Coolest Shopping Bags??

Stop biting your nails..

coollllll

wooow

How effective and creative advertising can be, to attract the majority of people.. Im sure u have checked the images above that explain different ways of expressing several brands... The bag itself attracts the viewer, so the viewer will have the curiosity to know what is that place that has such a creative and funky bag, but in fact thats the goal behind advertising.

Ronda :)

Media Statistics

For your curiosity check the image below:

Ronda.

Too Coool....Not to include!!!

Dont tell me that a massive 3D stretched goalkeeper billboard like this does not attract any generation passing under...

This great advertisement of Adidas sports company was actually placed at Munich airport for the 2006 World Cup... It was rated at the top 10 billboard advertisements. Eventhough it's 2 years back but i think it still deserves to be mentioned.It makes the viewer want to play at the same moment..

Enjoy,
Ronda :)

London's Latest Outdoor Media Trends

A promise has been announced by JCDecaux that a roll out of a 20-strong network of 48-sheet sites in London from spring onwards. So that when updating the campaigns, advanced quality images are offered by Digital LED screens in addition to its greater flexibility.

The most important point has not been mentioned yet, which is the cost of each piece. Actually buying those screens cost a lot, which could be around £100,000 and above per piece. But JCDecaux's chief executive Jeremy Male says: "Outdoor is the fastest-growing medium after online and with people spending more time out of the home, it makes sense to invest in visually appealing and exciting projects."

Basically this project has been displayed on site to check if the new technology works and if advertisers are happy with it or not. If it does work then probably UK will be managing to have a minimum of 10 digital screens in place by the end of the year and why not 20 hopefully.


In the picture above you can see that it is a touch digital screen, built-in, in a very professional and slim way, a way that does not bother but attract people’s attention while passing by.

Ronda:)

Follow the Light at Night

Follow the crowd; cover all of a city’s popular and crowded nightlife areas by simply having a flexible and movable mobile media. Light up the streets with the most advanced media that outdoor advertising has to offer.

People stop and look appealingly to the ad that is being displayed on different walls in multiple streets; anywhere around. Some people are interested to know the ways of how this projection works and others just see it nice and ready.


Here’s how this great media works:


=> Images are projected from a van customized with high-tech projectors on top. As the van slowly cruises popular areas, it illuminates the walls and buildings that it passes. Projections can also be stationary as the van is parked and illuminating key, highly-visible walls. Moving images are approximately 30-40 ft square. Stationary projections can reach 200 ft square! The projection also includes a special effect like zooming.


Use Quick Time player to check out a live video of a mobile projection.

If you dont have Quick Time player click here for a free download.

Ronda:)

Dubai Media City

Dubai Media City is the only global media hub in the middle east where all media related businesses thrive together in the perfect atmosphere. It is located at the crossroads of Middle east, Africa, and South Asia.
Dubai Media City is a successful reflection of the ruler and Vice President of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum to transform Dubai to a knowledge based society and economy.
DMC creates a world class environment of every kind of media business, which broadly includes media and marketing services, music, film, leisure and entertainment. It ensures that all the media companies have the freedom to be creative in order to reach the outstanding level which is the basic goal of this DMC.

Robert

What about Segways ??

Segway a word I have previously mentioned in my posts. It is one of the latest type of advertising that takes the brand directly to consumers, events and hard to reach locations.

Above we see several vehicles, in which the Ad is fully wrapped around the front, the sides and on both wheels. It is still very early for people to lack interest in checking what this vehicle is about, because it is very new that people should stop to check it out.

Those attractive vehicles are best to be in crowded busy areas. Also as a wall of advertisement, segways can be parked while brand ambassadors attend to promotional giveaways and interacting with your audience.

Segways are not only a prop for your branding and advertising, they allow your brand or company to inform the curiosity of a target audience and then open the door for a brand experience.

For more details on bringing this new media to your next campaign please contact us.

Ronda

TV series turned into Vid Games... And Vise Versa..

