AMAZING FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES

Hi all...

Check out this video (pls pause playlist in this blog): Google smart glasses, Ironman-like simulation, 3-D printing, hover-car, transparent handphone, literally flexible technology.. woahhhhhhh!!! As an IT dummy, I watched the video with mouth wide open that a bee could have been tempted to fly in if not for my bad breath :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM-jLExbqgA

On a personal note, being a specky with glasses as thick as windscreen, I don't really like the Google smart glasses. Glasses with that miniscule screen? I will develop migraine in a jiffy..  Hover car? What about traffic? How to avoid accidents if all cars float? Regulations should have to be drawn for heights allowed for hovering.. Speed wise? Well, they'll think of something... All those aside, I await the day that chips can be planted somewhere in our body and we can communicate with others by pressing our nose/ear/finger/elbow.. or we can capture photos by blinking 3 times.. but ermm.. is my imagination stretched that wild? I took that out of some movies didn't I...? But it is not impossible I tell you... With IT, everything is possible..

Check this video commercial too... nothing to do with future technology but rather, funny existing technology:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0gxiwYTWJc

p/s: Why la I took up quantity surveying in university.. should have taken IT.. I could have been an inventor now, or nerdy IT tech with thick specs and work with Google or Microsoft or Apple and earn big bucks..... Sigh.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ..................................................................................... end of sigh

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IT and ISLAM

There are two categories of knowledge in Islam:

  1) knowledge rendered by Allah swt through relevation (wahyu)
  2) knowledge gained by humans based on experience and observation

Islam has has stressed the importance of obtaining information:

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said: “The Messenger of Allah said: “…Whoever follows a path in pursuit of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. No people gather in one of houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and teaching it to one another, but the angels will surround them, tranquility will descend upon them, mercy will envelop them and Allah will mention them to those who are with Him. And whoever is hindered because of his bad deeds, his lineage will be of no avail to him.”

(Sunan Ibn e Majah, Book of Sunnah, Hadith no 225, Classified as Sahih By Allama Albani)

The most beneficial IT feature is the internet, which allows users to obtain and share information. The internet provides a sea of knowledge and enable transmission and dissemination of information people all over the globe. The website http://talkislam.com.au is one of the examples where people can get information on Islam and its practice. The website offers explanations on Islam religion, Allah swt, the prophet, many crucial informations, and also misconceptions people all around the world have on Islam.

But... beware of fake Islamic websites, anti-Islamic websites and fake Quran/Sunnah/Hadith/Verses that provides misconceptions and deviation from true teaching of Islam. The perpetrators make use of the Internet to mislead people who accept information straight away without doing any further research or reference to experts. The list can be obtained here: http://islamgreatreligion.wordpress.com/fake-anti-islamic-sites/.

When we seek the truth, make sure that we seek is genuine and not fabricated. Check what you read in the internet carefully especially those messages that go viral. Refer to Quran, Hadith and seek knowledgeable scholar/sheikhs/imams for clarification. It is not as simple as checking reviews for a movie or a book or recipes.

"Shall I seek other than God as a judge when He has sent down to you the Book fully detailed? Those to whom We have given the Book know it is sent down from your Lord with the truth; so do not be of those who have doubt."
[Qur'an 6:114]

I like this video, preaching by Dr. Zakir Naik: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MVitmkKTLE). Note: pls pause playlist at top of page..

The use of IT and gadgets also allow Muslims to recite Quran anywhere. There are many digital Qurans available in the market, but again check for credibility and authenticity.

Source:  http://www.digitalquran.com.my/store/

There are even android apps for prayer time and kiblat (direction to Kaaba, Mecca).

(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=biz.binarysolutions.qibla)

So, take advantage of your IT and gadgets.. Do not just use them for entertainment or leisure. Seek truth, intellectually and spiritually..

