Week 10: Clear on Basic Database Functions and Tables

Basic Database Functions and Tables

"Microsoft Access 2010, What's New Screenshots " by IvanWalsh.com

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This week I was able to surround myself with databases and basic Microsoft Access functions. I am running a Windows computer and used Microsoft Office Access 2007 to go through the Scavenger Hunt Questions and learn how everything works.

First, I practiced the use of tables in a database. Creating a table is easy, all you need to do is go to the Create Ribbon Bar in Microsoft Access, then Click on table in the top left hand corner. From there you can add new fields to the table by simply clicking on New Field in the Datasheet Ribbon Bar. In design view, you can add a description of the field as well! 

A Primary Key is extremely important when starting a blank database.  This is a value that is unique for each record in the database, and you only have one of these specific keys.  A Primary key can easily be set by right clicking on the field you wish to make a primary key, and clicking "Primary Key". You can also click on this field and select Primary Key on the ribbon bar. 

Also, you can configure a field to only accept a certain value by configuring it's validation, which can be found by going into Design View, clicking on a field, then clicking on the Property Sheet on the ribbon bar. You can enter a validation rule and validation text for when the rule fails. Need to import excel or CSV data into a new table? No problem! Simply go to the External Data Tab, choose the file you'd like to import, navigate to your file, then follow the Import Spreadsheet Wizard!

These concepts are very important in business because implementing Microsoft Access and databases into a company can help them become more organized. Doing this will help keep records for a companies employees, or anything that they'd like to have on reference. It is simple to create a database and very easy to reap the rewards of one by creating queries and forms. Databases are a must for businesses!

A great resource I found while researching databases was found here:

http://www.articlesbase.com/databases-articles/microsoft-access-in-todays-business-693002.html

The author explains exactly why modern day businesses should incorporate databases into their daily routines! It is a great read! 

Thanks for visiting my blog! See you next week!

Excel Project

ISM3004 Excel Project

"AvgIncrease" by Michael Balmaceda

        Upon completing the Excel Project for ISM3004, I learned countless techniques that will help me succeed in the business world. Not only have I sharpened my skills of Excel, but I've also learned the formulas necessary to consolidate a huge, one thousand subject document into an organized array of data.  I learned keyboard shortcuts such as Ctrl+Down that helped shave my time in completing the project.

        By practicing the fundamentals that I learned in lecture, I mastered Excel navigation such as adding new rows and columns, formatting cells, and adjusting print features on Excel.  I utilized the Pivot Table feature of excel as shown in the picture above. Through lecture I've learned how to create gorgeous pivot tables with ease. I was able to get the hang of these various techniques by completing this project. It was not a difficult project by any means, and I enjoyed the project more than anything.

        In the end, I was able to hone in on the core Excel skills that will help me be successful in the future. I needed to dust off my skills with Excel, and this project helped me do exactly that. The raw data given to me in the beginning is now a very presentable, organized array of data. From formatting cells to creating formulas, this Excel project provided me with enough practice to be confident with my usage in Excel. 

Week 9: Clear on Increase in Machine Intelligence

How Computers May Outsmart us 

by the End of the Century

"Machine vision" by Stuart Caie

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        After listening to the speech made by  Michio Kaku, I was extremely interested in what could potentially happen to us if machines were to continue advancing as they are today.  The picture above is just a brief example of what machines are doing today. The machine shown above is playing connect four against itself, and as you can see, it understands the concept quite well.

        Michio Kaku first stated that our machines today are only as smart as insects. This is not potentially dangerous at all. He then went on to say that soon enough they could be as smart as mice. After that, they would be as smart as cats as dogs.

        Then I was shocked. Michio Kaku then stated how by the end of the century, our machines may be as smart as monkeys.  If machines are as smart as monkeys, they can potentially conjure up their own plans, make their own strategies, and own decisions. They DO NOT need to listen to you if they choose not to. Monkeys have enough of a brain capacity to do things on their own.

        This may be potentially dangerous to us because if machines become murderous, we could be in deep trouble. If we continue to manufacture smarter and smarter machines, they may outsmart us eventually. There have been large groups of people that have even gotten together to specify when they believe machines will eventually become smarter than us!

