Sunday, November 23, 2008

Youtube + Savevid = Free Downloads

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to mention a few things about Youtube and Savevid websites. Perhaps some are aware of this, and should find what I say as old news, but I am wanting to discuss our current ability to download Youtube content for free now.

There seems to be a whole new market, enabling us to download music and video from arguably the largest media database known to-date.

The question is, should it remain free?

I also seem to have noticed that by inserting the text: &fmt=18 to the end of any Youtube link also makes higher quality sound, regardless of the clickable option being there or not. I have not tested this on a multitude of links, but it has worked on the one's tested.

Just wanted to share this, any comments are always welcome.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Picture Perfect Photography

Hunter S Thompson was a revolutionary writer with strange ideas and fantasies. He was born on July 19 1937 in Louisville Kentucky. Starting at a young age he always had issues with the law. After being in and out of jail he joined the Air Force.
He went on to become an inspirational writer and wrote many books and articles.

Some of his works include:










Gonzo: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson, An Oral Biography

Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas: A Savage Journey To The Heart Of The American Dream

The Rum Diary: A Novel

Hell's Angels

Songs Of The Doomed: More Notes On The Death Of The American Dream

Kingdom Of Fear: Loathsome Secrets Of A Star-crossed Child In The Final Days Of The American Century

What made him an interesting writer were the concepts that he developed for writing and the style he used. He would literally put himself into the stories he was reporting on. Many times his editor would give him a story to report on and he would go off find and develop a better story where he involved him self.

Warhammer Online Presentation

Our project is on Warhammer, possibly the greatest game ever created behind Dark Age of Camelot. If this game interests you we highly suggest having a look at the Mythic Warhammer website to get more details on the game.

http://www.warhammeronline.com

Here is a link to some of the Warhammer videos
http://www.warhammeronline.com/videos/index.php

The main introduction video shows Destruction sieging the Order city of Altdorf. The classes shown in this video are the Sorceress, Squig Herder, Marauder and Black Orc for the Destruction side and features the Engineer, Shadow Warrior and Bright Wizard for the side of order.

Here is a link the Warhammer VnBoards where most players post their feelings of the games and comment on day to day in game events.

http://vnboards.ign.com/us_phoenix_throne_roleplay/b23350/p1

Network Neutrality

Network Neutrality is a policy whereby a computer network is free from restrictions. The term is frequently used to refer to issue involving the Internet, but the same principles apply to every network.

A restricted network may block or hinder:
  • Equipment used
  • Applications or protocols used
  • Content viewed

Key services in the debate:
  • Peer-to-peer file sharing (P2P)
  • Voice Over IP (VOIP)
  • Streaming video

History:
Although the concept of net neutrality has been around since the early 2000’s some would argue that it has existed since the telegraph. In 1888 Almon Brown Strowger created the automatic telephone exchange in order to bypass telephone operators who would sometimes redirects
his customers to his competitors. In doing so Strowger created a neutral environment that was free from tampering.

In 2001 the Internet2 project stated that Quality of Service(QoS) technical protocols were not probable on the Abilene Network with the equipment that they had at the time.

The first time a proposal for concrete rules over net neutrality came about was in a paper written by Tim Wu, “Network Neutrality, Broadband Discrimination” in 2003. It proposed it in terms of neutrality between data, QoS-sensitive traffic and also between applications. He urged for some type of legislation to deal with such issues.

One of the earliest documented attacks on net neutrality involved a small DSL provider named Madison River Communications which blocked any VoIP(Voice over Internet Protocol) service for a short period of time. The Federal Communications Commision (FCC) stepped in to enforce network neutrality principles.

Later that year the FCC created a policy statement that stated they would adhere to four principles of network neutrality. They are as follows:

(1) Consumers are entitled to access the lawful Internet content of their choice

(2) Consumers are entitled to run applications and services of their choice, subject to the needs of law enforcement

(3) Consumers are entitled to connect their choice of legal devices that do not harm the network

(4) Consumers are entitled to competition among network providers,application and service providers, and content providers

Technical Overview:
The Internet consists of many networks connected together through peering agreements, whereby two or more parties agree to allow each other's traffic to traverse their network. Internet Echange points facilitate these agreements, allowing networks to make new peering arrangements more easily. When two parties disagree on terms, this can result in depeering.

Benefits of a Neutral Internet:
  • Unrestricted access to information
  • Ability to use any Internet service without being hindered
  • A fair environment to foster innovation
  • Control lies with the user

Benefits of a Non-Neutral Internet:
  • Greater speeds and reliability

For example, %50 - %65 of download and %75 - %90 of upload traffic is used for peer-to-peer services.

Conclusion:

If Network Neutrality policies are not permanently adopted, corporations will likely assume total control of the Internet, effectively destroying the free flow of information we have come to take for granted.

Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant that has become the world's most popular and destructive hard drug. Please listen to our presentation and take a look at the links below to learn more.



www.cbc.ca/fifth/darkcrystal

PBS Documentary

Web Technologies

Further Reading on Evolution:

Increase in PHP usage on the Internet:
http://www.php.net/usage.php

Different Web Technology Standardization Organizations:
http://www.w3.org
http://www.ecma-international.org/

Further Reading on Modern Technologies:
http://www.w3schools.com/PHP/DEfaULT.asP
http://www.w3schools.com/Ajax/Default.Asp
http://twistori.com/ - Ajax demonstration
http://www.squarespace.com/ - WebApp for Web Design

Brittney's Video:



Photoshop Web Slicing Video Tutorial:

A video that that explains Photoshop slicing in detail.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Canada’s Economy

A big part of every country that is constantly changing is its economy. This holds true for Canada as in recent years we have seen economic ups and downs. The Canadian economy now headed into a recession due to the greed of corporations, government spending, and bad loans/investments by individuals and banks. We are here today to focus in on four key parts of Canada’s economy. The stock market, housing prices, businesses, and food prices are going to be the topics covered by our group.


Introduction:
Matt Austin


The Stock Market:
Jamie Marchant

- Stock prices are dropping
- Canada's economy is not doing well
- People are losing there savings and investments


Housing:
Danny Brown


- Cheapest & most expensive provinces to own a home
- House prices are going down
- Average cost of homes in Canada


Businesses:
Hui Wang

- Past, present, and the future of businesses
- Population, the labour force, and unemployment
- Future short-term economic outlook (provincial and country)
- Production exports and the auto industry

Food Prices:
Dragi Stajic

- Rising cost of food
- Farming industry
- Future of farming
- Environmental friendly fuel from farms


Conclusion:
Matt Austin