Biggest Purchase Online.

You may hear it a lot, but the biggest purchase I've made online was a PC. I have actually bought numerous computers online. One for my own use, for my brother, for my friend, and a laptop for school purposes. When I think about the risks of shopping online, I tend to think about pros and cons. The pros of shopping online would be the convenience. How else can you buy a computer or the shoes you've always wanted while sitting on your butt and clicking your mouse? Savings is another big thing that comes to mind when shopping online. I can easily find discount coupons for nearly everything I want to buy. There are universal coupons for certain stores that you can easily find by typing in "[shop name] coupons". I just recently bought two jordan track jackets online and used a 20% off coupon that I found on google.
The only con's I personally see is SHIPPING.. AND HANDLING... I HATE shipping and handling... but if I'm buying a lot of things at once, it isn't as bad as if I want to buy a $5 book.. and have $4.99 shipping and handling.
The whole thing about, "your card can get hacked.. what about the risks??" that stuff doesn't come into account for me. With the world today, there are millions of viruses.. thousands upon thousands of hackers, but as these hackers and viruses get better and better at their jobs, so do companies with security on their websites. I guess I can confess that I only purchase items online from sites that I trust, such as Eastbay, Champs sports, Footlocker, Amazon, but random sites that offer deals; I can't find myself to ever believe them. I guess its more of a security paranoia. Other then that... I would recommend shopping online for absolutely everything... except maybe a bottle of hotsauce.. haha

Online Communities

People CAN be a part of a community online.. because:

Online communities consist of many different components, where a majority of them are relatively similar to real life communities. The one component that may separate some online communities would be location.
Many online communities are local communities, where people can meet online and in real life. While other online communities, cover a wide variety of locations, where people can't really relate on local things but rather on their common interests and dedication.
Many online communities share common interests. It's what keeps people interested in the community, and makes them WANT to provide to it. You can say that the sense of belonging is also a big reason as to why people would want to be in, if not, stay in a online community. If people really like chatting with you, or like your contribution then it gives you a reason to stay. The structure of an online community is based around the rules, laws, and regulations. Like real life, the online community has rules that users and members must abide by, or else suffer penalties. Communities both online and real life need to have loyalty among members of the community. Without loyalty, theres nothing tieing people down and keeping them committed to it.

Online or real life, a community is a gathering of people with shared interests, committment, and locality.

What a LOSER

So I just have to get this off my chest. One of my friends that I work with has a paper due tomorrow. He was scheduled to work from 4:30 PM - 9 PM.. He called in and said that his car was in the shop. So I asked him why he called in to work, and he told me that honestly.. he didn't even start his 7 PAGE essay thats due tomorrow. So I felt somewhat bad for him, since he has so much work to do, but that doesn't hold me back from scolding him though. We work at a restaurant, so if one of the servers doesn't show up then everyone is miserable. I told my friend that he was really messed up for calling in. He shoots back that he has a 7 page paper due tomorrow, and I shot back saying that he had 2 weeks to do it, and that why should everyone else be penalized and suffer for his mistakes and laziness? He blew it off like nothing happened... and still doesn't realize the fact that he's making our fellow workers suffer because of his self-centered attitude. I hate this.. I really do.
That was just something I had to get off my chest.
It's been tearing at me since this morning.

The 411 on the Sonics.

David Sterns comment, made the Washingtons government and citizens feel a bit uneasy and offended. Stern has talked about how the Sonics' situation is different then with the Trail Blazers and Hornets. He goes on to say that the lease that the Sonics have with the city is by far the WORST in the NBA. He even said things along the line of saying if Seattle doesn't want the NBA to be a part of its city, then so be it.. we won't ever have one again.
I agree with The Commish here, because I feel as though the state of Washington isn't doing anything at all to try and stop this State changing event from happening.
David Stern is working hard to make sure that the Sonics stay in Seattle. I support him in his quest to saving the Sonics. The governor of Washington has just recently said "I don't want, a couple of years from now, to look back with regret that we didn't do everything we could to keep the Sonics and the Storm." This bring some what of a glimmer of hope for us Sonics / NBA fans that want to keep the NBA alive here.
To make things worse.. the Sonics have the smallest arena in the NBA... let's be serious. This is a team that's been around 40+ years, and your not even going to support them by making them a new Arena?? Take some money out of my damn taxes and pay for the Sonics AND the arena..

