Introduction to the Information Age

Technology and information can be used for a variety of purposes and one main important factor it is used in, for both the older generation who work and the younger generation who need to do homework for school, is that of where we work. Over time technology and information has slowly developed and evolved into something from what we used to aspire towards, but is now something we have achieved and completely grasped. In this blog entry I will look at how the workplace has changed over the course of the 1908’s, 1990’s and what it is like in the modern day, and with a general overall look to the workplace as a whole.

Working styles

Working styles and the general over all way we work in the common work place has been completely renovated because of the technology we are now using and the features that they bring along with them. The very first electronic computer was developed around the time of the 1940’s to 1945 which took up the space of a large room and had the processing power of a few hundred modern computers that we use today; though to begin with these were very rarely used by the common man, only in the military were these computers used. Before the time of when computers were actually made as a machine that could calculate equations at a very fast rate, people who were able to do arithmetic’s very fast were known as computers. It has only been recently that the word computer has been used as a term for a machine that can process data and arithmetic’s. The earliest “form” of a computer was made by a man named Joseph Marie Jacquard who improved his textile loom in 1801by adding a series of punched paper cards as templates for his loom to weave patterns automatically. This step of an automated loom using templates was the first step to developing computers and automated machinery to what they are today. It is slightly ironic how the first computerised machine was made in the work place for the work place, and how computers have affected the work place so dramatically.

Workplace changes in the 1980’s:

The development of technology in the 1980’s saw a couple of new workplace items that originally would not have been used before, such as the first widespread use of a laser printer in 1986 and the very first use of a ‘dot.com’ website business that was registered in 1985 and possibly the most important break through the invention of the world wide web in 1989. Type writers were a major workplace item in the lead up to the end of the 1980’s, when word processors and personal computers started to come into play; but before the invention of computers there was only type writers. Black Monday was the title given to Monday October 19^th, 1987, where the stock markets around the world fell drastically. This had a major impact on labourers everywhere and people were still trying to regain their lost jobs as a result of it. Even so, 1980’s saw the first sustained temporary workers in the workplace.

Workplace changes in the 1990’s:

In the 1990’s technology was only really starting to peak out and begin to fully develop with screens on computers and non dial telephones. Computers were beginning to become more popular and more available for the common man, but computers in the workplace still out weighed computers in the average home. Computers were still fairly large but didn’t take up a whole room with cables and buttons running all over the walls. The average workplace would have had many small cubicles in which office workers would reside to do their work with their own computer. There was a much more significant change in how women worked in the workplace too, they were treated with much more respect and they were seen all around the work area which was not constantly dominated by men.

Workplace changes, modern day:

The workplace today has been completely revamped in the short amount of time from the end of the 1990’s to 2010. The lead up from 2000 to 2010 saw the popularity rise of Apple, touch screen smart phones, portable laptops and many other break through inventions that have changed the workplace to be more efficient and quick at what workers do. Instead of carrying around tons of paper and various folders it can all be stored on one device and, even more so, can be sent to people via emails and it doesn’t matter where they are in the world. The workplace has become a lot more technology orientated nowadays due to the effectiveness and just how fast computers and other electronic devices work, but it is not something to be completely dependant on, as even though the technology has improved, there are still times when these devices can become faulty and not work by the smallest means.

Online Entertainment

Entertainment is the most widely used feature on the internet, especially for the younger generation who have learnt to grow up with the internet from a young age compared to some adults. Hours can be spent on the entertainment side of the internet and you would still be as interested and immersed in what you were doing when you started off. There is such a vast area of entertainment online that it is near impossible to categorise them all into sub areas, as there are new software, features and games being put onto the internet everyday. However, despite the vast network of entertainment, there are some programmes or sites that are known to offer endless enjoyment and are used as part of some people’s daily routine to use or check. Some of these being:

-YouTube; an extremely well known site in which users upload and share their videos with the world.

-World of Warcraft and other role playing and massive multiplayer online games (RPG’s and MMO’s).

-Spotify; a music streaming site that gives access to millions of songs from thousands of popular record labels.