Recently, most of us who are fans of TV series, witnessed the huge transform of those popular series into video games that even kids who can't follow up with the episodes on tv, can now play the game which can tell about the story without having to follow up on TV.
One of those popular major series which are being transformed into video games, are: Alias, Lost, Monk, etc...
Actually i'm a fan of the Hit TV series Lost which tells us about the life of a group of people who get lost after their plane crashes in a remote jungle. Once, i saw one of my friends playing the game and i noticed that it's not as interesting as the series. In brief, it lacks the excitement that the series makes you experience , waiting for the next episode to find out whether the guy who discovered the money inside the plane would finish his friends and take over it. But again, it's a personal opinion and some people prefare playing the game rather than watching the series.


Rob

Smart Unique Media

While you are having a walk in the streets , you see a very mini wrapped car moving around followed by a 3-sided unit. What comes on your mind other than an Ad??

It's a Mini smart car, a type of mobile media that can take your message anywhere while deliver the "wow, that's cool'' factor. It is usually wrapped with the Ad on the front, back, and even on the top, followed by a 3-sided backlit unit that also has the Ad.

It is a great way of reaching the audience whether it's day or night time. Having several mini-cars gathered infront of a busy park, high-traffic areas, malls, etc... is the best way to promote your product to every generation walking by. By the way, it could be clearly seen from multiple angles.

Im sure people would like it because it is a very ''petite'' type of media which makes it closer to the viewer.

N.B. there's supposed to be an image eventhough we are familiar with smart cars, but if i find a good and clear image ill make sure to post it next.

But i want to add an information that there is also a movable media called scooter which is like the smart car but a scooter instead of a car.

=>If you are interested please click here.

Here is an image of it at least to have

an idea of how a scooter looks like.

Super Mario is back on Facebook!

Remember when we used to sit down and play Super Mario for hours without moving, waiting for Luigi to fall down in the hole so we get out turn to reach the Dragon that spits fire balls, beat it and rescue the princess??? That was back in the day when Nintendo 64 was extremely popular before even introducing PS in the market.

Today, Super Mario is back as a Facebook game application which you can add it on your profile page and enjoy it as much as you did when you were a kid. But this time your opponents aren't your siblings or relatives sitting next to you on the couch, waiting to get their turn. On the contrary, you are able to play against millions of users worldwide who added the application to their page.

I already added the application and played it several times... Moreover, i reached an advanced level where i can even fly and play above the clouds(remember the smily clouds??)

It's really intetesting especially when get to play with people you never met but are as good as you are. C'mon add Super Mario and get started!!!

Just click here to get Super Mario Application on your Facebook.

Rob

Online Games

In the past few years, online games have been everybody's addiction, starting with little kids to grown ups.

Most online games rely on a good internet connection and graphic cards(VGA). The user can download the game for free from the main website, then register in order to be able to play the game. Some, if not most game sites, require certain fees (credit cards,...) to start playing, but that's not our case here, since i will discuss free online games and how users interact with each others via them.

Some of the most famous online games are: GunBound, Travian & World of War Craft.

All those require a certain internet speed to be able to play the game smoothly and challenge the other users. The most common phrase said while playing those games is, "I Am Lagging!!" This means that there's a huge number of users using the game's server at once, which could add up to millions since people from across the world are playing the game.

GunBound has been the most famous online game in the past few years, so in order to keep you interested, i shall discuss it in the upcoming post as an example that explains online games more.

Rob

Smiling :) Moons Over Manhattan

Shocked!!

Relax it’s just an advertisement of a Toto Wash let company, no less. As we refer to the picture it is obvious that we see lots and lots of smiling moons over Manhattan, U.S.
But that’s not the issue, it is more than that. It’s the large billboard that we see made up of two-stories wrapped around three sides of a Time Square building.

You ask yourself why is it a smiling moon??

Because the Toto Wash let is modern-day miracle of science (according to the press release). It “upgrades a standard U.S. toilet to state-of-the-art in personal hygiene. It cleans and dries with aerated water and warm air (both adjustable, via wireless remote, for temperature and strength).

It seems an attractive advertisement to me, I thought ill share it with all my members.


Incase you didn’t like the faces! Well it is a very simple step just click here and choose your own happy face for those cheeks… :)


Ronda.

