新功能 新介面 Timeline 名符其實以時間軸形式清楚詳列了用戶在 facebook 發放的訊息, 感想, 留言, 照片甚至打卡地點一概不漏. 這個做法對查閱用戶過往既歴史資料十分有用, 無需按 50 多次下一頁或浪費半個小時以上去找尋過往既留言資料. 但不少人對自己的過去有所保留, 至少想保留一點私隱, 小棗亦是這群人的其中之一. 新介面的來臨確為小棗花了不少時間去重新檢視自己的帳戶內容.

把握時間檢討過去 成功 “升級” 至 Timeline 後, 第一件事就要檢視自己發放過的信息, 用戶只有 7 天時間去重新檢視或修改自己過往的資料. 無睇錯, 係只有 7 天時檢視及修改, 對於 Facebook 的老用戶或更新頻率甚高的用戶會較為麻煩. 過了 7 天的修改期, 用戶舊有的資料就不可以被修改. 除了檢視自已過去發佈的信息外, 同時要檢視朋友們的留言.

快速設定法 [...]]]> Facebook 自 2011 年尾推出新介面 Timeline 後, 經過個多月的推廣, 最近 facebook 會將此功能落實在每一個用戶. 如未有 Timeline 的你, 是時候要知道新介面對你的影響了.

新功能 新介面
Timeline 名符其實以時間軸形式清楚詳列了用戶在 facebook 發放的訊息, 感想, 留言, 照片甚至打卡地點一概不漏. 這個做法對查閱用戶過往既歴史資料十分有用, 無需按 50 多次下一頁或浪費半個小時以上去找尋過往既留言資料. 但不少人對自己的過去有所保留, 至少想保留一點私隱, 小棗亦是這群人的其中之一. 新介面的來臨確為小棗花了不少時間去重新檢視自己的帳戶內容.

把握時間檢討過去
成功 “升級” 至 Timeline 後, 第一件事就要檢視自己發放過的信息, 用戶只有 7 天時間去重新檢視或修改自己過往的資料. 無睇錯, 係只有 7 天時檢視及修改, 對於 Facebook 的老用戶或更新頻率甚高的用戶會較為麻煩. 過了 7 天的修改期, 用戶舊有的資料就不可以被修改. 除了檢視自已過去發佈的信息外, 同時要檢視朋友們的留言.

快速設定法
想簡單唔想煩, facebook 內有選項可將舊有內容只開放給朋友觀看, 備免用戶私隱過於開放.

• 進入私隱設定選項, 在控制你的私隱設定預設值, 選朋友
• 在限制舊帖的分享對象中進入管理舊帖能見度, 開啟限制舊帖功能
  開啟這個功能後朋友和他們的朋友也可能看到這些帖子. 如果極不想公開過去的資料可選只有自己
• 在如何標註人名中, 按編輯設定進入如何標註人名:
  - 在生活時報的最大能見度一項選朋友
  - 在標籤建議中選朋友
• 檢視封鎖用戶和應用程式內有否記錄了不應出現在列表上的人
• 花點時間檢視一下資料

轉換身份試清楚
在設定私隱時, 可利用身份轉換功能, 從而檢視各朋友可看到的資料. 如果某些資料設定了特殊權限的話, 這個功能尤其有用. 當然無需對每一個朋友都進行測試, 只需每個群組隨機測試一個便可. 小棗相信各位 Facebook 內的資料多是公開的, 唔想公開既資料應該不放入 Facebook 為妙.

參考資料:
Facebook Timeline Privacy Tips: Lock Down Your Profile

The Internet is becoming [...]]]> Study says humans now use the internet as our main ‘memory’ – instead of our heads

• People remember where to look up information – not the info itself
• People actively forget information if they think they can look it up later
• Tests on how people remembered items they would normally Google

The Internet is becoming our main source of memory instead of our own brains, a study has concluded.

In the age of Google, our minds are adapting so that we are experts at knowing where to find information even though we don’t recall what it is.

The researchers found that when we want to know something we use the Internet as an ‘external memory’ just as computers use an external hard drive.

Nowadays we are so reliant on our smart phones and laptops that we go into ‘withdrawal when we can’t find out something immediately’.

And such is our dependence that having our Internet connection severed is growing ‘more and more like losing a friend’.

