1.4 Local Divisions - Conclusion

In 1.4 I have discussed the many causes of the digital divide in the UK, and the social and economic impact that it has on our society. Thre are an enormous number of projects trying to bridge the digital divide many of which are funded directly or indirectly by the government as well as by local organisations and private companies. These initiatives have provided a lot of help and guidance on the use of digital technologies by trying to remove the economic, social and mobility barriers that excist.

Wifi in the UK

ICT at my library

My local library has many computers with internet access that is available to anyone who holds an easily attainable library card. Card holders are permitted to use the computers, scanners, printers etc for long periods of time for anything they like (if staff see it reasonable). This brings a slightly different crowd to the library as before internet and computers were introduced, only book lovers went there but know people who need the use of the computers such as students often visit.

Research on local community ICT access

In my local community, there is alot of easily accessible computers to use. School children have access to an awful lot of computers at their schools where they are taught basic and more advanced skills in ICT lessons. The adult community also has good access to computers in both the local library and community centres.

Research on initiatives that try to reduce the digital divide

I have chosen to research the 'UK online' centres. Their purpose is to provide people with access to computers and the internet, together whilst providing help and advice on how to use them.They relate to the digital divide because they help people who are not confident on computers to become confident thus reducing the digital divide espescially between the young and old in the UK. Its main target clients are the older population. This is becasue most younger people have grown up with computer technology so the skills have stuck with them from a young age; the older generation are stereotypically poor on computers as they have not grown up with them and if they want to learn how to use computer technology, they have to go out of their way to do this.

The organisation's main strenghts are obviously that they teach people how to use computers. I think that past students coming back to teach other people less capable on computers is a nice touch as these people know exactly what position the students are in. One of its weaknesses is that you have to pay for it. On the website is says 'Costs vary between centres but in many cases it's completely free to get started. Some centres do make a small charge for access, but might offer concessions for people on benefits, and access may even be free. Make sure you ask for details of charges when you call up to arrange your first visit.' 'In many cases it's completely free' is obviously not true because why would they charge for some and not for others so the information on the website may not be reliable (another weakness).

Case study - ict and pensioners in rural England

Digital technologies have made a positive impact on the couple's lives although it has not been drastic. They have been able to contact friends that live far away more easily and have been introduced to leisurely activities available through these technologies such as tracing family trees and the use of a digital camera.

Their quality of life would not be poorer if they didn't have access to these digital technologies as the couple do not rely on them and only really use them to stay up to date in the 21st century. They are now using email to contact their friends in Australia and Pakistan but I'm sure they would be quite happy with handwriting letters to them. Similarly, their use of a digital camera hasn't made much difference to them as before all they would have to do is go into town and get their films developed. However as they get older and they become less mobile, this will help them alot as they would not have to make the journey to develop the photos, instead just having to click a button on the computer. As for the family tree thing, this is just a good output from the ionternet and I'm sure they could live without knowing what their family tree is like.

The couple were able to afford to buy a computer so access in the community centre would not benefit them personally. However for many other ageing couples, money is becoming tighter every day what with the 'credit-crunch'. Similar to the developing photos thing, as the couple get older, a somewhat simple sounding three mile journey to the local community centre will become harder every day due to the ageing process.

Who studies computing subjects?

I am currently studying post-16 Applied ICT and there are certainly more boys than girls studying subjects involving computing. Stereotypically boys are more interested in different forms of computing than girls as they spend more time playing computer games etc. In the UK men still hold more higher paid jobs than women do. The ICT training the males receive from school may be a factor affecting this. As most of the higher paid jobs involve some form of ICT, women will also have to learn the skills but it is harder to learn them later in life rather than growing up with them. In my current Applied ICT class, there are only two girls but about 15-20 boys. This shows the difference of interest between the two sexes.

1.4 Local Divisions - What is the impact of internet access for the homeless

Access to the internet can improve the lives of homeless people in many different ways; they could find find a hostel to stay in, they could find work, they could get in contact with family members through sites such as www.facebook.com, they could find charities to get some cheap clothing and shelter; the internet obviously is used on a computer and you never see computers out in the rain do you?

