A Katie's-Eye View

The World the Way I See It

Archive for category technology

Knowledge is Powerful Stuff

Jul 21

Posted by Katie in Creativity, awesome, learning, life, technology | 1 Comment

One thing that I really regret is not learning more about technology. I’m convinced that we’re never going to go back to the days of my childhood, where the Internet was something that was pretty new as far as general use goes–remember when Jeeves was a part of Ask.com? And remember how you could ask him questions? Yeah, that was THE premier website of my elementary school days. **EDIT: Apparently, Jeeves is still alive and kicking! You can visit him here, if you’re nostalgic.** I know that growing up when I did, I’m pretty basic-level tech savvy, just by experience. Some people not too much older than I am actually have to work at using a lot of technological things that I take for granted–not knocking them, I can’t believe how much they’ve had to adapt (case in point: my parents remember when the VCR came out, while a friend much younger than I am didn’t realize that there was a time before Youtube).

But seriously, I wish that I had spent at least one class out of all my high school classes learning about computer science. You may think that this is a pretty nerdy thing to say, unless you happened to do so, in which case you’re probably thinking that it was an awesome thing to do, as well as a smart choice. Regardless of the real or imagined nerdiness, taking a computer science class in high school would have been really useful right about now. Why, you may ask? Well, aside from the fact that my fiance is seriously in to computers, the real answer is that we’re living in a time of transition, a time where pretty much every job I’m considering for a career would be greatly enhanced by a good dose of computer knowledge. Even books are going digital, and if I want to keep enjoying them, I’ve got to be prepared to do the same! Clearly, this blog is a big step forward, but I need to know more about the tech side of things if I want to be as valuable as I can be in today’s world. As a result of these musings, as well as of my impending graduation, I’ve decided to look into taking some sort of technical know-how class after I get married. I think that this time in my life, between my undergrad and graduate careers, will be best spent investing in the knowledge I ignored in the past. No matter what, it can’t hurt!

So here’s to gaining knowledge after college! I intend to keep learning skills that will be helpful to me, as wel as those around me. I also want to learn things just for fun, so if I come across a community college class that looks awesome, I just might take it! I think I’m becoming more inspired by the moment–so now seems like a good time to get some sleep and dream about coding and making awesome websites (Mark would be so proud!).

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Book or nook?

Jun 24

Posted by Katie in awesome, books, technology | 4 Comments

As you may or may not know, I love books. I love everything about them; the way they look on the shelf, their colorful covers, the smell they put off after a few years, everything. Book stores and libraries are mini-paradises to me, offering more books that I could ever hope to own, more knowledge than I know what to do with. If books were to disappear from the face of the earth, via evaporation, burning, migration, whatever, I’m not quite sure what I would do. Probably hoard them en masse until it was impossible to do so any longer. That being said…

My new favorite book is…well, it’s a nook. There, I said it, please, fellow book lovers, don’t shun me. You see, with my love of books, I have quite a collection built up. A collection that fills bookshelves, that is ever growing and quite diverse. How can this be a bad thing, you may ask? Well, usually, it isn’t. Until moving day comes. On moving day, I have to take all my books, box them up and then carry them (well, not me…they’re pretty heavy) where ever they need to go. This is a problem that will not go away, as long as I’m alive. Enter the nook. Now, in addition to all of my favorite real books (as in physical. I know ebooks aren’t imaginary), I have a collection of ebooks that can travel with me all over the world! If I want to read Jane Eyre in Ireland, I can, without shoving a 400 page plus text into my already overstuffed backpack. If I want to switch to reading something else, I can, without even packing two books. How wonderful! Clearly, the nook is a reading traveler’s best friend.

The nook is helpful in another key way–it saves me money. Tons of money. Why? Because it is nearly impossible for me to walk through a bookstore without buying a book or four. A clearance sale? Well, let me get a basket because we’re not leaving until I find some great deals. The nook allows me to buy ebooks for a fraction of the price of a hardcover, and cheaper, still, than a paperback. In some cases, I can even get ebooks for free! It’s like a library where you get to keep the book forever! This means that I can have more to read, and more money to boot! Now, when I see a 75% off book, I can buy it without an ounce of guilt! Perfect.