Researchers from Harvard University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Columbia University in the U.S. carried out four tests to check their theory.

They involved giving test participants a trivia quiz and then seeing whether they recognised computer-related words more quickly than other words.

The other tests involved seeing if people remembered 40 pieces information they would typically later have normally looked up.

The third and fourth parts of the study involved checking how well people remember where to look up information on-line and whether or not they remembered the location more than the actual data.

The results showed that when people don’t believe they will need information for a later test, they do not recall it at the same rate as when they do believe they will need it.

In fact, some of those in the study ‘actively did not make the effort to remember when they thought they could later look up the trivia statements they had read’, the paper says.
‘People actively do not make the effort to remember when they think they can look up information later,’ says the study

The other results showed that when continuous Internet access is expected, people are better at remembering where they can find it than the details.

The study was lead by Betsy Sparrow, an assistant professor at the department of psychology at Columbia University.

In their paper, the researchers say that we now have access to the Internet 24 hours a day meaning we are ‘seldom offline unless by choice’ and it is ‘hard to remember how we found information before the Internet became a ubiquitous presence in our lives’.

The paper reads: ‘The advent of the Internet, with sophisticated algorithmic search engines, has made accessing information as easy as lifting a finger.

‘No longer do we have to make costly efforts to find the things we want. We can ‘Google’ the old classmate, find articles online, or look up the actor who was on the tip of our tongue.

‘When faced with difficult questions, people are primed to think about computers and that when people expect to have future access to information, they have lower rates of recall of the information itself and enhanced recall instead for where to access it.

‘The Internet has become a primary form of external or transactive memory, where information is stored collectively outside ourselves.’

The study is not the first to touch on such anxieties and similar fears were addressed in ‘The Shallows: How the Internet is rewiring our brains’, a book released last year.

Its author, American technologist Nicholas Carr, talks of how we are unable to concentrate for long periods because of how using the web has affected us.

In research he commissioned for the book, test subjects said they were unable to read copies of Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ because their minds had been altered.

Others were disturbed at how they could only think in ‘staccato’ bursts because they had become little more than ‘decoders of information’.

參考資料:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2091127/Google-boggling-brains-Study-says-humans-use-internet-main-memory.html

既然安裝 app 都未必可以有效解決 google calendar 同步問題, 那怎樣才可以解決問題呢? 辦法是有的, 通常 android 都內置支援 Microsoft exchange 連接. 而 gmail 有提供 Microsoft exchange 支援的. 只要在 NOVO7 騎士版內額外以 Microsoft exchange 設定 gmail 便可. 至於詳細設定步驟就可以參考另一篇文章. 以下是簡單的設定步驟:

相比 google 平台既電郵 app, Yahoo Mail 並不是內置在 android mobile 內, 而且在使用時還需要時間載入. 不過, 功能操作卻是最全面, 例如 Photos 及 Files 可列出只有相片或檔案既電郵, 亦可以選擇同步 yahoo 內的地址簿, 更支援同時存取多個 yahoo 電郵, 無論是香港 yahoo 還是美國 yahoo 都無問題. 除了電郵功能外, [...]]]> 不經不覺 Galaxy S2 大約上市了差不多一年, 大家透過 Galaxy S2 功能系列大概都掌握了操作吧. 如果你是 Yahoo 電郵既用戶, 今次小棗介紹的手機軟件就不可錯過. 雖然這個 android app 已經推出了一段時間, 但小棗認為這是其中一個在 Galaxy S2 運行最好的 android app, 或者這個 app 設計比較貼心.

相比 google 平台既電郵 app, Yahoo Mail 並不是內置在 android mobile 內, 而且在使用時還需要時間載入. 不過, 功能操作卻是最全面, 例如 Photos 及 Files 可列出只有相片或檔案既電郵, 亦可以選擇同步 yahoo 內的地址簿, 更支援同時存取多個 yahoo 電郵, 無論是香港 yahoo 還是美國 yahoo 都無問題. 除了電郵功能外, Yahoo Mail 還可以存取到行事曆, 雖然 android 用家會以 google calendar 作為主行事曆. 最令小棗喜歡這個 app 是因為 android 內置的電郵程式是不能將存在收件箱的電郵搬移到其他資料夾的, 而這個 app 卻解決了這個問題.

