13th entry

Preventive maintenance is something that I try to apply when it comes to my things. I prefer this because for me it is cheaper than the alternative. If I simply wait for something to break down and then fix it, more often than not it tends to be more expensive. But if I am aware how to avoid the parts of my things from breaking or know how to maintain those parts, then it helps prevent the whole break down of that certain thing.

This is why I will always advise companies or people to practice preventive maintenance over other types of maintenance styles. It is a few simple tasks done frequently that will ultimately save the company a lot of money.

12th entry

These days more and more features are being integrated with cellphones. The cellphone started out with two features, call and text. Even in those times text messaging wasn't popular. Now, cellphones can pretty much do what computers do. You can access the net, use a digital planner, play games, create documents, create presentations, use GPS, play music, take pictures and more. Eventually everyone in the world will need and depend on cellphones in their daily lives.

It was discussed that digital money is a possibility, but in Japan, cellphones are being used to purchase items over the counter. In some convenience stores in Japan cellphones carry a chip that contains a certain load, similar to prepaid sim cards. These chips can then be placed near a reader, located at the cashier, and then the amount of the item will be deducted from the users balance.

It seems like more and more people are moving towards a more wireless world. And all of these are aimed to make our lives much easier and more comfortable.

Project #5

Chip Implants

A controversial IT related issue that I have come across is the ability to implant Radio Frequency ID (RFID) microchips into humans. This has sparked a heated debate between science and religion. Science views this as a great help to society as it would reduce what a person would typically need to bring on a day to day basis. Religion says that this is the will of the devil. Some also say that by implanting people with microchips this will be an extreme invasion on their privacy.

A human microchip implant is an integrated circuit device or RFID tag encased in silicate glass and implanted into a human's body. Such implants can be used for information storage, including personal identification, medical history, medications, allergies, and contact information.

The first reported experiment with an RFID implant was carried out in 1998 by the British scientist Kevin Warwick. As a test his implant was used to open doors, switch on lights and cause verbal output within a building.

In 2004, the VeriChip Corporation received preliminary approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its device in the U.S. within specific guidelines. Since its approval, about 80 hospitals and 232 doctors have elected to use the system. By implanting such a chip with a patient's medical record, hospitals and emergency workers can immediately gain access to an ill or injured person's medical history regardless of location. Implanted chips are impossible to lose, which could reduce the chances of information theft. Homes and automobiles could be equipped with scanners for microchips, making house and car keys obsolete (although an RFID lock requires a working power source to function). Locks and ignition switches would only work for persons with an appropriately programmed chip.

If the microchips are completely unencrypted, they would be extremely vulnerable to hacker attacks and interception by third-party scanners. By scanning secretly, someone could steal all of the information on a chip and could clone the signal, possibly leading to criminal misuse of medical files and insurance information. For example, a patient's list of known allergies could be altered maliciously, causing injury or death, or his/her insurance could be copied for another unrelated person to use.

According to the FDA, implantation of the chip itself poses some health concerns. A patient could react adversely to the chip itself by infection or allergy, or it could be implanted improperly. It could dislodge itself and move to a different part of the body than where it was first implanted. The implant could also fail on its own at any time, and the information contained in it could be lost.

More serious trauma could occur if the chip reacts to outside source, such as a strong electrical field or a magnetic resonance imager (MRI) machine. The strong magnets used in an MRI scanner could destroy the implant and cause serious burns, internally and externally.

Veterinary and toxicology studies carried out from 1996 to 2006 found that lab mice and rats injected with microchips sometimes developed subcutaneous sarcomas. Data suggests that up to 10% of the implanted lab animals developed malignant cancers originating in the tissue surrounding the microchips. Dr. Cheryl London, a veterinarian oncologist at Ohio State University, noted: "It's much easier to cause cancer in mice than it is in people. So it may be that what you're seeing in mice represents an exaggerated phenomenon of what may occur in people." London suggested a 20-year study of chipped canines was needed "to see if you have a biological effect." Specialists from several pre-eminent cancer institutions have supported such testing before microchips are implanted on a large scale in humans.

Contrary to popular belief, a GPS-enabled chip, for GPS tracking of individuals, does not yet exist— mainly due to problems with power consumption and antenna performance. Many news sources and websites have confused implantable chips with wearable or portable tracking devices.

