User:Thisisforschool

Andy Nguyen
Occupation:	Student

I am a student in CIS2.

The topic that I chose for my Midterm was providing clean water to those that don't have access to it. I found multiple groups and sites online that do projects to provide clean water.

1. Introductions

http://www.csun.edu/~lic42878/computers.html (Discussion) (Best)

I like this article because it takes a look at how computers affect our lives in a negative way. One of the examples they used was how someone noticed that her boyfriend who never had a computer before got a laptop and started spending more time on rather than going out with is friends. It's understandable for someone to play with their new toy but some people use it to flee from reality. It's an interesting read about how much time people spend on computers.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/may/21/children-weaker-computers-replace-activity (Discussions)

I like this article because it relates to the above article. Children are spending more time playing on their iPads than going outside and running around. It would make sense for them to be physically weaker than the children who do get their excercise. It's an interesting issue that parents should think about.

http://www.ted.com/talks/gregory_stock_to_upgrade_is_human#t-203979 (Media)

This talk address how technology can be used to help humans "evolve." It's a controversial topic because it's like we are playing God which some people are against. But the technology has the potential to improve our lives by making people better (immune to diseases, etc.) I am curious about the costs to use this technology. I'm worried that the people who need it most might not be able to afford it.

2. Privacy and Freedom of Speech

https://www.eff.org/wp/effs-top-12-ways-protect-your-online-privacy (Discussion) (Best)

This article gives advice on how to protect your privacy. Most people wouldn't go through with these steps. I believe that they are effective to an extent but don't do anything against the government (besides encryption).

http://www.computerworld.com/article/2950658/data-security/thanks-for-all-the-phish.html (Discussion)

This article talks about phishing, which is pretending to be something you're not in order to get information. Phishing is one of the many threats of the internet. The best way to prevent phishing is knowing how to recognize it. Being smart is the best way to protect yourself online.

https://www.eff.org/issues/student-privacy/ (Media)

This article addresses the risks of using school-issued digital devices (such as iPads or Chromebooks). Apparently they don't care about your privacy and will collect data on you and transfer it to a private company. This is something parents should be worried about.

3. Intellectual Property

http://www.pcworld.com/article/209891/10_reasons_open_source_is_good_for_business.html (Discussion) (Best)

I think that open source is one of the biggest tools we have today. This article gives a list of reasons why open source is better than proprietary software. Trust is probably the biggest reason why people should choose open source over software that is privately owned. I like that Open-Source allows you to look at the source code and spot any possible backdoors that are in there.

https://legal.maricopa.edu/intellectual-property/what-students-should-know-about-copyright (Discussion)

Copyright and the DMCA is a major issue that we face today. This article gives some information about what a copyright is and the consequences of violating a copyright. This information is something you should know, especially if you are a student.

http://www.whoishostingthis.com/resources/student-copyright/ (Media)

This article goes more in depth about copyright and plagiarism. It gives information on how long copyrights last for, who owns them, and how to transfer them. Useful to know in order to avoid violating a copyright.

4. Crime

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/02/16/bank-hesit-cybersecurity-kaspersky-report/23509937/ (Discussion) (Best)

This article is what we would imagine a cyber crime to be like. Multiple banks were infected and watch by the group of hackers until they decided to go with the "heist." Obviously this is one of the more serious cyber crimes that'll make the news, but there are all types of crimes like hacking and phishing which affect the everyday user..

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-five-computer-crimes-protect/ (Discussions)

This article address the common crimes that users face when using the internet, with the most severe in my opinion being identity theft.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/riskfactor/computing/it/the-making-of-lessons-from-a-decade-of-it-failures (Media)

I like this article because it addresses failures that aren't created by criminals. Computers aren't perfect so it isn't rare to see one fail. One of the question this raises is what happens when systems fail? Does it open up opportunities to commit cyber crime? Unfortunately this article doesn't go there but I still think it's interesting.

5. Employment, Education and Entertainment

http://www.cool4ed.org/reviews.html (Discussion)

This link leads to a site that lists free ebooks. Considering how expensive college textbooks are, free books are a godsend for students. Although the chances of these books being the one you need for class is low, it is a good source if you want to learn independently.

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/stem-k-8-engineering (Discussion)

"This article is a good resource to see what effect the STEM methods is having on schools. Teachers are learning new methods of teaching, that don’t always involve them having the immediate answer. The students work together to solve problems, using engineering-design process: Ask, imagine, plan, create, improve. I think this article is a good example on what can be accomplished with the STEM methods of teaching in schools. The application of real world problem solving is imperative for all to learn, and it’s great that this is being taught at such a young and influential age." - Another student

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/9568850/Khan-Academy-The-man-who-wants-to-teach-the-world.html (Media) (Best)

This article is about Khan Academy, a website that is dedicated to provide ways to learn. It provides a variety of free "classes" and materials. I've never personally used it myself but it seems promising.