要數缺點, yahoo mail 最大既缺點在於快速進行郵件管理時會出現更新郵件清單跟不上既情況. 這原因與每次郵件管理操作後都會更新郵件清單有關.

另外, yahoo mail 的設定選項內有直接執行 yahoo messenge 的功能, 雖然 yahoo mail 及 yahoo messenger 都是最出名既 yahoo 產品, 但 MSN 已與 yahoo messenger 互通多時用戶數量經已減少, 加上 android 版既 yahoo messenger 仍有問題, 這種捆綁式功能在宣傳上反而有負面影響.

對於不太懂在 android mail 設定 yahoo email 的網友, yahoo mail 確實提供了一個快速設定既方法. 有興趣就到 android market 下載.

The Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act are getting more negative attention, as major websites such as Wikipedia plan to protest the bills with blackouts on Wednesday. Even [...]]]> The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) have been making headlines, but what are they, exactly? Here are the facts.

The Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act are getting more negative attention, as major websites such as Wikipedia plan to protest the bills with blackouts on Wednesday. Even Google will join the action, with a link on its homepage explaining why the company opposes the legislation.

But what are SOPA and PIPA, exactly, and why are tech luminaries lambasting legislation aimed at stamping out copyright infringement? Read on for a full explanation.

SOPA and PIPA: The Basics
Media companies are always looking for new ways to fight piracy. They’ve tried suing individual users, getting Internet service providers to take action against subscribers, and working with the U.S. government to shut down domains based in the United States. But none of those actions can stop overseas websites such as The Pirate Bay and MegaUpload from infringing copyrights, or prevent Internet users from accessing those sites.

Enter SOPA, in the U.S. House of Representatives, and PIPA, in the U.S. Senate. Both bills are aimed at foreign websites that infringe copyrighted material. The bills are commonly associated with media piracy, but may also apply to counterfeit consumer goods and medication.

Originally, both bills provided two methods for fighting copyright infringement on foreign websites. In one method, the U.S. Department of Justice could seek court orders requiring Internet service providers to block the domain names of infringing sites. For example, Comcast could prevent its customers from accessing thepiratebay.org, although the underlying IP address would still be reachable. This ISP-blocking provision was a major concern among Internet security experts, and both SOPA and PIPA have dropped it.

The other tool would allow rights holders to seek court orders requiring payment providers, advertisers, and search engines to stop doing business with an infringing site. In other words, rights holders would be able to request that funding be cut off from an infringing site, and that search links to that site be removed. The site in question would have five days to appeal any action taken.

Although the House and Senate bills are similar, SOPA is the more extreme of the two. It defines a “foreign infringing site” as any site that is “committing or facilitating” copyright infringement, whereas PIPA is limited to sites with “no significant use other than” copyright infringement. More details on SOPA and PIPA are available through the Library of Congress website.

Arguments for and Against SOPA and PIPA
Opponents of SOPA and PIPA believe that neither piece of legislation does enough to protect against false accusations. As the Electronic Frontier Foundation argues, provisions in the bill grant immunity to payment processors and ad networks that cut off sites based on a reasonable belief of infringement, so even if claims turn out to be false, only the site suffers. “The standard for immunity is incredibly low and the potential for abuse is off the charts,” says the EFF.

Meanwhile, sites that host user-generated content will be under pressure to closely monitor users’ behavior. That monitoring already happens on larger sites such as YouTube, but it could be a huge liability for startups, the EFF argues.

Some progressive pundits have argued that media companies are trying to legislate their way out of what’s really a business-model problem. “As we’ve seen over and over again, the most successful (by far) ‘attack’ against piracy is awesome new platforms that give customers what they want, such as Spotify and Netflix,” TechDirt’s Mike Masnick writes.

SOPA and PIPA supporters argue that prophecies of a broken Internet are overblown. Cary Sherman, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America, writes that SOPA clearly defines infringing sites based on Supreme Court holdings and the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, and requires rights holders to follow a strict set of rules when trying to get payment cut off to an infringing site. False claims, Sherman argues, “can result in damages, including costs and attorneys’ fees.”

Sherman also points out that previous actions against infringing sites, such as the MGM vs. Grokster case in 2005, triggered similar doomsday predictions from the tech industry, yet digital music innovation has flourished since then.

