Other Media and New Technology Blogs:-

Ofcourse FIRST, there is our blog.. Which you should ALL keep in mind: "http://mayez-mediaandnewtechnologiesblog.blogspot.com/ (Mayez and Ghyna)". Then we have other important blogs, please make a visit to all if you can:-

http://khatibtechno.blogspot.com/ (Doriss & Sabah)http://medianewtechnologies.blogspot.com/ (Tala and Rawan)
www.my-bots.blogspot.com (Ronda & Robert)
www.ro-blogtechnos.blogspot.com (Mayssa & Farah)
www.friendlytechat.blogspot.com (Fady & Laure)
www.humanvsnewtechnologies.blogspot.com (Helen & Marny )
http://nonnatech.blogspot.com (Nabiha & Nour)
http://www.jccooltech.blogspot.com/ (Crystal and Jana)
www.patch1hotmailcom.blogspot.com (Fahed and Hani)
http://www.dando0n.blogspot.com/ (Marwan and Dana)

Introduction: How to make a Blog?

Now, thanks to Blogger.com, we can easily create blogs in 3 simple steps. Which are:-

1. Create an account
2. Name blog
3. Choose template

And then BOOM! There you go.. You created yourself a personal online diary.. or in other words, a 'blog'.

To start, click hear --> CREATE A BLOG NOW!

Introduction: What is a 'Blog'

What's a blog?

"A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world.
Your blog is whatever you want it to be. There are millions of them, in all shapes and sizes, and there are no real rules.
In simple terms, a blog is a web site, where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what's new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not.
Since Blogger was launched in 1999, blogs have reshaped the web, impacted politics, shaken up journalism, and enabled millions of people to have a voice and connect with others.
And we're pretty sure the whole deal is just getting started."

http://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g

In my blog, i chose to talk about the topic 'blog' for many specific reasons:-
First, our teacher came up with a new idea to give a virtual class through blog, where we can keep in touch, communicate and interact with each others, and to me, it was a new experience. Second, it’s gonna be an interesting and useful topic to help the whole class improving their blogs and avoiding facing any problem.Third, because it is a new technology that is also related to media. Just as our teacher wanted.

How can we define blog?

Blog:-

1. Noun: A shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies; "postings on a blog are usually in chronological order.
   
2. Verb: read, write, or edit a shared on-line journal
   

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

How is blog useful?

Publish Posts

Get Feedbacks

Design your Blog

Find People

Go Mobile

Blog provides explanations and information for a certain topic; moreover, you can use it as a personal blog, where u can write day-to-day experiences, social interpretations, criticisms, poems, political thoughts and other things that might be found in a traditional paper diary or journal. Usually, the blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are mostly textual, although some focus on art (artlog) specially visual arts, including media such as painting, printmaking.. or photoblog which is a form of photo sharing and publishing in the format of a blog, but differentiated by the predominant use of and focus on photographs rather than text, or videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), audio (podcasting) are part of a wider network of social media. Micro-blogging is another type of blogging which consists of blogs with very short posts. As of December 2007, blog search engine Technorati (http://www.Technorati.com) was tracking more than 112 million blogs!

Hope that these information could help, or at least as a begining, in making you understand blog, how to use it, and how 2 develope it.

Why Blu-ray?

In the middle of June 2006, the first blu-ray discs were born, and released on the 2oth of June, 2006. As we know, Blu-ray is the future (or as i see it coming), but the question is why blu-ray? isn't there any one that tried to top the new blue laser technology?

Toshiba, a famous Japanese company, that for sure everybody heard about because of their great reputation in making laptops and other computer-related devices, created a new disk storage technology, the Hd Dvds (High-Definition Digital Versatile Disc). 'HD DVD is derived from the same underlying technologies as DVD. Since all variants except the 3x DVD employed a blue laser with a shorter wavelength, it can store about 3¼ times as much data per layer as its predecessor (maximum capacity: 15 GB per layer instead of 4.7 GB per layer).' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_DVD#Disc_structure

So? Which is better? Which 1 are we going to use in the future?

On Tuesday, February 19, 2008, Toshiba announced that it was to drop its format in the HD DVD 'war' with Sony, pioneer and other participated companies. The "High definition optical disc format war". In January, 2008, the main company supporting HD DVD — announced it would no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders, which holded the blu-ray as victorious.

