Playstation 4 vs Xbox One!

Since I was little there has always been an ongoing war against PlayStation (Sony) and Xbox (Microsoft). Therefore, I have decided to look at the differences to see whether I can come to a decision on which one I personally think is better.

In November, PlayStation and Xbox both released a new console and once again there was a huge argument on which one people should buy. For my investigation, I will look at the newest consoles which are the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One.

Below is a table which compares each aspect of the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One:

Feature	PlayStation 4	Xbox One
Price	£239.59	£299.49
Optical Drive	Blu-ray/DVD	Blu-ray/DVD
Game DVR	Yes, PS+ subscription not required	Yes, with subscription to Xbox Live Gold
RAM	8GB	8GB
CPU	Single-chip x86 AMD "Jaguar" processor, 8 cores	8 Core Microsoft custom CPU
GPU	AMD Radeon Graphics Core Next engine w/ 1152 shaders	853 MHz AMD Radeon GPU w/ 768 shaders
Storage	500GB Hard Drive	500GB Hard Drive
Cloud Storage	Yes	Yes
Account Access from Multiple Consoles	Yes	Yes
Required Internet Connection	No	No, but required for mandatory day one update

As you can see so far, there aren’t many differences between the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. The PlayStation 4 is almost £60 cheaper than the Xbox One which means people are more likely to buy a PlayStation as they can buy extras such as the camera or games for the same price as they would pay for just the Xbox One console. Both consoles have the same amount of storage space and RAM, however the PlayStation 4 has a more powerful processor.

The controllers for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are completely different. PlayStation uses a Dualshock 4 controller which has built in batteries which are rechargeable, whereas the Xbox One uses a wireless controller needing 2 AA batteries. There are rechargeable battery packs available for the Xbox One, however these are sold separately.

Motion control is another difference between the consoles. PlayStation 4 uses PlayStation 4 Eye and PlayStation Move which are both sold separately, whereas the Xbox One uses Kinect 2 which is built into the console.

To conclude, I can’t decide on one console which I think is better than the other. Recent sales show that PlayStation 4 has sold 5.3 million consoles between its launch on the 15^th November and the 8^th February. The Xbox One on the other hand had sold 3 million consoles by the end of 2013. PlayStation 4 is launching in its home country, Japan, on the 22^nd of February and is expected to surge even further ahead of the Xbox One sales. 
For more information on this visit ExtremeTech!

Instagram!

Instagram is a social media website that I use daily. It allows people to share photographs with friends, family and even the whole world. There is an option to keep your profile private which means people will have to request to follow you before being able to view your photographs.

I use my Instagram to share photographs of events and mainly food such as cupcakes that I make. Instagram allows for people with the same interests to share ideas through images. This is a creative way of communicating with people from all over the world.

Your Instagram profile can have a theme or it can focus on your life and the things you enjoy. I follow profiles which post photographs of cakes as this helps give me ideas for my baking. Also, family and friends who have moved abroad to live as this helps us keep in touch and we can see what they get up to.

The website is easy to use as it has clear labels which take you to the homepage, your own profile and a search page. The photographs that you post on Instagram will all be in one place on your profile. Anyone can also click on any of your images to write a comment or click a heart which will like the photograph or both. 

Below I have uploaded a video from YouTube which tells you everything you need to know about Instagram!

Body Language!

While looking through some Ted Talk videos, I came across a video that I found very interesting. Amy Cuddy talks about how our body language shapes who we are.

She explains how we are fascinated with our own body language as well as other people's body language. As human beings we seem to be interested in the awkward interactions or even a smile, or an extremely awkward wink.

Body language is linked to communication; as soon as you go to shake someone’s hand or give eye contact, that becomes your first communication between yourself and the other person. Amy Cuddy asks two questions; what is your body language communicating to me and what’s mine communicating to you?

Body language has been studied by social scientists who have spent time looking at the effects of our body language as well as other people’s body language. We make judgments and inferences purely from the way someone positions their body. The judgments we make have meaningful outcomes on our lives, such as who we will ask out on a date or who will be promoted.

Our body language is also influenced by our nonverbal thoughts and feelings and our physiology. A nonverbal expression could be something as simple as power and dominance. People do this by making themselves look big by stretching out and taking up space, basically they open up. This is what happens in the animal kingdom but humans do the same thing. Therefore, both position themselves like this when they have power and even if they’re feeling powerful in that moment.

The last thing Amy Cuddy mentions is “a tiny tweak can lead to big changes.” Before an interview or stressful evaluative, configure your brain to be able to cope in the best way in that situation. Remember that you should not leave the situation feeling that you didn't do enough and didn't show them who you really are. You should leave feeling that you did very well and they know exactly who you are.

Facebook!

Facebook is a social network that often gets criticised. However, there are some positives about the website.

Personally, I think that Facebook is a good invention as it helps people stay in touch. I have friends and family all over the UK as well as abroad therefore I can contact them through Facebook without a costly charge from phone bills. Also, by having a Facebook account I can gain contact with old school friends or people that I've met on holiday.

I believe that Facebook helps with my university work as I can create a group inbox to be able to contact university students to organise events or when to meet up for study time. The university I attend also has their own Facebook page which updates every time something in university changes, such as IT problems. This is useful for students as some don't always access their student emails.

You can also play games on Facebook such as candy crush saga. These allow you to challenge people from all over the world to become the best.

