Module 9 Assignment

A lot of companies are upset about the issue of people illegally installing, and using, software that they do not own the rights to. As of yet no good program exists to insure that people cannot install and use the software illegally. A few companies have instituted a system by which you have to have an internet connection in order to install the software, and then sending a message to the server that that install key has been used, so that it cannot be used again, however that can lead to problems if the your computer crashes, because then you wouldn't be able to use the install key to re-install the software, and with the cost of software going up, few people would be willing to pay extra just to get software running that they already payed good money for. Now what they could do is to use a system like that, where if you aren't connected to you can't install, but also give you a set ID code to use if your system crashes. If you use the ID code, they would send you a new install key and deactivate the old one. The product would ping the company server to check if the install key is good, and if it is not the program shuts down. This way you couldn't give the software to someone else, and then say that your computer crashed, but it would allow you to keep using the software if your system did crash. Of course the consumer would have to pay for this in the long run, mainly in the form of higher costs for the software, but that is to be expected, companies are in the business of making money, not losing it, and anything that cost them more will in turn cost the consumer more.

Owen Charboneau, Signing Out

E-mail, Pros and Cons

E-mail is part of our world today, it is quite possibly the most used form of communication aside from talking to people, and before long it may even overtake that. But as with everything there are upsides and downsides to E-mail.
Some of the upsides are that it is inexpensive, if you have an internet connection you can get e-mail, Google, Yahoo, and Hotmail, all offer free email services. another thing is that it is fast, you can send an e-mail to someone and they can get it usually in just a few minutes, if it even takes that long. Another thing is that if the person you're sending the e-mail to isn't at their computer, the e-mail will just sit there and wait for them. And lastly e-mail isn't just restricted to text, you can send sound clips, pictures, or even video, via attachments, enabling you to send your friends and family things telling them how you are.
On the down side you have a few things, first off is spam, I'm sure that every one who has used e-mail has gotten spam, it really should be added to the list of inevitable things, death, taxes, and spam, thats how prevalent it is. Next is the chance for malware to infect your system, whether it be viruses or spyware, the chance is still there. You also get scammers, people trying to cheat you out of your hard-earned money, always a bad thing. Last of all, on this list, is the chance of hackers getting a hold of your e-mail and using it to hurt others, this is especially possible if the hacker can get into a server list and make it look like whatever was sent out was sent by you, enabling the hacker to cover his tracks.
All in all e-mail is a very useful system, and even with the risks, if you are careful, the pros definitely out way the cons.

Owen, Signing out

Reasons to be comuputer literate

In today's society being computer literate is more than just a nice skill, it is a skill necessary to get around in the world. Even now you are using a computer to read this post. You use a computer to E-mail your friends and family. Not only that, but most of the highest paying jobs are becoming so integrated with technology that you have to have a least a rudimentary understanding of computers so that you can communicate with your co-workers and use the tech that I just mentioned.
Even today surgeons, one of the highest paying jobs out there, are being helped by robots that are controlled by computers to help with surgery so that there are less errors or likelihood of complications.
How much money do you save every day with e-mail, as opposed to sending letters, not to mention how much faster it is, you can have a reply from a person in less than an hour, instead of the days it takes mail to travel.
And I mentioned that you are reading this post, how much information is at your fingertips, even right now? you can access search for information on a research paper, check your bank account, or even see what new games are coming out for you favorite system, all this could be done without computers, but think how much easier it is with a computer.
I come back to my point, although you may think that computers are a nice toy, but not something essential to our world, look around you, if you don't know how to use a computer you are effectively deaf, blind, and dumb, if not completely, then more than enough to make your life ten times more difficult.

Owen, Signing Out

New Thin Chipsets for Intel

I was just reading an article on PC world on Intel's latest chipset. Within the past few months Intel has unveiled a new type of processor and chipset, for the embedded market. These chipsets are 45 nanometers thick, that is .000000045 meters thick, incredibly small. If tech continues down this path of constantly shrinking, then we could conceivably see a computer the size of a Cd case, all that would have to change is the connectors that were used for the peripherals. In my opinion that would be incredibly cool.

Owen, signing out.

Alternative Web Browsers

This weeks post is about alternative web browsers, and by this I mean browsers other than IE.

I will be covering Firefox, Opera, and Flock. Now you may be asking "why should I care? IE works just fine for me." However, IE is not all that great an browser, it can be highly obtrusive, and is quite slow at times, not to mention that most ads are targeted at IE.

First I will go over the pros and cons of Firefox. To start with, and this applies to all the browsers that I will cover here, it is free, so you don't have to worry about switching your browser hurting your pocket book. It also lets you customize it heavily with plug-ins and skins, meaning that you don't have to be stuck with the normal look if you don't want to. As far as the cons go, it isn't as innovative as some other browsers; but if you are just looking for a browser to surf the web on, it should do the trick.

Next up is Opera, this browser has been around since 1996, and is able to surf the web, check e-mail, has a built in phishing filter, is customizable via widgets, and can be skinned. All in all a fairly cool browser.

Last up is Flock, A relative new-comer on the scene of browsers. It is built with more social networking in mind, with tools that help with blog editing, connecting to RSS feeds, and other cool things like that.

That about raps it up. Oh and two things for you: one, the browser I use is Firefox. Two, Here are the sites that I used, to look up my information: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/web_browser_faceoff.php
http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/software/productivity/0,1000001108,39284445,00.htm
http://www.alternativebrowseralliance.com/browsers.html
just copy and paste the links into your browser navigation bar.

Owen, Signing out

Information about the computer package on the left

microcomputer: Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core
manufacturer: Compaq
Brand and model: Presario E2140
CPU brand: Intel
CPU speed: 1.6GHz per core
RAM: 1GB
Storage included: 1 250 GB hard drive
Expansion bays: yes, 5 total
OS: Vista Home Premium
Ports: 6 USB 2.0
Monitor: Flat Screen CRT
Monitor Size: 17"
Printer Manufacturer: HP
Printer brand and model: Deskjet D1430
Printer type: Ink-Jet
Printer max speed: 11 PPM
Applications included: HP Photosmart Essential; Cyberlink DVD Suite Deluxe; Microsoft Works 9.0 and more.

Trouble in the virtual world

Just now I was reading a news article by the Washington Post about virtual worlds and the potential threat they pose. It seems that many online games have become a potential haven for terrorists, allowing them anonymity to transfer funds and to plan attacks. However if current technology is used properly, then it may be possible to track them and monitor any suspicious activity. Fairly interesting if you ask me.

Owen, signing out

Asignment 1

I was just reading a message about how Intel plans to use the processors from the MacBook Air laptop in future PCs. these processors are a variant of the Core 2 Duo chips that Intel is currently using in PC laptops and are about 60% smaller than the current chips. Personally I am for the this reduction in the size of the processors, as it could reduce the weight of PC laptops making for easier carrying, and with a smaller processor footprint the computer companies could add additional features to their laptops, giving them even more power than they currently have.

Here is the link to the article:
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/pcworld/142047;_ylt=Ak4vRg4OgZqCL2uwOcpJkQr6L5A5

Owen Charboneau logging out.

Hello

Hello to every one out there, this is my first blog post ever