The World in the Information Age

Nowadays, the world has been infected by what we call information technology. It provided the world with the most recent inventions and innovations that all aimed to improve and develop the society. Information technology also provided the world with the most useful resource ever invented by man, the Internet. The Internet is an online community service that helps the world enjoy life better. It offers different services that include entertainment, information and most importantly, communication.

To gain access on the entertainment and information service of the Internet, one must use the search engine. A search engine is a kind of Internet service that gives the user access to almost all the topics found on the World Wide Web by just typing the desired keyword. If one needs to know about the things happening in Hollywood, he or she only has to connect to the Internet and log on to the websites that offer search engines. One does not need to go and check the showbiz section of the newspaper anymore. He or she only has to have an Internet connection with the proper wizards for installation. Even though it is the fastest way to find things, searching the desired topics using Internet requires a lot of sacrifice because search engines are online vertical files finder. They find all the WebPages that contain the inputted keyword. In other words, it gives the user a list of thousands of WebPages that are related to the topic. Due to this condition, some get irritated because it consumes all the patience in them. It is usually recommended that when one uses a search engine, he or she should input a more specific keyword so that the results would be lessened. Some websites that offer search engines are Yahoo!, Google, MSN, Wikipedia, etc.

Aside from search engines, the Internet also provided the world with a new style of communication. This new style of communication is what we call as electronic mail or e-mail for short.

For the past decades, the world used telegrams and letters to communicate to the people here and outside the country. Telegrams work by paying every letter in the message. In this style of communication, the sender is forced to reduce the number of words and letters of the message, thereby affecting its coherency. In the formal letters, it works by paying the stamp of the message. Unlike the telegram, it does not concern the number of letters in the message. Therefore, the sender can write all the words that he or she wants. Although the sender is not limited to the number of words or letters, he or she must determine the weight of the message. Prices of stamps vary according to weight of message. With this condition, the sender is also limited to the size and length of the message if he or she wishes to pay the minimum amount. It is because a lot of papers would mean an increase in weight.

In e-mail messaging, these disadvantages can be erased because there are no limitations. An e-mail message is just the same as an ordinary letter only that it can be formal or informal. A sender can compose his or her message by using the telegram style or formal letter style. He or she can also choose the font style of the letters in his or her message. He or she can then design the message by inserting a smiley face or a simple picture, which is not possible in a telegram in a letter. Another service of the e-mail is its file attachment wizard. In an ordinary letter, one must pay an additional fee if he or she wishes to send a document. It is because the document will definitely increase the weight of the letter. In e-mail, weight does not matter but only memory. Even if the document is very heavy, it does not matter as long as the computerized document’s memory is enough for the attachment process. After the desired e-mail settings, one can now send the message to the recipient through its e-mail address. The recipient can receive the message instantly after the sender presses the send button. It is way faster than the old letters because e-mails only take seconds of delivery while the old letters take almost days. Some websites that offer e-mail messaging service are the ones that offer search engines.

Information technology really improved the lives of men and women, whether be it in the entertainment or communication side.

The Two Best Things that Happened In My Life

Each one of us in this world has his or her unforgettable moments. For some, these unforgettable moments are what they consider as the best thing that happened in their lives. If this is how they see it, then those should not be called the best thing, but instead it should be called the best moment in their lives. One person’s best moment might not be the best moment for the other because the other one might not be contented to what the other person feels. This only shows that each of us has his or her individual desires and dreams that make us happy when fulfilled.

As for me, I have two best things that happened in my life. I will just start with the first. My first best thing that happened in my life was when I passed the High School Admission Test of UP Cebu (HSAT). I considered it one of my best things because without it, I would not have met the friends that I have now. The friends which I have here are the best and the most intellectual people that I have known so far. They are the ones who have a philosophy and an aim in life. Another reason is that, if it were not for this test, I would have known less about life. I would not have met the teachers that I have now. They are the kind of teachers that guide students like me into the path of success. If it were not for this test, I would not be the kind of person that I am today, a person who is responsible, open-minded and sensitive to life. Another main reason on why I consider this one of the best things that happened in my life is that it paved the way for the second best thing that happened in my life.

The second best thing that happened in my life was when I met and fell in love with my very special friend. Even if we only knew each other in the second year level because it was the only year when we were classmates, our closeness developed until finally I professed my feelings for her. It was not very easy for me to profess because I first examined my feelings. I talked to her every recess even if she is in the other section. I said to myself that I should say what I feel because I thought that there was nothing wrong with saying what I feel. So, there it was. On the 2005-2006 Christmas Party, I then decided to tell her what I feel. Considering the fact that the party was held as a year level celebration, it was somehow a lucky situation for me. When I was about to tell her what I feel, I felt the most nerve-wrecking feeling that I had ever experienced so far. I felt like a kettle that is constantly boiling even if the fire has already been put off. So, what was needed to be done was done. When we were walking for home, I told her what I needed to tell. I thought that she would somehow be angry and feel bad about what I said to her. But then, I was surprised. I never thought that she would say that I was too slow. She said that she already liked me even on the first day that we met each other. Since then on, considering the hard, funny and surprising things that happened, I still regarded this as the most unforgettable and the best moment in my life.