Although the internet would be a great asset to homeless people, I don't think that not having access to it would have a great impact on them. To be honest I think they would be more worried about where their next meal is coming from or where to sleep for the night. The stereotypical homeless person is a drug taker. They would probably be more concerned about where their next fix is coming from rather than when they can next surf the internet!

1.3 The Digital Divide Conclusion

There is a clear digital divide between the LEDCs and the MEDCs. Many world leaders have said that bridging the digital divide is an essential step towards the abolition of world poverty. There is obviously some truth in this proposition but it should be treated with caution. For example, half of the world's population have never made a phone call and 70% of the poor live in remote, rural locations with little communications and a lack of accessibility. There have been many schemes and ideas thought of but we are at the start of a very long process which is as much a socio-economic and political one as a technical one.

What did the world summit achieve?

E-mail In The Solomons

Case Study - Laos

Laos is a landlocked (no coastline - countries border them all the way round) country in south east Asia; it is very undeveloped and on the wrong side of the digital divide. Only 1% of the population of 6,521,998 people have a fixed telephone line which is about 4% of households. There are less than 15 00 computers in Laos due to the fact that a working, but not very good computer costs over 10% of an average yearly income.

Some problems that have caused this divide are: its mountainous geography; mountains make transportation and access to areas difficult, its monsoon weather; telecommunications cannot handle the torrential rain and the rain also restricts access, a lack of communication amongst its government, a lack of IT standards and knowledge; there isn't anyone to firstly install the technology and secondly teach the natives how to use it, poor power and telecommunications infrastructure; lack of sufficient electricity makes the running of computers and communications hard, the cost of IT installation / running; most Laotions do not have a lot of money and a computer would set them back alot of their yearly income, the lack of software compatible with the laotion language and alphabet; Laos has its own alphabet.

Some ingenious solutions have been found to conquer the divide: the use of homemade cantennae, pedal power and the Jhai foundation PC and communication and internet learning centres.

A very poor village in Laos called Phon Kham has computers with internet access thanks to some clever thinking. They power a generator by pedalling a bike; the internet provided by wireless PC cards is not used for leisure or games, it is used to find out how much things cost in other places in Laos so they can sell their goods on the markets at the right price. They also use it to find the weather as Laotions walk miles and don't want to do it if they know a monsoon or very hot, dry weather is on its way. This project obviously benefits the community immensely and I think that other villages should try it.

The Jhai foundation is based in schools to teach children how to use ICT. Adults often attend aswell and the main reason for their success is that the locals feel they own the centres and gives them a sense of community.

The Success Of Wireless Technology

Wireless technology can be a solution to the digital divide. This is because wireless technology uses the transfer of information over a distance without electrical conductors such as wires. As most countries on the wrong side of the digital divide do not have sufficient access to electricity to increase their communication levels, other countries that have large sattelites etc can feed the countries their wireless connectivity thus resulting in the poorer countries being able to improve their telecommunications.

The growth in available wireless technology has clear social, economic, educational and cultural benefits. Perhaps the best known example of wireless technology is the cellular phone and modems. These instruments use radio waves to enable the operator to make phone calls from many locations world-wide. They can be used anywhere that there is a cellular telephone site to house the equipment that is required to transmit and receive the signal that is used to transfer both voice and data to and from these instruments. This would benefit the poorer, less developed country's communication and security systems. A wireless computer would be very beneficial to these countries as the internet is a great place to learn and research things. Government databases can alao be stored safely and easily there.

Changes In Access To Digital Technologies

Reducing The Divide

In my opinion, reducing the digital divide between the MEDCs and the LEDCs can only be a positive thing for both parties. Obviously the LEDC's quality of life will be improved and processes will become a lot more easier and quicker. There aren't that many advantages for the MEDCs but it would mean that communication between the countries would be much improved. Charities such as Computer aid do more good than harm because they don't have to provide the poorer nations with computers etc but they do. If they thought they were doing more harm than good, the charity would pull out; wouldn't they?