Is it the Billboards or Hot Girls :)

Check out the photo below Digital billboards in general aren’t the only way to advertise a certain product. A Portable Digital Billboard could also be one type; it is a mini portable screen that has speakers so that the Ads could be heard by people passing by. To know how much fun they can be take a look at the following video.

One way of drawing people’s attention is to make hot girls wear it in big events such as concerts,parties,bazaars, and shopping malls. Even though promoting a certain product alongside the Segway might give an idea of how successful it may be.

Ronda.

3 iN 1 Photos

Day view Night view

Sorry for the delay...

Ronda

Extracting Media from DVD Games

Have you ever wondered how can you extract soundtracks or videos from a dvd game??
To most gamers, it's a possibility that would change the world of gaming.

1. You can't go around copyright rules to legally extract this media.
2. Only hackers have the ability to break the rules and get what they want from any dvd game.

For example, in Need For Speed (Most wanted), certain artists performed only for the game. The Rock is one of them. You can't find any other songs on the web using P2P(limewire, bearshare, etc...) which were performed by this artist. And even if you search for the song in the game, you won't be able to find it because the artist does not exist!!!!(that's why i couldn't find any cyberlinks for him..)

In most P2P searches for game soundtracks, you might be able to find certain songs. However, these songs will probably belong to a famous artist unlike The Rock. For people who believe in extracting songs from games, it's possible.

In further posts, i will introduce you to the complicated process of exctracting such information.
So stay tuned !!!

Rob

3 iN 1

Talking about New Style!!

Wherein a big light box is flanked on its right and left sides by two smaller light boxes,it is what we call a 3 in 1 digital billboard.
The way its displayed catches the audience's attention because its unusual.
Why un-usual??
Its because we don't see much of it around, so its not familiar yet.

Its a two view billboard, day and night, but both show the same (a clear image).

But since its made up of three parts, that makes the Ad appear in a wider and more presentable way. Thats all about it for now if anything pops up new about it ill make sure to update you as soon as i get the information.

Dont worry a picture of it will be attached soon because im still working on it.

Take care,

Ronda

Every Ad in Times Sq.

Time Square the very popular and most expensive advertising area in New York, where every company spends millions per year placing billboards there.

A few takeaways from an article concerning the Advertising Age stated that:

• The annual Time Square billboard business is estimated to be 69$ million


• A draw of 40million annual unique visitor to Times which is around 14% of the U.S. population


• An estimation of more than 100 milion keepsake photos are taken in this area


• An example of certain companies advertising there would be Kodak spending over 2$ million yearly for their display, Thai Airlines spending around 1$ million for their sliver of billboard space, and many other companies

yes, its not only what you see in this => image it's much more


"Time Square is becoming, in a way, a publishing platform,"


said Peter Stabler,the director of communication strategy for Goodby,Silverstain and Partners, an advertising agency.









''Times'' does not differ much whether it is day/night time.

Why?? I guess it is very obvious how the digital billboard lights are coming from every single spot whether its day/night.



=>For more information about events taking place at Time Sq. through out the year select any of the following:

http://www.timessquarenyc.org/about_us/events_taste.html

http://timessquare.com/

By Ronda

Enjoy

Advertising vs. Nervous System

Usually we hear about water or air pollution… But have you ever heard about Visual Pollution??

>>A friend of mine, a marketing director at a well known company, was bragging about the advantages of advertising billboards.

She says: “we will definitely reach our target audience using broadcasting digital screens; I mean the customer is forced to watch the Ad he can’t switch the channel !!''

Do you think it’s our right to manipulate people’s consciousness??

We see all these digital Muppies, Unipoles, Megacom, and one must be confused and distributed by such vision. Honestly excessive outdoor Media is the century’s hazard.

Ronda :)

N-Gage 2.0

The new N-Gage 2.0 is the next generation of the N-Gage series which is dedicated to gaming. As Nokia has promised its costumers by introducing new softwares and programs which will enhance the gaming experience, it wasn't an easy job for the manufacturers, so at the beginning, only users of N81 had access to the new N-Gage software which can be downloaded for free from the N-Gage official website.

This period was sort of a test for the client, though introducing new games to try out which weren't found in the N-Gage Generation 1. Shortly after this period, Nokia removed the limitation of N81 to the users of N-Gage, thus cancelling the policy of "only if u have an N81 phone, u can buy N-Gage 2.0 games."

