Thanks to 3ep Media for permission to use this Photo.
I received a couple messages yesterday from student bloggers who were having difficulty embedding videos on their blog. In the spirit of open community resources, I’d like to provide you with the same wordpress plugin that I’ve found very easy to install and quite reliable. Here it is. Let me know how it works out for your blog!
Blip.tv is regarded as “the world’s leading videoblogging and podcasting service,” but it’s their community based ethos and collaborative principles that really persuaded our Ashworth University Student Life team to deveop our own television channel through this incredible company. Blip.tv’s video publishing, sharing, and syndication features make it easy for anyone to get their message heard in the increasingly crowded online video marketplace. We here at Ashworth University would like to thank Blip.tv for their outstanding service. We’d also like to encourage you to check out our Ashworth University Television channel on Blip.tv. If you are a video content creator and would like to work with Ashworth University, please feel free to contact me at the following email address to discuss the possibilities. Thank You!
Thanks to Jamie Hladky for permission to use this Photo.
You have to learn how to crawl before you learn how to walk, but once you learn a foundation of IT skills in Ashworth University’s information technology programs and anchor yourself in the IT labor force, here are the ten hottest tech skill sets you should aim to learn in the next five years according to Tech Republic.
Voice over IP - sales of pure IP PBX systems for the first quarter of 2007 increased 76% over the first quarter of the previous year
Unified Communications - the convergence of different communications technologies, such as e-mail, voicemail, text messaging, and fax
Hybrid Networks – Networks are no longer all Windows or all Linux, they are a hodgepodge of different systems and IT pros need to learn more than one of them.
Wireless Technologies – everything’s going wireless it seems.
Remote User Support – with more employees working off-site today, help support personnel must provide remote support to anywhere.
Mobile User Support – more and more organizations are providing blackberries and other smart portable devices for their employees that must be supported.
Software-as-a-Service – or SaaS as it is referred to in technical articles. With the popularity of Web 2.0, the trend is to now provide software applications over the Internet rather than installing them on each and every computer.
Virtualization – With the dominance of VMWare and the soon to be released 2008 Virtual Application from Microsoft, virtualization is THE buzzword today along with its countless benefits.
IPv6 – Although this standard has not grown in popularity as of yet, mostly because the wide usage of NAT has allowed us to not run out of IP addresses on the Internet as fast as predicted, this standard is going to come about within the next five years.
Security - A skill set that will probably always be in the top 10.
It appears as if all the rumors about Flickr’s development of new video sharing applications has finally become a reality. The kings of community based online photo sharing now provide their pro users with the ability to upload and of course share 90 second videostreams within their traditional photopools. Click here to learn more about Flickr’s exciting news. This is an intriuging advancement that I’m going to be following closely, especially since I think there are many innovative ways we can utilize these new video features on our own Ashworth University Flickr page. We encourage all our students to join our Flickr community and begin to share photos and now even videos from your everyday lives! If you need any help getting started on Flickr, just send an email to aublogspot@ashworthuniversity.edu and I’ll show you how everything works. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks to Miguel Lopes for permission to use this Photo.
The architecture of cyberspace is interconnected, timeless, and invisible from the inside-out. On the Ashworth University Blog, we’re not afraid of the matrix and try to share perspectives from around the world, just a 0 1 code, on the technology issues that influence how this network will evolve in complexity, and most of us would like that evolution to be open rather than closed in principle. Earlier this year, the nation of Estonia was involved in what by any measure must be considered one of the most large scale and sophisticated “cyber attacks” in history, an attack that operated on several levels simultaneously, resulting in the virtual collapse of this nation’s electronic infrastructure. Instantly, the fundamental question, “who did this?” was buzzing with elements of fear and conspiracy. Did Vladimir Putin and Russia conduct this operation in the shadow of political revenge? Was the attack the work of loosely connected and politically marginalized hackers who were sending their own message to an establishment attempting to exert increased state control over the Internet, i.e. you’re more vulnerable than you think and we’re waiting for your next move. The following video consists of an interview with information security expert, Dmitry Skylyarov, in which he shares his inside perspective on what occurred and the big picture implications of what is perhaps the most misunderstood yet powerful of political weapons; the large scale, well conceived, organized, and executed cyberattack. This is a must watch interview. Click on the image above to watch this video. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.
