Last words

Ah. It's finally the end of the semester. Writing this blog has been fun, exploring both familiar and new things on this exciting journey. As much as we think we know about the Internet, there's always something new to be discovered, and that's the fun part. The amazing things we've achieved as a species continue to astound me, as we head forward into an even more incredible future.

There isn't any one lesson I've learnt from this course that I would describe as the most important, but I guess it's looking back at how far we've come, and the knowledge of the myriad of possibilities that await us. The Internet has really changed our lives for the better, and I look forward to witnessing the magical things that the future will bring.

And I'm still not on Facebook. :P

The world around you is not what it seems

I just discovered the most amazing thing. Google has created the very first augmented reality mobile game called Ingress. As an augmented reality game, it requires the player to go out of the house and travel. Internet connection, GPS, and a camera are needed for the game to work.

The game revolves around a conspiracy known as the Niantic Project. The people who work there are agents researching on something called the Shaper Mind Virus, which supposedly controls the mind of an affected individual, causing him/her to become... artistically expressive. The Shapers (as they are called) are also responsible for the creation of ideas in a person's mind.

There are 2 factions, the Enlightened and the Resistance. The Enlightened aims to learn more about and harness the power of mind control, while the Resistance, well, resists. The player gets to choose which faction to join.

Currently, Ingress is in beta mode, and requires an activation code to play. Once in the game, the player selects an agent name to go by, and joins a faction. After that, there is a tutorial teaching you how the game works and what you must do. I don't know all the details, but it involves visiting landmarks and buildings (such as museums and libraries) that are identified as portals, then hacking it for your faction.

I've already requested an invite, but have yet to receive it. :(
To find out more, visit Niantic Project.

Peek into the Crystal Ball

And I see a whole lot of magic. Or at least, it looks like magic. The Future of the Internet is going to be amazing, what with the rapid advancement of technology and all. Just imagine everything talked about in previous posts, but better. Microsoft has a good idea.

Basically, everything is integrated, so there will be Internet tools utilized for e-learning in schools and e-business for companies. The products made with these tools will then be used for entertainment and multimedia, and shared on social networking sites, finally changing the world through social media.

All gadgets will become smaller and lighter, and some will even become wearable. All data will be stored in the Cloud, and we won’t need to worry about security because we’ll be using fingerprints, eye scanning, and DNA for identification instead of passwords. Virtual reality and augmented reality devices will become the norm, and maybe in the far future, we’ll have chips implanted into us and become part robot.

Eventually, we’ll forget what it’s like to live without all these things, just like how we’re beginning to forget what it was like without smartphones and Google. Does it sound like a nightmare to you? Or a dream come true? It will definitely make life a lot more convenient, but we must not rely on it so much that we forget how to live without it.

The truth is out there

The primary purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to be free and self-governing.

I took Journalism this semester, and the above quote from the textbook we used (“The Elements of Journalism” by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel) was the first thing we were taught. Journalism is not just a recount of incidents, but a tool meant for educating and informing citizens.

In order to do so, the journalist must make sure that what they’re writing about is the truth, and this is done through a process of verification. Journalists also have the obligation to exercise their personal conscience. Keeping things ethical is not just a moral responsibility, but also helps maintain harmony in society.

Then one day, the Internet showed up, and “journalists” have been popping up all over the web. And some of these people cannot write to save their lives.

But more importantly, they make a mockery of the journalistic practice. For instance, the fundamental element of ensuring truth in their articles is, unfortunately, lost when they do not care to verify or do not have the means to do so. This results in the public becoming misled and misinformed. Also, unethical “journalists” who post information without first considering its effects may end up hurting others.

However, citizen journalism is not all bad. Its advantage is in constantly having eyes and ears on the ground, allowing for real time reports from anywhere and everywhere. Twitter, especially, is a key component in this phenomenon. People can now upload posts, pictures, and videos while an event is happening, which is much faster than waiting for journalists to arrive at the scene.

Another benefit of citizen journalism is as a check on mainstream media. While journalists often do their best to uncover a story in its entirety before publishing it, citizen journalists can offer their own accounts of events, correct errors, or provide new facts.

