&Gracias

Images taken from foto decadent.
Textures & brushes used from gender and JC.
Layout by colbydageek

I've decided to keep track of all the tests we've had in the year by putting a review here that I used to review & study for the test. This way, it will be easier to study when the exams come along.

This first test was on Powerpoint, Computer Components, and Binary Code.

Computer Components:

RGB monitor
- stands for Red Green Blue
- uses the three colours to combine and mix to form the visuals you see on screen
- has three electron guns & vacuum tube
- fires electrons at screen


Mouse
- 3 types of mouse: LED, laser & optical
- laser & LED mice: based on reflection of light
- no signals can be transmitted if LED or laser mice are on opaque glass
- optical mouse comes with ball for navigation
- has 2 rollers (front + back)
- ball breaks light, computer receives light which interprets light into electronic signals

Motherboard
- mom of the house
- commands computer to do things
- connected to all parts
- main function: process using processor (CPU)
- fan ontop of processor to cool it down
- process works in hertz (cycles)
- usually works in megahertz (million cycles)
- BIOS (Basic Input Output System) is in motherboard
- BIOS tells computer to test memory to see if it still works & it stores info so when you turn on your PC, it can tell the computer what to do
- form facter means the way its built or how its shaped
- modem turns binary data into sound, uses cord to transfer sound to phone line
- processors use electricity to do math calculations & to process information
- hard drive is permanently stored on computer
- memory is visual on computer, can be used right now
- byte is 1 or 0, byte is a combination of 1 to 8, 1024 bytes is a kilobyte, million bytes is a megabyte. 1000 MB is a gigabyte
- optical drive is when light is used to read info

Video Card
- takes binary data from CPU, turns it into graphics we can see
- helps CPU reduce amount of tasks being done
- enables CPU to concentrate on other important tasks
- expensive graphic cards are coated in gold, inexpensive ones in silver
- coated because computer gets very hot when in use & fan ontop of CPU cools it down, gold/silver coating helps make faster

Hard Drive/Memory (RAM)
- hard drive is long term storage
- RAM is for storing what you are using right now
- RAM: table displaying your books
- Hard Drive: bookshelf that holds books
- USB key made in flash, maintains info even if you turn off computer
- hard drive uses magnets to store binaries

CPU
- Central Processing Unit
- located on motherboard, data passes through continuously
- always getting commands to be done
- four steps in receiving & to finish the command
- control unit decides what command means & directs data to be moved from memory to arithmetic logic unit (ALU). Arithmetic logic unit is signs of addition, subtraction, division, multiplication that are used by a programming language
- ALU does processing on data
- results are stored in memory or register

Keyboards
- connected to computer with cable
- laptops have inside connectors
- cables take power to keyboard & signals from keyboard back to computer
- signals that come through are monitored by computer keyboard controller
- primary device to enter data into computer

LCD Monitor
- two pieces of polarized glass with liquid crystal particles in middle that alter the light coming through to display various images on the screen
- polarized glass: glass that is designed to only allow light to pass through a certain direction

CD ROM
- stores info on data pads
- DOT (name of the laser that reads your CD)
- while CD is spinning, laser moves up from center of CD, slowly, to read it
- uses a laser to read bumps & bits
- pixel is short for picture element = red green blue
- computer can display 256 levels of colours

Mr. Case's 3 Rules of Powerpoint
1) The most important part of the presentation is the presenter.
2) You should know your topic so well that you can present even without the aid of your powerpoint.
3) Do not put animations or sounds that will distract people from your powerpoint. You want people to focus on your presentation not just your power point.

