The media

What percent of the news is factual and what percent is slanted or manipulated or taken out of context, or...?

AI

In a sense, I am both excited and scared for what is to come in the next 30 years. I believe that great discoveries and inventions will be made, but I am afraid at what cost. What we will sacrificing as a society for these advances? Will we no longer have privacy? Will Ai become too smart for its own good? Is our world going to turn into George Orwell's 1984? Unfortunately, it is impossible to know what exactly is in store for us. And that really is scary.

While Kurzweil and Joy both make very solid points about AI, I think both are overlooking the big picture; the fact that we are still in control of what we put out into the world. Now of course, as the years progress, everything will be newer, quicker, smaller, and more accessible, but that is just human nature. The need to improve. What we should be doing is monitoring the new AI, and keeping sure that we, the humans, are keeping one step ahead of them. We already know our limits, better, our morality, but we do not yet know the limits of robots, or for that matter, AI. By giving them a chance to feel, are we in effect, creating a new species? Whats to stop us from making a robot able to reproduce? I think that when it finally gets to that point, we will be in far over our heads, and the world will yet again change as we know it.

When you look at the revolutions such as the steam engine, television and the automobile, you must also look at the time they were presented. I do not believe that we live in a time where another big invention like this can happen. Then again, there are so many things I do not know about. What I do know, however, is that these earlier revolutions completely changed the way people lived their lives. In the time we live in now however, there isn't much on the horizon for life altering inventions. Yes of course, we are finding brand new ways to stay alive longer, cure diseases, and so on, but are practicing the basic trends of society; making families, entertaining ourselves, and the unending search for the best donut ever made. The thing I'm most afraid of is our government. What is there to stop them from gaining more power, and exercising that power in their citizens lives? Democracy? The Constitution? They hide behind those ideals and documents when it works out for them, but if they want to do something not exactly constitutional, they can manipulate the system.

For now, Kurzweil can keep his optimism about the boundless possibilities Ai has in store for us, but I think with people like Joy around, we will keep a good balance of opportunity and conservatism in our new products.

The Turing Test

Suppose that we wanted to build a computer that can pass the Turing test. It would need a wide range of skills, such as the ability to understand written language. Write a blog post that describes some of the other skills a computer would require in order to pass the Turing test.

The ability to understand written language is a lot more complicated then it sounds. Not only does it have to be able to read, but it also has to be able to distinguish verb tense, which meaning the word has (if multiple) and how all the words fit into a structured sentence. They then have to be able to take the meaning and produce a response. Because we have been basically speaking our whole lives, this doesn't really seem hard. But if you really think about it, it is amazing that a computer is producing a response. Its comparable to learning a different language. A computer knows how to speak binary, but English is a completely different language.

The computer has to be able to make decisions if it does not understand the request. It may ask the person to repeat the question, but that in itself is amazing because the computer is recognizing that it doesn't understand what the question is.

The idea of talking to computers can be very useful if they are programmed correctly. For instance, it would be awesome if you could talk to your computer and ask it, "why are you running poorly" or "what can i do to enhance your performance." Of course there are search engines and performance tests, but it would be a great thing if you could "bond" with your computer. I would give it a name, and ask how if there was anything I could do to make it happy. In a sense, a computer needs to be able to form some sort of emotion to understand many questions that may come its way. For example, if a person asks a very sarcastic question, or asks a question very angrily, I think it would be good for the computer to recognize this type of speech, since after all, it is such an important part of language. (Inflection)

1. Diebold voting machines are insecure because they are easily hackable with the right knowledge and tools. Diebold voting machines probably do not use a special memory card. Also, a person does not need special tools to access the place where the memory card is kept. Anyone with a lock-picking kit or screw-driver could easily obtain access to it. Once a hacker has access to the memory card slot, they can take out the Diebold memory card and insert their own. Their memory card probably contains malicious software that help influence the votes the way they want them to, without any apparent abuse. It takes less then a minute to install their software, which loads automatically when the machine is turned on. They then remove their memory card and replace the Diebold one. What concerns people is that if a election voter were to run a test to see if there was any malicious software, they would be unable to detect anything wrong.
   

