Over the past couple of weeks I explored the benefits of GTD Web 2.0 applications. These included an RSS Feed application - Bloglines - and a Planning application - Zoho Planner.

Bloglines is one of many web applications using a popular method with RSS Feeds. RSS (Really Simple Syndication) Feeds are a method used to collect newly published information from web sites like blogs, news sites, media pages or any regularly updated page. This information is then gathered into one place; this accomplishes the first step of David Allen's "Getting Things Done" Workflow Process - Collect.

On my Bloglines page (above) I included several RSS Feeds from regularly updated pages both for study and leisure. The benefits of this system are numerous. Time is saved significantly because I no longer need to travel to the sites individually to view recent articles. In addition, the information I'm looking for on the site is shown immediately rather than me having to explore the site for it. Equality of Access can also be considered in this method; the system allows those less capable of traveling to individual sites to view information of interest more easily. Problems, however, do follow. The amount of time this system saves me is questionable. Though I receive the information quickly and more information is available quickly, the temptation to read on is considerable. Usually I would spend no more than half an hour reading articles but using this method I could continue for hours.

The second application I used was Zoho Planner. This is an example of a planning application using the format of a to-do list. Such applications are difficult to suit all; businessmen, casual Internet users, students, and alike all have different needs in planning applications. Businessmen, for example, may need a specific planner in which they can organize various projects, list meetings, and prioritize deadlines whereas a casual user may only need a planner for small event dates or reminders. To promote Equality of Access these characteristics must be considered by both developer and user; an application of this genre cannot suit the needs of any user. For this reason, I also looked at several other existing planning applications:

Zoho Planner suits the majority of users enabling both formal and informal planning with a simplistic interface. This application could easily be used outside of the classroom; it allows reminders of upcoming deadlines or events through an array of compatible devices. It is not formatted specifically for work or casual planning allowing a vast equality of access.

In conclusion, GTD applications like Bloglines and Zoho Planner enable us to get things done faster. They do not necessarily save time, however. The system is not so much a solution as it is an alternate method of getting things done.

Further Reading:

What is GTD?

Getting Things Done

RSS Feeds

Web 2.0

Inbox Zero -> 07:44

"Your Time and Attention are finite but the demands on your Time and Attention are infinite." Merlin Mann

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P4P is the new kid on the filesharing block. P4P is a new technology that will make filesharing applications that makes torrenting and peer to peer transfering alot cheaper and faster. But is this neccissarily a good thing?

P4P is basically an improved version of P2P. P4P works just liek P2P except it focuses on connecting local peers as much as possible, thus speeding up downloads and decreasing the price ISPs have to pay to support them. ISPs will definitly support this, as it saves them money, but what does this mean for users?

The P4P working group is made up of members of the entertainment industry and many anti-piracy supporters. This rises many issues with P2P users because they know it is inevitable that these members of the working group will push the developers to incorperate anti-piracy filters into their clients and have them make other measures to stop piracy through the P4P networks. For users, this means that through P4P they wont be able to get the files they want but as the use of P4P increases P2P will become significantly slower. For members of the entertainment industry and anti-piracy supporters this means that there will be more protection of intellectual property on the internet.

The use of P4P means bottlenecking the use of P2P. When the traffic for P4P increases it will slow download and upload rates for P2P causing users and ISPs, not part of the P4P movement, to see a decline in performance. P4P users will share less with P2P users because they will be focused more on local sources rather than global. This raises serious net neutrality issues. P4P might increase speed and reduce cost of file transfere traffic for ISPs but it negitivly affects non-supporters of P4P. The P2P users will not be able to benfit fromt he P4P users because P2P doesnt localise and P4P does.

To sum up, P4P is a new technology that will increase torrenting and file transfer speed but only at the sacrifice of the P2P community. And P4P is also going to, inevitably, be controlled by the entertainment industry destroying all file trasfer that doesnt protect intellectual property. So no more downloading free music from thepiratebay.

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The popular alternative to Microsoft's office suite OpenOffice is now natively available as a beta for the quickly growing operating system Mac OS X. Openoffice could become a major threat towards paid office clients as it's popularity is dramatically increasing.

One of the primary problems with buying a computer is having to purchase a large amount of software in order for basic functionality. Upon purchasing my Mac, I needed to spend extra money for Microsoft Office, which cost me $150.

The main advantage of OpenOffice (Besides it's price) is the fact that it is open-source, meaning that anyone can modify it. While on Microsoft Office or Apple iWork, users have to wait for firmware updates from the manufacturer. If there are problems, programmers from around the world can improve it. 

Upon purchasing my linux-equipped netbook, it was included with applications which Microsoft or Apple would have charged me over $300 for. OpenOffice was one of those programs included, which was a surprisingly complete set of software; featuring word processing, spreadsheets, and presentational applications.

However, the Mac version is a disappointment. Upon opening the program, it took longer than Microsoft Word 2004 to open. To make matters worse, instead of being taken directly to the program, I was greeted with a command window reading "bash-3.2$", and 20 sec before an error message popped up reading, "Command timed out." 

