4.14 Classwork

1.
A)
An operating system is software, consisting of programs and data, that runs on the computer. It manages the computer's hardware resources, as well as providing common services for the execution of various softwares.
B)
Two utilities provided by an operating system that would be helpful for the author who has broken his arm would be speech recognition and the management of the communication between a microphone and the computer. This would allow the author to speak into the microphone and it would type this for him, allowing him to work on his novel while being crippled.

4.
A)
Artificial Intelligence is the theory and development of computer systems which are able to perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence.
B)
Clippy could tell that the user was writing a letter by possibly recognizing the format of the letter, or looking for key words such as dear. Also, letters normally contain an address at the top, which may be an indicator. Clippy is able to recognize these things and know that the user is writing a letter, and then it will give them the option of using its help or not.

2.
A)
Two technical reasons why the quality of videos viewed from web sites can be limited are that the files are compressed so that they can be held and shown on the websites. Also, the media-players on the website may not be high quality, and able to play videos in high quality. It also would take longer to download or stream a higher quality video.
B)
Two reasons why some web-based videos do not play at all on a home computer is because the media-player software may not be compatible with the computer system, or it may not be downloaded on the computer yet. An example of this is if a computer does not have adobe flash-player than it would not be able to play youtube videos. The browser may also be the problem, as some browsers such as safari have had problems playing videos online from sites such as youtube.
C)
This may be because of the web because it has gotten exposure for these performing arts. It also may have been used for advertising, which would catch the attention of people surfing the web and perhaps draw them in. Also, ticket sales may be available online, and information about these performing arts is very easily accessed if there is a website for them. Also, videos of these arts such as opera or ballet are able to be watched, and people may have watched them and realized they liked it.

3.
A) A text file is a storage of data which consists of characters.
B) An OCR can convert handwriting to a text file by scanning the written text and then changing it into characters and storing this in a file. The pattern of the written letters are matched with type and this is inserted into a word document.

4.12 classwork

1
A) A print server manages one or more printers, and a network server manages network traffic. A database server processes database queries.
B) One advantage of a school giving students USB drives is that they are able to save their data and documents they make on school computers, and they are able to bring them home. A disadvantage is the students may use them for bad things, such as transferring viruses onto the school computers, or just use them for music.
C) They should save the documents in a different place such as google docs. They should also put the USB drives in a safe place when they are transporting them. This would make sure that they do not lose the USB drive. They should also put a password on the USB drive so nobody can access the documents and steal them.

4
A)
i)database
ii)Another task that could be performed by a wizard is to search a program.
B)
Two other IT methods to help them use application software would be to look up a tutorial on how to use the software, or to find an instructional video on using the application software. Both of these methods would allow the user to better understand the application, as well as find out how to do whatever they do not know how to do.
C)
It is the complete responsibility of the company to pay for the training of the employee. They are the ones who want to have the employee be able to use the software, and so it is their responsibility to pay for the training. The company will also benefit from the employee learning to do whatever they are learning to do, and so it will be in their interest for them to know how to do it. The employee is also using his or her time to learn, and so they should not have to pay as well.

5.
A)
i) 1024 GB, it is a multiple of a byte which holds information
ii) A GPS is a global positioning system, which determines the location of itself as well as its movement. It can be used to find places.
B)
First an image would be taken by a satellite of an area. Then this image would be saved by a hard drive on the satellite, or accessed by someone and then saved on their hard drive. These would probably be held on a server, and then displayed on google earth.
C)
The GPS technology and the mapping software help the user find the destination. The GPS finds the location of the user, and then the mapping software selects the route that the user will take. The GPS technology is then used to tell where the user is and when they have to make a turn, and is able to give the user real time directions to the destination as well as showing the user where they are on the map.
D)

Bike Database

4.
A) Two IT features of a smart card are that they contain a built-in processor and are programmable, and smart cards have secure storage for data including private keys. They can be used to open doors.

B) The process to authenticate the cyclist when collecting a bike would be for the cyclist to insert or have the rack scan their smart card. The information from the card would be taken, and then the cyclist would enter their PIN or secret code, and If this matched the information on the card, then the persons account would be charged for the bike and the bike would be released. The information of the bike that was taken would be recorded by the machine. The cyclist would then take the bike and ride away.

C) The benefits of using a relational database instead of a flat-file database would be the database would be able to match the bike number with the rental and then the person who rented the bike. This would save time in seeing who took the bike because instead of looking through the flat file database and trying to find databases, the relationships could be queried and the results would appear. This is much more efficient, and it also allows the Bike and Rental and People to be on different pages, which would cause less confusion. It is much easier to query and find the information than use a flat file database and have to search yourself.

