Evernote

   Evernote is pretty dang awesome! For those of you who don't know what it is, it is basically a storage page where you can keep any files and access them wherever you are. You can access them on any laptop, PC, Mac,  i-Pad or i-Touch, Blackberries and Android phones; it's that diverse! You can download it as a software and have a shortcut on your desktop or you can just visit the webpage at http://www.evernote.com/ to go on it that way. I have downloaded it onto my NetBook and it is wonderful. It is very quick to start up and use; however I do prefer the webpage version as you can access it anywhere you want to.

   I also have it on my Blackberry. On my Blackberry I can access any file that I have made at home, so if I made a note on a book, I could open up the Evernote app and check out what I wrote. You can also make notes as easily as on a computer, you can even attach pictures, videos and links too.

   Unfortunately, the free version isn't the best version available. There is a premium version for $45 a year, which isn't too much. However I thoroughly enjoy the free version and it is worth getting. Here is a link to their video about Evernote http://www.evernote.com/about/video/#zHom6bgqg9Y|1|1.

Storing Information

   Over the past years, technology has rapidly changed. Going from long, drawn-out processes to quick and snappy ones. How we find out and store information has also changed dramatically. 

   Now, people of my generation are probably thinking, 'but nothings changed!', well it has. In the past our parents didn't have Google or other search engines, they just had to find things out the long way, by moving from place to place. People would visit their friends to find out the latest gossip or banter, or go the library to research something for their homework. And those are just a few ways information was passed on! People would check the newspaper to find out the news, they would talk to some friends to find out whats happening and they would read hundreds of books to find what they need. But how did they store all of what they found out? In the past someone would probably just write it in a diary or put it in a shoe box for safe-keeping, but now everything has changed.

   I find out information in many ways. I normally just Google what I wan to find out and it comes up pretty quickly. I also checkout Yahoo! Answers to give me informations on various topics. Another great way that I use to find out information (maybe not incredibly necessary) is through Facebook. Facebook allows you to find out the latest news to do with your friends, you can also spread information around by chatting to them, 'inboxing' them or writing on their wall. I normally share information through Facebook as nearly all of my friends have it and it keeps me up to date with whats happening.

   Finally, how do I store information? I normally keep in on a Google Doc; this allows me to access it anywhere and also share it with anyone I like. I also store information on Microsoft, as this allows a wide range of editing to go on but unfortunately it is not very accessible. Lastly, I like to store some files on a memory stick. This makes me feel much safer with my files as they are actually in my pocket instead of in a huge memory warehouse.

DJ Earworm

I've lately been jamming to some of these songs, they're all by Dj Earworm and are pretty insane.

*All by DJ Earworm

Publishing vs eBooks

As time progresses, new companies will come about and more will break down, there will be new people in the industry too but less jobs. There will also so less jobs which get paid a large sum and books will become cheeper.

Publishers get up to 80% of money made per book (minus other costs such as printing) In the end they are lucky if they get 10-15% after these costs are taken off. There is a huge risk that a book won't return all the money that was put into it. Harry potter 7 was of 8% book revenues that year (an example of a very successful book).

In 2008 US sold $24.2 billion books. There is now not much focus on book sales anymore but everyone is now interested in e books instead. For the average author: gets about $3000 if he sells 5000 books and even more shocking is that only 5% of books break even.

At the moment the publishing industry isn't doing too well indeed. The eBook sales have topped the hard copy sales and the gap is increasing. The Kindle, iPad 2 and the Nook are all out competing and selling better than their opponents, the publishers. Also 'Print on Demand' and 'Accessible Publishing' have been flourishing recently as they are a much better concept. Print on Demand  is a setup that allows the publisher to know when someone buys their book so that they can print of a new one instead of printing thousands in one go hoping that they will sell. Accessible Printing is a way of helping those with reading disabilities by making the font bigger or changing the font colour, they do this by making various copies online.

