Vews on information sources

• Surveys as sources Resource

Surveys can be either Secondary or First hand information depending on who collected them, Secondary is if someone else collected the information and you cannot completely rely on that data just in case it is wrong, there might be anomlese, for example someone missed a question.

It is a good source if you know where the information came from and you have taken out any errors, it can be relied upon more if you collected it yourself (or your company).

• Sensors as sources Resource

These are highly reliable unless there is a malfunction but the degree of reliability drops as the quality of the equipment drops, but you will need to take the tests more than once to get more accurate data.

Very good if you can record and use the data for what you are doing, in QwikFeet's example, this is not a good choice because you cannot collect data about shoes by sticking a probe into the sole.

• The internet as a source Resource

This can be very unreliable, everyone can post things here, look what I am doing, do not believe everything you read here. (The world will end tomorrow at 4 o'clock!)

Stear clear from this.

Fixed and Variable costs

Fixed costs are things such as the premesis hire or the amount you pay your staff. A business definition is the costs that you pay monthly, quarterly or yearly that do not change.

Variable costs are the costs that change with how many products you produce, the more you produce the more costs you have but the lower the cost per item there is.

For example if you sell 5 widgets with fixed costs of £2.00 and a total fixed cost of £1000 that means that it is 5*£2.00=£10.00
£1000/5=£200
£200+£2.00= £202.00 per item with a total cost of £1010 but if you make 10 items the total cost per item would be:

£10*£2.00=£20.00
£1000/10=£100
£100+£2.00=£102.00 per item with a total cost of £1020.00

Task - Find out about WLANs

He's from Essex!

Research the local community WLANs mentioned at wlan.org.uk

• Where are these projects mainly located?

They are right across the world, including belgium and czech. However they are not in Gosport or Porstmouth but in SOUTHAMPTON!? Come on people! I want free wireless!!

• Why have they been created?

So people can by pass the companys who gain from selling people broadband by giving everyone free wireless access whereever they are using a network of wireless access points on peoples houses and on public places, for example piers.

• What groups do they serve and in what way?

They serve everyone and give them wireless access to the internet for their laptops and PDAs, this is good because people can go to the beach and still be able to keep in touch with people at work. The only disadvantage for that is they cannot access those places inTRANnet.

• Have they, and/or will they have, any impact on the digital divide?

Hopefully people accross the world will start to use this to bring wireless internet to the rest of the world until some one decides to shoot off a few satalittes to cover the whole world with super fast broadband for a small fee taken through tax (Only about £0.50 per person per week so £2.00 a month to keep it running per country. (Maybe more if you are some type of money hungry tycoon.))

Task - Research your local community ICT access.

Research the provision of ICT in the community within your home town. Identify the disadvantaged groups who could benefit most from having more access to digital technologies and what is the mpact of the current digital divide. Evaluate the extent to which disadvantaged groups are served by the initiatives.

There are really no disadvantages people around, its just that some choose not to use these things. Not to sound "posh" or "snobish" but I have seen no homeless people lying about in the streets where I live and the worst person I have seen is someone sitting around selling "BIG ISSUE!" with his golden retriever (who looked quite plump to say the least) and his musto on near the ferry on our side not pompey. !!*Not meaning to be rude or anything here, just saying*!!

However the people who choose not to use the internet and other tehnologies are disadvantaging themselves as there is a lot to gain from these resources, for example, they would be able to contact peole in different countries for relatively nothing and other amazing things.

Task - Research initiatives to fund the digital divide.

Project chosen - Old rural people.

• What is its purpose?

To give older people in rural places in England the chance to see and use a computer.

• How it relates o the digital divide.

Many countries that are rural and out of the way do not have access to the internet or computers.

• Who are its main target clients?

Older people who are thinking about using computers to help them do things easier or just want to learn about a computer before deciding if it is worth getting one with internet access etc or not at all.

• What are its strengths and weaknesses?

Strengths: Brings people knowledge of computers.

Allows people to use computers more effectively.

Allows people to keep in contact with relatives and business partners etc...

Weaknesses: They might not want this invasion of technology.

They might want to stay with what they have and the "old way of life"

They might not want people coming into the towns to teach them about things they really don't want because they think people are just trying to sell them things.

• What improvements could be made?

To promote it better so more people will go and learn and become better with computers, this will allow them to better themselves. The best way for people to understand the digital divide is to show them what they are missing after they have not had it before.

If more people in the UK know about computers and how it has changed their lives for the better the more they will want the lower developed countries to get the stuff they have gained to better themselves.

Task - ICT and pensioners in rural England.

• Do you feel digital technologies have made a genuine impact on the couple's lives?

It has because they are now able to do things that they wouldn't have dreamed about doing a years ago. It has allowed them to keep in contact with relatives they wouldn't have been able to otherwise and has made it easier for them to get things to themselves as their old bones can have a rest.

• Would their lives be poorer if they did not have access to ICT at home?

They certainly would not be able to talk to their relatives or catch up with old friends if they did not have the internet or a computer. Also they are able to store more photos and lose less money processing them because all they have to do is print them off after editing or send them to their relatives in Pakistan and Aus.

• The couple were able to afford their own computer. Would ccess in the community centre three miles away be as useful.

It would for other people who do not have access to the internet however, for them the only major benefit would be to get them out of the house so they could go and talk to their friends down at the community hall with a cup of tea and a computer.

Task - Who studes computing subjects?

What is the situation where you are studying? How many girls and how many boys study computing subjects post - 16?
If there is a significant difference between the two then investigate why this is the case. What impact do you think it has on girls and on society as a whole?

Generally there are more boys doing computing sciences whereas more girls go for social sciences, for example, physcology etc...

One of the main factors in this are that girls are discouraged throughout their life not to follow these paths and to follow a more "womenly role" of child care and cleaning. This spans back to earlier years when women did not have the vote and were expected to stay home and do the washing while the men went to war or to do some manual or "clever" things. People think that women are "not as good as men" in some cases and commonly today women are not payed as much as men, for example, women who play premiership football do not get payed as much as even second or third league men, they hold down jobs as well and sometimes, the women are better than the male players and are more aggressive.

It is all to do with "the fitting of roles" in society, you must be an upstanding member of the community and women should walk around with babies on their backs while men have briefcases.