Features: Blu-ray Vs. Hd Dvds:-

Blu-ray:-

• Encoding------------------ MPEG-2, MPEG-4 AVC (H.264), and VC-1
• Media type---------------- High-density optical disc
• Capacity ------------------ 25 GB (single layer)50 GB (dual layer)
• Read/Write mechanism --- 405 nm laser, 1x@36 Mbit/s & 2x@72 Mbit/s & 4x@144
• Mbit/s & 6x@216 Mbit/s & 12x@432 Mbit/s
• Usage --------------------- Data storage,High-definition videoand PlayStation 3 games

Hd Dvds:-

• Encoding------------------ VC-1, H.264, and MPEG-2
• Media type---------------- High-density optical disc
• Capacity ------------------ 15 GB (single layer), 30 GB (dual layer)
• Read/Write mechanism --- 1x@36 Mbit/s & 2x@72 Mbit/s
• Usage --------------------- Data storage, including high-definition video

What you need to know about future storage disks.

The future... How is it?

Many years ago, till today, the progress of new technologies is non-stop. Every single day we hear of a new device that helps make our every day life easier and more entertaining. Televison started from smaller size with less colours to large, hi tech. colourful, plasma slim screens. Computers started from 'Huge calculators!' to small portable laptops with extremely high speed and great storage. Did anyone imagine, during the days of 500 Mbs. Hard disks, that we would reach to be able to store in 10's and 100's of GEGABYTES?! Ofcourse not. I still remember those days when i used fill my floppy with many, many games! Then came the Cds (Compacts Disks). Then cds where developed into Dvds (Digital Video Disc).
These are all OLD news...


What is new then?!

Media is developing as well with technology in many ways, and everyday, the search of better ways to send messages (through media - Like movies, music, t.v... etc). As we all know, Dvds are essential for media, because Dvds are the newest and main technolgy to ditribute video and music files. Well true but not for long. Some of u (especially those of you that have a certain passion in knowing about the newest news of technologies) must have heard about the newest disk storage device or technology (most of you might not), the Blu-ray.

The difference between Blu-ray and Dvds:-

Blu-ray:-

• Encoding------------------ MPEG-2, MPEG-4 AVC (H.264), and VC-1
• Media type---------------- High-density optical disc
• Capacity ------------------ 25 GB (single layer)50 GB (dual layer)
• Read/Write mechanism --- 405 nm laser, 1x@36 Mbit/s & 2x@72 Mbit/s & 4x@144 Mbit/s & 6x@216 Mbit/s & 12x@432 Mbit/s
• Usage --------------------- Data storage,High-definition videoand PlayStation 3 games
  

Dvds:-

• Encoding-------------------- MPEG-2
• Media type------------------ optical disc
• Capacity -------------------- 4.7 GB (single-sided single-layer), 8.54 GB (single-sided double-layer)
• Read/Write mechanism ----- 650 nm laser,1x@1350 kB/s
• Usage----------------------- Data storage, video, audio, games

Accelometers

New Technology

'I wanted to do something that no one knows about and that is in use in most daily used equipments... so, ACCELOMETERS'

First, What is accelometers? What does it do? When did it start?

Tiny new technology which helps iphone, digital cameras do wonders.Have you ever wondered how iphone’s cool features works ? How new laptops can protect their hard disk when it falls down ? How we get crisp images from a cameras even if we shake the device ? The answer is accelerometer.

Accelerometer in essence is not a new technology. Its been on the desk of researchers and scientists well from 1990s, but only recently with the help of latest technologies small scale accelerometers were made so that it can be used in the devices above mentioned.
Accelerometers are a special kind of device called MEMS- Micro Electro Mechanical System. There are various types of accelerometers. A simple one is having a cantilever beam which is suspended and some complex sensing circuitry. It converts the acceleration (force) to displacement which is then measured. New technology accelerometers looks nothing but like an IC (Integrated Circuit). It consists of a bubble producing system. It heats the gas bubble and another system senses the location of the hot bubble as the accelerometer is accelerated or tilted.

How and where does these accelometers are used?

- Apple Iphone uses accelerometer to sense the tilt of the phone, so that it can switch from portrait and landscape modes.

- New phones from Nokia such as 5500 uses accelerometers for many things. A small tap on the phone can control the music in phone. Nokia N95 and N70 also uses accelerometers. N95’s accelerometer function can be accessed even by third party software, but in N70 they use it only for tilt sensing in camera mode.

- Sony Ericsson use accelerometers in a wide range of phones. In their phones you just need to shake the phone to change tracks. There are J2ME games incorporating accelerometer functions.

