Week 6: Understanding Software - Muddy on Operating Systems

If this weeks lesson has taught me anything, I've learned that I will never pursue a career in computer programming. How confusing! When it comes to using the computer, I consider myself fairly adequate. When it comes to understanding how I'm using it, things start to get a little muddy.

Out of all the things I couldn't quite grasp from this weeks lesson, I chose to dwell on the topic of Operating Systems. I still don't quite understand what it is. The book definition states that an OS is"the software that controls the computer hardware and establishes standards for developing and executing applications." I understand what it does because I'm told, but the waters begin to get murky when trying to understand the why's and the how's of an OS. Why does it do what it does and, most importantly, how?

As a result, my curiosity led me to do a little research, and I finally found a website that further explained the how of operating systems -- http://www.howstuffworks.com/operating-system.htm. This website goes in further detail and it even has some cool videos and tutorials and interviews with software experts. I know that an operating system is the gateway to hardware and consists of many different parts to efficiently work, but after all this reading and research, I think my understanding of this topic is still stuck in the mud somewhere.


Public Domain: http://homepage.cs.uri.edu/faculty/wolfe/
book/images/R07/u1883.gif

Week 5: Clear on the 5 rules for creating great presentation!

One of the reasons I decided to become an advertising major was because I oddly enough love to make Powerpoints and create presentations. So obviously this lesson came very easily to me, especially having just given numerous speeches in a public speaking class I took last semester. I love to create witty and attractive presentations, and thus I admit that I may have paid more attention to this lesson than the others.

Public Domain: http://www.useful-tools.org/wp-content/uploads/Best-powerpoint-template-3.jpg

My favorite part of this lesson was the Duarte video of which explained the 5 rules for creating a great presentation. First of all, that video was awesome. I wouldn't expect anything less from a video that explains how to doa great presentation, but wow! I loved it. Take a look for yourself!

<------- WATCH THIS!!

Public Domain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT9GGmundag&feature=player_embedded

How great was that?

Here's a synopsis of the rules:

1. Treat your audience as king

2. Spread ideas that move people

3. Help them see what you're thinking

4. Practice design, not decoration

5. Cultivate healthy relationships

My favorite rule is definitely number 4: Practice design, not decoration! A large proportion of this lesson focused on avoiding clutter during your presentation and knowing your SNR aka signal-to-noise ratio. Cluttering up powerpoint slides or storyboards is a no-no! Clutter often leaves the presentation overcomplicated and confusing. Keep it simple! We've all been to that one presentation with wordy slides and overcomplicated pie charts with that one guy who speaks with a monotone voice. By the end of the presentation, you're most likely snoring or lurking Facebook on your Smartphone.

Avoid being boring by keeping it simple.

Simplicity is key.

Week 4: Clear on Porter's 5 Forces

Although it may seem like a constant battle between companies to be number one may be a bad thing, competition actually creates better products and thus benefits the companies and thus the consumers. Overall, competition is a great thing in the marketing world! And thanks to Porter's five Forces, I now have a greater understanding as to how competition is influenced by both other companies and consumers.

[Public Domain: http://i.investopedia.com/inv
/articles/site/IndustryHandbook1x.gif]

There's always going to be competition between companies because everyone wants to be number one, but what type of pull do others really have in this constant fight? Porter's Five Forces names, well... Five Forces.

The first force is the core force, which is the competition within the industry itself. In my opinion, it's more the subject of the force. This force is the only force influenced by the other forces.

The other four forces include:
Threat of new entrants
Threat of substitutes
Bargaining power of suppliers
and Bargaining power of consumers.

They're all pretty self explanatory, which is definitely what made this part of this week's lesson so easy to comprehend. The model is created in greater deal on this site: http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/porter.shtml. Great site and great explanation of the topic. In the end, successful marketing comes down to this strategy.

Week 3: Muddy on Encapsulation

This week I was a little unclear as to what encapsulation in computer networking really is. Overall, networking in itself is definitely one of the more difficult topics I've come across through my endeavors in ISM3004, but encapsulation is specifically one faction of the lesson I could not seem to grasp. As a result, I did a little bit of internet searching and came across a computer networking help site. There I found an article specifically explaining how encapsulation works in a TCP/IP model:
http://learn-networking.com/tcp-ip/how-encapsulation-works-within-the-tcpip-model.
The article basically explained encapsulation step-by-step, in which they referred to the systems having specific layers and used many analogies to facilitate my understanding of the topic. For example, the article referred to the header as a Russian doll where each doll keeps getting smaller and smaller every time you look inside of it. "Just like the dolls, each layer a sending packet passes through gains another header (or doll). When the packet is being rebuilt on the receiving end, each header is unpackaged the same way."

I now know that the data encapsulation is a process in which data is transferred from one network to another by going through all the layers of the computer (application, transport, internet and network access/link).  The data is a message that is encapsulated for safe travel via cyber space. The topic of encapsulation is still a little fuzzy, but the website and this illustration definitely helped me to grasp the concept a little better.


Photo 1 : Public Domain. http://www.accountingweb.com/files/siftmedia-accountingwebus/images/Confused.jpg


Photo 2 : Public Domain. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/UDP_encapsulation.svg

Week 2: Clear on Ergonomics!

How are you reading this blog post right now? Are you slouching or sitting up straight? Are you an arm's width away from the computer screen or does your head hover over the keyboard? Come to think of it, how long has it been since you last looked up from your computer screen? 

Is this an accurate mirror image of you?

Public Domain. http://abstrusegoose.com/strips/straighten_your_back_take_your_left_hand_off_your_face_and_stop_playing_with_yourself.png

According to Ergonomics, aka the study of extrinsic strains placed upon us by our surroundings, you better sit up straight and create some distance between you and the computer screen unless you plan to have bad posture and poor eyesight.

First of all, the whole topic of ergonomics in itself fascinates me. There really is a study for everything, and there's always something about every study that critiques us on what we are constantly doing wrong. The whole reason why I understood this part of the lesson so easily was because it relates to me in daily life. I am on a computer constantly, and I admit that I do not always adhere to the rules of ergonomics and thus I come to realize that this may be part of the reason for my poor posture and ill eyesight.

This website, http://cdnsupport.gateway.com/s/manlib/Astro/8506043/6043ch03.htm, gives some great tips on how to work comfortably and healthily when using a computer. Reading all of the recommendations under the section "Working Safely" helped me to really understand ergonomics and how not adhering to the rules of ergonomics could potentially hurt me in the long run.

The part of ergonomics that I loved was the 20/20 rule, which is where one should look up from their computer screen every 20 minutes and try to focus on something 20 feet away in order to avoid excessive eyestrain. That is my idea of informative! I think the majority of people who work on computers constantly have been to the point where you're on the computer and your contacts dry out or your eyes start feeling sore... that's the worst! Before you know it, your eyesight could be effected. However, the 20/20 rule facilitates us to avoid straining our eyes by simply looking up every 20 minutes and giving them a little exercise. Who knew?