On more than one occasion, I’ve jokingly referred to this blog as being, not so much a source of film criticism, but rather more of a P.S.A. — of information that nobody is really looking for in the first place, most likely. This week, however, that statement is almost not a joke: undoubtedly many of you have noticed the astoundingly low prices advertised on HD-DVD players and discs of late. There’s a reason for this sudden plunge in prices; and a reason why you should not — under any circumstances — buy one. The reason is this: the HD-format war is over, and Blu-ray has won — but that won’t stop manufacturers from trying to unload their backlog of players and discs on you, the unwitting consumer.
For those not in the know, a brief re-cap. Approximately 3 years ago, Sony and Toshiba both introduced their competing and not-compatible-with-one-another high-definition video formats: blu-ray and HD-DVD, respectively. Manufacturers knew from the git-go that conventional DVD’s storage capacity was inadequate for encoding high-definition video — so, the need for a replacement format was imminent. Toshiba’s attempt at one, HD-DVD, had the benefits of being cheap to produce and backwards compatible with existing DVD technology. Sony’s more advanced blu-ray format has a greater storage capacity and a more robust dynamic rewriting schema, making it a better choice for computer and gaming applications. At first, The major studios were evenly divided in their support of the formats — but late last year, Warner Bros. decided to support Blu-ray exclusively; slowly but surely, all the other studios followed suit — until, on February 19th of this year, Toshiba announced that they would no longer manufacture HD-DVD discs or players — effectively rendering the format obsolete, even though there are a few other manufacturers out there who have yet to give up the ghost. But with the creator of the format abandoning it, we can safely say that HD-DVD has gone the way of 8-track tapes, floppy discs and VHS — to an early grave. (more…)
I enjoyed this insightful video interview on the growing power of Participatory Web Media. The interviewees are acknowledged in the industry as leading figures in the social media marketing realm. You’ll notice their cynicism regarding companies who attempt to “spin” or manipulate social media with little understanding of new media culture. I agree that these companies are doomed to fail in the online market. As an internet marketer, you can’t just follow the ”buzz.” You have to understand the the ”buzz” and relate to it from the consumers’ perspective. After you’ve done your research, you can begin figuring out where your business might fit in and ultimately add value to the consumers’ experience. Continue working hard through your program studies. There are exciting careers waiting for those who dedicate themselves to their education and training. I believe you can be one of these dedicated people with bright futures. Stay focused.
Wikipedia has had a dramatic impact on the way people collaborate to create, search, update, and catalogue information. Millions of people visit this site and “wiki” every day. I recently read the bestselling book, “Wikinomics”, where the collaborative networking principles that built this new information platform are endorsed as complimentary to more open business models of the future. As you can see, there are lessons we can learn as entrepreneurs from the Wikipedia success story, but how can we apply these lessons in our own small business ventures. In this video, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales shares his insights into the somewhat miraculous rise of the Wiki empire. Wales emphasizes how important the collaborative development process was and continues to be for his company. I hope this video inspires you to dream big!
Thanks to Jesse Draper for permission to use this Photo.
Until I watched the following video parody last night, I had practically forgotten about the “long distance switching wars” that occurred prior to the mobile revolution. Do you remember the dark days and nights when phone companies were calling us at all hours to one-up their competitors with lame incentive plans? The entire pitch was designed to get you to switch. How quickly we forget. And now—are those days here yet again? Take a moment to check out this admittedly corny, slightly obnoxious, but “point taken” video.
Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University
Thanks to Jonan Basterra for permission to use this Photo.
Through such seminal works as Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace and Code 2.0, Lawrence Lessig has established himself as the the world’s leading expert on legal issues related to technology. He’s the founder of the influential and respected Center for Internet and Society at Stanford University. You may be thinking that this subject sounds dull, right? Wrong!
My preconceptions caused me to be somewhat indifferent to the following video presentation as well, but Lessig’s insightful perspectives on copyright law, social control, and internet neutrality will quickly gain your attention as you realize how important these issues are to the eventual rise or fall of techno-society as we know it. Click on the image above to watch Lessig’s presentation at this years TED conference. I’m interested to hear your perspectives, so comments are encouraged.
Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University
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