Use Emergent Technologies

4. The Use of Spectrum for Emerging Technologies

2006-09-27T13:03:00.000+09:30

4.1 What is the electromagnetic spectrum and how is frequency related to wavelength ?

The Electromagnetic spectrum is a range of all the possible light radiation and the frequency is related to the wavelength because Einstein’s Theory of relativity states that nothing is faster than the speed of light therefore if we know at least the frequency or the wavelength we can determine the other through an equation.

(l) v = c

Where ( c ) is the speed of light in a vacuum, ( v ) for frequency and ( l ) for wave length

4.2 Give three examples of how spectrum has been used to create a useful technology.

X-rays have been used in the medical field to broken and fractured bones, cancerous cells and to find foreign objects within the body.

Also for security reasons in airports and high security areas x-rays have been used to identify weapons made of metal and dense materials.

satellites use radio frequencies that can communicate over very long distances and have paved the way for tracking systems like GPS devices and car security systems.

4.3 In the 1980's a human-made chemical was found to have changed the atmosphere to allow more of a harmful type of the spectrum though from the sun.

What was that chemical ?
What part of the spectrum did it allow though ?
Why is that part of the spectrum harmful ?
How was the problem resolved ?

The Chemical was the Chlorine based chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) and it destroyed parts of the ozone layer letting through harmful Ultra-Violet rays. It is harmful because it can cause skin cancer and burn trees and plants killing them very quickly. In 1987 the UN Montreal Protocol was established and CFCs where banned from being used in all appliances

4.4 In the Australian Radiofrequency Spectrum Plan, what colour is the allocation block for the "Cellular mobile telephone service" (GSM) and what is the range of frequencies allocated ?

The frequencies allocated for GSM mobile use are 900/1800/1900 and the colour allocation block is red.

4.5 (CR) Should anyone be able to use any part of the spectrum for whatever they want in whatever way ? What consequences flow from your viewpoint ?

4.6 Spectrum sources
http://www.iun.edu/~cpanhd/C101webnotes/modern-atomic-theory/light.html
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Environment/GreenhouseAndAirQuality/CurrentStatus/Ozone.asp
www.nokia.com

3. Web 2.0 Collaborative Web technologies

2006-09-27T13:02:00.001+09:30

3.1 How is the "Web 2.0" fundamentally different from the "Web 1.0"?

Web 1.0 allowed the people to make a website and upload their information to other users to read maybe replay about the article through another means like email.

Web 2.0 allows as a collective group to collaborate and improve the same source of information with their own ideas, corrections and comments. This way many people putting a little amount of time can collectively create more man hours than one person working full time to work on the same project.

3.2 Provide examples of three major categories of Web 2.0 technologies

a) Search engines are a great collection of technologies that intelligently scour the internet for websites that are new and have been updated. They then categorise them based on content and allow other people to find information quickly and easy fashion. This automated sequence is a far cry from when they were basic websites called portals and the information had to be updated manually.

b) Forums and Blogs are websites that a built to allow communities of people to create a thread of their own information and allow others to reply and or add on extra information. Its great because people can create there own personal space and based off the personal interests and information about themselves, others can search for like minded people and communicate.

c) Wiki’s are great information sources that allow many people to and in their own information and allow others to view it and even correct it. As a collective conscience the information can be edited and updated far more quickly and vastly that a single or few individuals could ever do in a life time.

3.3 Which Web 2.0 technology is of most benefit to the human race and which one is of most benefit to you personally? Explain why your choices are either the same or different.

Personally I find search engines the most useful for finding information but as a benefit for the human race, the wikimaping idea is a great tool. It not quite full enough yet but having one source to find and plot out a route to see all the sight seeing places on a holiday or trip is great. Even finding out information about a local pub is amazing. Combining many items we use on a regular basis and making it simple to use is what emergent technologies is all about.

3.4 What dangers, risks or limitations are inherent in using Web 2.0 technologies ?

An obvious risk involving Web 2.0 technology is the ability for anyone and everyone to enter information. The person may enter false information and can ruin the website hat it was designed for. Though this can be counteracted that someone can edit a page in wikipedia.org and others that search for the particular subject can have a say about its contents. Also illegal or inappropriate information may be added and lead to disputes. One example is Youtube.com where anyone and everyone can upload videos but people use it to upload copyrighted material like music clips and TV episodes. Although I don’t think this is a bad thing it can lead too unintentional lawsuits that no company wants to go through.

3.5 (CR) Either :
- update an existing, or create a new wikipedia article on an emerging technology. Link to your article in your blog and put in your wikipedia username.
or
- add 3 new locations to Wikimapia in Adelaide. Give them a description and tag them appropriately. Also use the tag "3UET". If you don't use this tag, I won't be able to find your places. Provide links to you locations in the blog : eg Port Stanvac
http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=-35109377&x=138481936&z=15&l=0&m=a&v=2

3.6 Web 2.0 Sources

Wikipedia.org
Wikimapia.org
Youtube.com
Blogger.com
http://overclockers.com.au/wiki/

2. VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol

2006-09-27T13:02:00.000+09:30

2.1 What makes VoIP fundamentally different to traditional telephones?

The old telephone system uses the POTS system (Plain Old Telephone Service) is an analog switching system that creates and end to end connection between 2 phones. It is a bidirectional system so the signal can be sent both ways at the same time. The POTS system was created purely for voice then faxing and other services were added. The signal is unmodified from start to finish and there are no needs for data integrity because the signal has a dedicated line.

