Digital Divide: Donation

Countries with lots of money try loads to donate money to less fortunate countries. One way is through Red Nose Day. This is when people buy red noses and the money goes straight to charity. Also the BBC have funny programmes on etc which encourages people to watch the TV and the money goes to charity.

Another way of raising money is through the "Feed the world" christmas song. Through a sympathetic video sung by popular modern artists, viewers evoke sympathy for the poverty in other less economically developed countries. Therefore people buy the single and the money goes to them for help to get out of their situation. The problem with this is that it has been going on for years with apparently no result. It seems that people buy the single only because it sounds good and they don't donate any extra money to the cause.

Also, aid is given to these countries. This is where voluntarily, MEDC's donate money to poorer countries. The money can be used to develop the country and prevent them from disasters that they get.

Computer aid international is a company which aims to reduce poverty in some countries using IT. They provide high quality, refurbished computers which these countries can use. This gives them access to the internet which, in turn, bridges the digital divide. It claims to have provided over 150,000 PCs to where they are most needed in more than 100 countries across Africa and South America, making them the world's largest and most experienced ICT for Development provider.

Digital Divide: The UK

Within the UK there are differences in how computers and technology are used. The differences can be categorized into:

• Age
• Social Lifestyle
• Location
• Education

Age is an imortant difference. Younger people are educated with computers from a very early age and they can take further technological education at university if they want. Whereas older people are used to doing tasks the old fashioned way which doesn't involve the use of a computer. According to government statistics, 95% of teenagers have used the internet in the last 3 months but only 30% of 65+ year olds used the internet in the past 3 months.

However social lifestyle is an important factor because those who are upper classed have more money to spend on computers which is a luxury. To some people in highly populated areas, £500 for a computer is a lot of money.

Digital Divide: Bridging

The world is going through an ICT revolution, a revolution that has enormous social and economic consequences for the developed and less developed countries of the world. A huge difference already exists between the developed countries in terms of access to ICTs (this includes radio, computers, TV and mobile phones).

In parts of the developing world, less than 1 in every 1,000 people have access to a computer compared to nearly 600 in every 1,000 in the developed world. For this reason, CNET Networks International Media has partnered with UK charity Computer Aid International, to undertake the effort of bridging the digital divide between the developed world and the developing world.

More than 80% of people in the world have never even heard a dial tone, let alone surfed the Web. And the gap between the information haves and have-nots is widening.
In a speech in Switzerland, UN Secretary General Kofi Anan warned of the danger of excluding the world's poor from the information revolution. "People lack many things: jobs, shelter, food, health care and drinkable water. Today, being cut off from basic telecommunications services is a hardship almost as acute as these other deprivations, and may indeed reduce the chances of finding remedies to them," he said. Intel chairman Craig Barrett says "We have a saying in our company: PCs aren't magic, teachers are magic."

Communication in the Information Age

Communication throughout the information age has become much better. Now it is easier to communicate with other people. Communications have changed from letters through to instant messaging, below is a timeline of all the important dates regarding improvements in communicating in the information age.

1836 - First working telegraph to use morse code.
1843 - First ever fax machine invented.
1876 - First telephone invented.
1895 - First radio signal sent.
1929 - First demonstration of television.
1956 - First mobile phone invented.
1971 - First use of Email.
1982 - First ever use of VOIP.
1992 - First SMS message sent.
1994 - Bluetooth invented.
1995 - MSN invented with the release of Windows 95
1995 - Company called WELL, which is the first social networking site.
2004 - Facebook was invented.
2005 - Skype was invented.

Some of the above inventions have stood the test of time whereas others haven't.

