The Robotic Age

I have to say that I agree with both. I think creating new technology is what makes this world so great. We have created numerous products that were supposedly supposed to be bad for humanity and in some ways maybe they are. But a lot of them have really great benefits too. I wouldn't go as far as to say I want a computer chip in my head. In addition, I do have some of the same concern of Joy, I don't think that we should give all the power over to robots. They don't have emotions, morals, or thoughts. Even if we were to give them these things, there is no way to tell if they go wrong and no way to stop them if they do. In this sense, I think humans must always have a part in the work. However, again on the side of Kurzweil, robotics will do a great job for medicine and extending the human life. Which is a great for the world as a whole. To be able to replace body parts and fix problems through out the body would be a great asset to medicine. So in conclusion, I think that it is vital that we continue to create and discover new technologies while maintaining full control over the technologies. It's important that we don't loose the human inside us to technology because technology was made to assist living not be life.

The Turing Test

The Turing Test includes having a human and computer talk to an alternate party. If that alternate party can not tell between the human and the computer, then the computer is intelligent. In order for the computer so successfully convince or fool the alternate party in to thinking that they are no different then a human is a difficult process. Obviously, one we are still working on and will continue to work on for years to come. Although, in my opinion we really should focus on what computers can do better than us opposed to how they can be exactly like us. To begin, the computer needs a strong sense of the written English language. Including a strong sense of grammar, vocabulary, slang, how words change in context. In addition, it needs a strong sense of the subject that they will be talking about and to know and lot of names and facts about that topic. Furthermore it needs to know a lot about current events and hot topics, in case someone mentions it, refers to, or relates their main topic with a current event. Finally, I believe the computer needs to know how to defer questions that they don't know. Many humans do not know how to answer all questions, which is why I think it's vital to answer the right way if you the computer doesn't know the answer. Questioning the questioner is a really obviously productive way to do this. Good luck to my new robot in successfully fooling the world!

Diebold Voting Machines

Electronic voting is obviously a really big problem in our country. Some of the main reasons concerns within the Diebold voting machines are its lack of security. It is simply easy for just anyone to hack in to. Not to mention they had released all of their program including passwords on their website "accidentally." However, even within out the passwords their is a back door type program that goes in untraceable where you can simply delete and put what ever number of votes you want in it's place. It takes about 10 seconds for someone who has never used the program to change the votes. In addition, you can also put a vote alternation program on a memory card which can terminate after it infects the machine with virus that can change your vote to a vote for the opposing candidate.Obviously a serious problem for anyone wanting fair elections. Not to mention, Diebold is a private company in which they can hire workers to manage or alter machines. Making it very easy to go in and put a patch for a certain winner and no one will ask questions.Do you really want the voting process in the country to be running off machines that no one knows how they work.
If I were in a position to change the voting process it would surely be a difficult topic. Paper ballots are subject to rigging but at least they have a paper trail. As for the electronic voting machines which can be changed with no indication of their change. If the government could maintain security the best opportunity would be for the government and not private parties to be in control of the voting machines. Which could also lead to hacking in to if the wrong president is in control of the country and let it happened. Which is why I believe that to start electronic voting machines should be made and maintained by the government. It must have a paper trail which prints out for each voter and well as a paper trail for the county that is controlling the election. If we can make ATM machines secure, surely we can do the same for electronic voting machines. The only problem is that someone doesn't want to. Private companies are to easily swayed and controlled by money. The democracy that gives each person the right to vote just can't simply be affected by mindless corrupt politics any more. We must ensure that voting is fair, truthful, and secure for the sake of our country.