YouTube:

YouTube, created in February 2005, is a website in which users can upload, view and share videos. The site contains millions of videos, popular and not so popular, for everyone to watch and enjoy and, for the most part, the whole reason why it is so popular is for the simple fact that it is free, letting you watch as many videos as you want without cost. Videos can reach millions of views within the space of a few months depending on the popularity it gains and some even make a living from blogging or posting videos about gaming, music, and so on. Some companies can team up with YouTube and become “partners” with them so that they can upload music videos or programmes that would usually be featured on TV, some of these include well-known music corporations such as VEVO or popular TV broadcast stations like BBC. Users can also opt to become registered members of YouTube which, if chosen to, allows you to upload as many videos as you wish and also leave ratings and comments on other peoples videos; almost all of YouTube’s users are registered members, since this does not need a payment of any kind, yet you still get more features. Because YouTube is such a widely used site there needs to be some sort of rule and regulations of what can and can’t be uploaded. Users have a lot of freedom on YouTube, of which some take for granted by posting harmful comments on some videos, but some videos require the user to be of an older age if it includes adult humour, profanities etc. YouTube takes its rules and regulations very seriously and if anyone is caught breaking these rules they will be banned almost instantly.

World of Warcraft (RPG’s and MMO’s):

World of Warcraft, or more commonly known as WoW for short, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, or MMORPG, created by Blizzard Entertainment and currently holds around 10.3 million subscribers as of November 2011; making it the worlds most subscribed MMORPG and as a result holds the Guinness World Record for being the most popular MMORPG game in terms of its active users and sheer amount of subscribers. An MMORPG is an online game in which a server holds hundreds of thousands of players at any given time and they can all play and interact with each other in the virtual world. Usually these sort of games will be free of offer a time trial of free play to test the game to see if you like it or not and then after that time is up you will need to pay. Although, in some instances, players can choose to become members of the game so that they can gain access to every feature of the game, instead of being limited to just a small section of the game. Most MMO’s and RPG’s hold some basic, common, principles. These often include a natural form of progression over time, character customization, and social interaction and are usually themed around the fantasy genre. There is, however, the huge possibility that one can become addicted to such games, as they offer a totally different and new perspective to a different life, and as a result people can become detached from their real life, spending vast amounts of money to keep up their membership and, if worse comes to worst, can even completely forget about the real world; becoming isolated and shutting themselves away from the world. Never the less, they are an excellent source of entertainment, especially for the younger generation who want to get away from the hassle of school and work for a little while.

Spotify:

Spotify is a Swedish founded music streaming service which gives access to a massively wide range of songs and artists. It was launched in October 2008 and as of September 15 2010 it had approximately 10 million users, with 1 million of those being paying members. The service is available in almost every part of the world, with places including Spain, France and the USA. Unlike YouTube to become a member of Spotify the member needs to pay a monthly subscription fee, which can be done through the means of secure payment options such as PayPal. Though users can choose to register for free accounts, but the downside to this is that some features are not available to the free users. Despite Spotify being a site that needs a paid system for most of the features it offers, millions of users are still happy to pay for the music it offers, because of the sheer number of artists and record labels it has for the customers to listen to. Spotify has been victim to some bad history however. One instance on March 4^th, 2009, Spotify had announced that there had been a security flaw in its services and as a result private account information, like emails and passwords, of registered paying members were potentially exposed. Another instance was where on 28^th January, 2010, an anti-virus software called Symantec’s had marked Spotify as a possible carrier of the Trojan Horse virus which resulted in the disabling of Spotify accounts across millions of users.

Advantages of Online Entertainment:

-There is an unbelievable amount of choice and category’s for games, music etc. There is literally something for everyone.

-It’s a nice get away from the real world if needed.

-Most sites and features are free and you can keep using them for a long time.

-Games, like RPG’s and MMO’s, allow for social interaction which makes the games more interesting and exciting.

-Very little waiting is required for online entertainment, for the most part you click on a page and you are instantly on what you wanted.

-If you wanted to watch a video or programme the day it came out but you missed it you will most likely be able to watch it on the internet on YouTube, BBC iplayer etc.

Disadvantages of Online Entertainment:

-People can become very addicted to online entertainment and become detached from the real world.

-Advertising can get in the way of what you are doing and ruin your online experience.

-Some sites or features may carry virus’s which will be passed onto your computer if you come into contact with the site or feature.

-The quality can be very bad, in terms of audio and visual qualities.

