The blog is mightier than the sword

Is Second Life a revolution?

When I first went in this website, I was really amazed! A new world was created!! For a student in media, this kind of site is no more a game. indeed, it's a subject to study!!
I have created an account, chosen a nickname (I'm Libelule) and downloaded the game. Because, at the beginning, it was just a game based on relationship and chat on the Internet...
So, I began to "play": I chose the clothes and the look of my character and I started to discuss with people... In SL, you can fly, move where you want and speak to everybody. Actually, it is not very interesting as far as the social networks are concerned: it's just a chat!! Of course, there is a decoration, a universe is created and you can change your appearance but in fact it's quickly boring!

According to me, the real interest of Second Life is no more in relatioship but in business. Do you know how many shops are in SL? Some company like American Apparel or Adidas have their own island on the game to promote their new products and test them before the real sale. SL is a fantastic marketing tool! Know you can also find some politics on it. As Segolène Royal in France who had opened an office "désir d'avenir" on Second Life...

Finally, I would say that Second Life is not a real revolution for two reasons:
- There was another game, a few year ago, in France named "le deuxième monde" that is to say second world which was exactly the same concept (chat, avatar, world in 3D). The website is closed now because its creators did not succeed in earning money, in spite of the successes of the game...
- This is just a fashion game! In a few months all the advertisers will be on it, there will be no more social relationship and the play will be no more interesting.

Second Life: a sort of Sims City online!

The Super Squirrel Power?

Chris Anderson saved my life! This man is Wired magazine editor in chief. He has developed, in this magazine (that you can read for free here), the theory of “Long Tail” where he says that, thanks to the Internet and E-business the little cultural products compared to the blockbusters can be economically profitable too. Music is particularly concerned: indeed music stores offer only the blockbusters who will be commercial success to the disadvantage of little music bands. The reason of this choice is of course economical but it is also a problem of stock: music stores are not able to offer all the music because they don’t have big premises! Internet can do that, so you can buy online a little music band’s CD if you like it…

Chris Anderson made a draw to explain his theory and it look like a tail, he showed that the sum of blockbusters’ bought is equal to the sum of few successful products and the result is the long tail.

So know, I am not a anymore abnormal if I don’t like the last Madonna’s CD, I belong to the long tail, I’m an alternative consumer! Thanks to the Internet…

I'm not a Desperate Housewife but....

To me the most important is to speak English fluently and the best way to speak like an Anglo-Saxon is to listen more and more. I learn when I listen to music or radio broadcast but the best is when I’m watching soap in original language… Currently, I have finished the second season of Desperate Housewives, looking for the third and I try to find Lost in English to. That is what I prefer and I’m sure that every students in the class have is own preferences. What about writing about a series, shows or broadcast that we like and try to present it on our blog by the help of videos, podcast etc.? I would be very happy to do my homework watching my favorite TV Show!

I need security..................

HTTP is a language of the Internet. The “S” means secure and it signifies that the web page you are looking is protected .The symbol is a little lock, at the back of the page. It provides exchanges and transactions of electronic trades in order to guarantee to the customers the confidentiality of their number of bank card or any other personal information. For example, if you buy books on Amazon and pay with your credit card, you will be directed to a SHTTP page to do the transaction…. Internet is a paradise, isn’t it? It offers you everything and protect you in order to make you spend all your money!!

Real a Simple Solution

RSS means Really Simple Syndication…Wouldn't it be easier if instead of having to visit all of your favourite sites in turn and trawl through them looking for new content, you could have all the latest items delivered automatically to a single place on your computer? RSS allows that! You just need a web base as Yahoo! or Google or to download a standalone application (which runs on your PC even if you don't have a browser open). After gaining access to a News Reader then it is necessary to subscribe to the feeds. Moreover, some browsers (including Firefox and Opera) offer support for RSS without the need for an additional reader. Most sites that provide RSS feeds make use of the RSS logo. This orange symbol normally indicates the existence of one or more feeds supplied by that website. Unfortunately not every site on the web provides RSS feeds, but the number that are is growing everyday - so keep an eye out for that little orange symbol!