- The Wii was a headache for the big players like Sony (PS) and Microsoft (Xbox). The Wii remote incorporate accelerometer for measuring tilt and movement so that it can be complemented on the screen.

- Famous shoe brands such as Nike uses it to determine speed, distance of the runner. They attach the accelerometer in their shoes which does the sensing part. The result is shown on some device such as watch, which are also produced by Nike.
- Leading laptops have a security feature that claims it uses new technology to protect the data at all cost, even if the laptop falls down. How? when the laptop falls down, the accelerometer picks the motion and the write current is turned off, so that the disk remains scratch free.
Cam coders and digital cameras use accelerometers for image stabilization and anti-blur capturing. They “snap” the CCD sensors in the cameras if they detect a movement.

Second Life:-

'Residents and avatars'

(Main article: Resident (Second Life))

In computing, in the context of Second Life, the term Resident is applied to "people who have a stake in the world":-

“It was pretty early in the development of Second Life. One of my jobs was to come up with the different words we wanted to use, including the name! The naming discussions were usually between me, Philip, Hunter and Peter (both of whom aren't here any more) with feedback from everyone else.
When it came to what to call the people in the world, we knew we didn't want to call them 'users', although that would be the most typical thing for software. However, the word 'users' doesn't do a very good job of describing the two-way nature of Second Life, where the people involved are providing content and contributing to the experience.
We also thought about 'members' (boring!), 'citizens' (too political!), and 'players' (too game-y).
'Residents', however, seems most descriptive of people who have a stake in the world and how it grows.” Robin Harper (aka Robin Linden)

The term is not generally applied under the following conditions:
-People who have only created an account, but never logged in
-People who have had accounts created on their behalf for promotional events
-People who have created an account, and logged in a few times then stopped using the account.
A slight exception to the application of the term would be when referring to a person who holds multiple accounts. In this case, their primary account is referred to normally with the others interchangeably referred to as Resident or Alt. No exceptions are made for those with Basic or Premium accounts, however Residents who have held active accounts since the beta or periods and have purchased Lifetime subscriptions for US$225 are referred to as Charter Members.

What is '2nd life'?

A 3d virtual world where people all over the world (Real world) could gather around VIRTUALY to socialize, chat and interact in many ways. I wasn't able to get into 2nd life because of MANY technical problems. But i did my research, and at first it reminded me so much of the game The Sims. Although maybe there is a huge difference between the features and benifits of 2nd life over the sims, but the common image to me was how you could dress and arange you character (or avatar in 2nd life) to do as if you were living virualy inside the computer (or internet).

Second Life:-

Second life, a new and very exciting way to meet with friends and strangers all over the world virtually in a 3d world on the internet. I was very excited when i heard about it and was even more when i read about the features. This very developed way of interacting with other people is also a fun way to spend your time on the internet. 2nd life allows you to even create your own character and make him/her look as much as you as possible (If you want!). I was hoping to try the 'game' for myself and experiance this new technology, but unfortunatly i encountered many problems while downloading the application. I was able to create and an avatar (personalty or charachter) but i couldnt go beyond that. Hopefully i will fix this problem in the upcomind days.

Ghyna.

What are the relations between CYBERPUNK and STEAMPUNK?

First what are 'Cyberpunk' and 'Steampunk'?


Cyberpunk:

According to Lawrence Person,
"Classic cyberpunk characters were marginalized, alienated loners who lived on the edge of society in generally dystopic futures where daily life was impacted by rapid technological change, an ubiquitous datasphere of computerized information, and invasive modification of the human body." Lawrence Person.







A science fiction genre noted for its focus, which also is a sub genre for industrial rock music. The name comes from Cybernetics and which was put out by Bruce Bethke in his short story "Cyberpunk" (1983).

Another definition for cyberpunk: A hacker.

Steampunk:





A type of science fiction, or a subgenre of fantasy and speculative fiction, set in Victorian times when steam was the main source of machine power. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style.


NOW! To the relation between 'Cyberpunk' and 'Steampunk':-






Steampunk is a part of cyberpunk and shares fanbase and theme of rebellion, but was actually developed as a seperate movement. Although they both influence on each other. A difference between them is that steampunk settings usually tend to be less obviously dystopian than cyberpunk.

Exoskeleton Updates:

UC Berkeley researchers developing robotic exoskeleton that can enhance human strength and endurance.

