This week in ISM3004 we learned about advanced storage in computer systems. One particular system we learned about was the RAID1. I think this particular system is best for high security systems that contain sensitive information. The attributes of the RAID1 that make it the best for this scenario are if there is a single drive failure the RAID1 will not lose any data and continue working at full speed. This could be very important for a bank or similar type of business that uses software.
However, there are many types of RAID systems and each one caters to a particular type of system. For instance, the RAID5 is very common in network servers. I would imagine RAID5 is popular among large companies with many different computers that pull from one server or memory drive.
For businesses that are looking to store large amounts of data with low costs, the HSM enterprise storage is probably the best option. The net result is usually more total capacity and you spend less money on high performance disk systems.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
WEEK 13:CLEAR
This week in ISM3004 we learned about various computer functions including viruses, piracy, acceptable use policies and many other things. I enjoyed learning more about secure e-mail and the ways I could use it personally and in the business world.
I also read over the University of Florida's acceptable use policy and found it very interesting. E-mails on the surface seem like just simple messages from one person to another person, but they are complex. They are subject to Florida Public Records law. UF also does a great job of explicitly stating that chain mail, hate mail, spamming and virus hoaxing are illegal on UF's e-mail server. After four years at the university, I have seen less than 10 e-mails of this nature.
I also remember when people were phishing on the UF Webmail and UF cracked down on it right away, educating students to not give their password to anyone. These are all great things to have in the acceptable use policy.
I also read over the University of Florida's acceptable use policy and found it very interesting. E-mails on the surface seem like just simple messages from one person to another person, but they are complex. They are subject to Florida Public Records law. UF also does a great job of explicitly stating that chain mail, hate mail, spamming and virus hoaxing are illegal on UF's e-mail server. After four years at the university, I have seen less than 10 e-mails of this nature.
I also remember when people were phishing on the UF Webmail and UF cracked down on it right away, educating students to not give their password to anyone. These are all great things to have in the acceptable use policy.
Secure E-mail Project
This week in ISM3004 we had to use Microsoft Thunderbird to send e-mails that are electronically signed and encrypted. Several businesses use secure e-mail to exchange information and create business transactions over the Internet.
One of the businesses that does this is one of my favorites - Nike. In a Business Wire article, Nike announced that they purchased a worldwide license for its World Secure (TM) Server. By doing this, Nike was able to establish a "S/MIME Network" with its key trading partners in order to seamlessly and securely exchange proprietary and sensitive information over Internet e-mail.
I think this move to secure e-mail makes a lot of sense for Nike. I imagine they do so much business around the globe, especially China, and the best and fastest way to exchange business transactions is over secure e-mail. It is also interesting to note that his article was published in 1999 and it mentions how Nike can be a huge corporation setting the trend for secure e-mail in all businesses. I think it is very prevalent today in business, and I had to use it for my internship and sign things with PDF documents as well.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
WEEK 12: CLEAR
This week in ISM3004 I learned a lot about server hardware. This was a valuable learning experience because my previous summer internship I worked in a big office with tons of computers and technology gadgets, but I didn't understand how everything really worked together. These lectures gave me a better idea on how the office protects itself against power failures from lightning storms or circuit breaker trips.
I remember during one meeting we were "skyping" with the office in London in the conference room. The connection went out on one television screen but switched over to the adjacent television screen and the connection dropped. It is great how this technology can protect itself and reduce server administration paranoia.
There was a cluster of networks in the office with different computers connected to many different power supplies - a great therapy to prevent any shortages or losses of important data. I did have on experience where I thought I lost this information; however, when the IT person was called he was able to fix and retrieve it for me. That is how most of his time was used. User error is the greatest cause of lost data.
I remember during one meeting we were "skyping" with the office in London in the conference room. The connection went out on one television screen but switched over to the adjacent television screen and the connection dropped. It is great how this technology can protect itself and reduce server administration paranoia.