After recieving this error message, the program opened and functioned just like the linux version. But in terms of initial accessibility, this is a large problem for those with little to no computer knowledge. This program is only in beta at the moment, but will need to iron out it's problems before it truly becomes an alternative to Office 08.

The initial point of the computer was to word process and carry out complicated tasks. Software such as Microsoft Word used to be a luxurious alternative to word processing clients such as the crude Notepad. But now we live in the age where we are dependent on Word processing. In fact, office suites have become a necessity rather than a premium. 

OpenOffice is a threat to Microsoft's traditional business model. Why pay $150 for something you can get for free? While OpenOffice for Mac needs work, the PC and Linux versions are excellent alternatives to MS Office.

The computer should be accessible to everyone, and by offering a free program which serves one of the crucial purposes of computing; OpenOffice may threaten Microsoft's monopoly on the productivity software industry.

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Imagine a world in which computer users would never have to us a mouse or a keyboard again! It seems impossible at the moment but believe it or not, technology is already being implemented to revolutionize the world of input as we know it. Not very long from now, one will have the ability to communicate an idea through the use of a single, mostly reliable, tool, the brain. You're probably finding yourself asking, how on earth does that work? Often referred to as the Brain-Computer Interface this new technology will use complex brain signals to transfer data into a device for it to appear as information on a screen. This technology is believed to, in the future, revolutionize what we as humans are spending our time doing. The interaction between man and machine will change drastically. Originally, this concept came about as a solution to change the lives of those with severe motor disabilities as well as other disabilities. Researchers around the world are currently working to develop this technology as quickly as possible. Currently, brain computer interface has been tested on humans but not yet fully implemented. View this video to see just how it works!

The primary IT system mentioned here includes people and machines. People are the main stakeholders as well as the ones truly affected. As the technology continues to develop, consumers will become more and more of a central focus to this issue. There are many social and ethical issues involved with the brain-computer interface. Health, equality, and also reliability are just a few that can be mentioned.

If you want to see more about how the brain-computer interface works, visit this link.

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This image is from www.designmuseum.org

Think back to the last time you wore a mood ring. Adolescents and even adults naturally find them an amusing way of determining mood among other things. With their color changing mood detectors, these gadgets can tell if you are happy, sad, confused, or even angry. Imagine the day that technology will be able to make your life easier using this simple concept. Assa Ashuach just took us a step closer with the invention of the genuine mood lamp of “AI Light”. According to NewScientist magazine, this up and coming technology is soon to take us all by storm. With its shape-shifting lampshade, this lamp is sure to brighten any room. The components of this super lamp include a light bulb, flexible nylon inside support forming two outer covers, and rods within each of these. The outer lampshade is used to detect the relative brightness and amount of movement within a room. Using special motors, the outer layer can move to let in more or less light. Motion sensors, sound, and light sensors convey information about certain surroundings to the software embedded within the lamp.

Like the majority of technology today however, there is some human programming involved. First and foremost, the user must “train” the lamp to remember certain conditions. The software must learn the environment and remember it so that the information can be retained and used later. Over time, the lamp memorizes the most used settings and is able to respond under certain conditions. Sia Mahdavi, creator of the motors used within the lamp commented that the user “teaches it how to behave.” Right now, there is only one of these wonderful pieces of technology on display in London priced at £26,800. How is this for a “bright idea” of the future?

The primary stakeholders that surround the AI Light are its inventors and consumers. Technology is becoming more and more based upon the theory of ergonomics, making life easier and more efficient for people. Having a lamp that learns to match the mood of a consumer is yet another step towards this ultimate goal. I believe it is safe to say that as technology advances, society continues to advance. In this, both inventors and consumers are directly involved. There are pro’s and con’s to every new technology. The Al Light may seem like a dream but is it just that? The average person may not want to spend their day teaching a lamp to record certain conditions. People interested in technology may be the first to be truly interested in this. The stakeholders, in this case, have a direct correlation with the IT system, people and machines.

The social and ethical issues within this situation include reliability and equality of access. Reliability is always an issue with new technology. As there is always human error, there is always error in technology. Equality of access affects those who do not have access to this technology. As it is new and very expensive, many common consumers still do not have access to the AI Light. As time goes on, the technology will continue to develop and become less expensive when mass production begins to occur. It is difficult to find solutions to these problems but there is always a solution. For example, organizations could be developed to introduce newer technology to those who do not have the money or the access. In the meantime, it is exciting to think that such amazing technology awaits us in the future.

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Title: Intro

Excuse the dodgy video introduction above...but hopefully it will have intoduced you to your one-stop-shop, of information for your Information Technology in a Global Society course. Whether you are in the first or second year of your course I will be posting news stories, homework items, research help, video resources and much more to help with the course. Hopefully you will also be able to post to this weblog, upload podcasts and most definitely comment on posts to enable interesting discussion around your studies. Make sure you place this as a bookmark in your web-browser of choice(hopefully Firefox) and if you are a little lazy at checking websites for the latest information then you can  sign up to have every post emailed to you. Until August the 23rd, enjoy your summer.

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