Farewell?

Hi. I suppose not many people follow this blog but I want to say bye for now as I've finished my IT lessons at high school. And next year I have to get ready for selectivity so I won't have much  time, but I've enjoyed a lot this subject and I love having this blog, so I will try to keep on posting something from time to time. So no, this is not a farewell, just a 'see you soon'.

But now this course has finished, I don't have much to tell and it's summer holidays, time to rest, so have a great summer, and see you soon.

Carmen <3

App Inventor

Hello again! We've started working with App Inventor. This is a software to create and programme an Apk (mobile application). You can design and create the functions of the Apk, and try it in your mobile phone (via Wifi or USB wire), or with a computer emulator, to check if it works properly. 

To access this program you just need a google account with which you log in in the MIT App Inventor webpage. Then you'll be asked the way you want to see the application on real time. You choose it or continue without emulation.

In the main page (designer) you can choose the components from the left column and drag them to the screen in the middle. Here you just place the components of the apk and select their features in the column in the right, as you like. There are many different components, but the most important ones are the buttons, which you can press to make actions, the canvas to add images, the labels to add texts, and other not visible components like the camera or the accelerometer, which act depending on how you programme them.

In the programming page (blocks) you create the 'orders' of the apk, depending on what you want it to do. On the left you can see the different features. If you want some specific component you added in the designer to do any action, you click on its name and select the action you want. You have to combine those 'orders' or blocks in a way it makes sense and works. As I said, you can check if it works with an emulator or with your own mobile phone. As you practice you will manipulate App Inventor better, so don't get desperate at the beginning.

We've had to create two apps. The first one is a photo painter. You can take a picture or take it from your gallery, and paint on it with different colors. You can download it to try it here.

The second one is a questioning game. You are asked a question and you have to answer it. Depending on how you answer it will congratulate you or you will have to try again. I already have to finish and improve it, but you can download it here.

I hope you liked, I think this is very entertaining if you like computing, so I encourage you to try it.

On the other hand this may be the last post about my IT lessons, because this is the last year I can have this subject and the course is finishing, but I will try to post something from time to time. Have a great summer.

Access

Hello again Internet surfers. We are working now with Access, a database management system owned by Microsoft Office, with its relational and graphical tools, and so similar to any Microsoft Office Software. It is used to create any kind of databases, in my case I made a database for a summer camp for anyone interested. It stores the information about the clients, the activities, the age groups, the monitors and the application forms. I'm going to explain you a bit how we've made it and show mine in some screenshots.

First of all we had to create some charts in which we included the information. The clients' and the monitors' charts included their personal data (name, surname, id, address, phone number, email...); the activities' one, the name of the activities, the description and the places where they are hold; the groups' one, the age gaps in which groups are separated, and the application forms' one collects the information of each client's application form, their choices, their allocated monitor and date, their personal data...

In the two first images you can see the main components of these charts.

Secondly we created the forms, which record that information from the charts and allow to add information. You can add them by clicking on "Form" in the window "Create". They can be personalised with different shapes and colors. Buttons linked to other forms or reports can be added, and also dropdown lists to choose the different options from a chart without having to write it oneself.

Then we also added reports for some of the forms. The most important one is the applications' one, because there the information about each client's stay in the camp is collected. It's easy to create because you just have to click on "Create -> Report" when you are on the chart of which you want to create the report, and it appears. You just have to adjust the design if you want to.

A last thing was the consultation. It's a sheet to consult specific information from a Form. You can choose what it will show when you create it with the assistent of consultations. You just follow the instructions and, if you want, adjust the design.

An important thing is the main menu, which has to be done to access everything from the database. Mainly the forms and the important reports, and maybe a print button for a report or an exit button. This can be made adding buttons in the form's tools window, and choosing its characteristics.

Some relationships between forms can be made to ease these things in the database's tools window, and also some other consultations. There are a lot of tools in Access, but the ones we learned are the basic ones, and anyone can manage with them.

I hope you liked and it was useful, see you in the next post (it will be interesting, about App Inventor, so have a look at it).