This is important in business because a company may rely on machines for all of its work, and when machines become smarter, what if they choose not to work? What if they choose to rebel? Our technology industry could be shattered if someone similar to this happens. We are much better off with keeping our machines' intelligence far from our level.

A great resource I enjoyed reading while looking up this topic was found here:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17518-smart-machines-whats-the-worst-that-could-happen.html

The author describes how machines are getting smarter, and could become potentially dangerous. Check it out!

Week 7: Clear on Open Source

Open Source Software

"nom nom nom" by Matt McGee

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What is Open Source Software?

Open source software is always freely distributed software that contains the source code of the program. When developers include the source code with their software, they are giving you the opportunity to find errors in the software, or develop your own version of the software and make changes to the existing software.

What can you do with Open Source software?

You can do the following things with open source software:

• You can develop your own version of the software
• You can create new features to the software
• You can fix errors in the software (and make money doing it)
• You can distribute your own version of the software

So what are the downsides to using Open Source Software?

As seen in the picture above, with having a dog comes other responsibilities. The dog must be fed, walked, and tended to daily. Much like a dog, open source software that you develop may have problems, or you may need to hire other individuals to change the existing code for your company. Once these changes are made, you can sell the software.  Why is this important in business, you ask? Your company may be just starting up and may need to decide whether they would like to pay for their software, or use open source software as an alternative. This may be very cost-effective, and can bring the company off the ground if they develop their own strains of the open source software.

What are some examples of Open Source Software available today?

Some of the most popular examples of open source software include (but are not limited to):

• Mozilla Firefox
• Filezilla
• RealVNC
• WGet
• Audacity
• Gimp
• OpenOffice
• Linux
• Apache

And many, many more!

A great source that I've found while researching Open Source software can be found here:

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question435.htm

This website will help answer anything you are unsure about with Open Source software!

Thanks for reading! See you next week!

Presentation Project

I feel that my presentation was concise, short and sweet.  I believe that I executed the presentation effectively, and got a very large amount of information into the video for the 2 minutes and 45 seconds that was recorded. 


Additionally, I grabbed the attention of the person watching the presentation by presenting how their own security could be at risk. The flow and sequence of content is appropriate and explained the context with concise explanations. I avoided clutter, and the slides were extremely readable. I spoke most of the information before it came up through animation on the slides.


Lastly,  I created the presentation using PowerPoint, modified the presentation to be appropriate for the business environment, and used a Web 2.0 Tool (Camtasia) to share the presentation online. All of the following are requirements on the rubric as well. The only thing that I believe I can improve on, is to not slur my words during the presentation and to remain a bit more calm. 


Upon reviewing Matt Goldman's presentation on why his company should invest in tablets for all their employees, I realized that we utilized much of the same concepts in each of our presentations. Surprisingly, our layouts were very similar, and we both used pictures accordingly. I believe that we both picked great topics. Reviewing his presentation allowed me to see where he did wrong, so that I could fix it in my own presentation and help him fix it in his.


Although this may not be needed, If I was to evaluate my performance for this project with the Scoring Rubric Provided, I would give myself the following scores in each of the following categories:

• Topic is appropriate for the business environment  (5/5)
• Storyboard is created using a completed template (5/5)
• Storyboard is representative of the presentation (5/5)
• Presentation i created using PowerPoint, KeyNote, or other presentation tool (10/10)
• At least 2 types of media are included in the presentation (5/5)
• All media is referred in the credits (10/10)
• No copyright Violation (10/10)
• Includes Elements of Effective Presentations (Avoid clutter, etc)  (15/15)
• Web 2.0 Tool is used to share presentation online.   (5/5)
• URL to presentation is posted to course discussion board.  (5/5)
• Self Critique uses Presentation Evaluation Rubric  (10/10)
• Peer Critique uses Presentation Evaluation Rubric (10/10)
• Peer Critique is posted to the discussion Board  (5/5)
• Post is created on Personal Blog (2/2)
• Post Includes working, clickable link to Web 2.0 Presentation (1/1)
• Blog post is tagged (1/1)
• Direct Blog Post in Submission

Possible Points: 100  
Total Points I believe I earned: (100/100)