2 weeks down. 2 weeks to go.
Time simply flies.
TEST
So today we had an online test covering what we had learn so far in EIR.
Lectures 1 - 5. I barely studied the night before and was just hoping I can somehow pass it.
Yes eventually I did. Relieved. Okay though its just 10%, everything counts!
LESSON
We then moved on to the next topic: Evaluation of Internet Resources.
Now that we already know which search facilities to use for which kind of research, and how to use them effectively, we must know how to evaluate the resources we had gathered.
There is a need to evaluate the resources because of many factors. It can be that the resource contains large amount of useless/irrelevant information, is out-dated, lacks quality, and many more. Therefore, these factors must be taken note of before using the information for one's work. Basically finding out the main purpose of the site is important.
ROLE PLAY
The 'fellow Singaporeans', the 'Foreigner', and the 'Government'.
Its a role play applied practically for this new topic of evaluating resources. So basically each of those party are supposed to evaluate a site called TalkingCock (click on name to visit site). The point of the role play - is to know that people from different walks of life (or whatever), see things differently.
For example in the role play, the 'Foreigner' does not understand the language of the TalkingCock site. He/she may not be able to pick up the humour of the site and so regard it as a useless site. Whereas for the 'fellow Singaporeans', they know what talking cock means. Furthermore being Singaporeans, Singlish is part and parcel of life and thus understanding the site which is full of those language will not be a problem.
Hence, evaluating a site from different perspective produce different results! And I think it is good to analyse the resource from different angles for we will understand it better. Guess thats all for now. Till next time.
black will paint over white,
& red will stain it.
` samarra .
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
'The Unseen'
Yesterday we learned about the existence of Invisible Web. It is also known as "Deep Web" or "dark matter". To me, these titles it is known for is alone enough to make me guess that it is a site that holds classified information. True enough, my guess is right.
Even though they are high-quality authoritative information, these Invisible Webs can be accessed through the world wide web BUT cannot be picked up by general-purpose search engines. The reasons are due to to technical limitations or intentionally 'hid' from the index of Web pages.
Though it may have possessed great information, researchers are not recommended to only use materials from the site alone. They must also be used in juxtaposition with other materials from other information resources.
A great thing our school digital library possess one "Invisible Web". It is called Books 24X7. It is said to contain over 6K titles covering more than 100 different topics and also possess its own search engine! Sounds great. I should check it out soon for my topic.
Invisible Web sure sounds 'underground', but digging it up is surely worth it!
black will paint over white,
& red will stain it.
` samarra .
Even though they are high-quality authoritative information, these Invisible Webs can be accessed through the world wide web BUT cannot be picked up by general-purpose search engines. The reasons are due to to technical limitations or intentionally 'hid' from the index of Web pages.
Though it may have possessed great information, researchers are not recommended to only use materials from the site alone. They must also be used in juxtaposition with other materials from other information resources.
A great thing our school digital library possess one "Invisible Web". It is called Books 24X7. It is said to contain over 6K titles covering more than 100 different topics and also possess its own search engine! Sounds great. I should check it out soon for my topic.
Invisible Web sure sounds 'underground', but digging it up is surely worth it!
black will paint over white,
& red will stain it.
` samarra .
Deepavali Assignments?
Yesterday was Deepavali. Despite the fact that it was a public holiday, my friends and I went back to school to do our assignments. We did Computer Aided Industrial Design (CAID) and also the Effective Internet Research (EIR) discussion about Introduction to Internet and Search Facilities.
Honestly its like any discussion forum out there in the world wide web. We share our individual views about the internet and basically the ways it have benefit our lives. Its great to learn how different people use the internet.
The only thing is that our discussion about the new Search Facilities, such as Google Scholar and Yahoo! Directory, are limited for we were totally new to it. We were only starting to get warmed up with them. Therefore, our discussion does not display high knowledge of those Search Facilities yet.
I believe that an open discussion forum (for students and lecturers) should be set up so we can communicate about school-related stuffs beyond the boundary of the classroom. Not only will it gives the opportunity to learn broader perspective views about a certain topic but also get to know each other better.
Yeah. Guess thats all for now.
Blog again soon!!!
black will paint over white,
& red will stain it.
` samarra .
Honestly its like any discussion forum out there in the world wide web. We share our individual views about the internet and basically the ways it have benefit our lives. Its great to learn how different people use the internet.
The only thing is that our discussion about the new Search Facilities, such as Google Scholar and Yahoo! Directory, are limited for we were totally new to it. We were only starting to get warmed up with them. Therefore, our discussion does not display high knowledge of those Search Facilities yet.
