Web Standards & Accessibility

 I think web standards are essential because the internet is evolving continuously. There are different browsers and different ways of accessing the internet rather than just using a computer or laptop. Internet on the go is very popular now with the release of smart phones and iphones. So I think its important that the W3C have made standards so that internet is still easy to use and access from mobile devices. I have a Blackberry phone and I use it all the time to access my emails and surf the internet and I think it is so easy to use and really handy when I do not have access to the internet on my laptop or in college etc. Everything is really easy to read and they have made things like Facebook easy to use as well, although it is not like the traditional layout on a computer. I have even cut down on using the internet on my laptop because I can use it so easily on my phone.

More importantly is web accessibility. After our talk with the blind lecturer Roisin I really could see how important it is that all websites are accessible to everyone. When the program JAWS came on it was really fast and I could not understand most of it, but she was so used to it she could. But I really saw the problem and felt sorry for her when we were on a page with many pictures and she knew by the accessibility of the the page that it was full of images and she found it hard to navigate around. I closed my eyes for a minute and imagined only being able to hear the mans voice explaining what she was doing on the computer and it would really annoy me to have to rely on this. I am lucky as I found it very irritating to listen to that voice speaking.

I agree 100% with making websites accessible to people with a disability and I think more web pages need to be changed to facilitate for this. The internet is such a huge phenomenon and I believe the W3C are right to make it a law to have accessibility standards. With regards to the argument we had in class that if there was a disabled person in the class who needed to go a little slower than the rest of the class well I do not think the rest of the class should be going as slow as the person. I would suggest that the lecturer gave some extra classes to that person instead of the whole class waiting. I am not being discriminative I hope but if the disabled student was getting a few extra classes he/she would be on the same level as the rest of the class anyway.

So when I make my website I will be ensuring the following:

• I will provide text alternatives for my visual information
• Keep my pages clear and concise 
• I will ensure movements on the screen can be turned off
• Provide text capturing for any audio or video
• Use colour carefully
• I will stick to web standards
• Well navigated and well structured pages
• Alternative content for script, plug ins and applets

W3C Website

From eSex to eCommerce

First of all I would like to say, 57 billion dollars revenue world wide is made by the sex industry- that is an enormous amount. I suppose if you look at Hugh Hefner he is certainly doing well for himself (smart man). This Industry is certainly not suffering from the recession, looks like people are still spending money on porn even if they do not have money for their bills! I think this is a crazy amount for something which is not totally accepted by society.

From the statistics I have read there are many negative effects of internet pornography. The fact that 3 billion dollars is spent on child porn annually makes me feel a little bit sick. It seems that it is very easily accessed on the internet which is a horrible thing. To think that there are people out there who would spend money on that type of stuff is unbelievable, this is when pornography becomes completely seedy and dangerous. You never really know who is out there and who could be looking at your pictures. I would have thought that these people could be tracked with Geo location software or some type of software, but obviously we are not advanced enough.

I also cannot believe that 20% of men and 13% of women watch porn in work! Have they not got jobs to do?! I think they deserve to get caught if they are going to be doing that in work, around their colleagues and bosses. I just do not know how something like this would even be on their mind at work, maybe when they are at home but work is somewhere the atmosphere is usually serious and also generally you are surrounded by people. But I do accept that there is a huge industry out there for pornography and I think it is acceptable if it is kept somewhat 'innocent' and if child pornography is prevented. I'm not sure I agree with the statement that people have porn addictions but maybe you have to see it to believe it.

On a positive note I think that what internet porn has done to advance the internet is incredible! Video streaming, iplayer, live chat, payment systems, subscriptions, security, advertising with no seed capital, video conferencing, Geo location software, adult check age verification, web analysis software and affiliated networks. These are big innovations for the internet and I think it is great because we all use these technologies on a regular basis and I would never have thought they came from the porn industry. Without many of these technologies we could not have half of the websites we use regularly. Without payment systems there would be no online shopping, without security our computers could be full of viruses and without video streaming I could not watch any of my favorite programs before they are released in Ireland! So we should also be thankful for the internet sex industry. I think many people out there are not aware of these advances either and many of them are still afraid to talk about this industry openly or even accept it.