Unfortunately for publishers, the numbers aren't working their way. EBooks are selling more and more digital copies of books than the publishers are. They are selling more because they appeal in more ways than the hard copies, for example you only one device to bring thousands of books wherever you want. 

However, this rise in sales could have the opposite effect. Because the books are made digitally, they are open to piracy. The 'pirates' could drive the authors out if business because they are giving them away for free. This could revert the figures. 

Unfortunately though I do not think that that will happen as we live in an age where huge breakthroughs like this are followed up with improvements and sooner or later the piracy of books will be stopped.

Old Posts

Hey everyone, sorry about not being able to read the last few posts because they are in white and so is the background. If you highlight them you can read them.

Digital Rights Management

Right, this may seem like a bit of a mouthful to begin with but it really isn't! Digital Rights Management, or DRM for short, is a way of protecting something you own digitally, such as software or information, from being downloaded legally. It stops people from stealing or taking information online. In America in 1998 the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was passed through Congress and the Act is still in place nowadays along with many other laws on DRM. These laws mean that if you are caught downloading something that is protected you will face a judge. Companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and Sony all use DRM to protect their ideas and products from illegal downloading online.

The Debate:

Since DRM was created and its various laws, their has been a heated debate about if it should stay. Companies say that DRM is necessary to fight copyright infringement online and also keep users safe from computer viruses that could be added onto downloaded items. Also DRM helps the copyright holder maintain artistic integrity or ensure continued revenue streams. The people who don't like DRM say that there is no evidence that DRM helps prevent copyright infringement or computer viruses from spreading. They also say that DRM helps big business stifle innovation and competition, because they want to create something similar but is not the same as what is protected. Others say that DRMs are restricting creativity because people are not allowed to edit old things, they also say that future laws should ban DRMs.

Activists are always campaigning for change and recently Cory Doctorow, a blogger, writer, journalist and activist spoke to the BBC about DRM. He said: "The one thing that everyone should have uppermost in your mind when you're designing your business is that computers are never going to get worse at copying things." He believes that DRM should be abolished as it will help companies and it will encourage creativity, and down-loaders will not break the law because it is not illegal.

Games

Games have been around for countless years, ranging from the simple hop-scotch to the more complicated games such as Call of Duty. But recently digital games have had a huge boom in sales. Digital games are probably the best type of game there is, there is no way of getting physically hurt and it is not real life so it doesn't matter what you do.

Unfortunately, some people do no like digital games at all. Some say it is too unlike real life so it is useless and others say that it turns the players into 'mindless zombies'. Studies have also shown that on violent games, you are less prone to help someone out. However, I think that games are great. They teach you valuable tips for life and you have lots of fun.


Recently in the news 6 start-up games industry firms have secured funding in the first round of a £5m investment project run by Abertay University. The funding will allow companies to hire people with talent for game designing to work there. It will create around 400 jobs and create around 30 jobs. For more information go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-13050045


Some games I would recommend are: All Mario games, most Call of Duty games, and Medieval Total War II. I also think that the XBox 360 is the best console although others thinks differently.

Mashups and Remixes

Here are some mashups and remixes...

Enjoy!

The Great Fire of London 1666

The Great Fire of London is described as both a catastrophe and a revolutioniser. It was a catastrophe because it destroyed hald the city and it was a revolutioniser because the city could be rebuilt out of stone. But what happened to cause all of this. First we need to know some background. The King at the time was Charles the Second and also the Plague was devastating the city killing thousands every day.

The Story...

At 1:05 am on Sunday the 2nd of September one of Thomas Farriner's ovens was left still with a fire in it. The flames caught hold and eventually spread throughout the whole bakery. This event started the Great Fire of London. His Maid called Jane was the first to die out of the tousands to die in the next 2 days.

Here is a recreation of what happened in his oven...

And unfortunately this is what happened afterwards...



The aftermath



From the intial burning of the bakery a full scale destruction of everything began...

Once the Government had heard that the whole of London was ablaze they decided that they must blame someone or they will be blamed. They decided to blame foreigners and they branded them as arsonists. They even told the army to hunt down any foreigners and put them in prison or kill them. They were blamed for starting the fire in teh bakery at Pudding Lane. Here is a picture of troops chasing foreigners.