There was a cluster of networks in the office with different computers connected to many different power supplies - a great therapy to prevent any shortages or losses of important data. I did have on experience where I thought I lost this information; however, when the IT person was called he was able to fix and retrieve it for me. That is how most of his time was used. User error is the greatest cause of lost data.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
VoIP and Video Capture
VoIP was very easy to use and entertaining. Using Jing I was able to get screen captures and audio recording of my computer screen in a video. I had never used software like this before. I Skype every once and while. For this assignment, I called my brother as you can see in the video.
I hope you enjoy the video. You can watch it HERE.
I hope you enjoy the video. You can watch it HERE.
Monday, November 8, 2010
AVATAR
I just made an avatar of myself. Check it out here.
It looks similar to me with brown, spiked hair and green eyes. I love to play basketball, and I try and play 3-5 days a week. I used Meez to create my avatar. It was surprisingly simple and very interactive. The process starts with the basics of you picking your skin color, face, eye color and hair. Then there are tons of options to "purchase" (although its free because they give you the points) to get items to enhance your avatar and give your personal touch. There was a variety of looks, faces, hairstyles, clothes and accessories to choose from.
I decided to choose the basketball jersey, shorts, and shoes. I wanted to enhance it further so I found a basketball and got my finger spinning. Meez also lets you choose a background and you can find a great one easily by searching through the categories you want. To further the basketball theme, I went with an outdoor court in the city just like where I used to play growing up.
It looks similar to me with brown, spiked hair and green eyes. I love to play basketball, and I try and play 3-5 days a week. I used Meez to create my avatar. It was surprisingly simple and very interactive. The process starts with the basics of you picking your skin color, face, eye color and hair. Then there are tons of options to "purchase" (although its free because they give you the points) to get items to enhance your avatar and give your personal touch. There was a variety of looks, faces, hairstyles, clothes and accessories to choose from.
I decided to choose the basketball jersey, shorts, and shoes. I wanted to enhance it further so I found a basketball and got my finger spinning. Meez also lets you choose a background and you can find a great one easily by searching through the categories you want. To further the basketball theme, I went with an outdoor court in the city just like where I used to play growing up.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
WEEK 11: CLEAR
This week in ISM3004 we learned about system analysts and their role in some specific projects at the University of Florida and business in general. It was interesting to get a real life perspective from Christine Schoeff and what her UF project for instructor evaluations. She helped develop the program to create the instructor evaluations completely online so all students can easily do them, whether they are distance learning students in Man's Food or at a class here on campus.
I was really intrigued by the amount of human interaction and actual interpersonal communication skills needed to a successful system analyst. From planning all the way to the last part of the cycle, operations, support and security, there are large amounts of communication necessary with your team as well as outsiders affiliated with the project. The analyst needs to develop a solution or enhance a business model and this is done by speaking to lowest person on the company ladder to the senior executives. Communication skills here are a must because some employees may resist change when they don't see a problem.
The system analysts job is to watch and listen. I thought Shoeff's example of getting work done was great. She said she preferred to do 3% each day instead 50% during the week and 50% over the weekend. That way didn't put all her eggs in one basket in case something went wrong one day. You would never be able to bounce back from a 50% loss if that was the work schedule you chose.
I was really intrigued by the amount of human interaction and actual interpersonal communication skills needed to a successful system analyst. From planning all the way to the last part of the cycle, operations, support and security, there are large amounts of communication necessary with your team as well as outsiders affiliated with the project. The analyst needs to develop a solution or enhance a business model and this is done by speaking to lowest person on the company ladder to the senior executives. Communication skills here are a must because some employees may resist change when they don't see a problem.
The system analysts job is to watch and listen. I thought Shoeff's example of getting work done was great. She said she preferred to do 3% each day instead 50% during the week and 50% over the weekend. That way didn't put all her eggs in one basket in case something went wrong one day. You would never be able to bounce back from a 50% loss if that was the work schedule you chose.