Binary Code
- the language computers speak and process through
- in our every day numbers, we go by base of ten numbers (e.g. 10, 100, 1000, 10000) but base of binary code goes up by multiplying 2 (e.g. 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128)
- in binary code, you only use the numbers 1 and 0
- you look at the place value of the base of the binary code and you try to add up to the sum of the number you want

For example:

Number your trying to make: 45

Place value: 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1

>>>>>>>>>>>>1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1

So to put it into words, I tried to make 45 out of the sum of the numbers in the base value. I don't need 64 to make 45 because it's over the value. I move on to 32, which I need to make 45. Then I go to 16, and I realize I can't make 45 with 32 + 16 because that would be 48 which is over the amount. I do need an 8 because that would bring up the number to 40, which is close to 45. I need a 4 which would make it 44 but I don't need a 2 because it would make it 46 which is over. Finally, I use one which makes it 45.

Labels: Binary Code, Computer components, Powerpoint, Test Review

When I was little, I loved taking apart the pieces to my makeshift oven and studying the inner parts. The bits and pieces that eventually led to the creation of delicious goodies. This fascinated me, and to this day, it still really interests me when things are taken apart to reveal the story behind it as well as allow you to get the bigger picture. So when we looked at the different parts of the computer today, I was really quite blown away at the fast paced improvements made on this vital piece of technology.

Here are just a few of the many parts:

Motherboard:
- acts like the mom of the computer
- controls everything
- everything is connected to the motherboard
- uses BIOS - Basic Input Output System (wakes computer up)
- BIOS reminds computer what it has; starts a post, does tests so it can start up properly

CPU/Processor:
- size of a baby finger
- made up of ceramic, as it takes the heat away
- fan pushes down on ceramic to cool it off
- pins made up of real gold (good conductor of electricity)
- brain of the computer

Video Card:
- takes info that needs to be turned into graphics
- benefit: takes some of the work away from CPU so CPU can concentrate on other work

Hard Drive & Memory (RAM):
- connects to motherboard & power supply
- hard drive is long term storage (like a book shelf)
- RAM (memory) is like a table where you can open up a book
- when you open something, it puts it from the hard drive to RAM
- memory is stuff you use right now
- lot more hard drive space than RAM
- expensive RAMs have gold, inexpensive ones use silver
- USB uses flash memory
- memory in a computer is gone when you turn it off

CD ROM:
- laser slides down and reads from center
- uses lasers to read bumps & pits; bumps are 1 and pits are 0
- bit is a piece of data that is 0 or 1
- bite is is 8 bits and a Kilobyte is roughly 1000 bytes

Modem:
- takes binary data & turns it into sound
- transfers sound to phone line
- reversed: sound from phone line turns into binary and and goes into computer

That is just a few of the numerous parts that a computer requires to function. More will be added next class :)

Au revoir l'amore,
Serena

Labels: CD ROM, CPU, Hard Drive, Motherboard, Processor, RAM, Video Card

So it's been a long day and I've finally gotten it off my chest. My powerpoint presentation is now officially over and I hope I've done a good job.

Throughout the presentations, a lot of information was thrown at us and I haven't yet grasped them all. Some of the presentations that were presented today include motherboard, graphics/video card, LCD monitor and RAM. It was interesting to listen to the many presentations and also, the many metaphors that were used by people to identify the complex computer parts in our everyday lives. Its very long and tedious to listen to several computer projects at once as they are all so difficult to understand. However, I believe that everyone did quite well for our first powerpoint of the year. Hopefully, I can learn from my mistakes and do much better on the next one.

Bye,

Serena

Labels: Life

Mr. Case today explained some very important aspects of presenting a PowerPoint - the right way. He set a few rules for it but I've broken it up more so I can better understand it. These rules really make sense to me and helped me see clearly what I've done wrong all these years. I remember writing a whole novel on my PowerPoint, excited that the teacher was going to grade me highly for my detailed descriptions, when in fact that was the exact opposite of what I should do.