Digital Divide

The digital divide is obvious in terms of the United States and developing countries. However, the digital divide is still very obvious within the United States as well. The divide occurs between race, gender, age and financial situations. I will begin by talking about some of the problems that could be a potential problem within education.
To begin not all schools have equal opportunities to technology. For, one a public school in a poor part of a San Francisco will not have equal access to computers as someone in a private school in a richer neighborhood. Furthermore, a poorer school might not have teachers that are educated with computers, so although some poor school might get the opportunities for technology, their teachers don't know how to use them. Which leads to their being a demand within schools not only for computers but for someone to train the teachers on them. Making it even more difficult for the schools who might not be as financially stable as a private school to take part in the luxury of technology.
The next potential problem within the digital divide is government. The government is currently stepping up their participation in the web. Their are now many tasks such as filing taxes and renewing your license that can all be done online. Making it much easier for people to complete things that would take time in the D.M.V that they can now do online. The down side is that not everyone has equal opportunities to the Internet. Therefore, their is a sense of people without a high economic standing to have a disadvantage against those that do.
Health is another potential problem that is effected by the digital divide. It is pretty obvious that everyone should be able to access the same health care benefits no matter what their situation is. Unfortunately, this is obviously not the case. People in Haiti for instance do not have the same advantages as someone at Standford hospital. Meaning they don't have the same diagnosis tools to figure out what people have and what they need in order to cure their diseases. Obviously people in poorer countries and even in our country not everyone has equal opportunities for health care with hi-tech digital diagnoses tools.
Entertainment is another problem in the digital world. Since buying tickets and movie reviews. Online television and online movie rentals have become more and more popular over the few years, its making it harder for people with out Internet access to be able to access the same tools as those who do. It is now easier and cheaper to rent movie from Netflix, where you have no late fees and you can have a unlimited amount of rentals for a rate much cheaper then in stores. This new system makes it much easier and cost efficient if you have access to the Internet. Unfortunately, many people don't have access to Internet.So these new easy tools for technology that we take for granted are not even available to people who can't afford Internet service.
Finally, work is another obstacle the digital divide is facing. Many job these days require at least basic knowledge of computers and often a proficiency in tools like excel in required. Meaning that older workers need to be retrained and that retraining needs to be taught in a time when they are able to attend. Where as people who are younger and grow up with these devices need no new training and have a clear advantage over older people who do not know how to use these devices and programs. Furthermore, most of the new hiring is done online, so if they don't know how to use the Internet they are no able to use online job posting sites.
There is a clear advantage to people who have the luxury of using wonderful technologies such as the Internet, computers, and electronic diagnosis tools. Unfortunately, billions of people have the opportunity to use digital products but are unable to in less they can cross barriers. Barriers such as economics and education. Their are people who are trying to addressing the problem but more can always be done. Unfortunately, economics seems to be a serious issue in the digital divide, one that will take a lot of work to overcome. So next time you are using these luxuries remember that they are luxuries that not everyone has the opportunity to receive.

Mashups

Mash-ups are most likely the best thing given to our world. I think my life is surely complete now that they are a part of it. Many time I find my self wondering what should I eat for lunch. Where should I go? Which is why my first and favorite mash-up is Wheel of lunch. The reason I enjoy it so much is because I love to eat. I love to eat good and new food. Finally, there are so many restaurants in San Francisco that you could go to a new restaurant everyday so why not let someone else choose where to go. The 2nd mash-up that I enjoyed was Broadway2day.
The reason why this is another mash-up that I enjoy because I love Broadway musicals and this locates the theater, says how much the tickets cost and which shows are playing there. This is really useful for if you are traveling to New York City and obviously want to watch a Broadway show.The final mash-up that I chose was 7 world wonders map. It was a mash-up between Google maps and the 7th world wonders. I love to travel and I would love to visit all the 7 world wonders before I die. I think this is really useful because not only does it tell you what the 7 world wonders are but it tells you where they are specifically in the country they are. For instance, I may not know exactly where the Colosseum is but with this program I can whip out my google map/ 7 world wonders and find exactly where it is. I love mash-ups!

