Alison McAlinden 7/30/10 4:10 PMName: Alison McAlinden

Student number: 500-3161

Year: 1

Class: CBC Multimedia Design

Module Name: Online Ninja Training

New Media 7/30/10 3:02 PM

New MediaThe definition of “new media” is often used to refer to a form of digital media, such as anything published online or encoded into binary for use in electronic mediums such as computers and mobile phones. The data can be easily transferred from one device to the next as it is not restrained to a physical artifact, O’ Shaughnessy & Stadler (2008: 112).One important characteristic of new media is that it is versatile and can be manipulated and converted, O’ Shaughnessy & Stadler (2008: 112). For example, an image made in an image processor can then be used as a texture in a 3D modeler or in an animation. Even sections of that image can be taken out or manipulated, such as in the case of digital artwork that makes use of a few photographs to create a new artwork.

Hernandez (2005).

An example of an experimental new media artifact would be the Euphoria Natural Motion Engine designed for the next generation of gaming consoles. By doing away with key framing, ragdoll physics and motion capture, a character's movements are created on-the-fly by the CPU (central processing unit). This results in movements that are natural, dynamic, but also adaptive to its environment, NaturalMotion (2005).

NaturalMotion Euphoria Demo.mov. Creator unknown. 26mb. Found on http://www.naturalmotion.com.

Search enginesA search engine is a service that enables a user to search for topics of interest through their web browser through the use of search terms that are defined by the user, Boswell (2010).

Three of the most popular search engines currently being used by the mass audience are Google.com; Yahoo.com and Msn.com.

Online Trends 7/30/10 3:02 PM

3 online trends for 2010:

1: The idea of “content nesting” will become more and more prevalent in terms of site exposure and incoming traffic. If a website wants to demonstrate a video, for example, it would be wise for them to make that video available on a well known site such as Youtube, Lombardi (2009).

2: Paid versus Free content means that the average online consumer would much prefer free content over paid content, and if they did have to pay for digital items or subscription, they would be willing to pay up to $3 (or roughly R30). This would force brands to compete fiercely with each other, which means that online content will become cheaper and eventually free over time, Lombardi (2009).

3: Online Distribution is a method of distributing electronic information such as movies, games or Ebooks through means of the web. The advantage of this is that software developers are able to save on the costs of physical distribution and packaging. It is also more convenient for the user who has access to a decent internet connection as they can buy the game as it comes out without having to leave home. What some online distributors do is once the game has been purchased, a copy of it that is tied to be account will always be available so the user can retrieve their game if something goes wrong. Two examples of this are Steam, created by Valve, and Impulse, created by Stardock, BPC (2010).

What will happen in the next 10 -15 years:

Cloud Enhanced Mobile Experience is a form of technology that is emerging which involves the use of cloud computing that will enhance the way smart phones are used in terms of being able to use the resources from nearby computers without suffering from jitter or WAN delays. This will also enable smart phones to "offload code" to this infrastructure in order to maximize energy savings, thus extending the battery life. While this is very early development, this could be used to develop technologies such as voice-based language translation over a mobile network, Cuervo et al (2010).

Augmented reality is term for a set of technology that integrates computer generated environments into the real environment. This means that a user no longer experiences these environments through a screen, but with their other senses too, especially touch, Bonsor (2010). It can also be used to describe a method of using alternative senses to a particular stimulus, such as the Reactable Instrument that enables one to use their eyes and fingers to manipulate sound, ReactableSystems (2010). This will change the way in which music is created and performed, especially within the electronic music genres.

Artificial Intelligence is a branch of science, engineering and computer science that aims to create machines or software that is capable of solving problems and then learning from its experience. Research that is being done includes training the machine to recognize patterns, writing software that can find the largest amount of possible solutions to a problem and then use the most effective one and the ultimate goal: to create machines that are capable of human interaction and emotion. It has many applications including game engines, speech recognition and computer vision, McCarthy (2007).

Social Media 7/30/10 3:02 PM

The three main international social media networks being used are www.facebook.com; www.deviantart.com and www.flickr.com. A social media network that is being used locally is www.mybyte.co.za.

Facebook is primarily used by people to keep in touch with old and new friends. It has become the electronic version of the “little black book” in that communication has become easier between groups of people.One can access the network by means of creating an account and logging in. You can set the privacy settings so that only the people you accept onto your friends lists are able to view your online profile, FaceBook (2010).This is a website I use on a daily basis, but I try not to spend too much time on it as I mainly log in to check for messages, check my friends’ mental states and then log out.

Deviantart is a social networking site that is aimed primarily at artists or anyone who has a strong interest in any form of creativity. It allows the users to submit their work in an online gallery which is linked to their profile. Anyone can view the work, but one has to create an account in order to submit, Deviantart (2010).This is another website that I use on a daily basis. I normally spend about 2-3 hours depending if I am browsing for inspiration, contributing to the forums or submitting work.

