Teen Tech

So,

I’m studying for an exam.  Not a school exam, but an exam done by a leading computer certification company CompTIA (www.comptia.org).  I’m going for my Network+ certification.  This is an industry standard certification and can open quite a few new doors for me.  Some of their other Certifications are A+ which is just computer hardware and software, Linux+, Server+, and a few more.   I plan to go and take the test which is about 200$ within one month or so.

In Schools, I’ve noticed all too much that some, not all, teachers know how to actually use a computer.  Some teachers, as they’ve explained it, are afraid of them.  They would like to learn, but they don’t know where to begin or who to ask to help.  Last year, I had to help a personal finance teacher with the basics of Microsoft Excel.  Excel is one of the most common spreadsheet programs on the market and she had absolutely no idea where to start.  I offered to help her with it, and she was very eager and wanted to learn.  This brings me to my next topic, teaching about computers.  My Dad and I have been discussing conducting online courses about computers and other topics online for those who would like to learn the basics of computers or to expand their current knowledge.  This is completely unofficial as of now, but hopefully in the fall, these courses will begin and we can begin to spread our knowledge about computers.

So, that’s what’s been going on at this point.

Ok, so I said that I’d get some information about some of the top gamers in their league, so here is a biography of one such gamer.  He plays in the Cyberathlete Professional League mostly playing Counter Strike and Quake.  His name is Johnathon “Fatal1ty” Wendel.  Here is his biography: (from Fatal1ty.com)

Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel started professional gaming in 1999 by entering the CPL (Cyberathlete Professional League) tournament in Dallas and won $4,000 for placing third. Emerging as one of the top players in the United States, he then flew to Sweden where he competed in a tournament against the top 12 players in the world.

By winning 18 straight games and losing none he took first place, becoming the number one ranked Quake III player in the world. Two months later he followed that success in Dallas by successfully defending his title as the world’s best Quake III player and winning the $40,000 grand prize.

Since then Fatal1ty has traveled the globe to compete against the best in the world, winning prizes and acclaim, including the largest prize in competitive video game history by capturing first place at the CPL World Tour Finals and winning the $150,000 prize in PainkilleR. He’s now won a World Championship in 5 different games, a feat never before accomplished.

Well,

There have been quite a few updates in the land of technology lately, or at least my land.  First off, one of the top gaming leagues, the WSVG (World Series of Video Games) has added World of Warcraft to the list of games to be played in their professional circuit during the 2007 gaming season (yes, gaming has seasons).

Secondly, and most importantly, I received a  letter on Friday from Davenport University.  It wasn’t an acceptance letter (I’m only a junior, so I can’t apply anywhere yet), it was a scholarship award letter.  Because of how I did at the Business Professionals of America State Conference, I received a $2,000 scholarship to Davenport, with a chance for that money to grow next year depending on my performance at the BPA conferences.  I was shocked for getting this, and maybe this university is in my future.

Well, it’s happened, or rather, it’s been happening.  Video Gaming is now a sport.  How has it become a sport, some ask.  Well, when people get good enough at video games to get noticed, then teams form (usually made up of 4 - 5 people depending on the game).  These teams sometimes get sponsors such as Monster Energy and Red Bull.  These sponsored teams (and some un-sponsored) form leagues.  These leagues are what make up the sport of Video Gaming.  Some of the more Popular games today are Counter-Strike, Quake 4, and Halo 2. There are some larger governing bodies for gaming (comparable to the NHL for Hockey and NFL for Football).  Some of these are the MLG (Major League Gaming), WCG (World Cyber Games), and the CPL (Cyberathlete Professional League).  The prizes are not awarded like usual sports.  The players are not paid simply for being there.  Instead, the prizes are awarded based on how the teams are ranked within their league.  This year, the MLG is awarding over a Million dollars of prize money to the top eight teams ranging from $1,600 to $20,000 for the Regular season events and from $8,000 to $100,000 for the Championship events for the 4 on 4 matches (each league does their prize amounts and structures differently).  This proves that gaming is becoming more widespread as a sport, and many young people are going to try to get on these elite teams that have an average payout of 100,000 a year in the various leagues.  Go for it.  If you are ambitious and motivated, you could become one of the top gamers in the world.

In the near future, I will post on some of the top gamers in the industry and maybe, just maybe get an interview.  We’ll just have to see.

Until we meet again,
Happy Gaming!!!

First off, I’m building an Operating System (an example of an operating system is Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux).  Well trying too anyway.  I get colored text when you boot from it.  That’s it except some BASIC typing support.  Another project that I am helping to build is a bedroom.   This will be my new bedroom in my basement.  With that, I was going to do all wired networking through the walls and make it nice, but I decided to go wireless.  It is great for that small of an environment, and it’s cheaper because you don’t have to buy cabling and such.  The WiFi might not reach the speeds of a wired network, but hey, it’s cheap.  Well that’s what’s going on.

Prevention

The easiest way to clear your computer of viruses is by simply never getting any.  How is this done?  This is nearly impossible to do, except to never get on the internet which is simply not an option. One way that I prevent viruses is to not use Internet Explorer.  Some people will swear by Internet Explorer (”IE”), but statistically, it is still the most targeted web browser by viruses, and with its rather insecure “Add-Ins”, it poses more flaws.  Instead, I use Firefox (www.firefox.com).  I have NEVER gotten any viruses through this browser.  It is free, which is another very strong point.  If you do plan on using Internet Explorer, upgrade to IE 7 which is by far the best version.  Another way to prevent viruses is to not use programs which have been known to be a virus magnet.  Some of these include Kazaa, which is a music downloading tool, LimeWire, which is a Peer-to-Peer file transfer utility which breaks nearly all copyright laws, and any other program that is from a shady web site (like one that the address bar is 3 pages long of junk).  Lastly, run Windows Update often, and use antivirus software.  There are many great packages out there that are cheap to free.  I use AVGFree, and Ad-Aware which are both free and can catch most viruses.  Good Luck.

So, On Google today, April 1, i saw a link for some free highspeed internet:

http://www.google.com/tisp/install.html

go check it out :).

Short post today