Applying this policy, the purchase of NG2 increased and the game users who are interested in mobile gaming started to use NG more frequently as Nokia made new promises and plans to develop this phone and compete the well known consoles.

Rob

Gaming Mobiles

Ask anybody to name the most popular game he or she has ever played on a mobile, and the most common response will be "Snake" or "Tetris."

But developers of the mobile games industry are working real hard to obtain new answers from all those people who are interested in mobile gaming and even using phones that are completely dedicated to gaming.

Nowadays, many mobile industries such as Nokia (N series) and Apple (iPhone) have made a huge step further and a revolution in mobile gaming. For instance, they have developed 3D gaming experiences, multiplayer games and control through touch.

In the further posts, i will discuss several mobiles that are specifically done to allow users play games and join a wider network of game users wherever they are.

Rob

Digital Unipole

Outdoor Signage is a centuries-old staple of the advertising world. Thanks to digital technology, it’s facing its biggest transition since the 19^th century.From video walls to digital billboards to smaller screens that express branding information, digital display is changing the face of the outdoor signage, a pixel at time.

Digital Unipole (one main type of outdoor advertising) it’s a large format sign structure fabricated on a single steel pole, it’s considered to be one of the most preferred outdoor media.

Unipoles are usually installed in very well seen and effective spots. Such as high-ways, busy streets, airport roads, and most suitable for reminder media campaigns. As for the installation of the Ad to appear it’s the same process as the “digital muppies”.

Ronda

N-Gage: First Generation

The N-Gage is a mobile telephone which is part of the N-series. The special thing about it, is that it outranks the classical N-series which Nokia started, in a way that it has a built-in game system which allows users to play and communicate at the same time, creating a wide network of communication.

Instead of using the classical way of playing network games by using cables, multiplayer gaming was accomplished with Bluetooth or the Internet which is provided by the N-Gage service. This created a huge market for this mobile series in October 2003, but this didn't last for long as the users started to encounter technical problems concerning the gaming software in the mobile. As a result, N-Gage's reputation started to fall apart in the gaming media and users stopped using it as a game source. Of course Nokia had to do something about it, so it introduced new softwares and programs which are solely dedicated to N-Gage users in order to improve the gaming in this phone. Yet, this hasn't done much, as game users wanted more advancements, so Nokia promised them with a new generation of N-Gage that is yet to be out in 2007.

Rob

Product Placement in Video Games

Product placement is big business. And it's getting even bigger!!!

The new generation of product placement is widely found nowadays in video games, giving endless possibilities for advertisers. Not only can advertisers find the game's characters using their products, but they can also update their in-game ads at any time and offer game updates through their web sites.

People are starting to turn to video games more than television. Last year, video games topped the box office sales with $10.7 billion, and this number is expected to reach $16.9 billion by the end of 2008. And since product placement is already a huge part of the gaming industry, more number crunching will increase rapidly by the end of this year.

Everybody, grown ups and children, are increasing their video game play, and of course the advertisers are making use of this growing method to reach their customers through in-game advertising. For example, while playing a video game, a teenager might see in-game advertising pointed or directed toward him/her like an ad for acne cream or another one for hair dandruff!! One of the video games which is well known for its product placement is "Need for Speed Underground." It features product placement like Burger King, Cingular Wireless and Old Spice.

Advertisers are now figuring video game advertising into their budget. Money previously spent on TV is now being redirected to in-game advertising. So from now on, all of you guys should purchase your favorite video game just in order to stay updated with the latest products... Especially LADIES!!!

For further info about Video Game advertising and related articles, click here.

Rob

Advertisement and the Reader !!

Driving your way to work, home, or to a specific entertainment your eyes are attracted to certain readings on the way, simply it’s an Advertising Digital Billboard. There are several types of digital billboards by which I have previously introduced one of them the (Digital Muppy). I have mentioned its process but not its advertising concept and style! Let’s read more about them below.


