Summary Post

When I first told people about what the idea for my blog was, I simply got blank stares and confused stuttering "but...but...but how..?" And I get it: the idea of having a website based on cats is initially a laughing matter; it seems like a joke. But honestly, I have proved that it can be so much more.

Throughout this semester so far, as this idea has evolved, I have actually seen that this idea has legitimate promise. Agreed, it's a little far-fetched in the long run, but I know at least 10 women off the top of my head that would jump at the chance to participate in my website idea--and that's just the beginning."Rent-a-cat" is a wild idea, but it's not impossible.

I'm not saying it's something that I'll ever really take further than IST class, but what if it did? With the right people, the right planning, and the right road-map, this idea could be a million dollar idea. and I'll look at all the people who laughed at me and say, "Who's laughing meow?"

Blog Review Post

I have chosen to research blogger Jane Aldridge for my blog. I actually learned about her when I was at my internship this summer (it was for a fashion PR company in NYC) and I was sending out newsletters to the top fashion bloggers in America. Among the fashion world, she is incredible well known and very well respected.

Blogger turned fashion-insider, she launched her blog "Sea of Shoes" as simply a hobby in 2007. Since then, she has gone from every day high school girl to serious fashion guru. Her site serves as a photo archive of her skillfully styled clothing choices paired with the most covetable shoes known to woman.

Jane Aldridge has directly influenced the sales for various designers and has gotten her own opportunity to design with Urban Outfitters footwear. Through her fashion experience and goals, she has taught the power of a good blog. Well done Jane.

http://seaofshoes.typepad.com/sea_of_shoes/about.html

11/14/12--Digital Media

When you log onto a website, the first thing you want to see is that it has things that attract and interest you. For most people, that appeal comes from bright colors and pictures. While the color scheme of the website will be light blues and pinks, the pictures on the website are the colors that really count.

Just like with audio files, large image files need to be compressed for transmission and storage. When it comes to compression, two types of compression are available. There is "lossless" and "lossy". Lossless is where the decompression process can restore the image data identical to its original form. Lossy is where original data cannot be restored, but the image, to varying degrees, looks much like the original (e.g. jpeg compression).

On "rent-a-cat", the type of compression we will use is "lossy" compression. By use of a Jpeg, we will upload the photos for easy internet streaming of pictures. Jpeg is incredibly popular for computer and internet applications because of variable compression. The compression is on a scale of 100 on down; starting at 99, there is very high quality with little compression. It still causes a slight, though usually unnoticeable degradation over the uncompressed image. When the image is at 25 or lower, it is very low quality, but it is highly compressed.

While admittedly the JPEG has problems, it seems to do the trick for the website. By using an easy, effective method to compress photos, "rent-a-cat" will have no issues publicizing photos to the public.

11/14/12--Security 2

Protection is a huge concern among the internet community. So many people randomly click on links nowadays that computers can easily be infiltrated by viruses, spam, and unidentified software. While it may be up to the individual who owns the computer whether or not he or she wants to have an anti-virus program on their computer, many websites could easily help out by implementing things to avoid any viruses.

Malware, or "MALicious sofWARE" are bad programs that try to do bad things to a computer, network, or the server. Viruses and worms are among some of the worst types of malware that have the capacity to infect. The Malware usually gets onto a specific machine because of something that the user does, like clicking a button on a pop-up winder, installing a software package, or agreeing to add functionality to the web browser. These applications often use trickery to get the user to install them, often times from fake system alert messages to buttons that say "cancel", when they really do the opposite.

Because of the sensitive nature of "rent-a-cat", the website has to be extra careful when allowing users onto the site. They put most of their personal information on the website, which is a significant reason why hackers would want to put viruses on there and steal their information.

The only way to avoid harmful links and computer viruses is to remain alert and aware on the internet. Also, a little anti-virus wouldn't hurt. Anti-virus prevents both worm and virus infection by detecting the malware and removing it. "rent-a-cat" will have built-in anti-virus programs that detect if any falsity is using any attempting upload onto the site, and remove it immediately.

This way, the users, the programs, and the cats all remain safe from any online harm.

10/31/12--Security 1

Everyone wants what's easiest, no matter the cost. Most people nowadays can be sneaky and slimy when trying to get what they desire most; people getting stepped on in the process doesn't matter. But sometimes, being sneaky isn't always a bad thing. In fact, it can be quite clever. For example, back in the day, the military used codes to get messages across without being intercepted. Two examples of codes used were cryptography and stenography. Cryptography were codes completely numbered and different, while stenography was a blatant message, but just hidden.

