Thursday, 23 August 2012

JAY


1)       

Computers today are one of the important things we are using. They have helped a lot in compiling a lot data which used to be in hard records. One of the uses or benefits of computers is that they are able to provide and retrieve information so quickly so they have increased the pace of our work. The increase in the speed of work has helped us to do many things with less resources like in past a lot of manpower was used for record keeping and files and other things were made to keep the records saved. This is one use of computers in our lives other than that computers has helped us to work with machines which have the ability to produce the best quality of products with maximum speed and efficiency. In today's world it is necessary that to cater for such a heavy population things are made at the higher pace with best quality, so it is possible with the help of computer that we are able to cater for the need of quantity and quality of products required in daily life.

Computer is also helping us in education of children, it has enabled us to get the information form one part of the world to the other at a very rapid pace. So in summary computer today is in every walk of life, and is helping us a lot in developing at a fast pace.


2)       

Computers allow students to access more information more easily and the introduction of the internet means that this information is available to hand 24/7. Whether this is a good prospect or not is something that is debated frequently. For every factual and accurate piece of information that can be found on the internet, there are ten false ones. This has lead to a demand for school based websites and computer software that students can use without the risk of being fed false information. Computers allow students to collect this data quickly and efficiently and learn skills such as finding relevant information and producing it in a way that can be read by others. As most students will have computer facilities at home, teachers can set them homework projects that wouldn't have been possible with just the facilities available in library books. The internet and computer software programmes can also be used by students to carry out tests for revision purposes.

They provide an easy access to vast stores of information and knowledge, which would require us normally to sift through enormous volumes of libraries and simply compact it for us at our finger tips. Some benefits may be enumerated as follows:-

1) For research purposes and to collect secondary data.
2) for tabulating and organizing data.
3) For using various design applications.
4) For documenting and writing reports on office applications.
5) for analyzing data and developing graphical representations.
6) For connecting with people on different forums and newsgroups in order to share experiences and gather data.



3)       

An operating system (OS) is a set of computer program that manages the hardware and software resources of a computer. At the foundation of all system software, the OS performs basic tasks such as controlling and allocating memory, prioritizing system requests, controlling input and output devices, facilitating networking, and managing files. It also may provide a graphical user interface for higher level functions. Various services performed by operating systems are discussed below.
Process management: It deals with running multiple processes. Most operating system allow a process to be assigned a priority which affects its allocation of CPU time. Interactive operating systems also employ some level of feedback in which the task with which the user is working receives higher priority. In many systems there is a background process which runs when no other process is waiting for the CPU.
Memory management: The memory manager in an OS coordinates the memories by tracking which one is available, which is to be allocated or deallocated and how to swap between the main memory and secondary memories. The operating system tracks all memory used by each process so that when a process terminates, all memory used by that process will be available for other processes.
Disk and file systems: Operating systems have a variety of native file systems that controls the creation, deletion, and access of files of data and programs.
Networking: Most current operating systems are capable of using the TCP/IP networking protocols. This means that one system can appear on a network of the other and share resources such as files, printers, and scanners. Many operating systems also support one or more vendor-specific legacy networking protocols as well.
Security: most operating systems include some level of security.
Device drivers: A device driver is a specific type of computer software developed to allow interaction with hardware devices. Typically this constitutes an interface for communicating with the device, through the specific computer bus or communications subsystem that the hardware is connected to, providing commands to and/or receiving data from the device, and on the other end, the requisite interfaces to the operating system and software applications.
Examples of operating systems:BS2000,BS3000,DOS,PC-DOS,MS-DOS,LINUX,SOLARIS,MAC OS,UNIX,WINDOWS



4)       

Application that I fully utilize is Microsoft excel by Microsoft.

1. Times consuming problem resolved

It is one of the most popular pros that Excel provide Tasks can be completed more quickly.Excel has so many tools that can be utilized to finish these activities faster: computations, accounting tasks, data analysis, and many more. Wanting to find out how to learn Excel, therefore, is something you should seriously consider. If you learn MS Excel, the number of hours you usually complete reports will really decrease significantly.