Databases

Hello! I'm going to write about databases. A database (DB) is a 'bank' of information which classifies the data and creates relationships between the groups of data. This information is organised in a way that the desired pieces of data can be quickly selected, found and accessed. It is also an electronic filling system, as you can add information whenever you want to. If it is properly designed, it can ease administrative works a lot. For example, if you have an enterprise and you want to clasify your products, have the information about their prices, the clients or the dates of delivery... Databases can collect small pieces of information, for small things (like personal things) as well as huge pieces information for huge enterprises or managements.

Traditional databases are organized by fields, records, and files. A field is a single piece of information; a record is one complete set of fields; and a file is a collection of records. For example: a telephone book is a file with a list of records, consisted of three fields: name, address, and telephone number.

On the other hand, data in databases can normally be reorganized and accessed in a number of different ways. They have charts in which the fields are specified and the data and the kind of information they contain is also added; forms in which the data can be seen in an organised way and also new data can be added in the different fields; reports in which the recorded information can be seen in a glance; and consultations in which some specific information is ordered and seen in an specific way, also in a glance, like reports but more specific. Relationships between charts and their fields are made to ease the results of the forms and the components of the database.

Databases are accessed and edited through Database Management Systems (DBMS), like Access, the one we normally use, which belongs to Microsoft. They enable you to enter, organize, and select data once the database has been created and molded for its target.

Once you know what a database is you can create one to organise some information. You'll see my database project in Access in the next post. Have a nice day, and enjoy the good weather.

Servomotors

Hello in this third term. I have to write something about servomotors.

A servomotor is a rotary actuator which receives electric signals or orders and rotates with precise control of angular position, velocity and acceleration. It consists of a motor joined to a sensor for position feedback. It also requires a sophisticated controller.

In our case we controlled it through the Arduino software, and connected the servomotor to the Arduino board to make it recieve the orders. Once it has recieved the data from the computer, the board stores the information and makes it work when it receives an specific signal from the sensors. Then it turns the determined number of degrees in an specific direction, speed and strength, depending on what signal it receives and what you've programmed with the software.

We've been using these motors to make some Arduino robots work. Ours consisted on a rocking chair-robot which had a foil heart which, when being touched, activated those servomotors and lifted the arms and the legs. This was possible because the board received a signal from the capacitive sensor (the foil), which receives current from our skin, and then activated the servomotor, which rotated some degrees and pulled a piece of thread which was attached to it and to the arms and the legs, and with the pulley effect, those were lifted. It was hard to attach the thread to the servomotor and the lifts, and make the capacitive sensor work, but we finally made it and it was cool.

Arduino-Tickle Robot from Carmen Bueno Iglesias

I hope you liked, see you in the next post!

VideoPad

These last days of the evaluation we are making a video with VideoPad.

VideoPad is a video edition tool, which was created in 2008 by NCH Software.

The first thing you have to do to start a video or edit it, is adding files (videos, images, sounds), by clicking the Add Media icon on the tasks bar above. Then you can cut the video or adjust its length with the icons under it and add it to the video line below, where you can see the 'perspective' of your video (how is it assembled).

Once you've set all the videos, images or sounds you want on the video line, you can add effects, transitions or overlays on or between each of them through the icons on the tasks bar.

Afterwards, you can subtitle the movie with the corresponding icon of the tasks bar, and finally you have to export it; save it as a video.
  

Obviously, as you get used to using it you will understand it better and you might find some new actions to edit your videos. It's a good basic tool with a free trialware for you to try it and if you like computing you will enjoy it.

I wish you liked, as always, and currently this is the last post of the evaluation but I'll try to continue informing you whenever I discover something interesting. See you :)

How to disappear from the Internet

Hi everyone. This term I have to report you about something that may concern you some day: deleting your identity from the net. This can be useful if there's any data or document about you that you don't want to be there.