References:

http://islamandpsychology.blogspot.com/2011/06/ayaat-of-quran-and-ahaadith-on-seeking.html

http://islamgreatreligion.wordpress.com/fake-anti-islamic-sites/

http://studentofallah.blogspot.com/2011/11/do-you-need-hadith-because-quran-lacks.html

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CLOUD STORAGE

We spend a lot of time collecting data with a computer, and try to find ways to store the data. We store it in hard drives, in compact discs or in our thumb drives. There comes a certain point when we find that storage space is limited and we have to delete some folders or files to make way for new files. The issue here is the limitation of space or storing device.

Remember these floppy discs we used in the 90s? They were easily damaged, corrupted, limited in memory, and not reliable. But we had to do with what we had then..

Computer technology relative to storage has evolved immensely. These days, cloud storage has gained in popularity. What is cloud storage basically? It is actually a means to store data at an off-site storage system (i.e. cloud), maintained by a third party. Users can access the files stored there from different locations, provided there are internet connections. Cloud storage is not only available on computers, it is also available with smartphones, laptops and tablets. With cloud storage, you don't have to worry about storage costs, some providers offer no charge at all. You also don't have to worry about storage device. What I like most about cloud storage is the ability to share files with your peers. Get rid of emailing, thumb drives, compact disks etc.

There are typically four types of cloud storage:

1. Personal Cloud Storage

This is a subset of public cloud storage that applies to storing an individual's data in the cloud and providing the individual with access to the data from anywhere. It also provides data syncing and sharing capabilities across multiple devices.

Example: Apple's iCloud, Google Drive, Windows SkyDrive and Amazon's Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3)

2. Public Cloud Storage

This is a type of storage where the enterprise and storage service provider are separate and there aren't any cloud resources stored in the enterprise's data center. The cloud storage provider fully manages the enterprise's public cloud storage.

Example:  Dropbox, iCloud, Microsoft SkyDrive, Live Mesh, Ubuntu One, Box.net, SugarSync and Google Drive

3. Private Cloud Storage

This is a form of cloud storage where the enterprise and cloud storage provider are integrated in the enterprise's data center. In private cloud storage, the storage provider has infrastructure in the enterprise's data center that is typically managed by the storage provider. Private cloud storage helps resolve the potential for security and performance concerns while still offering the advantages of cloud storage.

Example: Hitachi Data Systems Cloud Service for Private File Tiering.

4. Hybrid Cloud Storage

A combination of public and private cloud storage where some critical data resides in the enterprise's private cloud while other data is stored and accessible from a public cloud storage provider. Hybrid cloud storage is often used to supplement internal storage with public cloud storage.

These are top 10 cloud storage from http://www.top10cloudstorage.com/cloud-storage/ customer reviews:

Despite its many benefits, cloud storage is not exceptional to risks and dangers and most cloud storage services offer no data guarantee. The cloud storage providers protect themselves from lawsuits by removing all responsibility to keep user files accessible. Take Amazon for example:

Amazon Cloud Drive: "We do not guarantee that Your Files will not be subject to misappropriation, loss or damage and we will not be liable if they are. You’re responsible for maintaining appropriate security, protection and backup of Your Files."

One of the dangers with cloud storage is when you lose access to your data if the could storage provider face technical issues. The more common danger is when you lose access to internet, therefore you are not able to access your data at all. Your data is also vulnerable and might be infiltrated by hackers. Reliability issue is also another concern. You may not want to save data to a failure-prone system, nor trust a company that is financially unstable. 