DATABASE Project
I learned a vast amount about Microsoft Access this past week, especially since I had never used before. I think of Access as Microsoft Excel with a specific business orientation. Whatever that business maybe, Access has the tools to fit those business needs and keep things organized. I learned how to take a lot of information about customers - demographics, addresses, phone numbers, etc. Then I learned how to take that information and put into new member forms by requesting only those individuals that met certain criteria. I think Access is very useful in that regard.
I think one way to increase the functionality of this database would be to specify it more according to the gym's business model. Are clients signing membership contracts for a year, month-to-month, or no contract. We could further define the customers by membership length instead from a membership standpoint of just "individual" or "family." I think having this aspect of the database will allow the gym to enhance their business by seeing what type of membership most people use, when they cancel, and what membership make the gym the most money.
I think one way to increase the functionality of this database would be to specify it more according to the gym's business model. Are clients signing membership contracts for a year, month-to-month, or no contract. We could further define the customers by membership length instead from a membership standpoint of just "individual" or "family." I think having this aspect of the database will allow the gym to enhance their business by seeing what type of membership most people use, when they cancel, and what membership make the gym the most money.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
WEEK 10: CLEAR
This week in ISM3004 we learned about a database program called Microsoft ACCESS. I have never used it before, and I had heard very little of it up to this point until now. Most people might think this program is complex and difficult to use, but I thought it was a brilliantly designed program after watching the lectures about it from class.
It is like Microsoft Excel. It is very complex, performs numerous amounts of functions and can display large amounts of data. However, I thought it's interface was very user friendly. I think all the real world applications ACCESS has with companies is amazing. For all types of businesses, it is important to have relational databases to stay organized and efficient. It is definitely a software program I look forward to mastering to help better prepare me for the future workforce. Our lecturer spoke about how one of his former students made Tropicana's business operations much more efficient after creating a database with ACCESS.
One of the things I like about ACCESS is its versatility. It has templates for forms and reports that can hold a variety of information and fields. It is a great tool for orders because it can create the order, retrieve the order, update it and even delete it.
I look forward to completing the class project using ACCESS.
It is like Microsoft Excel. It is very complex, performs numerous amounts of functions and can display large amounts of data. However, I thought it's interface was very user friendly. I think all the real world applications ACCESS has with companies is amazing. For all types of businesses, it is important to have relational databases to stay organized and efficient. It is definitely a software program I look forward to mastering to help better prepare me for the future workforce. Our lecturer spoke about how one of his former students made Tropicana's business operations much more efficient after creating a database with ACCESS.
One of the things I like about ACCESS is its versatility. It has templates for forms and reports that can hold a variety of information and fields. It is a great tool for orders because it can create the order, retrieve the order, update it and even delete it.
I look forward to completing the class project using ACCESS.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
WEEK 9: CLEAR
This week in ISM3004 we discussed the Internet and its basic infrastructure. As an Internet user for many years now, this content was very clear and refreshing.
For example, one of the lectures focused on domain names, which every Web site has. I had studied this topic for a previous class when I did a focus study on an NBA star named Chris Bosh. Bosh won a court case and was given the rights of nearly 800 domain names. The reason there was a legal battle was because the defendant had purchased many domain names of professional, college and even high school athletes. For example, www.chrisbosh.com. In purchasing the rights to these names, the defendant hoped to resell them back to each player for a significant price; however, the court did not agree and Chris Bosh won all of the names but offered to give them back to each player for free.
We also learned about Web 2.0 and some of its uses like enhancing communication and providing excellent business presentations. It was almost funny learning about the Internet, especially when discussing the days before wireless and we used telephone modems or cable connectors. Things have definitely changed for the better. We also discussed search engines like Google and other ways to navigate the Web.
