Infinite Fight to Piracy!

Infinite Fight Start, Ready?

Since Internet play a important character in our daily life, there has a new culture come out. It is share, also means piracy in most of the time. Do you had download any free music, film, game, book form Internet yet. Honestly, people enjoy these free entertainments is human being. It may be illegal, but it make sense. If you can enjoy something without charge, are you willing to pay addition for it? Most of people will answer no.

Pirate products have a long long history form ancient times to modern times. In older times, pirate products are producing for earning money mostly. When I was a kid, I always saw some shop selling pirate AV VCD/DVD and no shop assistant inside the shop. About 13 years ago or more, in Hong Kong, selling pirate products is a illegal action but these kind of shop are very common. Nowadays, it is hard to find these flagrant pirate shop because of Customs’s action.
 

What Piracy?

However, the pirate action are moving into Internet, it is very hard to seize the criminal. The following are some common cases:
 

NDS

 A kind of memory card “R4” provide a access to the user which allow they play NDS game without game cartridge. After download the game document from website and saved it into R4, people can any game without payment. This event brought a great loss to Nintendo and the game developer.

e-Book

Originally, it is developed for a good wish of reading in anywhere without paper. However, people share the e-book file under a Internet share culture. Although, This phenomenon is not common yet, a lot of books still have no e-copy but some organization are starting to build up e-library. It may be good for study area, but I can foresee that it will make a loss to book industries.

Music

Most people can aware the severity of illegal-download. It is the most common case and bring a biggest loss to the music producer. Although legal-download websites are built up, the times of illegal-download are keeping in a high level.

Cycles of Actions
Why I said that it is a infinite Fight? I will use the Cycles of Actions and a real case of PSP to explain to you.

You can see the picture display a loop of action:

1. Individual cognition → Individual acts : (The Personal cognitions and preferences affect their behavior)
It is human being so people want to saving money. This is the reason of why using pirate product. The major factor is money, because of a lot of young Internet users have no economical ability to afford purchasing product.

2. Individual acts → Organizational actions : (Individual behavior affect organizational choices)
The manufacturer develop anti-piracy policy in order to blocked these pirate action. In PSP, Sony are using 2 method to fighting. First is a new format of game cartridge “UMD“ because high product cost can reduce the willing of producing piracy. Criminal make pirate product only for profit not share. Therefore, Sony’s strategy is quite successful, I had not discovered any pirate-UMD till today. Second is continuing upgrade the PSP OS, the latest game only can operate in the latest OS. However, this strategy are not successful.

3. Organizational actions → Environmental actions : (Organizational actions affect environmental responses)
In beginning, new OS came out but it can stop the piracy of latest product only. I can say that it is un-useless, not useless but a little useful. Both hackers and Sony’s technology level are growing in the same time. Hacker often can cracked the new OS after few weeks and then upload the unlocked OS into Internet. They think the cracking of OS as a kind of challenge usually so that they continued . It is not for any profit but a good feeling.

4. Environmental actions → Individual cognition : (Environmental acts  affect individual cognition)
When the latest unlocked version uploaded, people share the file. It will go back to the beginning stage again. If people can find out the resource in Internet, they never think about using the genuine product. It is very hard to change personal value.

Think about Youself
Both Piracy and Plagiarism are serious problem in entertainment industries. Law can protect the enterprise and fight to the piracy. However, plagiarism was not the case. We can saw many good entertainment ideas are copy into china like Facebook’s Flash game. Browsing the Chinese social network site, you can discover a lot of similar place. In order to end this infinite fight, the only way is change our personal cognition, stop using pirate product and protect the intellectual property rights.

We have learned Bloom's Taxonomy before, but now we learn more about Bloom's Taxonomy in revised version. 

Here, I have some application of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy to our previous learning, business programming.

 

I remember that in the previous course of Principles of Business Programming, we had learned basic concepts and techniques of developing computer in business environment. We use Microsoft® Visual Basic® 2008 to create our own unique programs.

We can divide 6 level of Bloom's Revised Taxonom into 3 aspects. However, I would like to discuss each of 6 different level only- the hierarchy of learning.

Let's look back to the past of our learning....