BERKELEY – The mere thought of hauling a 70-pound pack across miles of rugged terrain or up 50 flights of stairs is enough to evoke a grimace in even the burliest individuals. But breakthrough robotics research at the University of California, Berkeley, could soon bring welcome relief — a self-powered exoskeleton to effectively take the load off people’s backs.
"We set out to create an exoskeleton that combines a human control system with robotic muscle," said Homayoon Kazerooni, professor of mechanical engineering and director of UC Berkeley’s Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory. "We’ve designed this system to be ergonomic, highly maneuverable and technically robust so the wearer can walk, squat, bend and swing from side to side without noticeable reductions in agility. The human pilot can also step over and under obstructions while carrying equipment and supplies."
The Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton (BLEEX), as it’s officially called, consists of mechanical metal leg braces that are connected rigidly to the user at the feet, and, in order to prevent abrasion, more compliantly elsewhere. The device includes a power unit and a backpack-like frame used to carry a large load.
Such a machine could become an invaluable tool for anyone who needs to travel long distances by foot with a heavy load. The exoskeleton could eventually be used by army medics to carry injured soldiers off a battlefield, firefighters to haul their gear up dozens of flights of stairs to put out a high-rise blaze, or rescue workers to bring in food and first-aid supplies to areas where vehicles cannot enter.
"The fundamental technology developed here can also be developed to help people with limited muscle ability to walk optimally," said Kazerooni.
The researchers point out that the human pilot does not need a joystick, button or special keyboard to "drive" the device. Rather, the machine is designed so that the pilot becomes an integral part of the exoskeleton, thus requiring no special training to use it. In the UC Berkeley experiments, the human pilot moved about a room wearing the 100-pound exoskeleton and a 70-pound backpack while feeling as if he were lugging a mere 5 pounds.
The project, funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, began in earnest in 2000. Next week, from March 9 through 11, Kazerooni and his research team will showcase their project at the DARPA Technical Symposium in Anaheim, Calif.
For the current model, the user steps into a pair of modified Army boots that are then attached to the exoskeleton. A pair of metal legs frames the outside of a person’s legs to facilitate ease of movement. The wearer then dons the exoskeleton’s vest that is attached to the backpack frame and engine. If the machine runs out of fuel, the exoskeleton legs can be easily removed so that the device converts to a large backpack.
More than 40 sensors and hydraulic actuators form a local area network (LAN) for the exoskeleton and function much like a human nervous system. The sensors, including some that are embedded within the shoe pads, are constantly providing the central computer brain information so that it can adjust the load based upon what the human is doing. When it is turned on, the exoskeleton is constantly calculating what it needs to do to distribute the weight so little to no load is imposed on the wearer.
"We are taking great pains to make this as practical and robust as possible for the wearer," said Kazerooni. "Several engineers around the world are working on motorized exoskeletons that can enhance human strength, but we’ve advanced our design to the point where a ‘pilot’ could strap on the external metal frame and walk in figure eights around a room. No one else has done that."
One significant challenge for the researchers was to design a fuel-based power source and actuation system that would provide the energy needed for a long mission. The UC Berkeley researchers are using an engine that delivers hydraulic power for locomotion and electrical power for the computer. The engine provides the requisite energy needed to power the exoskeleton while affording the ease of refueling in the field.
The current prototype allows a person to travel over flat terrain and slopes, but work on the exoskeleton is ongoing, with the focus turning to miniaturization of its components. The UC Berkeley engineers are also developing a quieter, more powerful engine, and a faster, more intelligent controller, that will enable the exoskeleton to carry loads up to 120 pounds within the next six months. In addition, the researchers are studying what it takes to enable pilots to run and jump with the exoskeleton legs.
The engineers point out that while the exoskeleton does the heavy lifting, the human contributes to the balance. "The pilot is not ‘driving’ the exoskeleton," said Kazerooni. "Instead, the control algorithms in the computer are constantly calculating how to move the exoskeleton so that it moves in concert with the human."
Appropriately enough, the first step in the project began with researchers analyzing the human step. They gathered information about how people walk and move — including the propulsive force and torque needed from the ankles and the shock absorbing power of the knees — so they could adapt the exoskeleton to a wide range of natural human movements.
"Many scientists and engineers have been attempting to build a robotic strength enhancing device since the 1950s, and they’ve failed," said Kazerooni. "It is only through recent engineering breakthroughs that this dream is now becoming a reality."
For further information:
Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton (BLEEX) project
UC Berkeley Human Engineering Laboratory

By Sarah Yang, Media Relations 03 March 2004