One a person casts their vote, they leave and once the voting is done, a worker compiles the data on the memory card and turns it into the appropriate place. It's not like the people who vote wait in the place until voting is finished to make sure the machine is correct. The general public shares a terrible misconception that if a machine adds up the numbers, then the total must be correct.

2. If I was placed in charge of voting, I would take the ballets old school, and make them all on paper. It would be a lot easier, in my opinion, to keep track of ballets, then trust a machine to do the counting, especially when there are so many ways to hack. The only problem then would be the counting of the votes. Although this process would take longer, I feel that to have an accurate outcome, this would be the best way. I would completely take machines out of the equation, so their was no chance of accidental lost ballets, or eaten ballets by the computer. To make sure there wasn't any funny business while counting the ballets, I would hire people completely neutral to the election. I would make sure they had no hidden agenda. One suggestion is to hire teen-agers to count the ballets, and possibly someone to check the counting. Of course, may kids are influenced politcally by their parents, so they may or may not be neutral. There is always the possibility of teaching dogs and cats to count ballets, however they may not be the best choice because they are spooked easily by numbers. (Just kidding).
Another idea is to make the ballets somewhat like a scantron. Those work great for multiple choice tests in high school. You have people fill in the bubble, and then run the ballet through a similar machine andmake sure it was hack proof. This would make use of machines, speeding up the process, however, I still think having neutral people count the ballets are the best idea. The ballets could be held in a safe place in the major cities across the nation, and election workers could go pick up the ballets on the morning of the election to ensure security. People just can't know who is going to pick up the ballets, or when. And it has to be a neutral party.

Mash-ups Lab

Mash-up #1: Team Extreme NBA Map: Apis: Google Maps and Google Calendars
This site is awesome because it shows you where all (or almost all) the NBA teams are located. they also include a number of links for each team concerning current events happening.
http://kaespace.com/sportsmaps/NBA/

Mash-up #2: Popuri.us : Apis: Alexa Top Sites, Del.icio.us, and Technorati.
This site is really cool because it lists a number of popular search engines, and tells you how high a particular site, you, the user, searches for. It would be useful for seeing what search engines people use more in general.
http://popuri.us/

Mash-up #3: Mashed Tickets Home: API's: eBay, Google Ajax Search, and Google Maps
I really liked this site because it showed a lot of upcoming events for almost anything you'd want to see, and where it was happening at. You can then click on links to find out what is for sale for that event. It's really convenient!
http://www.mashedtickets.com/

Give an example of how the digital divide is a potential problem in each of the following areas:

- Education: Digital advances can do wonders for education but will do nothing for those students who can not afford a computer. Resources on-line have almost become unlimited, but if you can't access the internet, they do no good. Take example of the school that paid a whole bunch of money to finance a new computer lab, but then had no one to teach it. The computers ended up collecting dust, and went to no good. The great thing about textbooks is that you can take them anywhere with you, and a lot of times, schools provide them for their students. These books are a LOT less expensive then providing computers the students. If a teacher puts material on-line, and some students are able to access it, and some aren't, then it puts those students at a disadvantage because they are losing out.

- Government- The government has been trying to simplify some processes by putting forms and information on the web. Again we see the divide, because many people can not afford either a computer and/or internet access. Much of the information on the web can greatly benefit the poor, or unemployed; however, many people do not know that this information even exists. This perpetually furthers the metaphor of the wealthy not needing but gaining, and the poor needing and suffering.

- health- There has been a lot of information put on the internet concerning health. This material includes: dieting, disease, medications, infections, etc. People can easily look up what illness they have by searching the internet with their symptoms. There are also many sites that talk about which foods to eat, and which not to eat, and what foods can be dangerous. The people who can't access the web miss out on this plethora of information. For example, they may have an illness but because they know that it would cost too much money to visit the doctor unless it was an emergency, they won't do anything about it. If they had internet access, they could easily see if they should be going to the ER immediately or not. This would save them time and money, but because they don't have the money, they end up suffering.