Impact Of Access To Telecoms

Singapore -
Population 4,608,16
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.859 million
Telephones - mobile cellular: 5.619 million
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 17, shortwave 2
Internet country code: .sg
Internet hosts: 954,475
Internet users:3.105 million

Central African Republic -
Population 4,444,330
Telephones - main lines in use: 12,000
Telephones - mobile cellular: 130,000
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1
Internet Country Code: .cf
Internet hosts: 15
Internet users: 13,000

Costa Rica -
Population 4,195,914
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.437 million
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.503 million
Radio broadcast stations:AM 65, FM 51, shortwave 19
Internet country code: .cr
Internet hosts: 13,792
Internet users: 1.5 million

United Kingdom -
Population 60,943,912
Telephones - main lines in use: 33.682 million
Telephones - mobile cellular: 71.992 million
Radio broadcast stations: AM 219, FM 431, shortwave 3
Internet country code: .co.uk
Internet hosts: 5.118 million
Internet users: 40.2 million

Angola -
Population 12,531,357
Telephones - main lines in use: 98,200
Telephones - mobile cellular: 3.307 million
Radio broadcast stations: AM 21, FM 6, shortwave 7
Internet country code: .ao
Internet hosts: 3,337
Internet users: 100,000

This information has been sourced from the CIA world factbook. After researching the Central African Republic, Costa Rica, Singapore and the UK, I needed to choose another 'under-served' country for comparison. I chose Angola as I know that it is a LEDC (Less Economically Developed Country) which should mean that it is under-served in its access to telecoms. This shows as although it has almost 3 times the amount of population that Singapore has, the amount of main telephone lines in use in Singapore is almost double that of Angola. Amazingly, in the Central African Republic there are only 15 internet hosts. In a country that is populated by 4.4 million people, this is pretty poor.

Data Response

Dr Odedra sites many infrastructural reasons for the lack of effective ICT, these are; a lack of reliable power supply to operate the computers, not very well-functioning telephone network to transmit data, no foreign currency to import the technology, and no computer-literate personnel to teach and successfully use the ICT.

Africa needs the use of ICT to assist in matters such as; banking, agriculture, mining, transportation, research, defence, medical services, accounting and communications. If a reliable source of ICT is introduced across the continent, I cannot see how this will not affect the continent in a positive way. Computer-aid projects have been reasonable successful so far. They have provided less economically developed countries with computers; these computers are quite old as the organisation cannot afford to give state of the art equipment. A downfall is that the natives do not know how to use a computer and there aren't many computer manuals in their languages.

1.3 The Digital Divide - The wrong side of the digital divide

The least digitally-developed countries according to the ITU are Guinea Biseau, Chad, Mali, Burkino Fasso and Niger.
These countries are on the wrong side of the digital divide because of many factors; they don't have enough money to catch up with the technology the rest of the world now have, they have a world debt with some MEDCs (More Economically Developed Countries) and this debt will keep on growing as the MEDCs charge interest on them. More important things are invested in before technology such as housing and food as these countries are poverty-stricken. I'm sure that the natives to these countries would much rather get out of poverty than own a computer for example. The fact that most of these countries are poverty-stricken means that there will be little electricity supply available. Digital technology such as computers, phones etc need an ample supply of electricity to work. I think that the residents don't care that they are on the wrong side of the digital divide and even if an effort was made to input lots of digital communications etc, they would still be nowhere near the likes of the U.S.A and the U.K. Although they could say they are on the right side of the digital divide, they would still be lagging the MEDCs considerably.