Flickr is a photo sharing network that allows users to submit photos taken from any digital device such as a digital camera or a mobile phone and then create an album which family and friends can view, organise and comment. Flickr Users can use this network by logging into an account that they create, Flickr (2010).I know a few people who use this, but I don't use it all.

Mybyte is a South African social networking site that is aimed at those who are involved or interested in the Information Communication Technology sectors and helps them to connect to each other. I have only just recently discovered this website, so i have not spent any time on it apart from researching it, Mybyte (2010).

A blog, or as it was originally known, a Weblog, is an online journal which the author allows the web surfing public to view and even post comments on the various topics. Topics largely include everyday or extraordinary experiences and hobbies, look in textbook, can have certain content. An example would be WordPress, and it can be classified as a dynamic website, which means that the site is connected to a database so that information can be stored and pulled in an organized fashion, BrandBuildSell (2010).

The three most used blogging networks are:

User Habits and Colour 7/30/10 3:02 PM

WebsitesIn a recent study conducted by, Weinreich and Obendorf (2008:18-19), the average length of time a user will stay on a website is 9.4 seconds. However, a quarter of users will let the page be loaded for no longer than 4 seconds before moving on to the next page.

File size can influence the amount of time the user will spend on your website in terms of how long it takes to download and if in the case of a flash website, if there is an interesting or interactive pre-loader. If the website takes too long to download, the user will quickly lose patience and move on. An example of this can be seen

A megabyte is a measurement of data, that can measure the amount of data stored, as in the case of a hard-drive, or the amount available, as in the case of RAM. It is made up of kilobytes, which are made of bytes, or bits. There has been debate as to what the exact number of bytes there are in a megabyte as one would think there would be a 1000 kilobytes to a megabyte, but it is in fact 1024kb, Indiana University (2010).

Colour Schemes

Red is often associated with passion, fire, danger and blood. It is also a strong masculine colour. In Japan, it is the colour of life.

Red Orange can be associated with desire, pleasure, aggression and domination.

Orange denotes warmth, balance, youth, movement and autumn. It is also associated with ambition and selling. It is the national colour of the Netherlands.

Yellow is often associated with feelings of happiness and memory. It is often used to attract attention to something or someone because it is so bright. In Buddhism, it symbolises wisdom.

Yellow Green means cowardice, pestilence, jealousy and nausea.

Green is associated with healing, earth, growth, renewal and fertility. It is also associated with festivals such as St. Patrick's Day and good luck. In America, it is the colour of money and wealth.

Blue Green/ Turquoise is a colour that is popular with both men and women as it is seen as a sophisticated colour, as well as having a calming effect.

Blue is a colour that has been found to be the least disliked colour by all cultures in the world as it is associated with success. It can mean sadness as well as affection, empathy and harmony. It is also associated with medicine and technology.

Blue Violet is often associated with gloom and frustration. It is also the colour of royalty.

Violet is thought to be the colour of sexual frustration and sensuality. It also evokes creativity and music.

Red violet is thought to be a quirky and spontaneous colour that can also be sensual.

Source: Posadas (2009).

Red: effective colour, especially if used with black and grey as it is quite striking. It is a colour that almost shouts out its need for attention.Blue: is a masculine colour to me personally because of my Western upbringing. It is best used of a cool, calm feeling needs to be achieve.Turquoise: is my preferred colour, especially if used against blue and white and it reminds me of water. It is a good colour if one wants a site to looks calm and professional.Green: is my favourite colour as it always looks refreshing, especially if it is coupled with yellow and brown. It is a very natural colour, so it would be a good colour for those who want a more neutral feel.

Hierarchy And Terminology 7/30/10 3:02 PM

Hierarchy:Is an organization of levels where the most important, or high level part is on the top and the least important or low level is on the bottom. It is a structure that can demonstrate the relationship of these levels. An example would be in the case of a company where the president would be at the top as they are the most important, and then in descending order of positions, the rest of the employees, Busbee (2009). In computing, the user interface would be considered at the top of the hierarchy with the processes following downward.

A tab is a feature in the newer generation of internet browsers that allows for the user to open separate web pages within a single window without cluttering the task bar. Its flexibility also allows one to follow links without losing the original page of reference. Because it operate within the single windows, it is also less resource intensive, with Google chrome being the exception, Mozilla (2010).

RSS stands for Rich Site Summary, or also known as webfeeds, are used to obtain headline news feeds without actually visiting the site. It works be gathering the headline and summary of that particular feed and delivers it to the user's desktop through an application (an aggregator) that retrieves them, as well as the user subscribing to that website's newsfeed, Gahran (2003).