For example, one of the lectures focused on domain names, which every Web site has. I had studied this topic for a previous class when I did a focus study on an NBA star named Chris Bosh. Bosh won a court case and was given the rights of nearly 800 domain names. The reason there was a legal battle was because the defendant had purchased many domain names of professional, college and even high school athletes. For example, www.chrisbosh.com. In purchasing the rights to these names, the defendant hoped to resell them back to each player for a significant price; however, the court did not agree and Chris Bosh won all of the names but offered to give them back to each player for free.
We also learned about Web 2.0 and some of its uses like enhancing communication and providing excellent business presentations. It was almost funny learning about the Internet, especially when discussing the days before wireless and we used telephone modems or cable connectors. Things have definitely changed for the better. We also discussed search engines like Google and other ways to navigate the Web.
Project 2.0
This week an ISM3004 we had to create a presentation. I used Microsoft Powerpoint and then used a Web 2.0 site called Slide Boom to upload to the Web. My presentation was about fundraising for the Foundation For Fighting Blindness in order to help find a cure for retinitis pigmentosa or RP.
I thought slides flowed very well from one to the next, and I immediately grabbed the audience's attention with a visual image of what a normal person would see looking at a beautiful landscape compared to what someone with RP sees. However, the audience may be left with some questions, but the topic is very scientific and complex. In order to answer everyone's questions, a long presentation would be necessary. I tried to cover the overall basis of the eye disease and ways that people could help by going to the foundation's Web site. I used a large font in order to have eligible text because you can never what size room you will be presenting in. It is very important to always be clear and concise.
Also, it was great having the opportunity to critique a classmate's presentation. The person I critiqued had a very well done presentation that really brought attention to some of the weaknesses and strengths in my own.
Overall, I think I learned a lot from this project and how I can use Web 2.0 tools to enhance my skill set in the business world. Presentations are an opportunity to really make a difference and differentiate yourself from your colleagues. I think using Slide Boom was very helpful. It very easy to use and create a presentation that you send around the world for instance if it was a global meeting. With the creation of Web 2.0, it is very exciting what the typical business meeting will look like in the future with all this new technology.
Here is a link to my presentation.
Foundation for Fighting Blindness Presentation
I thought slides flowed very well from one to the next, and I immediately grabbed the audience's attention with a visual image of what a normal person would see looking at a beautiful landscape compared to what someone with RP sees. However, the audience may be left with some questions, but the topic is very scientific and complex. In order to answer everyone's questions, a long presentation would be necessary. I tried to cover the overall basis of the eye disease and ways that people could help by going to the foundation's Web site. I used a large font in order to have eligible text because you can never what size room you will be presenting in. It is very important to always be clear and concise.
Also, it was great having the opportunity to critique a classmate's presentation. The person I critiqued had a very well done presentation that really brought attention to some of the weaknesses and strengths in my own.
Overall, I think I learned a lot from this project and how I can use Web 2.0 tools to enhance my skill set in the business world. Presentations are an opportunity to really make a difference and differentiate yourself from your colleagues. I think using Slide Boom was very helpful. It very easy to use and create a presentation that you send around the world for instance if it was a global meeting. With the creation of Web 2.0, it is very exciting what the typical business meeting will look like in the future with all this new technology.
Here is a link to my presentation.
Foundation for Fighting Blindness Presentation
Sunday, October 10, 2010
WEEK 7: CLEAR
This week in class we learned about presentation design. There are many factors that going into a good presentation, and ultimately computers can be an enhancement to any presentation. With Microsoft Powerpoint, a visual slide show captivating your audience can be very beneficial when giving the best presentation to your audience.
Effective presentations use creativity while at the same time embracing constraints. You don't want to include everything, but you want to include the best pieces of information for your audience. There's an informational aspect as well as an emotional one, and it is important to achieve the proper balance when delivering your presentation. It is important for the information to flow, sell ideas, start with a dramatic opening and anticipate audience questions while creating your presentation.