ICT legislation

The main provisions of the act are:

Data must...
- be processed within the law
- only be used for specific purposes
- be adequate, relevant and not excessive
- be accurate and up to date
- be kept for no longer than is necessary
- be processed within your legal rights
- be kept secure
- not be transferred to countries that do not have similar data protection laws

The main benefits of the act for individuals and groups in the information age are:
- anyone misusing your personal data can be prosecuted
- you know that your information is safe if the data protection act is adhered to

The main disadvantages of the act are:
- there are certain flaws in the act where the wording can be manipulated by the user of the data to make their actions law abiding

Society

Monitoring internet and email use

Many companys use network monitoring and email monitoring on their employees. This means that they track what websites they have logged onto and can read their emails. This is done to look for unsuitable use of the internet such as for pornography and even for trying to look for a new job! If an employee searches word such as 'cv', 'job' or 'xxx', their username will be logged and sent to the network manager where he decides what action to take.

An advantage of monitoring internet use is that the employees will be more focussed on their work as they will feel that they cannot visit any website that is not related to their work.

A negative impact is that the employees may feel that it is an invasion of their privacy. I personally don't believe it is because when they are being payed to work, they should stick to their work and leave their personal business at home. The old saying: 'Don't mix business with pleasure' comes to mind!

I think this system should be put into place at all businesses in the country as if the employee is being payed to do a job they should be restricted to only being able to do that job instead of being able to acess anything on the web that may distract them such as sport websites, porn etc.

Teen arrive alive GPS tracking system

Teen arrive alive is a GPS tracking system where parents can track where and how fast their children are driving at any time. I personally think this is a bad idea but with good intentions behind it. I think that if the 'child' is old enough to own and drive are car, they should be treated like any other road user and let it be their choice whether they inform their parents where they are or not. I also think that it invades their privacy; how would you like it if your whereabouts was being tracked all the time. The good intentions are there to make sure the teens remain safe on the road and so the parents know where their children are if they don't arrive home or are late etc but I think the negatives outway the positives so I do not support this scheme.

Passsports And RFID

The US Department of State has started issuing passports containing RFID chips and remains confident the technology "will take security and travel facilitation to a new level".

Despite the problems with the chips - that they can be read from a distance, potentially identifying US citizens, and that they can be copied - the Department of State is confident it has done enough to make them safe.

The passport includes "metallic anti-skimming material" - tin foil, presumably. It also uses Basic Access Control technology to protect it from skimming or eavesdropping.

The chip will hold the same information as the biographic page of the actual passport - name, date of birth, gender, place of birth, date of issue and expiry, passport number, and a digital image of the holder's picture.

Sorced from:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/08/15/us_gets_rfid_passports/

The Pros And Cons Of ID Cards

ID cards will provide an secure and easy way for UK residents to prove their identity in many situations such as the purchasing of alcohol / cigarettes to applying for a job. The card can not be stolen and used as they include the owners fingerprint which is completely uniqu to them. This may help to combat identity fraud and the use of fake ID amongst teens to get into clubs / buy cigarettes etc.

Any legal Uk resident over the age of 16 will be entitled to one of the new and improved ID cards. They are expecting to be issuing the first ID cards for British Citzens in 2009. Starting from 2010, ID cards will be offered to young people on a voluntary basis.

These actions are all targeted at reducing the amount of identity fraud and the use of fake ID. I think that if it is done properly by the government, ID cards will benefit the average, law-abiding British citizen and I believe that most people will be in favour of them to reduce the likeliness of them having their identity stolen. However, the identity thieves are very clever human beings. I think that given time they will be able to find a way of producing fake ID cards that will be undetected; almost like a virus becoming immune to medication!

Managing Information Overload

Many ICT tools have been created to help in dealing with the information explosion. Spreadsheets, data mining tools and simulation software can all help in decision making.

A spreadsheet is a computer application that simulates a paper worksheet.

Data mining is the process of sorting through large amounts of data and picking out relevant information.

Simulation software is essentially a program that allows the user to observe an operation through simulation without actually running the program.

Making Choices

A grandmother would be most suited to a slightly older phone that generally only has two main functions of texting and phoning. Newer, more expensive phones will be too confusing for a grandmother to master and as she wants to spend as little as possible, she should buy a slightly older phone.