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) uses the Internet to send packets of data. Because the internet is a large network of potentially congested links there are a few protocols that are in place to keep the data from going astray.

First off the data is converted, compressed and encrypted from an analog signal to a digital packet. This digital packet is then split up into many packets and time stamped to identify what order the packets have to be received in. these packets are then sent over the internet to their destination and received, reordered and converted back to an analog signal.

2.2 What are three advantages of VoIP?

a) VoIP is far more cost effective than POTS because you can use and existing technology to communicate with and use freely if used in the right situations. For businesses to be able to have many phone connections over one internet connection is and instant saving let alone cheaper calls and free calls within the organisation.

b) Voice and video can be included in the same data packet with VoIP.

c) You can make conference calls to many people at the same time.

2.3 What are three disadvantages of VoIP?

a) Congested internetworks can cause loss of quality for the service because data packets can get lost or take too long to get to the destination.

b) A fast internet connection is required to use voice transmission over the internet. A lot of the world still can get a fast enough internet connection so VoIP is restricted because of infrastructure of the telecommunications companies.

c) The outlay cost for setting up VoIP for an individual can be great. POTS is in every house and ready to use strait away. VoIP requires special converting boxes or phones, a fast internet connection and maybe even a pc. If the individual doesn’t have and of these in place, the outlay to get VoIP can out weigh the cost of using the POTS system for many years.

2.4 Give three examples of VoIP technology and explain how they are different.

a) Instant Messengers are free programs that can be used with each other to communicate with. First you need a pc. A microphone, speakers and an internet connection but after that using MSN or Yahoo is free.

b) With a small fee, programs like Skype can be used to communicate with other people over the internet then converted to a POTS system so you can call them on the normal telephone system.

c) A one-to-many system can be used too. Programs like Ventrillo and Teamspeak can be used to allow many people to join the same channel and with a press of the button one person can say something and everyone that that’s in the same channel will be able to hear what they have to say.

2.5 (CR) Do you think that one day all telephony will be based on VoIP? Why?

I think all communication will be based on the VoIP because it is a Protocol that’s freely available to use and it uses an infrastructure that is already in place (Internet). It will be a long time before it will be the dominant way of communicating. It offers so many benefits that there is no reason for it to fail. Its far more cost effective than POTS, one cable can carry many calls where as you need an individual cable for each connection with the POTS system and because the internet is constantly growing and expanding VoIP only has to wait before its time.

The only thing slowing it down is the costly outlay for most individuals but for a business, there is no reason why not to convert to it.

2.6 VoIP Sources

1. About Emerging Technolgies (Questions)

2006-09-27T13:00:00.000+09:30

1.1 What makes any technology an "emerging" technology?

Emerging technologies are new systems that make the difficult things in life easier and the impossible possible. The internet is a great example of an emergent technology that has past and has paved the way for many more technologies that society can’t live without.

Emergent technologies can be quite subtle and not obvious to the public eye. To take what people know now and combine it with other technologies to simplify many tasks into one task is what emerging technologies it all about.

1.2 Give an example of a technology that has emerged in your lifetime, but that now would no longer be considered to be "emerging"

Emails are a great example. It have taken years even decades to evolve. Emails have combined simple text communications with pictures and audio/video. It has added security and the ability to mail to multiple individuals. All in all everyone with access computer (no matter how old, pc/apple or O/S) and internet connection can send another person email. It is quick cheap and reliable. They don’t even need a pc or an ISP for themselves! There are many free online email websites and free public computer access terminals at libraries or even net cafes.

Today most businesses, organisations and individuals couldn’t live without it anymore because it is such a quick, easy and cheap way to communicate. It has become a way of life that has taken the need to manually post a letter which can take days. Now its part of many other emerging technologies and has become normal.

1.3 (CR) Apart from reasons of cost, why are some emerging technologies wildly successful, whereas others sink without a trace? Give an example of each to support your view.

Emergent technologies have to revolutionise the way we seek information, communicate and enjoy complex things in a simple manner. They also have to appeal to a large audience and also include simple steps to involve them. A great example of a project that nearly went down the drain is the @home program.

Collectively using many computers around the world to use their spare pc power to help with scientific calculations is an incredible idea but when they just shove it out into the wild saying what it does is bad execution. How they enticed people to use it is have them compete against each other on who can calculate the most data in a given period which in turn lead to teams of people collectively competing against each other. This created a community of people with like minded ideas and also helped the scientific community to process their data with less outlay for a super computer and the power it draws.

1.4 3UET Overall Sources