So now I will list a number of points on how to improve my PowerPoint projects from now on:

- Presenter is the absolute most important aspect of the PowerPoint
- you should be able to present even if your PowerPoint does not work
- everything in the PowerPoint should amplify your point
- you shouldn't have to explain your powerpoint, it is there to assist you in presenting
- anything in the PowerPoint that would divert attention from your presentation should not be there
- points in the PowerPoint should not be EXACTLY what you're saying but rather help you expand on your topic
- introduce yourself before a presentation (e.g. "Hello, my name is Serena and I'm here to talk to you today about LCD Monitors.")
- do not read off the PowerPoint; you should face your audience at all times
- PowerPoint should be in jot notes, using only the most important info
- Minimum font size: 24, it's better to use large font to allow people to see better
- don't use sounds or animations that don't have important purposes; only use them to support what you're saying
- instead of looking at the PowerPoint, use the small computer monitor in front of you to see your PowerPoint so you don't turn away from the audience
- try to use same WordArt for titled as to create a sort of branding upon what you're trying to teach everyone so that it's not confusing and that people will be able to identify it
- use WordArt only for titles

So those are some of the rules of PowerPoint presentations and hopefully they will help me in the future.

Labels: Powerpoint

Today was quite an interesting day in Business class. I learned something that I had always heard about but never exactly wanted to dip toes in because it sounded so complex and difficult. However, I was quite surprised on how fast I picked up on it.

To put it simply, binary code is the language computers speak and process through. In our every day numbers, we go by base of ten numbers (e.g. 10, 100, 1000, 10000) but base of binary code goes up by multiplying 2 (e.g. 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128). In binary code, you only use the numbers 1 and 0. What you do is you look at the place value of the base of the binary code and you try to add up to the sum of the number you want.

For example:

Number your trying to make: 45

Place value: 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1

>>>>>>>>>>>>1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1

So to put it into words, I tried to make 45 out of the sum of the numbers in the base value. I don't need 64 to make 45 because it's over the value. I move on to 32, which I need to make 45. Then I go to 16, and I realize I can't make 45 with 32 + 16 because that would be 48 which is over the amount. I do need an 8 because that would bring up the number to 40, which is close to 45. I need a 4 which would make it 44 but I don't need a 2 because it would make it 46 which is over. Finally, I use one which makes it 45.

I was very excited when I finally got it because it was exciting to understand and process. Hopefully, I will find more discoveries like that in Business class.

Goodbye for now,
Serena

Labels: Binary Code

Today I continued my quest to learn the ropes of a Liquid Crystal Display Monitor. Continued from where I left off last time, I refreshed my memory briefly. I reminded myself that an LCD monitor worked with two pieces of polarized glass (which I have figured out the definition for - at last!) that have liquid crystal matter in between. The way it worked was by blocking light. First, the backlight creates light which passes through the first piece of glass. Then, electrical currents cause the liquid crystal matter to shift and move around to allow a variety of levels of light to pass on from the first glass to the second.

With that in my head, I continued to search for more information. Like I mentioned earlier, I did come across the definition for polarized glass which means glass that is designed to only allow light in only a certain direction. I also discovered a simpler meaning for matrix which simply can be stated as a grid.

Most LCD monitors use active matrix technology (flat panel display that basically is refreshed
more often than passive matrix technology, which gives it very good image quality, good response time, lighter weight and more variety of colours). I've learned the way active matrix technology works is that the thin film transistor (TFT) arranges the tiny transistors and capacitors in a grid on the glass of the display. Just like playing battleship, TFT addresses a specific pixel by switching on a proper row & then sending a charge down the correct column. Since all the other rows the column crosses are shut off, the capacitor at the specific pixel receives a charge which it is then able to hold onto until the next refresh cycle.

Some of the extra information I learned was that liquid crystal is a material that possesses qualities that are in between the qualities of a normal liquid and that of a solid crystal. A transistor is a semiconductor which means it only lets some electricity pass through. A capacitor is a device that doesn't act visibly & stores energy in the space surrounding the electric field (electrical charge) between two conductors (a substance that makes it able for electricity to pass along or through).

Today my brain was truly crammed with much information and hopefully it will all settle in time for the poster making process tomorrow in class.

Peace out,
Serena

Labels: LCD Monitors

Ever read something that you needed to understand, but just could not?

Story of my life. At least, today it was.

