Um. This one was long. We had a group present on Thursday the "World Without Secrets."
The gist of the whole book seemed to be how the digital age is changing our everyday lives.
I mean the entire book covered chapter by chapter how we are being "watched" every step of the way (and if we aren't being watching doing something, don't worry--the technology to watch you is coming!). Ordering a book online? They're there! Driving your car down the street? We see you! Big Brother is watching....
lol. Ok, so I'm not so doom and gloom on the whole "Big Brother" is watching thing: to me it's progression, an advancement in technology. I for one am "for" most of those advancements. Still, they brought up a good point later in the book regarding a digital Pearl Harbor.
As with any other significant change in history, there has to be a significant threat. The bring up Pearl Harbor for a reason: our significant loss gave us the strength to change our strategies and turn the war. Not having any significant, credible cyber threat has made "significant" changes in digital security difficult (according to the author).
Hmm, I don't know. I don't think summarizing their presentation of a summary really makes sense. This book seemed to provide a broad base to everything going on, but it was hard to hold on to the information. Maybe it was because the presentation was really long or because to me the book was not something I was interested in. I hate to say that, but I doubt I would pick the book of for casual reading, whereas I felt that I could have done that on our group's presented book.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Group Presentation # 1
One of the Group's in our class presented on a book called "Steal This File Sharing Book: What They Won't Tell You About File Sharing."
Ok, I had to laugh at the title. I mean it was a user's guide on how to download music, files, movies, etc. from the Internet. What was interesting was how the people responsible for policing the Internet and this type of downloading are starting to come around. They are figuring out that "Hey we can't stop this, so how do we get around it?"
I was reading recently about how DRM encryption is starting to go away as producers of digital media are trying to figure out and implement SaaS with subscriptions ("welcome to the cloud!") rather than file by file purchases.
The funny thing is last night I saw a preview for a new movie coming out on Blu-Ray and it included a Disney movie file you could transfer to your computer, phone, media device, etc. to watch the movie. They already figured someone would rip it, so canned the cost of trying to implement DRM software and just said "Here take it, matter of fact we'll make it easier."
But the presentation was a nice flow of historical progression, from Napster to Kazaa to all the other filesharing sites, of how the online community responded/is responding to the changes in DRM and how "they" (the online community) can pass around the information. Furthermore, they presented on the wide variety of available download sites out there as well as differentiating between them (newsgroups/ftps/SuperNodes/etc).
Ok, I had to laugh at the title. I mean it was a user's guide on how to download music, files, movies, etc. from the Internet. What was interesting was how the people responsible for policing the Internet and this type of downloading are starting to come around. They are figuring out that "Hey we can't stop this, so how do we get around it?"
I was reading recently about how DRM encryption is starting to go away as producers of digital media are trying to figure out and implement SaaS with subscriptions ("welcome to the cloud!") rather than file by file purchases.
The funny thing is last night I saw a preview for a new movie coming out on Blu-Ray and it included a Disney movie file you could transfer to your computer, phone, media device, etc. to watch the movie. They already figured someone would rip it, so canned the cost of trying to implement DRM software and just said "Here take it, matter of fact we'll make it easier."
But the presentation was a nice flow of historical progression, from Napster to Kazaa to all the other filesharing sites, of how the online community responded/is responding to the changes in DRM and how "they" (the online community) can pass around the information. Furthermore, they presented on the wide variety of available download sites out there as well as differentiating between them (newsgroups/ftps/SuperNodes/etc).
Thursday, November 20, 2008
BURN RATE by Michael Wolff
So we picked this book because it was one of our professor's FAVORITE books! (extra credit please).
After assembling our smallish group of six people, we thought, "Hey! Let's break the book down in chapters, read our assigned chapters, and do a presentation person by person, chapter by chapter!"
The logical choice right? Of course! This was just the wrong book to do that with. lol!
This recap of a man's personal trials and tribulations to raise money while his company is burning through it at an incredible rate is best read cover to cover. (so anyone else deciding to read this, do it solo).
