Web Site Progress

After gathering the content for my website, I organized and planned it all out. I constructed a logo and edited certain content using Adobe PhotoShop. Then, I started coding my content in notepad; I also used notepad along with CSS to style and decorate my site. For one of my pages, I embedded an interactive slideshow code in order to better display my content within my portfolio. At first, many of the images in my portfolio appeared very distorted until I messed around with their sizes in PhotoShop. Yet this task was very tedious, I finally got the slideshow to accurately depict my portfolio after a few rounds of trial and error. On my last page, which is my “contact” section, I incorporated a form creation program. I made this work by embedding an iframe to enable using this external form.

Primarily being focused on the structure of my site, I have yet to go back and edit some of my content. I also am debating of whether or not to add a couple more sections/pages to my website such as a “resume” and/or “blog.” Also, I have yet to go back and adjust a few styling issues to maintain consistency throughout my site.

Virtual World Vs. Reality

Often times, I'll run into people conversing about technology taking over the ways of which we communicate yet in a negative manner. Many will mention that speaking with someone, face-to-face, is a lot more personable than when sending an email, sms, instant message, etc. They'll further note that the body language and facial expressions, of which are very essential in interpersonal interactions, are not present.

Although it is apparent that in-person conversations are better rated than those online/over the phone, the gap between them both is diminishing more and more. After further researching and giving a presentation on Web 3D the other week, I can see that technologies are as if more than addressing this issue. It's a fact that virtual communities are more time-efficient, convenient, and cost-effective, yet they have also become immersive and personable. I've, firsthand, even noticed that in most virtual worlds (Second Life, Forterra Systems, etc.) these days, people are able to use body/ facial gestures when communicating. Not only does one's avatar mimic their appearance to produce an authentic experience, one can also adjust eye contact and provide handshakes/embraces to create a more valuable and intimate setting.

Computer-based simulated environments, 3D, telepresence, and real-time actions make these pseudo-communities very advantageous within the medical, business, educational, training, e-commerce, social, and gaming worlds. I have found medical virtual worlds very fascinating hence much human gestures are used for instance when operating on a wounded patient in the ER.

I'm curious of how far all of this will come. The 2009 film, Gamer, depicts this phenomenon to a greater degree, one of which there is almost no distinction between reality and the virtual world.

Categorized List of Virtual Worlds