What do you need a laptop for? Games? Research? Assignments? Fun? Probably all of the above. One or two options more so than others.
So what do you need on your laptop in order to make doing all of these things possible. Probably the most important thing to look at is RAM. How much will you need? That all depends on how fast you want things to go. It’s likely a student will need the laptop for assignments so a huge amount of RAM isn’t necessary but having a laptop that is quick and efficient could be the difference between making the deadline and missing it completely! Obviously you will be working within a budget but you can always buy more RAM if you need to. It’s also likely you won’t be buying a new laptop for a long time so you would need to consider a machine with upgradable memory. This means that as technology advances and becomes more demanding on your machine, you can upgrade the memory to cope.
You also need to consider how much you may be saving onto the hard drive. If it is for assignments etc, you will need a big enough hard drive assuming it will be the only laptop you buy for the duration of your college education. You can always buy a back up drive if you need to.
The applications on the laptop are very important as well. If you want to use it for college work, you will definitely need Microsoft Office. Word and Powerpoint are used all the time so spending the money on the software is well worth it. Other applications that might be useful are Photoshop and Illustrator. They are not essential products to have though and are very expensive so unless you have a huge chunk of change lying around, it is probably not worth buying them. The internet is another option you need to think about. You will need it – for working, procrastinating, chatting etc – so you will need to research what internet provider you want to go with, what type of internet server (Internet Explorer, Mozilla etc) and whether you want to be able to use it on the move or just in your home.
Another thing to consider is price. You should have a budget and try to get exactly what you want from a laptop within this limit. There is no point spending a small fortune on a laptop with fancy applications on it that you won’t ever use – its better to spend the extra bit of money on extra RAM or a bigger hard drive or even a machine that is lightweight if you intend on carrying it around.
Reliability is also important to think about. You need to consider who to buy from and what make. Who is most popular for being a good laptop company? Should you spend less money on a lesser known model or spend a bit more on a machine that is made by a reputable company? You’re more likely to get a longer warranty with a well known company and as a student, that is something that should be a big factor in your decision.
Possibly one of the most important things to consider when buying a laptop is the battery life. There is no point in having a fancy laptop with all the applications and programmes and super quick internet access if the machine can’t run for more than 30mins without having to be plugged in. Having said that, if you are really only using the laptop in your home for college work, it won’t matter too much if you have to plug it in. But if you want to at least have the option of bringing it to college or the library or even a little coffee shop for a change of scenery, you will want to be fairly sure you can continue working for a while before you need to plug yourself in again.
Lastly, for when you are taking those all important breaks from working, you need to be sure the screen size of your laptop will suffice for watching movies, clips on YouTube, music video’s and playing games.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Gaming Technology Articles
The CA asks that I summarize 2 articles on technology.
www.technologyreview.com/wire/23983/
I've picked one about how Xbox and PlayStation 3 have now added a function so users can access Facebook from their consoles. This basically means that instead of a guy or girl sitting in their room with the Xbox going and the laptop beside them to read those oh so important Facebook updates, they can now do the whole lot from one machine. It is blatantly obvious to everyone that Facebook has become possibly more popular than Hollywood's finest celebrities so the progression to add it to some of the most popular gaming consoles was an obvious one. The Wii, however, has not yet taken this obvious step. They are still purely a gaming only console but most likely to follow the footsteps of Xbox and the PS3.
www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/23602/?a=f
The second article I chose is about Project Natal. This is a concept thought up by the Xbox people - its similar to the Wii where a little sensor picks up movement so you can move around while playing but with Project Natal, there is no controller needed. Its basically a camera placed above or below the TV and the camera records any physical movement. While it would be cool to play (assuming it worked) the fact that the gamer doesn't physically hold anything in their hand, might be a turn off for some. The "no need for controllers" concept isn't a brand new idea but there have been problems with it in the past - the camera doesn't always understand distance and getting it to recognise multiple players is always a drawback. Another con to this idea, is that it is just that - an idea. There is no release date, official name (you can't call it Project Natal forever!) and most importantly, no price set for this concept as of yet.
