A Beginner's Guide to HTML

"A Beginner's Guide to HTML" is a useful site and can be viewed at http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/Internet/WWW/HTMLPrimerAll.html. It was created by The National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), which is a leader in defining the future's high-performance computing infrastructure for scientists and for society.

The article covers what an HTML document is, markup tags, character formatting, linking, images and troubleshooting. HTML documents are plain-text files that can be created using any text editor (e.g., SimpleText on a Macintosh; Notepad on a Windows). You can also use word-processing software if you remember to save your document as "text only with line breaks". To denote the various elements in an HTML document, you use tags. HTML tags consist of a left angle bracket (<), a tag name, and a right angle bracket (>). Tags are usually paired to start and end the tag instruction. The end tag looks just like the start tag except a slash (/) precedes the text within the brackets. A list of HTML tags are provided on the site. Some elements may include an attribute, which is additional information that is included inside the start tag. For example, you can specify the alignment of images (top, middle, or bottom) by including the appropriate attribute with the image source HTML code. Markup tags include the head, body, title, headings, paragraphs and different types of lists. Character formatting involves two types of styles for individual words or sentences: logical and physical. Logical styles tag text according to its meaning, while physical styles indicate the specific appearance of a section.

This is just a preview of what the article discusses concerning the use of HTML. More helpful information can be found by clicking on the URL at the top of this blog.

"Governing Good Web Site Design"

"Governing Good Web Site Design" is an article that can be found at http://evolt.org/article/Governing_Good_Web_Site_Design/22/60371/. The site was composed by http://evolt.org, which is a world community for web developers, promoting the mutual free exchange of ideas, skills and experiences. The article states that well-constructed Web sites tend to share a number of characteristics. These characteristics provide the basis of the "Research-Based Web Design and Usability Guidelines" developed by the Federal Government as part of its usability.gov initiative. There are four guidelines that outline how a successful Web site should be constructed. They are the following: Use an Iterative Design Approach, Provide Useful Content, Ensure Visual Consistency and Use Black Text on Plain, High-Contrast Backgrounds. Some of these guidelines seem to be issues regarding common sense but Web sites in general are easier to view by users when they are created with simplicity.

Tutorial on Writing Web pages

A great site to look at when searching for information on the basics of writing a Web page is http://math.wustl.edu/~msh210/html.html. This site provides information for people without a background in creating Web pages. Terms such as HTML, tags, hyperlinks and cascading style sheets are defined. Examples are given regarding the structure a Web page must follow. Every HTML document consists of just two things: text and tags. A tag always starts with a left-angle-bracket (<) and ends with a right-angle-bracket (>). The tags seem confusing at first but the process will become easier with practice in writing Web pages. The head of the page supplies information about the page to Web browsers, to search engines, and to any other program looking at the page. This information is not seen by the person looking at the page itself. The body of the page, which can be found in between the brackets, will comprise of text mostly. To create hyperlinks, lists and images in a Web page, you must use certain types of tags. Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) create rules for the tags you input. For example, if you would like the text of your Web page to appear in the color red, you would input a rule before the brackets of the tags. { color : red } would appear before your left-angle bracket.

Directories

Directories are sites that maintain an index of other Internet sites. The data in these directories has been input by people while search engines contain information retrieved from computer programs. Since the Internet is growing every day, it is not possible to have a comprehensive directory to the Internet. Most directories can be browsed by subject, or searched.
Directories are generally better at finding general information. For instance, if you want to know about the death penalty in general, a directory is where you should start. Your search statement would be "death penalty." If you want to focus in on something more specific, like "Is the death penalty a deterrent to crime?," use a search engine or meta search engine. Your search statement would include the two concepts: "death penalty and deterrent." One of the most common directories used on the Internet is http://yahoo.com. More information on directories can be found at http://library.com.edu/TheSource/internet_module.htm#Directories

This is just some useful information I found and put together about directories but I usually use search engines and meta-search engines such as Google.com and http://dogpile.com.

My View on Filtering and Blocking Devices

The Internet contains millions of Web sites with loads of information available to all users. Filters and blocking devices control the material that can be accessed across the Web but they also make useful sites unavailable. Some Medical Web pages could end up restricted as a result of filtering. Parents install these restrictions on their computers so their children cannot view inappropriate material. My experience with filtering is that my father limited my access on the Internet. As a result I could not view Medical and Research Web pages to find information I needed to complete some homework assignments. It is frustrating because the information needed is restricted even though the site contains useful and educational information. Certain words or phrases on the Web page can trigger the blocking device to restrict the site. The solution to this problem is in either avoiding filters and blocking devices altogether or allowing the devices to be accessed manually. If restrictions want to be placed on Internet users, the filters can be turned on. When searching for medical information such as the advantages of safe sex, the filters and blocking devices should be turned off.