I don’t personnaly use the RSS because I’m not used to this. But, I have just create my Netvibes page and feed it with RSS. If contents are still growing on the Internet, RSS, will be the only way to reed all in a few time!

Welcom on the robbers' paradise

Internet allows you to pay on-line and it is good things because you can buy what you want all over the world without moving from your couch… On the other side, it’s very dangerous because you have to give your credit card numbers and you are never sure that the seller is honest… To me it is one of the most frequent cyber crimes. But the freakiest is the identity robs: I’m sure that people could rob your name, your diplomas, your bank account…in brief your life just in hacking some website or databases… at a lower level I‘ve already spoken by MSN messenger to one of my friend and after a few minutes I realised that it was not my friend but a boy from Paris (dangerous city, no? ) who has stolen her hotmail address… This kind of story afraid me so I’m not sure to be a possible victim because I’m very careful while surfing… For example, I never give my real name or my real phone number and I try to check the security before buying on-line.

YouTube is watching you...

Wikipedia describes YouTube as a “popular free video sharing web site which lets users upload, view, and share video clips”. This site was founded in February 2005by three employees of “PayPal” the virtual bank. This website is based on amateur content but it can also include movies or TV broadcast… To my mind, YouTube developed because of the free access and all the transgression it allows. Indeed, users are mainly the 12- to 17-year-old but it doesn’t prevent the website to have 20 million visitors each month… Personally I discovered YouTube recently and use it to illustrate my blogs as I did last week with “Lost In translation”. To most important thing occurred to YouTube recently is the purchase by Google which shows the interest of such a website. I don't know if YouTube has a future... Before the 9th October, I would certainly say that it was just a fashion. But Google's arrived. And by the price it pays for this website, it obliged me to change my mind... Maybe YouTube will become as the American website IReport which belongs to CNN and allows people to post their own videos to testify when an event occurs. Another theory: YouTube will become the best way for actors or artists in general to be recognized… Let’s wait and see!

lost in translation

Another style of being Bob...

Can you repeat please, I do'nt understand

I have found a website which offers free English lesson on line the funny thing is that it seems to be a German site… On this website, there is a lot of way to learning English for example, by testing your knowledge or with a chat room to practice. I think it is an interesting way to teach real English and not just the famous “my tailor is rich”… Moreover, they offer some quizzes to improve our British culture. To me, this kind of approach is at the same time effective and diverting. The problem with this kind of method is that you learn an academic language which is different from the current one.To me, the best way is practice and Internet is the best place for it. Indeed, a lot of sites are in English and you can find Podcast or movies in VO, chatting with natives’ English speaker and learn a lot. I’m used to watch movies and soap in VO and often twice: the first time with subtitles and the second time without. According to me, French people have a big problem with foreign languages because they are accustomed to the translation. A lot of idiomatic sentences are lost in translation…

Six rules to be a good Net surfer: Use your brain (if you have)

Have you already think about what Internet offer you? It’s time to start if you don’t… Indeed, the Web, when you can use it in the better conditions (follow my six rules and you will be the best) Internet becomes a marvelous tool: it allows you to be smarter, cleverer and more accurate about subject you study on-line. If you understand Internet philosophy, if you follow the rule and be attentive to what happen on-line, you will be a good Net surfer. In fact, you have to use your insight and your comprehension amongst other things…

Six rules to be a good Net surfer: be a good person (if you can)

The law you will respect, your tasks you will achieve. Internet needs discipline…. In fact it doesn’t need so much but you have to be disciplined! For example, you have to check your mails frequently if you don’t, your mail box will explode or be closed… Same rules in forum or chat: if you don’t respect the others, if you are impolite, you will be excluded or punished.

Internet is a community, even if it is an utopia, you have to enter in the mould… If you don’t you will be considered as a pirate, a hackers… Is it ok? Will you become a disciplined surfer? Well done! You pass the third step... Congratulations.

