Tutorial Blog 3: Selecting the Internet Service Provider That Best Fits You

The Internet can be a large intimidating unknown force to face without the proper knowledge and guidance. If you don’t currently have internet at your personal disposal I.E. house, apartment, or phone, then this lesson might just help you out. Maybe you’ve started on the long and dangerous adventure that we know as life, and you on your own away from mommy and daddy and you have to become a responsible adult now. You may possibly be and older adult and have finally decided to get caught up with technology. If you fall in any of these categories then this blog post is for you and will be a quick and easy educational lesson on what different types of internet connections are out there, along with those connection types pro’s and con’s, as well as list some of the top internet service providers. Let us jump right in and get started.

To start out we will get you a little more affiliated with the four basic different types of internet connections. Below is a list of those four connectivity types. We will list the types from oldest to newest.

1.      Analogue (Dial-Up)

2.      Cable

3.      Tier Carrier

4.      DSL

I will now explain some of the pros and cons about each internet connection.

1.      Analogue (Dial-Up)

Analogue also known as Dial Up is one of the first internet connections that became widely available. It is very much price efficient as you can find some Analogue (Dial-Up) services for free. Dial Up utilizes a phone line and an ISP (Internet Service Provider) in order to deliver the internet to you. Sometimes computers have a port for a Dial-Up phone line and sometimes they don’t if they don’t you would have to acquire a modem to route your  internet through.

PROS:  The biggest pro to having dial-up is it is very cost efficient. You can find dial-up for services for very cheap and sometimes even for free.

Cons: Dial-Up has a few cons. Dial-Up is extremely slow and delivers poor quality internet. It also ties up a phone line potentially disabling your landline phone services. Also due to the low cost it sometimes does not come with the perks of some of the other connections such as virus and spyware blockers.

A visual example of how Dial-Up works

Picture from http://www.mwcomputersolutions.com/index.php?page=dialup

2.     Cable

Cable internet connects to the internet via a television cable line to a modem to your computer. The cable internet connection uses television channels for data transmission. Coaxial cables are used for this type of connection which has a larger bandwidth in turn providing a fast internet connection.

PROS: Cable internet is fast and provides good quality internet. Cable internet is also highly reliable. Unlike Dial-Up Cable internet does not tie up your phone line.

CONS: Cable Internet can be a bit pricier than dial-up. Not all areas have cable internet access. Also depending on how many people are utilizing the cable internet in your area internet speed can fluctuate.

An example of a cable internet connection and the way it works.

Image provided courtesy of http://www.computertroublesolver.com/Network-Basics.html

3.     DSL

DSL uses copper telephone wires and does not require dialing into an ISP. DSL is always on. DSL is the most popular internet connection used for both commercial and personal use. DSL utilizes phone lines in order to connect to the internet.

PROS: DSL is the most reliable connection on the market. DSL is a very fast internet connection. DSL allows the user to use the internet and the phone at the same time. DSL is a securer connection than Cable because consumers use their own private telephone lines which usually no one else is on.

CONS: DSL is only available in heavily populated areas. Also the further your area of connection is away from the headquarters the weaker and weaker your internet connectivity is.

An example of a dsl set up.

Picture courtesy of http://personal.georgiasouthern.edu/~bb02956/.

TOP TEN ISP’S 2011

1.     Earthlink

2.     AOL

3.     Comcast

4.     MSN

5.     Net Zero

6.     Verizon

7.     A T&T

8.     Juno

9.     Qwest

10.  ISP.com

HELPFUL LINKS

·       http://www.dsl-isp-guide.com/pros_cons_of_dsl.htm  DSL Guide

·       http://isp-review.toptenreviews.com/   A detailed top ten ISP review

·       http://www.computertooslow.com/internet-connections.asp  A website chronicling all the different types of internet connectivity.

Hopefully this blog helps you in your search to find the appropriate internet service provider.