Who’s for SOPA and PIPA, and Who’s Against?
Representative Lamar Smith (R-Texas) is the author of SOPA, which is backed by 31 cosponsors in the House. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) wrote PIPA, which has 40 cosponsors in the Senate. ProPublica has a visualized list of supporters in both the House and Senate.

The White House has expressed concerns about the bills in their current state, writing in a statement that “any effective legislation should reflect a wide range of stakeholders, including everyone from content creators to the engineers that build and maintain the infrastructure of the Internet.”

As for outside parties, the list of SOPA supporters consists mostly of media companies, including record labels, TV networks, movie studios, and book publishers. Some companies with an interest in fighting sales of other counterfeit goods, such as beauty-product maker Revlon and pharmaceutical company Pfizer, also appear on the list.

Opposition to SOPA and PIPA is strong in the tech sector. An open letter to Washington speaking out against the legislation was signed by founders of Craigslist, eBay, Google, Mozilla, Twitter, and Wikipedia, among others.

In the middle are companies at the intersection of media and technology. Many video game publishers have stayed silent on the matter while their trade group, the Entertainment Software Association, supports the bills. The Business Software Alliance originally supported the bill, but withdrew its support after deciding that the legislation went too far. As for Apple and Microsoft, which are both BSA members, the former has not come out publicly for or against SOPA or PIPA, while the latter now says that it opposes SOPA “as currently drafted.”

Where Are SOPA and PIPA Now?
Both bills have taken a hit in the last week, as their authors have decided to remove the provisions that require Internet service providers to block the domain names of infringing sites. SOPA, which has yet to pass out of the House Judiciary Committee, is reportedly stalled, as lawmakers continue to work on the bill. Representative Darrell Issa (R-California) has proposed an alternative bill that is far more narrow in its focus.

Voting on PIPA, however, is scheduled to begin in the Senate on January 24.

UPDATE: (2pm ET 1/18) Now two U.S. Senators are withdrawing their sponsorships of PIPA. Sen. Marco Rubio, of Florida, wrote on Facebook that although he has a strong interest in stopping piracy, “we must do this while simultaneously promoting an open, dynamic Internet environment that is ripe for innovation and promotes new technologies.” Senator Roy Blunt, of Missouri, also bailed on the bill, writing on Facebook that “the Protect IP Act is flawed as it stands today, and I cannot support it moving forward.”

相關 SOPA and PIPA 文章:
End Piracy, Not Liberty

法案最主要目的是保護版權, 但這種保護暫時只獲大集團支持, 例如影音媒體甚至化妝品牌. 資訊科技界別中, Google, mozilla, Microsft 等巨頭已經表明反對. 以香港之前既經驗, 私隱作為其中一樣最平等擁有 “資產”, 希望保留得越多越好. 雖然在極端情況下可以放棄, 但綜觀美國既情況又未致這個地步, 部分最初支持法案既人都認為法案做得太多 (it’s gone too far). 究竟情況發展如何就要大家留意一下.

Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet [...]]]> 近排美國互聯網發生一件大事, 美國有機會對資訊進行審查. 話說國會將會在本月下旬通過兩個法案, Protect IP Act (PIPA) 及 Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). 如果法案真的通過, 美國政府有權對相關資訊進行審查, 有點像香港的網絡 23 條. 所以大部份出名的網站都聯合起來抵制這個法案, 或者希望這個法案無限期停止執行.

法案最主要目的是保護版權, 但這種保護暫時只獲大集團支持, 例如影音媒體甚至化妝品牌. 資訊科技界別中, Google, mozilla, Microsft 等巨頭已經表明反對. 以香港之前既經驗, 私隱作為其中一樣最平等擁有 “資產”, 希望保留得越多越好. 雖然在極端情況下可以放棄, 但綜觀美國既情況又未致這個地步, 部分最初支持法案既人都認為法案做得太多 (it’s gone too far). 究竟情況發展如何就要大家留意一下.

Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the U.S.

Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA.

The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late.