Dot Com to Dot Bomb

During last class the conversation that we were hit with was the "Dot Com to Dot Bomb". It's a very intruiging topic that tends to be kind of silent but in a BIG way. I personally think that the average person doesn't know how much this evolution into the Internet (the virtual world) is slowly invading how we function as a society. So the Dot Com to Dot Bomb begins with the birth of the internet. The talk about how not too long ago 18.8kps, 26.4kps, 28.8 kps, 56k, was what the internet was born on. There really wasn't much need for a quicker connectivity, because everything was basically text-based. Around 1996 as companies began understanding this so called "internet" better, they found this interest in creations that helped people in their daily lives, such as the ROBOTIC ARM, or the webcams that watch the coffee pots. [ I found it rather amusing that people would really have a webcam on their coffee pots to see if they should even get up to get coffee or not. ] Not too long after.. BOOM. the internet blows up, companies such as Netscape go public and immediately becomes one of the most valuable companies in the world. For a company at that time to have a public value of 1 BILLION dollars was insane.

In 1996 the BOOM was the beginning of rising companies such as Yahoo!, Amazon.com, and USweb. As always with BOOM's comes the downfall.. AOL takes charge of its opponents and becomes the only company that kept it web-based. In 1998 the powerful AOL buys CompuServ, and it seemed like the sky was the limit for AOL. In 1999, Yahoo bought Broadcast.com for 5.7 Billion dollars, making Mark Cuban a BILLIONAIRE.. for a company that wasn't worth NEARLY that amount. [this just gives us a clue at the insanity that went on during this Dot Com boom.] In 2000.. the anticipated BUST happens, and all these once well-organized companies like Pets.com goes crashing and burning. This was the start of the decline in the stock market.. they turned right when they should have turned left.
As people start to grow accustom to what the internet is, and how it functions, businesses begin to gain some hope. Slowly crawling out of their holes in 2002, companies like Ebay, Yahoo, Amazon, E-trade, have begun to make strides.

Conclusion:
AOL hasn't caught on even till today. The one time powerhouse is slowly becoming a business with no hope. It's only a matter of time before they either realize what they are doing wrong... or just die off completely... AOL will now stand for America Offline.
Random: 1.6% of facebook was bought for 250 million dollars... and its total value is about 15 BILLION dollars?.. We don't know what this worlds doing these days, but lets hope Microsoft has some big plans with something that may bring in little to no profit. >.<

So Far in the NBA.

I've been putting it off a bit till I had some decent things to say, but after watching a couple games tonight... I feel like now is a good time for some bashing and glorifying teams.
Wall Of Shame:
Seattle Supersonics. Nobody in their right minds thought that this team was at all a playoff contender, but I watched the season opener and they played with potential. They are currently 0-5 after losing a close game to Utah. They play great for 3 quarters, but cant seem to keep it locked up for the last 12 minutes of the game. I'm excited to go to Key Arena to watch a basketball game... but I'm not going to watch the Supersonics.. I'm going January 23rd... to watch them play the Houston Rockets.. and sadly.. I will be cheering for the rockets.
Washington Wizards. I personally LOVE the Washington Wizards. They have a great playoff contending team, and have a strong three [I could question the Wizards supporting cast though]. So far the Washington Wizards are winless. They began the season by losing to the Pacers... the PACERS... and then after Agent 0 told everyone that he was going to beat Boston for season opener, I really believed that he would stand by his word and work his ass off. What I saw was a team fall apart in the hands of the Big Ticket, Ray Ray, and The Truth. Even though they are doing terribly now, I still think this team has what it takes to make the playoffs. They will turn it around... hopefully.
Miami Heat. The trade for Ricky Buckets. Probably one of the best trades I think Miami could have done. I've always had a thing for Ricky Davis and his talent level. With Ricky Davis, Shaq, and D-wade. The Miami Heat now contain the "BIG 3". Some may argue that this 3 is rather weak compared to other BIG 3's, but Ricky Davis is a player that can potentially score you 25-30 points a night and add 5 boards and 4 assists. D-Wade is The FLASH.. thats enough said.. He will do what he does best... and thats taking his team from nothing to a playoff team. Shaquille O'neal.. is still a legend and one of the greatest centers of all time. Shaq has high basketball IQ, and knows how to play the game.. now is not his time to score. He scores when he has to... He's getting old,.. but like the saying says... with age comes wisdom. I like the Heats chances now, even though they are currently 0-5.

