History of the Video Game

Visit the following Link:

• 15 Firsts in Video Game History

Answer the following questions:

1. What similarities do you notice across gaming platforms in terms of hardware?
2. What was the significance of the Magnavox Odyssey?
3. What first did the "Gun Fight" arcade game have? How did this first improve game play?
   
4. What is the significance of how many "bits" a gaming system has?
5. Based on this article, where is the future of video games heading?

Visit the following link:

• History of Computing: Video Games

Answer the following questions:

1. Who is the target audience(s) for Sony with the Playstation 2?
2. What advantages did the first generation Xbox have over its competitors?
   

The End of the Floppy Disk

Please read the following article:

• The Floppy is Dead: Time to Move Memories to the Cloud

Answer the following questions:

1. What factors have led to the "death" of the 3.5" floppy disk?


2. What does the author feel will be the fate of optical media (CD-R, DVD-R)?


3. What is a solid state drive (SSD)?


4. What is meant by storing data on the "cloud?"


5. What is your opinion about storing data on the "cloud" using sevices like Google Docs, etc.?

Google's new Fiber Optic Service

Google will soon revolutionize the way you surf the Internet, promising a new broadband service that they will first test in small markets across the country. Many communities around the country, including Rochester, are lobbying Google to become one of the test markets for the new service. Google states:

"We're planning to build and test ultra high-speed broadband networks in a small
number of trial locations across the United States. We'll deliver Internet
speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today
with 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections. We plan to offer
service at a competitive price to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000
people."

With so many small cities looking to become one of the test markets, communities are pulling out all of the stops:

• PC Magazine: The 5 Strangest City Pitches for Google's New Fiber-Optic Service

Many influential people in Monroe Country and New York State are attempting to make Rochester/Monroe Country one of the test sites.

• Democrat and Chronicle: Communities woo Google over high speed Internet.
• Democrat And Chronicle: Schumer to Google: Consider NY as test market for super-fast Internet access

After reading the articles, consider the following questions:

1. What is Google's goal for is new high speed Internet initiative?
2. What steps are communities around the country taking to interest Google in using them as a test market?
3. What steps has Monroe County taken to lure Google into this area?

PS3 System Errors

Read the following article:

• ApocalyPS3: Buggy Clock Drives PlayStation 3 Haywire

Answer the following questions:

1. Describe the software problem that is currently effecting gameplay on the PS3.
2. What does Sony suggest users do while a solution to the problem is being researched?
3. Under See Also, what problem is causing glitches on the Playstation Network?

My favorites from the Top 10 Things to do While your PS3 is Broken:

9. Pull out your PlayStation 2. Reminisce about the good old days when game consoles were free-standing appliances that didn’t need to ping a central server before they allowed you to play.
6. Stand outside by your mailbox, waiting for friend requests.
5. Play the Xbox 360, which has an internal clock that does not have a horrible kill-switch built into it. AARGH.
4. Break out the Pledge and clean the dust off your Wii. Bonus: Clean off all your unused peripherals, too — by the time you’re wiping the last of the grime off the Wii Wheel, the bug will be fixed.
1. Get your old box of Little League baseball trophies out of the basement, and award them to yourself. Take them to bed with you, comforted in the knowledge that Sony cannot take these away from you (until at least the PlayStation 5).

Net Freedom?

Due Friday:

Read the following article:

• Google Executive Convicted in Italy for Down's Video

Directions:

After reading the article, write 2 paragraphs, the first explaining both sides of this Italian Court Case and the second expressing your point of view on the case and "net freedom."

Inteligence Crowdsourcing?

In the spirit of our current discussion on social networking and cyber security, our military is also using this technology to proctect us. On the fore front of this is DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the "mad scientists" of the military.

Read the following article:

• Darpa’s New Plans: Crowdsource Intel, Edit DNA

Answer the following questions:

1. What is the role of DARPA?
2. How does DARPA plan on using crowd sourcing?
3. What problems with firewalls does the article identify? How is DARPA attempting to remediate the problem?

More on cyber security:

• 60 Minutes: Sabotaging The System

Download - Episode 4 - People Power

Based on "People Power," Episode 4 of the series Download: The True Story of the Internet, answer the following questions:

• Fred Wilson's Venture Capital Blog
• Social Network Users
• Clay Shirky on Web 2.0
• Facebook in Reality

1. Who traditionally controls the flow of information and communication?
   
2. What is the significance of You Tube's slogan "Broadcast Yourself?"
   
3. What is Digg? How is it different than a traditional media source such as a newspaper?
   
4. What is the "wisdom of crowds?"
   
5. How fast is Facebook growing? Compare this to the trend of print media.
   
6. What gave birth to the modern social networking sites?
   
7. What "small" problem did Napster have? What mistake did the music industry make? What did it lead to the creation of?


8. How is the television industry's reaction to You Tube been similar to Napster? How is You Tube different?


9. What is user created content? How is this a threat to traditional media?


10. What is Web 2.0?


11. What is social networking?


12. Who owns Myspace?


13. What is the social graph?
    
14. What is the significance of Facebook vs. Myspace?


15. What is Craislist's threat to newspapers?


16. What are Craiglist's "values?"

Download - Episode 3 - Bubble

Based on "Bubble," Episode 3 of the series Download: The True Story of the Internet, answer the following questions:

• Map of the Internet
  

1. What is e-commerce?
2. How has e-commerce companies like Amazon and eBay change capitalism (i.e. the corporate model)?
3. What is Moore's law? What is the significance of it?
4. What is Metcalfe's law? How does it work?
5. How does web encryption (public key cryptography) work?
6. What is a "daytrader?"
7. How is data transferred around the Internet?
8. What is a "bubble" as described in the movie? How did it develop (boom)? How did it pop (bust)?

Sharing information on Facebook a social norm?

Read the following article:

http://www.appscout.com/2010/01/sharing_more_info_online_is_so.php

1. What is a social norm? Look up the definition if you don't know.
2. What does Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerman say has become a social norm?
3. Why did Facebook recently institute a new privacy policy?
4. What is your reaction to the final paragraph of this article?
5. Has this article changed your opinion on how you use Facebook or other social networking sites? What concerns do you have about the information you post online?

Microsoft in the Mobile World

For this assignment, read the following column:

http://www.pcmag.com/print_article2/0,1217,a%253D247201,00.asp

1. How was Microsoft and the rest of the early PC industry in the 1970s and early 1980s considered "subversive?"
2. What comparisons does the author, John C. Dvorak, make between the Microsoft of today and the IBM of the early PC industry.
3. How does the author charactherize Microsoft's current relations with its customers? In the author's opinion, does Microsoft more serve buisness clients or home users?
4. Based on other articles and movies we have watched this year, what is your personal reaction to this article?

Download - Episode 2 - Search

Based on "Search," Episode 2 of the series Download: The True Story of the Internet, answer the following questions:

1. Without search engines like Yahoo and Google, what would your web experience be like?
2. Describe how search engines work.
3. How did Yahoo begin?
4. What is the role of advertising on the web? Why was advertising so controversial?
5. What made Google different then other search engines? What helped Google become so powerful/profitable?