Day 17:

My IP Address: 152.33.45.210

The following are some things that I found out from my IP address on this computer which I am using are:
It was purchased from Elon University by Wall, Eccles. It was purchased by Elon University in North Carolina. The update has not occurred since 2004 and the phone number is as follows: 1-336-278-5110

I then typed in facebook.com. The basic information is as follows:

Current Registrar:		TUCOWS INC.
IP Address:		69.63.184.32 (ARIN & RIPE IP search)
IP Location:		US(UNITED STATES)-CALIFORNIA-PALO ALTO
Record Type:		Domain Name
Server Type:		Apache 1
Lock Status:		clientTransferProhibited
WebSite Status:		Active
DMOZ		23 listings
Y! Directory:		see listings
Secure:		Yes
Ecommerce:		Yes
Traffic Ranking:		4
Data as of:		22-Apr-2008

This information is interesting because you can actually find out where the website originated and more detailed information about it. You can even look at the contact information of it:

Administrative Contact:
   Admin, Domain  domain@facebook.com
   1601 S. California Ave
   Palo Alto, CA 94304
   US
   +1.6505434800    Fax: +1.6505434800

The exact URL for all of this information is: http://www.networksolutions.com/whois-search/facebook.com
The exact URl for the information on this specific IP I am using is: http://whatismyip.com/tools/ip-whois-lookup.asp

Day 16: Game

Sending Message Questions:

-- What was the word you were sent, and what is its definition?
The word which I was sent was the word TARNALLY. This word is an adjective and is used as an alteration of the word 'eternal.' Tarnal also means damned.

-- What was the word you were trying to send, and what is its definition?
The word which I was trying to send was the word KATCINAS. Katcinas is a noun and it means any of various ancestral spirits deified by the Hopi Indians and impersonated in religious rituals by masked dancers. It is a Hopi religious ritual were they impersonate a spirit.

-- How long does it take you to send your message using this method?
It actually did not take me very long at all to send my message with this method. I found that my timing was fairly well planned out when I sent my messages and I ensured that they were received. It did take a while for everyone to send their messages for the entire 'game' to be over however.

-- Was it easier to send or receive a message using this method?
I find it easier to send my message than receive. I sent mine quickly but it took a while for me to actually receive mine which could greatly interfere with appropriate communication.

-- What were some of the bottlenecks?
One of the main bottlenecks which appeared in this communication process was the congestion. Once one collision occurred, two or three more collisions would occur consecutively. This seemed to continue and people were not sure of how long to wait before trying again. I also noticed that if one individual was 'collided' with they would try to send their message immediately after which interfered with the overall process. Another bottleneck would probably be finding a way to communicate with your partner if a letter or message was not understood. This caused for many persons to have the wrong letters which would, thus, completely throw off their word which they were receiving. Also, an appropriate 'tone' needed to be implemented so as how to voice the 8 bits you were going to read out loud.

-- How could you speed up this process or make it more efficient?
To make this process more efficient and to speed it up I believe that from the beginning everyone should have gone in a circle. With 27 messages and 8 characters a piece everybody would have received their messages within 8 rounds of the circle. This would have been much more time efficient as well as understandable. It would also give others the capability of predicting when their message was going to be sent and when they should prepare to write down their own individual messages.

Day 15: Reaction to Video

YOU-TUBE VIDEO:

My prediction about what happens regarding communication and addressing was extremely off. The messages need to be timed so that they do not collide as they are being sent. Connecting with other networks takes a lot of time (as quick as it may seem to us) and ensuring that messages do not 'collide' with one another is very difficult. My idea revolved more around mapping out where computers were located, which was correct, however, this video focused on making sure that they did not collide on the way which I did not focus on.

Day 15: Networking

Question:
Be creative. What are some ways that we can design a network to handle (smoothly) 1) Addressing and 2) Communication conflicts in a bus topology.

First of all, it is important to understand what a BUS topology is. This is also referred to as ethernet today. It is when there are a series of computers which are connected to a network, often times through a bus in the wall. The first thing we must do to solve this problem is to figure out where all of the other computers are (addressing). This will enable you to navigate where your message must go or which direction your networking should take for the least amount of congestion. The goal of this is to allow a smooth handling of communication and addressing and to avoid conflicts in a bus topology. A large problem with BUS topology is that so many of the computers networks run through each other in some way which can slow one down if everyone is trying to get to the same network.

In order to design a network that smoothly handles communication conflicts, finding out where the other computers networks are is important. You must locate the computer which you are trying to communicate wtih. This wil increase communication speed so that your message is not lost in a wave of networking. Say I am computer A and I want to communicate with computer D. To communicate with D I would not want to go through B and C if I am in a hurry. Rather, I would want to find a way to go directly to D from A through perhaps a direct network or finding the path in the BUS which is the shortest. It is a lot like driving somewhere for a holiday. You would want to find the shortest route and if I85 will take you to where you want to go quickly in 2 hours, you would not take the backroads through small towns which get you there in 4 (unless you wanted a scenic tour but in this case we'll pretend we dont).

This answer is probably completely off topic, but in summary finding out the location of other computers on the same network may save you time in your communication process.