=>Advertising Style is designed:

- To catch people’s attention

- To quickly create a memorable impression

- To keep the reader thinking about what he/she have read
after they’ve driven past it

- To be readable for the viewers passing by at a fast speed

- Having large font, few ‘simple’ words, and brilliant lightning’s
(since its digital)

RE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_(advertising)#Digital_billboards

By Ronda

EyeToy

The EyeToy is a color digital camera, similar to a webcam, for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. The technology uses computer vision to process images taken by the camera. This allows the players to interact with games using motion, color detection and also sound, through its built-in microphone.

Using EyeToy is not that difficult, so all you have to do is plug in your device, install it, and get all the fun!! But some people are really not into technology, and just installing a device sounds impossible to do!!! So here are some easy steps to follow and get your EyeToy going....

Step1:
Open Device Manager by going to Start Menu > Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager. Plug your EyeToy into your computer’s USB port - if Windows gives you a “Welcome to the Found New Hardware Wizard” popup, cancel it and continue installing via Device Manager. You EyeToy should appear in the Device Manager list under “Imaging devices” and should have a big yellow exclamation alert next to it. It will also tell you which model EyeToy you have - either Namtai or Logitech.

Step2:
Still in Device Manager, right click on your EyeToy and select “Update Driver”.

Step3:
Welcome to the Hardware Update Wizard!!
Can Windows connect to Windows Update to search for software???
Select "NO, not this time."
Now, click "Next" to continue.

Step4:
What do you want the Wizard to do??
Select "Install from a list or specific location."
Then click "Next" to continue.

Step5:
Browse to the folder where you extracted the drivers.

Step6:
You can safely click "Continue anyway" here.

Step7:
Just click "OK!!"

Step8:
Read the prompt, tell them where you live, then click Yes or No.
(You don't wanna burn alive!!!!)

Step9:
Click "Finish" to close the wizard.

Step10:
C'mon!!!! Use it :)


To get more detailed info about the steps to get your EyeToy started, click here.

Rob

Security Wise...tough topic !!

Here are some real examples of muppies. I’m sure everyone is aware of KFC and Nokia mobile phones.

Security has always been the case. Concerning the study about attaching a mini camera at the corner of the muppy has been done. This camera as planned that it will be linked to the police station incase of any harm. Even though we have the electrical harmless shock but it's not enough. We shall have an image of that person too. We have covered the main contents of having a digital muppy in town, but one main thing is the placement of that muppy which will be mentioned in the introduction of the second type of the digital billboard.

Click here to check out different Digital Muppy Ads

It's me again
Ronda ;)

Where am I?? Moon... Earth...??

Imagine one day you’re looking at the moon and you find your picture.With the new technology and advanced media everything is possible. Actually its serious, Google plans to brand its logo into the surface of the moon so that its visible from earth.
As there are maps of Google Mars and Google Earth, now there will be Google Moon pretty soon where certain companies will become the world’s biggest brand.
Since the US government will be paid a huge amount of money so planting the flag on the Moon’s surface has been considered.

''Google announced this week that it would sell a further 5.3 billion shares to raise $2.1bn.
Google's official filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission said that the sale of shares was designed to raise additional capital for future acquisitions, but the company declined to be more specific about any current agreements or commitments.''

>>So keep an eye at the moon, you never know when your picture appears.<<

Ronda

M-Tech

What is Advertising?

A form of communication whose purpose is to inform potential customers about products and services and how to obtain and use them.For instance, advertisements contain both factual information & persuasive messages.Every major medium is used to deliver these messages including: outdoor billboards(muppy,megacoms,unipoles),television,games,movies,radio,newspaper,internet (check internet advertising). Advertisments are usually placed anywhere people/audience can access more frequently.

With the help of new technology, people working in advertising fields have developed a new way in introducing a certain product using the Digital Muppy instead of the traditional one. Its a new and efficient way for people to advertise using slide show images,animation,and a digital view. Usually all the muppies are linked to the main server which is called the Hub.

How does it work??

Simply attach the information needed to advertise on a cd and choose the location in which you want your Ad to appear at. Then refer to the digital muppy basement to place the cd. Make your life easy by only pressing a small button to process a big job that will only take a few seconds for your Ad to appear. Thats all you have to do!! Im sure that it is way easier than the traditional one.