My Experience:

I have used at least several different versions and types of online entertainment in the light of gaming, music, videos and so on. I use YouTube as a source of fun entertainment but also as a source of news and information, as there are many people who upload videos about events and happenings in the world that haven’t occurred in England and this makes for very interesting videos. When I was much younger, about primary school age, playing on games like World of Warcraft, even though that particular game I never played, was all my friends and I would play. It was almost impossible to not play a game where you could fight off monsters and dragons in a large never ending fantasy world; the appeal was actually seeing it and being involved as appose to pretending. I haven’t played an RPG or MMO game on the internet in years, since the days of primary school; my internet time is usually taken up by the means of videos on YouTube and talking with friends on Facebook. I have never used music sites however, such as Spotify, for online entertainment in the way of music; again I use YouTube as a source for looking up music, as most of the time the quality is of a very high standard and I know where and how to look for the music I enjoy and want to listen to.

Downloading Services

Download Services:

Download Services is something on the internet that can be portrayed as a good thing in some instances and a bad thing in other instances. The whole reason for this is because of illegal downloads compared to legal downloads, and how some people misuse this very useful downloading service. The majority of people only download things that are absolutely required, and usually come as an automatic notification for their computer about an update to a server or application. These are almost always free and given to the user so that they carry on using their services, making this legal. Some examples of legal downloading are those along the lines of: 

-Updates, patches and software downloads.

-Portable Document Format’s, commonly known as PDF’s for short.

- Apps, most commonly from Apple regarding the App Store.

-Cloud computing, which is acquiring or hosting software through the internet as a service, rather than a product.

-Real time links and information, such as bus and train timetables.

Of these five topics I will talk about two different areas of downloading services, these being updates, patches and software downloads and Apps. I will also go into detail about the services developers or companies that feature the downloading topic.

Updates, patches and software downloads:

These all relate to a feature on your computer that allows it to, usually, function in a more efficient or safer way; whether that be to do with virus protection software or an update to remove unnecessary programmes resulting in a faster computer. There are many different downloads that can be installed or purchased on the internet or in store. But there are some fake sites that try to promote a download, most commonly by sending an email to that person saying that they have a free trial for something or their existing service has run out and they need to upgrade it. Once the user has opened the fake email or site a virus or hacking system will be injected into the computers system and can cause a lot of damage.

Java:

Sites that do offer practical and legit downloads are those usually very well known to users of the internet. Java is one of these fairly well known sites. Java is a computer software products specialist, developed by Sun Microsystems. Java can be used in a variety of ways, whether this is to do with mobile phones or enterprise servers. Sometimes Java is used on browsers on the internet to provide faster and improved functions for that browser. As Java can sometimes be a compulsory application on some sites and browsers an update is needed on a regular basis to keep the application up to date and running smoothly. If the update is not carried out then either the site will refresh to another page where it prompts you to download, as you cannot go any further without the newer application, or it will run the site but not as smoothly as it could be; eventually you will need to update the application.

Apps:

Apps, abbreviated from Applications, are computer software that is, generally, designed to aid the user in performing specific tasks or duties. Some examples of apps can include:

-Graphic design apps.

-Music/media players.

-Accounting apps.

-Gaming apps.

Apps are sometimes offered in one big bundle rather than just separately, which promotes customers as this usually comes in a sale. Some computers are already installed with several apps for the user when they first buy it as ‘complimentary’ apps. Microsoft’s applications of Office and the other widely used programmes are classified as apps, even though some people do not regard them as apps. You can buy different sets of these applications for occasions when you need to do homework, in which case you would buy the Office Home and Student pack which includes Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point and One Note, all of which can be bought separately or in different bundles. Sometimes an app will only be able to run on one sort of browser or platform, which then prompts the target market to go out and buy that platform so the application can run on it; and in more than one case the platform will be from the same company as the application increasing profits.

Apple:

Apple is an American multinational company that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software and personal computers. The company is mostly known for its electronic products including the Ipod, iPhone and Mac. As of July 2011 it was recorded that the company operates a total of 357 retailer shops in ten countries and in September the same year Apple was classed as the largest technology company in the world as a result of its revenue and profit numbers. The App Store is the place where customers can purchase apps for most, if not all, of Apples handheld devices and computers. In July 2007 Apple had launched the App Store to the world and within the short time of a month the company had sold more than 60 million apps and was gaining $1 million daily on average. The App Store features thousands of apps that can be downloaded from the handset or the computer so long as you have an Apple ID. Some of the categories that the App Store features are gaming, education, health and photography. Apps can either be free or you can pay for them, but most apps usually come to around 69p unless you are buying an app with ‘real-object qualities’ like a SAT-NAV.

Advantages of Downloading Services:

-Software is usually available to download regularly from the source you are using so it is up to date and always running smoothly.

