Web 101 Week 2 Topic 1.1 WHAT IS THE INTERNET

Web 101 Week 2


Topic 1.1 What is the internet

Network Basics

According to the information that is in the notes, it’s a very big computer network!

And interesting to find out that: “However, as with many technological tools, the Net has become so ubiquitous in our society that most people are barely familiar with the fundamentals of how it operates.” (Curtin 2010 Web communications 101). (Ubiquitous = everywhere).

I enjoyed the interactive embedded sections of the notes, it made for interesting watching especially the history of the internet. Fifty + years from the invention of the original super computer to the internet that we utilise today.

Part 2 Activities

Activity 1 Routing in Action

Proxy trace to
google.com
19 hops / 22.0 seconds

1. Unknown
2. bigpond.net.au
3. telstra.net
4. telstra.net
5. telstra.net
6. telstra.net
7. telstra.net
8. telstra.net
9. reach.com
10. reach.com
11. comcast.net
12. comcast.net
13. dreamhost.com
14. dreamhost.com
15. dreamhost.com
16. coresite.com
17. 216.239.43.14
18. 72.14.239.242
19. 1e100.net
~16,257 miles travelled
http://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/visual-tracert/

My thoughts:

This has been an interesting experience as I have never done a proxy trace before. I didn’t realise that the proxy bounced off so many hosts until it landed in its final destination.

I did a trace for eztv.it and found that its origin is in Sverige, Sweden, but as with the other trace for Google, they all seem to route through America.

Activity 2 Who owns what?

“All domain names are registered either to a business or an individual. Now, we're going to use that knowledge to do a little snooping!”

Apart from mickey.com which is registered to Melbourne IT LTD. D/B/A INTERNET NAMES WORLDWIDE.
The remainder are: Registrar: MARKMONITOR INC.

My thoughts:

I have never used AutoWhois before, I found it quite interesting to find that Markmonitor is used by many sites as a registrar. I think it is more for BRAND protection, protection of registrant’s information on domain names.

PART 3 Examples of Networking Software.

“A global computer network is only as useful as the applications that can be used on it”

My thoughts:

The first experience I had with email and news groups (News Network Transfer Protocol) was when I attended the local university in the mid 1990’s and accessing the internet was via dial up. The university had its own server that was networked and they sent a great deal of information via the newsgroups. It was a complex system at the time. (It was interesting to find out that Google had purchased archived newsgroups. Does that mean that if I had submitted something to the newsgroup, it is now the property of a major conglomerate? ) I participated at great length on IRC (inter relay chat) under the nickname “Argos”, but IRC was not as developed then as it is now. Just out of pure curiosity I had a look at the new (to me) IRC. The program has changed dramatically as has ICQ which was also developed around the same (if not a year or two later). I made quite a few friends who I still keep in contact with.

NET 102 1st reading 'Everyday life' and 'Conclusion'

As part of the introduction category for week one:


‘Everyday Life’ and ‘Conclusion’ sections (pp. 163 to 165) of Berger, A. A. (1995). Sociological Theory and Cultural Criticism. In Cultural Criticism: A Primer of Key Concepts. Sage Publications.

My Review.

Berger discusses his study on how popular culture and Mass media affect everyday life. His focus is on everyday life "on the experiences of ordinary people and on their routines, attitudes, beliefs, and ways of functioning, with a particular interest in how they find meaning in their experiences". (1995, p 163)

Berger suggests in his writings that there are three important main points, “about how sociologist of everyday life work” (1995, p 163), first, natural environment observation, second, face to face observation and third, what people find meaningful in their lives, their internal experiences. He discusses that there is a difference between how sociologist on different continents, in this case “continental social scientists”(1995, p163) and in particular Henri Lefebvre, vary from American scholars in respect to ideological aspects of everyday life. He discusses how some American scholars study and blend the two ideologies to which “it is possible to draw a line between mass-mediated culture and everyday life” (1995, p 164).

I’m led to understand by Berger, that everyday life if studied can provide us with an understanding of social and sociological perspectives and could help us enhance further our utilisation and connection between popular culture, mass media and everyday life.
My thoughts:

It was an interesting read. Did I understand it? Yes to a degree. What did I learn? That mass media really does need to be studied by sociologists and not philosophers (it’s not really a philosophical concept; it is everyday life so why get philosophical about it?). No wonder television, newspapers, magazines and in particular the internet have progressed in leaps and bounds, people have the desire for knowledge no matter how insignificant it is, and people will want to study those who have desires. The internet has certainly taken me to places I never thought I would go, given me access to things I’m curious about, why not study it?

References:

‘Everyday Life’ and ‘Conclusion’ sections (pp. 163 to 165) of Berger, A. A. (1995). Sociological Theory and Cultural Criticism. In Cultural Criticism: A Primer of Key Concepts (pp. 135-165). Sage Publications.

 
 
If you like my review, thank you. Please do not copy.