I would suggest a Nokia 3310 which can be bought for approximately £30 - £40 on sites such as amazon or as she is a grandmother she may prefer to go into the shop and buy it. A review on amazon says this:

No frills/camera/bluetooth or any of that. What it does have is :

* Good sound quality
* Easy to navigate buttons and menu functions/address book
* Alarm that sounds even when the phone is switched off (some of the more recent models dont, which is a pain as I use my phone as a wakeup alarm when travelling)
* decent battery life - I tend to recharge overnight, but it can last a few days in a pinch.
* Solid build. Mine has been knocked around a fair bit, and is showing signs of wear on the case, but it still functions perfectly.
* vast range of changeable covers. Not my cup of tea, but if you want to colour co-ordinate then you can, they are sold cheaply at any market stall.
* fairly cheap to buy these days.

This is exactly what the grandmother needs and a bit more if she wishes to use them such as the alarm and game features.

Impact of game players

Computer games are so popular because nowadays they are so realistic. Sports games such as 'FIFA 09' contain graphics that are almost like watching T.V. Just yesterday I was playing on 'FIFA 09' on my Xbox 360 and turned the t.v monitor off but forgot to turn the actual Xbox off because I glanced at the screen and automatically thought it was T.V instead of the game. The computer generated players on the game even sweat gradually throughout the game and you can even see the veins in their arms etc.

I personally don't think that computer games make you violent. This is because I have played on my fair share of violent games and I don't consider myself to be violent. I think you have to be a weak minded person to be influenced by things like this. Similarily, my favourite films are 'gangsta' type such as 'American Gangster' and 'Get Rich Or Die Tryin' and I certainly am not a drug dealer, murderer etc.

I believe that computer games make you isolated to a degree. If I am really into a game, I can spend hours upstairs playing it without talking to anyone. There are exceptions though because it can also be a social thing such as having mates round to play on them.

Pirated Entertainment

Advantages of paying a supplier such as Apple in the form of itunes for legal music downloads include the quality and you are guaranteed to get the song you have payed for. I always pay for my music and use legal downloads for peace of mind more than anything aswell as the guarantee of quality etc.

Disadvantages of buying a DVD from a market stall include product quality, legal issues and they are non-refundable. You wouldn't want to miss the main action part of the film because someone gets up to go to the toilet or the cinema steward approaches so the camera is quickly shoved to the ground, filming somebody's feet.

The only disadvantage I can think of of visiting a 'kosher' music download site is the fact that you will have to pay for it. I personally don't think the standard charge of 79p is a lot for a song; bearing in mind that a single will cost you approximately £2.99 in a shop.

Entertainment and leisure - Access to original entertainment

Education - Finding reliable, valid information

Business Communications

Businesses use instant messaging, e-mail , mobile phones and other forms of communication most days. E-mails are used to send important documents both internally and externally and have replaced the old fashioned fax machine in most buisnesses. E-mails are very time efficient because if you want to send the same document to multiple people, you can simply add contacts and with one click it can be sent to hundreds of people. Buisnesses use the phone an awful lot. Many businesses have multiple lines so they can easily transfer calls to other parts of the building instead of having to go and get the person who is being requested on the telephone. Instant messenger can aid this aswell.

Communications

In my every day life I use various forms of communication. I use electrical forms of communication such as mobile phones and email and obviously communicate verbally face to face. I use electrical forms of communication mostly for social purposes but use email sometimes to send work home for homework.

When Do I Use Mobile Phones?

I use my mobile phone every single day and I nearly always have it in my pocket with the exception of when I am playing football etc. The main purpose I use my mobile phone is to communicate with friends using SMS.

Ironically, I very rarely use the mobile phone to make telephone calls! If I do, they are usually very quick as calls from a mobile phone are quite expensive. Because of this, if I need to speak to someone at my house, I will phone them for about 5 seconds and ask them to call me back through the much cheaper landline.

The obvious benefit of using my mobile phone is that it can be used pretty much anywhere at anytime. My phone is not just my phone because I use the calendar on it, always check the time on it so it is like my watch and listen to music on it like an ipod.

