Getting untangled from the web

Technology has dramatically changed the way we live our lives.  It increases our productivity and allows us to shift our attention away from rote tasks, freeing up time.  With that extra time comes the choice of what to do!  It seems that many people use that time recreationally on the internet.  There are so many other things we could be doing!  We could be learning of new ideas through study and reading books, spending time with family, or relaxing our minds with meditation.  Instead, we oftentimes fill our heads with short-term amusement found all over the very technologies that save us that time to begin with!  The very technologies that increase our productivity also provide enormous potential to waste.  I believe that it important in one's personal ethics to manage their time wisely and make sure a decent amount of time is being dedicated other things that matter in this life.  I think families would be stronger if its members spent a little less time on devices and more time together interacting.

Vlog - Anonymous vs. KKK

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In early November, due to a recent controversial situation in Ferguson, Missouri, the Ku Klux Klan of the surrounding area announced their intention of using lethal force to subdue protesters.  It seems clear to most people that this is a veiled excuse to execute their white-supremacist ideals and harm members of the African-American community.  In retaliation to the KKK's threat, Anonymous, a loosely organized group of hactivists, initiated "Operation KKK," an organized effort to cripple the racist group through the use of doxing and DDoS attacks.  In a show of power, they announced their intentions through a hacked KKK Twitter account.  Such attacks are widely considered ethically wrong.  In my opinion, though, the noble purpose behind the unethical actions justifies them.  It is hard to make a blanket rule and decree something totally unethical, because circumstances vary from situation to situation.  I applaud Anonymous and vocally support them in their endeavor to thwart the KKK's malicious purpose!

Video Blog Link

Innovation in the workplace

In class the other day, a guest speaker came to talk to us about technological entrepreneurship.  One major theme that I took away from his presentation was that it is OK to think outside the box.  Most companies have a set of norms, both implicit and explicit, that employees are expected to follow.  These norms are important, but like Eliot Jacobsen, I believe that sometimes there are exceptions.  There are times when it is OK to break the mold.  I believe that some ground rules are necessary to maintain order and uniformity.  On the other hand, I fully support establishing guidelines.  These guidelines should be followed when the situation reasonably allows.  But some hurdles require improvisation and unconventional methods.  I think employees should be empowered.  If they feel that they can't exercise creative liberty, they will not reach their potential.  Conversely, if an employee feels trusted enough to innovate, he will be more productive.

Here Comes Everybody - book post

In reading Clay Shirky's Here Comes Everybody, I was able to identify with many of the themes presented.  One theme that stuck out to me was that there are different levels of awareness in a society.  This reminded me of an article we read earlier in the semester, but Shirky limits the concept to three level: "when everybody knows something, when everybody knows that everybody knows, and when everybody knows that everybody knows that everybody knows" (Shirky).  He applied this concept to East Germany in the late 1900s.  When the whole society knew that everyone was aware of the social unrest, mass public demonstrations arose and brought an end to the regime.  When the government resigned, the people brought Berlin Wall to the ground.  Applying this to a modern online community, what walls are there that we can tear down?  This is a hard question for to answer.  There are so many voices on the internet, each expressing its own opinion for a given matter.  While many of these can be grouped into similar categories, it is often difficult to determine which side is correct.  Therefore, it is practically impossible to define a wall on a particular issue and determine how it is to be handled.  It is very hard to solve social problems on the internet.  While the internet can help people to be exposed to foreign ideas, it also has great potential to damage relationships and cause negative impressions.  Thus, I believe that we must be careful in the way we use social media to attempt to solve social issues.

Shirky, Clay.  Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations.  New YorkL Penguin, 2008.  163.  Print.

Free software

Several days ago in class, we watched a video about the free software and open source movements.  The first thing about the video that struck me was how blatantly anti-Microsoft it was.  To some of the speakers, it seemed that Microsoft's concept of copyrighted software was a mockery to all they held dear!  A major theme of the presentation was that software should be free to distribute, modify, and redistribute without charge.  I believe the entire concept to be impractical.  Can hordes of people afford to devote so much time to large-scale software projects that will generate no revenue?  Most people hardly have time to balance work, continuing education, family, and other demands of life!  Who would be capable of funding these projects?  The government?  If so, which government?  I think we'd have a plethora of shoddy programs floating around the nets.  Paying for software gives a person or a company the time and resources necessary to build a product worth using!

Women in computer jobs

In preparation for class, we read a series of articles about women in computer and technical jobs.  It seems that there are too many factors involved to pin the blame on any one influence.  In contemplating this phenomenon, I have turned to my own experience both at BYU and with people I have known throughout my life.  Indeed, there are fewer women in the computer science program here.  On the other hand, most of the women I have known haven't been interested in computer programming.  I believe that this trend is common in society today.  I believe that people should follow their interests, and if they're not interested in programming, we shouldn't force them to be.  On the other hand, maybe our society subliminally tells women that these types of jobs aren't right for them.  I think that more exposure of boys and girls to computer science early on in school will help change some of the stereotypes society places upon the subject.  Knowing a lot about computers is just as nerdy as knowing a lot about any other subject, no more or less!

