Sunday, September 22, 2013

How to Cite YouTube and other Sources [Video]

Any time an idea is borrowed from a source—like a newspaper article, a YouTube video, a tweet, or a class lecture—that source needs to be cited. But that’s not all. The way citations are written is also important. Not only are there different citation formats to follow, like APA or MLA, but the citation of different source types, whether a blog post or a speech or a photograph, also vary, even if just slightly, e.g. capitalization. In this video, English instructor Renee Swensen explains citation styles and documentation, essential knowledge for any writer to have in order to avoid plagiarism.

Watch the video:




How to Cite YouTube & Other Sources from Turnitin on Vimeo.



READ ALONG…
Citation Styles and Documentation: Avoid plagiarism by learning how to cite YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and scholarly journals


MLA, APA, CMS, CSE etc.  If you have heard of these before, you have likely been asked to write a paper using them.  What do these acronyms stand for?

Let’s talk about your different courses for a moment.  You might have an English class, a psychology class, or a history class.  Different courses are housed under different fields of study and different fields have different groups who meet to decide how scholarly writing in that field should be presented.

For example, English falls under the Modern Language Association, psychology falls under the American Psychological Association.  These associations have manuals that explain how papers should be written in those disciplines.

CMS is called Chicago Manual of Style, which a history course might call for or CSE for Biology and other science courses.

The trick with these documentation styles is realizing you don’t have to memorize the style, you simply need to follow the guidelines, and use these guidelines as a reference.  That means you might need to look this information up each time your write an academic paper.

Guidelines will specify how the paper should be laid out, such as spacing, margins, headers, page numbers, etc.  It will also detail how to document any outside sources you used in the paper, such as in-text citations, footnotes, works cited pages or reference pages.

Knowing how to lay out the paper according to the documentation style is one thing, but knowing how to cite sources is quite another, and usually the most challenging for students.

Let’s walk through a practice source and look at how to break that source down to determine what kind of citation I need.  We’ll use APA as an example.

The first thing you need to do when looking at a source, especially one you accessed online, is determine what type of source it is.

This source gives you some clues.  It is a double-sided page, has an abstract or summary, a list of references, the title of the source, the main source may even have “journal of…” or looks like it has a specific audience of scholars.  This is definitely an academic journal.  You need to be able to differentiate between a journal, article in an online newspaper or a blog.

In order to cite the source correctly, you need to look up the type of source in a reference manual, so you can see what information is required in the citation.  These manuals often contain model citations for you to follow.

For a journal article I need to be able to match the information in the citation example with the information for my particular source.

A citation for a journal article looks like this:

Author. (year of publication). Title of article. Title of Academic Journal. Volume (Issue), pages.

Author’s last name and initials, the year it was published, the title of the articles (not in capital letters), the title of the academic journal italicized, the volume number, the issue number in parentheses, and the page numbers.  Luckily, I don’t have to memorize all this, just match my source with this sample.

Mishra, A.

The author of the article is Mishra, A. The year, (2013).  The title is cloud computing for library resources and services.  The journal title isJournal of Library, Information and Communication Technology, the volume is 5 and the issue is (1-2), with the page numbers 1-9.

An MLA citation for this journal would have some differences, such as capitalized titles, quotation marks, etc., so you need to reference up your required documentation style to get it right.

Now you have to remember that if you borrowed any ideas from a source, like a YouTube video you watched, Twitter, Facebook or a class lecture, you have to cite that source in your paper.

How to cite YouTube

APA style:

Author, A. A. [Screen name]. (year, month day). Title of video [Video file]. Retrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx

MLA style:

Last name, First name. OR Username. “Title of Video.” Title of Site. Name of institution or publisher, Day Month Year of publication. Medium. Day Month Year of access.

Just remember that you need to take the time to get your citations right to avoid plagiarism.