Wall of Fame:
MY TEAM... the HOUSTON ROCKETS. The Houston Rockets are currently 5-1, and one of the most dominant inside outside games in the NBA. People are rumoring that Tracy McGrady may win MVP this season[ I dont think it will happen but you never know]. Though Luis Scola and Steve Francis has been somewhat of a disappointment to me, it seems like Mike James and the rest of the supporting cast has made the disappointment seem unimportant. Mike James, Shane Battier, Bonzi Wells, Luther Head, have all been doing a great job of keeping the Rockets at a good pace. Yao Ming is as explosive as ever, and as long as this team stays healthy... we're about to witness a miracle. ;]

What is it with these teams from Texas!
San Antonio Spurs. Arguably the best team in the NBA. They are the closest thing to dynasty that the NBA has at the moment. The question is: Will they repeat? and personally I don't think they can repeat. It's too difficult with the depth of the NBA to repeat. You not only have to watch out for the WEST but you also have to watch out for the EAST, who have been moving rather rapidly.
Dallas Mavericks. Another outstanding team that didn't change many players in its roster. The most significant change in the roster was having Jason The Jet Terry come off the bench as the 6th man. He exploded against Houston dropped 30+ points and carrying his team to a victory. Great team, but like the rockets we question its playoff mentality and strength.
Los Angeles Clippers. Even without Elton Brand we're seeing this team of underrated players explode for all-star statistics. Chris Kaman, Corey Maggette, Cuttino Mobley, and Sam Cassell have played wonderfully the past 5 games. With a record of 4-1, lets just hope this team can keep this trend going. Elton Brand is due back around February... [which is basically pointless hahaha].
Boston Celtics. The best offseason pickup was made by the Celtics. Three all-star players from three terrible teams last year are joined together to form the "Big 3". Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett have shown people what being an all-star really means. This whole thing about "team chemistry, their comfort with eachother, etc. etc." all that is thrown out the window, because this team has shown EVERYONE that they can mesh together and win as a team. KEVIN GARNETT... is leading the Celtics in Rebounds AND Assists. These three players are all terrific shooters, and none of them are greedy. I smell NBA FINALS.. and they deserve it too.
Orlando Magics. Wow... Rashard Lewis is officially a difference maker. He's not worth a maximum contract... but he's made a difference. I have also seen alot of growth in Hedu Turkoglu's game along with Dwight baby shaq Howard. I don't know how much longer this team is going to have this win streak, but lets just enjoy it while we still can, because I don't see it lasting.

