My Blog Summary

From China to Mount Everest, from video games to credit cards, here I am wrapping up my E-Business course and Blog experience... where do I start??

First thought that comes to mind: I had lots of fun writing a Blog. As I see it, much better than handing in a weekly paper. The Blog gave me a wide understanding of an area I didn't know much about. Sure, I've heard of Blogs before, I know what it is, but I've never even read one. At first I was a bit panicked, being on exchange in a foreign country, I was afraid my English and knowledge of technology won't be good enough to fit the expectations.

However, I realized this can become a great experience for me, searching the net once a week, reading articles about new technological advances and finding my favorite topics to write about, expressing my thoughts and feelings and sharing my posts with my Prof, as well as my family and friends. I grew to be very proud of my Blog posts and no doubt this experience had taught me a lesson for life about self-esteem.

Most of the material covered in the course was familiar to me from previous IS courses I've taken back at my home university. Although, I liked the fact that this course was deeply discussing Internet issues since the world and IT is pointing in that direction and I feel it's practical and essential to practice and gain knowledge in this area.      

Thank you ; )

Computer Games for Women?!

I'm the eldest of four sisters, we all loved our Barbie dolls. Computer games were never my cup of tea. Although, there was a time somewhere in my childhood, when I was crazy about Super Mario and I loved my cool Nintendo Gameboy… but that quickly lost my attention at some point around the age of 12...
However, during my weekly Web wanderings, looking for an interesting topic to write on my (last) E-Business blog, computer games actually caught my attention. Well, frankly, what caught my eye was a small ad saying Microsoft started marketing computer games for women. Women? Computer games? Didn't make sense. I had to read further.
Anyone who is into gaming (unlike me) knows the latest development in computer games is motion games, where the player's movements appear on the screen. Of course we all know Wii by Nintendo. In the new game Xbox Kinect, launched by Microsoft this week, the player does not physically touch the device. This technology is based on a camera that's connected to the Xbox and catches every movement of the player standing in front of the screen. This way the player physically participates in the game and anyone standing next to him or her can actually join in. 

Microsoft identified an interesting advantage in the game, potentially opening a huge market share for them that has hardly been penetrated by the gaming industry - women. Yes, they're thinking: exercise! Many are familiar with the "Wii Fit", a very similar concept using a small step you stand on and play or exercise in front of the screen. But Microsoft's technology takes this concept one step further. Xbox Kinect is undoubtedly Microsoft's competitive answer to Nintendo, and it certainly seems that there is a tremendous potential. Watch the video link below to see the game in action! 

References:

The Gazette

http://www.examiner.com

Video Link

Internet in the Clouds...

If you were a professional mountain climber, would you be happy to hear that from Mount Everest summit, the highest place on earth, you can now easily connect to the Internet and make video phone calls? Nepalese Telecom Company argues that today it is in fact possible.

Around 3000 people have climbed to the Everest summit since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people to conquer the peak back in 1958. Fifty-two years later, last Thursday, a high-speed third-generation (3G) phone base was stationed at an altitude of 5,200 meters (17,000 feet) near Gorakshep village in the Everest region, by NCell, a subsidiary of a Swedish phone giant TeliaSonera.

No doubt, the installation will not only help tens of thousands of tourists and trekkers who visit the place every year, but also allow Internet access for locals. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, and despite the new station in Everest, telecom services cover less than one third of Nepal's 28 million population. NCell targets to provide mobile coverage to over 90% of the people in Nepal by the end of 2011. Lars Nyberg, chief executive of TeliaSonera, which owns 80% of NCell said to The Gazette: "This is a great milestone for mobile communications as the 3G high speed Internet will bring faster, more affordable telecommunication services from the worlds' tallest mountain".

On a personal note I must argue that with all the respect to technology, I feel like there's no where to hide from it anymore. Even Everest, that has always been a symbol of supremacy over mankind, has been defeated by technology. Despite all the benefits that grow along with any innovation, I feel one significant drawback: the world is becoming incredibly small.

References:

1. http://www.montrealgazette.com
2. http://www.teliasonera.com