-There are many different software’s you can acquire which suit your computer and preference.

-Depending on the size of the update, downloading is usually very quick.

-Sometimes the download comes with other bonuses for downloading it like a small app that you can choose to install and run.

-You don’t need to go out and buy the software in a shop; you can do it in the comfort of your own home.

Disadvantages of Downloading Services:

-Some hackers can make fake sites that bribe users into using their feature of update and then the consequence is losing important information or having a virus in your computer.

-Rebooting and restarting the computer can be tedious and annoying if the download requires it.

-If you think at first what you have downloaded is free it may only just be a trial without you knowing and after a number of days trial, the company demands you pay for the full thing if you want to carry on using it.

-Users need to be wary of illegal downloads and if they are not aware of the illegal download then they can be punished severely.

My Experience:

My experience of download services is mostly down to software updates and patches, especially in the area of virus protection, and downloaded apps from the App Store. Every so often I will get a notification from the anti-virus system I have, called Kaspersky, saying that there is a chance to get a new update from their site that may include a new feature or saying if the protection has run out and I need to re-download to get it again. Adobe also shows up quite often saying to install and run its newly updated system so I can browse PDF files and use platforms on the web much easier and quicker than before. But my most common use of download services comes from using my Ipod with the App Store. Since there are so many apps you are always able to find something that benefits you in some way. The fact that most of them are free also appeals to many people and keeps them coming back to see if there are any more exciting new apps, including myself.

Online Banking

Online Banking:

Online banking is a feature of the internet that has taken a fair while to come into fashion. The idea of online banking first arrived in the 1980’s being first used by the Royal Bank of Scotland in 1983. The fact that online banking is open 24/7 there is no wonder as to why it is becoming such a growing fashion. With banks becoming ever more busy and complex there needed to be something added to the system that helped motivate and move clients swiftly along whilst attending to those inside the actual bank. Thus online banking was born. There are a number of services that is common within online banking, some include:

-Transactional (undergoing financial transactions such as an account to account transaction, making new accounts, paying bills, applying for a loan etc.)

-Transfers to a customer’s own transactional account and savings account.

-Investments.

-Bank statements, mostly in a PDF format.

-Financial queries and support.

-Viewing previously paid cheques.

-Managing multiple users on one account, with varying degrees of authority within that account.

Egg:

With the internet being so vast and always expanding, and always gaining users, it’s no wonder that banks have moved on to the internet; some of which are only found online, not in the high street. One example of an online only bank is a business known as Egg. Egg is a British internet bank that was made in 1998 by a company called Prudential Banking. It is the world’s largest internet bank in the sense that you can only access your account over the internet. Egg mainly specialises in savings, credit cards, and insurance (but does not offer loans or mortgages). On 29^th January, 2007, Prudential had announced that it was going to sell Egg to Citigroup, an American multinational financial service, for an estimated £575 million pounds, and as of May 1^st, 2007, the sale of Egg was completed and under new management of Citi. Egg was such a big success in England that it launched in France in 2002 to gain more potential customers. Sadly the service never gained popularity with the French, who are in fact known to generally hold few credit cards than the British; so as of 2004 Egg decided to close its French connection and concentrate solely on England.

Security:

Banks on the high street today, as everyone knows, are extremely security orientated and focused, undergoing procedures on a regular basis to ensure their customers and themselves that the money is safe within the bank. The same expectations go for online banking, and even to a degree more. It is much easier to simply hack into something on the internet than to break into something on the high street, especially with the tools of covering you identity along the way and injecting viruses into systems. Endless security questions and information are needed to set up and log into your account online; which is a main factor as to why people do not use it. Though this is all for good intentions as there are so many cases of fraud in today’s society that there has to be all these precautions to make sure you are who you say you are. It is very common nowadays to duplicate the look of websites to gain the information when customers login to a fake bank. A similar issue is to send out an e-mail to the customer as if they were in fact the bank, requesting personal information for some fake statement.

Advantages of Online Banking:

-Using the online bank means that you do not need to travel there.

-Banks are known to have very unhelpful opening and closing times, and not open at all on Sundays, but online banking is open 24/7.

-You can get online statements to give you full details of your banking.

-Every so often the banks need to send out mail regarding information on how much money you have in your account. But with the online site, they can send you the information via the site or an email you have provided for them which is much quicker than mailing out the information; and in turn it also saves the business money on postage and paper.