Reverse-engineering and ethics

Several weeks ago, we talked in class about how Compaq reverse-engineered the IBM-PC's BIOS.  Supposedly, they did so in a way that did not violate copyright laws.  Was it ethical for them to sell their product after having done that?  They didn't have to put as much time or resources into their product, so they were able to produce it more cheaply and save money on development.  Granted, they did spend a bit of money to reverse-engineer the BIOS and to hire lawyers in order to ensure that they weren't violating copyright in any way.  However, it seems that they benefited unproportionally due to their reverse-engineering.  They didn't create anything new - they just replicated someone's idea.  I suppose ethics of a society are defined by the laws governing that society.  So while they may not have acted unethically, I think their course of action was wrong.  They should have used their creative energies to produce a new product that would contribute to the advance of the technological front.

Cuckoo's Egg Analysis

One of the major themes that stuck out to me in The Cuckoo's Egg's was how ignorant people were about security issues people in spite of the potential damage that could be done.  When Stoll would notify the system administrators of servers that had been hacked and explored, some of them didn't seem too alarmed, and some expressed no concern at all!  What most surprised me was the government's lack of interest in hackers, considering that the hacker targeted a number of military servers.  Even if they had complete confidence in the security of their systems, it seems like new trend of trying to break into computers owned by a branch of the government would warrant some sort of investigation.  Even if not for the purpose of protecting sensitive information, I think we should always be curious and open to learn and improve.  If there is a way for me to improve the security, performance, or user experience of my server, program, or product, I believe it is in my best interest to discover or invent and implement it.  That is how advances come in any field.  New good ideas do not come when we are satisfied with keeping the status quo.  In a society where some are content to stick with what they deem "good enough," development of newer and better technologies is held back.  In groups where all members are encouraged to think outside the box and innovate, great ideas and solutions will gain mainstream acceptance and serve as a base off of which newer creations can be forged!

How far is too far?

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The article attached above addresses Microsoft's plans to release Windows 10.  Critics tout the new operating system's increased simplicity; it will be a multi-device OS, able to adapt to its hosting hardware.  It will be more intuitive than its predecessors, and some confusing aspects of Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 will be eliminated.  As interesting as this is, it reminds me of a topic we discussed in class.  As computers become simpler, and easier to operate, they become more tightly integrated in society.  But are these technological advances proportionally beneficial to all of us?  They certainly benefit us by allowing us, for example, to plan our outfits and schedules according to the daily weather forecasts.  But what are the costs of integrating these computation machines in our lives?  Certainly we have reached the point where we cannot remove them from society, but we should carefully consider how much of our lives they take over.

Artists and Creativity

In the third episode of Triumph of the Nerds, Steve Jobs introduces the idea that "good artists copy [and] great artists steal."  While not entirely false, I disagree with the wording of this statement.  Stealing is taking credit for someone else's work and is not artistic.  In my opinion, great artists have the ability to not only take inspiration from and improve upon the ideas of others but also create their own ideas.  Taking this concept in another direction, I can see how the rise of the internet has led to an increase in creativity, which to me is the root of good art.  The internet is a giant hub of ideas.  People who would have not met otherwise are entering into contact and exchanging ideas and concepts.  On the flip side, there will always be people produce unoriginality in hopes to glean a share of the success of already-popular ideas.  The internet is replete with examples from both ends of the spectrum.  I believe that great artists are still around and that the internet has been a catalyst in helping them create great art in whatever form it may be.

Apple Attackers

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Mac or Windows - a question is sure to evoke an emotional response from almost any computer scientist.  Apple users tend to tout claims of greater security, to which Microsoft fans generally don't have much to say.  It's true.  It is common knowledge that Macs get less viruses than Windows machines.  But is Apple's security really all it's talked up to be?  Recently, there have been a number of security breaches, including the leaking of celebrity photos and the bug in the Unix, the operating system upon which Mac OS is based.  Both of these security breaches happened very recently.  While two occurrences does not define a trend, it is certainly alarming to note that they happened so close to each other.  While steps were taken to correct these mistakes, the fact that they happened in the first place is troubling.  As Apple products have and continue to become more credible and popular alternatives, I believe we will see an increased attention from people with malicious intent.

Will bitcoin dominate the market?

http://www.cnet.com/news/bitcoin-gains-support-of-cryptography-think-tank/

I recently read an article about the bitcoin, the relatively recent virtual currency.  This article discussed the emergence of Coin Center, a nonprofit organization that proposes to research the political and implications of bitcoin becoming a prominent currency.  I am not an expert on the bitcoin system, but I do know that there is a limited supply of bitcoins.  I don't know much about economics either, but having a limited supply of currency seems more natural to me.  That's one of the reasons that I support the efforts to understand the economic implications of adopting such a system.  I doubt bitcoin itself will ever become a dominant currency, but I believe that it can add a layer of stability.  I also like that it isn't regulated by a central bank or by a government agency.  It is based on the internet, and bitcoins are available to "miners" across the world.  The bitcoin system strikes me as pure economics, unmarred by the touch of greedy politicians and banks.

The Societal Impact of Technological Advances

     As I read "Five Things We Need To Know About Technological Change," by Neil Postman, I was surprised at how many of his ideas I had never before considered.  To a degree, I can perceive in our current society each of the five topics he identified.  I have never considered myself naive in regards to computers and technology - I like to think I have a fairly balanced view when it comes to weighing the pros and cons.  When I thought about it, I realized that when asked to talk about computers, I tend to focus mainly on the positive side and pass over the negative.  I think that as a society, we need to be aware of such ideas as Postman's - all developments come at a cost and can forever change aspects of society as a whole.  Technological advances, in my opinion, are taken for granted - we often overlook the scope of their practicality and allow them to dominate our lives.  As Postman stated, we must be ever attentive, "that we may use technology rather than be used by it."