Web Week 11

Finally, we are at our last required blog post, where we will look back at the Analytics gathered since it began.

First, lets look at some graphs:

According to Google Analytics, my blog received 230 page views from 85 unique visitors since analytics was introduced. However, some of these views came from myself.

Analytics also shows where my views came from. Most people were viewing the page from Ireland, however there were a small number of views from places like the USA and Slovakia. The links which bring people to my blog are also provided. Many viewers made it to my page from the link Colin Mannings blog, but a few made it to my blog from a link I posted on Tumblr.

To conclude, the information I posted on my blog wasn't of much use to anyone, except the people in the course.

Well, I guess this is it. I have nothing else to say on the matter. Web Publishing has been a fun and interesting module. I hope I pass it so I can continue my Web Dev Adventures!

P.S. I'm not sure if I'll post anything else after this, I suppose we'll have to wait and see.

Web week 10

During the lectures this week, we went over Google Analytics and the sort of information it provides.
We didn't have a second lecture this week because our lecturer had a meeting to attend.

In the labs we finished off Assignment 2 and worked on our essays for Assignment 3.

Web Week 9

During the classes this week we learned about video encoding and podcasts.

Videos are just a sequence of images displayed very quickly. Because of this, videos have to be compressed or else the files are huge. The two types of compression used are Inter-frame and Intra-frame Compression.

Inter-frame compression involves the changes between frames. if two or more frames have very little change between them, the video will copy the parts that do not change between frames. This system also makes use of frames that have not been displayed yet.

Intra-frame compression changes a single frame and reduces its file size.

During the second lecture we took a look at podcasts. We discussed the history of podcasts and how they came into being. Colin showed us how iTunes can be a great resource to find podcasts for almost any subject.

During the labs this week we worked on our blogs and essays. Colin suggested that we work on the peer review system on Turnitin.com.

Web Week 8

This week in web development we went over dithering again and learned about the difference between different image formats.

GIFs are mainly used for images with very few colours like company logos. GIFs can also be animated.
JPEGs are used for natural, colourful images.
PNGs are lossless files so they lose no quality during editing. This means they are larger than other files.

During the labs we just worked on our blogs or the third assignment.

Web Week 7

This week in Web Publishing, we looked at the grey scale, dithering and pixel depth reduction

A grey scale is used to display black and white images. The more shades of grey available, the smoother the image will look. The grey scale is most frequently displayed in an 8-bit format which means the maximum number of shades available is 256.

Dithering is a system the computer uses to simulate a colour when only a set pallet is available. This is accomplished by placing two or more colours in a pattern on a pixel-sized scale so that from the users point of view, the image appears to be a different colour.

Pixel depth resolution describes how many colours an image needs. For example, an image with 24 bits per pixel would have 16 million colours available but if it was reduced to two bits per pixel, it would only have 4 possible colours. The system would then choose the colours which fit the best.

In the labs, our group decided to give up on the Google Online Marketing Challenge and instead do a 2000 word essay for assignment 3. I have chosen the title "Law in Virtual Worlds".

Web Week 6

This week in Web Publishing we looked at what we need to do for assignment two. We will be examining different types of file compression using Photoshop. We have been given three images which we must save as JPG's and GIF's with different levels of quality to analyze the differences between them. Afterwards, we must write a report on the quality of the files and whether they would be acceptable for use.

In our second lecture we went over search engine optimization and how it is encoded into a website. Most sites use meta tags and keywords to try and bump up the rankings on search engines. Google also makes use of bots which search through your web page to determine its content.

In the labs we got into groups and worked on our Google Online Marketing Challenge assignment. Our group set a date and time to meet with our client. This took place on Friday.

Web Week 5

This week, we discussed search engines and directories. We saw how directories list websites under useful headings and sub-headings. This is a good way of keeping tabs on websites, however it is not very efficient.
Directories have to add websites to the database manually, whereas search engines update automatically with the use of web crawlers. Search engines are just huge databases which a version of the internet on them.

During the labs, we were given corrections for our blog posts. We also studied for a Computer Architecture test. Colin gave us a link to a helpful video on number bases to assist us.

Web Week 4

This week, I ended up missing all the web publishing classes due to illness and being late for college.
However, I got all the required information from my classmates.

Everyone got into their groups and chose a website for the Google online marketing challenge. Our group (Team Bandito) chose a soap company website.
Our tasks for the week were to complete an online test on copyright and patents and to FTP the Praxis server.