I believe that an open discussion forum (for students and lecturers) should be set up so we can communicate about school-related stuffs beyond the boundary of the classroom. Not only will it gives the opportunity to learn broader perspective views about a certain topic but also get to know each other better.
Yeah. Guess thats all for now.
Blog again soon!!!
black will paint over white,
& red will stain it.
` samarra .
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Search It Right
Learnt using different search facilities and extracting keywords to narrow down our search for our work. I realised that synonym to the keywords plays a big part too in helping to attain better and accurate results. The use of "*" and "N/2" kind of get my interests for I have never heard of them moreover use them. It seems that there are in fact alot of ways to filter my search. And it seems that only now that I am in EIR class, I come to know of them.
Aside from that, the proper construction of the sentence to be used for searching are also vital to achieve the best results. Proper usage of the Boolean operators like "AND" and "OR" can make a whole big difference when doing a search. Before I come to this class, I always tend to type the whole chunk of words into the query box to search for stuffs. Now that I know of the many good ways to make life easier, doing research can never be the same again!
Truly I believe life is going to be much more easier knowing that Google Scholar exist. It's search results is more narrowed down to relevance and its faster search time is a bonus. Google Scholar is a good search engine for those who requires research that are professionally done up and does not possess "holes" in the results. When searching for my topic, I was quite sad to see not much results, however the information in each, is of quality. I shall from now on extend my search using this search facility. It seems like it picks up the bestest among the best. And that, sounds good to me.
As for Google, it seems to simply grab all that it feels is related. Therefore the search results are high and you need to browse through them to find what you really need. When I was searching for my topic using this search engine, there are a few good results that I picked up. More than Google Scholar in fact. Well, whatever it is, Google will still be my default search engine. Maybe it is because I do not really mind browsing through tens of pages! But for schoolwork research, Google Scholar will be my choice.
Citing a source APA (American Psychological Association) style have become a norm for us in our research and schoolwork for design students. The reason APA is required when using/taking an information from a source is to simply acknowledge those "behind the scenes" that has helped you deliver the information that you need. "That is because we find inspiration for our work, referring to works from international designers or so on, and there is a need to, of course, tell ourselves that we are simply only using the material as reference and do not own them. One module had introduced us to a site which could even help us to write the APA. We just need to fill in the necessary information required to create the APA, press ENTER and there goes! Though it is convenient, it is also good that we know how to do it without the help of the machine.
Lastly, I managed to be a member of a forum! Honestly, I had always wanted to be a member of an open discussion forum because I love to share my views and opinions with others. Hmm. Its not nervous, but rather anxious. I have posted a thread and am now anticipating a reply. If it seems dead, I shall try on other forums. Yeah!
black will paint over white,
& red will stain it.
` samarra .
My Discussion Topic
"Discuss The Impact of Help From Technology In Benefiting Developing/Under-developed Countries"
This is a topic I came up on my own since most of the topics listed were already taken by others. I hope I can go deep in this topic for I am really interested in knowing how technology, in one way or another, can help to contribute to help the needy people around the globe.
First of all I already found an organisational site that relates to my topic. (Oh by the way, its great to know that personal and organisational sites can sometimes be working in the same direction towards the same goal, just that it operates in a different way. Cool yeah.) Posted in the previous post, it is the Free Rice Programme. For those who knew about this, or had clicked on the link I provided and checked it out, do you all feel great in playing the game? For those who have not tried, GO! You learn and donate rice at the same time. I love that feeling of helping those in need. It gives me that warm feeling.... Okay nevermind about that. Actually this site was introduced to me by my friend and I am glad that I could use it as a reference point to my topic.
Talking about finding sources that are related to my topic, I realised that aside from WWW site, resources from discussion forum, electronic journal, news, magazine and blog can also contribute greatly in my research. Usually I tend to simply chunk in the words that relates to what I wanted to research in the query box and SEARCH! What comes out does not matter to me as long as it is related to what I wanted and I will be pleased. However after learning about such internet resources, i think that my research findings can be more accurate and at the same time found in great abundance. More to that, I feel that all these while, it seems that I am, without knowing, limiting my research resources! If only I had taken into account of other possible research resources, I think work that involves research could have been done more effectively.
black will paint over white,
& red will stain it.
` samarra .
This is a topic I came up on my own since most of the topics listed were already taken by others. I hope I can go deep in this topic for I am really interested in knowing how technology, in one way or another, can help to contribute to help the needy people around the globe.