We had to re-think our presentation to make this work, so be ready: we're breaking it down in a different way:
1. An introduction to this book. (What the heck is BURN RATE?)
2. About the author (Who he is, what he's done, who he's pissed off)
3. Information about the time frame the book takes place (What else was going on)
4. Our presentation of the book
5. And finally, our closing thoughts and opinions of BURN RATE.
Looking forward to everyone thoroughly enjoying our presentation and Professor Andrew giving us top honors! (Or at least not falling asleep)
Want to know more about our Professor? Click here!
Meet the team:
Nicole
Skye
Gabi
Tony
Brock
Sunday, November 16, 2008
VIRTUAL TRIP: Destination Unknown
Sunny white-sand beaches, tropical palm trees, the smell of the ocean salt wafting towards me with the afternoon breeze, and the gentle lullaby of the waves meeting the pristine shoreline. Ahhh, a low-tech tropical vacation! What could be better?
Virtual trips? How could they compare? In today's technological standards, the reproduction of the touch and taste components of a trip could not be duplicated, in my opinion. However, the visual aspects could, as well as the audible and (maybe not the way I want it too) olfactory sensations.
But why would I want to go to, say, Hawaii on my computer? Maybe to check out the beaches, look at the hotel rooms, save the time and discomfort of flying there?
Then I expanded my list of destinations. If I were to take a high-tech, virtual trip, I personally wouldn't go anywhere I could do low-tech. It would be somewhere you couldn't go low-tech (or it would just be darn uncomfortable). That's when the list got larger: pre-historic Earth, the center of the planet, other planets, inside a volcano, the North Pole, Santa's workshop, the surface of the moon, the list goes on!
I don't think one particular destination would interest me, it would be moreso the expanse of all the imaginary and impossible destinations you could program! I mean click here click there you could jump from watching elves make toys for Christmas to the surface of the Sun.
Virtual trips would be a great way to explore the past or our imagined future. It could become the interactive storybook, the catalyst for keeping our dreams alive, that many think about. (Time for a start-up company!!)
Virtual trips? How could they compare? In today's technological standards, the reproduction of the touch and taste components of a trip could not be duplicated, in my opinion. However, the visual aspects could, as well as the audible and (maybe not the way I want it too) olfactory sensations.
But why would I want to go to, say, Hawaii on my computer? Maybe to check out the beaches, look at the hotel rooms, save the time and discomfort of flying there?
Then I expanded my list of destinations. If I were to take a high-tech, virtual trip, I personally wouldn't go anywhere I could do low-tech. It would be somewhere you couldn't go low-tech (or it would just be darn uncomfortable). That's when the list got larger: pre-historic Earth, the center of the planet, other planets, inside a volcano, the North Pole, Santa's workshop, the surface of the moon, the list goes on!
I don't think one particular destination would interest me, it would be moreso the expanse of all the imaginary and impossible destinations you could program! I mean click here click there you could jump from watching elves make toys for Christmas to the surface of the Sun.
Virtual trips would be a great way to explore the past or our imagined future. It could become the interactive storybook, the catalyst for keeping our dreams alive, that many think about. (Time for a start-up company!!)
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Kevin Freitas: FEEDing Tacoma!
So Kevin Freitas came to our class and spoke all about his project FEED Tacoma as well as his personal blog space.
My thoughts? Wow! I didn't realize to the extent that people blogged online. I only recently heard about blogging over the past few years. To me it was more of a journal entry, a diary post, or rather something that was just an informal bit or piece of a news tidbit.
As I progress through this class and am educated by our instructor and his speakers, I realize it is so much more than that. Blogging is indeed a tool for the masses to come together, create a community, and speak/discuss THEIR topics.
So the Feed Tacoma site had some areas I thought were particularly "cool." The full automation of the site to aggregate news blogs was awesome. I kept thinking "Googlezon!" while Kevin was talking and smiling. Ya, so I amuse myself in interesting ways. :)
The "Shops" area was another intersting spot for discussion because it falls inline with a pet project of mine. I get excited about techonology and how much it jumps ahead every time I stop to look at it. I mean really, think back 5 years and look at where we are now (the easiest for me was always to look at the difference in video games from 5 years ago to today). What changes will happen in the ensuing 5-10 years?