Here are some media benefits of a Digital Muppy:

• Speed of time => you dont have to print nor install anything just burn a cd.


• Cost effective => no expenses are needed other than having a bunch of cds.


• Easy means of communication => it is suitable for the majority.


• Choice of voice media => press & hear the ad.

Digital Muppies may be used for several options:

1. Advertising for different events and products.


2. Traffic Departments: police may request something using the muppy. For example,if there is an accident on a certain location it can appear directly so people wont access that road...


3. Political elections: people can vote by scanning their Id card, or a touch screen muppy can be used.
   

By the way everything has been managed and under control even security purposes. A 12volt battery has been installed inside the digital muppy for a small harmless electrical shock incase anyone tries to touch or damage it. Lately,a study is being done to add a mini camera and connect it to the police station to protect the worlds new technology from evil hands.

Thats all for now :)

Ronda

Xbox 360

Xbox 360 is the second video game console to be produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. Its Xbox Live service allows players to compete online and download content such as arcade games, game demos, trailers, TV shows, and movies. The Xbox 360 is the successor to the Xbox, and competes with the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles.
The Xbox 360 was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information divulged later that month at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). The console sold out completely at release (with the exception of Japan) and, as of February 22, 2008, 18 million units have been sold worldwide according to Microsoft. The Xbox 360 comes in three different versions, the "Arcade" console, the "Premium" console, and the "Elite" console, each having its own selection of included and available accessories. Another version of the Xbox 360, called the "Core" which was available from launch, has since been discontinued for retail and replaced with the "Arcade".


Launch

Main article: Xbox 360 launch
The Xbox 360 was released on November 22, 2005, in the United States and Canada; December 2, 2005, in Europe and December 10, 2005, in Japan. It was later launched in Malaysia, Mexico, Colombia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, India, Brazil, Poland, Czech Republic, and Russia. Microsoft has additionally announced official launches in: Hungary, Slovakia, and the Philippines. In its first year on the market, the system launched in 36 countries, more countries than any console has launched in a single year. Due to its early launch, the Xbox 360 had a one-year lead on both of its competitors, Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii.

Robert

WII's World

Remember the days when the Nintendo 64 or the gameboy were actually the coolest things ever??

So many new games out there these days. With competition such as Sony and Microsoft, was it possible for Nintendo to create an ultimate console that could bring back our memories to the here and now?? Would it actually be a stable product that could run in the market??

The Answer is YES!!

Introducing the Nintendo wii

Coming in an ultra cute new look for Nintendo. The wii is the ultimate new generation for gaming. Some of the new features include wireless controls and an inbuilt safety strap for you to hold the control without it 'accidently' slipping out of your hand. The controld even have inbuilt sound!

Is it worth buying it or not?

WII: is able to play games from previous consoles such as the original NES, Super NES, N64, Sega Genesis (also known as Mega Drive) and the TurboGrafix 16 with its 'virtual console' software . This will allow older gamers to relive their favourite games.

Wii already has a strong lineup of games of production, with many more to follow. Familiar characters like Mario and Link will make appearances. Gamecube discs will also be playable on the Wii.

Instead of just focusing on better graphics like their rivals, Nintendo are focused on delivering an improved, fun playing experience with better interactivity. The Wii will also retail at a much lower price than the other consoles. All in all the Wii is an exciting breakthrough in gaming.

For more information click here

Ronda

Internet & Filtering Softwares: A Global Solution

Internet as a medium is not moderated, and while this has obvious advantages, there are also disadvantages. Most countries have formulated their own rules for the media within them, based on majority moral standards and political interest, so censorship levels vary from culture to culture. The global nature of Internet, both culturally and physically, makes regulation impossible. This issue is often particularly worrying for parents, for while the Internet is an excellent resource for children and an exciting new means of communication, they cannot be sure their children access only content that is appropriate for them.

Governments around the world are currently grappling with the issue of regulation. The challenge is to allow people access to the benefits of the Internet while ensuring content doesn't offend community standards. The Movie Ratings system is one example of the way content is regulated in Australia.