Computer Use policy

Different servers have different policies regarding what people can do on computer's in the workplace and they each have a set amount of rules stating what users can and cannot do. Here is some of rules that could be used by a school or a company to make sure that they keep on task for their work:

• No social networking or video streaming sites. Searches are filtered on certain things. There should be a web blocker on IPlayer, Youtube and Pornography.
• No installation of software - Server technitions must intall programs that are needed. No downloads of software from websites like Microsoft.
• Email filtering to recognise offensive or offencive or inappropriate words. Only Accesible to Email others on the system.
• Must contact member of staff to get permission to use USB devices.
• Every Username must have a password that contains at least 6 characters which needs to be renewed at least every 6 weeks.
• Each individual must use their own user account. People are responsible for any actions on their account. People are expected to not share user identity.
• People should not attempt to access material that they do not have permission to access.
• Do not alter data or change any programs which you do not have the right to alter.
• Consequences such as banning for misuse of the systems.
• Do not connect to any other server or network device that operates on a wireless frequency without permission.
• Do not use Email and the internet to send offensive messages.
• No use of disk drives unless it is used for appropriate school work.

Civil Rights

The civil rights act means that people have rights that protect them from the government and state power and assure the ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state. The data protection act was introduced in 1998 and was passed by Parliament to control the way information is handled and to give legal rights to people who have information stored about them. It takes place in other countries as well as the UK. Businesses, organisations and the government began using computers to store information about their customers, clients and staff in databases towards the second half of the 20th century. For example:

• Names
• Addresses
• Contact information
• Employment history
• Medical conditions
• Convictions
• Credit history

With more and more organisations using computers to store personal information there was a danger the information could be misused or get into the wrong hands. A number of concerns arose such as who exactly could access this information? and Could it be easily copied? The 1998 data protection act was made by parliament to control the way information is handled and also to give legal rights to those people who have information stored about them.

Countries now use a fingerprinting system to prove who they are because every person's finger will obviously be different. Also there is face recognition software so it is easier to track down criminals. This links to CCTV cameras which have been installed in a lot of places to monitor the safety of areas. They usually record 24 hours a day and are a good way of seeing what has happened in the area if a crime has taken place. The problem is that lots of people might not want information about themselves stored on a system because of privacy, however it could be said that if they do not want this information about themselves stored, then perhaps they have something to hide which makes them look suspicious regarding certain crimes.

The computer misuse act became law in August 1990. It aims to reduce hacking and the threat from viruses, the act identifies three main procedures:

• Unauthorised access to computer material (hacking). This includes copying software illegally (called software piracy).
• Gaining unauthorised access to a computer to carry out serious crimes like fraud or blackmail.
• Unauthorised changing of computer files, including planting viruses and deleting files.

If u commit any of the above, it can lead to an unlimited fine or 5 years in prison.

Crime and Crime Prevention

Thanks to new technology, it has been easier to prevent crime from happening but has also made more crime.

Techonology can be used to combat crime in a number of ways. For example many CCTV cameras have been installed in a number of places. They record what goes on in an area so that a crime occurs, we can roughly see who the person is so it is easier to track them down. However sometimes the picture is black and white or the system lags which makes it harder to see who the person is. But then again the systems are improving and so this shouldn't be a problem in the near future.

Police cars use hidden digital CCTV cameras which can be installed on the windscreen to track car crimes. According to the police, "up to 80% of crimes involve the use of a vehicle" so this could be a valuable tool to combat against crime. The systems have technology built in them which makes them tamper proof, an essential element if the evidence is going to be acceptable in a court of law. The digital images that are captured by the cameras are 15 times better quality than the traditional VHS tape, which is also good for the evidence because it may allow the police to get a better insight as to who commited the crime.

The police can take note of someone who has committed a crime, this then gives them a criminal record. This means that all of the information is all in one place and it would be easy to see whether someone has committed a crime more than once. People have to say whether they have a criminal record whenever they apply for a job, so this can prevent these types of people being around the public.

There are a few problems with using technology to fight crime. For example the idea that there are loads of CCTV cameras around and so people feel like they are constantly being monitored and they may require more privacy. But then again, if this can prevent crime from happening, people would rather know that they are safe and be bothered that they are being watched as opposed to potentially be at threat from crime butdon't feel that they are being watched. Also, the criminal record system could lose all of it's data which means the police would not have any information about criminals. Also, if someone somehow hacked into the system or it got into the wrong hands, this could be dangerous because information could be changed or records could be removed.