Sitting down in computer class, we got back to doing our latest project: research in groups on certain computer components and software. Each group was assigned a group last class and we began working on it. My group received the LCD monitor as our research topic, which seemed easy enough. However, I honestly really had a headache while researching for this complex subject.

I'd always known what a monitor was. Simple enough, it was a part of the computer that was attached to the computer so that we can see the information and carry out the work we're doing. It was the LCD part that was mind bottling to me.

To start it off, LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display, which sounds all nice and dandy but is amazingly difficult to grasp hold of what it meant. Through my research, numerous of difficult & strange words were being thrown to me. It seemed impossible to learn and I had never been very patient. Still I knew that this was something I needed to do, so my group and I decided to split the vast topic up and try to understand it separately so we can better grasp our topic and then teach it to each other. I realized maybe what I needed to do in order to understand LCD monitors is to figure out what their purpose is. This piece of technology was basically still doing the same thing as a regular monitor: helping us process information and visualize the data.

So if that's the case, then I just needed to figure out how LCD monitors worked to help us visualize and compute. Basically, liquid crystal displays worked by blocking light. It's made up of two pieces of polarized glass (which I have looked up but still yet fully grasped the meaning), and the pieces of glass have liquid crystal material between them. How it functions is that the backlight creates light that passes through the first piece of polarized glass while electrical currents cause the liquid crystal particles to move. The controlled amount of movement allow various levels of light to pass through to the second glass, thus becoming what you see in an LCD monitor.

Once I had put it in my own words and wrapped my mind around it, I realized that it wasn't all that bad at all. In fact, it was quite satisfying and refreshing once I completely understood the complex terms. Still, I have a lot more research to do so hopefully all will go well and I will be able to create a fantastic poster that will thoroughly explain LCD monitors to the fellow grade nines.

That's all for now,

Serena

Labels: LCD Monitors

So here we are, at my first Blogspot post. It has been a while since I last started up a blog (and actually commited to it), but hopefully this one will turn out at least halfway decent.

Grade 9 hit me like a ton of bricks and sadly, I now realize summer'08 is over... It was certainly one heck of a summer and I sincerely miss it a lot. With this new year, came new responsibility. A lot of things changed for me, in my family life, friends, academically and in other areas of my life. Moreover, we are getting lectures of how much Grade 9 matters and how it is the key to a successful future and blah blah blah. Honestly, my brain is still too sunburned to process all of this "change".

A little about me... Well I absolutely adore the subject English, and I love writing & reading. Snuggling up with a good book and getting lost in its pages is just amazing. Other pastimes I enjoy are shopping, Facebook, MSN, sleeping (oh, LOVE that one), talking on the phone and hanging out with friends. My favourite food? CHOCOLATE! Yum. Some of my favourite movies are Napolean Dynamite, Day After Tomorrow, Breakfast Club, Clueless, Mean Girls, X-Men, Titanic, Moulin Rouge, Thirteen, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Carribean, and more that I can't remember at the moment. Through my many years of reading, I have collected a list of my all time favourites that I do recommend you to read. I really can't quite understand why people nowadays don't read so much. True, there are a lot of distractions, but reading is reading and it can give you an experience that TV, music and other technology cannot. Some of the books I adore include His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman, Awake & Dreaming by Kit Pearson, Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling, Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, Guardians of Ga'Hoole by Kathryn Lasky and Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer.

So why choose Business & Computers class? Honestly, I couldn't understand my choice at first. I mean, I never quite envisioned myself dipping my toes in such a highly competitive and everchanging industry. However, I realized that my unconscious had made a choice for me when I chose business. I mean the purpose of highschool courses are to help you explore your options and why not explore this area of knowledge? Who knows? Maybe something good will come out of it. Nevertheless, I do look forward to a great year of incorporating business with technology.

Until next time,

Serena

Labels: Life

Serena
Isabelle.

Shehnila
Neda
Sadia
Peggy
Sanjida
Amna
Joanna
Mohammed
Konstantin
Derick

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