D) There are many privacy and security concerns that could arise through the use of the database to record bike rentals, which relate to the credit card number of the cyclist being in the database, the location of the cyclist being known, and the security of a smart card. A security concern arises from the credit card number of the cyclist being recorded in the database along with his name. If the database is hacked, not only the credit card number will be stolen but also the name of the person would be known. They would know who they were stealing from, and this could cause targeted hacks looking for the credit card number of a certain person. This could result in black mail or the loss of money by the cyclist. The privacy and security of the cyclist is also risked when his information is put in the database, because the location and bike number that he used is known and recorded. Therefore, his approximate location is known. If a person wanted to know the persons location they could hack the database and easily find it out. The government could also use this to track the location of its citizens by seeing where they get their bikes and return them, and this could be used to track them. Also, a security concern that your account could be used by another person arises from the use of a smart card to rent your bike. The smart card could be lost and taken by another person, or your card could be copied or manufactured by another person. They could then rent bikes at your expense, and not return them causing your account to be charged with the late fees. All in all, the security and privacy concerns that stem from the use of a database to hold the cyclists information are numerous, and the cyclist is exposing themselves to a lot of danger by joining this service and giving the bike company their information.

Intellectual Property Theft

6.
A) Intellectual property is the number of distinct types of creations of the mind from which a set of rights are recognized. Owners of this property are granted rights to these intangible assets.
B) Two services an ISP provides to internet users is internet access as well as server space. Through the ISP the user can access the internet, and then browse or do what they please. The ISP also can lease server space for smaller businesses or host other servers.
C) Two ways a home computer network could be adversely affected by uses of file sharing services is by the reduction of speed due to the downloading of files. For instance, if a person on the network is downloading lots of files the connection will be very slow. It uses up the bandwidth of the network. Also, viruses may be gotten from downloads and these would affect the network.
D) There would be many effects to the music industry if P2P sites were regulated. If the government regulated the use of P2P sites for file sharing, people would not be able to illegally download files through sites like lime wire. This would force people to pay for their downloaded music, which would bring more money into the music industry. The money companies like apple, who own the program itunes, would make more money. A downside to the regulating of P2P sites would be that artists would not get as much exposure. If people had to pay to get each of their songs, they might not download them and less people would listen to them. Also, people may turn to sites like youtube to listen to music instead of downloading it. Another consequence of the regulation of file sharing would be the income of artists from concerts. If people did not download a lot of music from the band because it cost money, they might not find songs by that band they like and they would be less likely to go to one of their concerts or tours. An upside of the regulation is that the artists would gain more money from their music, and this would allow to possibly buy new equipment and make better sounding music. They are putting time into making music and they would make money selling their songs. All in all, the regulation of P2P sites for file sharing would be effect the music industry positively because it would generate more income because people would be forced to buy the music if they wanted to download it.

Traffic Management

(a) Identify two possible ways that the road sensors can detect the passing of
a vehicle. [2 marks]

One possible way that the road sensor can detect the passing of a vehicle is through the use of a video camera. It can take a video of the car passing to see if it is going the speed limit, and if it is not it can get its plate and registration. Another way is through radar guns that record the speed of passing cars. This will tell if a vehicle is passing by, and also its speed.

(b) Describe two ways in which the active traffic management systems could help to
decrease journey times. [4 marks]

One way that active traffic management systems can help to decrease journey times is through the use of the sensors to show the traffic on the roads. This would help reduce journey times because people would use other roads, in which the traffic is less so that they will not lose time being stuck in traffic. Another way that active traffic management systems can help to decrease journey times is through the changing of the speed limit depending on the congestion. Therefore, if there is less congestion the speed limit will be higher and the journey time will decrease.

(c) Explain how the images from the digital speed cameras can be used to send
penalty notices to speeding drivers automatically. [4 marks]

The images from the digital speed cameras can be used to send penalty notices to speeding drives automatically by first obtaining the plate number of the vehicle. This plate number can be queried to find the owner of the car and his or her address, or even the email of the person. From there, a notice can be sent either electronically, or the address can be added to a list of people who need to be mailed a fine.

(d) Discuss how the active traffic management system could be abused by the authorities.