Some disadvantages are that the phone always has to be charged, you always need to be in an area that has reception and some researchers claim that they are bad for your health. I have a problem with reception on my phone when I am downstairs in my house. Downstairs I do not have any reception at all but I do when I go upstairs.

My mobile phone does fulfill its intended purposes of being able to make phone calls and text people.

When Do I Use Email?

I use various forms of email quite a lot in my every day life. One of the main reasons I use it for is to send school work to my dad's work to print it off. This is because our printer at home isn't very good and his company has really high quality printers so they are good for big pictures, colour etc. My email account is sent an email of confirmation every time I purchase something on the web such as on www.amazon.co.uk and www.ticketmaster.co.uk. You can also request an email from 'amazon' to track where your goods are.

The only disadvantages about using email I can think of is the time lapse and the need for access to a computer. By time lapse I mean that say you send an email at 4.30, the email may not arrive immediately and could arrive about half an hour later. This is a problem when I send my Dad work to print at his work becasue if it is a Friday and I need the work for Monday and send it at 4.30, he may come home for 5 and not have recieved the email. This would mean that I would have to find another source to print the work to a good standard.

Email is very good for sending word proccessed documents and internet files etc across the web because it will arrive exactly how you sent it in its original form. This is why I can send my Dad documents to print at work because instead of having to tell him what to print through the telephone etc, I can tell him in the email and attach the specified file.

Discussion - Digital Communication vs Voice Communication Resource

SMS and email are vey easy ways to communicate. However I think they have some social downsides to them compared to having a quick telephone call or conversation. The main one being that you are not developing your people skills. This is important to develop as in later life such as jobs or university presentations there are a lot of times when these skills are required.

Communication - Intro

Communications has been a key focus of change in the Information Age. The way most buisnesses and young people communicate in the 21st century has changed an awful lot from the way their parents / grandparents used to communicate when they were younger. Formats such as email, chat, SMS and digital voice and mobile videophones have rapidly become the way to communicate.

'The Good Old Days'

In the 1970’s the expenses for a small business were entered onto analysis paper. A date, description and amount were entered in the first three columns and that the figure was double-entered into an analysis column on the right. Individual expenses (e.g. postage, food, sundries and stationery) could then be analysed dimply by adding the columns. An automatic check was made on the accuracy of the addition as the individual columns had to sum to the same as the amount column on the left.

Around the same time one large multinational organisation with an HQ in London might employ over 100 managers in the finance area to set, manage and control the budgets for the European area. The managers used techniques similar to the small business. They entered budget figures onto A3 analysis sheets, which were typed up as required by their secretaries. These were then used as the basis for analysing what would happen given different sales performances, different commission rates, different interest rates etc. These were well-paid, well qualified and skilled accountants who were able to work quickly and efficiently to analyse potential changes using the latest calculators and replicate them quickly with only a tiny proportion of mistakes across all columns, and down all rows.

The speed at which they worked necessitates continual retyping so the secretaries were also kept very busy. When sheets were returned they had to be proofed, but as the managers were skilled and the secretaries well trained and highly efficient for the most part there were only a few occasions when the sheets had to be retyped. A dramatic change occurred in the early half of the 1980s to this organisation when microcomputer software became widely available.

Two different office applications that could be used by the small business to improve upon the paper-based systems employed in the 1970s are microsoft word and microsoft excel. Microsoft word is just a word processor so Microsoft excel would be more useful because of its databases and spreadsheets.

An advantage of using Excel is that it will do all the calculations for you; all you would have to do is enter the data in columns and enter a formula to add them up.

The introduction of these office packages meant that secretaries etc would only be good at their job if they had IT experience / qualifications. This may have led to old fashioned / old people who did not know how to use the packages losing their jobs. We nowadays find using such packages easy as we have grown up with them but for the older generation, they are hard concepts to grasp. However different types of job opportunities were opened up as a result of the introduction. Jobs such as computer engineers, It consultants and various other positions were made available.