Theoretically, a GPS-enabled chip could make it possible for individuals to be physically located by latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, and direction of movement. This could aid authorities in locating missing persons and/or fugitives and those who fled from a crime scene. VeriChip is one of the companies working on a GPS-capable chip. Governments may use microchips for mass surveillance.

Even with all the benefits that this implant brings, the concerns of the public can be grouped into four different areas: the invasiveness of the approach, privacy issues, the perceived link to Nazi-like tattoos and the “mark of the beast” fear shared by some people based on their religious beliefs.

Since the chip is imbedded under the skin, it is difficult to say with absolute certainty that the chip will not be dislodged from its original position and/or cause illness to the carrier.

For many years people have been extremely particular about their privacy and the necessity for it to be protected and preserved. This new technology flames the fears of the public of a “big brother” scenario where the government could use the chips to determine exactly where an individual is and what he/she is doing at any given time. Also, if the right measures are not taken, this system can be easily hacked. Hackers need only a device that both receives and transmits a radio frequency and they could theoretically access the chip of a person.

In World War II Jews in Germany were treated like animals. They were branded and locked up in cages. Microchip implants will not put people in cages but it will brand them with a certain number. Thus, this will in effect make people feel like animals and is obviously undesirable.

Religion quotes a passage from the Bible which reads, " . . . and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." – Revelation 13:15-17.

It seems like microchip implants are fighting a lost cause. The benefits and potential ease of lifestyle that the chips could bring is overshadowed by the personal fears shared by people. Also, since the majority of humans are religious and a good part of them are Catholics, the warning from the Bible will definitely sway them not to get implants. This will seriously affect the popularity of microchip implants and will inevitably cause the research on these implants to cease.

Personally, I would not get an implant. I do believe that it is too invasive and I do not want to gamble with what is said in the Bible. However, I do find the benefits of such a system interesting. Perhaps, they could just provide a single card with the same chip that a person can carry. That way, all the benefits will be retained and the amount of objections to it will be reduced drastically. I see RFID technology being a big part of our future lives. All that needs to happen now is for the developers to implement it in such away that will be acceptable to the public.

References:

http://www.greaterthings.com/News/Chip_Implants/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microchip_implant_%28human%29

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060717081640AAFMPJt

http://www.securitymagazine.com/CDA/Articles/Industry_News/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000161278

Project #4

Nokia vs. Samsung

There are many companies that are capitalizing on the ever growing need of people to keep in touch wherever they are. There are many methods for people to do this. People can use email, snail mail, online chat, blogging and more. However, the most popular and the most convenient way to keep in touch is through the use of mobile phones. These days it is rare to meet someone that does not own at least one mobile phone. The mobile phone in the past few years has become a necessity. A company that has been active for a long time in fulfilling this need is Nokia. However, Nokia’s reign has been constantly challenged and now some might say that Samsung has been making rapid progress in their mobile phone program.

It would be unfair to compare these two companies if the comparison started from when they started. Samsung has only come into the scene in the past few years but to its’ credit they have come out strong. The Philippines will be a good place to obtain a good snap shot of the popularity of each brand and see indeed how people react to their products. Filipino people display a more than average obsession with mobile phones. It is common for Filipinos to change their mobile phone as soon as a new model comes out.

Knowing that the Philippines are quite ahead when it comes to mobile phones I went to the places where you can purchase a mobile phone for a good bargain. I asked the vendors there what brands are most popular currently. They said that although Nokia is still the favorite of most customers, Samsung has created quite a buzz as well.

The most important feature for a mobile phone is the design. I say this because upon looking at the features of the phones offered by both companies there were not many differences, given the same price range. What really makes a phone stand out from the other is the design. Consumers may buy a Samsung phone over a Nokia because the Samsung phone looks sleeker than the Nokia or vice versa.

Price is also a major factor for consumers. Samsung and Nokia have relatively the same pricing scheme. It is pretty much you get what you pay for. If you want more features in the phone then you will have to pay extra for it. However, since Samsung is trying to successfully compete with Nokia, Samsung has enticed buyers with freebies. This slightly gives an edge to Samsung.

Another strategy that both companies use that might not be as obvious in the stores is advertising. Even though Nokia is an established brand they keep advertising their phones strongly. It is common to see a Nokia commercial on TV or even in movie houses. Samsung does advertise their phones but not as aggressive as Nokia because Samsung commercials are seen as often.