Due to technology, lots of crimes have been made. Fraud is one them. If people are not careful when entering their PIN number and someone see's it, the person would only have to steal the debit/credit card and then they would have the ability to draw out loads of money from a cash machine. However people can see their statement and report that they have not made the cash withdrawels, the account can then be destroyed and they will get their money back. Technology in general has meant that people can commit piracy. They can easily download films, television programmes and music illegally from websites like http://www.limewire.com/, and then sell the content on to people for a profit.

ID cards have been introduced by the government as a way of people proving their identity. They have a passport photograph of the person, it has their name, their fingerprint and even their iris on it to make sure that it is exactly the right person. This means that there would be no confusion or mixing with other people. They are a good way of proving who you are, for example showing your age. They also prove that you are a citizen of the country which is good. The drawback of it is that people again may not like the privacy side of it. People don't want to give out information about themselves so that they can get an ID card.

Because technology improved, businesses and the government began using computers to store information about their customers, clients and staff such as names and addresses. With so many organisations doing this, there was a risk that the information could get into the wrong hands. The 1998 data protection act was made by parliament to control the way information is handled and also to give legal rights to those people who have information stored about them.

Information Age - Digital Entertainment

The development of IT has had a big impact on entertainment and leisure. Because people download a lot of films online, it may have a dramatic affect on cinemas. People may be less likely to pay the fee of a film when they could wait until it comes out, download it on that day and watch it whenever they like. TV shows are not watched as much because they can be seen online. Chris Soghoian, a reporter for CNET news says "Many viewers have given up on waiting for their favorite shows to appear on the tube, and have instead turned to utorrent. According to a report published in 2006, "Australians are responsible for 15.6 percent of all online TV piracy, bested only by Britain, which accounts for 38.4 percent. The US lags behind in third position at 7.3 percent."

Then again people like to go to the cinema because they get the full experience and it is brand new. Sites such as http://www.youtube.com/ let people watch television programmes and some films online in sections (part 1, part 2 etc). The bbc iplayer lets you watch the latest programmes if you missed them on the television. This is an advantage because you can fit your favourite shows around your schedule.

People are less likely to buy CDs in the highstreet knowing that they could download music legally on they're computer. according to media editor Dan Sabbagh, the average teenager has 800 music tracks on his/her ipod. However people download music using sharing sites like http://www.limewire.com/. According to Sean Adams, 95% of downloads in 2008 were illegal. It states 40 Billion songs were illegally downloaded in 2008.

Gaming has also improved. The first games were simple such as "pong" and "pac-man". As technology has developed games have become more in depth. There are more lives, levels and better graphics.

Social networking sites have boomed recently. Sites such as facebook and bebo have dominated the internet. It allows people to communicate with each other and view each other's pictures and posts. It is a great form of communication but it can encourage people to stay indoors all day communicating without getting outside.

There is a chance of you getting prosecuted for downloading content illegally from websites. Limewire apparently has minimal risk of prosecution but it isnt worth taking the risk.

There are some social issues with digital entertainment. Games are becoming realistic and so violent games can have a bad impact on people, especially young people. According to a study by Craig Anderson and Brad Bushman, "playing violent video games will increase aggressive behavior". Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, in Colerado, murdered 13 people and injured 23. Apparently they enjoyed playing the violent video game Doom. Their violent behavior could well be down to playing the video games. However there are hundreds of other people who play these games who haven't had any problem and just enjoy playing them. For example, Patrick Kierkegaard who is a researcher at Essex university believes that "there is no obvious link between real-world violence statistics and the advent of video games. If anything, the effect seems to be the exact opposite and one might argue that video game usage has reduced real violence." Video games may also lead to social isolation. This is where people have no contact with the outside world as they spend all of their time in their rooms playing games. In some rare cases, people can die from playing too many games. They do not have any social interaction with people and can get hungry. A girl called Snowly from china died after playing World of Warcraft for several days straight during a national holiday. According to Jane Pinckard an online funeral service was held to commemorate her passing a week after her death.

Another problem with digital entertainment is that cyber bullying can occur. This is simply when people get bullied by people on the internet. The most common places where this happens are on Facebook and Bebo. People may disguise themselves as other people and then request to be their friend. Later on they can bully them by using the chat feature or by "writing on their wall". The daily mail reports that Keeley Houghton has been the first person to be jailed for cyber bullying on a social networking sites, "she said she would kill Emily Moore, whom she had bullied for four years since they were at school together."

