Tutorial Task: Complete the Exercises below, and then write a report in your blog about your experience doing the exercises; were there any problems? What were your solutions? Did you find it too simple, or was it confusing? Can you see how this software might be useful to you?
OK well there are always problems when it comes to computers so naturally I had one issue arise. This problem was due to the old instructions posted by the tutor..tut tut! Therefore I could not successfully complete the task without raising my arm and asking for help.That simple act of raising my arm is my solution for any problem. God bless Adam, he helped me battle through this issue with a few simple words and bingo! Problem solved. The tasks were pretty simple, but who doesn't like simple and uncomplicated things?
This software is very useful to me. Because I am not exactly the most reliable employee I am constantly updating my resume and cover letters in search of the next best job (that hopefully does not require early starts on the weekends). Mail Merge will help me get a job and save me a lot of time by posting all potential employers addresses straight into my word document, where I can print it off straight away. Technology does not frustrate me all of the time. Thank god for spell check also.
Microsoft Excel..sucks!
I did not do this second task as I hate Microsoft Excel with a passion. I have tried to use it before and it sucks. So to answer the questions above: There are problems, there are no solutions, I do not find it simple, I find it highly confusing and I do not see how it would be useful to me. That's all!
ACTIVE WORLD. A WHOLE NEW WORLD!!!
This task is much more interesting and I really enjoyed it, even though cyber chatting over a game site is something I consider as boring and a bit on the goober side.
We took an Internet field trip today, to Active Worlds. Active Worlds is a 3D chat world environment which looks like a cross between a computer game, and a regular chat room. You can fly around, do the Macarena, kick strangers in the head and fly Aladdin's magic carpet whilst chatting absolute rubbish to some stranger from the other side of the world. Check it out. http://www.activeworlds.com/ Here is what we have to consider after visiting Active Worlds.
Presuming that you are a user of MSN, or other IM programs (or have used it before, or at least know about it)... Besides the obvious differences (such as Active Worlds is 3D and MSN isn't, etc) what are the qualitative differences between the regular IM program and a 3D environment?
What is different about the kinds of socialising that happens in these spaces? Does the 3D aspect make much difference?
The "qualitative" differences between MSN and Active Worlds is clearly the 3D aspect but MSN has more gadgets such as emoticons and nudges and all of that annoying stuff, however on Active Worlds you can do the Macarena (I know, right!) and walk through trees and more importantly, people. I actually got into bit of a cyber verbal fight because I kept on walking back and forth through another girl who was using the site. Yes I get small kicks. One thing annoyed me about Active Worlds, it is the same thing that annoys me when your at a concert. People pay to go to concerts and people pay to use Active Worlds yet they just stand there and do nothing and have the hide to whinge. For example on Active Worlds, this girl that I was amusingly walking through got upset because I was walking through her 'cyber body'. What annoyed me about this was that people pay to use this site and don't play on it, if you don't want to play and just have a nice conversation go on MSN for f**k sake. This example from Active Worlds, reminded me of a few incidents that have occurred at concerts. This one time my friends and I were at The Wombats concert dancing, singing and doing what normal drunk people do at a concert, and got yelled at because we were standing on her toes (ha ha, whoops) and that she couldn't see. What do you expect at a concert? This girl paid $50 to go to a concert and stand there and expected not to get crushed and have a prime position at the front. So there you have it.. My analogy of Active Worlds, compared to a concert.
The difference between the 3D world chatting and MSN instant messaging is the fact that you have a body(cyber body) on Active Worlds and you can roam this world and see the characters you are chatting to. On MSN you are talking to your friends and family mostly, where as on Active Worlds you can talk to foreigners and discuss things about the Internet (boring) or even help each other work Active Worlds controls etc but even better get in arguments with a complete stranger. The 3D aspect makes a huge difference because it distracted me big time. I hardly even had a conversation, just the argument, and the rest of the time I was flying around on magic carpets, sitting on top of a clock and kicking some chick in the head. Surprisingly I liked Active Worlds but not enough to download it at home and pay for an account.
No comments:
Post a Comment