The signal to noise ratio should be your guiding baseline. It's foundation is simplicity and it helps the presenter avoid noisy graphs, clutter and complication - making your presentation clear and deliverable.
When thinking about your presentation, a very helpful guide is Duarte Design's 5 Rules. This video contains the ways to make a great presentation.
Effective presentations use creativity while at the same time embracing constraints. You don't want to include everything, but you want to include the best pieces of information for your audience. There's an informational aspect as well as an emotional one, and it is important to achieve the proper balance when delivering your presentation. It is important for the information to flow, sell ideas, start with a dramatic opening and anticipate audience questions while creating your presentation.
The signal to noise ratio should be your guiding baseline. It's foundation is simplicity and it helps the presenter avoid noisy graphs, clutter and complication - making your presentation clear and deliverable.
When thinking about your presentation, a very helpful guide is Duarte Design's 5 Rules. This video contains the ways to make a great presentation.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
WEEK 6: CLEAR
This week in ISM3004 we learned about images, audio and video. With everything becoming more intertwined with multimedia, having the basic knowledge and skills to use image, audio and video files is very important as I look into my future career. Many job listing I see require skills with Photoshop - how to crop jpeg images and other tools.
There are a variety of easy to use programs to help you learn and use these various technologies. You can learn how to edit raw audio to get the perfect soundbite or cut a video into the perfect scenes. One of the programs I have used in the past is Animoto. This software program is free and allows you to create video slide shows from your images and add audio as well. It makes the presentation way more exciting.
Every summer, my two older brothers and I go to Southern California for a week and spend time with one of our older cousins who lives there and owns some great restaurants. If you'd like to see the video slide show of my California trip in 2009, click here.
Using these variety of platforms - images, audio and video - together can really make an exciting presentation.
There are a variety of easy to use programs to help you learn and use these various technologies. You can learn how to edit raw audio to get the perfect soundbite or cut a video into the perfect scenes. One of the programs I have used in the past is Animoto. This software program is free and allows you to create video slide shows from your images and add audio as well. It makes the presentation way more exciting.
Every summer, my two older brothers and I go to Southern California for a week and spend time with one of our older cousins who lives there and owns some great restaurants. If you'd like to see the video slide show of my California trip in 2009, click here.
Using these variety of platforms - images, audio and video - together can really make an exciting presentation.
Excel Project
When I first opened the Excel page "Raw Data" I was overwhelmed. There were so many rows and columns filled with numbers. At a first glance, there is no telling what it all could possibly mean. However, I really learned during this project that Microsoft Excel can take such a large amount of data and truly make it manageable - in other words - simply make sense. I was able to really dissect the data in a real world scenario. I created a formula for the highest heart rate achieved from the data using the MAX formula. In addition, in order to create a target heart rate using the number specified, 80 percent, I had to use absolute addressing in the formula to create the target heart rates for all the subjects. The pivot tables were an excellent way to show the data to the fitness center's owner is a visible fashion. I dissected the data according to who achieved and did not achieve their target heart rate, specifying between male and female.
Overall, the project was a great learning experience, and I definitely see all the real world application Excel has.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
WEEK 5: CLEAR
This week in ISM3004 we learned several of the innovative function of Microsoft Excel. Excel has millions and millions of capabilities, but one of its best features is the ability to take large amount of data and form clear, concise pivot tables displaying that exact data.
Although this feature has a variety of uses in the workforce, it also was one of the main portions of my final project for my Fact Finding class with professor Wayne Garcia. It was a Florida Legislature research project where I had to research and compile data on Representative Maria Sachs. Using Excel pivot tables I was able to show a information about Sachs' campaign in an organized manner. I documented her campaign contributions and expenditures, listing them in separate pivot tables according to city, state and zip and by occupation.
There are many ways to express the information in a pivot table. You can use an exploding pie chart like the picture above. There are generic ways to easily use pivot tables for your information, but there are also many tricks.
