Kim Hooker

My Comments

kim74 — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:31:31 +0000

RSS and You by mnd103

You said 1 month ago:

I am apparently really behind the times. I had never heard of RSS. What a great concept though. Instead of wasting my time to go look at the sites I like to look at, I can just have the information sent to one location. With the information being sent as it is added, I do not have to worry about it being three days old and just receiving it. This will be a great tool to keep up with the information I want to receive.

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You said 1 month ago:

I have never bought any type of clothing on-line. I have to try everything on. I am 5’8”, and I have another problem. Regular clothes can be to short, but the tall sizes may be to long. I really think that if I receive something through the mail and it doesn’t fit, it will be more of a pain to have to send it back than to just go to the store and get it there. Although, I do think it is wonderful for stores to be able to carry more inventory, sizes, selection, and be able to reach a larger clientele and not have the overhead to contend with.

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Wireless Internet Access by krworks

You said 1 month ago:

I do not drink coffee, so I hardly ever go to Starbucks. It amazes me that they make you pay not only for your coffee at a ridiculous rate, but they charge you to use their wireless internet as well. I know the Panera Bread Company near me offers free Wi-Fi. People can go in there and eat their lunch or dinner and take care of the business they need. They can do so without feeling that if they do not get their work done in that 30 minute window, that they have to get out because they are taking up Panera’s space.

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Computers in unusual places by ddj8

You said 1 month ago:

It amazes me how far technology has come in such a short amount of time. Having the BFT be fully interactive is a wonderful invention. Commanders having the capabilities to see where the troops are helps, not only with the strategy, but also the effectiveness of being able to find our troops when something goes wrong. The cost of the units is quite pricey; however, if the unit has saved the lives of our soldiers, it is well worth it.

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Navigating with Garmin by mnd103

You said 1 month ago:

Considering I do not have a GPS system, I had no idea how these worked. It is pretty amazing to me how they can have satellites that can receive the information that you send out, and know the exact location that you need to get to. Then it sends back directions in form that we can understand. Although the cost appears to be minimal at this point, I am still not sure if this is something that I can not live without at this point.

What’s Wrong with Open Source Software? by rsjblog

You said 1 month ago:

With all of the time and money spent on trying to write a program, it’s no wondering why companies do not want to share their information. That is like Godiva Chocolate giving out their recipes for free. I think that Open-Source Software is good in theory. It does take a lot of time and effort out instead of everyone trying to “recreate the wheel.” However, if the software get bogged down, eventually people will get frustrated with it and move on to the next best thing.

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Work and the Common Access Card by mnd103

You said 1 month ago:

I think that we are so busy that we don’t think about all the different ways we come into contact with computer hardware everyday. It has become “normal” for us to us so many different devises that years ago did not even exist. Everyday there is some new piece of technology that makes our lives easier. I may be dating myself, but I can remember when I could not imagine life without my VCR. Now there are DVDs, and you can even load movies onto your ipod. Technology has come a long way in such a short amount of time. Before long, we will have something else to replace all of these devises that we think we can not live without.

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Computer Hardware in our trash. by alrosa

You said 1 month ago:

To be quite honest I had never thought about where the waste goes, or the fact that it is toxic. I have never had to dispose of a computer before. Unfortunately to get the word out for disposing of electronics would take advertising of some sort, or the person who is disposing of the product doing some research. Unfortunately advertising costs too much money, and consumers are sometimes too busy to do the research of how to dispose of the electronics properly. If we don’t start taking care of our world, who will?

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About Shayla by shay23

You said 2 months ago:

We definitely have a few things in common. I am a girly girl as well. Shopping is definitely on the top of my list of things to do. Not only do you get to go out and look at all of the new clothes, make-up, shoes (by far my favorite), but you get to go out and spend time with your girlfriends. Spending time with them has always allowed me to get my life into perspective. Good luck to you in this class. I look forward to your future blogs.

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My job, My City, My World by alrosa

You said 2 months ago:

Let me just say thank you for all that you do. I have so much respect for firefighters and policemen. You do something that most of us do not want to do. You put your lives on the line every time you get a call. My cousin lost her husband in the line of duty ten years ago. He had gone back into a building to recue someone they thought was still inside. Unfortunately the building collapsed and he never made it back out. We sometimes do not think about the sacrifices that people make for us.

Netiquette

kim74 — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:12:38 +0000

Netiquette is the dos and don’ts of online communication. It is the “Emily Post” for cyberspace. Going into something new, we are bound to make mistakes. We all make do. Cyberspace is no different. Without even knowing it you can take something wrong that was not intended that way, or you could offend someone without even meaning to. Since we are not face to face with the human being we can easily forget that you are interacting with a real person.

Knowing the netiquette you are less likely to make silly mistakes. I think knowing netiquette is important. You are less likely to make the kind of mistakes that will prevent you from making friends, if you follow a few basic rules. You have a standard of behavior that you follow in real life, so you need to remember that when you are online. There are plenty of sites that can guide you on how not to offend in cyberspace. You can even go to http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html to get a core list of rules for netiquette.

