Week 13- Muddy: Social Media

In the week's lesson, the Metcalfe's Law was extremely hard to interpret. The Metcalfe's Law stated that "the value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of users (number of connections that can be made)." Most people think that the more people it has in the network, the more value it will have. But then it said "if a network that has too many users for the capacity can also have a much lower value since no one can access it." It was hard to understand the concept because it first stated that the value of a network is based on the number of the users, but it will also have a lower value with too many users.

So how do we use Metcalfe's Law to calculate the value of a network?

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After searching for my answer online, I was able to understand the concept of the Metcalfe's Law with the help of the Wikipedia. Many people have misinterpreted the Metcalfe's Law. Instead of using the number of users to increase the value of a network, it is the connected devices that increasing the value of a network. For example, two cell phones can make one connection, five cell phones can make 10 connections, and twelves cell phones can make 66 connections.This law has led to the concept of the network effects, which is the effect of one user of a good and service has on the value of that good and services to other people.

The picture above is the Metcalfe wheel, it illustrates the fully connected world that we live in today. We are now able to connect to different people in the world by using computer, mobile devices and other social media. It is important for us to learn how this effect can impact our lives now and in the future.


Citation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalfe%27s_law

Week 10- Muddy: Database Skills Track

Let's start this blog by saying that: "I Do Not Like ACCESS!" Well, that came out too strong and I once felt the same way towards Excel. Now that I have to use Excel for my daily life, I am used to the program and I actually enjoy using it very much. Access confuses me a lot, I can not see the benefit of using Access yet. It is still a very new experience for me to get used to. I also feel like Access is very similar to Excel, so what is the differences between the two? I am trying my best to be open minded when it comes to this program. One website that I found was very helpful was the Microsoft Office website.

Microsoft Access is a database tool that helps you understand your information and provide a easy way to access, enter, and navigate your data. One of the tool that I have problem understanding in Microsoft Access is the "Queries". What is queries? Queries allow the user to ask questions and being able to answer these questions. For example, if you have a data file with all the cell phone numbers you have on your phone. Input the criteria you want, for example female. All the cell phone numbers belong to a female friends will be listed.

Now my second question is when should I use Microsoft Access or Microsoft Excel since they share so many similarities. To decide which is the best program to use, we all need to answer this question first: is the data relational or not? Data that can fit into a single table of worksheet is called nonrelational data or flat. For example, if you are creating a list with data that can fit into a worksheet, then Excel is the right program. If you are creating a more complex list, then Access is a better choice.

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Now that I understand a little bit more about Microsoft Access, I hope that I can do good on my project.

Citation:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/using-access-or-excel-to-manage-your-data-HA010210195.aspx?CTT=5&origin=HA010264081
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/

Week 7: Muddy-Virtualization

I found the concept of virtualization very difficult to understand this week. At first, I thought virtualization was somehow connected to the concept of cloud-based computing. When I hear the word virtual in virtualization, internet was the first initial thought. I was wrong and so I assumed that virtualization was the same concept as "Boot Camp" or "Dual Boot". Then, Professor Olson indicated later in the video that they were completely different and then it was back to square one for me. 
  
Now the question is: "What is Virtualization?"

Virtualization is having to use a single computer system to run multiple virtual versions of operating system, server, storage device, or network resources.

Now the question is: " What is Virtualization again?"

The definition was not very helpful at all. After watching the lecture video and doing some research online, I was able to comprehend the concept. I found an IT blog on the net that provided a very clear explanation as to what virtualization is. The IT blog also uses analogies to explain the concept which makes it easier to understand.

Most of the time, our computers use only a small percentage of their total resources ( CPU, memory, disk, network). By using virtualization, we are able to fully utilize the resources that we have. Multiple operating systems will be allow to run in a single physical computer host; sharing the same resources. Instead of having multiples individual computers using only 25% or less of their total resources, we can have 3 computers, sharing a single physical computer host,  running at 80% of their total resources.

I have fun learning about virtualization this week because this topic can relate to my presentation topic. My presentation project for the class is about sustainable development and this concept is very much saying do not waste resources and be green.

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 http://techpp.com/2011/02/09/half-a-dozen-virtualization-mistakes-to-avoid/

The Youtube video also has a very clear explanation of virtualization. If you have a chance, please watch it.

Citation:
http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/virtualization-pro/what-is-virtualization/

Week 3: Muddy- Protocol

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Communication protocol was a difficult subject to understand this week. I found the concept hard to grasp and what threw me off the most were the proprietary protocol and the standardized protocol. My question is, "Why do we need both proprietary and standardized protocol?" Wouldn't it be easier to have just one type of protocol that everyone can use than having both proprietary and standardized? In my opinion, there is no need for proprietary protocol because it is very restricted.

From the class video, I learned that communication protocol is a set of rules that govern the communication process. The process starts when information/data are placed into packets. By using the Ethernet Protocol, these packets will each be labeled with header, payload and trailer. The header contained an IP address as to where the packets are going. By using the Internet Protocol (IP), the packets will finally arrive at the exact location as the IP address has indicated.

Proprietary protocol is when manufacturers create their own protocol and patent the protocol to restrict anyone else from using it. Business that uses proprietary protocol is limited to that specific vendor only. Standardized protocol is basically open source protocol that everyone is allowed to use and distribute it. Standardized protocol enables products from different vendors to use the same set of rules and it allows them to operate with each others.

After doing my research online (most of my information came from Wikipedia), I was able to answer my question as to why some users continue using proprietary protocol and some do not. Proprietary protocol software such as Skype was able to gain popularity due to it's free application and its user's friendly technology. Proprietary protocol such as proprietary instant messaging protocol is not used by many due to network incompatibility. People from other networks were unable to communicate with their friends due to this reason. In conclusion, many people continue to use proprietary protocol because it comes with enormous amount of benefits to their users.

I found a very interesting video from YouTube that goes into details of how network protocol works. Enjoy!!!