like to share an interesting article that my friend had shared with me.

I don't know if any of you are aware of this but Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has been quite relentless in wooing China to open its massive market to Facebook. But the thing is, with the substantial popularity of the country's own social media platforms, is Facebook even needed in China? Apparently, Zuckerberg seems to think so. But for me, I don't think so. Even if the Facebook ban in China has been lifted, the same reasons for the ban itself would no doubt resurface and could lead to even more chaotic riots in China. 

But who truly knows what would happen? Only time will tell.

I hope you'd find my post helpful for your learning! See you next post!