Knowledge

In the beginning, we need to know what Microsoft® Visual Basic® can perform, such as what functions each toolbox buttons have, how to design the window of our program

We also need to remember programming languages, like some symbols, statements, structures, etc.

Some examples:

Relational operators
   ‘=’ mean ‘Equal to’

  ‘<>’ mean ‘Not equal to’

  ‘>’ mean ‘Greater than’

Data types

  ‘str’ mean ‘string’

  ‘int’ mean ‘Integer’

  ‘dec’ mean ‘Decimal’

  ‘Boolean’ mean ‘True or False’

Statements

  If <condition> Then

  <Statement executed>

  End If

  Me.close()

…………..and so on

We should keep those in our memory.

Comprehension

We should understand why the programming codes are set in the specific ways, why we need to write some statement first, otherwise there is an error.

For examples:

When I want to make the program have ability to be entered any data and then calculate them, why I firstly need to type the following statement-

Dim (variable) As (Data type)

(E.g. Dim strWelcome As String )

The reason we learn is that computer need to store data in RAM to process, and the variable is a location in RAM that we name (e.g. I named it strWelcome.)

If the code cannot be processed by the program firstly, the data cannot be stored in RAM. So it must set a location in RAM for the data, then the computer can calculate or process those data you enter. Also data must be stored in a particular data types like string (any word) or integer (integer number). One of the reasons is that it will cause errors if the computer calculates the English alphabet.

We realized and understood the principles and reasons which explain knowledge of programming.

Application

After we had learned programming language of Visual Basic and, we have the ability to set the program interface by using different functions, select and use different code to express and construct a set of instructions in a programming language to tell the program to do a specific task. It is like a job to translate the meaning of human orders into programming language.

For example:

If I want my program to save ‘welcome to our blog! ’ that I enter in text-box(named txtEnteringData) in my program, I would set a variable named strWelcome and then store the word ‘welcome to our blog!’ in the variable.

Dim strWelcome As String

StrWelcome = Me. txtEnteringData.Text

Analysis

When we had more experiences in writing code, we knew how to categorize functions of code such as types of data (Alphabetic, numerical, Yes or No), types of statements like conditional statement(e.g. If….then & in the case)

We can also compare different statements. For example, we should analyze which expression ways of programming code are better to minimize the workload of the computer (avoid using too much code that are not necessarily needed), and at the same time those can make the computer to do the same tasks.

Evaluation

Although Microsoft® Visual Basic® will help user to check errors of code, we also need to assess our program. For example, we would judge whether the program is user-friendly, the design of the user interface is attractive or not. Also, we will consider how well your structures of code is, since if your code is structured bad, it is difficult to find problems or improve the functions of your program.

Creativity

From the beginning of learning, we need to follow the instructions to create a program that are similar to the model program that the textbook and the PowerPoint showed. So we did not generate a new thing.

Until we knew many skills and knowledge about programming, we can combine all things we had learned, and then use our creativity and learning to design our own program by make a creative user interface and write carefully organized code to make it have an additional special functions. This is program innovation.

You can download Microsoft® Visual Basic® 2008 in Microsoft website.
















Do you have any idea about Bloom's Taxonomy or our past course of Principle of Business Programming ?


Feel free to share your opinions

Frederick

Why My Professor like playing ‘Call of Duty’?

My Professor who teaches me financial management is funs of ‘Call of Duty’ series. ‘Call of Duty’ is a famous FPS game. I am wonder that why professional person will like playing game. Not only FM professor, but also my secondary school math teacher is in fever of game. One reasonable answer is playing game for relaxing. It is true but I want to explain this situation in a new view. In following, I will talk about Bloom’s Taxonomy of cognitive domain and SimCity.

Bloom’s Taxonomy
Bloom’s Taxonomy is a classification of learning objectives within education. The taxonomy was first presented in 1956 by Benjamin Bloom. I prefer the revision to original one. The Bloom's Revised Taxonomy is easier to understand.

Mainly, the categories can divide to 2 parts.
The low level: Remember, Understand, Apply
The high level: Analyze, Evaluate, Create

The most important is keeping in a high level cognitive. In this stage, human can continue create new knowledge or add value to the original knowledge. It is meaningful to human being evolution. If we want a better result or performance, we need to keep in high level.