Spyware

I never knew that Spyware or Adware existed until about a week ago. Some of my friends look at me like I am crazy when I tell them this but it is true. My laptop has been moving at an extremely slow pace for the past week and millions of pop up advertisements invade my screen everyday. I deleted some programs from my control panel that I thought were causing the viruses but my computer continued to move slowly. I am not a very patient person so you can see why this problem started to drive me crazy. It also didn't help that I have had a ton of work to do this week for my classes. Spyware and these viruses were just another inconvenience to add on to my list of many. With the help of a friend and a guy at the University computer help center, I went to http://download.com and downloaded Spy Sweeper and Ad-Aware. These programs scanned my laptop and removed the spyware, viruses, trojans and cookies that were found. I have learned that I am supposed to scan my laptop at least once a week to get rid of these harmful materials. It is disturbing to me that people create these programs to invade other PC's and steal their private information. I am glad I am finally aware of spyware and adware so I can now avoid their detriments.

Google Search Engine

Google is a search engine that I use most often when searching for information on the Internet. The URL is http://www.google.com/. The search engine provides links to make it easier to access the images, news, blogger, translation and shopping features. The advanced search feature makes it possible to modify the results. An example is selecting only ".gov" for the domain in order to produce results for valid political issues. By doing this, all other domains would be omitted from the results. It is convenient to receive only results from educational sites when searching for substantial information. Another important feature on the Google search engine is the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button, which automatically takes you to the first web page returned for your query. An "I'm Feeling Lucky" search means less time searching for web pages and more time spent looking at them.

Using Search Engines Effectively

A website that is helpful in learning how to use search engines effectively is http://www.gradlink.edu.au/content/view/full/181. It was created by Gradlink: Graduate Careers & Employment. The homepage is the official website of the Graduate Careers Council of Australia (GCCA). The site explains how to locate information and once found, how the quality of that information can be assured, when using search engines. Information is provided to let the reader know exactly how a search engine operates and how to improve searches by using meta tags and keywords. Links for different search engines are available along with a short description of the engine's good and/or bad qualities. Gradlink also lists questions that should be considered while searching a site to determine if it is reliable. Some of these questions are "What authority or credibility does the person or organization publishing the information on the site have?" and "Is there a date stating when the site was last updated?" This website addresses many points to guarantee that search engines are used adequately.

Dogpile Meta-Search Engine

Dogpile is a great meta-search engine to use when you would like to receive a combination of results from more than one search engine. The URL is http://dogpile.com/. Its features include a link to images, audio, multimedia, news, shopping and it also provides an advanced search. The homepage is constructed similarly to Google's, without ads and distracting pop ups. I recommend using this search engine for research because it is frequently updated. Dogpile provides a quick and easy way to view the largest amount of results retrieved from several search engines.

My first experience in adding an image to a blog

MTV Website

The purpose of the MTV website: http://www.mtv.com/home/home.jhtml is to allow users to gain access to information about movies, shows and music. The website lists new songs and movies that have recently come out. The homepage displays important information about the television program and links to other options available on the site. It is useful if one would like to find out the times certain shows are playing and to vote for songs to be on the top requested list. The website has been strictly composed for its television viewers. It allows easy access to MTV information without turning on the television. Users can also download videos, songs and photographs on the website. It displays news regarding new artists and shows. © 2004 MTV Networks. © and TM MTV Networks. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Hypnotist Act Turns Out To Be Big Hit--Campus Event

Famous Hypnotist, Tom DeLuca performed in Dodd Auditorium Sunday night, August 29th at 8:00 pm. He has been nominated NACA Campus Entertainer of the Year and has appeared on NBC's Dateline. DeLuca picked about twenty students from the audience to take part in his hypnosis act. A few of the students were asked to return to their seats because the hypnosis simply did not work on them. The remaining bunch underwent a deep sleep in which they were commanded to perform a series of ridiculous and embarrassing tasks that had the audience overwhelmed with hysterical laughter. The whole show turned out to be a big hit in my opinion. I was reluctant to go at first but my RA made everyone on my floor attend the show. I felt the $2 admission was well worth it and would gladly attend another one of his shows.

Basketball in the Olympics

Everyone that has been watching the Olympic basketball games can see that the USA men's team has not been playing up to their level of expectancy. They were nicknamed the "Dream Team" prior to the Olympics but have not displayed quality performances. The team is composed of rookie and experienced NBA players from all over the United States. In games they appear sluggish and selfish. None of the fundamental basketball skills are being used for the most part, by the players. On the contrary, the USA women's team competes as a team and displays the core fundamentals of the game. As a result, they are undefeated and on their way to the championship game. A week ago I saw on the news that the women actively supported the men by attending their basketball game and cheering for the players. I was disappointed when I found out that the men went to the women's game and sat in the stands with headphones on and looked disinterested. It is nice that they supported the women by showing up but I don't respect their attitudes.