- Entertainment- A lot of information containing showtimes, movie information, and other various information exists on the web. A disadvantage to not having internet would be that people couldn't look up showtimes or see what a movie was about. They could always buy a newspaper, but that would be an inconvenience, and sometimes hard to do depending on what area you live in, and if they have the right kind of newspaper. Also, the people who don't have access to the internet can not order movies on-line. Because of this, they are forced to pay more at video rental stores because they are themselves struggling to survive against the web.

- work- There has been huge problems with the advancement of technology in the workplace. Technology is starting to take the jobs of unskilled workers, such as check out clerks at grocery stores. The fact that anyone can ring up their item, greatly lowers the need for these clerks. Also, by blockbuster and netflix putting all of their movies on-line, there is no longer the need for video rental stores. The downside to the internet is that many people are losing their jobs because virtually everything can be sold on-line and shipped.

Digitalis(Not the flower)

With the creation and distinction of the digital era, analog has almost completely gone out of style. With television making the switch to digital signals, analog has lost hold of its final mainstream use.
Today, the digital media has completely taken over. Pictures and movies can be edited from computers, special effects have endless possibilities and basically anyone can make cool pictures, or movies with Photoshop or Final Cut. I love the availability that comes with using digital. You no longer have to have a specific format or be in a specific place to do or play things. With the invention of MP3's and the Ipod, music can be easily accessible, you no longer need to be near a tape player or gosh forbid, a record player.
It has generally improved every day life for the better, even though we kind of lose the old generation style. Black and white pictures were shot differently back in the day. There was more time spent in the production, and there was more use of nature and a person's surroundings. If a movie is shot in color and turned into black and white with the use of a digital tool, it still lacks genuity for me. Also you lose the nostalgic grainy effect that can be see in the old western movies. Today in movies, you lose that genuine feel. Almost everything can be digitally edited, and any event is poosible, which is cool for a lot of things, but since anyone can make a movie now-a-days, there's less emphasis on the making of the movie, and more emphasis on how many movies a person can crank out. After all, more movies = more money $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Other then that, I really can't see my life without anything digital. Computer, especially the interent has become what my world is based upon. Video games, e-mail, talking to friends, even my job revolves around having internet access. It makes life more efficient, but it comes at the price of losing the styles we grew up on.

E-Waste

Ladies and Gentlemen, E-waste has become a problem. A problem that not only requires the attention of people in this country, but of people all over the world. Being a student from a relatively nice neighborhood with a decent amount of money, e-waste had never caught my attention; but after reviewing these articles and looking at the pictures, it is clear that something must be done.
The first steps we can take as consumers, is to watch what we buy, and investigate the manufacturer we buy from. BAN provides a list of companies that recycle their products and I think that when people buy electronics, this list should be known to all. The first Salon article discusses the fact that all the e-waste going to China is primarily coming from the US, Japan and Europe. If you think about it, this is where all or most of all electronic parts are made, aside from China, were hopefully they are using recycled products instead of just adding to their mess.
When I think about my old cell-phones, computers and TV's I can't help but think that I should have recycled it much better. My family has the age old tradition of garage sales. Whenever we are done using something, we put it in the garage until the garage fills up. Thats when we have the sale. Whatever doesn't sell, we usually leave outside our house for a week, and send the rest of it to Goodwill. As for my previous cell-phones: I sent my first one back to the company because we moved, I think I still have 1 somewhere, and I left the other one at the store when I got my current one (oops). I honestly don't know what happens to the televisions. They usually sit outside for a week or two and disappear.
I think people have a hard time addressing this issue because the reality is so horrible, yet we never have to face it. If this was happening in our country, then a lot more people would be up in arms. The people working trying to savage precious metals are putting their selves in terrible danger. The labor laws need to change. People are fighting against child sweat shop workers, but what about the children dipping motherboards into acid? Shouldn't we be fighting for that too? The sad part is that many people do not even e-waste to be a problem. Out with the old-In with the new-type thinking. Global warning, greenhouse gases, rips in the o-zone, e-waste- It's all related and the sooner we start changing our habits, the sooner we will be able to clean up our environment.