SimCity

SimCity is a city-building simulation game, fist released in 1989. The latest vision is SimCity Societies. It is a well-known game in PC. Honestly, I don’t like this game; it takes long-long-long time to play. However, this game is perfect match what I want to explain.

In the first time playing, the game will provide you a tutorial mission. In the mission, you can learn the basic rule of how to build up a city step by step. Road, house, police station, fire bureau, power-station and a lot of elements will adopt as a city plan. This mission match the low level: you remember the rule, understand the rule, and use it try to build your own city.

After the tutorial mission, it changes to formal mission. The formal mission will set a goal for you to achieve like 100,000,000 populations, but no more hints to you. You need to do it by yourself. During DIY, you will analyze the map for information, evaluate the location for correction, and create a new city. It matches the high level. 

My summary: playing game is good for keeping in a high level cognitive of learning by practice.

More interesting evidences
I often saw elderly person play game in game station. Their performance is cheerful; their reaction even faster than teenagers did. Talking with these elder, you can feel that they are similar to youngster. According to some researches, playing mahjong game 1 hour per day can prevent Alzheimer disease.

G~

Reviewing Kolb model

After talking about VAK model, I want to take a look at Kolb model.

When studying Kolb model, I found it is a quite different guide of people’s learning behavior than VAK model. It summarized that people develop through acquisition, specialization and integration stages in order, like a lifelong process of personal development, while VAK model hadn’t talked about that.

In VAK model, Visual, auditory and kinesthetic style can be dominant way to learn at the same time, but in Kolb, learning styles are mutually exclusive, either do or watch, and either think or feel. 

So as we have learned, Kolb learning model have four-type learning styles.

   1. Diverging – watching and feeling

   2. Assimilating - watching and thinking

   3. Converging - doing and thinking

   4. Accommodating - doing and feeling

Now I want to make a try to apply it.

Before doing so, what products do Nintendo(任天堂) has? You may think of video game console ‘’Wii’’ at first as there are many ads about it. For me, I will immediately connect its classical game ‘‘ Super Mario Bros. ’’ (孖寶兄弟) in mind since I always played it when I was very small. I think most of you may have played it before, and I use it as my example to apply Kolb model. 

Diverging: I played the game in turn, with my brothers or friends (lose then pass others), so when I always lost I usually sat behind them, watching my brothers or friends playing. Also, I imagined different situations of different stages in mind, how I avoid being hit, to take less damage from enemies so that I can play better and therefore play longer. I developed the ways to play in mind based on imagination.

Assimilating: Sometimes I found some excellent players to watch how they can get high score and the way they use to pass stages. When watching them, I will think of the skills they use such as why they use this ways to go rather than another ways or the sequence of getting coins, brick and mushroom etc. Then I developing the strategies based on thinking. 

Converging: I enquired good players for some tips, for examples in one stage, where super mushrooms are (used to grow the role’s size (Mario)), where I can get more coins and bricks etc. And I would try the good tips.

Accommodating: I also use experiential approach such as the skill of jumping on top of enemies, jumping over obstacles and places. After playing for many times, and trying, experiencing and solving the challenges by my own, it is easier to play better gradually.

Do it bring back lots of good childhood memories?

You can find more information about Super Mario Bros. in Wikipedia

 Feel free to share your opinions

Frederick

Are Newspapers Dead?

                        Newspaper                                                                    Digital media

 

What is your main ways that you receive information and entertainment, such as television, radio, newspapers, and the Internet?

Digital media become a more common form of obtaining news

We may have a general impression that there is still a part of people who prefer to drink tea and read the morning paper, but at the present time more people, especially the young, more often listen to or watch news reports in a digital format than that “paper”.

As more and more people get their news from the sources like television and internet, will newspaper be actually no longer important? Although it can't be denied that newspaper is still of high value to some people so far (e.g. visual & verbal learners), digital media is more attractive to many people, and therefore has become very popular these days.

Comparing newspapers with digital media

Digital media provides more channels for us to receive information:

In the VAK learning style, the styles of receiving information can explain why digital media are more enjoyed by more audiences. When we get news in the Internet such as online articles, online radio, online videos etc., we can take in information with our eyes and our ears, and find and choose what news we want by controlling a computer with mouse and keyboard. We can also control smart-phone to do so with our fingers. Audiences can use all three modalities to get news from the Internet or use only one style they prefer.

