Journal 13

Airlines take first baby steps towards in-flight ‘Net access

Both JetBlue and American Airlines are making plans to roll out onboard Internet access to passengers while in flight. Even though the plans are somewhat different in scope—JetBlue is only offering e-mail and IM connectivity, while American has plans for full ‘Net access—and will only initially be available on certain flights, both represent a significant step towards full online connectivity at 35,000 feet.

JetBlue’s first test flight is next week on Flight 641 from New York to San Francisco using an Airbus 320. The aircraft itself (nicknamed the BetaBlue), is JetBlue’s standard test craft for any multimedia or entertainment services the company wishes to evaluate. Thus far, JetBlue has only received FAA clearance to deploy its Internet connectivity service on the Airbus 320. That’s not a major problem—of the company’s 134 planes, 104 of them are Airbus 320s. JetBlue hasn’t stated if it will seek FAA approval for the 30 Embraer E-190 jets that it also operates.

JetBlue’s test service won’t offer true “Internet” access. General e-mail access and web surfing won’t be permitted, due to bandwidth constraints. Lag should be reasonably good—the service runs off ground-based towers, rather than orbital satellites—but access will be restricted to Yahoo’s e-mail system and instant messaging system . The particular requirement of Yahoo services is probably the result of an unpublicized deal with the company, though Yahoo does claim to have created specific low-bandwidth versions of its services specifically for JetBlue. While this service will provide a basic level of e-mail and IM access, the Yahoo-only restriction will reduce the service’s attractiveness.

American Airlines won’t be rolling out its Internet service as quickly as JetBlue, but the company has confirmed plans to offer its customers on transcontinental flights full access to the Internet, as we first reported back in August. Beginning next year (an exact date has not been specified), American will deploy the service across its Boeing 767-200 fleet. That particular aircraft only represents about 2.2 percent of American’s total fleet, but the service will doubtlessly be added to other planes if it proves popular. Putting the service on transcontinental flights also makes sense—according to recent survey data, only 26 percent of travelers would pay for Internet access on a four-hour flight or less, while 45 percent would pay for service on a flight longer than that.

It’s still not clear how much Internet access would cost on either airline. There seems to be some confusion on this point, with some people claiming that the service will be free, while others say it’ll cost $10. That $10 figure is actually drawn from a Reuters story from last August.

I expect the price of the service will fluctuate as American and JetBlue measure how many customers want the service at various price points. Given that many airlines now charge you for that second bag of peanuts or can of pop, I wouldn’t expect the service to be free. It’s possible that American might choose to offer premium “Web Enabled” flights for a small additional charge (say, $12), or find a way to hide it in the ticket price. Make no mistake—this is a potential profit center as far as airlines are concerned—and one way or the other, you’ll be paying for it.

These programs are clearly in their infancy and, for now, will remain confined to certain specific flights or will be available only as a premium service. For businessmen and women who valued the airplane as the one place where they could snag a few hours of peace, the writing is very clearly on the wall. Not so long from now, the Crackberries will be vibrating and the e-mails streaming in, even when you’re coasting 35,000 feet above the ground.

By Joel Hruska

Journal 12

The User Experiences Of The Future

Over decades we’ve used to adapt our habits, behavior and mindset to technology. We’ve improved our productivity by using tools and devices designed especially for the tasks we have to deal with regularly. But we’ve also constrained our abilities to the features of the very tools and devices we’ve become dependant on.

We’ve got used to a number of things. To traditional mouse-keyboard user interaction, to 2D windows-based user interface and to a rather unspectacular user’s workflow which enables one user interact with only one application at a time. For instance, while you’re browsing in your web browser you can’t scale your text and resize your window simultaneously — unless you are a keyboard-shortcut-master.

Good news: it can be different. Below we present some of the outstanding recent developments in the field of user experience design. Most techniques may seem very futuristic, but they are reality. And in fact, they are extremely impressive. Keep in mind: they can become ubiquitous over the next years.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2007/11/26/monday-inspiration-user-experience-of-the-future/

11th Journal

The top 10 IT disasters of all time!