In IST 195 class we learned all about cryptography. In its basic form, it is the process of encoding and decoding information so that its contents can be hidden. It relies on algorithms that use “keys” to encrypt and decrypt the information. Asymmetric, or public key cryptography uses a system of two keys where one of the keys may be freely revealed.

While it is an intriguing process with plenty of uses on the web, it does not really have a place within my website. "Rent-a-cat" is fairly open and does not need to be encrypted or filled with any type of hidden message. The contents of the website remain open to all viewers who sign into the page, and there is no need for any type of block, or hidden code, within the site.

10/22/12--Databases

Now onto the nitty gritty stuff. Most web pages that provide access to data use the HTML “FORM” element to collect inquiries from the user. FORM is a particular set of HTML tags that produce interactive document elements in which browser users can enter data of various types.


The browser remembers every option and piece of text that a user provides in a form. The FORM has two ways of sending data: GET and POST. GET sends the data to some destination URL with the submission data encoded into the URL with a series of ?, =, &, and other punctuation. POST sends the data to the receiving URL’s “standard input” (a fancy way of saying it is all sent after the initial request for the new page goes through). POST requires some kind of receiving program to eat up the incoming data


To maximize both efficiency and simplicity, the website will use a POST to keep the web name easiest to access. The address of "www.rentacat.com" will be the universally known name. While the URL may actually be longer than that, using POST will keep the name short, sweet, and to the whiskery point.

10/16/12--Communication/Networks

With so many different modes of communication nowadays, which one is the best for reaching out to customers? Due to the fact that dating sights already draw in a high amount of visitors and users, Rent-a-Cat will pair with these sights to allow my website to send out a promotional email once a user registers.

But it won't stop there. Because relationships can be so fleeting, Rent-a-cat wants to make sure you stay informed of the fabulous opportunity that the sister website offers once your loved one has become a thing of the past. Due to the fact that Rent-a-cat already has your email address from when you registered to the dating site, it will continue to sent you monthly blasts promoting new kittens, full grown cats, and chances to receive discounts if you sign up for the site on a certain date.

All of the blasts and promotions will be sent out via email, and when you log onto the site and type in your information, you have the option of receiving text messages from Rent-a-cat as well. Due to the fact that email, chat, and other forms of text messaging require minimal media richness (or face to face contact), while the messages are clear and concise, there can sometimes be room for ambiguity and so the users need to head to the site to learn more. Each communication method (or more precisely the operative standard) has a characteristic maximum bandwidth, and due to the fact that text messaging and emailing use little, the media richness is lower.

10/16/12--Advanced Hardware

To be completely honest, what is a website without sound? While many websites in the antique days of dinosaur cellphones and dark green Izuzu's were completely static, unentertaining, and bland, Rent-a-cat will be completely different. With its modern, up-to-date technology, my website promises not only the newest features to draw customers in, but also the most entertaining features.

If we're putting it bluntly, a website without sound is a cat without a meow: it simply isn't right. That's why, when you log onto Rent-a-cat, you're promised the utmost of high quality service by supplying you with the meows of the cats that are your potential new soulmates.

While some people say that they cannot stand the sound of a dog's barking, meowing can be just as intolerable. That's why, for each cat offered to you through our careful sorting process, a sound bite with the exact meowing is given as an option over your computer.

So how is this done? It "sounds" complex, but let me explain it to you: a list of recorded and precise numbers are read from CD or hard drive and sent over the
computer’s internal bus to the soundcard. The sound card contains a DAC – digital-to-audio converter that moves an electrical voltage up and down to match the numbers. The (amplified) electrical voltage goes down the wire and causes the
diaphragm of the speaker to move. The movement of the speaker diaphragm causes waves of compression that travel through the air to your eardrum.

Those waves traveling to your ears through your computer speakers are the meows.

To be exact, it's the "cat's meow!"

10/4/12--Hardware Basics 2

Both the input and output of the website is incredibly important when it comes to communicating with a customer. A video digitizer (aka a camera or video recorder) captures input from a video camera and then convert it to a digital signal. This is vital for the prosperous atmosphere of the website because the individuals advertising the cats will take actual pictures and video of the kitties to show the customers.