Mr. Binary

1. Convert the following numbers from base 2 to base 10.
1. 1011- 11
   
2. 101010-42
3. 11111-31
4. 10010- 18
   

2. Convert the following numbers from base 10 to base 2.

1. 31-11111
2. 51-110011
3. 7-111
4. 103-1100111

4. Suppose that we want to download a 100 MB file. How long will it take on each of the following connections?

1. A modem that can download at 56 kilobits/second- 4 hours 3.8 minutes
   
2. A DSL connection that can download at 5 Megabits/second 2.73 min
   
3. A high-speed connection that can download 10 Megabits/second 1.36 min
   

5.If we have an Internet connection that can upload 3 Megabits/second, and an MP3 is 60 Megabytes, how many MP3s can we upload in an hour? You can download 22.56 Mp3's in 1 hour

Scanned in my work to photobucket-http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b11/
Spitfirexx/work.jpg

Net Neutrality

1. What is the fundamental issue underlying the net neutrality debate?
The techology is using an unlicensed spectrum. To mess around with it in your own home with low power is fine. To do so outside your home, and at higher power means interference beyond your control. It can also be described by wikipedia as "a broadband network free of restrictions on the kinds of equipment that may be attached, on the modes of communication allowed, that does not restrict content, sites, or platforms and where communication is not unreasonably degraded by other communication streams would be considered neutral by most observers."

2. List two groups, organizations, or individuals in favor of netneutrality. Fairly describe their arguments in favor of net neutrality.

-www.savetheinternet.org- "The Internet has thrived because revolutionary ideas like blogs, Wikipedia or Google could be started on a shoestring and attract huge audiences simply because their users found the sites valuable. Without Net neutrality the pipeline owners will choose the winners and losers on the Web."

-www.openinternetcailition.com- They campaign for universal affordable access, a more open internet- where access to broadband networks should be open to all producers and consumers of Internet content on fair and equal terms, and quality through competetion because a competitive marketplace creates jobs, helps the American consumer, fosters innovation, and drives economic growth.

3. List two groups, organizations, or individuals opposed to netneutrality. Fairly describe their arguments against net neutrality.

Comcast- They believe that peer 2 peer programs such as limewire and bittorent are taking up too much bandwith and are taking away from other customers. They believe if they were able to control who gets what and how much, then these peer 2 peer companies will not stand a chance. Legally, it helps music/video companies because it would force people to buy more music/dvd's.

Other Telecommunication companies- claim the right under U.S. law to operate the network with minimal government interference. They claim that anti-tiering regulations may indirectly prevent the expansion and improvement of Internet access for their customers, who have used an increasing amount of bandwidth. The telecommunications corporations also claim that a lack of differentiated funding sources has slowed their own corporations' implementations of new technologies and also resulted in elevated prices for many of their customers.

4. What is your opinion on the subject? (you might also find it interesting to use some of the detective skills you learned in the networking lab to find out who owns savetheinternet.com and handsoff.org). In my opinion, net neutrality should be kept. The internet is not in place so one company can dominate in all areas, and therefore kick out the competitors. After all, the internet was built by private organizations, with each person adding to it to improve the overall effectiveness. If companies start monopolizing on the biggest form of media available, then many many many jobs will be lost surely lost. for example, As it is now, people can use Yahoo! or Google, or whatever search engine they have, and they will get results in similar times. If networks are allowed to control how fast people get their results, then the whole idea of a free market internet goes out the window.

