Entry 6: Maps, Compasses and protractors?

Ever felt lost? Like extremely lost? Never fear! The maps and compasses are here! WHAT?! ARE YOU FROM THE STONE AGE?!

Just a decade ago, maps, protractors and compasses were used extensively to guide us through places and travels. But now, with the introduction of Google Maps, you can literally just click your way to you desired destination! Here’s an introduction of the amazing Google maps! Something that I used extremely often as well!

So what is Google maps all about? Here’s a detailed description of Google maps by our dear and reliable online encyclopaedia Wikipedia!

“Google Maps (formerly Google Local) is a web-mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free (for non-commercial use), that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API. It offers street maps, a route planner for traveling by foot, car, or public transport and an urban business locator for numerous countries around the world. Google Maps satellite images are not in real time; they are several months or years old.”

There you go! A simple yet detailed description of Google maps all in one paragraph. And that’s the end of this entry! Hahaha… I’m just kidding. Here’s my personal experience with what I consider a godsend of an Internet tool.

I run a lot. But in order to do some proper running with a sense of direction and how far I ran, I needed something useful and user-friendly that could aid in my quest to find the perfect running rout around my area. So that was when I turned to Google maps! With Google maps I could map out all sorts of running routes and according to my different preference in distance and elevation in roads (well the elevation in roads were up to my own personal knowledge of the area, but they will probably implement that feature within Google maps soon, I hope!) here’s a few visual aids to show you the amazing Google maps and the easiness to plan out a route! So here’s an example of how I choose my own route, and this is real! It wasn’t done just for this blog; I actually do use this route!!

First go to Google maps itself. Here’s the link : http://maps.google.com/

Now type in the address of you choice as shown in the red circle above. Naturally mine would be Toa Payoh since I live there.

In the red circle, you can type in a specific location for you starting and endpoint of running route. For me, since I just want to run a huge circle around Toa Payoh, I’ll just type in the same address for both “A” and “B”.

So as you can see, I typed in the same address and this is what you get, shown by the black arrows. The blue line between the two green pointers is your route that you can click to hold and drag around.

So this is what happens after you play around with dragging the route; as shown in the red circle!

Viola! I have created the running route of my choice! A mini circle around half the estate of Toa Payoh! How do I know how long this distance is? Simple! They show you the distance as well as indicated by the red circle!

EASY RIGHT? Now go create your own routes, or just play around and have fun with Google maps! Google should pay me for this promotion that I’m doing for them.

Entry 5: Instant connection on the surface, anywhere, anytime

Technology has made leaps and bounds over the past decade. With these advancements, it has not only affected and improve our lives, its has wormed it’s way into every single aspect of life. In this day and age, without technology, life will literally just slow down to a standstill. The thought of this is mind-blogging. As I sit here and type, it makes me ponder over an interesting thought, that without a portable technological device, I would not be able to leave my house to sit comfortably at a Starbucks coffee house with a nice cup of coffee and do my work. Nor would I be able to refer to any information that I require as and when I want and I would just look like a lost sheep on the streets of Singapore! In addition, I would not be able to revise for exams, or do my work, or hand in assignments, or do my research or or or…. The list goes on!!! By now you should have an idea of where this topic is leading. Education! E-learning! Before I continue, just sit and think, how would you be able to EFFICIENTLY AND PROFICIENTLY progress our academia learning without technology? This is why the term “digital divide” exist. There have always been issues brought up in news about countries that do not have access to technology that inhibits their people’s learning and education. But that’s another topic altogether. Anyways, can you see how important technology is now? Without it, connectivity will be lost!

With this, people have always been improving technology so as to achieve better connectivity and sharing. The aim of the game in this technological era of ours is to strive for better inter-connectivity, because knowledge is shared and passed between each other. That’s the way people learn best. That’s why we go to schools to attend lectures. :) So without further ado, let me introduce you to a groundbreaking design: the Microsoft Surface Technology!

Here’s an introduction of what the Microsoft Surface Technology is all about!

With this kind of technology, only more opportunities and improvements can follow in its wake. Just imagine every school being fitted with this “table”, with students being able to communicate easily and efficiently with their teachers and being able to do group discussion and edit and work on projects and consolidate ideas with the simple sift of you fingers! Here’s a video to show you the visual wonders of Microsoft Surface being integrated into a classroom.

So can you see how the two go side by side so well? Quoting Microsoft: “Microsoft Surface and education are like peanut butter and jelly. Microsoft Surface is like that with a number of markets, but there's something about kids interacting with a computer in a very accessible way that seems right.”

In the near future, once this technology is available at an affordable price, education will be taken to a new level. Basically, it will change the face of education and how people learn and interact with each other. Wouldn’t that be awesome? :)