Foreigners being chased



Some people who were going to church as normal...



Going to Church





But soon St Paul's Cathedral was on fire as well...



People running from fire



People at the time wondered why the church burned down. It was made of stone and the only reason it did burn down was because there was wooden scaffolding inside. Many people hid there and much jewellry was placed there for protection. But all the people there died and all teh belongings were destroyed.

But it wasn't all bad... The city could be rebuilt out of stone and with new layouts and bigger roads. Also the fire destroyed the last of the Plague which had killed thousands of normal people.

*Note people in the pictures are not real and no Lego people were hurt in the making of this presentation.

WikiLeaks: Good or Bad

WikiLeaks recently came into the public view as it released private documents mainly concerning the governments, secrets and private places. However, some people have argued that WikiLeaks is good and that it has shown the government in their true light. But others, such as the government, have said that it is appalling because it has given away secret locations and important places. I have got together a list of all the advantages and all the disadvantages.

Advantages:

1. Common people know what their government is up to
2. Reveals hidden secrets of people who 'look' good
3. Police get evidence from WikiLeaks
4. Provides news
5. It is quick to access this information

Disadvantages:

1. Groups with harmful intentions can use to information to find targets
2. The information could be lies
3. Makes people less trustworthy and secretive
4. Some articles can be information that people didn't want to know
5. Can ruin whole companies

It is certain the Julian Assange is out for revenge as he has persecuted Twitter and MasterCard because they removed him from their corporations. However, he could just be revealing to the public what horrible things the government has been doing.

I personally think that WikiLeaks is good. It reveals the bad habits and secrets of leading people and it lets the public know about anything. But I do not like the fact that they reveal places of economic importance and security areas. This gives too much information and people could use it for bad purposes.

The New Year 2011- What to look out for

This year J Walter Thompson compipiled a list of the top 100 things to look out for. Amoungst these is Tablets for Tots. This is slide 87, page 96 on this website: http://www.slideshare.net/jwtintelligence/2f-100-things-to-watch-in-2011-6306251.

This is all about giving children, as young as six, the chance to use iPads and other android devices at school. This will help them learn and it will increase their knowledge of technology. One type of touch-screen device coming out is the Isabella Product's Fable. It has a screen 7 inches across and is very durable. You can also take photos, draw, write and play games on these devices.



This is an Isabella 'Fable'


As you can see they are very simple and they look quite sturdy. They also come in different colours so that children have a bigger selection. If I was a small child I would definately want one of these!

These products come out in mid-2011 so all you parents out there watch out!

The New Year 2011

As we're entering the new year I thought it would be interesting to see what will be new and important this year. J Walter Thompson has made a list of the top one hundred things to look out for and I have chosen to talk to you about number 92: Tintin the Movie.

We're all familiar with the Tintin episodes, my favourite being The Blue Lotus. They usually consist of Tintin, a reporter, and his faithful companion going on adventures to find out information or to get a good story. He has many friends such as Captain Archibald Haddock, the Thompson twins and Professor Cuthbert Calculus and they normally help him on these missions.

Aswell as the episodes the author,  Georges Rémi, made short books about Tintin and his friends. These were then later made into episodes and sold to everyone in varying languages. In fact it has been translated from its original language of French to over 80 other languages. Also more than 350 million copies of the bookhave been sold since  Georges Rémi started to sell them.

But now in 2011 the production team who made the episodes have gone a step further... They hope to make a movie about Tintin called: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn. It is a mixture of the episodes: The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure. Thankfully for all us Tintin fans this is only the first of a trilogy of movies. The movie has been put in the spot light as it is being directed by Steven Spielburg and has a cast which includes Simon Pegg and Daniel Craig.

The movie is due to come out in November but the exact date for the UK has not been confimed. I hope you all enjoyed this short overview of the new movie and I hope you all enjoy it when it comes out, thank you.