Since so many of us communicate through e-mail now a days, it is important to know what we are doing right and what we may not understand is offending someone. If you go to http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article3374832.ece , there is an article dedicated to talking about the subject with different links for different aspects. There are links to just about anything in cyberspace from basic guides, guides on blogging, e-mailing, to dating. With so many different sites talking about netiquette, there is obviously a need for making sure they are not offending someone by the way they type something.

VoIP

kim74 — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:50:17 +0000

Instead of using the regular analog phone system many people are now using the Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP. There are a variety of companies offering this service now including Comcast http://www.comcast.com , Vonage http://www.vonage.com/help_vonage.php?refer_id=WEBHO0706010001W1 , and AT&T’s CallVantage. This is technology requires the use of a computer’s broadband Internet connection to send and receive calls. Usually people plug in their regular house phones into an analog telephone adapter; however, there are some companies that do require a special phone. Depending on your service, with VoIP you may be allowed to call anyone with a telephone number or you may be limited to only people who have the service.

According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) http://www.fcc.gov/voip , there are several advantages and disadvantages to the VoIP system. Some VoIP services offer services and features not available to with traditional phone service, or are only available for an additional fee, such as voice mail, call forwarding, and caller ID. Depending on your service you may even be able to travel with your service. It can be used wherever there is a high speed internet available. You may also save money by avoiding paying a broadband connection and a traditional telephone line. There are some disadvantages as well. Some VoIP services do not offer backup power, and it would not work during a power outage. Also, not all services connect directly to emergency services through 9-1-1. In June of 2005, the FCC imposed 911 regulations; however, 911 calls using VoIP are handled differently than 911 calls that use the regular telephone service. You can see the consumer fact sheet by going to www.voip911.gov.

Compare and Contrast

kim74 — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:57:26 +0000

At www.tigerdirect.com the most expensive desktop computer was the HP Pavilion IQ506 Touchsmart Intel Desktop PC. It sold for $1,399.99. It is a state of the art computer including a 22” high definition wide-screen and an Intel Core 2 Duo T5850 2.16GHz processor in a single, integrated design. It comes with 4GB of DDR2-667 memory and a 500GB SATA hard drive. The fastest available wireless version: 802.11b/g/n, and high-speed networking is available with integrated gigabit LAN.

The least expensive model was a Refurbished Compaq Presario SR5410F Desktop PC. It sold for $229.99. It had a E2160 dual-core 1.8GHz 64-bit processor. It comes with 1GB of memory and a 320GB hard drive. This was just the computer itself, it did not come with a monitor. It is more a stationary piece considering that it is not that mobile.

Both had capabilities for DVDRW burning. Both were capable for watching TV, and DVD movies. I found the Compaq to be more for a home office or for the student. Whereas the HP Pavilion with all of its graphics and capabilities, more suited for a graphics designer or business owner.

The Mojave Experiment

kim74 — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 18:41:18 +0000

I had not heard of The Mojave Experiment so I went to www.mojaveexperiment.com to see what this was all about. The Mojave Experiment was conducted by Microsoft to see what people thought about Windows Vista when they did not know they were working with Windows Vista. They included different types of computer users. Eighty-four percent were Windows XP users. Twenty-two percent were Apple operating system users. Fourteen percent were Pre-Windows XP users. One percent was Linux users, and some users used multiple platforms. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest, the respondents rated the “Mojave” system at an average score of 8.5. The Windows Vista only received an average of 4.4. No one rated the “Mojave” lower than they rated Vista, and ninety-four percent rated the “Mojave” higher than Vista.

When you go to http://news.cnet.com/microsoft-looks-to-mojave-to-revive-vistas-image they talk about how “…the emotional appeal of the “everyman” trying Vista and liking it clearly packs an emotional punch, something the company has desperately needed.” The idea for the experiment came only two weeks prior to conducting it. Even though at the time they published the blog they had not yet done anything with the footage, it was clear they had a positive view on the experiment. However, when I went to http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/operatingsystems/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=209800457 they said “But Microsoft’s attempt to pin Vista’s relative unpopularity on pundits and competitors appears to ignore the fact that the OS is faring worst in the business market, where technology platform decisions are made by paid professionals who aren’t as impressionable as consumer users. ” My question is; are they really targeting the wrong market?

I think that the process of creating and releasing new software is a difficult one. Clearly when people are able to use the product themselves, they are able to form their own opinion on the software. Microsoft had a great idea of letting the consumer actually look at the product and form their own opinion. I also think the marketing of new software could probably be a little better. I usually go with a product that I already know. I do not have a lot of money to spend on something that may or may not suit my needs. If I am able to have prior knowledge of a product, I am more likely to purchase it. I think that most of us are the same. If the companies would give us a demo or sample we could try, we are more likely to purchase their products.

Hi!

kim74 — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:27:30 +0000

Hi! My name is Kim. Welcome to my little part of the internet!