File-Sharing

File-sharing or piracy is the question.What is should be considered stealing and what benefits does it have for the industry. What can the recording industry do to either stop or work with the file-sharers. When I was in high school I used file-sharing programs more. I was always looking for new music or downloading some of the old classics. I think part of the reason why file-sharing is so popular is that there is a large amount of music out there, an amount we couldn't possibly buy, but often enjoy listening to. I would never walk in to a store and steal a CD, but some how it doesn't seem the same when you download off the of the internet. To begin, I think it has to do a lot with the idea that it is called file-sharing. I would never think to steal or pirate music but if I'm just sharing that really great song from someone else just like me it seems legal. I see nothing wrong with barrowing a Cd to burn from a friend, so why should sharing with other music lovers like my self be anything different. In addition, I believe in the long run we are helping the music industries more then we are hurting them. We are making their music and their artists more popular and many of us still do buy the CD. The RIAA said that record stores around the country are closing because of piracy. I think this is an effect of more music being used digitally. People have less need for a store when they can download it off of itunes instantly opposed to having to drive to buy it. File sharing is not going to go away, and its time that the record industries start finding a new way to deal with this. Licensing music to online radio stations and providers is a start but its not enough. Itunes does offer good deals and I do find myself now using it opposed to downloading illegally. However, the average college student thinks about the money in the record companies pocket compared to the money in theirs. So obviously they are going to choose file-sharing over buying a over priced Cd. Cd prices should lower after the initial release and continuously cost less. Music that is over a certain age should be shared legally for free. I'm not advocating stealing from record companies because their rich, but I'm also not advocating selling over priced music to people who just want to hear all that is out there. Music is something we all love. It has the power to effect our emotions, make us happy when we are sad. Music is something that everyone deserves to enjoy, which is why I advocate change for file-sharing within the industry whatever that may be.

Analog VS. Digital:The Battle

I'm not sure I can give any specific examples of how analog vs. digital has changed my life except for my ability to own more music. I can get music at the touch of a button on Itunes and I don't need to buy the entire CD. I can listen to thousands of songs and they take up no space in my room. Not to mention, I can carry around that same 4,000 songs in my hand where ever I go.
I like to think that I don't necessarly compare media opposed to appreciating it for it's different quality. There is something amazing about the idea that we can create anything on a computer and make it seem lifelike and real on the movie screen. There is also an essence of class that you can receive from a black and white film that can't be recreated the same today. It's wonderful to be able to listen to clear music anywhere I go.However, there is also something really wonderful about listening to an old record. It seems more like they are there in the room with you. The sound seems more real opposed to something created in a studio by computers.
The Pro's to Digital are: clearer picture and sound, ability to hold large amounts of music in a small space, better graphics for film, and cutting edge special effects.
The Pro's to Analog are: Clearer and more life like quality to the music, and an essence of class.
Con's to digital: often looses quality in some cases, able to loose music since it is all kept electronically, has large files that take up a lot of room on computers.
Con's to Analog: takes up space in home, may have poorer quality of sound, and little special effects done by computers.

E-waste

For the sake of poor countries such as Nigeria, China, and India E-waste is a problem in need of crucial reformation. Waste from cell phones, computers, and other electronics have been dumped off prom larger countries such as the U.S ,Europe, and Japan in to poor rural parts of poorer countries. In attempts to cut costs for recycling agency's in the U.S they smuggle their excess of materials too expensive to recycle into poorer countries. These poor countries villages are filled with large amounts on electronic waste. Waste that contains large amounts of lead and mercury which seeps in to the ground, in to the water, and ultimately in to the bodies of the people living in that community. The workers who work with the waste often burn hazardous materials with no protective gear, and use make shift tools which are often dangerous to work with. It is vital that we listen to the agreements made my the Basel Convention and stop dumping our hazardous waste on to poor countries.
Obviously, the tracking of smuggling to foreign countries is a hard thing to do. Especially when people can be paid to look the other way. That is why in my opinion it is important to deal with the problem in our own countries. We should have a tax in all the states that is set aside for the proper recycling of electronic products. We need to refurbish and reuse all electronic parts that can be reused. Furthermore, the electronics companies need to start building computers that allow easier reuse of the internal parts. As for the parts that can only be thrown away, we need to start making them out of materials that can be recycled. For the sake of our planet, we need to start thinking of suppling environmentally safe products that can easily be recycled, and longer lasting products so they don't need to be replaced so often opposed to only thinking of profit.
I used to not really think about the cell phone, or computer that i threw away or recycled. Figuring that it was just going to be properly managed by the government. You can rely on no one but yourself, it truly is up to us to fix this problem. I will try to think twice about whether I really need that new phone. Most importantly though, I will make sure that i send my used electronics to a place that will properly reuse or recycle my used products.

