Things I would consider before buying a Laptop or PC for my course

The first thing I would consider when deciding on a computer for college is whether to buy a Desktop PC or a Laptop. I can’t imagine many students recommending a desktop, as laptops are so much more convenient and portable. It is however almost impossible to use them ergonomically.

The second thing to consider is which system you choose, Mac or windows. Mac would be better for a graphic design student as the software on Macs are generally of a higher standard, but for a course like Applied psychology, I think Windows is the best option. Having Microsoft Office is a great advantage, and although you can load office onto Macs, there can sometimes be compatibility issues.

Other important factors when buying a laptop are memory, the CPU, the hard drive, processing speed and battery life. Students often don’t have a lot of time, so when they get on their laptop they try to do many things at one time. There could be many application running at one time, such as internet explorer, iTunes, Powerpoint and many more. Also, devices may be plugged in via USB ports may be in use, such as digital cameras or mobile phones, so it may be a good idea to take the number of USB ports in a laptop into account.

I’d also recommend that some Anti-Virus software. Norton and McAfee are the the most popular but  they can be very expensive and sometimes restricting. There are many free downloadable programmes however, like AVG for example. 

Finally, price is an important factor, as many students will be on tight budgets! 

I looked at website like dell for some good dells on student-friendly laptops, but this one seems to be the best. Here are the specifications.

HP Compaq Mini 110c - €339 inc VAT

Slim and light, the Compaq Mini 110c is a fashionable mini you can carry anywhere at a price you can afford. If you're looking for a great value laptop for internet browsing, note-taking, and entertainment you should consider the Compaq Mini 110C . With a powerful Intel Atom N270 Processor, 1GB of memory and a massive 160GB hard drive it really is excellent value for money. The Compaq Mini 110c is ideal for surfing the web, checking emails, downloading music and films, watching YouTube and using MSN and Skype. The Compaq Mini 110c features built in Wi-Fi connectivity offering web access whenever you're in a Wi-Fi hotspot. With it’s 10.1” screen, webcam and built-in speakers it’s great for enjoying multimedia.

Specifications :

* Intel Atom N270 1.6Ghz * 1GB Ram * 160GB HDD * 10.1” TFT Screen * Wi-Fi® Wireless 802.11 b/g * Windows XP Home SP3 * 1 Year Warranty * Weighs only 1.2

Sounds good to me.

Useful Links for my course

General
http://www.psihq.ie/

http://psychology.about.com/

http://www.blogger.com/goog_1259581028590

http://www.apa.org/


ICT
http://www.reviseict.co.uk/

htttp://www.webmonkey.com

http://www.echoecho.com/

Multimedia Design
http://raysweb.net/photoshop-lessons/index.html 

http://www.khulsey.com/student.html

Research and Statistics
http://www.blogger.com/goog_1259581028587

http://davidmlane.com/hyperstat/ 


Abnormal Psychology
http://purgatory.net/merits/index.htm

http://www.psychwww.com/resource/bytopic/abnormal.html 

Perception and Ergonomics
http://www.alleydog.com/101notes/s&p.html

http://allpsych.com/psychology101/perception.html

Technological Article of Interest No. 2

Head Tracking for Desktop VR Displays using the Wii Remote

This article is about 3rd party uses of Wii Remotes (unofficially called Wiimotes). Johnny Chung Lee, author of the website of interest is renowned for developing new 3rd party software utilizing the Wiimote.

The software I find most interesting is 3D Head-Tracking. The Wiimote sensors pick up horizontal and vertical movement as well as distance recognition. These three things are exactly what is needed for 3D Head Tracking. A sensor-bar picks up infrared signals from the Wiimote, and thus it can follow movement.

Despite this, Wii games are currently only in 2D. For a Wii fanatic like Mr. Lee, 2D simply doesn't suffice. He decided to reverse the sensor recognition of the Wiimote by attaching the sensor-bar to his own head and facing the Wiimote toward him. The Wiimote is now tracking the sensor-bar (and thus, Mr. Lee's face), rather than the sensor-bar tracking the Wiimote. This enables the console to take perspective and distance into account, therefore making any game a 3D experience.