Friday, September 17, 2010
WEEK 4: CLEAR
This past summer I had a lot of experience with vertical software. Vertical software aims at addressing the needs of any given business but has specific components for a particular industry or business type. I worked for the WTA Tour, women's professional tennis, and some of tasks I had were preparing preview notes and match statistics for tournaments. I did all of this on specific software program for the WTA that kept a database of player rankings, seeds, player bios, etc. This software was made for this type of industry, or sport.
In addition, I also used horizontal software for the WTA. Horizontal software are applications that are useful in a wide range of industries. Microsoft Excel is a great example of a software program that has far reaching capabilities for all kinds of businesses. I had to use Microsoft Excel for spreadsheets which monitored player coaching and other statistics. These programs are great because of their universal qualities, and they are very helpful in keeping business organized.
These types of software are very different, but both share a purpose of helping business and industries stay organized and productive. Sometimes, the general program (horizontal) is not always enough, and a more specific program (vertical) is needed to achieve the goals of the organization.
In addition, I also used horizontal software for the WTA. Horizontal software are applications that are useful in a wide range of industries. Microsoft Excel is a great example of a software program that has far reaching capabilities for all kinds of businesses. I had to use Microsoft Excel for spreadsheets which monitored player coaching and other statistics. These programs are great because of their universal qualities, and they are very helpful in keeping business organized.
These types of software are very different, but both share a purpose of helping business and industries stay organized and productive. Sometimes, the general program (horizontal) is not always enough, and a more specific program (vertical) is needed to achieve the goals of the organization.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
WEEK 3: CLEAR
In ISM3004 this week I learned about the complexities of of system software, applications and various user interfaces. Each part of the computer has many fragments (unless we're talking about Macs that do not need to defragment.
However, all of this complexity and burying more information on top of more information makes it imperative to have a highly sophisticated search option. For Windows XP and Vista the search bar is there. Macs have Spotlight, and each program can you find files and programs easily on your computer.
Search options are staying ahead of the curve and adapting to the evolution of more highly sophisticated computers. Recently, another option like Google Desktop which allows you to search through the Google network created "Instant Search." This new innovation gives you search options as you type into the search bar, making searching faster and easier. Google says it will also create even more searching.
It is great to see that searching options in computers and on the Internet are keeping pace with the innovations and changing computers. This relationship will allow us to have the most user-friendly experience.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Week 2: CLEAR
This week in ISM3004 we learned about various computer parts on the personal computer. One of the parts I love to use is the graphics processing unit, or GPU. The GPU is a specialized microprocessor that offloads and accelerates 3D or 2D graphics and can be found on most computers. In addition, mobile phones and game consoles have a GPU as well.
This is one of my favorite features because it allows me to watch videos. The GPU is different in every system. The video quality is worse in my HP Mini than it is in my Dell. I even watch videos on my Blackberry.
Part of the video components of a computer is the resolution. If your system has more pixels, it has a clearer picture. These components are ideal for video watching. To view a history and learn more about the GPU click here.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Week 1: CLEAR
For ALL my blog followers out, my blog will now be taking a new direction away from health/fitness and into computing in the business environment - ISM3004.
In week 1 we learned about copyright, and watched a very thrilling video with Disney characters to help educate the average person on copyright laws. Someone who successfully files a copyright will have that idea copyrighted for their lifetime plus 70 years. This is very clear and makes person sense.
A great example is Ron Popiel, the famous kitchen appliance inventor. In Malcolm Gladwell's book "What the Dog Saw," Gladwell discusses great inventors of ideas how these people thought of them and became successful. Popiel is no exception. He revolutionized kitchen appliances with inventions like the Chop-O-Matic. Popiel put tireless effort and energy in making this product which has benefited so many people. He should get credit and own the rights to the design he thought of, even 70 years after he has passed. His family should be entitled to that success because there should be great incentive for inventions like Popiel's that improve society.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