Overall, I would give the advantage to Samsung. Samsung is a new player in the mobile phone market. They are faced with very strong competitors and established brands such as Nokia. However, despite all this they have come out strong and proved that their mobile phones can indeed compete with the best of them. They also push mobile phone design. This sheer determination of Samsung to succeed in this market pushes it ahead even though Nokia has maintained their position in the market in a believable manner.

References:

http://www.nokia.com.ph/www.nokia.com

http://www.samsung.com/ph/products/gsm/index.asp

Mobile phone vendors

Project #3

Access Nation

The episode of Law and Order called Access Nation brought to light ideas about what computers and programmers can do to retrieve personal information about a specific person through the internet. There were factual examples of what can actually happen and there were fictitious examples as well. I do not think it helps the IT industry when shows like this scare non IT people from using available technology, such as the internet, with the fear of loosing their personal privacy. The more people believe the fictitious examples given in the show then support for the development of the internet will decrease and thus prevent it from becoming a more useful tool in day to day lives.

In the beginning of the show the computer of the victim was recovered. The investigators then discover that they need a password to access the files that was crucial to their investigation. They then ask their in house computer technician to crack the password. The computer technician was able to successfully crack the password protection and gain access to the files. This in real life is indeed possible. There have been many instances where hackers have been able to hack their way into files that were password protected. What got my attention was that when the computer technician was asked if she could retrieve the copy of the document file before it was modified she said yes. From what I have been taught I do not think there is any way for someone to retrieve that kind of information if the file was successfully modified and saved. Perhaps if the computer was set to save a different copy of the same file each time it was modified could someone get that unmodified version. I also find it unlikely that computers will retain the old copy of files after they have been modified on purpose as this would take up too much extra memory to do.

Through the recovered files they find their suspect. Once they interrogated the suspect he told them that he used the services of a company called Access Nation. This company supposedly uses the internet to gather personal information about anyone simply by knowing what IP address that person is using and then follow the bread crumbs that person leaves behind. The information that they gather include passwords, usernames, bank balances, home address, medical records and other personal data. If a company can really do this then there would be sufficient reason for anyone to be paranoid while using the internet. Some of the information probably could be retrieved if the cookie was hijacked. However, using common sense, I do not think banks, hospitals and other companies will make it that easy for hackers to get that personal information about their clients. If their systems were vulnerable to that information leaks then their company would not be in business for too long as trust from their customers will be gone.

The one other thing that I found fictitious was when they said that they specifically made a worm for the victim’s computer. This worm supposedly enables the hacker to take full control of the victim’s computer and sees what they are doing real-time. For this to possibly work the victim, the psychiatrist, must accept and run an attachment sent by her patient, the hacker, for the worm to be able to spread and take over the computer. Also, the victim must have constant access to the internet for the hacker to be able to see what the victim is doing. The victim should also leave her computer unattended for long periods of time while connected to the internet. This is to enable the hacker to manipulate/modify her files without her knowledge. This is somewhat possible but once again quite unlikely.

This episode of Law and Order shows that there are risks when using the internet. It also shows that people given the right background and training could potentially access this information. Although, companies that provide services requiring a person to divulge such detailed information most likely know how hackers will try to get this information and will protect their customers from these hackers. This episode was very interesting as it successfully integrated fact from fiction making fiction more believable. However, it is important to remember that not all that was seen in the episode is fact and that it is safe to use the internet using the right precautions and that companies do not “legally” exist.

Project #2

Software Piracy in the Philippines

What is software piracy?

The unauthorized copying of software. Most retail programs are licensed for use at just one computer site or for use by only one user at any time. By buying the software, you become a licensed user rather than an owner. You are allowed to make copies of the program for backup purposes, but it is against the law to give copies to friends and colleagues.

What are the most common types of software piracy?

• End-user piracy

This is the most damaging form of software piracy, and is also known as “corporate end-user piracy.” This occurs when businesses, schools, nonprofit organizations and government institutions make additional copies of software without authorization.

• Client-server Overuse

This occurs when too many employees on a network use a central copy of a program at the same time.

