Week 8 - Final Summary

With my 8th and final post, I now reflect back on the first entry I posted back in September. Through this project, I not only created an idea and product, I learned how to integrate different, and at times seemingly disconnected, factors, as well as develop a vague idea. Though there is still much more to be considered, my mustard seed of an idea has grown into a tiny sprout throughout the duration of this project.

With each week, we were required to consider and integrate the topic of the week's lectures with our ideas. My idea was an application similar to Blackboard but with a to-do list and other functions that allow effective communication and organization for students and professors. As each week passed, I needed to think and dig deeper into the establishment of my product and take into consideration the many different aspects of development from hardware, privacy, and even networking. Week by week my product developed and become a clearer possible reality instead of the foggy idea it began as.

As the project now draws to a close, I see how much I have learned and realized as a result of this project and this class. There are many things to consider when creating something, and even the smallest decisions can make or break your idea or product. My idea started out as a mere solution to one of my own daily problems, but now it has a structure, privacy settings, and networking solution. Things I had not even known or considered, such as privacy settings, the use of Excel, and integration with input and output devices needed to be addressed and, as a result, have enhanced my product. Had this project continued, I am sure my idea would have changed from my initial vision, but for the better.

The only thing I wish we had spent more time on was creating cool and catchy names for ideas products... My idea is still nameless and has yet to be bestowed with a cool and clever name.



Blogs Commented:
Kenny Kim - http://disasterisopportunity.blogspot.com/
Terry Li - http://baconflip.blogspot.com/
Sooyun Kim - http://sooyunie.blogspot.com/

Week 7 - O/S, Networking

During this week's lecture, we discussed the importance of operating systems and networking. Both are incredibly important factors that can determine the performance of my app. Depending on the operating system and how the network is set up, my app can either help or hinder students and professors in performing and obtaining the information needed.

In regards to networking, users could use wireless access points to gain access to the internet using their mobile devices or computers. From there, users would login to the application, where the application would search the database for the ID and password entered by sending the encrypted data through packets that travel and hop through nationwide switches between the modem and the user's private servers. Through this process, users would also gain access to giving and receiving the information needed. Desktop computers will need to be connected via ethernet cables, but laptops and smart phones will use wireless internet access. With so much data to be reached to hundreds, possibly thousands, of people simultaneously, the bandwidth will need to be fairly high to ensure proper latency.

With operating systems, we will create the application to support various different operating systems in both computers and mobile smart phone devices. Since on computers, the application will be web-access-based, there is not much need to consider compatibility with different operating systems, unless we decide to turn it into a downloadable server-access application, like the existing First Class. As far as mobile operating systems, such as iOS, Android, Blackberry, and the recent Windows Phone, our app will be created to be compatible with all operating systems to ensure the convenience and effectiveness of our app.

wireless access point router to server to packets to data center

Week 6 - Blogger Review: John Chow

John Chow is an entrepreneur blogger who has made money solely working through the Internet and blogging. A self-proclaimed “dot com mogul”, John Chow’s blog, “John Chow dot Com The Miscellaneous Ramblings of a Dot Com Mogul” informs other bloggers how they too can make money utilizing the internet and its opportunities.  Aside from these helpful tips, such as investing, and advertising, Chow’s blog is also peppered with rambles about cars, food, technology, and other random tangents.

An entrepreneur in Canada, John Chow left his job of 10 years at a printing company in April of 1999 to start up his website, TheTechZone, focused on technology and hardware. TheTechZone is now one of the largest hardware tech sites on the Internet. He later created TTZ Media, an advertising network that provides contextual advertising to hardware and other electronic products. He started this personal blog in 2005, and has been blogging to this day.

Through his use of humorous and professional language, John Chow’s blog is both informational and entertaining. While some posts, especially those specifically written geared towards blogging how-to’s, may go over certain reader’s heads, a great deal of the posts are also an easy-read, thus luring both aspiring bloggers and bored web-surfers.

Though the blog itself has a few too many ads, it only shows how John Chow has managed to make $40,000 a month using his blogs and advertisement. Aside from that, the blog is easy to access, easy enough to navigate, easy to read, easy enough to comprehend, and incredibly helpful for future bloggers.

LINK: www.johnchow.com/blog

Week 5 - Bits & Bytes

During this week's lecture, we learned about the size, bits, and bytes and their relationship to each other as well as their impact on the quality of data processed and accessed by users on a computer through a network connection. The more bits and bytes, the higher the quality of the photo, music, or any other file a user accesses. With present and future computers able to handle increased bits and bytes, the quality of information we receive, save, and access has also increased.

Bits and bytes and size are an important aspect in technology, and my app is no exception. With thousands of users, and hundreds of classes, the information uploaded will need to be of adequate quality, without being too big for the system. In order to solve this, we will need compress files and "extract useless things" much like what happens when .WAV files become .MP3 files. The larger the bits/bytes, the larger the size. If uploaded files become too big, then the entire system is slowed down, and users will undoubtedly express their annoyance, thus files need to be compressed to only their absolute necessities.