Employment opportunities

Argos

Last week, my parents ordered a bed from www.argos.co.uk. All they did was look in the catalogue and find the bed they wanted. They then noted down the catalogue number and entered it online. Then they proceeded with the ordering formalities such as name, address and credit card details and were sent a comfirmation e-mail. On saturday the bed arrived and it was as easy as that!

Ambulance Services

UK ambulance services have experienced a revolution in working styles as a result of technology. ICT has been used extensively in command and control centres to make the service more efficient and responsive. New secure digital communications systems have replaced crackly broadcast systems. Satellite tracking of resources (such as ambulances, helicopters, paramedic cars and bikes) and geographical information systems allow the optimal resource to be deployed at all times by centre staff. Technology is used to analyse patterns of usage to roster (call in) the exact number of staff required. It uses geographical analysis to decide where it is best to position ambulances and other resources so that they can be deployed to nearby locations very quickly. Ambulances are placed at points that are closed in travel time to places of peak demand and are tracked at all times to show where they are.

The Staffordshire ambulance service says of the impact of new technology: “The adopting of this modern approach has resulted in remarkable results in the Trust performance in recorded response times. This has given the Trust the lead position in national ambulance table’s fir the last seven years. It has also seen dramatic improvements in the cardiac survival figures.”

The introduction of this system in London in the 1990s, however, was extremely problematic, not least because of the working practices that were brought about by the introduction of these measures.

Tool Man

John is a sales representative selling tools to garden centres and DIY stores. He travels over 1000 miles a week to see new and existing clients. For the past 20 years he has carried around a large diary, an address book, a large road atlas and numerous A-Zs as well as numerous small coins for phones. He prides himself on his punctuality, but even he is occasionally late as he struggles to find a new client or is delayed by traffic. He always takes along a calculator, and a bulky sales catalogue with the latest price lists and order forms. He is usually on the road four days a week, six hours a day and spends every Friday in the office ensuring all his administration and sales are handled properly. He has always said he quite likes the time spent in his car between appointments, as it is his time when he can listen to CDs undisturbed.

John could use various electronic items such as a PDA, GPS, Laptop, software, Mobile phone, and the internet to make his life easier. He would not have to carry around a large diary, an address book, a large road atlas and numerous A-Zs if he used a Laptop. He would only need to set up a database with his adddresses in it and a word document or an online service instead of a diary. He would not need to carry the A-Zs around if he used the internet through such sites as www.multimap.com. He could buy a mobile phone for diary entries and instead of a calculator as most phones nowadays have calendars and calculators built in on them. Using a laptop would avoid him having to spend all day on a Friday sorting out his paper work.

Disadvantages could be that he may not be able to afford a laptop and wireless internet connections are not guaranteed and sometimes can be unreliable. He may not have the I.C.T skills required to make the laptop an easier way to work. As he is on the road alot, he may not have access to mains electricity whenever he wants so cgarging the batteries could be a problem

Entertainment

In the last three months I have used many types of differnet online enternainment technologies. The one I use most frequently is www.youtube.com. This is the site I visit the most because it has so many different uses. I watch the latest music videos, watch geography related documentaries and just funny clips. The latest online technology I have used is the Xbox 360. I downloaded the Fifa 09 demo through Xbox live. Xbox live is a great bit of technology because you can play anyone all over the world from the comfort of your own sitting room.

Downloads

The rest of my family do not download many things but I use downloads quite often. I download songs from itunes, the latest itunes software, updates for my psp and many other things.

I download songs from itunes because it is a lot easier than going to a shop and buying it and it is also cheaper because it cuts out the middle man (the shop). The only downside to downloading songs off itunes is that you do not have a hard copy of it such as a compact disc if the computer breaks or loses your files. The way to solve this problem is by everytime you buy a different album on itunes, you should rip the music to a blank disc. Blank discs are very cheap and overall it is still cheaper than buying the compact disc from a shop because you would also have to add in costs such as petrol or bus fare etc.

