Virtual Worlds - It's a whole new world

Two primary types of virtual that must be considered when looking at the 21st century world:

1. Virtual worlds.
2. Virtual workforces.

 Virtual Worlds, Virtual Workforces, Virtual Organisations.


Virtual Workforce

Letting employees work from outside the office:

• Keeps cars off the road.
• Fosters long service. 

Virtual Commerce

Mobile Commerce - The ability to purchase goods and services through a wireless Internet-enabled device.

Telematics - Blending computers and wireless telecommunications technologies.

Electronic tagging - A technique for identifying and tracking assets and individuals via technologies such as radio frequency identification and smart cards.

New technology is making massive changes.

Social networking who's who

Three types of social networking an organisation can implement:

1. Passive search.
2. Boomerang.
3. Marketing networks. 

Passive search your looking for the candidate. People who are happy and productive working for other companies.

Hiring people as a result of connections through LinkedIn.

Boomerangs

Use network to lure back some former employees, or so-called boomerangs.

Boomerangs cost less to train than new hires and they tend to hit the ground running.

Marketing Networks

Forums dedicated to a specific topic. Star rating etc.

Energy Saving in IT

Energy Saving

• Throughput computing.
  Virtualisation.
• Smart cooling.
• Alternative energy source. 
• Liquid cooling (biology).
• Government involvement.

e-waste - Old computer requipment.

Governing and Compliance

What it means for a company to go global and how IT facilitates that.

• Goverance is a method or system of government for management control.
• Compliance is the act of conforming, acquiescing, or yielding.

Strategic Alignment - About making all areas of the business align with the same strategy.

Risk Management - Identifying the risks, new market (what would be the risks), making sure that if a problem occurs the risk is as minimal as possible (consequences). Doing things to minimise identified risks.

Performance Measures - KPIs.

 Enterprise Architecture - Is about scale. In IT were thinking about it from a global point of view.

A few issues; networks, regulatory issues, technology and country-orientated issues.

Global Information Issues - Business must have the appropriate levels of authentication, access control, and encryption in place, to ensure: the security of information.

Physical Security - Is the IT security integrated with the computer security and industrial security.

De-Perimeterisation occurs when an organization moves employees outside it's firewall to grow and change the way corporations expand.

Transporter Data Flow - It may violate a countries policies on the internet if you send encrypted messages into a country that doesn't allow it... they may block it.

Innovation Finding New

Innovation is the introduction of new equipment or methods.

Find your relevant area, look around (what's not there).

Politics and Journalism

The first level of Government is known as the Federal Government. More information about the Government of Australia can be found here. 

The Second tier of Government is known as the State Government more information about the State Government can be found here.

Third Tier of Government is known as the Local Government, more information can be found here.

The speaker is in the lower house. President is in the upper house. Leaders, Prime Minister, Premier, Leader of the Opposition. Senior members of government are ministers of portfolios who meet in cabinet (Minister for Defence, Minister for National Affairs etc). Opposition has 'shadow cabinet.'

Politicians have special Privileges

Including absolute privilege to say what they like while house is in the session.

This means: Free speech in parliament, Protection from the deframation laws, Journalists can quote from Hansard without fear of prosecution for defamation.

Common Law - Made by courts / judges when they interpret law and make rulings.
Statue Law - Made by parliament when passed bill becomes an act.

What is Enterprise Computing

Enterprise Computing involves the use of computer in a network working together including: Retail, Educational, Wholesale, Transportation, Government, etc.

Enterprise computing is the underlying architecture that allows the underlying information to flow.

In an enterprise, users typically fall into one of four categories; Executive management, middle management, operational management and nonmanagement employees.

For example - Nonmanagement Employees - Need information in order to perform their job.

As you go up the lader operational management make day-2-day decisions. They normally require short-term decision information material.

Execs make decisions to ensure long term growth. They are very strategic decisions made with long-term goals.

Virtualization and Cloud Computing


Virtualization is the practice of sharing or pooling computing resources. There are two categories of Virtualization:

• Server - Provides the capability to divide a physical server logically into many virtual servers. 
• Storage - Provide the capability to increase and create single logical storage devices from many physical storage devices.

Cloud Computing is an internet service that provides computing needs to computer users. 

Grid Computing combines many services or personal computer to act as one large combined computer. 

Key Terms in developing an enterprise network includes; Scalability and Interoperability. 