Possible Solutions

There is no better solution to keeping children safe on the Internet than to make sure they are ALWAYS supervised when online. The Internet is not like television which only allows adult shows to broadcast late at night. It is more like a library where anyone can access, and insert, content anywhere on the shelves at any time. Undesirable content can be accessed very easily, so it's always better if an adult can be on hand to assist children when using the Internet. Adult supervision can help children avoid or at least put into context any Adult material found.

However, you may not want to risk the chance of any material accidently popping up, or you may wish to make sure you yourself are not confronted with material you are not comfortable viewing. The ABA (Australian Bankers' Association) has provided a list of 24 approved filtering programs that you can use to help avoid this material and moderate your access to the World Wide Web.

Robert

Internet Revolution:

It all started in October 1969. Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, were ready for a critical experiment. They had a computer and communications node, while colleagues installed similar equipment up the coast in Menlo Park. They planned to test whether they could link the two computers over telephone lines to operate as one system. The researchers began to type in the message: 'log in' to make the link. The system crashed!!!

By the end of the month they achieved the link. This was the beginning of internet revolution. Of course, the purpose in those days was to ensure that nuclear missile systems could be kept operative even if part of the network was put out of action in a war. The commercial importance of this breakthrough was not fulfilled for another 25 years, similarly the petrol combustion engine did not lead to cars and trucks for about two decades.

Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of information – the activity of making information available for public view. In some cases authors may be their own publishers.
Traditionally, the term refers to the distribution of printed works such as books and newspapers. With the advent of digital information systems and the Internet, the scope of publishing has expanded to include electronic resources, such as the electronic versions of books and periodicals, as well as websites, blogs, and games.

Cyberpunk vs. Steampunk

Cyberpunk is a science fiction punk genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." It is also a subgenre of industrial rock music. The name is derived from cybernetics and punk and was originally mentioned by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983. It features advanced science, such as information technology and cybernetics, coupled with a degree of breakdown or a radical change in the social order.

Click here to find out more!

Steampunk is a subgenre of fantasy and which came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" of such technology as analog computers; these frequently are presented in an idealized light, or a presumption of functionality.

Steampunk is often associated with cyberpunk and shares a similar fanbase and theme of rebellion, but developed as a separate movement (though both have considerable influence on each other). The main difference between cyberpunk and steampunk is that steampunk settings usually tend to be less obviously dystopian than cyberpunk, or lack dystopian elements entirely, knowing that dystopia is a society characterized by human misery, oppression, disease, and overcrowding.

For more information about Steampunk click here

The Second Life Experience

Second Life is an Internet-based virtual world launched in 2003, which came to international attention via mainstream news media in late 2006 and early 2007. A downloadable program called the Second Life Viewer enables its users, (residents), to interact with each other through motional avatars, providing an advanced level of a social network service. Residents can explore, meet other Residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, have virtual sex, and create and trade items and services from one another.


Second Life is sometimes referred to as a game, this description does not fit the standard definition. It does not have points, scores, winners or losers, levels, an end-strategy, or most of the other characteristics of games. There are, however, several games within Second Life, e.g., international football (soccer) matches.

Approximately 13 million accounts have been registered, and some Residents have multiple accounts. Residents are the users of Second Life, and their appearance is their avatar (often abbreviated to av, avi or ava). The basic avatar is human in appearance, but may be of either gender, have a wide range of physical attributes, and may be clothed or otherwise customized to produce a wide variety of humanoid and other forms.

Moreover, Second Life has its own economy and a currency referred to as Linden Dollars (L$). Residents regularly create new goods and services, and buy and sell them in the Second Life virtual world. There are also currency exchanges where Residents can exchange real world currencies for L$.

We will keep you updated with our experience in Second Life in a new post, as we discover more aspects of this ultimate virtual world.

Make Your Blog Popular!

Blogging is fairly mainstream these days, isn’t it? I mean your granny probably even knows what it is!! So if you’re thinking of starting a blog, or if you already have one and just want to increase your audience size, these tips are for you.

1. Have a point

This is the most important thing you can do. Too many people start blogs and try to turn it into an online diary. It’s like this – if you have a fantastically interesting life which is full of drama, you can become fantastically popular doing this. If you’re a regular person, however, you’re going tomake a bigger effort!