Therefore, storing your files exclusively on a cloud service is a terrible idea. You still need to back-up your data, or you will be the one responsible if your data is lost forever. It is a good computing action to store your data in more than one location. I'm not saying this based on nothing, it happened to me once. My son asked whether he can uninstall my dropbox folder in his laptop so I said go ahead since I now (proudly) own a laptop. So voila!! The folder was deleted.. When I opened my laptop and my tablet, all files and folders in my dropbox were gone.. Huwaa!!!! But being genius that I am, I quickly found out that I can restore all those information.. Phew! It was a loooooong day.... But I haven't actually discovered whether my files were gone because my son uninstalled the folder or I was the cuplrit.. Well... Let's leave it at that.. 

p/s: I still love cloud storage though :-)

References:

http://www.howstuffworks.com/cloud-computing/cloud-storage.htm

http://www.top10cloudstorage.com/

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HISTORY OF COMPUTERS

We use computers immensely, whether for working, for social networking or online shopping, and many more tasks. It's interesting to see how fast computers have evolved from bulky, expensive and unreliable to smaller, affordable, and much much more reliable and sophisticated inventions. But have you ever wondered how this took place and how the computers looked like in their early years?

To appease your curiosities, here goes.. (p/s: don't fret, I will not bore you with lengthy descriptions of the inventions..)

1st GENERATION COMPUTERS: (VACUUM TUBES)
1940 - 1956

ENIAC and UNIVAC, built by Presper Eckett and William Mauchly, were examples of first generation computers. First generation computers relied on machine language, the lowest-level programming language understood by computers, to perform operations, and they could only solve one problem at a time. Input was based on punched cards and paper tape, and output was displayed on printouts.

The computers used more than 2000 vacuum tubes and took up a lot of space.Vacuum tubes heat up fast causing many problems in climate control and tubes also burned out frequently. Computers were also highly inefficient, consumed a great deal of electricity and occupied a lot of space. They were also very expensive to operate and maintain.

First generation computer (ENIAC)
(Source: http://homepage.cs.uri.edu/faculty/wolfe/book/Readings/Reading03.htm)

2nd GENERATION COMPUTERS: (TRANSISTORS)
1956 - 1963

Vacuum tubes were replaced by transistors. This made computers smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient and more reliable than their predecessors. They still generated a lot of heat though. Computers in this era still relied on punched cards for input and printouts for output.

Second-generation computers moved from cryptic binary machine language to symbolic, or assembly, languages, which allowed programmers to specify instructions in words. High-level programming languages were also being developed at this time, such as early versions of COBOL and FORTRAN. These were also the first computers that stored their instructions in their memory, which moved from a magnetic drum to magnetic core technology.

Second generation computer
(Source: http://www.shirazjju.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/2nd.jpg)

3rd GENERATION COMPUTERS: (INTEGRATED CIRCUITS)
1964 - 1971

Transistors were then replaced by the use of integrated circuits (IC). Transistors were miniaturised and placed on silicon chips (semiconductors) which greatly improved the speed and efficiency of computers. Instead of punched cards and printouts, users interacted with third generation computers through keyboards and monitors and interfaced with an operating system, which allowed the device to run many different applications at one time with a central program that monitored the memory.

Since the computers were smaller and cheaper than their predecessors, they were available to be purchased by mass audience.

The first Commercial GUI
(Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/gui)

4th GENERATION COMPUTERS: (MICROPROCESSORS)
1971 - present

In this era, transistors were replaced by microprocessors. Thousands of integrated circuits were built onto a single silicon chip. Computers become much smaller in size. First generation computer took up an entire room, fourth generation computer fit in the palm of your hand!

Microprocessors also moved out of the realm of desktop computers and into many areas of life as more and more everyday products began to use microprocessors.As these small computers became more powerful, they could be linked together to form networks, which eventually led to the development of the Internet. Fourth generation computers also saw the development of GUIs, the mouse and handheld devices.

5th GENERATION COMPUTERS: (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE)
Present and beyond

This phase is still in development and there is wide usage of superconductors, parallel processing, silicone chips, intelligent systems, and virtual reality. Computers will also radically change contributed by quantum computation and nanotechnology as technologies are more advanced, sophisticated, and modern. The goal is to develop devices that respond to natural language input and are capable of learning and self-organisation. Latest inventions are supercomputers, mainframe computers, mini computers, mobile computers

Sony Tap 20 SVJ20215CXW All-in-One PC
(Source: www.pcworld.com)

.. So there you have it, the history of computers. However, even when IT technologies become more advanced, computers will just remain as tools for data processing or collecting information and unless they are utilised to bring something positive to the existing and future generations, then at best they will remain as just tools. Computers and IT technologies should benefit the community at large since the real assets are people. The tools should be developed to shape people or community into a better society whether intellectually or socially.