The first thing you should do is the most evident one: deactivating accounts you know you have. If you search the account settings in a social network or webpage you may find easily the deactivate, delete or close account button. But there are some accounts you may have forgotten you have, so the next thing to do is to search for yourself at the searchers. You will be more assured if you do it through different searchers because some of them may not show everything you have on the Internet. Then you deactivate or delete the things you find. The e-mail can be a very useful tool if you don't remember a password but, if you definetely can't delete something, you can always try to falsify it. Remember to be respectful and don't set anything improper.

That could be enough, but there might be some loose ends. Make sure you aren't suscribed to any mailing list such as from newsletters, ads or promotions and if you are, unsubscribe from there; delete searchers' results about you, through a removal tool they may offer or by contacting webmasters; ask companies from which you are a member to delete your information they have listed online and, in the end and as a drastic resource, delete your e-mail, close your account in it. With this actions you could start rewriting your identity and your dignity on the Internet from scratch.

An example of aim of forgetfulness on the Internet is the one about a spanish man who won the battle to Google defending his "right to be forgotten", with whom the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) agreed. So what's more important, the right to the privacy or the right to the the expression freedom? Difficult cuestion. Anyway Google can be required to remove data so you can be safe.

I wish you never need this but take advantage of it if you do. See you soon, because I have to post something else before classes finish. What will it be? You'll see tomorrow :)

Computing Security

Although we are entering the last weeks of class and we have a lot of hard work, I'm getting advantage of some spare times to write a new post. Some time ago we were told to prepare a report about computing security, approaching different aspects of security on our devices and software. 

I upload here the Word document I've made. In it I define Computing Security and I talk about the different types of Computing Security, which are human, physical and logical security.

Then I also explain what malware is; malicious software that damage something in computing. I explain their types and the options to protect us from them, like the use of antimalware and the awareness of dangers on the Internet. I've also added the information from the previous post and some tips to communicate through the Internet.

It's a broad theme and here you have an -I think- useful summary of the things I found basical, interesting and easy to understand.
I wish you like it and see you at the next post, if I survive to these last weeks.

Computing Security from Carmen Bueno Iglesias

You can also watch it here.

Internet Security

Hello again, I share a new post with you today to explain a bit about security on the Internet. We don't realize but we're surrounded by possible dangers that may harm us or involve us in crimes. We can find two main possible dangers related to Internet connection:

# Accessing fake Wi-Fies

When you are in a public place you will often find some free Wi-Fi. Well, it's sometimes a wifi from the specific place but it's sometimes a fake created by someone to catch your information, and depending on the information you have compiled in your Internet connexion, the hacker can access your accounts, watch and use your media files, supplant your identity... And it can be very dangerous for you, so be careful and try not to connect WiFies which are completely opened or which look suspicious.

# Leaving your WiFi connexion neglected, without enough security

It's not much problem if someone catches your WiFi password to use the Internet sometime, but it'll be a big problem if they use it to commit a crime or access your information as in the previous case. In our routers we usually have WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption codes, which are weak and easily decoded, and worse if we don't change the default codes. If you want to be safer, at least you should have WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Wireless), whose algorithm is stronger. But the safer and difficultly decoded encryption protocols are WPA2, with Advanced Encription Standard. Whatever you have, try to make it secure, change the name and the password, hide any weak point...

I wish it was useful and you liked, see you next post, as always ;)

Social Networks in Prezi

Welcome again to my blog with this new post. We're starting the third term and I have a lot of work for these easter holidays, but I'll explain you what we're doing in computing, as usual.

We have been made to make a Prezi presentation about Social Networks, which we are used to use every day.

Prezi is a webpage where you can login and make 3D presentations with cool transitions, very dynamic and original. When you set a background you travel through it and through each frame, with visual attraction, and you can add almost any kind of document. It is also interactive; you can go anywheree in the presentation.

As this program works through the Internet you can access your presentation whenever you need it, but you can also download it for your PC (paying, but you have a free sample period).

I leave here the link to my Prezi, I wish you like:

http://prezi.com/lmych4lpn8sq/social-networks/

And if you don't have Adobe Flash Player or your computer doesn't let you see it, you can also watch it here or here.

See you next post and have a good holiday time :)