Asuka's Blog

What I would like to learn more

2007-03-26T01:19:00.000-07:00

Although I do not know anything about computers, I got some knowledge and skills throughout the classes.

As I mentioned in my first blog that making a blog was what I wanted to learn the most about computers at the beginning of this semester. Then I am acquiring the skill with this project.

However, I made just a standard blog with the basic skills. Some students are very good at computers and making blogs with original backgrounds, and so on.

Therefore, I would like to learn more about extra effects for creating a blog to make it more interesting. I want to keep a diary with blog in my stay abroad, so if I can add some pictures I take, it would become effective for readers to know what I did. Accordingly, I would like to get the skill of editing pictures.

Computer term: Viral Video

2007-03-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

Viral Video is term for video clip became popular through Internet sharing, thorugh E-mail, blogs, or other websites.

The popularity of YouTube and other relative websltes made the term "Viral Video" famous. Its popularity brought many manners and make a lot of organizations attempt to find the marketing strategies for Viral Video. YouTube decided to share their revenues with certain usres who usually makes popular Viral Video.

Viral Video provides many kinds of movies, and I will introduce some of them.

1. Soccer Skills

The video like this which someone films the guy who are playing soccer can be Viral Video.

2. Step Up

Viral Video also provides a piece of movie with good quality.

3. Dear Akiko from HA-2

In fact,we made it to celebrate Akiko's birthday.

We can enjoy Viral Video easily.

Computer Gifts

2007-03-12T19:48:00.000-07:00

What is the best for computer gifts to family and my friends?

Skype credit would be effective for people around me.

As everyone knows, Skype is phone with Internet as a new communication tool. The Skype software can be installed for free. Moreover, If two people are both Skype users, they can call free. I am going to study abroad to the USA in 3 months, and the opportunity to have long distance call would increase. Then If my family, my friends, and I, all of us use Skype, such long distance call would be free even I am in foreign countries.

However, there would be opportunity to call non-Skype telephone, such as fixed phone and cell phone. In this case, it is not free but the cost is very cheap, for example, at least 1.7 euro. We can buy the credit from as little as 1,500 yen. Therefore, the credit is not expensive but really useful gift for people around me.

Computer term; What is "Net Neutrality"?

2007-03-05T00:28:00.000-08:00

Net neutrality is the principle for Internet users to control of what content they view and what applications they use on the Internet. It is about equal access to the Internet. Internet service providers should not interfere in consumers' private concerns and control activity online. In short, it would be one of the basic rules of the Internet, and works as the openness of the Internet.

The neutral telecommunication is essential to our society. In addition, net neutrality is important for the Internet to drive economic innovation and democratic participation, and then it would be the base of using the Internet. In a few decades, Internet has become necessary for our society and for individual life.Therefore, Internet should be protected against the control of the government and media. Now that, net neutrality is a major issue as the U.S. considers new telecommunications laws.

Recent computer news

2007-02-23T19:16:00.000-08:00

As everyone knows, Apple iPhone is a combination of 3 products, such as iPod, a fully featured mobile phone and a tablet PC.

iPhone will be launched in the US sometime during June 2007 and in Japan around May 2008. Many NIC students are going to study abroad to the U.S summer 2007 before iPhone is released in Japan, so we can get it abroad soon.

As recent news about iPhone, iPhone manufacturer Apple has apparently resolved their dispute with Cisco over the iPhone trademark. Both companies are understood to have agreed that each other can use the iPhone name on their products. Moreover, Cisco and Apple will work together on security as well as consumer and business communication.

What is more, it is said that 3G iPhone is under development, and it would be launched in the USA in January 2008. It would be more useful and make people buy them more.

Introduce 3 good web sites in English

2007-02-16T21:30:00.000-08:00

Web sites make us be more interested in computers, and enjoying English web sites is also good to learn English.

Then I looked some interesting web sites, and so I introduce them.

1. MTV
MTV provides information about pop culture. We can see the latest music videos, band information, entertainment news, photos, album previews, ring tones, live performances, free downloads and so on.

2. International student. com
The web site must help international students, especially studying in the USA, UK, Australia, made as International student and Study Abroad Resource Center. There are a lot of exact information about studying and living abroad, such as Student Insurance Plan, Scholarships, Student Loans and ESL Search. It links with many good web sites, and one of them is Study Abroad Blog, which shows adventures abroad with many pictures.

3. Freelang Dictionary
The web site is free dictionary program to download. Now 86 dictionaries of many languages are available, which helps us. Also, it provides information electronic dictionaries in online shopping.

Thus, web sites are useful and practical for both entertainment and study.

Computer term; What is "social engineering"?

2007-02-11T16:27:00.000-08:00

What is "social engineering"? Uh ... actually, I do not have exact answer, but it is about conducts that someone hacks into the computers to get a inportant information, such as passwords and security information, which are useful for companies. It is not forcible but the social way to elicit information with artful words, and therefore, it is called social engineering. In most cases, such secret information is leaked out by managerial stuffs of computers or general workers in companies because of low consciousness of the protection of classified information.

To make sure the meaning, I looked at the dictionary, and it says...
Social Engineering is the term used for cracking techniques that rely on weakness in wetware rather than software; the aim is to trick people into revealing passwords or other information that compromises a target system's security. Classic scams include phoning up a mark who has the required information and posing as a field service tech or fellow employee with an urgent access problem.

The difinition was cited from hyper dictionary.

In Japan, many big companies leaked information, such as address or telephon numbers. As the first step to avoid such cases, companies should make a firm rule and make workers understand it completely.

What do you know about Mac?

2007-01-31T22:48:00.000-08:00

Mac is stylish, colorful, and easy to use ... these are what I have heard about Mac. Apple computers look very cute, and I wanted to have it. Today, I learned about the differences between Mac and Windows in the class. Actually, I do not have my own computers, and I am deciding which is best for me; therefore, such information is useful for me.

Mac is less possible to be infected by virus. I am very surprised that it is almost Zero percent. I will do many assignments with computers and keep them, so it is one of the most important conditions to have low risks to lose them. Also, because I am not good at computers, it is helpful for me that Mac is easier to use. Moreover, better language support is effective because I need both English for assignments in the U.S and Japanese for E-mail to my family.

However, windows have larger number of software, some of which is necessary for my school life.

I am deciding which I should buy, but, as Mr. Poza said, I can take advantages of both Mac and Windows.

What I Want to Learn about Computers...

2007-01-24T22:46:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day to write a blog! I cannot believe that I write a blog on the web page because I am not good at computers, and I had little knowledge about them. Therefore, everything we did in the class was new for me.

I was just able to write an essay with Word before. Because my father knows a lot about computers, I asked him when I have some trouble with computers, and I actually did not remember anything. However, it is better to take advantage of computers for school life in the U.S, so what I want to acquire first is the basic of how to use computers.

Writing a blog is one thing that I want to know because I am going to keep a diary about my American life during studying abroad. Now I know how to create a blog but I want to learn more details, such as how to make original designs or other things.

When Mr. Poza showed me some movies on computers, I am really surprised how clear the movies were. Also, computers provided songs with high-quality sound. I want to know more about such things to enjoy them.

Because of my poor knowledge of computers, I cannot answer exactly what I want to do with them. Therefore, what I want to learn about computers first is to know what I can do with them.