• Scalability is the measure of how well the hardware or computer information system can grow to increasing performance demands. 
• Interoperability is the ability for an information system to share information to other information systems within an enterprise. 

The Internet

Launched in 1989, the WWW was not originally designed for integrating multimedia. It was designed as a method of delivering simple text documents formatted in HTML.

The first browser was the Mesh (Berners Lee 1989)

Mosaic was introduced in 1993 (inline images and ease of use)

Non Web browsers differ in features, performance and cost. 

Site Planning and Design

Web site design does not begin with making a Web page. A logical procedure should be followed to provide a blueprint for the effetive design and layout of individual pages and links. 

The design depends on the purpose and target audience of the Web site.

A website should attract visitors, maintain interest, satisfy the users needs, ensure the site is bookmarked for future visits. 

Site Planning and Design

Types of Web sites: 

Instructional (educational)

Informational

Promotional (advertisement)

Entertainment

Social

Factors to consider when planning a Website: 

• Purpose of the site. Target Audience, the User's browsers. 

Site Purpose

The purpose of the site should be clearly defined. 

Ensures the the design plan works towards satisfying the purpose; not the creative needs of the designer. 

Purposeful design is the key trick to website design. 

Target Audience - Requirements and needs are paramount in effective web design. Clearly define who will use your web site and what needs they have. Identify characteristics and demographics such as; gender, age, socio-economic background, education level, computer literacy level, etc. 

Identify characteristics and demographics such as: gender, age, socio-economic background, education level, computer literacy level, etc. 

A user must always know what page they are on at any one point in time in your website.

There are four types of navigations structures: linear structure - Forward and Backwards (One page at a time), hierachical structure, non-linear structure, composite structure / hybrid (organised as a mixture of linear and hierachical structures).

Investigative Jurnalism

Investigative journalism help right wrongs. It exposes cover-ups, crime, protects and fosters democracy, exposes incompetence, reveals dark secrets and is challenging / rewarding for journalists.

Two key factors that work against investigative journalism in Australia:

• Australian Laws - especially defamation laws. 
• Financial Costs - Company searches, legal advice and Journalists' wages / costs.

Not all investigations are expensive. Recent successful investigations have cost little or nothing.

Some stories have changed our world:

• Watergate - Led to the resignation of the US president. 
• Mt Erebus disaster - Exposed attempted cover-up of a tragic NZ plane crash. 
• CSR / James Hardie asbestos - exposed corporate negligence in Australia. 

A desire to dig up dirt is needed.

Leading Australian investigative journalists include; Bob Bottom writing for Fairfax newspapers (Exposed organised crime in NSW), Phil Dickie of the Courier-Mail (exposed police / political corruption in QLD), Chris Masters of Four Corners (Investigated corruption at many levels).

• Journalists literally make news by being proactive, conducting research and discovering information, talking to people / cultivating sources, writing agenda-setting articles. 

Investigative Journalitss should have some or all tof hte key qualities below:

• Resourceful, Thoughtful, Persistent, Intuitive, Making time for investigation. 

Finding time to investigate is challenging.

Many investigative stories takes, weeks, months or years to compile. 

How do Journalists Investigate

Define what is to be investigated: But be flexible, directions can change.
Do broad background research; check news archives, researching online.
Seek primary documents and resources. 
Consider what research reveals.
Check facts.
Legal knowledge and seeking legal advice are all essential.
Follow the money trail.
Consider the chronology of events.

Making Photos look Futuristic

Signifiers

Synthetic Colour - High saturation, primaries, secondaries.
Geometry - Angularity, Repetition.
Motion - Speed, Mechanisation.
'Information' - Numbers, Data, Graphs.
Disintegration - Fragmentation.

Umberto Boccioni Elasticity 1212 - Artist.

Luigi Russolo Revolt - 1911

Atkinson and Co., Sant' Eia Visualisation 2009.

Software Development Strategy

Software that is built correctly can transform as the organisation and its business transforms.

Developing Software:

As organizations reliance on software grows, so do the business-related consequences of the software being used. 

System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

The overal process for developing information systems from planning and analysis through implementation and maintenance.

1 - Planning, 2 - Analysis, 3 - Design, 4 - Development, 5 - Testing, 6 - Implementation, 7 - Maintenance. 


Software Development Methodologies

Waterfall Methodology - Each phase is distinct, sequentially from planning through implementation and maintenance. Rarely going back, concept is start from the beginning build everything until it's all finished and then moving no.