To make sure that the customer will be satisfied with the cat, its imperative that they approve of the cat before it comes into their home. The right amount, and quality, of the videos and pictures are so vital because if a person is unsatisfied, they will not promote the site. Also, in each customer's individual diaries when they write about their cats, they can upload pictures and videos of them playing with their cats. Once uploaded, the pictures and videos are stored in memory and displayed on computer screens


From pulses to person, the computer must be able to be accessed by all individuals. Resolution is defined as the number of pixels displayed on the screen--the "rent-a-cat" website will have each of its pages compatible for all computers. Due to the fact that some use more pixels than other, there will be an option when heading into the website for "Fit to screen". Regardless of the computer size, the website will be fit to altered for each computer screen. Image quality is affected by resolution and color depth, and so each computer will have the ability to fit the website so it has the maximum quality appearance.

This way, the website will appeal to those customers who are wealthier and can afford higher priced computers, and those who also are using prehistoric monitors.

9/26/12--Hardware Basics 1

Because sizing of the webpage and details are incredibly important to not only the appeal of the website, but the usability, I must make sure that the amount of information within my page is being supported by the right amount of codes. By using the coding that it takes to size one Microsoft Word document (which requires 30KB), it will not only be a familiar feel for the users, but also very simple. That is the coding that I will use for the "diary" portion of the site.

It will be effectively simple to navigate and each user will already have familiarity with the set-up. The little bits of coding used are each little forms of data. By amping up the amount of data used on the site, more knowledge is accessible for the readers.

The more information that there is means that there is a larger need for more coding on the site. With dreams as large as "rent-a-cat" has, and with its desire to expand, plenty of coding is necessary. And who ever said that more coding on kitties was a bad thing.

Kitty Koding anyone?

9/20/12--Software Basics

Undoubtedly, there are going to be doubts about whether or not this add-on to the original date websites are a good idea. To be honest, upon describing my idea, most people either rolled their eyes at what seemed like more of my "antics" or just scoffed, thinking that it would never work.

I'm telling you that it will.

However, progress must be tracked. The women signing up for my website must be monitored, and they need to have their successes and failures tracked. From day one, to week 6 (or depending how long they choose to keep their feline friends) these women will keep virtual diaries that are checked daily by a member of the "Kitty" team on the other end of the computer. This way, the members of my team will be able to decide whether or not this website is attracting enough viewers, or if we need to come up with a new strategic idea.

With ever-changing software, we must remain up-to-date and "hip with the times". And what's more hip than blogging? That is going to be similar to what these women will be doing; they shall be tracking their feelings, emotions, and affections towards the kitties. Behind the software will be a limited set of commands that the computer can interpret and execute.

In its basic source form, software is one or more files full of carefully constructed text. The users of my website will not get to see the code in this form, but at some point, software is the result of simply typing. This typing will result in there being a "personal folder" on my website (Obviously in the shape of a happy tabby cat) that the women will click on. That is the diary. It will appear as a sort of spreadsheet, and the women will have all the pages they need to babble their feelings. Cat lovers always have a lot of feelings.

In this spreadsheet they'll be able to add pictures they've taken with their kitties, and they'll really be able to make these documents their own. Much like this blog demonstrates my ideas and thoughts, their documents will demonstrate theirs.

9/8/12--Intro Post

Without a doubt it's hard to think of ideas that haven't yet been thought of already. Technology is always evolving, and with so much innovation, new ideas are hard to come by. But they're not impossible. That's how I came up with 'rent-a-cat'.

Falling in love is amazing. Actually being in love is even better. But what happens when the happiness fades, the honeymoon period is over, and you're left with nothing but sour memories and bitter regrets? Boys usually drown their sorrows in a few beers and turn on sports channel. Girls are much more complex creatures. After receiving so much adoration and attention for months, girls have a power vacuum of an empty heart that must be filled. 

Usually a single gal who feels she will be single for life makes the common statement, "I'm going to be alone forever with thirteen cats." But are they really ready to commit to a lifestyle of catnip and FreshStep cat litter? My website is geared towards helping women decide if they are really ready to give up the nights of high-heels and tight dresses, for nights in with take-out and Fluffy. 

First, I will create a website and link it onto a dating website (Eharmony, Match.com, Christian Singles) so that those people who once used the site to find a lover/companion, can now use it to get matched up once again, but this time with a furry friend. Once directed onto the site, the woman will take a series of personality tests to get matched up with the right cat, and then decide how many weeks she wants to rent it for (minimum 2 weeks, maximum 12 weeks). After the time is up, she will have a better idea of if she is done with the dating game for good, or if she is prepared to head back into the world of awkward first dates and expensive movies.