相關 SOPA and PIPA 文章:
[轉載] SOPA and PIPA: Just the Facts

不離國產平板功能 所為國產級平板電腦, 本身與其他國產平板一樣, 例如介面多以簡體中文顯示, 螢幕解像度一般, 機殼做功一般等. 不過, 國產平板內置 mini USB 接口, 可支援叉電與連接 USB 裝置, 相比大牌子的 android 平板電腦較開放. 其實作為入門或試玩機, 不到 $900 的水平還是可以接受.

外國對大約 USD100 的平板電腦開始有點討論, 例如成本太平擔心質量, 維修保養, 工人福利甚至物料安全等. 作為用家產品越平當然好, 但產品質素同樣重要. 其次工人福利亦需注視.

首部 android 4.0 板腦 國產時常給人抄襲造假, 今次 Novo7 騎士版標榜是首部運行 android 4.0 的平板電腦卻是千真萬確. 這部騎士版是第一部運行 android [...]]]> 早陣子小棗正找尋一部平價平板電腦給朋友. 由於使用者較為入門, 對平板電腦要求十分基本, 只要求聽歌, 睇戲及容易使用, 亦無需流動上網, 平價平板電腦就符合平靚正要求. 考慮到平板電腦硬件規格一般, 而且廠商未必有能力提供軟件升級, 所以購買時提供既 android 版本越新越好.

不離國產平板功能
所為國產級平板電腦, 本身與其他國產平板一樣, 例如介面多以簡體中文顯示, 螢幕解像度一般, 機殼做功一般等. 不過, 國產平板內置 mini USB 接口, 可支援叉電與連接 USB 裝置, 相比大牌子的 android 平板電腦較開放. 其實作為入門或試玩機, 不到 $900 的水平還是可以接受.

外國對大約 USD100 的平板電腦開始有點討論, 例如成本太平擔心質量, 維修保養, 工人福利甚至物料安全等. 作為用家產品越平當然好, 但產品質素同樣重要. 其次工人福利亦需注視.

首部 android 4.0 板腦
國產時常給人抄襲造假, 今次 Novo7 騎士版標榜是首部運行 android 4.0 的平板電腦卻是千真萬確. 這部騎士版是第一部運行 android 4.0 的平板電腦, 而非由其他版本升級至 android 4.0. 相對其他 android 2.x/3.x 產品, 無需等發佈更新就享受到 android 4.0 的介面及新功能.

作為平價板腦, 沒有機皇級既硬件配置要求就不宜太高. 開啟應用軟件時往往在啟動畫面停留一會才能進入主畫面. 平價板腦有一個通病就是顯示器解像度不太好. 在畫面垂直顯示時, 螢幕左右兩邊的光度不平. 雖然聲稱能有效播放高清影片, 但螢幕顯示未必跟得上.

所有附送軟件非內置
今次 NOVO7 騎士版除了標榜是首部 android 4.0 外, 跟機有大量程式. 當中亦標榜附送收費版蜘蛛俠遊戲. 不過經小棗證實, 大部份 app 不是內置程式, 在重置後會消失. 幸好 ainol 推出了重置包, 在重置後可安裝所有出廠時的軟件. 從軟件檔名所見, 小棗擔心部分軟件有版權問題.

硬件非主流 軟件支援少
從官方資料所知, NOVO7 騎士版所使用的 CPU 為君正 JZ4770, 屬 MIPS 架構而非主流的 ARM 架構. 就算有大陸安桌市場及市場, 在軟件支援上會大打折扣, 部分瀏覽器如 Opera 及 Skyfire 不能安裝或使用. 對懂得 root 機的用家, 安裝軟件應該問題不大, 但一般用家可能要尋找其他軟件替代.

騎士版在硬件上缺少了前置及後置鏡頭, 不能拍照, 拍片及進行視像對話. 要求鏡頭拍攝的網友可能有點失望. 另外, 流動上網亦不支援, 要上網必須依賴 wifi 信號.

總評: 可以一試
如果對平板電腦沒有要求, 尤其對硬件沒有要求又想試用 android 4.0 的話, NOVO7 騎士版是一個很好既選擇. 始終大牌子的平板電腦在價格上實在貴得有點嚇人. 而且, 平板電腦不會因為價格不同在功能上會有差異. 始終平板電腦更新週期較電腦短, 以升級 android 4.0 為例, 部分 2011 年的機皇級機種未必全部都有升級的機會.

如果大家對使用 NOVO7 騎士版有任何問題都可以留言討論.

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