First of all I already found an organisational site that relates to my topic. (Oh by the way, its great to know that personal and organisational sites can sometimes be working in the same direction towards the same goal, just that it operates in a different way. Cool yeah.) Posted in the previous post, it is the Free Rice Programme. For those who knew about this, or had clicked on the link I provided and checked it out, do you all feel great in playing the game? For those who have not tried, GO! You learn and donate rice at the same time. I love that feeling of helping those in need. It gives me that warm feeling.... Okay nevermind about that. Actually this site was introduced to me by my friend and I am glad that I could use it as a reference point to my topic.
Talking about finding sources that are related to my topic, I realised that aside from WWW site, resources from discussion forum, electronic journal, news, magazine and blog can also contribute greatly in my research. Usually I tend to simply chunk in the words that relates to what I wanted to research in the query box and SEARCH! What comes out does not matter to me as long as it is related to what I wanted and I will be pleased. However after learning about such internet resources, i think that my research findings can be more accurate and at the same time found in great abundance. More to that, I feel that all these while, it seems that I am, without knowing, limiting my research resources! If only I had taken into account of other possible research resources, I think work that involves research could have been done more effectively.
black will paint over white,
& red will stain it.
` samarra .
Thursday, October 23, 2008
FREE RICE
In relation to Activity 1 of EIR, I have found an organizational site that provides information about my topic - Discuss the effects of technology on third world countries.
However I will not blog about it now. In fact click this link ---> FREE RICE!
It will give you a slight hint about my topic (:
black will paint over white,
& red will stain it.
` samarra .
However I will not blog about it now. In fact click this link ---> FREE RICE!
It will give you a slight hint about my topic (:
black will paint over white,
& red will stain it.
` samarra .
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The $500 Dream
Honestly I never really ever buy things online.
I prefer to go to the shop itself to look at the stuff with my naked eye rather than through a computer screen.
Okay I shall not start any arguments about pros and cons of online shopping here.
Hmm...
Apparently now I have $500 and I am about to start E-shopping.
Glorious.
The first item on my hit list will be this Shimano Fireblood Reel.
Priced at $300 onward depending on technical specifications.
For those who wonder what is this, this is a fishing reel - Shimano Fireblood! It is a part of a released legend created by Shimano called the Flame of Desire. Being a cut above the rest, a breed apart, Fireblood possess a distinct visual matched by the finest performance. It is also designed to cope with the most extreme and demanding situations. Truely, Fireblood ignites the "flame of desire"in those who seek its power.
As an angler, I am attracted to the beauty of this baby. Even though I am just an amateur, I will not hesitate to get the Fireblood. Truly when I first glance at it, I cannot take my eyes and mind off it! Like what they call it: "Love at first sight." When I get my hands on the Fireblood, I am so going to hit the waters with it. But to think of it's value, I have thoughts of making it as a display in my room. XD
The second item on my hit list will be this Expedition E-Tide Temp Compass.
Priced at $150, its a watch worth value to me due to its feature!
This watch is a product of Timex, one of the most recognized timepieces in the world. This expedition watch is developed with a feature that can read temperature and tide, and not forgetting, acquires an electronic compass. Obviously I will buy this watch for those attributes so I can wear it when i go for fishing and read the tides easily. Really, one day I am so going to get this watch!
Okay my $500 dream is settled. By the way these dreams of mine were found on eBay and Amazon respectively. Both are an online market place of the world whereby people can browse or search for items from a wide variety of categories.
The difference is eBay is a site where registered users sell their items online whereas Amazon is actually a company that sells its products online. Therefore buyers in eBay buy items sold from sellers that are registered with eBay, while buyers in Amazon buy items directly from the site or also Amazon marketplace sellers.
Overall, to me, I think that eBay is a more better place to buy items online for it sells and provides better commercial services than Amazon.
I shall end my E-shopping now. Till next time.
black will paint over white,
& red will stain it.
` samarra .
I prefer to go to the shop itself to look at the stuff with my naked eye rather than through a computer screen.
Okay I shall not start any arguments about pros and cons of online shopping here.
Hmm...
Apparently now I have $500 and I am about to start E-shopping.
Glorious.
The first item on my hit list will be this Shimano Fireblood Reel.
Priced at $300 onward depending on technical specifications.
For those who wonder what is this, this is a fishing reel - Shimano Fireblood! It is a part of a released legend created by Shimano called the Flame of Desire. Being a cut above the rest, a breed apart, Fireblood possess a distinct visual matched by the finest performance. It is also designed to cope with the most extreme and demanding situations. Truely, Fireblood ignites the "flame of desire"in those who seek its power.
