March 20, 2010
Mashups
Mashups can be interpreted as web application hybrid, a website or web application that combines content from more than one source. In other words, mashups integrates different information which related to correlative subject into one place. The reason why we emphases on mashups is that it benefits the users not only the public but also the government in an effective way to deal with private business even the institutional affairs.
Mashups serves international governance by transforming the original data into valuable information to expedite the process of decision-making. The government could monitor domestic issues like public welfare, development of infrastructure and government budget also the international issue such as global warming. Real-time reporting function could provide historical and latest information to help effectively improve and revise deficiency. Furthermore, it help facilitate the valuable information circulate between government to government and government to public. By doing so, it’s more convenient for government to have a thorough understanding what the citizen really concern about. On the other hand, the public would have clear idea on what government pay attention to and how they take action to certain problems. Through better communication and trust between government and public, critics could be avoidable during the process of constructing our society and country.
We should take advantage of the useful information that mashups bring to us and mashups for sure to help make government more effective.
http://divvoted.com/
http://woozor.us/free-10-days-weather-forecast/weather-forecast-of-los-angeles-ca-in-usa-united-states_214_7200_us.html
March 13, 2010
Global civil society
In current society, global civil society are nongovernmental organization or NGOs, institutions and groups which help to protect citizen’s interest and rights but also facilitate our community. Those NGOs work for non-profit and besides, they are on behalf of common people to let their voices to be heard and rise the attention globally. They have the ability of gathering power and support to protest against government on issues of much concern with citizen. As a result, their influence can’t be neglected.
In the era of information technology, ICTs is considered to be used as efficient and effective means to help either government or NGOs gain support to take care of things internal and external.
Pressure group is the good force to put pressure on government or any other organization ask for change. Group members assemble power by the means of ICTs such as sending email or establishing website. The opposite of the good is the darkness to be the case of collaboration between corporations. Since profit as invisible power to move our society forward, common people become the victims under exploitation to lose social justice which including rich-get-richer and poor-get-poorer.
March 5, 2010
Does Internet Democratize the Consumer? Is privacy a concern?
In modern society, Internet gives us more freedom to make choice when we are browsing the websites. There are lots of options out there while consumers purchasing something they need on the Internet or through other types of media. Internet as the most brilliant invention of the century, many companies take the advantage to promote and sell their products or services because they know that no other media can compare with Internet to have huge impact on consumer and bring them considerable profit.
It’s true that Internet does democratize consumer which it really does a great job to move people’s lives to a better level. However, does it mean that more freedom is better? Before the emergence of the Internet, it’s much easier for consumer to make a simple decision to get what they want. Because they are quite well know that which product or service can actually maximize their needs and satisfaction. The era of information comes and situation changes. Being a digital native, Internet means a lot to our lives. It’s not always a good thing for consumer to face thousands kinds of brands and millions of products when they are making choice. Some one might think more freedom and choices, why not? Sometimes it could be a problem to confuse consumer. It seems that consumer is in a better position but it turns out to be an illusion in the end. No one would like to waste time on making choice every day.
I believe that most of us have personal page such as facebook or twitter to keep in touch with others. We have to set up account and fill in personal information which means the profile shows detail information to everyone. That could be a privacy concern if someone just takes your private info with purpose. Since we are among the social networking, our real private info makes us look “naked” before others which is the other side of a coin.
February 20, 2010
Scrapbook
Yahoo Babel Fish Translator
English to Japanese :
I am a student of University of Toronto (私はトロント大学の学生である)
Japanese to English:
私はトロント大学の学生です(I am the student of the University of Toronto)
February 19, 2010
What are the main arguments in the two readings for this week? Which one do you prefer and why?
The main argument of the two readings is whether cosmopolitanism or cybercentrism would be a better way of communication to create an “electronic global village”. The cosmopolitanism of global village which means we presume a universal humanity and morality and share common freedom of speech and culture in a single community.
As people share a common culture on the Internet, it would be easier to understand what others try to express regardless of nationality and identity. There would be fewer barriers keeping us from moving forward to achieve what we need while we are living in a digital world. However, cybercentrism appears to be the concentration of the approach of social networking link people together to exchange information and communicate.
Multiculturalism also exists in the Internet due to various cultures in realistic life. It is necessary for us to deeply explore what make us interested in. Internet help us a lot to solve the questions in our mind once we get stuck in unfamiliar knowledge.
Actually, I prefer to the cosmopolitanism because Internet has already rooted in our daily life which make it easier for us and we have same faith that communication technology will light up our future .
January 30, 2010
Are wikis an effective means of communication? Why or why not? Why does it matter?
Before knowing about wikis, I tried many different ways to find answer except wikis once I had question in my mind. Few years ago, my first time to get touch with wikis was an amazing experience. It can provide whatever I’m looking for around our daily life on the internet. For sure wikis is an effective means of communication. Because wikis has a huge data base that it covers not only common sense in our life but also academic and professional fields as if an information exchange medium that users can easily have access to it to get what they need. At the mean time, the information posted online is new updated and can be edited anytime regardless of the geography matter.
However, wikis could do a better job though it is an effective means of communication. For instance, users can post whatever they think is correct based on their own knowledge and life experience without being screened before they publish. Since most of users’ knowledge is limited, the information posted might mislead the info seekers and the number could be thousands due to wikis is such a famous website that attracts plenty of readers. Moreover, wikis works as well as the web1.0 which limits interaction and communication between each other.
In a word, wikis is still a useful tool when we need it. Nevertheless, it is way far to enhance its features to make it more reliable for those who use it.
January 23, 2010
Should we be worried about the digital divide? Why or why not?
Before arguing about should we be worried about the digital divide or not, it is better to know about the definition of digital divide first. We can understand digital divide as the gap between those who own or have access to a computer and the Internet and those who do not , often as a result of socioeconomic factors.
The new media have great effect on our society , economy and our daily life through communication. When the new technology comes to our life, the way we used to exchange information has changed form mass communication to media communication. People with higher socioeconomical status or those who live in developed country have access to new form of media technology due to objective condition. However, technology created by human makes the distance further between the rich and the poor. The reason why we should not be worried about the digital divide is that this issue has been recognized and people are trying to fix the gap. Although we might not be able to completely eliminate the gap in the near future, the efforts spent on it have gradually narrow down the gap between those who have access to Internet and those who do not.
As a matter of fact , though we are not worried about the digital divide , it does not mean that this kind of gap would not stop expanding. Therefore , we should keep putting efforts on such long-run project and encourage people to take such advantage to create their own value to make contribution to the society and country.
January 16, 2010
How would being a ‘digital native’ affect my answer to this question?
Being a ‘digital native’ , I start redefining the world connected by Internet. Actually, we live in a environment which is full of information and communication. Compared to Web1.0 and Web2.0 , we can be more easier and faster to find what we need on Web3.0 platform. This will be a revolutionary improvement that is enough to move the Internet world to a upper level. Be more accurate and faster to provide not only what we need but also what we want . As a result, we should be well prepared to enter another Internet era.
How could Web 3.0 change my life ?
I would like to define Web 3.0 as semantic web that everyone is able to create value by producing and transmitting information on the web. Moreover, people who have knowledge of internet can participate in helping the development of internet and fundamentally change the way people live. For example, I would like to shop online on the website such as ebay and taobao rather than going to the store. Because the sellers usually post the information on product on the website so that consumers can better know about the product. Life is getting easier and more convenient than before.