Database Project - Microsoft Access

I recently completed the Microsoft Access Database Project on the 23^rd of March 2011. During this project I acquired a few of the necessary foundational tools needed in order to successfully navigate and effectively utilize Microsoft Access. Throughout the project I learned how to create and name/rename a new table as well as assign a primary key. I learned how to check and alter the field data type, add a description to the field data type, and enter new information to the table. Some more valuable information I learned while completing this project was how to create a query and how to alter the query in order to return only certain information as well as crafting the query to order the data in a specific way. I also had the opportunity to learn how to create and name a form within access. During the section on forms I learned how to alter what fields show up on the form, how to assign something to “read only” i.e. not editable, and I also tested the form by entering in two new sets of data. During the last section of the project I focused on reports. While working on the reports section I learned how to create and name reports, assign data sets to the report, grouping and sorting the information within the report, altering the report so that all fields are present and on one sheet of paper after being printed, and adding a footer. I had never worked with Microsoft Access before, after completing this project I now have added a very diverse and adaptive tool to my arsenal.

I think there a few possible ways that we can enhance the overall functionality of this database. One thing that we could do to make this a little more functional would be to collect the members phone numbers and add phone numbers field to the data. Also on the “New Member Form” It was never stated to change the header on that form from “Members” to “New Members Form” the only thing we were told to do that was remotely close to this was naming the form “New Members Form” but nothing as far as changing the header, the header “Members” doesn’t make any sense? Why would you label a form for new members as members? It does not properly describe the form, which is for new members. The form could also include a field for a phone number. I think it would also be helpful to group the ex-members that have left within 6 months by gender so we can more effectively analyze the data. Besides those few minor details I think the project was formatted well and very much functional.

Support The Wounded Warrior Project

I was asked to create a presentation supporting a philanthropic organization and their efforts. Jones Co and Consulting chose to support The Wounded Warrior Project.

When I created this presentation I tried to format the work so that it had a logical flow. I started with a sentimental touching picture and a traditional patriotic compilation of Amazing Grace. From there I stated a “wow fact”. After the “wow fact” slide I stated a powerful quote pertaining to the situation and continued to discuss the history of The Wounded Warrior Project. Soon thereafter I had a slide describing the company’s mission and vision statement. After the mission and vision statement slide I had a slide discussing the many ways in which The Wounded Warrior Project helped the wounded warriors. After that slide I created a slide describing the different ways we as human beings can contribute to the Wounded Warrior Project, shortly followed up a by a contact information slide. I feel like it flowed well catching the audience’s attention off the bat and following up with a description of the company and what they do along with how the company helps the wounded warriors out and how we can get involved, followed up by a contact slide.

I could have improved this presentation by possibly answering and elaborating on a few more possible questions. During the slide discussing the history of The Wounded Warrior Project and the slide discussing the different ways to get involved I feel like I could have been a little more elaborative. There were a lot of information and potential questions that could have been covered. I felt like I covered the most important topic and potential questions though.

During the presentation I utilize a couple of wow facts in order to grab the attention of the audience as well as a quote pertaining to the topic that really stuck out. I also used some media “Audio” in order to capture the audience. During the presentation I asked one key question to spark the interest of the audience. I feel like the flow and organization of the presentations set the context and made the presentation clear and concise. All of my claims are validated within the source document. However I could have done a better job relaying that within the actual presentation. I avoided unreasonable claims. I also didn’t create too much clutter within the presentation. I did however read the quote off of one of my slides. All of my other slides somewhat outlined what I was actually talking about. I said it and then showed it.

Overall I really enjoyed this project. It really opened my eyes to copyright laws and gave me some up close personal experience dealing with the copyright laws. I utilized PowerPoint. Within PowerPoint I utilized slide transitions, along with adding pictures and audio, not only audio I created via PowerPoint but audio I downloaded from the public domain. I utilized Author Stream in order to upload the presentation. These are the majority of the skills I learned while completing this project.

The Wounded Warrior Project Presenation URL
http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/cedrickylejones-874939-the-wounded-warrior-project/