The active traffic management system could be abused by the authorities in many ways. The authorities could send out tickets for people who are going less than the declared limit. The driver has no evidence that they were not going that speed limit so they would not be able to dispute the ticket. Another way that authorities could abuse the traffic system is through using the cameras to see what the people in the cars are doing as well. This would not necessarily be a bad thing, as the cameras would show if the person is talking on the phone or texting while they are driving. Another way the authorities could abuse this system is by lowering the speed limit so low that the drivers are more likely to break the speed limit. This way, they could ticket more people automatically and therefore make more money. This is taking advantage of the driver of the car. Another way is by fluctuating the speed limits so the driver is not able to change the speed of their car in time for the camera. They would be ticketed for speeding whether it was unintentional or not.

Multimedia

2
A) Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. Multimedia is usually recorded and played, and also describes electronic media devices used to store and experience multimedia content.

B) One method that can be used to reduce the amount of disk space occupied by a multimedia training package is file compression. This works by instead of listing the information in the file over and over it lists it once and then refers back to it when it appears in the original program. This saves disk space. Compressing picture files also uses less space because it discards useless information. Another method that can be used to reduce the amount of disk space occupied is to link graphics instead of embedding them which takes less space.

C) Some organizations prefer to train their staff using a multimedia training package instead providing face to face time with a human instructor because it is more cost effective. It is much cheaper to train the staff using a multimedia training package than to hire a person to teach the employees. Also, if the employees of the organization are learning computer programs it may be more helpful to them to learn it using a computer or multimedia package. It will instruct them how to use the computer, and will give them much more personal instruction to tell them what they are doing wrong then an instructor who is teaching more than one person. Also, they are able to go at their own pace using the training package rather than having to try and keep up with the class, which may inhibit how well they learn whatever they may be learning.

Wii Paper 2

3.

a)Two limitations of using the wii as a simulation are the wii controller, which is very basic and does not represent the actual controls of what is being simulated. It is just a handheld pointing device. Also, the remote only knows where itself is and not where the person is, and so it does not record or use the movements of the person and his or her body, but rather just the movements of the controller.

b) One potential use of the technology incorporated within the console is the use of motion-sensing technology to track the movement of a body. For instance, motion sensors could be attached to a person to track them, or this could be used for animation to record the movements of the person and then translate that into the character. Motion-sensing technology can also be used for security purposes, such as motion-sensing lights on a house. Another potential use of the technology incorporated within the console is the use of a hand held pointing device to be used for presentations. The presenter could have a hand held pointing device, and use it to select options on a screen while he is presenting, and so it would serve as a laser pointer that would be able to select options as well, such as switching slides or selecting a hyper link.

c) Two devices that are not connected to each other can communicate with each other using Infra-Red light energy or radio waves to transmit the information. For instance, A TV controller communicates with the TV using infra-red light energy to carry or send the information from your tv remote to your tv. The red dot on the front of the controller blinks when you push buttons on the controller, and this is the infra-red light energy being transmitted. Another way two devices communicate that are not connected are radio waves. Garage door openers use radio waves to open the garage. The door opener sends out radio waves and the garage door receives receives them and carries out the command to open.

d)Evaluate the roll of video game consoles in the health care of the elderly.

There are many potential advantages for the use of video game consoles in the health care of the elderly. The wii allows the user of the console to get physical exercise playing the game. They are required to move their arms to use the controller, and this would be helpful in keeping the elderly active. It adds an element of fun to the exercise because they are playing a game, like tennis or baseball, while they are also getting exercise moving the controlling mimicking swings. Also, if wiis are used in elderly communities they can compete against each other using the consoles, providing them with a safe way to be competitive. They could potentially have wii tournaments using games such as bowling, which would be fun for the elderly as well as making them engage in a form of physical activity. There are also some potential disadvantages for the use of video game consoles in the health care of the elderly. They may hurt themselves while engaging in the phsyical activity, potentially swinging the controller too hard and losing balance which would cause a fall, or cause joint pain. Also, with arthritis prevalent in the elderly community it may be painful for them to participate in the games using the wii. The wii would provide physical activity, while consoles like the xbox would just force them to use a controller and be stationary. This may improve their hand eye coordination. A downside and danger to using video games for health care is that it might provide the elderly with too much stimulation. For instance, if an elderly male gets too into the game and over-exerts himself it may cause him to have a heart attack. Dangers arise from the competition that comes along with video games. They may hurt each other while trying to play the game, or get in fights with each other. All in all, the potential advantages outweigh the potential disadvantages here because it will provide the elderly with some physical exercise as well as a sense of camaraderie and competition, and liven up their lives.