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.
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.
Thanks to Kit Cowan for permission to use this Photo.
I had to go about shopping for a new KVM switch at my work to replace one that had gone bad. This gave me the idea to write a short blog piece about KVM switches. A KVM switch allows a user to control multiple servers or workstations with a single monitor and mouse/keyboard. In a typical datacenter, each rack of servers will be connected to a KVM switch which has an assigned monitor/mouse/keyboard. Because of KVM switches, organizations don’t have to purchase a monitor and keyboard/mouse set for every single machine. This makes sense since users do not dedicate themselves to a server desktop as they do a workstation.
Each computer is connected to the KVM switch with a special VGA or USB cable. Higher end KVMs allow standard Ethernet cables to connect computers. KVMs usually come in 4, 8 and 16 port versions, meaning that it can accommodate that many machines. When a user wants to access a particular machine, he simply hits an assigned key on the keyboard to view a menu of the computers that are managed by that KVM. He then selects the machine he wishes to view and the monitor then brings it up. Imagine if you were downloading and installing Windows Updates on 8 servers. You could pull up each server at a single monitor and complete the tasks without leaving your chair.
KVM switches are not utilized as much as they have been in the past due to the ease of tools such as Microsoft Remote Desktop which allows one to remote into any windows server at will and pull up the server desktop wherever they are in the world. These remote applications due have one big limitation in that they do not allow a user to view the booting process of the server or access the BIOS as one normally is able to. Unlike a KVM, if you reboot a machine while remoting into it, you lose your connection. Because of this, KVM switches continue to be a valuable tool for networks today.
One of the biggest players in the KVM market is Avocent. Visit their website at www.avocent.com to learn more about their product line and KVMs in general.
If you open a window in your car, house, or computer today; there’s an outside chance that you may see an event horizon out there where the sun used to be. You don’t have to do anything more than stare, so please don’t worry about recording the moment with a camera. We often discuss the development of a metaverse on this blog, a 3-D environment or simulated world that’s completely integrated with the “real world” that we physically live in. The concept once seemed like science-fiction, but then we realized, collectively, that we didn’t have to imagine ourselves walking down the street while information was being transmitted to and from our minds, i.e. telecommunications, music, photographs, etc. Consider Emotiv’s newest addition to their virtual toy box, a neuro-headset that translates the electrical signals in the user’s brain into emotional/conscious responses of this user’s virtual self or avatar. This neuro-headset is scheduled to hit the market later this year as a gaming device, which is cool enough in itself, yet the other potential applications of this technology for those with various cognitive and physical disabilities could literally be life-altering. Check out this video demonstrating just a few of this headset’s capabilities. We’ve all seen this before, but where were we?
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 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
Thanks to Ron Bailey for permission to use this Photo.
The singularity continues to close in on us at light speed. The realization of a 3-dimensional/fully immersed Internet or “Metaverse” appears inevitable, especially when two of the world’s most dynamic online gaming and social network sites, Gaia and Facebook, have announced a partnership that will allow their users to freely connect with both networks/communities in an integrated way. Gaia’s new Facebook widget is certainly the tip of the iceberg in terms of cross-platform applications, but with two of the Internet’s power players involved, this “official” announcement serves notice that all the hype about interconnected social network/virtual reality worlds may in fact be warranted. Click on the image above to read more about this story. As always, please feel free to share your comments.
Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways of social bonding. New technology enables people to come together online to to create and share stories, art, and other media related to their favorite movies, television shows, and books. In cooperation with media companies, publishers, and sponsors, the biggest social media company in the US, FanLib, also creates special online events where fans can interact with the producers and creators behind some of their favorite books, TV shows, and movies. Those sponsored promotions and contests are used to finance the site. FanLib services are free to the public and their stated goal is to spark creativity — FanLib calls itself the “People Powered Entertainment™ company”.
Cases:
HarperTeen Fanlit
After the success of the first collaborative E-book Reflection Perfection, Harper Collins is now incorporating a teen-focused web strategy in their program. The strategy enables teens to “Create & Share” fiction with Harper Collins authors and their peers, get sneak-peeks of upcoming titles, and get behind-the-scene info. 30,000 teenagers registered for the HarperTeen FanLit online writing contest, contributed, reviewed, and voted on chapters of which six were chosen for the final short story, “Reflection Perfection.” The contest, which is a collaboration with social media company FanLib, generated more than 6 million pageviews on HarperTeen and drew a community of more than 200,000 visitors. The final story is published as a HarperTeen e-book and is free for participants to share with their friends. Prizes included a US$5,000 college scholarship and a Fox TV studios-produced webisode based on the winning entry.
Suave: In The Motherhood
In the Motherhood is the first online video series by moms, for moms and about moms. All stories are based on contributions from real mothers. While professional screenwriters develop the characters and story lines for each of the webisodes, the online mom community votes and nominates the best entries. Sponsored as a multiplatform campaign by Suave and Sprint, In the Motherhood launched on MSN.com, on suave.com, on Sprint TV, as well as on broadcast TV, and features a lively forum of moms who want to share the joys and challenges of being a mom.
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