2. Import, organize, and explore massive data sets within significantly expanded spreadsheets.
Work with massive amounts of data in Office Excel, which supports spreadsheets that can be up to 1 million rows by 16,000 columns. In addition to the bigger grid, Office Excel supports multicore processor platforms for faster calculation of formula-intense spreadsheets.


5)       

An external storage device is devices provides additional storage other than that available in computer. Data can be transported easily from one place to another.

Extra space

Of course, the function of an external hard drive is to provide some much-needed extra storage space. If your memory is used up or about to get saturated and replacing your current hard drive is out of the question, getting an external hard drive is a wise decision. You will have more space with which to store additional data in text, images or audio form. You could also use the extra room to transfer files to unload your computer and boost its performance.

Storage for old files

If you have files that have been sitting on your computer for months (or years) but you still cannot get around to deleting, you might find an external hard drive very useful. Many of us are wary about removing old files from our computers, believing that they will come in handy someday. The problem here is that it tends to clog up the system and eat up resources. With an external hard drive, old files may be transferred and memory freed up to increase speed and improve performance of the computer.

Backup important data

Many computer users fail to back up their data. This can be a problem, particularly when important files are involved. If there is no available space on your computer or you simply want to stash important data someplace else, then use an external hard drive to store extra copies of your files.

Security

Some external hard drives allow encryption, so once files are transferred, they as good as hieroglyphics to anyone who wishes to access them without permission. For heavy internet users, it is also possible to keep files secure by transferring them to another storage device for safekeeping. Once data has been saved, simply turn off the external hard drive and detach it. Even if it remains attached to your computer, no hacker will be able to access your files from anywhere.

Convenient and handy

External hard drives are smaller, lighter and more portable than a laptop, so these can be detached, carried around, placed in a bag or purse and stored without requiring a lot of space. These are handy enough to be brought anywhere, allowing you to access your files from another computer unit.



6)       


An embedded computer is Computer system that is part of a larger system and performs only peripheral functions (such as guidance or security) but no data processing function.

An example of embedded system device is smart phone.With the rapid development of 3G wireless communication technologies, higher requirements are demanded on the performance of mobile communication terminals. The mobile phone merely used, as a voice communication device can no longer meet  users´ needs. It should be an inevitable trend to develop a smart phone that integrates wireless communication technologies and palm PC functions. The operating system or the core of software, however, can directly affect the overall performance of the smart phone. Below are the function of smart phone which is monitored by embedded system that navigate each functions





The smart phone has the following features:
    (1) Restriction and Application

    The smart phone has limited power supply because it is chiefly energized by the storage battery with a limited capacity. Therefore, the operating system shall provide excellent power management capability to ensure normal running as long as possible.
    (2) High Reliability

    Reliability is an issue to be considered by all smart phones. A good operating system shall be instrumental in developing stable and reliable application programs although its kernel and privileged code occupy less space.
    (3) Support of Real-time Multi-task Processing and Various Communication Protocols

    The wireless access mode requires the SPOS to support real-time multi-task processing and various communication protocols. Moreover, in order to help users make smooth conversion and support the standards to be launched, the SPOS shall abstract the network protocol stack. In addition, it shall ensure the consistency of Application Programming Interfaces (API) irrespective of the specific protocol stack being adopted.
    (4) Environment Self-adaptiveness

    It is an important research direction for the SPOS to ensure a QoS-based system interaction under a dynamic and mobile environment. The system self-adaptiveness is an eclectic strategy and completely transparent to the applications. Environment self-adaptiveness can ensure compatibility with the existing applications. Therefore, the particular mobile environment for application purposes has a little importance development.
    (5) Open Platform

    The SPOS shall be open to the third party users and provide a powerful programming environment for developers of handset application software to conduct related development via the application program framework in a convenient and fast manner.