• Internet Piracy

While there are many publishers who offer authorized versions of their software for sale online, there are also numerous pirate operations on the Internet as well:

· Pirate websites that make software available for free download or in exchange for uploaded programs.

· Internet auction sites that offer counterfeit, out-of-channel, infringing copyright software.

· Peer-to-Peer networks that enable unauthorized transfer of copyrighted programs.

• Hard Disk Loading

This occurs when the business who sells you a new computer loads illegal copies of software onto its hard disk to make the purchase of the machine more attractive.

• Software Counterfeiting

This is the illegal duplication and sale of copyrighted material with the intent of directly imitating the copyrighted product. In the case of packaged software, it is common to find counterfeit copies of the CDs or diskettes incorporating the software program, as well as related packaging, manuals, license agreements, labels, registration cards, and security features.

The internet makes software piracy spread in a much faster rate. Instead of buying pirated copies of software from illegal retailers people only need to go to the internet and download pirated copies for free. Thus, significantly participates in this problem. It is obvious that software piracy is indeed an illegal activity and it is certain that there are laws against it.

What is the law?

Intellectual Property Rights in the Philippines are currently governed by the new Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines. The Philippines is also a member of the Berne Convention for the protection of Literary and Artistic Words.

Under the new Code, “original works” are protected by the sole fact of their creation. It is not necessary to register a work, or to do anything else to obtain the protection of the code. Further more, original works are protected regardless of their content, quality, purpose, or the form of their expression.

Among other things, the Code expressly protects computer programs as literary works. The Code also protects the copyright in the manuals and packaging, which accompany the software.

Intellectual Property Rights Code protects the copyright owner’s rights by giving the copyright owner the exclusive right to do certain things with the “works”, which in this case are the computer program, the manuals, and the packaging.

These “exclusive rights” include:

· The right to copy the whole program or a substantial part of it.

· The right to adapt or translate the program.

· The right to rent the program to another person.

This means that you may only copy, adapt or rent a computer program if the copyright owner gives you the permission to do this. This permission is given in the form of a license.

Every time you purchase a legitimate copy of a computer program, you will receive a license agreement. This agreement will tell you how you may use the computer program. If you do anything with the computer program, which is not permitted under the license agreement (or the IP Code), then you will have breached the Code and will be liable for the penalties.

What are the penalties?

• 1st offense: Imprisonment of 1 year to 3 years plus a fine ranging from P50,000 to P150,000.
• 2nd offense: Imprisonment of 3 years and 1 day to 6 years plus a fine ranging from P150,000 to P500,000.
• 3rd offense to subsequent offenses: Imprisonment of 6 years and 1 day to 9 years plus a fine ranging from P500,000 to P1.5 million.

Under Philippine law, the copyright owner may also bring a civil action for infringement of copyright. If the court finds that a breach of copyright has occurred, then it may award an injunction prohibiting further breaches, and/or either monetary compensation for the damage suffered, or an account of profits made as a result of the infringement. The court may also award the copyright owner moral and exemplary damages.

Under the new Code, the Intellectual Property Office may order the cancellation of any permit, authority or registration that the Office had granted. The Office may also impose various penalties including cease and desist orders, condemnation or seizure of the products, administrative fines and award of damages.

A new study reveals that the software piracy rate of the Philippines has remained unchanged at 71% from 2004 to 2006. However, losses from piracy have gone up from US$76 million in 2005 to US$119 million (P5.59 billion) last year.

These are among the findings of the fourth annual global PC software

piracy study released today by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), an international association representing the commercial software industry. The study was conducted independently by IDC, the information technology (IT) industry's leading global market research and forecasting firm.

"The Philippines is among the countries in the world with a projected fast growing ICT industry. However, the unchanged software piracy rate prevents the industry from advancing further. Software piracy has remained a serious concern which should be promptly addressed," said Ronald Chua, Chair of BSA Philippines Committee.

The problem of software piracy in the Philippines has not changed for at least three years now. It is hard to understand why this is the case since there are laws against this and the Philippine government is aware of the seriousness of this problem.

The leading reason for the unchanging status of software piracy in the Philippines is that the enforcement of the laws that have been established has been severely lacking. This enables participants of software piracy to continuously pirate software and reap monetary gains.

