For many people in the technologically savvy crowd, fantasy role-playing has evolved from D&D-style board games to "Might & Magic"-esque linear narratives to immersive virtual worlds like "EverQuest." The number of subscribers to online computer games like "World of Warcraft" has skyrocketed over the past couple of years. There's an entire underground economy where people can buy and sell the in-game currency and items. The graphics and artificial intelligence have reached exciting new levels. It's all enough to get people hooked on paying that monthly fee. But when does that passion for simulated adventure turn into an addiction?



I do not want anybody I know turning into that boy. So i checked it out and if you have the following symptoms, you, I am afraid, are addicted to online gaming.

Signs of Online Gaming Addiction

1. Inability to stop the activity
2. Neglect of family and friends
3. Lying to employers and family about activities
4. Problems with school or job
5. Carpal tunnel syndrome
6. Dry Eyes
7. Failure to attend to personal hygiene
8. Sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns
9. Feeling empty, depressed, irritable when not at the computer
10. Craving more and more time at the computer

But all is not lost! As i read up on online gaming addiction articles online, most websites actually state the causes of this addiction and how to help one get out of it.

So if u ticked off most or worse, all of the above symptoms, please try to stop playing so much. Go and make more friends, enjoy an evening walk with your dog, take up a sport or a hobby like cooking!

In the past, online security meant passing my laptop and computers over to my dad to install some software. I did not know exactly what it was and what it could do.

So I found a cute video on what a virus could do to ones desktop.



So after that I went online to check out what I could do to prevent such a malicious attack on my computer. I did not want to ever face a situation where my homework, songs and pictures just get deleted from my laptop.

Some steps to take to help prevent nasty viruses would be:

1. Avoid Unknown Attachments. Nowadays, most viruses are spread via e-mail attachments which, thankfully, can only become active when the attachment is opened or unzipped. While you cannot contract a virus just by receiving e-mail, it is a good idea to delete messages containing attachments if you do not know the sender, or if the subject line includes a tempting phrase like “Here is the file I promised you.”

2. Avoid Bootleg or Pirated Software. With popular software packages running upwards of $200, it can be hard to resist the lure of the bootleg versions freely available on Internet file sharing utilities such as FreeNet and Gnutella. Virus writers take advantage of the insatiable market for bootlegs to disseminate their creations across the Internet and around the world.

3. Treat Floppy Disks and CDs With Suspicion. Prior to the mid-1990s, most computer viruses were spread via infected floppy disks. While floppy disks aren't inherently evil, as they pass through many hands and many computers, they have an increasingly greater chance of becoming infected by a virus - one that will then infest your system. New technologies such as CD burners (recorders) also open new doors for viruses to slip through.Homemade CD-RW disks (CDs which can be re-written using a burner) with unknown pedigrees can also be a source of infection.

4. Back It Up. Along with hardware failure, theft and acts of God or Nature, the possibility of viral infection is just one more reason to back up your data regularly. For Windows users, once you have chosen a backup medium (floppy disk, zip disk, CD-RW, tape drive), you can set up the Task Scheduler in Windows 95/98 to perform automatic backups on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Still, you should always keep the last and the next-to-the-last backups in case you need to restore files that have been corrupted.

5. Purchase Antivirus Software. Most antivirus software packages offer an automatic background protection mode, which will detect and clean out infections as they appear. If you don’t have this option, be sure to use the software to scan any and all Internet downloads, e-mail attachments and foreign disks before you open or run them. (More information on antiviral software is coming up in the next sections.)

6. Check System Requirements. The last thing you need is to trek out, buy the software, trek back, try to install it and get a nasty error message saying "Unable to install program. You need Windows version XYZ." For example, the Windows 98 version of Symantec's Norton AntiVirus may not work on an NT 2000 system. Make sure you check the minimum system requirements and platform on the package before you buy to make sure you get the right version.

7. Scan All Drives. Once you've purchased and installed the software, schedule regular scans. Most virus scan programs are set to automatically scan the C: Drive first. It's easy to think you're home free when no viruses are found. Make sure you set the program to check all drives, including e-mail programs, as many viruses are delivered through e-mail attachments and Internet files, and spread through shared documents.

9. Update Often. For optimum protection, antivirus software must be updated on a monthly basis so that it can recognize and eradicate new bugs as they make the rounds. The updates can usually be found on the software company’s Web site, but if you need reminding, many packages will allow you to schedule automatic updates. Still, you should never assume that your antiviral software offers complete protection from infection, and you should continue to take basic safe computing precautions.

HEY!! For my 125 project this semester, my group did it on the online travel agency company, Travelocity! Travelocity is an awesome site because it is a one stop place for you to book not only your plane tickets and accommodation at the cheapest prices, but also car rentals and itenaries (such as to Disneyland or that rockstars concert).

So in this video I will be explaining some unique features of the Travelocity website.

First thing in the morning and my friends and I are all cursing and swearing on twitter, "Why is the stupid traffic jam not moving!", "Where is the damn bus? I have been waiting for 20mins already!", "I am going to be late for class and miss taking my attendance, AGAIN!!!".

Welcome to the woes of a student who cannot wake up on time every morning for class. Having spent a few hundred on cab fares last month in a feeble attempt to get to class on time, imagine my delight when I found out that this semester, I have to take an online module!

This semester, I am taking Ntr 109 and Ntr 110. Ntr 110 is an online course (because apparently our lecturers here are not qualified to mark our labs, or so I heard...)I am usually still late for 109 because the class is at 9 on friday mornings... NINE. IN THE MORNING. Just emphasizing... But 110 is a course where I just have to hand up my labs by 9 every friday morning!

So this is how it works. Every week I go for my 109 lecture and the lecturer will go through with the class what we are supposed to do for our lab that week. We go home, or out, or anywhere, because all we need is a laptop and internet access to download our assignments. All we have to do is complete the assignment and make sure we submit it through the blaackboard's digital dropbox (on UBLearns) to our American lecturer (who is qualified to mark our labs...) before the dateline. THAT IS IT. So simple.

Reasons why i prefer this to attending a conventional class in school.

1. I save a lot of money from not having to cab to school.
2. I do not need to wake up early, I just need to submit my lab by 9 every friday morning. Beauty sleep is very important too!
3. I have no trouble with falling asleep/getting distracted/daydreaming in class because THERE IS NO CLASS. (unless you choose to count 109 as the lecture...)
4. I can do my assignment whenever I want, where ever i want, so long as it is before the dateline given.

So maybe I should consider taking more online modules...

Here are some websites I read up on to learn more about e-learning:
http://www.articulate.com/blog/the-19-best-elearning-blogs/
http://www.downes.ca/post/31741
http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Review/EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume39/EducationalBlogging/157920