my screenshots of using Google Latitude.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
A6: Second Life Exploration
I decided to go to many social areas of the Second Life web map to interview people why they engage in a virtual world and what they get out of it. I wandered about the map finding random people but didn't have much luck for finding people who were actually interested in conversing on the subject. A few users showed a great deal of embarrassment when I asked them personal questions. Most users I interviewed just explained that it is just a fun hobby that they do for an hour or so. Many users said that they spent quite a lot of time in the virtual world to escape problems and situations in the real world. Some actually argued that they learn how to be more social with interactions going on in the virtual world. I couldn't take a picture because the software fails over and over again on my computer but I managed to make some interviews last to get a few good insights.
"Their focus is experience," a random user explained. "It's whatever their individual perspective is. They come into Second Life trying to explore their ideas as they relate to a digital experience."
"I use Second Life to explore ideas about public space and what makes a good public space," she said. "Being in Second Life all of a sudden puts me in this different environment, which is similar but different, and it forces me to explore how I think about these things.... When you're in Second Life, because it's similar, but the physics are different, people react differently. And it makes them think more deeply about how one designs public spaces."
"Their focus is experience," a random user explained. "It's whatever their individual perspective is. They come into Second Life trying to explore their ideas as they relate to a digital experience."
"I use Second Life to explore ideas about public space and what makes a good public space," she said. "Being in Second Life all of a sudden puts me in this different environment, which is similar but different, and it forces me to explore how I think about these things.... When you're in Second Life, because it's similar, but the physics are different, people react differently. And it makes them think more deeply about how one designs public spaces."
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
A2 Google vs. Amazon
Google provides search and advertising services, which together aim to organize and monetize the world’s information. In addition to its dominant search engine, it offers many online tools and platforms including: Gmail, Maps, and YouTube. Most of Google’s web-based products are free. They are funded by Google’s highly integrated online advertising platforms AdWords and AdSense. Google promotes the idea that advertising should be highly targeted and relevant to users thus providing them with a rich source of information. “Instead of trucks and assembly plants, Google’s supply chain is made up of fiber networks, data centers, switches, servers, and storage devices.” Three main things that Google worries about is the relevancy of results, speed of search, and the cost of executing a search query.
Amazon is an electric commerce company that is based in America. It is a leading global internet company and one of the most trafficked internet retail destinations worldwide. Amazon directly sells, or acts as a platform for the sale of, a very broad range of products, including books, music, videos, consumer electronics, clothing, and household products.
In January, Google reached an historic landmark with a $200 billion market cap. The only U.S. companies with larger market caps are Exxon Mobil, Microsoft and Wal-mart. Market capitalization is a measurement of business value based on share price and number of shares outstanding. It generally represents the market’s view of a company’s stock value and is a determining factor in stock valuation. I believe that Google is worth more in stock value because they provide more services to consumers and it’s more readily available.
Savitz, Eriv. Jan. 4th, 2010. Google Market Cap Nears $200 Billion, Tech Trader Daily. Retrieved Sept. 8th, 2010. http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2010/01/04/google-market-cap-nears-200-billion-apple-close-behind/
Malik, Om. Dec. 4th 2007. Google’s Infrastructures is Its Strategic Advantage, GigaOm. Retrieved Sept. 7th, 2010. http://gigaom.com/2007/12/04/google-infrastructure/
Amazon is an electric commerce company that is based in America. It is a leading global internet company and one of the most trafficked internet retail destinations worldwide. Amazon directly sells, or acts as a platform for the sale of, a very broad range of products, including books, music, videos, consumer electronics, clothing, and household products.
In January, Google reached an historic landmark with a $200 billion market cap. The only U.S. companies with larger market caps are Exxon Mobil, Microsoft and Wal-mart. Market capitalization is a measurement of business value based on share price and number of shares outstanding. It generally represents the market’s view of a company’s stock value and is a determining factor in stock valuation. I believe that Google is worth more in stock value because they provide more services to consumers and it’s more readily available.
Savitz, Eriv. Jan. 4th, 2010. Google Market Cap Nears $200 Billion, Tech Trader Daily. Retrieved Sept. 8th, 2010. http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2010/01/04/google-market-cap-nears-200-billion-apple-close-behind/
Malik, Om. Dec. 4th 2007. Google’s Infrastructures is Its Strategic Advantage, GigaOm. Retrieved Sept. 7th, 2010. http://gigaom.com/2007/12/04/google-infrastructure/
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
A1
The Role of the Web
For a couple decades, large companies have automated their businesses, eliminated costs, and enhanced their products by using software and web-based technology. Many companies have imposed rules against consumer-oriented technologies such as the iPhone and other smart phones. Now some companies are pushing for their employees to come to work with the iPad in their briefcases. A Chicago law firm, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP banned the iPhone when it was released but ended up putting in pre-orders for 10 iPads prior to their release. Today, 50 attorneys from the firm have access to the technology department's internal systems through their personal iPads. The iPad also has more than 500 applications that are related to business.
Another example of a web-based technology used by businesses is MindBody Online, "a web-based scheduling and management service for a variety of health clubs, spas, and salons." This service is directed to both the businesses and their consumers. It's an easy way for businesses to manage monthly subscriptions and class packages and also includes e-commerce services for studios to sell products online and in-store. It also allows people to sign up for and pay for classes online. MindBody Online now has 9,500 businesses using the services and tracking 1.2 million consumers.
A number of businesses are embracing what's known as cloud computing, where tasks such as storage and database management are done off-site and delivered via the internet by companies including Amazon.com, Microsoft and Google. Rick Schooler needs to house 180 terabytes of medical images and expects to be at 300 terabytes within three years. The storage gear needed to store all that information is very expensive, so Schooler has begun turning over online backup storage to Internet security provider, Symantec. This program cuts his storage budget by 20 to 25 percent.