See how to cite other common sources, including: An interview; speeches and lectures, a painting, sculpture or photograph; films or movies; sound recordings

Saturday, September 21, 2013

How to Create Custom Google Chrome Shortcuts - Launching Extensions & Browser Actions

In the age of Information explosion and internet era, web browsers are not only for browsing web pages but also for doing something beyond our expectations. Most prominent example we can point out for such a browser is Google Chrome, based on open-source Chromium project, which the Silicon Valley technology giant owns. Without considering the software or platform you use, Shortcut keys are truly worthy, especially for those who love quicker and productive techy life.

In that sense, I hope that you will love to know about how you can create your own Google Chrome shortcuts and hence making usage like never before.




Create Custom Google Chrome Shortcuts

Here, I am going to make use of some in-built abilities of Google Chrome as well as some powerful extensions. First, I will set up custom keyboard shortcuts for specific extensions using in-built feature of Google Chrome. I also hope that this tutorial will help you in replacing hard-to-use Google Chrome shortcuts by easier ones at instance.

Google Chrome Shortcuts for Launching Extensions

As mentioned earlier, Google Chrome has a pre-built feature for assigning keyboard shortcuts for each browser extensions you have installed. Albeit the fact that it is a less-known feature, it is a truly productive one. When compared to the latter option, involving a third-party extension, the process of assigning keyboard shortcut is an easy job. You just have to follow steps mentioned below.

Step One

Launch Google Chrome browser and navigate to the extension manager section. You may make use of either of following methods.
  • Click on ‘Options button’, right to address bar -> Tools -> Extensions and it will lead you to the Extension Manager
  • Type ‘chrome://extensions’ in your address bar and hit Enter
    Google Chrome Extension Manager 

Step Two

There, you can see information about each Google chrome extension you have installed, along with highlighting effect for active ones. There are various options for enabling/disabling extensions, deleting and managing options and permissions. However, you have to scroll down and find out the option ‘Keyboard Shortcut and click on it.
Google Extension Manager: Create Shortcuts for Apps

Step Three

Instantly, you can see a pop-up window like shown in the following image. Size of the pop-up box may change according to the number of extensions, you have installed.

Keyboard Shortcuts Pop Up
As you can see in the image, there are no shortcuts set for extensions. Now, you can start assigning shortcuts for each extension, shown there.

Step Four

For assigning Google Chrome shortcuts for each extension, you have to click on the corresponding filed of that section. Once you have clicked, the background of the field will turn red along with one message ‘Type a shortcut’, just like in following image.

Typing Shortcut Extension Manager

Step Five

Now, you have to enter the shortcut, by pressing which you want to open the extension later. For instance, we have assigned the shortcut ‘Ctrl+Shift+W’ for WebRank SEO extension.



Type Shortcut Key Extension

However, you should try to not to give the in-built shortcuts of Google Chrome (like Ctrl+T, Ctrl+W) in those sections in order to avoid the clash. Once you have given all the details correctly, you may click on ‘OK’ button, which will close the pop-up window.

Yes! You have successfully assigned Google Chrome shortcuts for your favourite extensions.

Google Chrome Shortcuts for Various Browser Actions

Even though the former method can help you in activating extensions instantly, Google Chrome does not have an option for controlling browser actions. Therefore, I have to make use of an extension for doing the job neatly. You just have to keep track on following steps to assign Google chrome shortcuts for browser actions.

Step One

First, as I said earlier, you have to install one extension in your Google Chrome browser. You can download this FREE extension, Shortcut Manager, from Chrome Web Store.

Shortcut Manager Extension Installation Step One

Step Two

After installation, taking not more than some seconds, you can see a button, like shown below, near to the address bar of Chrome.



Shortcut Manager Extension Installed

When you click on it, you can see a message like shown below. From the dialogue box, select option ‘See all settings / Add new shortcuts’, which will lead you to another page, the options page of the extension.