Computer Math!

1.
1.1011=(2^3)+(2^1)+(2^0)=8+2+1=11
2.101010=(2^5)+(2^3)+(2^1)=32+8+2=42
3.11111=(2^4)+(2^3)+(2^2)+(2^1)+(2^0)=16+8+4+2+1=31
4. 10010=(2^1)+(2^4)=2+16=18

2.
1. 31=(2^4)+(2^3)+(2^2)+(2^1)+(2^0)=0011111
2.51=(2^5)+(2^4)+(2^2)+(2^1)=110011
3.7=(2^2)+(2^1)+(2^0)=111
4.103=(2^6)+(2^5)+(2^2)+(2^1)+(2^0)=1100111

3.
1. (56 kb/s)/(8)=(7 KB/s)=(.007MB/s)
(1s/.oo7MB)=(142s/MB)*(100MB)=14,200s=236min=apprx. 4hrs

2.(5mb/s)/(8)=(.625MB/s)
(1s/.625MB)=(1.6s/MB)*(100MB)=160s=2min 40s

3.(10mb/s)/(8)=(1.25MB/s)
(1s/1.25MB)=(.8s/MB)*(100)=1min 20s

4.
(3mb/s)=(.375MB/s)
(1s/.375MB)=(2.66s/MB)*(60)=(160s)=(3min 40s/MP3)
(40/60)=(.67)---->(60min/3.67min)=16 MP3/hour

"Net Neutrality" Good or Bad?

1. Net Neutrality is the principle to keep the internet open to all users without any discrimination. It protects rights to connect with any other computer in the world without limitation. It means that internet providers can't speed up or slow down sites depending on their source or how much they pay for keeping their web page online. Networks job is to keep a steady flow of data and not decide which sites should get faster or better service.

2. The backers of net neutrality are as fallows: Amazon, Google, Ebay, Microsoft, Yahoo, Skype, Facebook, all democratic candidates, and more. The argument for net neutrality is that is keeps free and open internet for all people. It does not allow any discrimination whether its Google or my blog. They still get equal access and space on the internet. It does not allow the discrimination of speed, therefore no site can pay more for better access or speed. It protects small business, non-profit orginizations, and bloggers. It maintains free-speech and consumers rights for all internet users, no matter what the content is.

3. The backers against net net neutrality are as fallows: Comcast, verizon, AT&T, Time Warner, and more. There are federal laws already in place to keep internet access rates fair. Sherman anti-trust act of 1890 protects from any market power to use their network unreasonably to maintain, or gain a monoply. Therefore no strict rates for users, different pricing and tiered access neogotiates for how much you will pay depenging on how you use the internet. It provides the networks to be able to invest in the internet and be sure that they can gain back their investment. Their investment would mean more jobs to create these new technologies. It would stop spam, piracy of multi-media, and bottlenecks caused by overflow of use by specific sites. It allows networks to stop online violence such as sites posing death threats or hate messages. Allows the United States to keep up with Internet technology and use network that is over flowed with spam on streaming online television, and games.