7)       

BIOS is an acronym for Basic Input/Output System. It is the boot firmware program on a PC, and controls the computer from the time you start it up until the operating system takes over. When you turn on a PC, the BIOS first conducts a basic hardware check, called a Power-On Self Test (POST), to determine whether all of the attachments are present and working. Then it loads the operating system into your computer's random access memory, or RAM.The BIOS also manages data flow between the computer's operating system and attached devices such as the hard disk, video card, keyboard, mouse, and printer.The BIOS stores the date, the time, and your system configuration information in a battery-powered, non-volatile memory chip, called a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) after its manufacturing process.

ROM is an acronym for Read-Only Memory. It refers to computer memory chips containing permanent or semi-permanent data. Unlike RAM, ROM is non-volatile; even after you turn off your computer, the contents of ROM will remain.Almost every computer comes with a small amount of ROM containing the boot firmware. This consists of a few kilobytes of code that tell the computer what to do when it starts up, e.g., running hardware diagnostics and loading the operating system into RAM. On a PC, the boot firmware is called the BIOS.Originally, ROM was actually read-only. To update the programs in ROM, you had to remove and physically replace your ROM chips. Contemporary versions of ROM allow some limited rewriting, so you can usually upgrade firmware such as the BIOS by using installation software. Rewritable ROM chips include PROMs (programmable read-only memory), EPROMs (erasable read-only memory), EEPROMs (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory), and a common variation of EEPROMs called flash memory.
When the PC was first introduced, the BIOS software containing all the device drivers for the entire system was collectively burned into one or more nonvolatile (meaning they retain their data even when the power is turned off) read-only memory (ROM) chips and placed on the motherboard. In essence, the drivers were self-contained, preloaded into memory, and accessible anytime the PC was powered on.
This ROM chip also contained a power on self test (POST) program and a bootstrap loader. The bootstrap program was designed to initiate the loading of an OS by checking for and loading the boot sector from a floppy disk and, if one was not present, a hard disk. After the OS was loaded, it could call on the low-level routines (device drivers) in the BIOS to interact with the system hardware. In the early days, all the necessary device drivers were in the BIOS stored in the motherboard ROM.
When the OS loaded, you didn't have to load a driver to interact with those pieces of hardware because the drivers were already preloaded in the ROM. That worked great as long as you didn't add any new hardware for which there wasn't a driver in ROM. If you did, you then had two choices: (1) adapter card BIOS, and (2) device drivers loaded from disk.At this point, the BIOS had grown from being entirely contained in the motherboard ROM, to having additional drivers linked in from adapter card ROMs, to having even more drivers linked in after being loaded into RAM during the early stages of the boot process



8)       
A multi tasking operating systems is:
An operating system that gives you the perception of 2 or more tasks/jobs/processes running at the same time. It does this by dividing system resources amongst these tasks/jobs/processes.It switches between the tasks/jobs/processes while they are executing very fast over and over again.
There are two basic types of multitasking: preemptive and cooperative. In preemptive multitasking, the operating system parcels out CPU time slices to each program. In cooperative multitasking, each program can control the CPU for as long as it needs it. If a program is not using the CPU, however, it can allow another program to use it temporarily. OS/2, Windows 95, Windows NT, the Amiga operating system and UNIX use preemptive multitasking, whereas Microsoft Windows 3.x and the MultiFinder (for Macintosh computers) use cooperative multitasking.


Examples are ATM machine, or movie theater stub ticket system.


9)       

A device driver is a program that controls a particular type of device that is attached to your computer. There are device drivers for printers, displays, CD-ROM readers, diskette drives, and so on. When you buy an operating system, many device drivers are built into the product. However, if you later buy a new type of device that the operating system didn't anticipate, you'll have to install the new device driver. A device driver essentially converts the more general input/output instructions of the operating system to messages that the device type can understand. Some Windows programs are virtual device drivers. These programs interface with the Windows Virtual Machine Manager. There is a virtual device driver for each main hardware device in the system, including the hard disk drive controller, keyboard, and serial and parallel ports. They're used to maintain the status of a hardware device that has changeable settings. Virtual device drivers handle software interrupts from the system rather than hardware interrupts. In Windows operating systems, a device driver file usually has a file name suffix of DLL or EXE. A virtual device driver usually has the suffix of VXD.
Examples of device drivers are mouse driver, keyboard driver, video card driver, sound card driver, and anything that is connected to your computer has a driver.