Facebook does have some negatives though. These include cyber bullying and disturbing videos. Cyber bullying can easily be hidden on the website as there is a large majority that may look playful or sarcastic. Due to the huge amount of cyber bullying on the website, Facebook finds it difficult to contain. The disturbing videos range from pornography or abuse which should not be shown on Facebook as anyone can see it. Children may access the videos and be introduced to something that they don't yet understand.
Below is an example of this:

To conclude, Facebook has it's advantages as it is a good way of communication. However, the disadvantages make the website unsuitable for children or anyone who may be offended by some of the content on certain pages.

Nintendo Wii!

As one of my New Year resolutions, I have promised myself that I will lose weight for my mother’s wedding! Therefore, I thought a blog on how I will achieve this is necessary.

Last year, I bought a Nintendo Wii purely for the reason that I wanted to play Just Dance 4 instead of paying £40 to join the gym. I’m tight with money! For 4 weeks, I played Just Dance and I was amazed at how much weight I had actually lost. Therefore, I have decided to write my fitness blog post on why I think the Nintendo Wii is a must have!

The Nintendo Wii costs around £150 but the games are a lot cheaper than PlayStation and Xbox. If you’re like me and are paranoid about being seen in public while you’re trying to exercise then this is definitely for you! The Nintendo Wii has many fitness games available such as, Wii Fit, Just Dance and Zumba.

I own all three of the games I just mentioned and I find them great. The Nintendo Wii is a great way to lose weight and be able to have fun at the same time. I found that I lost most of my weight because I was enjoying the game therefore I got carried away.

If I went to a gym to exercise I would get stressed and paranoid because in my mind there is always someone who will always be prettier and skinnier than me. Being in the comfort of my own home makes me less self-conscious and therefore I don’t care what I look like or what I’m doing. This is because I have one goal in mind and that’s to lose weight but to have fun while I’m at it.

The Nintendo Wii is also great for the whole family! It has family games such as Wii Sport, Mario Party 8 and Wii Play. These games are great for family nights, parties or when friends visit. I occasionally have nights where I and my other half play Nintendo Wii games for hours because we get carried away with the excitement of trying to be the best.

The console also has educational games such as Brain Academy. These are great for children as it encourages them to learn while they don’t realise it. The educational games aren’t based for children; even adults can play along and see how smart they really are!

Internet is also available on the Nintendo Wii where you can challenge people online throughout the world, or even simply catch up on your programmes on the BBC Iplayer.

As you can see, the Nintendo Wii is a family friendly console which is suitable for all ages. I would definitely recommend having one in your home, you’ll be surprised by how much fun you have!

Apple iPhone!

I've always thought that Apple products were overrated and expensive. However, recently I gave into peer pressure and bought an iPhone 4. At first, it was like having a new toy at Christmas, I couldn't put it down. My gran was always complaining that I was on my phone and I completely zoned out while using it.

After a week went by I didn't use it so often as I found that it would begin to freeze if I was on it too long. Also, I was constantly checking to see if I had closed the apps down properly as I was getting paranoid that if I left more than 3 open, it would freeze again.

Someone with such a small amount of patience, like myself, should not own one of these phones. I get frustrated far too easily; therefore when it would freeze I wanted to throw the iPhone out of the window! 

Although I am only stating bad points at the moment, there are some positives about the iPhone. Some of these include the variety of applications which are available for all ages, including apps suitable for schools and personal study. These apps include Mathematics, Geography, English and Study timetables.

To download an application off the ‘AppStore’ you must enter your Apple Account password. This makes the iPhone secure to let young children play games on your phone without risk of them downloading anything costly.

The latest iPhone, the iPhone 5s, has a finger print scanner on the lock screen which means people cannot use your iPhone without you giving them access. Unlike the iPhone 4 which has a 4 digit password.

If you enjoy and are good with up-to-date technology, I would fully recommend buying an iPhone. It’s like walking around with a mini iPad!

YouTube!

YouTube is a Web 2 that I use daily whether it may be for music or educational purposes. The website has many videos which are suitable for all ages. However, the website has both pros and cons.

Small businesses who are trying to become more developed can advertise their products for free by making their own YouTube channel. This allows for them to produce as many videos as they like which will broadcast their product to the world.

Below is an example of free advertising:

Another pro is the variety of educational videos which are available on YouTube. This is an advantage for students who prefer to listen or learn visually through the use of images and videos. The educational videos on YouTube can range from History and Science to Car Mechanics and Tutorials.

Here is an example of an educational video:

YouTube enforces age restrictions on videos which are not suitable for children who are under the age of 18. This makes the website safe for all ages, and allows for easy access.  Also, the website strongly enforces content filers which remove videos that do not comply with the terms and conditions employed by the site operators. For example, Pornographic videos, videos reporting racism etc.

Below is an extract from the YouTube Terms and Conditions:

Among all the videos on YouTube, you can also discover a variety of new talents in a variety of fields. YouTube can become a network where singers, dancers or even magicians can upload videos of themselves to gain recognition. Steven Frayne, known as Dynamo Magician Impossible, was once one of those who began his career by posting videos on Youtube.

Here is an example of one of Dynamo’s earlier videos:

So far, I have only mentioned the pros of YouTube. However, there are cons to the website. These include harsh comments on YouTube videos which can lead to cyber bullying. This is something that YouTube struggles to control due to the sheer volume.

Below is a comment which I took from a video on YouTube:

Another con is that some educational videos could be unreliable or biased. This could lead to people believing that everything they see or hear is true and passing the information on to others.

Here is an example of a propaganda video:

People with YouTube channels are also beginning to complain about the over enforcement of copyright rules as their YouTube videos are getting deleted. This is due to them using game footage or music in their videos which do not belong to them. Despite this fact there have not been many complaints from content holders as this produces free advertisement for their products. Also, children are able to make their own accounts on YouTube where they can easily lie about their age to be able to watch content which is not suitable for them.