The common definition of Web 2.0 is that is web content that is created by everyday users, rather than just corporates and web administrators. It's key characteristic is that is a collective effort to create content and a new web experience through the use of blogs, social networking systems and pod casts. It is also the age where information is becoming more freely available and easier to access through the use of Google books and the Open book Project. The technology and system of application is through the group of technologies known as Ajax, which is the combination of Asynchronous Javascript and XML, which allows for more complex and dynamic web pages that look attractive and are more interactive, Anderson (2007).

A Favicon is an icon, usually custom made, that appears next to a website's name in the address bar. This icon will also appear in open tabs and bookmarked links. Its name is a combination of Favourites and Icon. Favicons have to be saved as a .ico, Kayne (2010). An example of Google’s favicon enlarged:

The IETF stands for the Internet Engineering Task Force. Their goal is "to make the Internet work better", Alvestrand (2004). By making sure that the technical documents that allows people to design and manage the internet are of high quality and standard and are freely available to anyone who wishes to use them. They do this through an open process that enables them to be transparent about their meetings and findings; they are willing to review and listen to technically competent input for anybody; they accept responsibility for the protocols used on the internet; they implement standards and is entirely made up of volunteers, Alvestrand (2004).

The ICANN stands for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. Their job is to coordinate domain names and IP addresses so that people do not need to remember the IP address of the website they are looking for and the name of the website corresponds to the IP address, ICANN (2010).

Domain registering and site hosting works as follows:

The first thing one must do is to register a domain name. This can be done through companies who have permission from the ICANN to sell domain names. Next, one must set up a Name Server, most companies who sell the domain name will also provide this service as it is the most tricky part of the process. Hosting the website involves using a server or computer that is connected to the internet, this server will host the files that are needed by the website. One can often pay a hosting company to do this as it is easier and cheaper than doing it yourself, Derricott (2007).

References 7/30/10 3:02 PM

Alverstrand, H. 2004. A Mission Statement for the IETF. Available: http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3935.txt. Last accessed 29 July 2010.

Anderson, P. 2007. JISC Technology & Standards Watch:What is Web 2.0?Ideas, technologies and implications foreducation. Available: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/techwatch/tsw0701b.pdf. Last accessed 29 July 2010.

BPC. 2010. Software Deployment / Distribution. Available: http://www.bestpricecomputers.co.uk/glossary/software-deployment.htm. Last accessed 29 July 2010

Bonsor, K. 2010. How Stuff Works: How Augmented Reality works. Available http://www.howstuffworks.com/augmented-reality.htm. Last accessed 29 July 2010

Boswell, W. 2010. How Does a Search Engine Work?. Available: http://websearch.about.com/od/enginesanddirectories/a/searchengine.htm. Last accessed 20 July 2010.

BrandBuildSell. 2010. How to Make a Website: Types of Websites. Available: http://www.brandbuildsell.com/types-of-websites/. Last accessed 29 July 2010

Busbee, K., L. 2009. Hierarchy or Structure Chart. Available: http://cnx.org/content/m18682/latest/. Last accessed 29 July 2010

Cuervo, E., et al. 2010. MAUI: Making Smartphones Last Longer with Code Offload. Available: http://research.microsoft.com/apps/pubs/default.aspx?id=120885. Last accessed 29 July 2010

Derricott, B. 2007. How Website Hosting Works (in Plain English). Available: http://www.agencyfusion.com/blog/2007/02/16/how-website-hosting-works-in-plain-english/. Last accessed 29 July 2010.

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Gahran, A. 2003. What Are Webfeeds (RSS), and Why Should You Care?. Available: http://www.contentious.com/2003/10/18/what-are-webfeeds-rss-and-why-should-you-care-2/. Last accessed 29 July 2010.

Kayne, R. 2010. Wise Geek: What is a Favicon?. Available: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-favicon.htm. Last accessed 29 July 2010.

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McCarthy, J. 2007. What is Artificial Intellegence? Available: http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/whatisai/whatisai.html Last accessed 28 July 2010

Mozilla. 2010. Tabbed Browsing. Available: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/tabs.html. Last accessed 29 July 2010.

Mybyte. 2010. Available: http://www.mybyte.co.za/home.php. Last accessed 23 July 2010

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Image Reference:

Blogger. 2010. Available: Http://www.blogger.com

Deviantart. 2010. Available: http://www.cyberworksstudio.com/. Last accessed 29 July 2010.

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Flickr. 2010. Available: http://l.yimg.com/g/images/logo_home.png.v2. Last accessed 29 July 2010

Hernandez, A. P. 2005. How to Create Glass Transparency in a Cute Photo Manipulation. Available: http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/photo-effects-tutorials/how-to-create-glass-transparency-in-a-cute-photo-manipulation/. Last accessed 28 July 2010

LiveJournal. 2010. File:Livejournal-logo.png. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Livejournal-logo.png. Last accessed 29 July 2010

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