intorduction to life in the information age

Introduction to Life in the information age

In recent years technology has changed they way we live dramatically. All computing is, is binary code which is a series of 0’s and 1‘s that hold instructions so people can easily make better, smarter technologies. A great example is of a sales representative that travelled a thousand miles every week, carried a large diary, an address book, a large road atlas and numerous A-Z’s as well as change for pay phones. However because of changes in technology instead of going to see people he can have discussions over the phone or through e-mail and instead of using atlas’s he can use Sat Nav to get to the location required.

Business offices have changed ever so much about the last 30 years. Offices used to have very few if any computers and they were very big; because of the lack of computers they had a huge amount of filing cabinets for information. There were very little telephones and only important employees had them. Now however offices have a computer for every employee and they are much smaller than they used to be but are quicker and can hold more information; because of this there is no need for any or as many filing cabinets.  

E-mail had also had a big impact on work life. Letter would be sent to employees from the boss and vice versa, however this is very time consuming. E-mail is a quick and easy way for people to communicate within a business making business life much easier for everyone. It also saves having to use lots of paper so it is more efficient.

Many jobs now involve using a computer and employees need to have at least basic knowledge of computing otherwise they will struggle to get jobs. Even car break down services such as the AA use computers, they plug in a computer which runs car diagnostics and identifies the problem.

                                   This is a typical 1970's office,it has filing cabinets, 
                                   no computers and type writers.
                                          

Download services

Download services

Patches

 A patch is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and improving the usability or performance. Though meant to fix problems, poorly designed patches can sometimes introduce new problems.

Torrents

if you are downloading there must be other people that have downloaded it to give it to you say if i downloaded it, the only way u will get it if i leave on my program on and let u downloaded it from me. A torrent is a small text file associated with specific content. When a torrent is opened in a bittorrent program it sets up communications so that transfer of the associated content begins. The transfer of the content is done using the bandwidth of the active users on the torrent.

Cloud storage

An example of cloud storage is Apple’s iCloud which stores your music, photos, documents, and more and wirelessly pushes them to all your devices. Apples statement about iCloud is “Automatic, effortless, and seamless — it just works”

PDF (Portable Document Format)

Portable Document Format (PDF) is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. Each PDF file encapsulates a complete description of a fixed-layout flat document, including the text, fonts, graphics, and other information needed to display it.

Smart phones

Following the success of Apple's App Store other Smartphone manufacturers quickly launched application stores of their own. Google launched the Android Market in October 2008. RIM launched its app store, BlackBerry App World, in April 2009. Nokia launched its Ovi Store in May 2009. Palm launched its Palm App Catalog for webOS in June 2009. Microsoft launched an application store for Windows Mobile called Windows Marketplace for Mobile in October 2009, and then a separate Windows Phone Marketplace for Windows Phone in October 2010. Samsung launched Samsung Apps for its bada based phones in June 2010. Amazon launched its Amazon Appstore for the Google Android operating system in March 2011. Using these people can download games, themes for their phones, ringtones and videos.

online entertainment

Online Entertainment

Pod casts

 A podcast (or non-streamed webcast) is a series of digital media files (either audio or video) that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication. The word replaced webcast in common use with the success of the iPod and its role in the rising popularity and innovation of web feeds. The advantages of pod casts are that people can watch and catch up on television programmes and download them with ease.

Second life

Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars. Residents can explore the world (known as the grid), meet other residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, and create and trade virtual property and services with one another. Second Life is intended for people aged 16 and over, and as of 2011 has about one million active users.  Second life is good because it allows people to live a life they will never be able to have in real life however because they can do this it may end up becoming more important then their real life.                     

Youtube

 Youtube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos.

Internet Radio

Internet radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio webcasting) is an audio service transmitted via the Internet. Music streaming on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted broadly through wireless means.
Internet radio involves streaming media, presenting listeners with a continuous stream of audio that cannot be paused or replayed, much like traditional broadcast media; in this respect, it is distinct from on-demand file serving. Internet radio is also distinct from podcasting, which involves downloading rather than streaming. Many Internet radio services are associated with a corresponding traditional (terrestrial) radio station or radio network. Internet-only radio stations are independent of such associations. Internet radio gives people another way to access the radio so they can listen to it almost anywhere they are.

Internet Television

Internet television (otherwise known as Internet TV, or Online TV) is the digital distribution of television content via the Internet.  Some Internet television is known as catch-up TV. Internet Television is a general term that covers the delivery of television shows and other video content over the internet, typically by major traditional television broadcasters. Internet television has become very popular through services such as RTÉ Player in Ireland; BBC iPlayer, 4oD, ITV Player (also STV Player and UTV Player) and Demand Five in the United Kingdom; Hulu in the United States; Nederland 24 in the Netherlands; ABC iview and Australia Live TV in Australia; and Tivibu in Turkey. Online television is good because it allows people to catch up on episodes of a series they have missed or watch something new.

Internet Gambling

Online gambling, also known as Internet gambling and iGambling, is a general term for gambling using the Internet. There are many ways to gamble online such as:

·         Online poker

·         Online casinos

·         Online sports betting

·         Online bingo

·         Online lottery

·         Online horse race betting

There is also a lot more mobile gambling where people can participate in gambling activities wherever they are.
Normally, gamblers upload funds to the online gambling company, make bets or play the games that it offers, and then cash out any winnings. Gamblers can often fund gambling accounts by credit card or debit card, and cash out winnings directly back to the card.

Online movies

People can watch, download and share movies online. Using websites such as sky player, zune,  love film and more people can stream movies, download them or rent new releases with a click of a button. This is good because it offers a quick and easy way to access new releases or any film that you really want to watch and you don’t have to worry about queues or not having the film you want in stock.

Music

Spotify is a free download and allows you find specific music and stream it and has a vast collection of music from different genres. iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. iTunes can connect to the iTunes Store to purchase and download music, music videos, television shows, iPod games, audiobooks, podcasts, movies and movie rentals and ringtones.