Second Life: live and unplugged
24.10.2007 - Live music gigs and performances by artists who are famous in real life and Second Life are becoming increasingly popular and are part of the future of entertainment says Lord Mayor, or owner, of Second Life’s Dublin, John Mahon.
With over nine million registered residents and 1.6 million regular users, popular virtual world Second Life is becoming a platform for lots of big name companies like IBM to increase brand awareness and engage with people in new and different ways.
Mahon sees a future where Second Life will be combined with home entertainment in the living room.
He explained that it would be possible for users to meet up with their friends and go to live gigs being performed in Second Life after checking the listings on their TV screen.
Already these Second Life artists are drawing a crowd with seven DJs and five bands playing on a stage this Saturday in Second Dublin to celebrate the Discover Ireland Festival.
This festival is being sponsored by Tourism Ireland who is launching the world’s first virtual tourism marketing drive on Second Life and will run throughout the weekend.
Because 60pc of Second Life’s residents come from the UK, US , Germany and France who together constitute Ireland’s biggest tourist market, this campaign should reach its ideal demographic.
Furthermore, if a business can run a 24 hour phone helpline as well as an internet chat facility for its customers then it can further extend this service by adding a presence to Second Life said Mahon.
Companies like IBM already offer this with round the clock software support to its customers and it can be extended into areas like online shopping added Mahon.
The technology is already there, he told Silicon Republic. Businesses could locate their shops to virtual Dublin’s Grafton Street from where customers could view both actual video or photos of products as well as a 3d image and make real life purchases from the shop with advice from in world shop assistants.
Another area that IBM is working on is the ability to ‘teleport’ avatars or virtual characters from one world to another.
Mahon said that this achievement would mean that users of hugely popular gaming worlds like World of Warcraft could easily transfer over to Second Life with the click of a button and continue exploring there.
Second Life has the potential right now to slide into mainstream entertainment and shopping, he said.
Tuesday, 6 November 2007
Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Exam Questions
My exam paper, have a go...
Exam Paper
Review: Apple Mac OS X Leopard
After delays to make way for the iPhone, Apple's new operating system arrives today. We put it to the test.
Seven months late and two and a half years after the last upgrade, Apple's latest operating system is finally here. The new version, Mac OS X 10.5, better known as Leopard, has more than 300 new features, but how much of a difference will users notice?
While the changes are numerous, switching to Leopard won't present too steep a learning curve to those who upgrade. It is certainly nothing like the leap up from Windows XP to Vista – Microsoft’s new operating system – earlier in the year.
More evolution than revolution, Leopard includes a major graphical overhaul, giving a slick system more polish than ever. The dock where your favourite programs sit is now 3D, for example, and you can search for files using the Cover Flow interface that lets iTunes users flick through images of CD covers.
Another time-saving feature is a tool that shows a preview image of files before you open them, helping you find what you’re looking for more quickly.
RELATED INTERNET LINKS
• Full Apple news coverage
Apple unveils £900 UK iPhone
Apple says the £269 phone, player and internet surfer comes tied to a £35 a month contract with network operator O2
• Comment: Will the Apple iPhone deliver for O2?
• Rivals fear Apple iPhone will bite into profits
• O2 finds Apple revenue-sharing to its taste
RELATED LINKS
• Apple reveals Leopard release date
As well as the new coat of paint, there are more substantial changes and additions such as Stacks, Time Machine and Spaces. Stacks is a new way of grouping together multiple programs into categories such as office or photography.
Time Machine is an automatic system backup application that will create copies of files on an external drive, so you can fly back in time to access files you might have deleted. It is, of course, graphically impressive and easy to use, but also an incredibly powerful and impressive bit of kit.
Spaces tries to keep you desktop clean and tidy by dividing it into 16 desktop screens, each of which can have applications running. It can get a bit confusing at times, but you can set certain programs to open in certain spaces, keeping them out of the way.
