Phishing? No thanks, I'm vegetarian.

For the final lesson, The Dark Side of the Web-Internet Malware, I am glad for this lesson as I think many people could use this information. Even people who use the internet daily, such as myself, could use a few reminders on what is out there. The methods by hackers continue to change, so it's important for us to keep us on our toes.

Pretty much anyone with an e-mail account is subject to a phish scam. One way to prevent getting these e-mails in the first place is to have multiple e-mails used for different purposes. For example, I have an e-mail account I generally use only for online shopping, another for correspondence with friends, and another for more professional correspondence. Having multiple e-mail accounts can help you organise your e-mails, so if you receive some sort of "Hey there!" e-mail on your account which you use for shopping, you ought to know to delete it right away. I also try to avoid joining mailing lists to reduce the amount of e-mail in my inbox.

Really, if any website wants any information aside from my e-mail, even my real name, I am reluctant share the information unless it is a website I trust. If it's a financial transaction, I have now been avoiding using Internet Explorer because of the high risk of being hacked (see this article on Internet Explorer's major security flaw). Instead, I wait until I go home to use Safari, which is much more secure. You can download Safari for free for your Mac or PC. It has a built-in RSS, too, and web designers prefer Safari to Internet Explorer. Mozilla Firefox is another good web browser to use instead of Internet Explorer, and it is also available for free to download onto your Mac or PC. Like Safari, you can also use the browser to subscribe to RSS feeds.

I subscribe to RSS feeds with iTunes, getting subscriptions to The Monocle Weekly, Scotland Introducing of BBC Radio Scotland, and NPR's All Songs Considered, among others. I have only just recently subscribed to these shows, since I don't often have the time to listen to my podcasts, but at least they're in my queue.

And that's that! Hopefully, this entry will mark me as done with Learn 2.1.

Online learning, more or less

After taking a look at the Lifelong Learning lesson posted the 16th of December, I must say I really appreciate this collection of websites encouraging learning on the internet.

Currently, I am working on an application to the Master's programme in Anthropology of Food at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. I anticipate to send off the online portion of the application by the end of this week or early next week, and am looking forward to attending the school in the fall, provided I'm accepted.

In the meantime, books and DVDs from our wonderful library have provided me with plenty of mental stimulation since graduating from Rollins in 2007. In addition to what I check out, I also rely on various websites and websites for further news and knowledge. For current events, I go to the BBC and NPR, which is also a wonderful source for new music (seriously) and books. For food edification, I've been checking out Martha Stewart.com for recipes and Serious Eats, an online food community and blog. With regards to world views on affairs, business and culture, I rely on Monocle for its weekly podcast, online videos and its print magazine.

With regards to the websites listed in the lesson, I love, love, love Wikipedia, but was surprised to see Wikiversity. I like the idea, and the execution seems to be done well. I took a peek at the History portal, and felt the links were well-organised. One thing I noticed was the call for assistance in compiling ideas and knowledge on topics, such as World War I. I imagine Wikiversity would be useful to gain some knowledge on a topic, provided there is a page for it. I typed in a few topics wandering in my head, "history of Prague," for example, but there were no pages for them. It appears Wikiversity has some catching up to do in order to be as well-known as its sister site, but perhaps this will come in time as more people contribute.

In looking up "Prague" on Connexions, I was greeted with a range of links not quite hitting on what I wanted. After refining my search to "history of Prague," it seems the only articles available are historical pieces covering the whole of Europe in segments of time. Within these articles, it is possible to find text of relevance, such as in the Europe: AD 1401 to 1500 page where I learnt the origins of the Bohemian Revolution. Sadly, when searching for information on "Bohemian Revolution" in Connexions, I just got more articles along the "Europe: time period" format. Still, within the web, knowledge abounds, and if you want to know more about the Bohemian Revolution/Wars, more commonly known as the Hussite Wars, Wikipedia saves the day.

As someone who is a (very) amateur photographer, I appreciate the Nikon link (although I'm a Canon girl myself). I think it's very helpful to have some commonly asked questions addressed in a helpful, step-by-step manner. Huzzah!

The website eXtopia seems like it could be helpful, but who said mustard and red should be used together to create an info box?! Their Intro to Web Design course needs to have a segment on using complimentary colours, which their current colour section lacks. Just because you can use "peru" and "crimson" together doesn't mean you should. Perhaps the website creators could use a lesson in colour theory. Still, aside from the abominable colour choices, it's something worth exploring deeper for information that may be helpful.

And with regards to the Adventure activity for this lesson, I've ordered pizza from Papa John's before online, so that's done. I prefer local restaurants, though.

Orlando Memory: opinions and suggestions

On the OCLS Learn 2.1 program dated 2 December 2008, we were asked to visit Orlando Memory and Orange Seed. Here are my thoughts.

I like the concept of Orlando Memory as a place for people to share photographs and musings inspired by the City Beautiful. However, I'm sorry to say I don't find the website to be very intuitive to use. As someone who uses websites such as Flickr, I found the image uploading page to be rather confusing and foreign. The upload box is placed below a very large text window that gives users format and font options and other things which aren't really necessary for putting up a blurb about a trip to Epcot or talking about someone's A&W Root Beer stand.

Also frustrating is when a photo is uploaded, or when a new topic is started, there is a moderation time. I strongly feel pictures and topics hostage like this until someone somewhere takes a look at them is unnecessary. Giving users the opportunity to flag topics and photos as inappropriate should be sufficient, along with disabling or banning users who try to put up inappropriate photographs, as well as moderators who will click periodically through new pictures. For someone wanting to start a new topic, like "Orlando protest pictures," he or she must wait until the topic is approved before being allowed to upload photos. It's been 45 minutes since I submitted a topic for approval, and as of this moment, it is still in "pending" status. This isn't very user-friendly at all.

Furthermore, if a user wants to upload many pictures at once, there isn't a way to do that. Websites such as Flickr and Facebook have ways of uploading many photos at one time. Even uploading five photos at once would be a significant improvement to the current system.

I realise this post might be harsh, and I'm not meaning for it to be mean, but as someone who uses websites which utilise photographs and uploading, trying to use the Orlando Memory site is like trying to use a Commodore 64.

In complete seriousness, I want to post photos to Orlando Memory. Collecting photographs from Orlando's past and present will be a great way for us to see what has changed and where this city is going. This is why the Orlando Memory site needs a redesign. It doesn't have to be as swank as, say, Serious Eats--another type of community which utilises a forum and photo uploads--but at least be functional.

Again, my commentary isn't meant to be any sort of jab at the people who made Orlando Memory. It isn't meant to be personal, so please don't take it that way. As someone with nearly 500 photographs tagged "Orlando" in my Flickr account, I would love to contribute to this project. But the idea of waiting for ten, twenty, thirty photos to be approved is ridiculous.

Please redo Orlando Memory. I'll be happy to provide further suggestions or examples of good design to possibly incorporate, if welcome.