Step Three

The options dashboard of Shortcut manager will be like in the following image, consisting of various sections. From the right top section, click on ‘Add a new shortcut’

Shortcut Manager Extension Installed Add New Shortcut


On the right section, you can see multiple columns with different labels. On the first column, named Shortcut key’ you have to type the shortcut. For doing that, click on filed and enter the shortcut keys combination. As you cannot use the backspace for correcting short key, you will have to hit the Clear button for erasing the shortcut key you have entered. In case, if you click the backspace button, it will be also included in the shortcut combination.
Shortcut Manager Save Shortcut

Step Four

In the below section, you can see a field named Action, where you have to define the browser action according to your desire. There are two options available in this section.

1. Browser Action

Here, you have a list of browser actions to choose from. List includes opening new tab, opening tab in new window, moving tabs, webpage navigation, scrolling, screen capture, navigate to downloads, open nth tab, take screenshots etc. In case if you have selected option to open favourite URL, you should give the URL next to the field.

Shortcut Key Working Extension Browser Actions

2. Execute JavaScript

You can assign one shortcut for executing a specific JavaScript. You have to select the latter option and then give the JavaScript file URL or the script itself in corresponding fields.
Shortcut Key Working Extension Enter Shortcut Key

Step Five

You have an option for restraining effects of specific Google Chrome shortcuts in some sites, even though all pages will have effect of shortcuts according to the default setting. If you want to restrict so, you should give URL’s in the section called ‘URL Patterns’

URL Patterns Shortcut Manager

Final Step

If you have given all things correct and accordingly, you can now go back to the top section of page and click ‘Save’. After the re-launching of Google Chrome, the extension will be working fine as usual.

Shortcut Manager Save Shortcut








In addition, you have options for restricting or disabling some Google Chrome shortcuts in sometime. You shall go to the options page, select the corresponding shortcut from list and hit ‘Disable’ to remove its effect from Google Chrome immediately.

Conclusion

Here, I have shown you some options for assigning custom Google Chrome shortcuts for browser actions as well as for launching extensions. Hope both of these methods will be useful for your quicker techy life. Do you know any other methods for assigning Google Chrome shortcuts? Do let us know via comments.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Facebook App Pipe: The simplest way to send files upto 1GB to Friends


Facebook launched, the new app “Pipe” this week which allows Facebook users to share files up to 1 GB in size through a simple drag and drop interface.


            Pipe seems to blend the best of two worlds that dominate Internet traffic: bit torrents and social networking. In an infographic published in March, Intel decoded “what happens in an Internet minute” in which it revealed that in a minute, the Internet transferred close to 639,800 GB of IP data across the globe.

            And as for data security, files transferred via Pipe never pass through Facebook servers, instead travelling directly between the connected users with the help of unspecified Adobe technology.

            The peer-to-peer file-sharing application will work with any type of file and will deliver in real-time if the friend is online. If the friend is offline, it will place the files securely in a locker and deliver it when the recipient logs in. Users need to register for the App at www.facebook.com/pipe

So how does it work? Let’s take a look.
First install the Pipe app on Facebook.
pipe1
Next select a friend to share a file with. Notice how it says whether they are “online” or “locker.” Files sent to offline friends will be stored in a digital locker for later retrieval (up to 5 days), and there’s no limit to the number of lockers you can create.
pipe2
Once you’ve chosen a recipient, select the tab to the right which is “locker” since I’m sending a file to an offline friend.
pipe3
Next choose a file and how long you want to make it available – up to 5 days.
pipe4
Once you select “Send to locker” you’ll need to notify the recipient. Recipients don’t have to have Pipe already installed to be notified they have a file waiting, but will obviously need to install to download.
pipe5
Now let’s take a look at what things look like as a recipient.
When you view the Pipe App page you’ll notice there’s a green light lit up in the “locker” tab signalling you have a file or files in your locker waiting to be downloaded.
pipe6
Click the locker tab and you’ll see what you’ve been sent.
pipe7
Click download to grab the file.
pipe8
Now you can share TV shows, movies, or entire albums with Facebook friends without having to hassle with third party sites like Dropbox, for example, that many don’t have accounts with.
Source: Zeropaid

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Internet Security: How to implement Hardware and Software Firewall

There are two kinds of firewalls: software and hardware firewalls. Although both provide similar benefits, a hardware firewall is more efficient and cost effective when you want to protect more than one computer. Firewalls are essential to implementing efficient Internet Security.