These two articles focus on gaming, games consoles and their users. One is on a new add-on the companies have brought out and the other is about a possible add-on that may materialise in the future. In the modern world, gaming is huge. Every household has a games console of some description whether it is a Wii, Xbox, PlayStation, PSP, Nintendo DS etc. And if they don’t have a console dedicated to playing games, they have PC’s and Mac’s and laptops that can be used to play games if they wish. But now, thanks to modern technology, some of the above companies are amalgamating the most popular hobbies onto one machine – gaming and social networking. As most people have some form of social networking application on their laptops or PC’s, it only makes sense to be able to access it from your Xbox as well.
The other article shows how the world has changed from as little as 20 years ago. Although games consoles were around back then (albeit the Atari), it was all very basic and more emphasis was put on being outside doing some sort of activity – or at least interacting with actual human beings. But these days gaming and social networks etc are becoming increasingly popular. Less time is being spent outside and with actual people and more time is being spent playing computer games and socializing on the web. This new piece of technology would mean that the gamer no longer would play in the traditional manner – with a controller – they would just need to place themselves in front of or at least in the view of a camera attached to their tv. Thus ending the need for any sort of physical human contact!
www.technologyreview.com/wire/23983/
I've picked one about how Xbox and PlayStation 3 have now added a function so users can access Facebook from their consoles. This basically means that instead of a guy or girl sitting in their room with the Xbox going and the laptop beside them to read those oh so important Facebook updates, they can now do the whole lot from one machine. It is blatantly obvious to everyone that Facebook has become possibly more popular than Hollywood's finest celebrities so the progression to add it to some of the most popular gaming consoles was an obvious one. The Wii, however, has not yet taken this obvious step. They are still purely a gaming only console but most likely to follow the footsteps of Xbox and the PS3.
www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/23602/?a=f
The second article I chose is about Project Natal. This is a concept thought up by the Xbox people - its similar to the Wii where a little sensor picks up movement so you can move around while playing but with Project Natal, there is no controller needed. Its basically a camera placed above or below the TV and the camera records any physical movement. While it would be cool to play (assuming it worked) the fact that the gamer doesn't physically hold anything in their hand, might be a turn off for some. The "no need for controllers" concept isn't a brand new idea but there have been problems with it in the past - the camera doesn't always understand distance and getting it to recognise multiple players is always a drawback. Another con to this idea, is that it is just that - an idea. There is no release date, official name (you can't call it Project Natal forever!) and most importantly, no price set for this concept as of yet.
These two articles focus on gaming, games consoles and their users. One is on a new add-on the companies have brought out and the other is about a possible add-on that may materialise in the future. In the modern world, gaming is huge. Every household has a games console of some description whether it is a Wii, Xbox, PlayStation, PSP, Nintendo DS etc. And if they don’t have a console dedicated to playing games, they have PC’s and Mac’s and laptops that can be used to play games if they wish. But now, thanks to modern technology, some of the above companies are amalgamating the most popular hobbies onto one machine – gaming and social networking. As most people have some form of social networking application on their laptops or PC’s, it only makes sense to be able to access it from your Xbox as well.
The other article shows how the world has changed from as little as 20 years ago. Although games consoles were around back then (albeit the Atari), it was all very basic and more emphasis was put on being outside doing some sort of activity – or at least interacting with actual human beings. But these days gaming and social networks etc are becoming increasingly popular. Less time is being spent outside and with actual people and more time is being spent playing computer games and socializing on the web. This new piece of technology would mean that the gamer no longer would play in the traditional manner – with a controller – they would just need to place themselves in front of or at least in the view of a camera attached to their tv. Thus ending the need for any sort of physical human contact!
Links
As part of my CA, I have to put up some links that might be useful to the course.
