#8 Multimedia

Have you heard of virtual reality? Most probably, yes. How about augmented reality? Yep. The two terms are hot topics in recent few years, so the concept is probably not new to you. But do you know some applications of it? We know how cool VR and AR sounds, but some of us might not know how they can be applied or used in society. Or just. Life.

Well, if you didn’t already know, there’s actually a 4D virtual reality themed park in Korea that opened in 2012. Feeling slow? So do I. The park lets visitors experience a virtual world that were only seen in movies like ‘Minority Report’ and ‘Avatar’. They use mixed reality architecture so visitors can create an avatar and become the main character in a unique adventure. Aren’t you bummed that such cool stuff only happens in other countries and not Singapore? Yeah, me too. ◔̯◔

How about augmented reality! I guess it’s a more accessible technology to us because it can also be experienced using mobile platforms. AR is basically using digital technology and your surroundings to help enhance your experience of reality. In terms of entertainment, did you know there will be an AR-based game coming in 2016? It is a horror game and all you need is your phone and your house. Yep, a horror game based on your home that you always felt was safe. Not gonna feel that safe anymore, huh. I don’t know about you, but I definitely am not gonna play that. It already looks way too real in the trailer.

Anyway, with so much talk on AR and VR – what exactly is the difference between them? You could think of them as two sides of a coin. AR simulates artificial objects in the real environment while VR creates an artificial environment to inhabit. Both technologies are not only used in entertainment, but also in various aspects like education (like the AR sandbox I mentioned in my earlier posts), military and medical training.

VR-based training is an attractive and cost-effective alternative to live training with expensive equipment, dangerous situations, or sensitive technology. For example in military uses, they can learn to use equipments or train with heightened safety. Surgical medical students can train with virtual tools and patients, and transfer their virtual skills into the operating room. Studies have already shown that such training produces doctors who are efficient and accurate, reducing their mistakes.

But of course, with all the good, comes the bad as well. We have heard of many horror stories related to how gamers with severe addiction eventually died or fell ill. If the entertainment and gaming world grows big with  AR and VR technologies, chances are that players will feel even more immersed in the gaming world. Addiction issues can get even more serious and severe concerns will be raised once again.

Hopefully, when that day comes, we will all be able to enjoy the benefits of AR without posing too big a risk on our health and lives.

#7 Internet Security

Hello friends! It’s been a long time since the last post. Anyway, this post is all about internet security! Basically, viruses and stuff. I used to not be able to understand what a computer ‘virus’ was when I was young. I kept thinking that it meant some serious illness for our computer at home and obviously, it couldn’t take medicines or flu jabs. And that was just very confusing for my poor little brain as a kid.

So here’s a fun fact to ease the confused brains out there, the term ‘computer virus’ came about in 1949, coined by Dr. Fred Cohen. He used it to describe the ability that a software had, to transfer itself from one computer to another without detection. Pretty much like how our sickly viruses work, infecting one person to the next without our knowledge.

Here’s another fun fact – if you thought that only computers could get viruses, you’re wrong! What else, then, could be infected with software viruses? It’s probably right beside you now, or you’re probably you’re using it to read this. Yup – your PHONE! I used to think it’s not possible for phones to get viruses. But after reading up, boy was I so wrong. Here are a few ways that our phones could contract a virus.