Here is a video outling this virtual experience!

http://johnnylee.net/projects/wii/

Technological Article of Interest No. 1

The Perpetual Myth of Free Energy

I first came across this article when browsing through news on the BBC website. The article is based on a product known as the "Orbo", a mechanical device that uses powerful magnets on the rim of a rotor, and further magnets on an outer shell to create free, unlimited clean energy (even though this clearly defies the law of conservation of energy, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed but can be changed from one form to another).

The product was invented by Mr Sean McCarthy, CEO of Irish company Steorn. He came across his invention by chance while developing an independent power system for CCTV cameras. His company were large and diverse to begin with, but since this discovery in 2000, Steorn are fully dedicated to developing Orbo.

According to Mr McCarthy, Orbo is a result of "many man years of technological development using a "Victorian Science" approach. It is a technology that has been derived phenomenologically, through test, implementation and retest."

Since it's discovery in 2000, Orbo has not been made available for commercial use. However on the official Steorn website they state that "Orbo 1.0 will be made available initially under license to 300 engineering companies and to the wider product development community later during the course of 2009."

I have my doubts about this product, as it is most definitely a dogma of science. It deifies a law that has been considered concrete since the 16th century. The energy also seems to come from thin air, which seems rather unbelievable. However, if it is successful it will be of great use to mankind.

Here is a video of Sean McCarthy speaking about Orbo in an interview on FOX News.

http://www.steorn.com/orbo/

NEW MOON OUT TOMMOROW!

Sick day :(

So i felt horrible and can't go into college, so i decided I'd be a good girl, not just go on facebook all day, and actually do some college work from home!! And plus, daytime TV is such a peice of crap!! I don't actually have interesting to say, possibly because I haven;t done anything, except drink an awful lot of tea and eat a multipack of penguin bars. I suppose that'll be all then....

Photoshop

So we have an assignment due in today. It was all very artsy and based on expressive type. Of course me, having no artistic ability whatsoever had great difficulty with it. But then I got used to Photoshop and all was OK. At first I hated Photoshop, and I do still dislike it a tad (though that's purely my ignorance to it speaking) but I am starting to realise that it is a useful to for us artistically challenged.

All in all my assignment doesn't seem so bad... I hope!

Up!

Well, some idiot from college convinced me to go see the pixar movie "Up!". I was sceptical to say the least, but it was absolutely amazing. Animation of the year! It was sad, happy, uplifting and inspiring all at once!! Its got cute puppies, aggressive dogs, romance, aviation, star wars references, and old man, a little boy and a flying house. Who wouldn't want to see that?

The Soloist

So I went to see The Soloist last night, it was quite the sad, and quite the happy all at once! Jamie Foxx plays a homeless guy with possible scitzophrenia. He attended Juliard school of music for two year as a cellist before he started hearing voices in his head. He couldnt take it in the end and so he left to live on the streets, where a journalist, Robery Downey Jnr. finds him.

He starts to write about him, and a woman is so moved that she posts her old cello to the newpaper, and Rober (Mr. Lopez in the film) passes it on to Jamie Foxx (Nathaniel Ayers). He starts playing again, and eventually gets off the streets and sleeps inside again.

The film is based on a true story and the journalist that originally published the article on Nathaniel has now written a book about it. I recommend you all go and see it!

My new pet...

So I got a new hamster. He's a dwarf, about 1 month old and grey/charcoal coloured. Since he's really small I decided to give him a really big sounding name: UBER-MAUS. He's such a daredevil that im now considering naming him dangermouse, but it's just not as original.

His cage is red and plastic, with a running wheel, a wendy house, two ladders and a tunnel that he never comes out of. I can hear him scurrying up and down as I type! (I hope he won't keep me awake all the time).

He's a lot of fun to play with. He likes running up your arm and legs, and settles in warm places. He got so comfortable up my friends sleeve that she noticed a warm wet patch after a couple of minutes, and it turned out he'd pee'd and poo'd on her arm. Thats the only downside I suppose...