Agile - Customer satisfaction through early and continuous delivery of components developed by an iterative process. Projects sets a minimum number of requirements.

RAD - Emphasizes extensive user involvement in the rapid and evolutionary construction of working prototypes of a system to accelerate the systems development process.

Prototypes - A smaller-scale representation of working model of the users' requirements or a proposed design for an information system.

Computer Programming and Programming Languages

A computer program is a series of instructions that directs a computer to perform tasks, Created by a programmer using a programming language. 

Machine language is classified as a first generation language - 1GN.
Assembly Language is the second generation language - 2GN.

Programmer writes instructions using symbolic instruction codes. A source program contains the code to be converted to machine language.

3GN languages are allot more easier to program in. Which can then be converted to 1GN or 2GN languages.

In a procedural language, the programmer writes instructions that tell the comptuer what to accomplish and how to do it.

Third-Generation Language (3GL)

A third generation can compile and translate an entire program before executing it. An interpreter converts an executes one code statement at a time.

Source Program + Data > Interpreter > Results (EXE - The compiled program)

Object-Orientated Programming Languages and Program Development Tools

An object-orientated programming language allows programmers the ability to reuse and modify existing objects.

Other advantages include; objects can be reused, works well in a RAD environment, Programmers create applications faster.

Microsoft .NET Framework allows many types of programs to run onthe internet or an internal business network, as well as computers and mobile devices.

Features include: CLR (Common Language Runtime), Classes.

Visual Studio is a Microsoft suite of programs developed as tools to assist with programming.

A 4GL Language is a non-procedural language that enables users and programmers to run a query with using procedures. Examples of these are MySQL, SQL and CFM.

Web Page Development is just a markup language. It is a very limited language.

HTML is a special formatting language that programmers use to format documents for display on the Web. XHTML is a markup language that allows Web sites to be displayed more easily on mobile devices.

XML is a way for Web developers to create customized tags and use predefined tags to display content appropriately on various devices. WML is a subset of XML and is used to design pages for microbrowsers.

Two applications of XML are RSS 2.0 and ATOM.

Programmers write scripts, applets, servlets, or ActiveX controls using a variety of languages.

Javascript, Perl, PHP.

Web Page Development

Web 1.0 - Looking at the content or change the webpage.
Web 2.0 - Provides a mean to change or modify the content in some way. Creating a Blog, Wiki, Facebook, Bebo, Twitter etc.
Web 3.0 - Data driven.

Web page Authoring Software can create sophisticated Web pages that include images, video, audio animation etc.

Other authoring tools include, ToolBook Director which are designed for different platforms.

When creating a Program - Step One - Analyze Requirements

It is writted to tbe the solution to a problem or an answer to an opportunity.

To initiate a program development, programmer must: Reviews the requirements, meets with the systems analyst and users, identifies input, processing and output.

Input                   |                     Processing                         |               Output
The input var             The processing that this step does             What's the answer...

Step Two - Design Solution

In structured design, the programmer typically begins with a general design and moves toward a more detailed design. Programmers use a hierarchy template.

Object-Orientated (OO) design the programmer packages the data and the program into a single object. Encapsulation.

The selection control is an action to take, based on a certain condition. If-then-else, case, etc.

Pseudo Code is another way of going about Designing the Solution - It is a condensed form of English to convey program logic.

Step Three - Validate the Design

Check for logic errors by checking your Pseudo Code.

Step Four - Implement Design

Implementation of the design includes using a program development tool that assists the programmer by:

• Generating or providing some or all code. 
• Writing the code that translates the design into a computer program. 
• Creating the user interface. 

Extreme programming is a strategy where programmers immediately begin coding and testing solutions as soon as requirements are defined. 

Step Five - Test the Solution

Step Six - Documentation of the Solution

The Pseudo Code can be used to review the program.

System Development

System Development can follow three general guidelines. Groups activities or tasks into phases, involve users, define standards.

What is System Development

System Development should involve representatives from each department in which the proposed system will use.

Who initiates a System Development Project - A user may request a new or modified system, Organisations may want to improve hardware, software or other technology. Situations beyond an organisations control might require a change.

Analysis Phase - Consists of two major parts, conduction research and a full solution is developed.


Design Phase - Is a prototype proof of concept that can be used while the full system is being created still.

Implementation Phase - Various tests should be performed on the new system.