For all it's worth, I have utmost respect for the brains behind those developments. My capabilities are limited to switching on the computer, use it, save the data, use internet, print, and switching off the computer. If anything unseemingly happens, I tend to break out in sweat, my bp goes up, panic is an understatement, and I assume everything can be solved with ctrl-alt-del.. So much for claiming I'm a genius.. Hehe

References:

http://www.slideshare.net/panitiaict/evolution-of-the-computers

http://homepage.cs.uri.edu/faculty/wolfe/book/Readings/Reading03.htm

http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Hardware_Software/2002/FiveGenerations.asp

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IT MATTERS

Dear all,

This is the prologue for my entries on IT issues as I attempt to write on a few IT matters that I find interesting and worth sharing. IT has changed our lives and our world. Individuals and global alike are both affected by the inventions and evolution brought about by IT.. So watch out for my next entry on IT matters since IT does matter.. IT bridges communication, civilisation, knowledge, technology, business.. the list is endless. In a nutshell, technology has made our lives easier.

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
ARTHUR C. CLARKE, The Lost Worlds of 2001. (Dutton)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWNEZLbP9Lk
(pls pause playlist at top of page)

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FLIGHT OF MULTIROTOR (courtesy of Mohd Zaki Al-Hassan)

This is today's rage among professional photographers and hobbyists. Multicopters or multirotors (quadcopter, hexacopter or octocopter) equipped with HD camera (sold separately), for capturing aerial video/photography or surveillance. They had been used for capturing videos in many occasions or places; golf tournaments, nature/wedding/wildlife photography, archaeology sites, land surveying, construction progress, pipeline inspection, real estate, livestock monitoring, wildfire mapping, home security, oil and gas mineral exploration and many more that would not be possible with traditional photography. Also, hiring helicopter is too expensive!! 

Potential uses for multirotors have no boundary. Capture photos or videos of what they want, cut and crop as they like, incorporate any song choice, add captions.. You name it... Here are the examples, all taken from personal collections.

Hexacopter

Aerial view - Putrajaya area

Paddy field - Tanjung Karang

Quadcopter

So what aspect of IT is this thingy? How do you think the process is completed? I'm an IT dummy, so I'll give you my version of the process.. 

1) Upload video/photo from memory card 

2) Crop, tweak, twirl, cut, edit picture quality where desired

3) For video, put in songs of choice.(mind you, you may not want to put sentimental songs into dirt bike videos. Well, maybe I would.. hehe)

4) Post in youtube

5) Share in social media if you so desired

6) Surf web for more good locations for taking photos or for more gadgets/accessories/new rotor

7) Repeat steps 1 - 6

.... easy peasy... (I wish...!)

Here are the videos, taken from personal collection. Well, not mine actually, but my husband's.. (note: pls pause playlist at top of page)

Video - Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan, Perak

Video - Kepong Botanical Garden

Video - Sungai Batang Kali

Oh yes, a reminder... Some of the blades are made of carbon fibre. They can slice your fingers easily (I know, my husband had experienced it firsthand when the blades (of softer materials) sliced his thumbnail, I had to send him for treatment at 1am!) ). Users therefore should fly well away from people, cars or buildings and manoeuvre within own skill capacity and experience. Never be crafty.. It would also be wise not to fly over private property without permission. There was a case in KL when the quadcopter crashed into a VVIP's roof and the news was splashed over local newspaper since the VVIP suspected surveillance activities being carried out.

If you like aerial photography, then multirotor is worthy trying. You might like it.. :)

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RAMPANT CHEEKINESS

Erm... Erm... No comment...

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