The classic role of a journalist was that of a gatekeeper, deciding what the public should know. Now that we have the Internet, some people believe that journalists are no longer necessary, since we have access to information ourselves. While it is true that journalists play a different role now, writing them off completely is not wise. At the end of the day, the journalist’s primary function is in verifying truth, which still holds even today.

Scandals, Blunders, & Presidential Waves

Ever since social media played a significant role in Obama’s 2008 victory, there’s been a lot of talk about Politics and the Internet. Personally, I’m only interested in American politics because it’s so much fun. Scandals, blunders, and presidential waves.

They did the same thing too, here in Singapore. During the last general election in 2011, politicians and parties had Facebook pages and Twitter accounts set up. However, the Internet can be a hostile place as well, as evident in the Tin Pei Ling saga.

Anyway, part of the reason they began to use social media was to reach out to the younger demographic of the population and garner support from there. If people aren't gonna look for politics, then politics are gonna look for them.

But did it work? It definitely helped Obama, but the same can’t be said in Singapore.

Political apathy amongst youth has been a point of contention for a long while now. Why is this so? Or more importantly, why does this matter? Politics is something that affects all of us in every way, so people fear that if the younger generation does not care about government, then we relinquish control of our own lives.

But one thing I’d like to point out is this – does political apathy not exist in the older generation? I’m sure that there are people who do not care for politics in all age groups, and there are young people who are concerned about politics as well.

One reason politics doesn't bother most of us is that we’re quite content with things the way they are now. Why fix what isn't broken? We are in an enlightened age, and if there’s anything we’re not satisfied with, rest assured we will not keep quiet.

Step into the Future

All this talk about “Virtual Reality” and “Augmented Reality”. What exactly do they mean? What’s the difference?

Virtual Reality (VR) is a fictional world that one is immersed in. There is no impression of the real world, and if you look through VR head gear, it feels as if you’re in a totally different world, kind of like an out-of-body experience.

Augmented Reality (AR) is the addition of digital information in the form of tags, labels, pop ups, etc. in your vision. You still see the real world around you, but with extra stuff, like this.

Pretty cool, huh?

The appeal of VR is the idea that one can be free from the clutches of reality, forget one’s troubles and let go of worldly connections. While VR can be used for stuff like military training purposes (boring!), the people at Oculus are thinking more along the lines of gaming (yay!).

The Oculus Rift headset is the cutting edge of virtual reality for video games. It was featured on Kickstarter, a funding platform for creative projects, where it raised $2,437,429. That’s a lot more than its goal of $250,000! You can order the developer kit from there.

AR, on the other hand, is not about escaping to another world, but about being more connected and efficient in the real one. It’s kind of like having a smartphone display on your eyes. In one corner, you can see the time. In another, the temperature. You can also communicate with friends on the go. And when you look at a building, a short list of information appears next to it. All this and more, as you walk down the street to grab a cup of coffee.

Codswallop? Not at all. Introducing Google Glasses.

Next thing we know, there’ll be Google Lenses, where the displays will be put into contact lenses. Sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, doesn't it? Behold the future of Entertainment and Multimedia on the Internet.

Trust No One

Internet security is not something to be taken lightly. The Internet is a tricky place where viruses and worms sneak around you, waiting for you to make a single false step before they swoop in like vultures and have your bloody guts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

But that’s not going to stop anyone from using the Internet anyway, is it?

So how can you guard yourself against these malicious vermin?

First and foremost, use a good password.

Here’s a list of the most common passwords on the Internet.

Admit it; you used at least one of these passwords at least once in your life.

Another problem is, people tend to use the same password for more than one website, because coming up with a new password every single time is too troublesome, not to mention, difficult to remember.

It’s also important to use a variety of characters, including letters in both uppercase and lowercase, numbers, punctuation marks, and symbols.

Actually, thinking of a good password isn't really all that tough. Just combine several completely unrelated words together, and voila!

Also, change your password regularly.

Finally, here are two websites that you can use to find out how secure your password is.

How Secure Is My Password?

The Password Meter

There! That should keep the little buggers out.