Media Scrums

Media Scrums in Journalism are a common thing on big stories.

Errors and Corrections are made in news stories all the time.

• Mistakes are a fact of life. 
• Problems can arise if mistakes are not corrected. 
• Admission of error - corrects in accurate information, neutralises damage and provides an explanation / apology.

Regulatory Mechanisms - Internal codes of conduct - 'in-house', Print media in Australia also accountable to the Press Council, Radio and TV ultimately answerable to the ACMA. MEAA is the Australian Journalists' Association (AJA) has a code of ethics.

MEAA members engaged in journalism commit themselves to; Honesty, Fairness, Independence & Respect for the rights of others.

Ethics and Social Responsibility

Some things can be legal, but unethical. Is a story a matter of public interest? What benefit will the public receive? Police may ask journalists not to report on a particular issue, Chequebook journalism (accepting money for work), Treat people with sensitivity and courtesy, Balance between privacy issues and press freedom, new technology aids the invasion of privacy.

Privacy

Publicity can help solve a crime. The right to know and the right to privacy. Do people involved in newsworthy events forfeit their right to privacy.

New technology and privacy

Listening devices, Camera phones, Manipulating digital images, legal issues.

Race, sex and religion

Is it ever relevant to report on a person's race, Is it ever relevant to report on a person's sexual persuasion.
 
Equity and Responsibility

Recognise religious and ethnic sensitivity towards words / phrases. People with a disability are, and should be portrayed as, part of the community.

Homosexuality should not be portrayed as abnormal.

Potholes for the unwary

Conflict of interest - When should someone else do the story?

Gifts and freebies - assumption of influence.

Advertising - to what extent should media outlets please advertisers.

Should journalists hold back from joining clubs and community organisations.

Let the reader decide

Often there are no black and white answers because many situations are different.

Journalists only have one real master - the public.

The purpose of defamation law

We all have a duty to avoid unnecessarily damaging someone's reputation as a result of your work.

It can be written or spoken words, a photograph, drawing or comic.

Defences - Truth, known as justification, qualified privelege, publication of public documents, fair report of proceedings of public concern, honest opinion, triviality, innocent dissemination.

Using extended Techniques

For example, you may have intended to shoot a futuristic scene, but can submit your photographs to either look as if they were hyper real, glossy and futuristic, as Mariko Mori does, or grimy. 

Interesting styles of photos -  http://history.hipstamatic.com.

Deadline Friday 4^th November.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

Summary - Integration, about creating a single system that will enable an enterprise to operate through a single IT system.
ERP are powerful systems
- Is a logical solution to incompatible applications.
- ERP addresses global information sharing and reporting.
- Avoides the pain and expense of fixing legacy systems.
Content management system is actually a government legislated system for large enterprises such as JCU.  Helps out with reporting.
ERP is about consistency.
Digital Dashboard - Being able to see everything in one place and understand easily what the current enterprise state is.
ERP systems collect data from across a whole organisation.
Before ERP everyone stored things seperately and it was always a matter of asking someone for the physical, ERP is a single source.
Core - Traditional components are included in almost all ERPs as standard; accounting and finance, production and materials, human resources.
Extended - Extra components that meet the organisational demand; Business intelligence, CRM, Supply Chain Management, e-Business.
Accounting and Finance Management - Manages accounting data and financial processes within the enterprise with functions such as ledgers, accountsf payable, budgeting, asse managememt, etc.
Production and materials management - job cost accounting, quality control.
Human resources ERP component - tracks employee information, benefits, compensation, performance assessment, legal requirements, etc.
ERP - Business intelligence (BI), crm, scm, e-Business.
SCM, ERP and CRM are the backbone of enterprise.
Balanced scoreboard - Enables organisations to clarify their vision and strategy and translate them into action.

Townsville Pallarenda

Complimentary post for MySuburban News in Townsville a site that I'm the Editor-in-chief.

A beautiful photo looking back on Townsville from a point in the suburb of Pallarenda has been captured by My Suburban News Editor, Nicholas O’Sullivan.

The photo is available for download in a low quality. High resolution shots are available by calling My Suburban News on 07 4767 7405.

Panoramic photo taken of Townsville’s CBD with a SONY DSLR A33, 55-200mm lens.

Read more at My Suburban News - http://www.mysuburbannews.com.au/2011/10/01/townsville-pallarenda-20204479.html#ixzz1ZVhWW9Sn

Townsville Pallarenda