Which isn’t why you’re reading this – you want popularity. So have a point!! Make it interesting. Have something to say, and say it with passion. Look at that girl crying about Britney Spears on YouTube. She didn’t really have a lot to say, but she said it so dramatically, most of the world saw it. So if you’re not going to have a point worth sharing, at least make it worth laughing at - you just might end up with your own reality show, like her!(cool..!)

2. Blog-Hop

If you want an audience, you need to go get one. Find blogs related to the things you want to blog about(in our case, New Technologies), and then make friends. Don’t fake it – that becomes very obvious very quickly. Which is why I suggest you find blogs you LIKE, then it won’t be a chore commenting on them. Visit, chat, shoot the breeze. Leaving comments on other blogs will also get you visitors from those blogs, provided you’ve said something interesting and make them want to come see what else you have to say.

3. Talk to your readers!

This is a major mistake bloggers make. If someone takes the time to read your blog and leave comments, you can spare 5 seconds and at least say thank you. If I leave comments on your blog and you don’t at least acknowledge my existence, I would jump to another blog. But then, I’m a spolied little Princess and I enjoy attention!! All the same, make your readers feel like they matter to you – and really, they should matter to you, fans are very important! – and they will be more inclined to come back, and more inclined to tell their friends about you. All you have to do is leave a comment on your own blog in the comments section thanking them.

4. Link Love!

Trade links with people, this way their readers will see you on other blogs and come check you out. You can email people and ask them if they’d like to trade – be nice! The best way to ensure a yes, is to be approaching someone with similar content. Meaning, if you have a sex blog with Pornography, don’t expect a link trade with a Priest or nun!!!

5. Blog frequently

Don’t just blog once a week and expect people to check in every day. That’s not fair to them, and it will just make people think you can’t be bothered. Even if you have nothing worth saying, blog at least every other day if at all possible. You can always find something clever on YouTube to entertain your readers while you attend to whatever else you have going on.

6. Customize Your Blog Design

People are naturally attracted to eye-catching things. Have a cool looking blog and you’ve already come a long way without trying. I don’t care how nice your content is – if you’re blog is totally boring, I’m not going to want to visit. You don’t have to spend cash, there are plenty of people who make custom templates for free.

EXOSKELETON

The exoskeleton robot, serving as an assistive device, is worn by the human (orthotic) and functions as a human-amplifier. Its joints and links correspond to those of the human body, and its actuators share a portion of the external load with the operator.

Integrating human and robot into a single system offers remarkable opportunities for creating a new generation of assistive technology for both healthy and disabled people. Humans possess naturally developed algorithms for control of movement, but they are limited by their muscle strength. In addition, muscle weakness is the primary cause of disability for most people with neuromuscular diseases and injuries to the central nervous system. In contrast, robotic manipulators can perform tasks requiring large forces; however, their artificial control algorithms do not provide the flexibility to perform in a wide range of fuzzy conditions while preserving the same quality of performance as humans. It seems therefore that combining these two entities, the human and the robot, into one integrated system under the control of the human, may lead to a solution that will benefit from the advantages offered by each subsystem.

Alice Bot

Including the assignment of the course Media & New Technologies, we were introduced to Alice which is an Artificial Intelligence robot, then we were asked to chat with her, and test her ability to communicate with humans.
Being in a group of two, we, "Ronda and Robert", decided that we should chat individually with Alice. This helped us to conclude that sometimes this robot is a liar (or its an equivalence since this adjective refers to humans). When asking her about a topic, she replied with two separate answers, though we asked the same questions. What's funny about Alice is that she gets offended just like us. But of course she can forgive you easily and resume the chat since she is a robot (unlike us). Moreover, Alice can collect acquired knowledge from her chat buddies and use it later in answering some questions. For instance we asked her if she knows where the location of Lebanon is, but she didn't. Of course we were gentle and pasted some information about Lebanon's location in the chat box with her. Again, she acted smart and used the information to answer the same question which we asked her later.
In general, we believe that in a matter of years, Alice would most probably evolve to be much smarter and ahead of human beings ''as she claims''.
Well, nothing is impossible...not even for Alice!!!