Pretty soon, you'll be able to do just about anything you need with your cell phone in the palm of your hand. In Rochester, Ind., Dairy Queen has more than 350 customers that can wave special stickers fixed to the backs of their cell phones at a scanner in the store which gains qualifications for free cones and Blizzard sundaes and loyally points. Co-owner Dave Reasner says that it has helped sales rise more than 3 percent in the past year. The radio frequency identification technology in these stickers are very similar to warehouse inventory tracking systems and is showing up more frequently next to cash registers in stores.
Many organizations are trying to go paperless and keep all their records electronically, including hospitals and medical clinics. President Barack Obama plans to spend $17.2 billion to induce care providers to maintain patient records electronically, scrapping the current paper-based system. By 2014, every American is expected to have electronic health records. Kaiser Permanente is getting on this right away. Today, all of its medical clinics and two-thirds of its hospitals operate in a paperless environment and the rest are scheduled to be completely digitized by next year.
Bibliography:
Geron, Tomio. Aug. 20th, 2010. Mind, Body & Scheduling: An Online Tool For Yoga Studios, The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on Sept. 1st, 2010. http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2010/08/20/mind-body-scheduling-an-online-tool-for-yoga-studios/?KEYWORDS=web-based+technologies
Worthen, Ben. Aug. 24th, 2010. Businesses Add iPads to Their Briefcases, The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on Sept. 1st, 2010. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703846604575447531699309858.html?KEYWORDS=web-based+technologies
Hesseldahl, Arik. July 17th, 2010. Businesses Confront the Cloud Security Threat, Business Week. Retrieved on Sept. 1st, 2010. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2010/tc20100616_394524.htm
Kharif, Olga. August 16th, 2010. Shoppers Check Out of Stores Via Cell Phone, Business Week. Retrieved on Sept. 1st, 2010. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2010/tc20100516_101609.htm
King, Rachael. August 7th, 2010. How Kaiser Permanente Went Paperless, Business Week. Retrieved on Sept. 1st, 2010. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2009/tc2009047_562738.htm?chan=technology_ceo+guide+to+tech_green+computing
For a couple decades, large companies have automated their businesses, eliminated costs, and enhanced their products by using software and web-based technology. Many companies have imposed rules against consumer-oriented technologies such as the iPhone and other smart phones. Now some companies are pushing for their employees to come to work with the iPad in their briefcases. A Chicago law firm, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP banned the iPhone when it was released but ended up putting in pre-orders for 10 iPads prior to their release. Today, 50 attorneys from the firm have access to the technology department's internal systems through their personal iPads. The iPad also has more than 500 applications that are related to business.
Another example of a web-based technology used by businesses is MindBody Online, "a web-based scheduling and management service for a variety of health clubs, spas, and salons." This service is directed to both the businesses and their consumers. It's an easy way for businesses to manage monthly subscriptions and class packages and also includes e-commerce services for studios to sell products online and in-store. It also allows people to sign up for and pay for classes online. MindBody Online now has 9,500 businesses using the services and tracking 1.2 million consumers.
A number of businesses are embracing what's known as cloud computing, where tasks such as storage and database management are done off-site and delivered via the internet by companies including Amazon.com, Microsoft and Google. Rick Schooler needs to house 180 terabytes of medical images and expects to be at 300 terabytes within three years. The storage gear needed to store all that information is very expensive, so Schooler has begun turning over online backup storage to Internet security provider, Symantec. This program cuts his storage budget by 20 to 25 percent.
Pretty soon, you'll be able to do just about anything you need with your cell phone in the palm of your hand. In Rochester, Ind., Dairy Queen has more than 350 customers that can wave special stickers fixed to the backs of their cell phones at a scanner in the store which gains qualifications for free cones and Blizzard sundaes and loyally points. Co-owner Dave Reasner says that it has helped sales rise more than 3 percent in the past year. The radio frequency identification technology in these stickers are very similar to warehouse inventory tracking systems and is showing up more frequently next to cash registers in stores.
Many organizations are trying to go paperless and keep all their records electronically, including hospitals and medical clinics. President Barack Obama plans to spend $17.2 billion to induce care providers to maintain patient records electronically, scrapping the current paper-based system. By 2014, every American is expected to have electronic health records. Kaiser Permanente is getting on this right away. Today, all of its medical clinics and two-thirds of its hospitals operate in a paperless environment and the rest are scheduled to be completely digitized by next year.
Bibliography:
Geron, Tomio. Aug. 20th, 2010. Mind, Body & Scheduling: An Online Tool For Yoga Studios, The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on Sept. 1st, 2010. http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2010/08/20/mind-body-scheduling-an-online-tool-for-yoga-studios/?KEYWORDS=web-based+technologies
Worthen, Ben. Aug. 24th, 2010. Businesses Add iPads to Their Briefcases, The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on Sept. 1st, 2010. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703846604575447531699309858.html?KEYWORDS=web-based+technologies
Hesseldahl, Arik. July 17th, 2010. Businesses Confront the Cloud Security Threat, Business Week. Retrieved on Sept. 1st, 2010. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2010/tc20100616_394524.htm
Kharif, Olga. August 16th, 2010. Shoppers Check Out of Stores Via Cell Phone, Business Week. Retrieved on Sept. 1st, 2010. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2010/tc20100516_101609.htm
King, Rachael. August 7th, 2010. How Kaiser Permanente Went Paperless, Business Week. Retrieved on Sept. 1st, 2010. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2009/tc2009047_562738.htm?chan=technology_ceo+guide+to+tech_green+computing
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