10)   

System utilities are the core software functions that allow you to manage your computer in ways that you would find it inconceivable to be without. System utilities may be already included in your computer or downloaded from the Internet. No matter where you look, you can always find plenty of system utility programs at little or no cost. In this article, we will go over several examples of system utility programs and how they effect you and your computer.Examples of system utilities are Disk Defragmenter, Disk Cleanup, System Restore and Registry Cleaners,

Most widely system utilities used is registry cleaners.Registry cleaners are programs that allow for you to scan your computer for any errors in the registry, which is a collection of the core computer files that are essential to performance and functionality, and repairs them if needed. Registry cleaners are widely available on the Internet and give you a significant upperhand when cleaning up the mess that a virus or other malware has left on your computer. Likewise, some otherwise safe programs can cause errors in the registry without intending to. Registry files can also be corrupted if the user unknowingly deletes or modifies a file in the registry. This usually occurs when an inexperienced user tries to fix their computer and inevitably causes more damage than before.
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ODL


Question 1
What are the flexible aspects of the Open Distance Learning (ODL) system? Explain
any FIVE (5) advantages an open distance learner has with regards to time and
convenience in the ODL system. Provide specific examples in your answer.
(50 marks)

Open learning distance is actually anybody can study no matter where you are leaving and you have to manage your own time. The flexible aspect are over what, when, where, at what pace, and how you learn. You can tailor your own timetable to fit in with your lifestyle. In terms of the use of technology, you decide the technology that best suits your style of learning and circumstances since distance education commonly exploits facilities of educational technology.

Self managed learning where learner have to be independent and organize
their own learning. Learner’s who are working need to find their own time to study. All information is located in open learning system where it is accessible anywhere by log in to WOU website. For an example if you are working from 9am – 6pm then you will need to study after that or during your lunch time. Learners will have their own flexible time to study and complete assignments .

Furthermore, learners have unlimited access to course materials which is available 24 hours and 365 days in the website. Learners do not need to worry as all materials are up to date and can be seen in the website. If learner is travelling to Europe and wont be around for 2 months then leaner can just go into the website forum to get update and study from Europe. This will so convenience for the learner. With this particular system we actually save paper and the environment.

Separation of teacher and learner in time or place. Learners do not need to attend classes as if they are working at that particular time or busy with their life. Learners will need to just go online and they will be able to catch up whatever  they have missed. For an example Mr. Paul is busy with his daughter’s wedding and not able to attend class , he just need to find some time after the wedding and log in to the website. Mr. Paul will be able to get all the information on what the tutor has though on that day.

Another advantages is asynchronous learning where teaching and learning may
take place simultaneously or at different times. Asynchronous instruction does not require student and tutor to be at the same place or time during the class. That’s the reason we ODL where students can interact with their tutor through other technology such as email, WOU forum and many more. This can actually allow you to take your time and pace to study.



Lastly the advantage is two way communication where allows leaner’s and tutors to interact as distinguished from the passive receipt of broadcast signals. Communication can be synchronous or asynchronous. Leaner’s and students can communicate with ODL system even though the learner is not around. For an example if leaner is in Thailand and there is class during the time , leaner can actually communicate with tutors with the system given by WOU which is ODL.
Learner will not miss out important things and still get all the information through the system.

















Question 2
Studying involves learning and remembering information. Discuss any FIVE (5)
strategies we can use to enhance our memory and remember what we have read?
Elaborate your answer with relevant examples.
(50 marks)
TMA 1_1
Memory is the retention of, and ability to recall information that have been encoded, stored, and retrieved. Example such as personal details, good and bad memory. Memory is also divided to afew section like short term memory , long term memory and sensory memory.

