Category: Network

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Design Education Globalization Network Rich media Technology

Google takes on PowerPoint

Google has now added to their on-line tools solution to include presentation software very similar to PowerPoint. This compliments their word processing and spreadsheet tools, virtually serving online version of Microsoft Office. And all you need is a Google account.

google prezo

Impressed that it supports PowerPoint (.ppt) file format. You can upload an existing presentation created in Microsoft PowerPoint program and share it with a few people (in a secure environment) or choose to share it with the world (via a url) or better yet simply upload your file to SlideShare a great free site where people are sharing presentations.

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Education Globalization Internet2 Network Technology Virtual Reality WiscNet

Tech futures in higher education

internet2 k20Today’s Live Discussion at the Chronicle of Higher Education points to the growth of new technologies that will change the college campus. Gartner’s “Hype Cycle for Higher Education” focused on technologies that will transform colleges in the next 10 years: global library digitization projects, personal devices with campus network access, Internet2, e-learning repositories, quantum computing and virtual worlds.
I am very glad to see Internet2 getting more press as a key, defining technology for the future of colleges.

Tags: The Chronicle of Higher Education, Internet2, future technologies,trends

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Education Globalization Network Smartphone Technology

Text Message your next pizza

dominos pizzaThe emerging and cool method to order pizza is via SMS by Domino’s. After a successful test run early this summer.

Sound interesting? Big pizza lover? You will need to register and establish a preferred menu…but just text message “gametime” will have your favorite pizza at your door within 30 minutes.

And by gametime I mean football….well actually I mean soccer. Domino’s is making this available only in the United Kingdom.

Tags: pizza, Domino’s, SMS, United Kingdom, trends

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Design Education Globalization Network Rich media Smartphone Technology

Designers: Core Animation

Lets face it: Today many graphic designers are programmers. They have been moving into the coding world for a number of years. Most cut their teeth on Web 1.0’s plain old HTML. With one foot in Flash‘s ActionScript and JavaScript were clearly the sign to jump in with both feet. This acquired knowledge and new creative energies have paid off handsomely for many designers.

CSS was the next logical choice that continues today as designers create smarter webpages and blogs with strong visual impacts. Even WordPress‘ own website correctly states: Code is Poetry. These skills have proved to be required tools for today’s successful graphic designer.

falling pinsThe next step may well be Apple’s Core Animation. Look closely at the new iPhone commercials – you will notice a bit of Core Animation: Google push pins drop from the sky onto a map. Good bye static pins!

This small example should really open up the interactive space for designers. Core Animation clearly shows just the tip of the graphical/animation iceberg that will become more robust moving forward.

Designers will jump on this new technology and adapt the necessary code to implement designs on phone and webpages. Apple needs to empower more than their die-hard programmers. Give designers the right tool for the job and we will see amazing interactive graphic elements on the web and our iPhones.

Tags: Core Animation, graphic design, code, iPhone, information design, trends

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Globalization Internet2 Milwaukee Network WiscNet

Internet2: Now running 100Gigabits

Internet2

From coast to coast Internet2 is now connecting educational and research institutions across a new nationwide network at 100 Gigabits per second. For the Midwest is a perfect compliment to the new Boreas network announced this past spring. Public networks like WiscNet are automatically wired into this new upgrade. What a great jump for our national education and research communities.

Other views: ComputerWorld, PCWorld (Australia), The Register, PC Pro, Network World.

The network upgrade provides power and opportunity for K12 and Higher Educational institutions to continue to engage a global world for shared knowledge opportunities. At the regional level this brings city governments, libraries, hospitals, museums and technical colleges onto the network and into the conversation of participation. With a backbone of 100 GB/s HD video conferencing and remote instrumentation become accessible for the first time to a growing number of educators and students.

Tags: Internet2, 100Gbs, network, Boreas, WiscNet, trends