Malware

Whenever we use internet, we have to think of malware. Because connecting to the internet is the same thing which open the door of our home. It sounds like anybody can rush into our home! So what we should do?

Just closing the door does not make sense because it means shut down the internet. If we have to keep opening the door, we need some guards. Sometime we need to invite some information to our computer, so the guards are required to distinguish malware from information.

What if malware comes to our computer?

check this video.

Whatever browser we use, we have same danger of malware. For Mac, there's supporting by Apple inc. every day, but if you use Windows, you have to install anti-virus software and check updates frequently!

QUESTION (for Final exam);

If you want to protect your computer from malware, what should you do for it? (If you want to use computer with internet connection)
a) Just shutting down computer
b) Installing anti-virus program to your computer
c) Choosing Mac
d) not paying for internet fee
e) Checking your computer's HD all the time

we are all artists, so am I.

This post is the response to Timmmmyboy's "We Are All Artists" lecture for ds106. 

As we know, the word "Artist" has several meanings and definitions. But everyone can be an artist, and needless to say, I can, too. Actually I did not regard myself as artist even though I was guitar player. I thought I was just imitation or follower of my favorite artists. At that time, around 14 years ago, I had no chance to describe my playing. To do live performance, it takes a lot of time and money for ordinal people like me. 

But nowadays, we have many chances to describe and perform. In Japan, youtube, Nico-Nico-Douga, and pixiv. These are good for recognition. By using these websites, we all recognize ourselves as artists. And of course, ds106, too.

I used to post my performances to youtube like this

but this is just an extension of what I used to do. 

I noticed I am not only music artist but also an artist of other genre by using ds106. Later, I will post some for ds106 assignments, but maybe these are very different from what I did before. 

Audio, music, and guitar (as mid-term post)

Van Halen Frankenstrat by keefer37 Used under Creative Commons 2.0

     Audio, needless to say, is the one of the most famous element of music. I will focus on guitars because I'm a guitarist. First of all, when I was 12 years old, I was not interested in music at all. But the friend of my father gave me a chance to listen the sounds of electric guitar directly. He played "eruption" of Van Halen. I found that one guy posted about Van Halen on his blog. This song was almost all composed by only a guitar. (and drums are only at intro.) That was amazing experience for me. That was only a guitar! "What a loud and cool sounds!" I felt. Listen and watch that song.

     I did not know at that time, but this guitarist, Edward Van Halen, did really advanced performance on this song. A guitar was invented as acoustic guitar at first, and it was made by wood and steel. A electric guitar is, too. Almost all the materials are same, but their sounds are very different. Maybe the time when electric guitars were invented, they would be advanced sounds at that time. But, Edward did advanced by his own techniques, his own fixed guitar, and amps. The important thing was his technique. Other guitarists improved and fixed their instruments at that time, but his technique was the only one. For example, he invented the skill called "tapping". Nowthetime, every guitarists know tapping, and this is essential technique of hard rock music. This skill is widely taught by many guitarists.

     Music is a harvest of audio, but it depends on not only audio but also human technique. I used to have same guitar, but I can't play his sounds perfectly. We guitarists all cannot play like him. This blog posted his interview. In this blog, the interviewer asked “Who are you?”, and the one replied  “Edward Van Halen.” This was his early days and he was just a man. 33 years have passed since this interview, but he has been my guitar hero. Every time I heard "music," "guitar," and "audio," I always remember him. I hope to see his live in Japan.

RIP Steve Jobs

We lost the pioneer of IT world.

I love your all products, Steve.
http://www.apple.com/stevejobs/

King of Pop

What do you think when you heard "Pop music"?

I'm thinking about Michael Jackson. He was the legacy of MTV.

At that time (the middle of 80s'), people could get informations of music only in MTV show. There was no youtube, myspace, facebook, even internet. They watched MTV and know what is in fashion of music.


Do you think the next one will be coming up like Michael Jackson?

Actually, No. Sometime, Lady Gaga is compared with him. Her performance is awesome and brilliant like Michael Jackson, but we CAN compare with others via internet. This is the difference from 80s'. Michael Jackson was the only one at that era.

I think Michael jackson was the last superstar in music.

Internet, e-mail, and SMS text message on the mobile phone.

We all may have own mobile phones, and also use text-message as communication tools. In Japan, usually people have their own E-mail addresses as mobile phone. But this summer, we can send text message via our number of mobile phones (this is called SMS, Short Message Service or just Text Message). 

According to Cameron Chapman, "E-mail was first developed in 1971 by Ray Tomlinson, who also made the decision to use the "@" symbol to separate the user name from the computer name." 

Needless to say, this was for computers at first. E-mail is the fundamental communication tool in the internet network. Actually we Japanese use this even via mobile phones. I heard people in most other countries use SMS as text communication. (Sorry not for sure, see this page!).

In Japan, there's three major company  of mobile phones, Softbank, au, and NTT docomo. SMS uses only phone number, but Japanese SMS cannot be sent to other company's phone. So we had to ask e-mail address when you want to text your friends!

But from this summer, we can send SMS to other company's phone! Maybe E-mail address of mobile phones will disappear in Japan! That's needless for every phones!

cited: The History of the Internet in a Nutshell