Finale Post

What can I say that I have learnt about?

I have learnt so much in the last semester it is unbelievable! I have learnt how to use Del.icio.us, and I was able to become reacquainted with HTML. I was able to play around with Blogging again, and I learnt a lot about XML. This semester I was very enthused with MPI104. It was one of my favorite classes because it explored things that I already knew about, however it went it a lot of depth. Now I know a lot about different aspects of the internet and HOW THEY WORK. I didn’t know any of this before, and I feel that I have taken away something from this class. I would have to say that playing around with Templates in Blogger would have to have been my favorite part of this class, just because of the simple fact that there were so many different options.

For a long time I played around with the classic template creator for Blogger so that I could create different looking websites, however I finally settled on the template I have now which was created using XML/XHTML. What I would have liked to have known more about was RSS, but that is one of the few things that just goes straight over the top of my head no matter how much people try to explain it to me. I suppose it is because I don’t really have a use for RSS feeds in what I do. However, I am sure that they are a handy thing to have or other people.

I learnt a lot about CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and Web 2.0, both of these I found very interesting and I wanted to find out so much more about them. I have found myself looking for more information about the different aspects that Damien addresses during class. I think that is the biggest thing that I have learnt from this class, that thirsting for knowledge is one of the most important keys in learning. I would like to thank Damien for all of his support this semester, and being able to put up with my group without swearing. Well done!!

I hope to have him again for one of my classes, and no I’m not trying to be a teacher’s pet. I actually do enjoy MPI104.

Again, Thank You.

WTF?! COUNTERS AND RSS?!

What Are Counters??

Counters are these little HTML links that people put on their websites so that they are able to tell how many people have accessed their web page by looking at the number. Pretty simple, right? Counters are used so that the owner of the site is able to determine whether or not his/her website is increasing in popularity or not. It is a good way to be able to gauge the viewers interest in a page without actually needing feedback. What are some other Web Analytics Tools?

• Clicky is a clean, all-encompassing analytics package. The service is tailored for small websites and blogs. It's easy to implement and contains advanced features such as real-time visitor tracking and in-depth content analysis.
• Enquisite is focused specifically on incoming search engine and PPC traffic. It provides in-depth statistics including page position, landing pages, and specific geographic data.
• CrazyEgg provides the ability to track, evaluate, and optimize your site based on where your visitors click. Heatmaps and overlays quickly provide perspective into user behavior and habits.

What is RSS???

"RSS is a way of delivering and retrieving information from web sites which is structured in specialized XML formats without HTML or other markup."

Basically what this means is that RSS is a way to gather information from a website without using HTML or other markup languages. Pretty much just a copy and paste job. RSS Feeds are feeds which are constantly updated, such as a blog or a news website. Having an RSS feed available means that you are kept regularly up to date on that feed with a simple click of a button. I have never really used RSS feeds before so I am still a little inexperienced in this field. Bah! I will get better I am sure. "RSS is a file format that allows anyone with a website — from large media companies to individual commentators — to easily "syndicate" their content, similar to how comic strips and popular columns are syndicated by their owners to hundreds of newspapers. Except that on the Web, the RSS syndication is usually free, and the content that is syndicated is often not the full entry, but excerpts and links back to the originating website. Technorati uses RSS to track updates to millions of blogs."-Technorati

Techno-Smarti

Technorati

What is Technorati exactly you ask? From what I can understand Technorati is a website that archives web blogs and enables users to view these blogs as well as favorite them and create comments. It is very much so like and extension of Blogger. I have been a member of Technorati for a while now but I have never really used it before. However, it reminds me alot of flickr in the sense that it allows other members to be able to have a look at your blog/s. I think this is a good idea because it is another way to be able to explore other peoples readily available likes and dislikes, etc. This is what Technorati has to say about itself: Technorati is the leading monitor of the world of weblogs. Technorati is a real-time search engine that is the largest source of fresh information about the global and local conversations going on all across the Web. Technorati allows you to find out what people are saying about you, your company, your products, your competitors, your politics and, other areas of interest, on the Internet in real time. The Technorati Authority number refers to your progress up or down the search engine ladder. It reflects on the amount of people that are linked to your blog. The more people there are the better your authority, and also the smaller the number of your rank gets.

The Anime Club Presents...

The Anime Club is going to be Screening BERSERK Next weekend so all of you Anime Fans should definitely come and have a look at it. It's an awesome retro anime that very little people have seen before. Definitely something I would recommend. If you see these posters around campus please feel free to check them out.. Much love, -Tracey Year Rep

My Boy Benjy

Okay, I know it must seem like a silly thing to post about, but having a boyfriend has been a serious novelty for me the past couple of weeks. I have recently started dating someone that I considered to be one of my closest friends. It was odd how it all started, because he pretty much asked me out formally in a letter, which if you know him is completely out of character. It has been really great. Because it is long distance, and because of his current situation we are only really able to communicate via phone and letters, so I have been getting a lot of really cute letters from him. He wrote me a poem in one of the letters and even though I know it should be kept private I just can't help myself and must show everyone! I adore it to no end. It really caught me off guard too because it is something that I would not expect from Ben. Utterly adorable.

To My Partner

I want you to know you'll
always be the one that I adore,
for you made me happier
than I've ever been before.
When life produces problems,
you help me grin and bear them,
and good times wouldn't be
so good if you weren't
there to share them.
You're patient and supportive,
honest, kind and true
and I want you to know,
how much I love you.

In all honesty I thought he had pulled this out of some lovey dovey card or something but I don't really know. I really hope he wrote it just for me because it's just so mushy and cute. Which definately isn't him. Anyways I won't ramble on too much more about him, I am sure there are many of you that have cutesy partners too. Yay!

-Tracey.

What Is FTP?

What is FTP?

FTP, or File Transfer Protocol is a network protocol used to transfer data from one computer to another via a network, such as via the internet. FTP can be used for a wide variety of different connections, such as between game servers, voice servers, internet hosts, and other physical servers.

The objectives of FTP are:

• To promote sharing of files (computer programs and/or data).
• To encourage indirect or implicit use of remote computers.
• To shield a user from variations in file storage systems among different hosts.
• To transfer data reliably, and efficiently.*

Positive Aspects of FTP

• The FTP protocol supports resuming of interrupted downloads using the REST command. Always a good thing, especially if your firewall is gay (and not in the good lesbian kind of way), or if your computer decides that it doesn't like you and crashes. I have had this happen to me more than once, especially when I was downloading a really huge file on extremely slow bogan dial-up. I cried for hours ):

Negative Aspects of FTP

• While data is being transferred via the data stream, the control stream sits idle. This causes issues with large file transfers due to the fact that firewalls time out sessions that have idled for extended periods of time. Even though the file may have been transferred successfully, the firewall may cause an error message to appear.
• Resuming an interrupted uploading file is difficult even though the FTP protocol has the option to restart an upload, the client can not pin point the exact point where the upload was interrupted. To be able to find this out the client has to obtain the size of the file some other way, for example by using a directory.
• Passwords are sent in clear text so they can be intercepted. However, this can be stopped by using computer security protocols.
• Multiple TCP/IP connections are used, this may result in your firewall needing to be configured to support the extra connections.
• It is difficult to filter active FTP traffic.
• It is possible to abuse the protocol's built-in proxy features to tell a server to send data to subjective port of a third computer.
• There is no integrity check in the receiver FTP server. To avoid this, integrity checks have to be managed externally.
• The FTP servers have a high latency protocol due to the high number of commands that are needed to initiate a transfer.

*information taken from wikipedia