Six rules to be a good Net surfer: just be cool (and do'nt insult the computer)

On Internet hours and hours you will wait: you will never lose your goal while you will be looking for untraceable information or waiting for a connection. Remember

when we surfed in low flow…and appreciate your waiting since “How poor are they who have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees” W. Shakespeare. The fourth level is passed! Moreover, it offers you the fifth one: indeed, patience allows you to reach the perseverance step. If you want, we are going to play to test your patience and perseverance. Go to Google and try searching the reference or quote about a book, what about, trying with a Salman Rushdie’s book named “imaginary homelands”… How much time did you spend? Are you giving up? You’re not allowed to give up if you want to become the best Net surfer! Be patient and perseverant… and if you find the book read it, it really interesting.

Six rules to be a good Net surfer: be sympathetic and help your next (if you can)

Everyone you will help: if you are good concerning a subject you will offer your knowledge to everyone for free (because you are not interested in money ;+)). For instance you could write an article on Wikipedia to highlight your point of view. Or, you can help the poor lost Net surfer by answering his beginner’s questions on a Forum. If you are not able to run your PC game The Sims2, you can ask to others players here! Good! You passed the last level: you become generous

Peace and love Web

Internet was created in a special atmosphere: the “hippies” are in the beginning of the Internet philosophy. Without making of stereotype, it seems to be normal that we find values like generosity, comprehension or insight. But Internet has changed, like society, and even if “the flower power” is fashion, now it is more “the money power” era. So Internet becomes the World Wide Store and new values appear like discipline and perseverance which are not negative ones!

So that, today we can find examples of all these qualities on the Web…

Respect the consumers!

I’m not a “pirate”, I’m a dinosaur who buy disk!! Of course I use peer-to-peer but especially to find untraceable movie, radio broadcastings… etc. I would like to tell you a story to explain my point of view as far as DRM is concerned. First, I have to explain: DRM or Digital Right Manager is a program, used by Majors in order to forbid the copy of music and movies downloaded on the Web. But DRM is putted on the disk you are supposed to buy instead of obtaining it free thanks to P2P…

Once upon a time, a young woman listened to an old song of Aretha Franklin. She discovered Jazz music: it was amazing, better than all she has listened for all her life! (I exaggerate but story are always too much) She decided that her life would not have any more significance without a disk of Jazz music. She went to store, bought it and ran at home to listen to the disk named “Lady Jazz”…

A terrible thing occurred: the disk did not work!! She tried on her computer, in her car… it was impossible and she was desperate! Then, a charming prince arrived (in fact it was a friend of her) he explained that her disk was protected by a program named “Copy Controlled” and could not be support by all music players. The prince was also a geek. He saved the desperate young woman while pirating the disk on the Web. They did not marry and have not children…

The moral of the story is that DRM is not the solution: pirates can break the protection and legitimate purchasers are not sure to be able to use their disk. Often, they spend money, are disgusted by the Major’s philosophy and become “pirate” too…

DRM is not the solution, Major have to respect the consumers!

Respect the consumers!

An old-fashioned girl discovers new technology…

I have heard the word “podcast” every day for few months! Still more since September and my arrival to CELSA… To be honest, I don’t really know what it means. I don’t have an Ipod or any MP3 player but don’t worry for me: nevertheless, I can survive in the subway with a book or newspaper!

“Podcast’ has been defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary as “a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player”. To me, the difference between a simple record and a podcast is not clear. Indeed, before the podcast, it was also possible to record a radio or TV show and put it on a website. But now, the podcasting allows individuals to publish broadcastings and they can be shared easily. I found a definition of podcasting on a website : in fact, this term, created by Adam Curry a former of MTV, describe the technology used to push audio content from websites down to consumers.

The word “podcast” is a mix between Ipod and broadcasting, so that, it closely related to the Apple company which sells the famous audio player, the unbelievable Ipod! Moreover, the website “itunes”, associated to Apple to provide music, movies and podcasts to the Ipod owners, clearly benefits of the rise of the podcasting. I’m not sure the word podcast belongs to Apple company…