As an angler, I am attracted to the beauty of this baby. Even though I am just an amateur, I will not hesitate to get the Fireblood. Truly when I first glance at it, I cannot take my eyes and mind off it! Like what they call it: "Love at first sight." When I get my hands on the Fireblood, I am so going to hit the waters with it. But to think of it's value, I have thoughts of making it as a display in my room. XD
The second item on my hit list will be this Expedition E-Tide Temp Compass.
Priced at $150, its a watch worth value to me due to its feature!
This watch is a product of Timex, one of the most recognized timepieces in the world. This expedition watch is developed with a feature that can read temperature and tide, and not forgetting, acquires an electronic compass. Obviously I will buy this watch for those attributes so I can wear it when i go for fishing and read the tides easily. Really, one day I am so going to get this watch!
Okay my $500 dream is settled. By the way these dreams of mine were found on eBay and Amazon respectively. Both are an online market place of the world whereby people can browse or search for items from a wide variety of categories.
The difference is eBay is a site where registered users sell their items online whereas Amazon is actually a company that sells its products online. Therefore buyers in eBay buy items sold from sellers that are registered with eBay, while buyers in Amazon buy items directly from the site or also Amazon marketplace sellers.
Overall, to me, I think that eBay is a more better place to buy items online for it sells and provides better commercial services than Amazon.
I shall end my E-shopping now. Till next time.
black will paint over white,
& red will stain it.
` samarra .
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
School Reopens
Its the start of a new semester and for design school specially, we call it the start of new blocks. The Product Industrial Designers (PID) people, including myself expect to be having P3 for this block because we were told by a reliable source that we will be having it. However we are actually taking a PID core and a Cross-Disciplinary Subject (CDS). Now all of us are relieved upon knowing the real news. For myself I am to take a CDS named EIR. As far as I know, I have never came across a CDS named as such and the only way i found out what it is, is when I entered the class for the first day.
It is a CDS formerly known as Using Internet as a Research tool (UIR) and now renamed as Effective Internet Research (EIR). However, of course, the name was not just changed for no reason. This course will teach and guide me on how to do research more effectively, using various ways of deriving good & correct information on the internet and most importantly learn Internet ethics.
Today, even though just a brief of the module, I think I know what is already expected at the end of this module and therefore I felt quite relieved. The reason being in most of the past modules at the end of briefing point, I will still be uncertain as to what is expected. Therefore hopefully I can score a good grade for this module.
I guess that is all for today's post.
black will paint over white
& red will stain it.
` samarra .
It is a CDS formerly known as Using Internet as a Research tool (UIR) and now renamed as Effective Internet Research (EIR). However, of course, the name was not just changed for no reason. This course will teach and guide me on how to do research more effectively, using various ways of deriving good & correct information on the internet and most importantly learn Internet ethics.
Today, even though just a brief of the module, I think I know what is already expected at the end of this module and therefore I felt quite relieved. The reason being in most of the past modules at the end of briefing point, I will still be uncertain as to what is expected. Therefore hopefully I can score a good grade for this module.
I guess that is all for today's post.
black will paint over white
& red will stain it.
` samarra .
Me
My name is Samir. You do not have to know my full name.
Most importantly I shall say I am indescribable.
So since I do not fully know how to describe myself, its best we be friends so we can get to know each other better because misjudging a person is what I despise the most. (:
Black & Red is my thing & I love the name of Samarra.
A 2nd Year Student of Temasek Polytechnic (TP) pursuing Product & Industrial Design (PID).
The toughest design course in Design School, hands down, but I am not raising white flags easily.
Loves designing graphics in my free time and fishing too.
For those who does fishing too, please contact me!!!
I shall not elaborate about myself any further now as I dislike lengthy post.
Here I shall end my post.
black will paint over white,
& red will stain it.
` samarra .
Most importantly I shall say I am indescribable.
So since I do not fully know how to describe myself, its best we be friends so we can get to know each other better because misjudging a person is what I despise the most. (:
Black & Red is my thing & I love the name of Samarra.
A 2nd Year Student of Temasek Polytechnic (TP) pursuing Product & Industrial Design (PID).
The toughest design course in Design School, hands down, but I am not raising white flags easily.
Loves designing graphics in my free time and fishing too.
For those who does fishing too, please contact me!!!
I shall not elaborate about myself any further now as I dislike lengthy post.
Here I shall end my post.
black will paint over white,
& red will stain it.
` samarra .
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