And Kevin, stop the insanity! Tap into the Googlezon network and find a creative way to drop some GoogleAds in there! lol! I mean they shell out like $17 some-odd billion in ad commissions a year.
All in all, Kevin has done some great things. His Feed Tacoma site (www.feedtacoma.com) provides a hyper-local newspot for the Tacoma area. It was fun to listen to how his site and the followers of it (the "FeedTacoma Community") started the "Frost Park Chalk Off." Great stuff! Taking an online community and bringing it together in the real world to make a difference. I'm sure the more I think about it, the more I could ramble on, but I truly enjoyed the work that was done and the possibilities that exist for it. We are definitely moving to "Living and Working in a Virtual World."
My thoughts? Wow! I didn't realize to the extent that people blogged online. I only recently heard about blogging over the past few years. To me it was more of a journal entry, a diary post, or rather something that was just an informal bit or piece of a news tidbit.
As I progress through this class and am educated by our instructor and his speakers, I realize it is so much more than that. Blogging is indeed a tool for the masses to come together, create a community, and speak/discuss THEIR topics.
So the Feed Tacoma site had some areas I thought were particularly "cool." The full automation of the site to aggregate news blogs was awesome. I kept thinking "Googlezon!" while Kevin was talking and smiling. Ya, so I amuse myself in interesting ways. :)
The "Shops" area was another intersting spot for discussion because it falls inline with a pet project of mine. I get excited about techonology and how much it jumps ahead every time I stop to look at it. I mean really, think back 5 years and look at where we are now (the easiest for me was always to look at the difference in video games from 5 years ago to today). What changes will happen in the ensuing 5-10 years?
And Kevin, stop the insanity! Tap into the Googlezon network and find a creative way to drop some GoogleAds in there! lol! I mean they shell out like $17 some-odd billion in ad commissions a year.
All in all, Kevin has done some great things. His Feed Tacoma site (www.feedtacoma.com) provides a hyper-local newspot for the Tacoma area. It was fun to listen to how his site and the followers of it (the "FeedTacoma Community") started the "Frost Park Chalk Off." Great stuff! Taking an online community and bringing it together in the real world to make a difference. I'm sure the more I think about it, the more I could ramble on, but I truly enjoyed the work that was done and the possibilities that exist for it. We are definitely moving to "Living and Working in a Virtual World."
Sunday, November 2, 2008
With all the dangers, why buy online?
Online buying seems almost a natural extension of purchasing nowadays: get online statements, pay online, go green (no more paper bills), bank online, buy your food, get your dog a leash, etc. etc. etc.
But dangers are out there. Below is a link with an insane amount of statistics for identity theft, one of the most prevailent dangers out there:
http://www.spamlaws.com/id-theft-statistics.html
Here is an eye opener for why you don't want Spy/Ad Ware on your computer either:
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Dangers-of-Online-Shopping---What-You-Need-to-Know-to-Safely-Make-a-Purchase-Online&id=1574406
All interesting stuff, yet people still buy online, just like people still fly in airplanes even though it could crash. Ten years ago? Not so much. The vehicle for accepting online payments and protecting your information wasn't as strong. Online security is a major business today.
I think if you take this back a decade and compare it to today, you'll see that society more readily accepts the idea of purchasing online. It was a pioneering effort back in the 90s, cutting-edge technology to click a button and have something show up at your doorstep. Now it's rather commonplace, just about everything can be purchased and delievered from the convenience of your home.
Age has a lot to do with it too. Today's children/young adults have grown up with the idea that buying online is a normal, everyday practice. Older generations remember what it was like to pay with cash and walk into a store.
And I think the idea of the "dangers" of buying online is just a transfer of the "dangers" from buying in person. Instead of "dumpster diving" for credit card receipts or identifying information on people to "steal" their identity (big problem in the 80s and 90s) or even basic forgery that's been around forever, the underworld of getting something for now has transferred to the 'Net. An evolution of criminal activity. I think it makes the news because as with everything else online, it seems to be a lot easier to come up with metrics for identity theft than before.