In addition, the application itself needs to take up a reasonable amount of space on the users smart phone or tablet device. To ensure the application does not take up too much space on the users limited space, in addition to compressing files, cloud technology may be applied to minimize the use of storage space on the device and application system itself. Though this may pose an inconvenience of constant access, with 3G, and now 4G, services becoming rapidly popular, and free WiFi in many public areas and guaranteed on college campuses, using cloud technology may be the best option.

Week 4 - Input & Output Devices

Input and output devices are everyday aspects we take for granted and do not take much into consideration. However, with the proper integration of the different input and output devices, an idea or process can be greatly enhanced in terms of efficiency, accessibility, and compatibility. With my entrepreneurship idea, different input and output devices can easily be applied.

With smart phones in the hands of nearly every college student, touch screens have become a norm in the world of technology. Through the touch screen input device, students can access the application proposed and easily navigate through the layout and access the information they want and need. With computers and portable computer, a touch pad, keyboard, and mouse serve the obvious purpose of navigating and inputting information. Microphones, scanners, audio and even video input can also be utilized to make diversify the uses of the application. For example, microphones can be used for language courses where professors can assign verbal assignments and students can record their voice, using a computer or their smartphone devices, to submit it. If further developed, even reading devices can be utilized. The possibilities are endless.

Output devices can also be easily integrated into the application. Display devices are obviously needed for students and professors to access and use the app. Printers can also be effectively used to print uploaded assignments. While laser and ink-jet printers are the practical, mobile printers could greatly improve the issue of students "forgetting" to print assignments and, combined with a smart phone, would add to the convenience factor. Speakers, headphones, and data projectors would also make access much easier and practical.

Week 3 - Hardware

This week we learned that there is a lot of hardware used in computing systems. For example, the motherboard, (which is the main circuit of the system unit, sound cards,) the power supply, processors, and memory (RAM/ROM).  A user starting their own business, like me for this project, has a lot of options between choosing a variety of processors and memory capacities. However, the more intelligent and capable the hardware is, on average, the more expensive it becomes. Therefore, hardware is probably the most costly but rudimentary component in starting a business, especially for my entrepreneurship project which is run on the Internet and requires a whole cohesive set of computing hardware to function.

There are several hardware I need for my business. First of all, servers to access the hardware and software necessary for maintaining my website. This would let me support several thousand computers and users connected at the same time. Next, a mainframe, a powerful computer that also supports thousands of users, which will store all the information and databases my website will aggregate. I would need a supercomputer which processes tons of information per second because my website is large-scale and requires several calculations and designs.  I would need several computers for my web developers and designers: either desktop computers, personal computers with optimal memory storage, and workstations that supply a monitor, screen, keyboards and a mouse.  For these computers, the processors need to be high-intel, they have to allow a large L2 Cache to store temporary data and have the operating system works fast and smoothly. With that, a large clock speed cycle in the hard drive would be optimal so that fetching, decoding, executing, and storing can occur and the workers can program and run large software on their computers.

Finally, I would need networking hardware to connect to the internet such as routers, modems, wires, WAPs (wireless access points). And just to top it off, like any business, I would need instrumental hardware like printers, scanners, USB storage, external hard disks, and speakers.

Week 2 - Excel and Privacy

This week we discussed two polar topics: the greatest weakness of social media, privacy, and possibly one of the most helpful softwares, Excel. Both of these aspects can be applied to my idea to further enhance the performance of the application as well as its convenience and effectiveness. Paying special attention to privacy will assure users their information is safe from prying eyes, and the use of Excel can provide professors and students with quick and accurate data of grades and class statistics.

By ensuring privacy, more users will be feel comfortable using the application. Since GPA or grades in general is a topic some are very private about while others are open about, grades will remain private, and only private, much like on Blackboard. There will not be superfluous privacy options like on Facebook, where such options can get confusing and misleading. Grades will be private, personal messages will be private, and all other aspects such as assignment posts, daily to-dues (assignments due), etc. will remain visible to all who are enrolled in the same class as the user. Also, the user will have a username and password that allows them to access their courses. To ensure full privacy, the user will need to input their password after a certain period of time (ex. 4 hours), but they will not be logged out.

The other topic we discussed last week in class was Excel and spreadsheets. The obvious advantages can be seen in this software to be integrated with my app. It can be as obvious as using the spreadsheet and predetermined equations to calculate and keep updated the grades of each student. Functions such as the average function, and "if" conditions, can be used to easily calculate class averages and "pass" or "fail". Professors can also use Excel to organize and upload assignments and their due-dates, which the application and software will use to transfer the information to students in to-do form. All this can be combined into one Excel spreadsheet for easy organization for professors.