The hopes and visions of a young lad named Terence Choo

Before I begin, I would like to remind you that this post is based on what I hope for the internet in the future. Silly or not my reasons, these are my visions and dreams for it. Pardon my naivety or eccentricity Mr. Choy for I am one who likes to envision something out of the ordinary!

These are my visions………

I want to see the web being surf on ANY device. I literally mean anything from my spectacle case to my cigarette lighter to the brick that surrounds the garden of my home. Adding this touch screen device will release us from the chains of a laptop, PC or even an IPhone. After watching the clip on six sense, I realize that this reality is not too far away from us. However, I hope to see it completely materialize soon!

Predator Wi-fi

Secondly, I hope that not only will we be able to access everything from everything but with also with personalized information. That means that if I were to access the web via my chopping board, it ought to provide information on various kitchen ware and appliances. If I were to access the web from my lighter, it should provide me with different updates on different lighter styles (possibly cool ones). On the flipside, I am expecting health care advocates to depict unpleasant photos of the effects of smoking.

accessing information on your chopping board!

Another far-fetched I have is a “personalized Internet” access account for each and every person. Here, all we need to do is to sign up for this application and it assigns up a “buddy”. This buddy appears whenever we allow it to, via a “accept” button. This friend acts as our secretary and keeps updated information for us but more importantly, converses with us. It’s as if we have a computerize friend. It effectively is our “partner” on the internet searching stuff for us and doing online transactions.

The internet buddy

It can talk to us like any human being can and it can make suggestions based on our past purchases or information searches. Even better, It may even help us access information for our research papers and save us the trouble of having to look through countless journal articles (Oh yes, I thought about this in relation to all the suffering I’ve experienced in school with research papers).


I have one more absurd wish for the internet. Considering the fact that we might not need laptops and PCs one day, I am assuming that we’re going to be able to access the web not only using everything but hopefully, using “nothing”, like that in the movie, the Last Action Hero starring Arnold Schwarzenegger When I say nothing, I mean simply the medium of space. Like that in the Minority Report where we see a matrix of information appearing in the middle of nowhere. Now, I do not know the functions for how this is going to materialize but I can envision it. With that, I hope that we can one day teleport ourselves from one place to the next via the internet.

Tom Cruise in Minority Report


Ok, this is NOT going to happen in our lifetime I can safely say that plus THINK ABOUT ALL THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES THAT MIGHT SURFACE with this new technology and capability! Criminals will be even more difficult or impossible to track, what about illegal immigrants? I feel that this should only be instilled, if say for instance, such technology do happen one day, by government bodies and officials and should only be reserved for very very special situations!

Teleporting

The Last Action Hero (Teleporting)

Before I go, I leave you with Vinton Cerf, an American computer scientist who is known as one of “the founding fathers of the internet”. He visited Singapore in 2008 and expressed his views about the future of internet then. Three of his man points are the ease of access to the internet which is already happening now with the usage of IPhones via 3G and wi-fi. He also highlights the speed of access and lastly the role that advertising play for the future. ENJOY!

The Art of presentation

Since this week’s post is a free one, I decided to do a little self-reflection. My group presented on Friday and in all honesty, I felt we entertained the class and more importantly, Mr. Abel Choy.

However, something still disturbs me. I have had severe presentation difficulties from as far back as I can remember. All those jitters and butterflies in my tummy standing in front of a crowd speaking just won’t go away.

I remembered the time when I was asked to stand-in for this girl who backed out on a class debate during my first semester at UB. Boy I had no idea what the hell was going on and I fumbled like a mess when speaking. I felt dumb; almost inadequate. Worst still for me, my lecturer sunk her head as I startled in front of the audience like a pussy cat. Not something I want to remember for as long as I live.

Anyway, I felt I did alright for the presentation on Friday. I had the usual hiccup when I forgot to present one of the points for my parts but on the whole, I thought I did ok. I actually have my group mates to thank because they made it so relax that I felt that even though I messed up slightly, it wouldn’t matter much.

The Ping Pong Piang Band

I guess a large part of my nervousness stems from my vanity. I always wonder whether I look good when presenting and talking to people. I wonder whether my shirt’s untidy or whether I look unkempt. Honestly, I haven’t found the solution to my problem yet but I’m working on it and I somehow feel I’m getting a wee bit better from before.

Therefore, I decided to look up on presentation/stage fight videos and I found this. ENJOY!

The Voices behind Journalism

Football has always been the most watched sport in the world and arguably brings nations together. It symbolizes an “international language” that surpasses all barriers and it some countries, it even represents a “religion. Take for example, Brazil; five time world cup winners and obviously the most feared nation in football.


The Religion of Football

The amount of news coverage for football is worldwide and sports journalist takes it in their stride to cover a game in most detail. From the atmosphere of the stadiums to the comments of the managers and players themselves, most football journalists would ink all the details down on paper.

However, with the rise of Twitter and the recent increase in football players using such social networking services, fans enter the personal realm of a player that even the hardest pressed and intuitive journalist cannot reach.

Even more so……. Twitter posts represent the emotional aspect of a player. Also, it allows fans the chance to be in touch with the lives of their idols. In my opinion, the usage of twitter by football players is an “extension” of sports journalism.
For instance, ex-Liverpool bamboozle boy Ryan Babel was fined 10,000 pounds after posting a Photoshop picture of referee Howard Webb wearing a Manchester United jersey on Twitter after Liverpool’s lost to their rivals.

Ryan Babel's photo tweet

Also, he wrote: "And they call him one of the best referees. That's a joke." Babel’s crude and sarcasm came after he felt that the referee had been on United’s side after The Reds lost at Old Trafford.

Babel or Bamboozle?

Do take some time to view the video below. It explains how Twitter can be used for the wrong reasons costing individuals their jobs and tarnishing their reputation. Despite using the platform for fast and updated news, we as journalists should also be aware that it leaves us vulnerable to “emotional” and rash remarks as Ryan Babel will attest.



More recently, Arsenal’s young starlet Jack Wilshere twitted after The Gunners lost to Barcelona in the European Cup. Despite the sarcasm directed at the referee, the Englishmen thank the fans for their support and apologize for the defeat. Arsenal’s captain Cese Fabregas also deeply apologized for Arsenal’s exit after his mistake led to one of Barca’s goals. The crucial element in these tweets is not what is said but the fact that it is said.

Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas and Jack Wilshere

When sporting stars tweet, they give additional insight and a more personal feel to the fans. In a sense, superstars submerge themselves and allow themselves to come off as “friends” with their fans gaining even more support for their clubs and themselves. This somewhat represents a more personalize marketing tool for footballers as they update their “followers” on what’s going on in their lives.

Twitter is almost famous among Hollywood actors like Ian Somerhalder and James Franco. Due to my girlfriend’s infatuation with these Hollywood heart throbs, I have learnt that both are cat lovers and that both are extremely pro-environment. Besides acting, both of them live a very simple life and do not uphold the typical Hollywood image lifestyle. Something which fans might not be aware of if it wasn’t for Twitter. More importantly, how often do we even get a profile feature on any Hollywood star? Even if we do so, how much personal information will be revealed?





Ian Somerhalder














What do you think?