Firstly , I would make the material that I am studying meaningful. I will actually read a sentences first time and understand the meaning of the sentences. I will not remember when I read the first time. What I will do? I will actually relate the sentences to other information that relates to my personal life. For an example the word GOAL. A personal or organizational desired end-point in some sort of assumed development. Many people endeavor to reach goals within a finite time by setting a deadline. If you want to be a manager in the bank . What you need is a degree in banking and finance and also experience working in the bank . By studying this course in WOU you can actually reach your goal because when you have a degree , you will also have job experience . Both of  this can make a lot of difference in your personal life and work place. This will take abit more of your time but it is worth it because at the end of the topic you will know what you have just learned and it is in your memory.


Secondly , we should use imagination and pictures. When your reading and you want to memories the meaning we should try to relate to a picture or try to imagine. This way actually makes us memories things better because if you are eating and there is nobody around you can actually just imagine pictures that relates to your studies. For an example the term ‘fidelity’ which means being faithful or loyal. To remember the word you can relate it to your relationship with your husband or wife. This will definitely make you for fun to study.


Thirdly, study actively . studying doesn’t mean you have just reading only but you have to know the information on what you are reading. Explain the information out load to yourself using your own words and also explaining the information a few times to yourself using your own examples. For an example you’re a reading an articles which consists of 1000 words. Read it full first and then try to understand it. Ones you have done that , put it into your own words and read it loudly to yourself. This will make you understand yourself.

Fourthly, spread your study accordingly. The reason you study to get a degree for yourself. Remember that you will have to study and at every end of the semester there will be examination. Most people love to study last minute one or two days before the exam. You will be cramming your head so much. So what we have to do? Spread means segregate your studies over a week or days depending on the quantity amount. For an example you have 3 topics to study which each topic consists of 20 pages. The total number of pages needed to be read is 60 days. Spread it for 6 days where each day you can read 10 pages. Every day when we are going to read the next 10 pages just revise whatever we have read yesterday. This will allow you to understand what you have read yesterday and we will remember. Learning and remembering requires a great deal of time and effort.


Lastly, study regularly . study regularly means studying over a period of time during the semester. Not only just studying before assignment or exam but regularly so that our mind is always updated and remember what we have study. For an example, if you are reading your notes you should highlight words or important information because it makes you remember better . its good if you do this because before exam you can actually go through the highlighted words and you will directly know what you have read. It is important also to put dates on the left of the notes that you have read so that you can remember better.then what you need to do is read the summary of the topic. You have to actually go through your notes frequently so that you remember better and you will be well prepared for your exams.  
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Tuesday, 30 August 2011

Sleeping Gadgets

USE NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES

Certain models of in-ear headphones are designed to isolate outside noise by 35dB. Best used for airplane rides, studying, or while meditating to

Shure SE530 Sound Isolating Earphones
 Etymotic ER-6i
 Sony Fontopia in-ear headphones


USE A BRIGHT LIGHT ALARM
Everyone has their preferred method of waking up. If jumping out of the bed to an obnoxious buzz isn’t your thing, then you might prefer a light alarm. Light alarms wake you up with, well, light. The light gradually increases in intensity for an easy transition into wakefulness.


USE A SUN BOX
Sunlight resets the body clock and stabilizes circadian rhythm, which promotes proper timing and release of hormones. This is why lack of sunlight causes depression and low energy.
Sunlight is good, but we can’t control its timing or intensity. There will always be cloudy days and winter months. This is where technology comes in.
Light boxes simulate sunlight by producing a wide spectrum of light. Normal artificial lights do affect circadian rhythm, but not nearly as much due to their limited wavelength spectrum.
Unfortunately, few people think to use light boxes outside of therapy for S.A.D. or circadian disorders. Yet they’re the perfect sleep hacker tool for even healthy sleepers.
Turn on a light box for 30 minutes in the morning as you work at your desk. Circadian rhythm balances, energy increases, sleep quality increases, performance and mood increase.
Cheat nature by using a light box during winter months or cloudy days. Strut around with better mood and more energy while everyone around you mopes because they assumed light boxes were only for those with "disorders".
The two most popular models currently are by