Cybersquatting

I think cyber-squatting can be a very sensitive issue. I think people can blow this issue out of proportion, while other people may not understand why it is a big deal. Simply, I think cyber-squatting should be allowed and legal in all instances.
Although I believe the people who try to steal a domain name purely for profit are stupid and annoying, they have a right to do so. In the today's society, the concept of business ethics gets thrown around all too often, but never in a serious tone. Business's may preach that they are looking out for the people, but in reality, they're really only looking to make a buck. If cybersquatters are smart enough to claim a domain before someone else, then they have priority. In a twisted sense, its kind of like entrepreneurship.
The type of cyber-squatting that doesn't bother me at all is the people who use it to parody companies. There is so much slander in the commercial world that people have become desensitized to dishing out the insults and oversensitive when receiving an insult. The example of walmartsucks.org was really funny. The fact that Wal-Mart filed a cease and desist is in itself funny. They are a major corporation that sells to people all over the world. There are bound to be people who don't like them. The way I see it is that the people who are going to shop at Wal-Mart are going to, even if there are websites against it.
The most important fact to consider when dealing with cyber-squatting is that taking any action against it violates our policy of freedom of speech. That's right, we have the Constitution backing people trying to steal domain names. God Bless America.
All in all, I think the whole issue is pretty stupid. If your name is taken on the internet, try not being so self-absorbed. Whatever domain you pick, you have to let people know what it is. It's not like people are automatically going to try your name to find you. I mean really, does Steve Jobs need his own name to market his products? No. He has Apple for that.

The Interweb

Since the dawn of time man has been interested in improving their lives. First came electricity, next came the automobile, now the age of the web has shown itself. Like most young strapping freshman, I was interested in the internet for such things as video games, e-mail, IM, and sports scores. But when I think of how it has bettered my life, the first thing that comes to mind, is its use as an educational tool.
Using the internet for research has been possibly the greatest idea since sliced bread. It really just makes life a lot easier. There is no worrying about going to the library and looking for that gigantic encyclopedia, and then copying the information down from page 13456, using a magnifying class to read the type. What I really like is the dictionaries on-line, as well as wikipedia (although i'm not supposed to be using that because it's unreliable..sshh). Specific information is available at all times. There is also different articles on the information and forums that can help you on almost any topic. I really like the forums where people discuss certain topics, because sometimes you will find out information that you didn't know on a subject you know a lot about.
The internet has changed my life for the worse because I am addicted to it! I can survive without it, but I get bored very easily now. I play WoW a lot, so I need the internet for that. Without the internet, there would be no WoW. Because of the internet, there is no incentive to read books or go outside. I spend at least 5 hours or more at my computer a day. Could it be causing a decline in my health? I do not know.
Everything is available at your finger tips. Although it is very convenient, I believe it makes our society lazier as a whole. Now, I'm not complaining, but I think this is definitely a major flaw in the system. People take advantage of the web, and there are millions of scammers out there. Although this is bound to happen in any situation, the fact that spamming and scamming is so easy and the fact that people are so gullible, present a problem to our society.
Overall, I think that some of the internet's stengths also are some of its weaknesses. It is easily accessible and almost anyone can use it, but it has the potential of eliminating jobs and even providing us the opportunity to skip out of work for the price of money. As long as people use the web responsibly, I don't think there is an immediate problem.

About Me

Hello! My name is Brian Brause. I am a Media Studies Major. I am taking this class because it looked interesting. I was going to take this class last semester but changed my schedule around. I was also pleased to find out that it fulfills my Core B requirement. I have some computer experience. I took a website class in 8th grade and an electronic design class in high school. I have also built my own computer with the help of my uncle. I enjoy playing with different programs such as photshop and flash and have experience with dreamweaver. I am a second-semester freshman .. I come from the small town of Cambria on the central coast of California. I went to a very small high school with only about 350 students and graduated with a class of 75. I played varsity basketball and tennis in high school, but now I just play them for fun. I also play World of Warcraft. I know, I know, I really need to stop! Anyways, that's me in a nutshell!