Random Thoughts:

• - Gilbert Arenas has been playing pretty badly the last few games... he had surgery on his leg and had his legs flushed not too long ago, so I guess it could be the reason... but im still waitin for a break out performance.
• - He got some side-talk and second opinions on his decision on playing so many minutes so soon after his surgery. Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson told him it was a bad idea to play so many minutes. So expect a reduction in playing time.
• - Once Lamar Odom is healthy along with Andrew Bynum, the Lakers might actually scare.... little children.
• - Chris Bosh got held to ONE point... in a game against Milwaukee, I didn't get to watch the game, but ONE point?? lets get serious.. your Chris Bosh.. you have a job that includes shutting people up. There's rumors spreading about you saying that your extremely OVERRATED... prove them wrong.. PLEASE.. lets keep the stats at 25 pts , 10 rebounds.
• - Jermaine O'neal is NOT playing like he used to. He's too caught up in wanting to be traded. Stop being a baby and play the game.. I used to have mad respect for J.O. but i'm slowly starting to respect Danny Granger and losing respect for JO.
  
• - Play Steve Francis PLEASE?? Coach Adelman says that Francis is in the worst shape out of the three point guards that they have. He doesn't need to be in GREAT shape to play well. he's the FRANCHISE... i would love to see STEVEY along side Tmac and the Great Wall.
• - What's with Peja Stojakovic?... How are you going to hit 10-13 three pointers in one game.. and then the next 123098 games shoot 3-15??... You don't make sense at all..
• - Yi JianLian from Milwaukee is playing great. He's averaging 12-13 pts, and about 6 boards a game. This is a legit player that has potential of blowing up.
• - The Boston Celtics shut up a whole lot of doubters after beating the New Jersey Nets 112 - 101. Seems like people still have a hard to believing that the Boston Celtics are by far one of the most dominant teams this season. How are you going to question a team with 3 all-stars that each hit 20+ points each. Kevin Garnett leading the team in rebounds AND assists?? thats just ridiculous.. thats LEADERSHIP caliber.
  
• Yao Ming is slowly showing why he is arguably the best Center in the league. With the evolution in his game, he now has the ability to take 20 foot jumpers which opens up his game even more! Not only has his Jimmy been polished, but he even throws it down and yolks on people with more emphasis and power then previous years.
  

Scavenger Hunt so far

BONUS: Living and working virtually

1. http://www.w3.org/Protocols/Specs.html

2.

3.

4. http://www.blogger.com/profile-find.g?t=m&q=Darby+O%27Gill+and+the+Little+People.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe+Gnome+Mobile.%0D%0A%0D%0AFerris+Bueller%27s+Day+Off+%28who+HASN%27T+seen+it%3F%29

5. http://matchmaker.com/
http://classmates.com/
http://www.myspace.com/

6. http://www.digitalhollywood.com/LAWednesdaySixteen.html
other person on the panel:
Paul Mitchell, Senior Group Manager, Interactive Television, Microsoft TV Platforms
Daniel Levy, VP of Client Services, RespondTV
Kevin Liga, EVP, Chief Technical Officer, ACTV
Andrew Fry, founder, CEO & Chief Strategist, Lariat
Steve Schklair, CEO, Zeros & Ones, Inc.
Dr. Joel Zdepski Vice President, Technology Development, OpenTV
Jeremy Handelman, Vice President, Programming, Wink
Michael Bloom, President, Communication Strategies and Planning, Inc., Moderator

7. Zillow: http://www.zillow.com/HomeDetails.htm?zprop=49257349
redfin: http://redfin.com/stingray/do/printable-listing?listing-id=1048284

8. dogpile.com
ask.com
http://www.altavista.com/

A World Without Secrets

The book I have decided to read for class is "World Without Secrets" by Richard Hunter. The title of the book seemed very interesting and I'm actually looking forward to reading it. Honestly, I haven't even read this book yet. Mainly because its still in the process of being delivered to my home [for $22.76.. I saved $7.19]. haha. For the most part, what I'm going to be talking about in my presentation is what the book is about, and how interesting it is to me. I will probably even talk about its relevance to us as a society and how much it is a part of the world these days and how its something we cant avoid [going off of what the title of the book gives off].
Should be a fun read. I hope.