Sadly, this problem will not be solved unless the problem of corruption in the Philippines is also solved. The places where pirated software is sold are not hidden. They can be found is some malls and in “tianges.” Some are even found near police precincts. It is hard to understand why this is possible. There are occasional raids to deter pirates from selling their stolen software but this is not enough.

Looking at this problem, it is disheartening to know that after I graduate from college the software that I will develop will eventually be pirated and I will not receive rightful compensation for my work. This could also deter other programmers to develop software.

The solution being tried at the moment is the anti-piracy campaigns. These campaigns try to convince people to stop patronizing pirated goods. If people stopped buying pirated software then no one would still want to sell it. However, the temptation of being able to use software that could cost thousands of Pesos for free or for only a few hundred Pesos is too much for any average person to refuse.

Software companies have their own ways to try to deter if not solve the problem of piracy. Some companies offer a freeware version of their product containing most of the features of the software. This enables people to take advantage of their product for free. Other companies create software that requires updates and these updates are available by downloading them from their site. However, a person cannot download this update unless the version of their software is registered in the company’s database.

In any case software piracy must be solved as soon as possible. Software is becoming more and more a necessity in our daily lives. If the Philippines is able to enforce their software piracy laws, IT investors will come and will aid in solving their economic problems. So far there has been no change, but hopefully the software piracy rate in the Philippines will significantly decrease.

References:

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/may/17/yehey/techtimes/20070517tech3.html

http://w3.bsa.org/philippines/press/newsreleases/2006-Global-Piracy-Study.cfm

http://portal.doh.gov.ph/chd10/piracy.pdf

http://www.iipa.com/rbc/2001/2001SPEC301PHILIPPINES.pdf

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/s/software_piracy.htm

Project #1

How were PCs mass marketed?

If we refer to the history of IBM (International Business Machines) Corporation, one of the pioneers of the now commonly used personal computers; we will be able to determine what events and strategies IBM utilized to be able to mass produce/market PCs. How did a company that started as a tabulating company for the United States Census help make personal computers a household appliance?

The punch card was the first means for programmers to created code and feed it to a machine and for that machine to execute the operations specified in the code. IBM introduced an 80-column punch card in 1928 and used this for their operations in the years to follow. This may have well been the starting point for the modern computers.

People today are always demanding better and more functional appliances. We can see this demand in many things that we use today. For example, inventors came up with the analog walkman. Then, they improved the functionality, look and efficiency by producing the digital compact disc player. At the time CD players seemed to be able to do the job but then came along the now widely used and recognized mp3 players. Given this it is easy to think that the early developers of computers or computing machines in the 1900’s would have also strived to increase the efficiency of the punch card technology.

The start of the Second World War was a big “break” for the development of computers and IBM took advantage of this. IBM was a large contributor the United States government during the Second World War. IBM, aside from developing guns for the U.S. army, IBM used its punch card technology and the computing power that came with it to help develop the atom bomb. They also built the first digital computer in the U.S., the Harvard Mark 1. This meant that IBM now has a stable financial source and can keep operating, researching, improving and developing new and better computing machines.

The involvement of IBM in the Second World War was again beneficial as they became the U.S. Air Force’s chief contractor for their defense systems. This gave IBM to develop more advanced specialized systems and further their research on computers.

Improvements in technology throughout the following years such as the advent of vacuum tubes all the way to integrated circuit chips aided IBM to fulfill the goal of building the personal computer. There were also new forms of memory storage that could be used. This meant that IBM had everything that they needed to build a computer that can be used by average people in their everyday lives. And IBM did just that.

Now that we know what factors lead up to IBM producing personal computers conclusions can be made on how PCs came to be mass produced. For PCs to become a household appliance today, it only did not need a group of people/company to develop the technology and then sell it. Economics states that there must be a demand for a certain product so that someone will eventually supply that demand. In the early beginnings of IBM the Second World War served to be the demand.

Another factor that is needed for a product such as personal computers to become everyday things is that there should be a large public interest in what personal computers did and how it can help peoples’ lives and thus support the manufacture of the product. History suggests that since the Roman times people have always had the need of computing something. Thus the existence of the abacus and other tools that help people compute. Therefore, IBM or any other computer company did not have to do much to generate public interest in what they were doing. They just needed to focus on developing and perfecting computers.