1. Downloading applications
   Sometimes, when we download applications, there are terms and conditions that require us to check the ‘I agree’ box before it proceeds. Yeah you know where this is going. Most, if not all of us, never read the terms and conditions. I mean, it’s so freaking long, who will even read it? But with our laziness, we may miss out sections stating that the application will have access to our database and so. This provides an opportunity for virus to infiltrate the software. Creeps, right. It’s like unknowingly giving someone to stalk our activity or plant something terrible in our phones. Having a mobile virus protection software that scans every application before it is fully downloaded to your smartphone helps you to reduce any threats it may pose.
2. Surfing the Web
   This. Is probably the easiest way for our phones to contract a virus. We love our TV shows and books and anything Singapore doesn’t have, we’ll download them once we find them links. But hold it – do you have any idea what’s coded into the files you’ve downloaded? Keep your phone protected by mobile antivirus software, so it scans every file download that you make. If the file seems fishy, the application will quarantine it. Then you can decide if you want to delete it or just #yolo.
3. Document attachments
   Bing! You’ve got mail. Or not? Every day, you may receive several texts and emails. When you see unfamiliar numbers, you would probably ignore or delete them. But if your phone has a virus, it can send you texts and emails that are disguised as messages from familiar contacts, which you’ll probably open, exposing your phone to damage. Same goes with others, when your friends’ phones or computers are infected, they too can send out disguised messages that contains weird links. And if you click on them, your device is gonna get that virus too.
4. Bluetooth
   Phones can infect one another by simply being in the same vicinity. Well, if their bluetooth is on, that is. This is quite frightening, as almost every phone has Bluetooth capabilities. Who knows what your phone might receive if you forget to turn your bluetooth off? So turn them off, it saves your battery usage as well.

While it is possible for phones to be infected, the possibilities are definitely lesser than that of computers. This is because when we download stuff on our phone, we usually go through the App Store so the bad stuff are usually already filtered out. On the computers, however, there are no such filters except your own wise decision-making self. Oh but guess what this means. If your phone is jail broken, you stand a much higher chance of contracting a virus… Good luck jail broken buddies.

p.s Apparently, android phones are more susceptible to viruses than iphones. So, go get your Apples friends.

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Sources:
http://mobile-virus-protection-software-review.toptenreviews.com/top-five-ways-your-smartphone-can-contract-a-virus.html#sthash.6XQee9dl.dpuf

#6 Vlog

Just me attempting to create a vlog with very lousy skills 😦 Featuring the Singapore Night Festival’15 and a quaint cafe my friend and I found!

#5 Future Classroom

What will future classrooms look like? Will they look entirely different from those that we use today? The future classroom that I imagine to be will be bombarded with advanced technology and it will be really cool. Or at least, to me.

In the future, there will no longer be textbooks that students have to lug to school and carry in their backpacks like they’re uncool turtles. Instead, everything will be digitalized. Perhaps augmented reality (AR) will be used for learning, or even examinations. Maybe by then, students will finally be learning subjects at school that is useful and can be applicable in real-life. AR-based exams could probably test their ability to apply what they’ve learnt in school to ‘real’ situations. They can even use it for geography lessons so students can better understand what their teacher is saying. After all, augmented reality sandbox already exists and it’s pretty cool. Very cool.

Since everything is going digital, of course the furnitures have to up their game too. But not all, I guess. Tables could go first. They can be “tablets” and students can interact with their teachers and peers using the tablets. Kinda like how we have iPads and Galaxy tablets now but definitely in a more high-tech way.

Or maybe tables will still be tables, but without the textbooks and notes and papers, there will (again) be tablets. Students can solve questions with teachers monitoring their progress in real-time and they can even share it with their peers.

Or maybe there will be no teachers! Computers can do the job, they can do everything. Maybe by then, technology has become so advanced and ‘smart’ that the computers/softwares will be able to give voice feedback on whether their answers are correct, why they are wrong and even offer solutions. Who knows? But that’s quite creepy, huh. It’s also quite a disadvantage because I think if computers replace teachers then students will miss out on the ‘warmth’ of learning experience. They can’t enjoy the *proud* moment when a teacher compliments them or jokes with them and such. That’s pretty sad.

Lastly, future classrooms may result in the need to modify learning objectives then. Lesson structures will definitely be different, the content they deliver will be different. Maybe we won’t even understand anything that they are learning about next time. Maybe lessons will be focused on teaching them more skills than knowledge and content. Who knows?