To conclude, digital entertainment is very good, it can be a good form of escapism and is often a lot of fun. Music and Social Networking sites have boomed recently. People can now buy Ipods to transfer music from their computer and then listen to it on the go whenever they want. People can also buy basic software which allows them to create their own music in their bedroom and then upload it to youtube to see how popular it is. Social networking sites like Facebook, Bebo and Twitter allow people to communicate easily and share photographs. With all these benefits come drawbacks. Problems such as cyber bullying, illegal downloads and violent behaviour are all concerns.

Information Age - Working Styles

ICT has had a tremendous impact on the way in which everyday tasks are carried out such as:

•Communications
•Ordering
•Getting information
•Planning
•Writing

Now, because everything is done electronically there is no need to use ink and paper so it is good for the environment and also it is cheap. However according to the BBC, performing a search on google requires the same amount of energy as boiling an egg which is a lot of energy.

•ICT has had an impact on the way in which data is processed, information is transmitted and knowledge applied such as Loyalty cards and Doctors records etc.

•ICT has also had a big impact on the physical environment of the workplace and the jobs that people do. Example include:
•Office layout (with workstations etc)
•What workers do
•Where they are based (don’t need to be on site)
•Interaction with others (email, video links)
•Training (initial and subsequent)

It in the workplace can also mean that jobs are lost. People are no longer needed because machines can do their work in about half the time than the people. However it can create jobs because for example, Amazon may locate its warehouse in a rural location which gives work to the local residents.

Digital Entertainment

Digital Entertainment is entertainment that can be found on the internet. Examples include media, music, games and books.

An example of online video is www.youtube.com, it allows users to upload videos and view other people's videos. The benefits of online media are that it is really accessible and you can share your own content. The drawbacks of it are that some of the content could be copyrighted such as music videos.

Music can also be listened to online. An example is www.spotify.com, this allows you to listen to music online is the form of a music library. The benefits of it are that it is legal and free. The problem with it is that you cannot transfer music to your portable music device.

Games are also popular online. An example is www.miniclip.com. This contains hundreds of games which you can play online and download to your computer for free. Many of the games are quite good and are in good detail. Those are the benefits. The problem is that with some of the games, you cannot save and return later but then again, most games only let you have 3 lives-5 lives.

Another example of digital entertainment is www.Ebooks.com. It means you can set up an account and you can read virtual books online. The problem with it is that people like to read out of books anyway because is it so much quicker and easier. The advantage is that you cannot lose your books because they are all in one place.

Downloadable Services

Some websites allow users to purchase and download music etc to their home computers. These files can then be transfered on to a portable music device. Itunes is an example of a music service. Music is purchased and then dowloaded into a library of songs. It can then be transfered to an MP3 Player. Itunes can also be used to purchase movies from the internet. The URL for Itunes is http://www.apple.com/itunes/.

People can also buy books online in the form of EBooks (electronic books). People can read books how they would in real life but on their home computer. The URL for the website is http://www.ebooks.com/.

People can also download software from the internet and then have it installed on their system. This saves walking to a retailer such as "PCworld". The URL for downloading software such as Microsoft Word and Powerpoint is http://www.microsoft.com/en/us/default.aspx.

Finally people have the ability to download games off the internet via a purchase. This, again, saves the effort of walking to a local shop with the risk that they might be sold out. An example is people being able to download World of Warcraft at http://www.direct2drive.com/.

Of course, people can do all of the above illegally on websites such as www.limewire.com but there is a risk of viruses and hackers. Purchasing a service online is becoming increasingly popular and is a good idea because it saves time. The only disadvantage is security issues and being hacked, but passwords can prevent this from happening.

E Government

There are two types of government, Local and National. Both can give online services for people in order to help people.

The website for the national goverment is http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm?cids=Google_PPC&cre=Store_Front. Services that this provides are taxing your vehicle, applying for driving lessons, self assessment taxing and chacking an MOT record. This saves time as people don't have to go to the post office and can do important work at home.