So, buying online happens despite potential dangers because society more readily accepts it now, there are safeguards in effect to protect people and keep the honest people honest (hey we've got a police force, but people still rob the liquor store), and, quite honestly, could you imagine a life without online shopping?
Sunday, October 19, 2008
What Not To Buy Online
For me, online shopping was the perfect invention (well almost): you don't have to fight the crowds, save $85 in gas to drive to the store, no parking problems, and the product just shows up on the doorstep a day or two later. HOURS OF MY LIFE BACK IN MY CONTROL! Woohoo!
But is there "stuff" I wouldn't buy online? Why yes, there is. And the more I thought about it, the bigger the list got.
For instance, I wouldn't buy produce online. I like to cook and, well, I need to touch and feel that stuff to know it's good. I mean really, buying lettuce only to have it show up rotten on the doorstep would suck. Because that would defeat the purpose of online shopping--I'd just have to go to the store and return it only to buy another one.
Then I started to think, what else? I wouldn't buy a car online. Sure, I like the research capabilities that the Web (I mean the 'NET, lol) has for an automobile purchase, but wire funds over on something like that without checking it out? Never.
A house would fall under the same category as the cars. There's something about those two items where you just need to touch, feel, and see them that makes the purchase "work" for me.
Clothes, shoes, cologne, furniture, hmmm the list starts to get longer. So now, maybe I realize I am more hesitant to buy online than I originally thought. Halfway through this post, I'm thinking now: What WOULD I buy online?
My thoughts now are really that I would only buy a smaller group of items online than I first pictured myself doing. Items falling into groups of things such as office supplies or cell phones and those accessories. Maybe I would buy pea gravel or rocks online too (you really can't mess up that order). Oh, and pizza delivery. If they are going to mess up a delivery pizza, well it would happen whether you bought it online or on the phone. I think the fear for me of buying online is that it becomes a non-personal business where a mistake could happen, then I'd have to just do it over again in person. Time, oh that precious item we have so little of, becomes wasted.
In retrospect, heck, I'm not so much a carefree e-shopper as I would have thought. I have no hesitation about giving my information out over the 'Net as I am about making actual purchases. I must still be a little old fashioned when it comes to buying the things I want and need on a daily basis.
But is there "stuff" I wouldn't buy online? Why yes, there is. And the more I thought about it, the bigger the list got.
For instance, I wouldn't buy produce online. I like to cook and, well, I need to touch and feel that stuff to know it's good. I mean really, buying lettuce only to have it show up rotten on the doorstep would suck. Because that would defeat the purpose of online shopping--I'd just have to go to the store and return it only to buy another one.
Then I started to think, what else? I wouldn't buy a car online. Sure, I like the research capabilities that the Web (I mean the 'NET, lol) has for an automobile purchase, but wire funds over on something like that without checking it out? Never.
A house would fall under the same category as the cars. There's something about those two items where you just need to touch, feel, and see them that makes the purchase "work" for me.
Clothes, shoes, cologne, furniture, hmmm the list starts to get longer. So now, maybe I realize I am more hesitant to buy online than I originally thought. Halfway through this post, I'm thinking now: What WOULD I buy online?
My thoughts now are really that I would only buy a smaller group of items online than I first pictured myself doing. Items falling into groups of things such as office supplies or cell phones and those accessories. Maybe I would buy pea gravel or rocks online too (you really can't mess up that order). Oh, and pizza delivery. If they are going to mess up a delivery pizza, well it would happen whether you bought it online or on the phone. I think the fear for me of buying online is that it becomes a non-personal business where a mistake could happen, then I'd have to just do it over again in person. Time, oh that precious item we have so little of, becomes wasted.
In retrospect, heck, I'm not so much a carefree e-shopper as I would have thought. I have no hesitation about giving my information out over the 'Net as I am about making actual purchases. I must still be a little old fashioned when it comes to buying the things I want and need on a daily basis.
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