The test was straight forward enough, I ended up with a result of 80%.

Dillon showed me how to upload a file to the server by creating a directory and sending a file using command line. Using the command line was an interesting experience as it is not something which I am used to doing.

That's all I can really say on the matter. Til next time!

Web Publishing Week 3

Our lectures for this week focused on copyright, trademarks and patents. We learned about how each of these protect inventors and artists, and what can happen when they're breached.

Patents are used to protect inventors and the rights to their creations. Patents are issued by a government of a specific country or region, in exchange for information on the invention. The inventor is given exclusive rights to manufacture their product. These rights last for 20 years.

Trademarks are artifacts which a company uses to make itself known to its customers. A trademark can be an image, a smell, a sound, a character or a catchphrase. These can be registered for protection, but it's not necessary. Trademarks last until they're not in use anymore.

Copyrights are used to protect artistic works such as literature, music and artwork. Copyrights do not need to be registered and they last until 70 years after the creators death.

Colin asked us to choose a song which contained audio that was sampled from another artist, and judge whether or not this was a breach of copyright. The song I have chosen is "Pump It" by The Black Eyed Peas.

The main tune to this song is taken from the instantly recognizable "Misirlou" by Dick Dale, which is the iconic opening track from Pulp Fiction.

In my opinion, The Black Eyed Peas are breaching copyright with excessive sampling. Their song is entirely based off the main riff of "Misirlou" and would be nothing without it. Therefore, they should have to pay royalties or some other compensation to Dick Dale.

Web Publishing Week 2

This week in Web Publishing, we discussed the layouts and standards for our blog.
We have to make sure that we meet the following requirements:

• Make at least one post per week.
• Include a list of links to other class blogs.
• Add an RSS feed.
• Add labels to the posts.
• Include a student profile.
• Enable comments.
• Set the timezone to Dublin
• Enable Google Analytics.
• Disable Image Lightbox display.
• Post at least one Youtube Video.

At the time of writing, I've met most of these goals. All that's left is to add a profile and enable Analytics.
We also discussed our blogs privacy settings. Privacy is important for our blog because we want to prevent any abuse being given through comments. We must also be careful about what personal information we post on the blog. Personally, I don't particularly mind posting things about myself, whereas other people would be a bit more private about it.

Well, that's all I have to say about this weeks web class. Til next time!

Web Class.

Yesterday we had a Web Publishing lecture where we learned more about our blog assignment.
Now, after every web publishing class, we have to write up a blog post about it.
I'm looking forward to working more on this blog because it's an interesting form of expression ad it's something I've never done before.

I hope to keep up this blog long after the assignment is complete.

Thoughts on EVE

Recently, I've started playing EVE Online, a MMORPG set in space. I think that it's an amazing game, however it gets a lot of flak from those who prefer more exciting games. I can see why people would dislike EVE but that doesn't make it a bad game.

For those who don't know about it, allow me to give you a quick summary:
EVE Online is set far in the future when humans have mastered interstellar travel. Four main races hold control over the galaxy and its solar systems; Amarr, Caldari, Gallente and Minmatar.
Gameplay is quite interesting. You take control of a spaceship and fly around the galaxy, mining and fighting. Most of the time, players sit around working out what to do next, or hanging around asteroids while their ship mines ore.

The beauty of it, however, is the lack of rules. Stealing from players and attacking other ships isn't regulated, so players are allowed to become criminals or to bring those criminals to justice.
At the time of writing, the corporation (sort of like a guild) which I am a part of is at war with another group, which means I can't leave this space station without being attacked.

EVE revolves around tactics and organization rather than brute force, which is why I suspect many people don't like it. It requires a certain mindset to play. Not to mention the interface. If you're going to play, you had best like menus!

At the other end of the scale, player battles occasionally reach legendary proportions. The most recent of these was the Battle of Asakai. Over 2,800 players took part in this epic confrontation.
Here's a video which was taken of the battle (go full screen, 1080p):

As you can see, it looks REALLY complicated.

Well, that's all I can be bothered to say on the matter right now. I shall post again soon!

Networking

College is great and all, but these early mornings are going to be the death of me!
Today we have a couple of networking classes, one of which is a lab. During the lab, we connected the computers to each other through the routers and switch boxes. Absolutely riveting stuff.
While we did get a good bit of work done, there was quite a bit of downtime during the class. Solitaire is a handy tool for the quiet moments.