S2W4 Wednesday: Zynga, Nasdaq hacked; Social gaming addiction; Computer Flashback

1. Zynga, Nasdaq Hacked

 Here are a couple of stories that caught my eye. Firstly, the company Zynga, responsible for such gaming powerhouses as Farmville and Petville got hacked. The individual stole a whoping 400 billion in virtual poker tokens which amounts to about $12 million in real life. He then proceeded to try and fence these off to others to monetise his theft. Doesn't say much for Zynga security. 

http://www.businessinsider.com/zynga-hacked-12-million-stolen-2011-2

 From virtual casinos to a "real" one, the Nasdaq technology stock bourse (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System) has also been hacked 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/05/nasdaq-hackers-idUSN0514862120110205

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2. Social Gaming Addiction

Here is a story which is cause for concern:

http://blog.games.com/2010/10/28/farmville-facebook-gaming-addiction-runs-rampant-the-years-he/

 

Here some statistics from a different article:

• More young children know how to play a computer game (58%) than swim (20%) or ride a bike (52%)
• 28% of young children can make a mobile phone call, but only 20% know to dial 911 in case of an emergency
• 69% of children aged 2-5 can operate a computer mouse, but only 11% can tie their own shoelaces

 Here is the article from zdnet.com:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/feeds/social-gaming-the-popularity-the-kids-the-concerns/3503

Please leave a comment about your thoughts on gaming addiction, in particular on social network gaming. Have you been exposed to it? In what ways?

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3. Computer Flashback

Here's a look back in time to the computers of yesteryear. Would you like one of these or a new iPhone 4? Many of these would sell at a premium today because they are collectors items:

http://www.topdesignmag.com/oldest-computer-ads/

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Meat - courtesy of Rebecca and Tacha

This is the wesite for the video on meat.org, which is awearness for what is happening in slaughter houses. It has 1 bad word in it ( that is not said outloud it is written) and is a 13 minute video.

We wan't to put it up on the site, because it is really sad, and it want's to make you become a vegatarian. :)

S2W3 Monday: Technology Trends, Augmented Reality and Professor Teaches

1. Sixteen Technology-Driven Trends for 2011

The first link for today is an article that plots out some of the trends set to shape technology in 2011. Please have a read:

http://www.flashforesight.com/trends-for-2011/

What are the implications of the trend towards mobile computing and Internet? Please leave a comment outlining your thoughts on the matters discussed in the article. Consider the levelling affect of mobile computers in the developing world where the threshold for computing is being lowered so more individuals are empowered. Imagine how countries like China, Indonesia and India might change as so-called smart phones with extensive Internet capabilities becomes more widespread. The political ramifications of communication through the likes of Twitter has been seen across Northern Africa in recent weeks. What might the future hold?

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2. Augmented Reality

 

That's right, the future has arrived. We are currently seeing an explosion in application that use this technology. Please watch the video below for a brief introduction to this topic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-A1l4Jn6EY&feature=player_embedded#

Here is a look at how it might look when integrated into glasses:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_u34kV9go0&feature=fvw

And here a more prosaic application:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fZk0HaIs4s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztoWLgv0Dow&feature=related

We will revisit this topic later in the term and perhaps try our hand at it ourselves.

Check out these links too:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality 

http://www.wikitude.org/en

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3. Professor Teaches Access

 

Use the rest of the lesson time today to continue with the Professor Teachs Access  fundamentals. I will give you some time next Monday to complete Chapter 2 and then we will do a quiz. You will also receive your quiz back on Wednesday next week.

Xtranormal Class Videos

Xtranormal

Here are the Xtranormal by those who finished them

"Da Swap" by Alex:

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/8280657

 "HomeBoyz" by Sebastian:

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/8280654

"Hahahahahaha" by Megan:

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/8280664

"An Interesting Conversation" by Julie:

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/8280659

S2W2 Friday: Zuckerberg hacked, Qwiki unveiled, Lady Gaga and Shakira songs leaked

1. Facebook Hack

Right, the first link for today proves that even if you are a billionare and the owner of Facebook, your account is not safe:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/sns-cnn-zuckerberg-facebook-page-hacked,0,4370718.story

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2. Qwiki

 

And from Zuckerberg's erstwhile business partner comes a new website Kwiki which looks interesting and purports to offer "information experiences":

Qwiki.com

Here are videos about it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g6xXjdMGSE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Sdf_VcSNp8

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3. Pop Star Songs Leaked

 Meanwhile, it is not just Mr. Zuckerberg who is being hacked. Here is an article about a recording company who lost a few songs by stars Lady Gaga, Shakira and others:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,741667,00.html#ref=nlint

S2W1 Wednesday: Typing, ePortfolio, Professor Teaches

Right, off we go with a new term. Here is the plan for today:

1. Typing - get back into the swing of things with your favourite typing program

2. Check your ePortfolio on the server at "iswanet" (or 192.168.100.50 if "iswanet" doesn't work) to make sure everything is up to date. If it is not, update it and ask me to transfer the updated version to the server.

Answer these questions for yourself:

* Is your Animal webquest presentation on there?

* Is there an appropriate photo for each subject page? E.g. Abacus for maths.

* Is the information up-to-date?

3. Get familiar with Professor Teaches Microsoft Access. It can be found on the server under Curriculum>Computing>Professor Teaches. Click on the executable file to install it.

Welcome to the Year 8 Computing Site

Purpose of this Site

I will ask you to refer to this page in class in order to give you information such as links and materials that will be dealt with in class. When the time comes, it will also serve as a useful tool for revision. The other important points worth making is that you can communicate with eachother via the comments. An example of naming convention used for the posts is as follows: S2W1 = Semester 2 Week.

Course Outline

I hope you are looking forward to 2011 and Semester 2. For those of you that are unaware or have forgotten, the basic weekly structure for this course is as follows:

Mondays Period 5 - Computing Theory

Wednesdays Periods 3 & 4 - Microsoft Office

Fridays Periods 7 & 8 - Multimedia

Homework will usually only be given to those who are unable to complete class work to an appropriate standard within the given time. Nonetheless, always bring your diary and appropriate writing implement to class.

If you have any questions about the course or need help with a computing problem, please see me during lunch on Wednesdays when the computer lab is generally open to students.

Here's to a successful Semester and 2011!