6. Midterm - Millennium Development Goals

http://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/concepts-providing-clean-drinking-water.html (Discussion) (Best)

This article provides a list of different ways of getting clean water, like purifiers. It describes how each method works and shows a picture of the devices. The concepts listed in this list relies on new technology, like nano, in order to filter out things like microbes. Some of the methods include using a small portable device in order to clean the water, which I think is amazing if it could be produced for cheap and in bulk.

http://thewaterproject.org/how-to-give-clean-water (Discussion)

This is about a group that are doing water projects, like drilled wells, sand dams, rainwater catchments, hygiene and sanitation. They've built almost a thousand projects already, which is an absurd number. The amount of people affected by this is insane.

http://www.unicefusa.org/mission/survival/water (Discussion)

UNICEF is a well known organization that provides relief. According to their site, they have provided water to 2.6 billion people.As technology evolve, new and better methods of cleaning and providing water will become available. Being able to filter out bacteria and things that can make you sick will allow people to avoid illnesses from contaminated drinking water. Transporting water using new technology is also very possible. Creating water from humidity is one of the cooler ways that this challenge has been tackled.

7. Evaluating and Controlling Technology

http://lifehacker.com/5938565/heres-everywhere-you-should-enable-two-factor-authentication-right-now (Keyword - Authentication)

This article talks about a form of authentication called two-factor authentication. It's not an in depth article but it does provide enough information for someone that doesn't know what it is to learn it. Provides examples of sites and services that have inplemented 2FA along with the pros of using it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/26/internet-of-things_n_7664930.html?utm_hp_ref=technology&ir=Technology (Discussion) (Best)

Connecting commonly used things in our home and world would be cool and scary at the same. Being able to monitor your home would be extremely helpful. But would that open us up to being monitored even more by the government? The article addresses both pros and cons to having a connected life.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/big-idea-2015-you-controlling-meabh-quoirin (Media)

We tend to believe that we are the ones that control technology but as technology grows more advanced we get addicted and can't live without it. It's kind of like drugs. Some people let drugs consume their lives and it's the same with technology.

8. Risks, Failures and Responsibilities

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/01/02/371945110/researchers-create-artificial-organs-on-microchips (Discussion) (Best)

This article is about artificial organs that are the size of a chip. If you look at the pictures, you would realize that they don't look anything like an organ. Instead they just have the function of an organ. The one shown collects and grows cells. It sounds really cool and helpful for the people who needs it, but what would happen if it fails? All technology have a chance of failure, so if these artificial "organs" fail, who takes responsibility?

https://ist.mit.edu/security/tips (Keyword- Safety)This article gives some safety tips to using a computer. Most of them are obivous tips to keep yourself safe like updating your computer and using antivirus. All of them are useful but I think the most important thing to stay safe is know what you are doing.

http://www.futureforall.org/futureofmedicine/medical_technology.htm (Discussion)

Provides a large list of possible future technology, including cloning and robotics.

9. Anytime, Anywhere

http://www.pcworld.com/article/209891/10_reasons_open_source_is_good_for_business.html (Keyword - Open-Source)

Gives a list of pros of using open source. Gives examples from each pro. Compares to closed source. Doesn't give cons. Doesn't give enough examples of open source software

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.en.html (Keyword - Open-Source)

Adresses misconceptions about open-source being "free." Provides examples of open source software. Explains the downside of closed source. Provides a lot of information. Too complicated for non-tech-savvy people to understand (uses technical terms)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2014/02/12/can-paypal-beat-apple-google-amazon-and-icahn-in-the-wallet-wars/ (Keyword - Paypal) (Best)

Article gives information on how Paypal is trying to speed up transactions in places like restaurants. It is an example of an E-wallet and is currently trying to be the standard.

10. Technology Advances, Social Trends

http://www.businessinsider.com/ways-the-world-will-be-terrifying-in-2050-2015-3?op=1 (Discussions) (Best)

This article address the possible problems we might be facing in the future rather than the possible advances in technology that we could have. The issue that I have with this is that they assume that we won't have an answer to fight these problems. One of the more major issues that lead to the other ones is overpopulation. The issues that come with this is not enough room to live, not enough water, not enough food, and sickness due to population density. These are all real issues but the article doesn't really talk about what we are doing to handle this. From what I read online, we are making advances in food which I think is a good step. I think this article lists these issues assuming that nothing changes for the next 35 years. I believe that technology can evolve enough so that we can take these problems head on.

http://ourworldindata.org/data/technology-and-infrastructure/moores-law-other-laws-of-exponential-technological-progress/ (Media)

Provides data and charts about how ouy technology has progress and how it will progress. This includes things like computational capacity and quality and efficiency.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/nanotechnology/

Provides a list of articles about advances in nanotechnology. Nanotech will pave the way to new technology, like health and energy.