Online Education

I have found five different types of online education:
http://www.samlearning.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/
http://www.s-cool.co.uk
http://www.mathsrevision.net/gcse
http://www.linguastars.com/

Rankings: Best = 1 Worst = 5
1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/
2 http://www.linguastars.com/
3 http://www.samlearning.com/
4 http://www.mathsrevision.net/gcse
5 http://www.s-cool.co.uk

When revising for my GCSEs, I used many websites to aid me with this. I found that bbc's bitesize website was the most productive for most subjects and linguastars was very good for language revision. Samlearning is overall very good but I don't like their 'drag and drop' technique as it is very unlike the actual examinations.

Ticketmaster

On Monday night, I purchased some concert tickets on www.ticketmaster.co.uk. My dad had to use his credit card to buy them because this is the only method of transaction available. They send you a comfirmation e-mail with your order number on it and they guarantee that your tickets will be posted to you and arrive at least 48 hours before the event.

Windows Live Messenger

Over the weekend I have been using Windows Live Messenger to communicate with friends. It is an instant messenger program which was formely known as MSN Messenger and first released on December 13th, 2005 by Microsoft. The current version is Windows Live Messenger 2008 (also known as version 8.5), which was released on November 6, 2007. I use this software most days but more at the weekends due to having more freee time at the weeekend.

Online Banking

I had to investigate the websites of at least two online banks and summarise in a short presentation the purposes of online banking, it’s target audiences, how it fulfils these purposes, and the major advantages. I also had to consider how online banking might be improved in the future.

The purpose of online banking is to make a easier way to manage your finances in the comfort of your own home. It is aimed at young proffesionals who have little time and know how to operate the banking services. However it is usuable by many different types of people including Students. There are many offers available for students to intice them in with incentives such as giving them cash upfront and bigger overdrafts if they stay loyal.

Major advantages - don't have to go out of your house to control your finances, quicker
Major disadvantages - can't speak to an actual human being with any problems etc, have to be good on a computer / have access to a computer

Facebook

Over the weekend I created a profile for myself on http://www.facebook.com/. Facebook is a social networking website launched on February 4, 2004. It is free to use and is privately owned by Facebook, inc. Users can join networks organised by networks such as schools and workplaces to interact with friends / colleagues. People can also add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profile with pictures etc to notify friends about themselves. The website's name refers to the paper-based method used by American high schools to get new students to interact with others to integrate them into the school as easy as possible.

Actual Weather

Friday, Saturday and Sunday's weather forecasts were generally accurate. The only variation was that it was a lot windier than forecast on Sunday

Weather In Local Area

I used http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?id=3149 to find the five day weather forecast for Fareham. The results were:

Friday - max day 19°C min night 11°C
Saturday - max day 17°C min night 15°C
Sunday - max day 17°C min night 13°C
Monday - max day 17°C min night 12°C
Tuesday - max day 17°C min night 14°C

I will compare these results with the reality in the coming days

Plan a journey to Tottenham Court Road

I need to plan a journey from my home town (Stubbington) to Tottenham Court Road in London, using a contrast of rail and car journeys.I need to get to a train station so I will use a car at 12.30 to get to Fareham train station from Stubbington which will take about 10 minutes. I will then take the train to London Waterloo at 13.00 which will arrive at its destintaion at 14.51, changing once. I will then take the northern line to Warren Street which runs every 3 minutes and takes 18 minutes and walk to Tottenham Court Road from there. I will arrive at Tottenham Court Road at approximately 15.25.

'digital divide' groups

Online groups allow users to discuss a common interest with others. However I could not find any relevant ones on the topic of choice.

Haiku

We sent a haiku poem in text language via sms:

B4 its 2 l8
i c u l8r
2nyt k?

It was converted into proper english by the recipitent and he wrote:

Before it's too late
i'll see u later
tonight, ok?

E-mail is the better communication service because it is free and there is more space to write in grammatical english.

1st post

This is my first post