Given all this, I think that the need for powerful and portable computing machines is the true driving force and reason why PCs now are mass marketed, produced or manufactured worldwide. Without the need for an automated tabulating service for the U.S. Census, IBM would not have been established and would not have revolutionized computers. Computer companies capitalized on this need and from it developed products to support their financial requirements. All they had to do next is wait for the technology that they needed, such as capacitors and magnetic tape, to be invented so that they can improve and optimize their computers.

Computer companies like IBM then had a need for smaller and more efficient parts to build their computers. And like what they did with the need of people for computing machines, other companies developed products to satisfy this need. This eventually made building computers much cheaper. Programs were then designed and developed to be easily used by everyday people. Then all of a sudden computers slowly appeared in households worldwide. This certainly proves the saying; “necessity is the mother of invention”, as without necessity no one would have paid attention to developing computer to what they are today.

Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_IBM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_computing_hardware

11th entry

Piracy is a big problem. However, the solution to it may never come. The programmers that create programs to combat this issue are extremely smart. But, the hackers that try to crack their systems are equally as smart. Law enforcement on this issue is also tough as so many people do it and corruption can't be avoided.

Here in the Philippines, as it was said in class, there is such a place where pirated goods are sold and this certain place is located right beside a police station. How can this happen?

I would like to share that the sale of pirated material is still on going in North America. When I was in Canada locals there told me a certain mall where pirated movies and cds are being sold. This shocked me at first as I thought local authorities would arrest these vendors right away. Apparently those vendors have been there for a while. This just led me to further think that piracy may be here to stay.

10th entry

Piracy in general is a big problem for the IT industry. Pirated copies of software, audio, video and others are as good as the licensed copy. This does make it very alluring to customers to purchase the pirated version rather than the original.

Software companies are implementing more and more methods to combat this problem. The basic plan is to make their software dependent on updates. These updates cannot be availed unless a licensed copy is installed. Some make it so that the pirated version that is installed will fail as soon as it connects to the manufacturers' server.

But is this really the way to go about solving the problem? Will it be financially possible for a software company to produce software and sell it at a cost that would be able to compete with the pirated copies? If this was indeed possible then there will be no need for consumers to purchase pirated material. Also, if the prices are low enough more people will be able to afford to buy the software and thus increase the sales of the product.

9th entry

Last meeting we continued to talk about the episode of Law and Order. The part of the discussion that I found interesting was when Sir asked if it was possible to obtain personal information such as medical records, all the sites a person goes to, bank numbers, passwords and etc.

It would be really cool and at the same time scary if this can actually be done. There would no longer be any privacy when it comes to anything to do with the internet. If this was indeed possible stalking a person would become something that can be easily done. Thankfully this is just a fantasy.

I am sure that any site that would require people to input such personal information will be aware of the importance of keeping these information private. Therefore, they will go through huge lengths to insure that hackers will not be able to obtain the information easily. If they don't protect the information then they will loose clients and in turn loose money.

8th entry

What struck me the most about our discussion last meeting was how the use of friendster and sites like it and the sites themselves itself are unsafe. It made sense that people could actually use information that a person voluntarily gives out and use it to stalk them. It is just hard to think that there are people that would actually do that.

I saw on television recently that there was this family that was being threatened and stalked through their cellphones. Apparently the stalkers knew where they were all the time and knew what they were doing. The stalkers also knew what they were wearing. As a result of this the family members changed their phones and phone numbers. However, this apparently didn't work and the stalkers still threaten them.

The family believes that the stalkers uses the camera on their phones to see them. Is this possible?

7th entry

Last meeting's topic of Internet Security was very interesting. It is good to know what the basic techniques are that hackers use to try to infiltrate a website/system. This knowledge will indeed help programmers to develop code that cannot be easily hacked using such methods as SQL injection.

I also found amusing the ignorance of most people about the IT field. This was shown in the Dilbert cartoons. I can understand the first few times that someone asks a Computer Science or IT person to fix their computer, but if it happens frequently then it becomes offensive. This just proves that the IT profession is still very new to people and much of them have no understanding of what IT people do. I am hoping that one day the majority of people will know exactly what IT professionals are trained to do and will recognize it accordingly. It does not follow that if you are in the IT field you are automatically capable of fixing computers. IT people are trained programmers not technicians.