Have a look at the few below if you want. If not, I won't be offended. But I won't talk to you anymore.
* http://www.davesite.com/webstation/html/ - this one is a tutorial in HTML
* http://www.psihq.ie/ - the Irish Psychology Society
* http://www.bps.org.uk/ - the British Psychology Society
Have a look at the few below if you want. If not, I won't be offended. But I won't talk to you anymore.
* http://www.davesite.com/webstation/html/ - this one is a tutorial in HTML
* http://www.psihq.ie/ - the Irish Psychology Society
* http://www.bps.org.uk/ - the British Psychology Society
Introduction
I should really have started my blog with an introduction. But I shall put it in now - better late than never and all that.
I'm Elisa, a student in IADT 1st year Psychology - a mature student at that. However, I'm only a baby mature student and have the mental capacity of those in the class who are 18+. I will laugh if someone farts, I do huff and moan if someone asks too many questions in a lecture and I dislike CA's as much as the next person - mature or not!
I'm Elisa, a student in IADT 1st year Psychology - a mature student at that. However, I'm only a baby mature student and have the mental capacity of those in the class who are 18+. I will laugh if someone farts, I do huff and moan if someone asks too many questions in a lecture and I dislike CA's as much as the next person - mature or not!
X Factor
Regardless of whether a person is interested or not in X Factor it is absolutely EVERYWHERE! You can go from Monday to Friday with a fairly good helping of media attention on the show but come Saturday and Sunday, every single newspaper, magazine and, of course, Facebook page is overrun with stories, pictures, updates etc etc.
I love it. I'm not gonna lie. I can't wait to watch the singing bit on Saturday night before work and then relax on a Sunday to watch who gets kicked out. I don't watch other reality TV shows so I'm allowed this guilty pleasure.
What I don't like is how the media absolutely slaughter the people they don't like. Apparently someone, somewhere mentioned that Danyl was more hated than Hitler. A little harsh no? I mean, I don't particularly like the guy and I think he sings like a cat being strangled, but he is just trying to make a career for himself in his desired profession. Hardly a cause to say he is more hated than Hitler.
But don't get my started on Jedward. I *DISLIKE* them more than I dislike cabbage and fish. They are shocking. BUT!! They are 2 young lads have a laugh and getting a bit of fame for it. No need to boo them at every opportunity.
I'mn saying this as a couch viewer...if I was at the actual X Factor venue, I may have to eat my words.
I love it. I'm not gonna lie. I can't wait to watch the singing bit on Saturday night before work and then relax on a Sunday to watch who gets kicked out. I don't watch other reality TV shows so I'm allowed this guilty pleasure.
What I don't like is how the media absolutely slaughter the people they don't like. Apparently someone, somewhere mentioned that Danyl was more hated than Hitler. A little harsh no? I mean, I don't particularly like the guy and I think he sings like a cat being strangled, but he is just trying to make a career for himself in his desired profession. Hardly a cause to say he is more hated than Hitler.
But don't get my started on Jedward. I *DISLIKE* them more than I dislike cabbage and fish. They are shocking. BUT!! They are 2 young lads have a laugh and getting a bit of fame for it. No need to boo them at every opportunity.
I'mn saying this as a couch viewer...if I was at the actual X Factor venue, I may have to eat my words.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Halloween....over at last
Every single year I wait in anticipation for Halloween and all the dressing up and the fun times involved. This year I had to work. It was hideous. I wasn't allowed dress up because apparently people won't take the security seriously if they are dressed up.
Anyway. I had to remove superman, two batmen and a weird mouse woman from the club I was working in. Not many people can say that I suppose.
Next year, I will make sure I have the night off and am suitably tanked up so I can be the freak that's removed from the club. I live in hope.
Anyway. I had to remove superman, two batmen and a weird mouse woman from the club I was working in. Not many people can say that I suppose.
Next year, I will make sure I have the night off and am suitably tanked up so I can be the freak that's removed from the club. I live in hope.
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