THE SLEEPTRACKER WATCH
 SleepTracker watch. You wear it at night like any watch, but it can detect where you are in a sleep cycle. In light stages your body tosses and turns a bit, although we never know it. In REM our bodies are paralyzed and in deep sleep our muscles are relaxed and motionless. The SleepTracker watch can detect movement from light stages, so it always knows when you’re in a light stage and when you’re in a non-light stage. Its alarm only goes off during light stages. You wake up feeling refreshed and energetic.
Your brain cycles through the different stages of sleep, oscillating between Deep sleep, and light/REM sleep at a period of about 90 minutes.
Deep sleep is very important for cognitive performance. A lot of "neural housecleaning" occurs during deep sleep, which makes it so important for mood, performance, motor skills, productivity, and creativity.
Deep sleep has specifically been evolutionarily programmed to not be interrupted. Some researchers suspect that one of the main reasons light sleep evolved was to act as a transition stage to and from deep sleep and to provide opportunities for awakening. During deep sleep your cerebral cortex – the consciousness part of your brain – nearly shuts off. Neural activity in the cerebral cortex break down into little islands that can't talk to one another.
This is why we feel groggy when we’re woken up from deep sleep. Our cerebral cortex (i.e. our consciousness) is turned off! It takes 20m of waking activity for it to reboot itself. There are thought to be health consequences too, since you’re not giving your brain the opportunity to finish what it started.
A cool sleep hacker tool is the


USE AN MP3 ALARM CLOCK

Use your computer as an alarm clock. Download alarm clock software to play your favorite mp3s as an alternative to the obnoxious
Picking your favorite wake-up song has some advantages. Choose something that really strikes a positive nerve in you. Waking up will be easier. Or go for a gradual wake-up process choose a long mp3 that you can soak into your conscious for a few minutes before hopping out of bed.
Got a Mac?
Use Windows? Download
beep beep beep beep... Use Alarm Clock 2.0 for OS X. Citrus Alarm Clock.
NatureBright and Apollo.
- $40. Can be found on Amazon for around $25. Sound quality is average (but much better than the default iPod headphones). Reduces outside noise by 10dB, compared to 35dB from the Etymotic ER-6i’s. Still the best in the low-end price range.
- $150. Optimized for use with iPods. Stellar sound quality. Isolates outside noise very well (by 35dB… you won’t be able to hear the TV). To the extent that a human being can fall in love with tiny headphones, I have certainly fallen in love with these things. Amazon has them for $75 now.
- $500. Expensive, but these headphones are heavenly. A dream for audiophiles. Easily the most popular headphone in this price range. Amazon has them for almost $100 off.
meditation CDs.
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Optimize Your Sleep Environment

SLEEP IN COMPLETE DARKNESS

The tiniest amount of light can disrupt circadian rhythm and your pineal gland’s production of melatonin and serotonin. LEDs from alarm clocks and computers, although dim, actually do have a measurable effect on sleep quality. Darker sleep increases melatonin which increases sleep quality and promotes good health. Turn off or cover all LEDs.

If you wake up to go to the bathroom, turning the light on will immediately cease all production of melatonin. Don’t drink water to the point where you have to wake up at night. It seems like a small detail, but the pineal gland really is that sensitive.
Sleep masks

SLEEP IN THE COLD
Temperature is closely linked with circadian rhythm. Core body temperature drops around bed time. Sleep in a cool room so as to not counteract your circadian rhythm.
Cool temperature will give you higher quality sleep. More SWS throughout the night. If possible, keep the room as cool as possible without making it uncomfortably cold. Too cold and you’ll wake up in the middle of the night.
Humans did not evolve with central heating. Our bodies were designed to sleep optimally at cooler temperatures. Most people keep their homes far too warm during night.
However, daytime naps can – some experts say

should – be taken at warmer temperatures.
are effective, too. I don’t use one every night, but I own one because it’s good to have around. If I’ve been sleeping poorly for a few days, I start using a sleep mask for an easy and effective sleep quality boost.
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