Fkmasuda's Blog

Cloud Computing

fkmasuda — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:44:27 +0000

Cloud computing is an interesting aspect of modern technology that has gained prominence as of late. With the spread of web 2.0 technologies and the emergence of the web and the internet as an everyday resource, some people have begun looking towards the idea of cloud computing. The “cloud” is a term representing the internet in a metaphorical sense that is based of the diagram drawing an internet network. Google is famous for being a large proponent of cloud computing. It has put many services online for free that would typically be done on a desktop. By adding word processors, email, calendars, address books, and picture downloaders to its online service, Google seems to be aiming towards a future where desktops are no longer needed to function. A person would be able to go online and then access everything they need straight from the “cloud”. Microsoft has jumped on the bandwagon by trying to add a limited online version of its popular Microsoft Office suite. Possible issues surrounding the cloud computing is the loss of privacy. Your information is no longer stored on a hard drive in your home. Instead, a company somewhere has a hold of all of your private information. Should this company become malicious, it could wreak havoc with the information it has stored. There are many implications towards trusting our information with a foreign company. We should think before becoming a society completely dependent on cloud computing.

First Internet Message

fkmasuda — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:35:00 +0000

The first internet message was sent at 10:30 pm on October 29, 1969 by Charley Kline who was supervised by Professor Leonard Kleinrock. Transmitted over ARPANET from UCLA to Stanford, the first message was merely a dismal “lo”. The programmers had tried to send the word login, but after sending ther letters “l” and “o”, the system crashed. The full word “login” was sent over ARPANET an hour later when the computational difficulties were resolved. The first internet message proved the functionality of the project, and it revolutionzed the world. The internet would in the next 40 years, dramaticallly change how people treat information and how they interact with the world. 40 years ago, the main method of communication over long distances were either phone calls or paper mail. The internet changed that by allowing information to travel much faster. Nowadays, a single email can reach hundreds of people around the world in seconds. Likewise, the internet has begun killing newspapers and encyclopedias. Wikipedia and online news sources have made information available to anyone at a moments notice. Anyone with an internet connection can access a wealth of information that was not previously available to them. On the other hand, the internet has also changed the way people interact with each other. Social networking sites such as facebook and twitter have created whole new levels of personal interactions between people. Many of the results of these web revolutions are yet to be seen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARPANET

Google vs. China

fkmasuda — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:21:13 +0000

The recent dispute between Google and China is one that may numerous repercussions into the future. China, a communist country, has been routinely censoring its search results, preventing any active dissidents from communicating online. Up until recently, Google has been complying with China’s censorship rules and regulations, but it has suddenly changed its policy stance. Google has recenetly been ttacked by a sophisticated group of hackers that attempted to access some of China’s civil right activist’s email accounts. The hackers originated in China, and the attack is believed to have been commissioned by the Chinese government. In response to this, Google decided to stop censoring its Google search results. This may result in Google being blocked by the Chinese government and essentially kicked out of China. Google has accepted this, and it is standing beside its new standard of free speech. Should China decide to ban Google, it would lose any reputation it has for seeming democratic or free. On the other hand, if it allows a search engine to remain uncensored, it could create a broad new wave of informed dissendents within the country, something that the government would not wish to encourage. China seems to be taking the middle road and ingoring Google’s provactive statement. This may be the best way to prevent any outrage, but sooner or later it will have to take some action regarding Google’s new stance in favor of the freedom of information.

Abstract Typography

fkmasuda — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:03:30 +0000

In this abstract typography, I learned how many permutations you can give one letter to make a design. A design is not limited to color and brushes. Sophisticated art can be created out of a single simple letter.

Character Character

fkmasuda — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:06:27 +0000

This project was desgined to make us use letters to make an image. It was interesting because I discovered how complex it is to make a nuanced and detailed face made out of purely words versus a smiley face made out of O’s. However, all complexity aside, the coloring and styling of the simple version may outweigh the black and white complexity of the type face.

Visual Vocabulary

fkmasuda — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:14:50 +0000

This picture was a project designed to teach us about the different aspects of typography. Learning the vocabularly, including the differences between sans-serif and serif fonts was quite interesting.