Am I turning my back on books forever? Do I support their demise? No, and never. My nook is more like a book substitute–most useful for when I can’t really carry a real book, when I want to save a little cash but still have fresh reading material, and when I want to carry a library in my backpack. What could be better? A $1,000 Barnes and Noble gift card? A house with a room filled with books? Sure, I’ll agree, I’d like those things more–but do I get to keep the nook?

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Blueteeth

Aug 5

Posted by Katie in Bluetooth, technology | 2 Comments

There was a woman climbing up the stairs. She was talking to no one that could be seen, answering questions and asking them. Describing her day to her invisible companion, she walked up three flights of stairs, paying no attention to anyone along the way. No, she wasn’t crazy, just a woman talking to some unknown person (at least to those not privy to her conversation) over her Bluetooth headset.

Those headsets may be growing more popular day by day, but I have yet to run across someone using one that didn’t make me think, however briefly, that they were talking to themselves. Sure, I should expect less people to be doing this, but after all, in these times you never know. I don’t know that I will ever fully be prepared to walk around in a crowd of people talking to someone who isn’t there about the stock market, what Jim did last night or how to get that pesky stain out of the white table cloth, but as the technology spreads, I suppose I will have to get used to it.

The Web (spiders not included)

Jul 8

Posted by Katie in technology | 2 Comments

The Internet. It is a crazy place that often times gets overlooked in our quest to do exactly what we do every day by visiting the same websites over and over. It is that thing that we turn to when we need some quick information. It is where we go to communicate, to shop to play. Without it, our lives would be possible, but drastically different. According to Wikipedia:

The Internet is a worldwide, publicly accessible series of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP). It is a “network of networks” that consists of millions of smaller domestic, academic, business, and government networks, which together carry various information and services, such as electronic mail, online chat, file transfer, and the interlinked web pages and other resources of the World Wide Web (WWW).

Prior to the last 10 and a half months or so, the Internet was something that I used occasionally, when the need arose. Whether that need was writing a paper or playing a game, I knew where to go and what to do. I had my very limited scope of the Internet, with my three or four websites that I checked regularly, but that was about it.

The event that sparked my new-found love for this brilliant technology? Why, dating a computer guy, of course. Mark has taught me so much about the Internet, from how it works to really great features, to the endless possibilities that are just waiting to be created.

I now have a deep appreciation for what Google has done for the Internet, revolutionizing the way we do just about anything. After all, they created a new word (googling, to Google) merely by existing. That is power. They have created or helped develop simple, user-friendly, attractive products that are pretty much the best in their field. From maps to their unparalleled search engine, they pretty much rule the Internet.

Another amazing thing is the concept of open source software. This is a great thing that lets developers from around the world view the source code of a program and help make it better for everyone. I can’t tell you too much about it, other than it is a great idea and can be sort of complicated because there are a lot of different types of open sourcing.

I could go on and on here, telling you about neat things like Firefox, Picnik and the plethora of other really awesome things out there, but really, the list of things on the Internet that I enjoy now (as opposed to being completely unaware of their existence before) is quite a long one.

So, to conclude this ode to the Internet, I have to say that I am definitely excited about learning more about it in the future. By the way, what do you like about the Internet?

Spfekt, Glewtq and all that Jozzty.

Feb 18

Posted by Katie in language, technology | 1 Comment

Word Verification. A necessary evil of the online community. Sure they keep spammers at bay and robots out of our hair, but the amount of time it takes to enter the random alpha-vomit in the blank after deciphering the letters from the shwooshy path they inhabit is a few seconds of valuable life down the drain.

At least, that’s how is used to be. I have recently discovered a great use for the little guys. Entertainment. Yeah, I realize that not every one gets the same joyful feeling I do when I see that “jozzty” is almost “jazzy,” but really, doesn’t it just brighten your day when you see that “spfekt” reminds you to put on sunscreen (spf) and that you’re perfect (pfekt)?

By taking the time to see the little hidden messages in the word verification boxes, your life, dare I say it, will improve. Or maybe you’ll smile a little. On the inside.

Don’t forget to stop and smell the rosisl. :)