The website for, in this example, local goverment is http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Renew+it+online?opendocument. Services that this provides are the ability to re-new library books online, re-new you marriage vows, paying council tax and applying for jobs online. With the local government, you can apply to be a foster parent online. The URL is http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Becoming+a+foster+carer?opendocument. The benefits are that it is quick and easy to do. The drawbacks of it are you don't know exactly who you are sponsoring because you have not seen them in real life.

Both are very useful because it saves time going to the post office because you can do it on your own computer. The drawbacks are that you could get hacked but on the other hand there is'nt much that somebody could do. Local government website is probably better because you can use services easily without having to go to the places in real life.

E Commerce

ECommerce is a type of business that deals in transfering goods and providing services.

Types of Goods:

• Amazon
• Ebay
• Argos
• Woolworths

Types of Services:

• Price Comparison
• Insurance
• Music Downloads
• Banking Websites

Amazon is a "goods" website where the user can purchase, look up reviews and sell products. It sells a variety of different types of products including books, clothes and electronics. Many of the products are cheaper on Amazon than they would be in the high street. The Advantages of Amazon is that it is user friendly, safe and secure, sells a range of products and mainly because the items are cheap. The disadvantages of it are that it can cause hassle if you need to return an item, delivery is often expensive and it can be difficult to choose, for example, clothing measurements.

Itunes is a service which allows users to download music, films, televisions programmes and podcasts. It is a transaction online so the music etc is stored in a simple library which means users can then listen to it or transfer it on to an mp3 player. The advantages of Itunes is that it is convenient and easy to use. Also it is good value for money. The disadvantages are that compared to a CD, you cannot play your music on a stereo or in a car. It has to be on your computer unless you purchase extra components.

Another type of service online is banking. This allows users to log in, check their statements, make payments, set up standing orders, check insurance etc. The benefits are that it is convenient, quick and easy to use. The drawbacks are that there is a risk of hacking which could be terrible for someones account and also you cannot pay cash in. Banking can be useful for simple banking operations but could be dangerous.

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality (AR) is a term used for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are merged with, or augmented by virtual computer-generated reality - creating a mixed reality.

The picture (left) shows an example of Augmented reality being used on a mobile phone.

Augmented reality research explores the application of computer-generated imagery in live-video streams as a way to expand the real-world. A typical example of augmented reality is a video of a car whose part names are displayed with graphical labels.

A type of AR application uses projectors and screens to insert objects into the real environment, enhancing museum exhibitions for example. The difference to a simple TV screen for example, is that these objects are related to the environment of the screen or display, and that they often are interactive as well.

AR can augment the effectiveness of navigation devices for a variety of applications. For example, building navigation can be enhanced for the purpose of maintaining industrial plants. Outdoor navigation can be augmented for military operations or disaster management. Head up displays or personal display glasses in automobiles can be used to provide navigation hints and traffic information. These types of displays can be useful for airplane pilots, too. Head-up displays are currently used in fighter jets as one of the first AR applications. These include full interactivity, including eye pointing.

Augmented reality will truly change the way we view the world. Picture yourself walking or driving down the street. With augmented-reality displays, which will eventually look much like a normal pair of glasses, informative graphics will appear in your field of view, and audio will coincide with whatever you see. These enhancements will be refreshed continually to reflect the movements of your head. In this article, we will take a look at this future technology, its components and how it will be used.

SOURCES: http://www.howstuffworks.com/augmented-reality.htm

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

Metrobus Real Time

I have found a realtime service which allows you to monitor how far away a bus is from the stop that you want to get at at. This is a good idea because people can spend less time waiting for buses and can work out how long it will take. The URL for the website is http://westsussex.acislive.com/web/public_service_stops.asp?service=411&operatorid=1&systemid=45&goingto=Chelsham+Common#. All you have to do is click "Map" which is next to the place you want to pick up the bus from.

Groups

My first post on blogger is about google groups. Groups mean that you can find out information about things you are interested in. The advantages of it are that it is easy to use and you can find out information. The disadvantages are that it is time consuming and pointless.