6th entry

Viruses, spyware, malware and other harmful material are scattered on the internet and are continuously spreading and increasing in number. It was said in class that most of the time a virus cannot spread or get into a computer unless the user actually opens it/runs it on purpose. This happens as most people who are not much versed in technology or just not too careful will mistaken the virus for something else.

It seems to me that the problem with viruses will never go away. Programmers who develop such things get a kick out of proving that they are smart enough to infiltrate computers and cause damage. Thus, I think that the solution to this problem is to educate people about how to avoid these harmful software. If people know what to look for and how to spot potential viruses then hopefully this will discourage people from creating viruses.

5th entry

There is some debate on why Computer Science and/or Computer Engineering do not have a board exam just like other technical courses. The result of this is that there is no way for future employers of Computer Science and/or Computer Engineering to gage the difference in skill between the vast amount of graduates. This is a huge disadvantage for talented students looking for a job.

However, in class it was said that there are certain certification exams that students can take that can be used to tell how good a programmer really is. It was also said that it does not mean that if you pass the exam you are a good programmer. There are still average or even poor programmers that pass the exam.

So is it really worth it for the Department of Education to impose a board exam to all Computer Science and/or Computer Engineering graduates? Will this filter out the good programmers from the bad or will this just separate which students are good in taking exams from the bad exam takers but good programmers?

4th entry

I thought the topic about marketing strategies was quite interesting. I thought that knowing such marketing strategies will be useful in the future when I go buy not just computer hardware/software but other products too.

So is it safe to think that higher priced goods are better than lower priced ones? I think that this is not always the case. It was said in class that some companies price their products high to make people believe that their product is superior to others and of a higher quality. But in truth their products only costs less than half of what they charge to produce. Given that it is hard to know whether a highly priced product is indeed better.

I think that research and experience about the product is a good way to truly figure out if a certain product is worth it.

3rd entry

As we have discussed as technology gets better the price tag that comes along with it gets cheaper and cheaper. Also, the rate at which technology improves gets faster and faster. This phenomenon could be considered positive or negative. It is positive as this improvement advances our society more and more. However, for consumers, it is a headache to keep up with what is new, still OK or obsolete.

Whenever I buy something that is considered "techy" the question of whether or not to buy a certain product, a computer for example, at this time and at this price comes to mind. There is always this feeling that if I buy the computer now, in a few months what I have bought would be replaced by something better and would be much cheaper. Therefore, why would I want to buy something that will be old in a few months. I am probably not alone in this.

So what do people like me do to finally make up our minds and decide whether or not to buy. My answer is to specifically define what I am going to use that certain product for. This includes my current needs and potentially what I will need in the future. Also, how soon do I need to obtain this product. By answering these two questions I can pretty much make up my mind to whether buy the product now or wait a little and then buy its better version in the future.

2nd Entry

What I found very interesting in our last lecture was the possibility that Babbage was competent enough to finish his work back then. It is nice to imagine what our lives would be like if computers today was invented a century earlier.

If computers were invented a century earlier then the possibilities of what we could be using today is mind boggling. Innovation in the past decade or so has been so fast that it is easy to imagine that if Babbage finished his work that life today would be so much different.

Interesting as it may be to imagine what could have been the fact that Babbage was not competent enough to finish his work is so disappointing. We could have been so much more advanced today. It is also frustrating that during his time the government did not support him as much.

I just hope that governments around the world learn from this mistake and is not quick to dismiss arising technologies or theories. By being more vigilant in identifying what could be a great idea is extremely important as it can better our society exponentially in the future.

1st entry

I think that the practice of not quickly adopting new technologies should not only be practiced by business/corporations but also by individual users as well. By doing this, a person can save money and avoid the headache if the new technology fails to meet the functionality that it is supposed to do. I say this because over time I noticed that most new technology is filled with bugs when it first comes out.

In class I gave the example that when Microsoft XP first came out it was filled with bugs and was eventually fixed to make it run smoothly. This same issue happened again when they released Windows Vista. This makes me believe that the practice of not adopting new technologies right away is a good practice because consumers that automatically bought and installed Vista are now having problems with it and probably having to do a lot to keep their systems running the way they want it. I also think that this practice doesn't just apply to software but to hardware too. I bought an mp3 player once that had a very difficult user interface.

All this combined makes me believe that the conservative approach when it comes to new technologies is a good rule of thumb.