Services that are Available

When the internet first began e-commerce, there wasn't much things to choose from because of it's new concept of purchasing. Only the most convenient things would be sold online such as software and books.
It wasn't until later that databases started to use online catalogs with wide selection of items. Different services that were available over the internet was translations, consultations, dating, delivery, and travel agencies. Delivery services over the internet crashed and burned because of the timing. The gas prices at the time were increasing which was making it quite impossible to keep these delivery company going.
As the internet and E-commerce grows we find more and more things possible on the web. Using the metaphor of a shopping cart, you have the ability to store items in this virtual "cart". This is a prime example of how a physical thing has been turned into something used routinely on the web. The virtual shopping cart has the same purpose as the normal.
Not only are there shopping carts, but like in markets and stores, you find that there are more and more resemblances. The web is beginning to illustrate webpages much more organized by topics or subtitles. Like in a store, where there are all different sections / isles for different products, there is also this same concept on the internet.

Comfort In Purchasing Online

Personally, I don't find any discomfort in purchasing items online. As time goes on, its just one of those things that you just do. I did find it rather disturbing that site such as Amazon can keep your information and know thing that you have previously purchased. I've bought many things online. The internet is my main source of purchasing items. It's rather amazing how you can do things virtually and receive things physically.
I've purchased things that ranged from novels, textbooks, shoes, to things like computer monitors and computers. I think in the future, when cash is nonexistent, the internet will be the main source for shopping.

Kevin Freitas

Our guest speaker, Kevin Freitas, is a local web developer. He works for a job at sitecrafting. He's worked with a wide range of people from home builders, the government, small businesses, and much more. Mr. Freitas also has his own website/blog that hes had since 1996-97'. Initially, he used it to write about his life and just as an escape for ordinary life. Having a blog that you've had for numerous years can be weird, because when you look back on old posts you don't realize how ridiculous some posts are. Something very interesting that he had on his website was the Bates swat incident. I also found it interesting that Bates even told him to take down the video of the incident.
Feed Tacoma. It's a great way to get news from Tacoma. It pulls all Tacoma oriented stuff and puts it all within one site. The website seems almost anonymous. The visit from Kevin Freitas was interesting and worthwhile.

Vanity Search

So basically what I did for the vanity search was I typed my name in quotes to see what I would come up with. On the first page in Google the only Eric Hong that was directed towards me was towards the bottom, and it was funny that out of everything I am about 7th on the list for my Blogger account haha. Then I made it a bit more local and I typed Tacoma after my name. Then, the first thing that came up in the search was my Myspace account... and Mr.Fry's.. blog hahaha. I'm a bit weirded out that it came up with Mr. Fry's blog because it sort of feels like he's taken over my name a bit hahaha. Down a bit lower theres another entry from my blog that would conclude my name on the first page.
I thought I would take it a bit more personal and type my name and then my alias [screen name] to see what would come up. The results weren't that spectacular.. only thing really interesting about it was that it was all about me on all the pages. What did spark my attention though was my old Xanga profile. Seems as though my name came up a few times from my friends buddy lists on xanga, and it brought back old memories.
Vanity searches are fun to do, I think I might use it on some of my friends ;] haha

NBA PREDICTIONS

NBA Predictions

I feel that the..

Houston Rockets will get passed the first round of the playoffs this season, with the great addition of Steve Francis, Mike James, and Luis Scola (only to name a few). They brought a legit Power Forward in Luis Scola, and brought depth into their bench; adding more firepower even with their starters on the bench.
Boston Celtics won't have a remarkable season, but this is a team with 2 potential Hall of Famer's [Ray Allen & Kevin Garnett] in the NBA, and a seasonal Veteran / All-star [Paul Pierce]. They will click on all cylinders in the playoffs though. This is a team thats not here to fool around. These 3 players come from 3 different teams in the NBA that ranked near the bottom in the league. They are hungry for a championship ring.

New York Knicks will double their win/loss ratio from last season with Curry and ZeBo [Zach Randolph] in the post. Not only do they have two future dominant front court players, they have a deep backcourt in Stephon Marbury, Quentin Richardson, and Jamal Crawford.