What is it?

A hardware firewall is a device that is placed between an Internet connection and a network. Computers connect to the Internet via the network. But all data coming in will first be checked by the firewall.  A firewall has the ability to check data entering into a computer through an Internet connection. If the source of the data is not reputable, the firewall will prevent it from being downloaded. A firewall also has the ability to identify and block inbound scans that hackers use to exploit security holes within a network. 


Using a Hardware Firewall for Internet Security

When setting up a hardware firewall, it is important that it is configured properly. If not properly configured, the firewall will block all types of connections or it may not work at all. A hardware firewall can be configured to block certain types of applications. A firewall is also useful in situations where a computer has already been infected with spyware. Since the firewall can prevent data from being sent into or out of the device, it will block the data being sent by the spyware application. Therefore, it can be used to prevent identity theft. 

How does a firewall work?

A firewall utilizes packet filtering to apply rules within a network. It maintains Internet Security by analyzing packets that are received and sent by the computer that it is protecting. If the packet contains any indications that it may be a threat, it is blocked.  A fairly recent upgrade in regards to firewall technology is known as SPI or Stateful Packet Inspection. SPI allows a firewall to check additional characteristics within a data packet. This feature allows firewalls to work more efficiently. 
How much does it cost?

Implementing Internet Security is not always cheap. However, a moderate investment can lead to an efficient security system. A hardware firewall for a home network system will cost around five thousand rupees. However, for enterprises, the cost will go up as more complex security features become necessary.  Buying a VPN service is another alternative recommended for personal users to secure online activities.

A firewall is considered to be the first line of defense of any efficient security system. Therefore, implementing it within a network is considered to be vital. 

Friday, May 24, 2013

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

How to Connect your printers with Google Cloud Print

Google Cloud Print is a new technology that connects your printers to the web. Using Google Cloud Print, you can make your home and work printers available to you and anyone you choose, from the applications you use every day. Google Cloud Print works on your phone, tablet, Chrome device, PC, and any other web-connected device you want to print from.




Google Cloud Print can print to Cloud Ready printers, which connect directly to the web and don’t require a PC to setup. Google Cloud Print can also connect to existing (classic) printers that are plugged into a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer with Internet access, using the Google Cloud Print connector in Google Chrome.

Steps for connecting your printer to Google cloud Print:

To connect your classic printer, enable the Google Cloud Print connector on any (non-Chrome OS) computer that is already connected to your printer and able to print. You'll need Google Chrome to be installed on the computer. If you're using Windows XP, make sure you also have the Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) installed.
Once Google Chrome is installed, follow the steps below to enable the Google Cloud Print connector in Google Chrome.
  1. Log in to your user account on the Windows, Mac, or Linux computer.
  2. Open Google Chrome.
  3. Click the Chrome menu Chrome menu on the browser toolbar.
  4. Select Settings.
  5. Click the Show advanced settings link.
  6. Scroll down to the “Google Cloud Print” section. Click Sign in to Google Cloud PrintSign in to Google Cloud Print
  7. In the window that appears, sign in with your Google Account to enable the Google Cloud Print connector.
  8. Select the printers you want to connect, and then click Add printer(s).
  9. You'll see a confirmation that Google Cloud Print has been enabled. Click Manage your printers to learn more.

The printer is now associated with your Google Account and connected to Google Cloud Print. You can print to this printer using Google Cloud Print whenever you’re signed in with the same Google Account.

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