1. Faulty Soviet early warning system nearly causes WWIII (1983)

2. The AT&T network collapse (1990)

3. The explosion of the Ariane 5 (1996)

4. Airbus A380 suffers from incompatible software issues (2006)

5. Mars Climate Observer metric problem (1998)

6. EDS and the Child Support Agency (2004)

7. The two-digit year-2000 problem (1999/2000)

8. When the laptops exploded (2006)

9. Siemens and the passport system (1999)

10. LA Airport flights grounded (2007)

http://www.zdnet.co.uk/misc/print/0,1000000169,39290976-39001115c,00.htm

10th Journal

Enjoy your speedy broadband Web access while you can.

The Web will start to seem pokey as early as 2010, as use of interactive and video-intensive services overwhelms local cable, phone and wireless Internet providers, a study by business technology analysts Nemertes Research has found.

“Users will experience a slow, subtle degradation, so it’s back to the bad old days of dial-up,” says Nemertes President Johna Till Johnson. “The cool stuff that you’ll want to do will be such a pain in the rear that you won’t do it.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20071119/tc_usatoday/videointeractivitycouldnabwebusersby10;_ylt=AvxXISBFJd6Im5nx7S13GXIjtBAF

9th Journal

No class today! Seems to be a bug going around… Anyway the Event drawing is a lot more fun to play around with. I also think its a bit easier to code and it allows you to see better output. I found this game someone built in a day using Javascript. The game has tons of bugs and its fun to mess up!

http://wholewheatweb.com/

8th Journal

Hope everyone had a great Halloween and weekend!  Really couldn’t find anything to write about that was going on in the programing world.

At this point in the semester I think everyone is trying to see where their grade will end up at the end of the semester and I was just wondering if there would be any other opportunities for Extra Credit?  I know we have a extra Journal during Thanksgiving but I didnt know if there was anything else we could do, too get some extra points!

7th Journal

Multiple Antivirus Apps on One PC?

In general this is a terrible idea. Running multiple security applications at the same time, particularly anything that runs in real time like antivirus or firewall programs, can wreak havoc on Windows, crash your computer, give you many headaches, and, in the very best case, merely slow your computer to a crawl.

The problem is worst with antivirus programs, which is designed to keep constant tabs on files being changed or created without your knowledge. But since antivirus programs are constantly doing this kind of thing behind the scenes, there’s a good chance one program will try to block the behavior of the other program, and vice versa. The result could be a catastrophic failure of both applications (leaving you without any protection), or just general instability in Windows. This is so common that if you try to install one antivirus app on top of another, many installers will warn you not to do so.

Even if you did find a combination of two antivirus apps that work together, would you really be more secure? Probably not. All reputable apps and even most smaller ones do a great job at catching recently released viruses, which are by far the biggest threat to your PC. An old DOS virus that one app doesn’t catch, released 15 years ago and nowhere to be found? Probably nothing to worry about any more. Install the one application you’re comfortable with and, most importantly, keep it up to date.

Now the caveat: This advice does not apply to anti-spyware applications like Ad-Aware and Spybot. Providing you’re using them both only in on-demand mode, scanning your system whenever you request it instead of doing real-time protection (Ad-Aware’s paid version offers this; the free one does not), this is not only OK, it’s recommended. It’s like having two sets of eyes checking over your homework instead of one, and you’re twice as likely to catch anything out of the ordinary, in this case spyware.

So, to sum up: Antivirus and firewall (or all-in-one security suites), only use one. Anti-spyware, install all you want, two or even three are OK.

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/39904;_ylt=AhiAIyDnkRfpdcVyV4w7xWgFLZA5

6th Journal

The Ultimate Guide to Workstation Ergonomics: 10 Easy Tips

If you’re like most people, you spend a good portion of your waking hours sitting at a desk or working with a computer. This time can become painful — and even unbearable — if you don’t take steps to properly set up your workstation to work with your body and not against it.