Washington Wizards are a true underdog team. Gilbert Arena's has proven himself to be among the greats in the league. He has proven himself with a 60 point game against the Lakers in which Kobe Bryant himself couldn't contain him. Kobe even had a few negative words about Gilbert's amazing performance. Along with a healthy Caron Butler and Antwan Jamison, I feel the Washington Wizards may have what it takes to be a force in the playoffs. Glibert Arena's has also guaranteed a victory over the Boston Celtics in the season opener.

Utah Jazz are a team that no one looks at to be a force in the NBA. People don't see that this Utah team looks to be that of a smaller San Antonio team. They have inside dominance in Boozer and Okur (a man that can step out and hit the three ball also). Then they have one of the most talented Point Guards in the league in Deron Williams. When you talk about the Utah Jazz you can't go without talking about Andre Kirilenko, a defensive master-mind who has averaged about 2 bpg (blocks per game) since he has been in the league. As long as Carlos Boozer stays healthy I can see this team fighting for a 4th or 5th seed.

Phoenix Suns won't be as dominant this season like they were the past couple seasons. Phoenix Suns have played without Amare Stoudamire and have succeeded to do so, for a period of time, but what do you do when one of the best Forwards in the league (Shawn Marion) wants out? With Amare out with arthroscopic knee surgery and Marion wanting out, who does the Phoenix Suns look to? Grant Hill? A player way past his prime, that can only get you 20-25 minutes every other night? Raja Bell? A set shooter with a hot temper? The only person that can step up for the Phoenix Suns is Steve Nash, and he's been doing his since he's been in the league.. but it takes 5 to win a game. Steve Nash may have some highlight passes, but who do you pass to when your two post players are M.I.A?

NBA PLAYOFFS:
EAST. The 8 teams to advance to the NBA Playoffs are (my prediction on seeds also) :

1. Boston Celtics
2. Detroit Pistons
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Toronto Raptors
5. Chicago Bulls
6. Washington Wizards
7. Orlando Magics
   
8. Miami Heat / New Jersey Nets

Falling short from the playoffs:
New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers

West. The 8 teams to advance to the NBA Playoffs are (my prediction on seeds also) :

1. Dallas Mavericks
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Houston Rockets
4. Utah Jazz
   
5. Phoenix Suns
6. Denver Nuggets
7. Los Angeles Clippers
   
8. Los Angeles Lakers

Falling short from the playoffs:
Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings

Mark Briggs [News Tribune]

The visit from Mark Briggs was a great experience. He defended his statement of how society as a whole is changing with an explanation about how Newspapers are fighting some what of an uphill battle. He also told us about all the new available jobs that opened up now thanks to the technological advancements that this world has been going through.

Mr. Briggs also mentioned to us that things we watch on the news aren't very relevant to our lives, so with the concept of placing News on the internet was an idea and an in-progress approach. This approach was made by creating a news that you can watch on your computer at home that would be "local news", made to be more relevant to you. It's quite a different step that news companies are taking by integrating the World Wide Web's capability of video online and News.

The funniest thing I heard Mr. Briggs talk about was probably the "pain token". To know that people have control over how fast you can load pages and receive information is entertaining.

Emails vs Post Office.

The similarities between the two are so closely tied, that the only real difference I could come up with is that with real mail you get the actual physical nature of receiving and sending, while with E-mailing its not physical rather virtual in a sense. Theres less of the sincerity and feelings of "time-consumed writing". I never really thought about the similarities, I guess because it seemed more obvious before then it does now, but when you actually look at how virtual / internet is slowly taking over all physical things (or copying it in a sense) it's pretty amazing. I guess one of the great things that E-mailing provides that sending real mail doesn't is the quick arrival/responses that you can give and receive. Personally, I'm not a fan of mailing or E-mailing, so it doesn't really concern me, but its more of just something to think about and become familiar with.