-You can access your bank from the comfort and safety of your own home.

-Queuing is not a problem which is sometimes a major annoyance with banks on the high street.

-Not as many employees are needed to run an online bank when compared to a normal bank. (This also relates to paying the employees also).

-Jobs for computer mechanics and designers can be opened up with online banks.

Disadvantages of Online Banking:

-Online banks are always number one at risk of being overrun with virus’s and hackers trying to steal bank credentials.

-Transactions may take a long time to process with all the security checks you might need to pass.

-Banking online can sometimes be a very complicated system to get into.

-There is no professional advice or one to one advice for people with questions, which is something that banks are quite usually used for.

-Some employees from actual banks may lose their jobs.

-Usually on the internet if something goes wrong with a brand or business, within hours the news is global purely down to the communication the internet holds. So if a problem arises within the online bank its reputation is almost surely going to plummet.

-Getting customers to trust your site may become a long process due to hackers and viruses that can affect your account.

-If an online bank is closed for maintenance then it will affect everyone everywhere regardless, but if one bank on the high street, with many more sites located all around the country, is closed for maintenance at least then the others are still up and running for everyone else to use in that area; so it does not completely stop the banks progress for a whole day.

Contemporary I.T News: BlackBerry

I have decided to talk a little about BlackBerry within the news today in regards of the I.T services it provides; mostly communication. The reason for this is because of the well-known involvement of BlackBerry in the news fairly recently and to show that even the most popular and liked brands and businesses go through life with their faults, that are usually much more of a problem to themselves then competitors.

Mark Duggan

London Riots:

The London Riots, which occurred from the 6^th-10^th of August, swept over several boroughs within London in an act to show the disgust of the shooting of a man named Mark Duggan by the Metropolitan Police on the 4^th of August. The rioting carried from London to other areas such as Tottenham and Bristol. As of the 15^th of August an estimated 3,100 people had been arrested with a total of 3,443 separate crimes across London; all of which have been linked with the rioting. No politician or police officer could believe the organisation of the rioters and how quickly they were able to attack parts of London so efficiently, in terms of their numbers. As a result of this there is evidence to believe that BlackBerry Messenger had a part to play in the situation.

Rioters would use the system to confer with others and agree to a time and place of looting and destruction; something that they knew would not be compromised by the police since they would be scanning more popular services such as Twitter and Facebook.  However, to help in the matter, BlackBerry offered to share their history with the police in the hopes to track down the offenders and bring the disorder to a close.

 It is an interesting factor to look into, to say the least, at how BlackBerry was not able to see that some form of irregular activity was going on with their service and whether they had any control to shut it down at all; since they are the ones who programmed the service in the first place. I feel as though BlackBerry could’ve been much quicker to react to the situation and, ultimately, take the system down for a period of time to disorientate the rioters into not being able to group up with each other and strike as effectively as they had done with the easy capability of communication in numbers.

 Global BlackBerry Outage:

 

On October the 10^th the members of the BlackBerry family came to a complete stand still as their device was being terribly slow to connect to the internet, or not even at all, and not being able to send emails via BlackBerry Messenger. It started off quite slowly but then quickly reached to a substantial outrage on the social network Twitter. Research in Motion, otherwise more commonly known as RIM, is a Canadian telecommunications company that designs and manufactures wireless solutions for mobile devices worldwide. It provides the technology and platforms for services such as email, voice messaging, instant messaging, internet and several others.

As RIM was the main creator in how the system works for BlackBerry they had a huge fan base come crashing down on them and explanations were demanded to be given to the angry customers. Canada and America experienced the outage first who were then closely followed by the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) the next day. RIM had tweeted out to their customers using Twitter that they were experiencing some technical difficulties but that the system would be up and running shortly; which indeed it was, but only for a day after shutting down again for a continuous 3 day period,  giving an overall 4 day period meltdown.

As a way of showing RIM and BlackBerry just what kind of affect this had on the customers, U.S and Canadian customers sued RIM for the problem on behalf of the BlackBerry family. But, as a way of apologising to its customers, RIM’s co-founder Mike Lazaridis has offered its customers a completely free software package that lasts until December, with an estimated worth of $100 (£63) to say sorry. The situation had left BlackBerry members frustrated and irritated and a statistic showed that 1 in 5 BlackBerry users went and converted to an iPhone instead. The whole situation was believed to be down to a small server problem within RIM’s data centre.