Creating an ergonomic workstation is easier than you might think, and the payoff can be huge. These tips and resources can get you on the path to making your workstation more ergonomic and maybe even more productive.

Tips

1. Work Area: When setting up a work area, make sure that the space is large enough for you to spread out comfortably and allows for a full range of motion, which can be a special concern for those with especially long limbs. You should also leave plenty of room to arrange the items you use most frequently in such a way that there is no strain for you to reach them.
2. Laptops: When using a laptop, it’s best to use it while it’s on a table rather than on your lap. If you use it frequently, you might be better served by using a separate keyboard and mouse rather than using the built-in keyboard and touch pad to reduce strain on your wrists and hands.
3. Keyboard: If you spend a lot of your workday typing, where you place your keyboard and how you use it can greatly affect your risk for getting RSIs (repetitive stress injuries) like carpal tunnel syndrome. Your keyboard should be placed so that your arms are parallel to your thighs. If your desk doesn’t allow for this, try getting a keyboard tray. You’ll also want to do your best to use good typing techniques, keeping your wrists elevated and not hitting the keys too hard.
4. Mouse: When setting up your desk, make sure to keep your mouse easily within reach and try not to grip it too tightly, as doing so can strain the muscles in your hand. If you find that using a mouse bothers you too much, try using an alternate input device like a trackball or a touch pad.
5. Desk: There is no one-size-fits-all desk, so choose one that is right for you. You can help reduce your chance of injury by getting a document holder, arranging your electronics within your reach and making sure that the area underneath your desk remains uncluttered.
6. Chair: A good chair can do wonders, as sitting is much harder on your back than it might appear to be. Make sure to keep your lower back supported, and adjust your chair so that you can easily reach your keyboard and mouse. If this means raising the chair so that your feet don’t quite reach the floor, get a footrest to help keep your feet from dangling.
7. Monitor: Improperly configured monitors can cause a great deal of eyestrain, resulting in headaches and difficulty concentrating. Center your monitor in front of you at a comfortable distance, and adjust the brightness settings so that it’s easy on your eyes. Make sure to take breaks from staring at your screen, too. Glare can be a problem as well, and if you can’t seem to eliminate it, use a glass glare filter.
8. Lighting: Common office lighting can often create a great deal of eyestrain by making your computer monitor difficult to see. Adjust your shades or lights as much as you can to reduce glare, and position your monitor at such an angle to light sources that reflection is reduced. It can be helpful to keep overhead lights dimmed and use a desk lamp for close work.
9. Work Habits: You can arrange your work habits so that you don’t put undue stress on any part of your body. Make sure to take frequent breaks, get up and walk around, and change positions frequently so that repetitive tasks and static work won’t take their tolls.
10. Phone: It can be tempting to multitask and cradle your phone receiver between your neck and shoulder. However, this should be avoided, as it can create a great deal of strain in your neck muscles. If you need to have your hands free, try using a headset or put the call on speakerphone.

By HR World Editors on October 1, 2007

5th Journal

IBM, Google detail joint initiative

IBM and Google on Monday released details on their “academic cluster computing initiative” to provide data centers for remote computer programming.

The centers would allow a larger number of students and programmers to have access and processing power for writing software code involving massive amounts of data over the Internet, a practice known as “cloud computing.”

The program, which is already under way at the University of Washington, will also be rolled out at Carnegie-Mellon University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Maryland. IBM and Google will provide hardware, software and services.

“The goal of this initiative is to improve computer science students’ knowledge of highly parallel computing practices to better address the emerging paradigm of large-scale distributed computing,” said IBM in a statement.

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9792593-7.html?tag=head

4th Journal

 This is just a little cartoon for a Monday.  Its just a cartoon about how a real world business solution works.  In school we learn ways to stop this from happening but I guess things dont work out sometimes like you plan.

http://www.linuxkungfu.org/images/fun/geek/project.jpg