I wanted to mention the series Sex and the City. This show is also full of pornography and sex but it is shown on regular television channel and is accepted more than internet porn. It was so successful that 2 movies were made. I wonder why this sort of program is acceptable and seen as normal but internet porn is still not 100% accepted around the world. I think people still do not like to admit that they watch porn. But it is clear from the sex industry revenues that many many people do. I always thought it was just men who watched porn but obviously they are just the only ones who will admit it!

Walk Like An Eygptian...

Me and my Erasmus friends.

I went to Cairo last month to visit some friends from Erasmus, to see how they live and to have a holiday of course. It was an experience I can tell you! The first culture shock was before I even landed in Egypt, it was in Heathrow airport. I was in terminal 3 and this is where all the Far East and African flights depart from. I felt like the only white person in the airport. The staff and the other travelers were all foreign or of foreign origin. I could not believe it. There were people walking around in completely different clothes covered from top to toe, something I would not see often in Ireland. One thing I noticed was the huge amount of baggage they all carried as well it looked like they were bringing everything they owned abroad. Anyway I went through security and I was not the only white girl anymore.

When I arrived at Cairo airport I forgot I was not in Europe anymore and tried to walk through departures without a visa, luckily I was stopped or I may have been in some major trouble trying to get home! I was collected by my friends and now the next culture shock was about to begin. There are no rules of the road in Cairo. It was Midnight there and the roads were covered in cars, mini buses, vans and taxis bumper to bumper traffic with every car trying to get past the other. We eventually got to a road with less cars and it was 'get down the road as fast as you can!' as far as I could tell. I was hanging onto the seat for dear life- this seemed normal to my friends. It is very corrupt there, bribes are accepted for everything. The police do not enforce any laws even drink driving. It even seems acceptable to the people as they are so laid back when it comes to things outside of their religion. Islam sets the law.

Check out the crazy traffic in Cairo.

Speaking of religion the call to prayer is also spoken across the country 5 times a day but I did not see anyone actually praying while I was there. But they do follow their beliefs strictly and even the way you act in public has to be appropriate. This applied to me even though I was foreign it was clear I would go by their rules.

At night time the streets of Cairo are still busy but there is not a woman to be seen. There are thousands and thousands of men sitting outside cafes smoking Shisha and drinking Egyptian tea. This is like some sort of ritual they do everyday. Women do not go out after 11 p.m as it is dangerous and also seen as disrespectful to their families and to God. It seems discriminating to me but this is their culture I suppose. I stayed with my friends at all times at night because it would be dangerous for me being a foreigner there.

I discovered within the first few days that I had brought entirely the wrong wardrobe and could not wear most of my clothes as they were too revealing compared to the Muslim women who wear something called a Hegab. These cover every part of their body except their eyes. Initially it is quite scary looking but I was used to seeing women like this by the end of my trip. It was 40 degrees and I had to cover most of my body- not what an Irish person is used to in hot weather that is for sure! Another thing that surprised me was that the people looked so old fashioned and traditional but used the latest technology. Women would be dressed in a Hegab but have an iPhone 4 in their hand or a Blackberry.

Obviously I'm taller than the Pyramids! 

Egyptians all shout at each other (in Arabic) and speak to everyone this way. It seemed really rude to me but this is their way. It frightened me sometimes when they would do that because I thought they were getting into a fight and a few minutes later they would be laughing?! Strange. They also talk to anyone and make friends with someone nearly everywhere they go. They are by far the friendliest people I have ever met (even though it is said Irish people are the friendliest you will ever meet). The streets are crowded and filthy with cats running around everywhere and there are huge sky scrapers all over the city. It is not beautiful in the city but I saw a lot of beautiful places there including the famous Pyramids, completely breath taking you must see it to believe it!

Egypt was strange but the most amazing place I have ever seen. I would not go there without knowing some Egyptian people. Although they are extremely friendly they will rip you off in every way possible!