Facebook Privacy Changes

fkmasuda — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:30:00 +0000

The new privacy settings for Facebook have created a small uproar with privacy groups. Though well-intentioned to give users more control over their privacy settings, the changes were horribly executed. When the new privacy controls were implemented, the creators made the mistake of making the default privacy settings for everybody the least private possible. For many casual users, the intricate privacy settings of faceboook are something foreign and never touched. Thus, when Facebook defaulted people to the most open setting, many people did not ntoice. As a result there are numbers of users whose information is currently avaible for all to see against there wishes. Even the creator of facebook, Mark Zuckerberg was caught off guard by his own privacy changes. For a few days, against his wishes, his own personal pictures were available for all the public to see. If even the mighty creator of Facebook can go awry with the new settings, it is not a stretch of the imagination to think that millions of casual users have as well. Facebook should not be pushing people to open up against there will. Even though Facebook may have the right to do so, mostly everyone agrees, including probably Mark Zuckerberg, that the new privacy defaults should be the strictest privacy settings possible, not the least private.

Web 2.0 and the Semantic Web

fkmasuda — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:35:43 +0000

The World Wide Web was originally envisioned as a collection of web pages hyperlinked together. In its day, it was a revolutionary idea that would go on to change the lives of millions of computer users around the world. Now that a vast majority of computer users are connected to the internet, people have been focused on new aspects of the internet properly termed Web 2.0 and the Semantic Web. These entities are often mistakenly confused, but the differences are evident once understood. Web 2.0, as the next generation of the World Wide Web, is focused on people and social networking. While the original internet language was HTML, Web 2.0 often encompasses many more standards and coding languages such as AJAX, Ruby, XHTML, and SOAP all of which create a user friendly environment for the user. Often seen in social networking sites such as Facebook, Web 2.0 is a method by which companies can create mediums for social interaction and market places for online applications.

On the other hand, the Semantic Web could care less about people’s interactions. What the Semantic Web does, is that it reduces the need for a human operator to personally search the web and collect information. It does this on its own through the use of sophisticated computer systems that reads the metadata in existing Web documents. This metadata serves as an extension to current the web by using RDF(Resource Description Framework) to transform basic web data into something that the software can make use of. The Semantic Web, which was created by the World Wide Web Consortium, allows search engines such as Google, to search through and compile internet web pages easily. Many services now use the Semantic Web including Twine, a networking application, Joost, an online television service, and Oracle, through its Oracle Technology Network.

Copyright Law

fkmasuda — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:30:57 +0000

The framers of the American Constitution wisely decided to insert a copyright provision to insure the release of ideas. It would give a creator a limited monopoly over the physical expression of his product on the condition that he release his ideas out to the public. This would allow other men and women to benefit from the knowledge and proceed with scientific research and development. It also prevents a single company from keeping and indefinate monopoly over a single product by ensuring that the ideas are eventually released into the public domain. Copyright laws also prevents unscrupulous copiers from stealing the ideas of an author and selling them at a low price without being required to pay any royalties to the original creator. Jefferson affected the copyright laws by trying to ensure that monopolies are not formed by the government. He was adament that copyright protection should only protect people’s products not ideas. If one were to protect ideas, it would void the whole purpose of copyrighting in the first place.

Over the years, copyright laws have shifted in favor of the copyright holders and against the consumer. The prime example of this is Clinton’s 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act which allows companies to limit the methods in which consumers can use product after they have bought it. This goes against the basic tenant of copyright law which states that after the first sale, a consumer should have the right to do anything with the product other than sell unauthorized copies for profit. The DMCA prevents a user from reading an electronic book on multiple devices, or a proffessor from copying a segment of a DVD for educational purposes. Clinton also exteneded the copyright terms so that some products can remain under copyright for an astonishing 95 years. All of these examples demonstrate the methods by which copyright laws have shifted agaisnt the public domain and the average user.

Color and Culture

fkmasuda — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:15:02 +0000

Colors of all shades and variations have different and significant connotations. Studies into the significance of colors have yielded certain patterns, but since the interpretations of colors differs with the culture and the society, there is no resolute conclusion. The differences in the meanings of colors between cultures is examplified by the color white. In western countries, white conveys a sense of purity and cleanliness. Western brides often wear white during marriages to give an angelic air to the event. On the other hand, in Asian countries such as Japan, white is associated with winter and death. It is a color that Asian’s sometimes wear to funeral. The individual meanings of colors does not only differ between cultures, but also within cultures. Red, for example, is seen in Western countries as a both a color of danger and of love. Red is the color of blood, and whether that be extended into a happy feeling are a horrible one is up to the user. Red typically conveys a sense passion and urgency to the situation. Other colors have different and more standard connotations. Blue is generally seen as a stable peaceful color promoting peace, which is why many police uniforms are of that color. Green brings up the image of luscious trees and nature in general, which is why green is associated with spring and life. Yellow conveys the image of happiness, gold, and money. Black is generally seen as a dark and foreboding color, and it is often used to show evil or mystery. Colors have a wildly differing set of meanings and connotations, but one fact remains certain. They are very useful in conveying a universal message.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_symbolism_and_psychology