After playing with the system for a couple of days, it becomes apparent that there is plenty on offer, ranging from small improvements such as being able to see which wi-fi networks are locked or open to more drastic changes such as smart folders. They allow you to assign files automatically to certain folders, so one may contain all photographs or another contain any file with the word 'work' in the file name.
Should you upgrade? For £85 it’s probably well worth the investment, if only for the safety net of the Time Machine.
1. Read the extract
2. a) What is Apple’s new computer system better known as?
b) How many more features does Apples new operating system have compared to the old system?
3. What is meant in the extract by
a) ‘stacks’
b) ‘Time machine’
4. Why do you think Apple has joined with mobile phone company o2 to advertise the new iphone?
5. From your wider knowledge of new technologies, explain why apple felt the need to create this new computer system.
6. Make detailed references to examples from your case study material to answer this question.
To what extent do media industries feel the need to keep creating new products?
Exam Paper
Review: Apple Mac OS X Leopard
After delays to make way for the iPhone, Apple's new operating system arrives today. We put it to the test.
Seven months late and two and a half years after the last upgrade, Apple's latest operating system is finally here. The new version, Mac OS X 10.5, better known as Leopard, has more than 300 new features, but how much of a difference will users notice?
While the changes are numerous, switching to Leopard won't present too steep a learning curve to those who upgrade. It is certainly nothing like the leap up from Windows XP to Vista – Microsoft’s new operating system – earlier in the year.
More evolution than revolution, Leopard includes a major graphical overhaul, giving a slick system more polish than ever. The dock where your favourite programs sit is now 3D, for example, and you can search for files using the Cover Flow interface that lets iTunes users flick through images of CD covers.
Another time-saving feature is a tool that shows a preview image of files before you open them, helping you find what you’re looking for more quickly.
RELATED INTERNET LINKS
• Full Apple news coverage
Apple unveils £900 UK iPhone
Apple says the £269 phone, player and internet surfer comes tied to a £35 a month contract with network operator O2
• Comment: Will the Apple iPhone deliver for O2?
• Rivals fear Apple iPhone will bite into profits
• O2 finds Apple revenue-sharing to its taste
RELATED LINKS
• Apple reveals Leopard release date
As well as the new coat of paint, there are more substantial changes and additions such as Stacks, Time Machine and Spaces. Stacks is a new way of grouping together multiple programs into categories such as office or photography.
Time Machine is an automatic system backup application that will create copies of files on an external drive, so you can fly back in time to access files you might have deleted. It is, of course, graphically impressive and easy to use, but also an incredibly powerful and impressive bit of kit.
Spaces tries to keep you desktop clean and tidy by dividing it into 16 desktop screens, each of which can have applications running. It can get a bit confusing at times, but you can set certain programs to open in certain spaces, keeping them out of the way.
After playing with the system for a couple of days, it becomes apparent that there is plenty on offer, ranging from small improvements such as being able to see which wi-fi networks are locked or open to more drastic changes such as smart folders. They allow you to assign files automatically to certain folders, so one may contain all photographs or another contain any file with the word 'work' in the file name.
Should you upgrade? For £85 it’s probably well worth the investment, if only for the safety net of the Time Machine.
1. Read the extract
2. a) What is Apple’s new computer system better known as?
b) How many more features does Apples new operating system have compared to the old system?
3. What is meant in the extract by
a) ‘stacks’
b) ‘Time machine’
4. Why do you think Apple has joined with mobile phone company o2 to advertise the new iphone?
5. From your wider knowledge of new technologies, explain why apple felt the need to create this new computer system.
6. Make detailed references to examples from your case study material to answer this question.
To what extent do media industries feel the need to keep creating new products?
The Internet
This is a powerpoint presentation on the internet. It contains information on how the interent has affected our society over the past decade. It also includes details about the history of the internet, how and why it is used, and has some brief information about web2.
From: guest3d7966, 4 minutes ago
SlideShare Link
The Internet Presentation
From: guest3d7966, 4 minutes ago
SlideShare Link
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