We have a single channel for learning in transitional media:

Compared with the digital media, you need only your eyes to read newspaper, and only your ears to listen to radio. That makes them have less ‘share of the market’, because a person who prefers both of visual and auditory effect will be bored or dissatisfied with newspapers. The traditional media is also less controllable than digital media.

For adaptation, many newspapers and magazine want to save themselves from losing readers in the digital age by providing subscription and free news online, selling ad space on their websites etc. The age of the newspaper may not be dead easily. However, I think digital media will achieved a dominant position in the world market in the future.

        Newspaper                                                                                                                 (Visual channel)

 

Digital media                                                                                     (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic and Tactile channel)

Frederick

Game is not just a game.

What is your first feeling of playing online-game?

Many people often think that wasting time and money in a virtual world is meaningless. ‘Can you earn money by playing game?’ This is what my mum always says.

No matter what is your opinion, I recommend you to watch the following video. It may give you some new ideas.

Jane McGonigal: Game Change The World

 (at 16:05)

Powerful Platform of Change

In 'World Without Oil' game test, most of participators keep their habits what are learnt from the game and good for the Earth. This situation shows game not only provide entertainment function, but also is a powerful learning tool.

     

When we are child and study in kindergarten, games used to be a teaching tool to help student catch the knowledge more easily. Not only human being, but also animals learn skill from game. For example, lion cubs will play together for practice the hurting skills. However, when we growth up, game just became a type of entertainments. ‘Playing game is not good for study’ this is most parents’ opinion. What is the problem?

Some students are addicted to playing game because they get more joy and success from game than the real lives and then they ignored their study. On the other hand, we learnt something from game is true but the something cannot increase our result. These are the problems why parents think game is useless.

I agree with Jane McGonigal. Game is a powerful platform of change because of its influence. Game provides joy and success to encourage player play game again and again. It is an advantage.

Why play game?

Visual-Auditory-Kinesthetic (VAK) is a common learning styles model. The theory classifies people into 3 types: visual leaner, auditory leaner and kinesthetic leaner. People will good at one receiving style.

A lot of game can provide information with visual, auditory and kinesthetic at the same time. For instance, dance game provide signal of rhythm on screen and music. You need to follow the rhythm to move your body. You may increase your dance ability by playing it. Game can create a safe virtual-environment with VAK which is very attractive. Although the VAK theory mention that 1 or 2 (not 3) of these receiving styles is normally dominant. However, I believe that human being can easily receive message by multi-sensation and have a profound experience. At least, it is true for me.

Gary

Got Digital TV?

---  Paradigm Shift in television broadcasting system

Since 2007, ATV and TVB commenced broadcasting in both digital and analog format, and now ATV and TVB achieved more than 70% digital coverage. If you are still using an a traditional analog TV set, and you want to watch digital programming, what should you do?  


You may buy some TV sets that have been marked "HDTV Ready", or simply buy a digital-to-analog converter box to connect your old TV to watch. But whether or not you like digital programming, and whatever decision you made, the tentative target to switch off analog broadcasting will be at 2012. So the analog TV will become a thing of the past anyway.

The above is an example that happens in Hong Kong, my home. Because of ever-increasing technological advancement in the modern age, television industry has entered into the Digital era. 


In fact, conversion from analog to digital broadcasting is an international topic on the world wide electronics marketplace. Analogue will be replaced by digital broadcasting, providing the Internet connection, interactive programs, and many more channels. However, this paradigm shift in the television industry has caused a lot problems, such as analog switch-off difficulties, technical limitation, environmental issues, and low consumer confidence.

The television companies will face a new challenge of introducing this new technology to its current and future customers. They need to find the new place in the market to gain full advantage of Digital TV.

Frederick

References 

• Chronology of DTV in Hong Kong. Publication date - 22 January 2010. http://www.digitaltv.gov.hk. Retrieved 6 February 2011.

• Frequently Asked Questions. Publication date - unknown. http://www.dtv.gov. Retrieved 6 February 2011.