Ever since arriving at UNMC, I frequently spend time in the computer room. This is arguably the best facility the campus offers. With 2.8GHz dual core processors, 4GB RAM, 19" monitors, and 18Mbps broadband (shared by entire campus), the computers are simply irresistible.
Secondly, there is ample amount of computers for the entire school, and there is surely some unoccupied ones as long as we stay out of the peak hours (about 2 to 5pm, when computer labs are held).
Thirdly, it is opened 24/7. Can't sleep? Computer room. Want to talk to your girlfriend in America? Computer room. Want to sleep with a computer? Computer room. No sex allowed, though.
Some people may argue that the most popular sites are being blocked by the school. I don't deny that BitTorrent downloads have been completely blocked, nor that Youtube and IM have limited capabilities here. Many games sites have been filtered out too, including Yahoo! Games, MMORPGs, and erm, Neopets. At least UNMC doesn't block out Facebook - many other campuses do. However, it is simply absurd to think that these are the only things you do on an internet-enabled computer.
Let me share some of the highly addictive activities I've been carrying out on the net.
1. News-reading
Nothing beats a free newspaper, anytime, anywhere, and ultimately environment friendly. The quickest source of news and gossips alike, a quick visit to these sites make sure you're never outdated. Try Yahoo! News for international news. Or go for BBC News or Channel News Asia. For fellow Malaysians, you can visit the good ol' The Star Online.2. Comic strips
Need some entertainment? Try getting your hands on comic strips. I'm not a manga fan, and my favourite comic strip is Baby Blues, which conveniently archived all of the strips from 1996 until near present day. If you see me laughing continuously at my computer, I'm probably reading it. Tips: if the strips are too small to be legible, hold down the Ctrl key and scroll your scroll wheel to change the page size.3. Learn something
There's a Chinese saying - out of three persons, there is always something we can learn from at least one of them. Nobody knows everything in this world. Do you know what a "mirror test" is? What exactly is an SVG file?How about melanin (not to be confused with melamine)? The differences between CAT and MRI? You don't? The good news is we don't have to figure out where to find the answers. Just visit visit Wikipedia, type in something, and start your lesson.4. Blogging
Want to share your thoughts with the world? Wish to improve your command of language? Feel like putting your creativity to the test? Why not try starting a blog? If you're lazy to start one, reading your friends' blogs, like this one (oh wait, you're already there), can be rather fun too. Be sure to visit some celebrity blogs too, and learn to distinguish the real masters from the big pile of rubbish bloggers out there. You can even try visiting some of the news blog too.There you go! Hopefully you've hooked up to something more interesting than my blog by now. Have fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.