4. Although, I do agree that spam on the internet is a rising and annoying problem. A problem that seriously does need to be delt with, I still am all for net-neutrality. The Internet was based on the idea that people can network with anyone in the entire world. Opposing net-neutrality would cause and unfair superiority in sites that can pay more for access. Meaning that Yahoo will maintain its fast speeds but emerging creative and intovative sites such as Ebay or YouTube could never have got a start. Which will diminish creative and inventive ideas by people just like you and me. Leaving the only new internet creations to large corporations that only work for what they know will gain them income. Google, YouTube, and Yahoo and started with small people just like everyone else and thats how the internet should remain. It is our right of free-speech and our right to have every bit as much access as individuals as do the large corporations. I am all for the intovation of new products to make streaming video, and games faster, adminish spam, etc but not at the cost of free-speech and the loss of the individual in the internet.

Cyberquatting,free speech or problem

Is cybersquatting a malicious way to get peoples money or just a matter of free speech? In my opinion, it all comes down to is that situation. Certainly, I don't believe that it could be made illegal because it's often hard to prove in these situations whether it was merely coincidental or used to sell. If for instance my name was Steve and I decided to make a website for employment. By registering the domain name Steve Jobs, am I trying to make money off the CEO of Apple or merely running a employment site. Making it illegal could violate our right to freedom of speech assuming that one person is entitled to a certain domain name.
As far as the morality of the situation of cybersquatting goes, it all seems to come down to the situation. In the context of someone using a similar domain name as political protest I think it not only is it moral but also clearly a beneficial act of freedom of speech. Personally I find the social protest sites both interesting and entertaining. Two things which cause much more pleasure than pain. As far as buying a domain name in the hopes of making a profit later, I believe it immoral. Although a wise part on the part of the entrepreneur, purposefully buying a domain name for the sole purpose of selling it for a lot of money is wrong. It provides no benefit, and is clearly not within the lines of what the internet was created for. However, I do believe that in some cases two people will desire the same domain name. In this case it is not wrong to be a smaller person or organization and have rights to a certain domain. The person who was there first has full claims to the site.
So my guidelines to determine and stop cybersquatting is the fallowing. Social and political acts that do not harm should remain legal. As far as selling domain names for a profit, there should be a price limit that everyone has to abide by. I think it would be difficult to make it illegal therefore it should be limited and managed by the government. Finally, I believe there should remain laws that deal with violating someone's copyright laws. However, if someone got their first and is using their website for their own business or organization they should not be bothered.

Internet: The Revolutionary Tool

Oh back in the good old days when it took 10 minutes to load the internet and once you signed on it took another 5 minutes to open the home page. Internet has certainly changed dramatically within the last 10 years. Now obviously with the increase in speed you can get much more work done in a timely matter. However, the change within the internet that sticks out most abruptly in my mind is the change from dial up to wireless. I remember a particular time in middle school when I was going on to the internet for something important like Neopets or AIM and wound up weeks later with a $300 bill. When dialing up my internet provider started with the connection nearest to you but if there were to many people using that connection they would switch to the next one. I lived in Santa Cruz and it continued to dial in to different connections in till it reached San Jose. This meaning that we got a $300 long distance internet bill.Needless to say my mother was quite upset with the bill or with the fact that it continued to dial up till it got to a city miles away. But not with the increased amount of technology I can have free wireless internet access for hours with the cost of a cup of coffee.
However, the internet has also had some negative effects on me. With the increased access to internet almost everywhere you go it is very easy to get distracted from work. Where as in high school I would have to my computer at home to access any sort of internet. Now I can access the internet almost everywhere I go. It can distract me in class, its available on cell phones and in the library. Certainly, it's convenient and making life a lot easier for traveling, research, and communication but it also proves to be very distracting towards good students trying to work while checking their Facebooks.

All about Jasmine

My name is Jasmine Morgan, I am 20 years old and currently a sophomore at the University of San Francisco. At the university I am a Performing Arts and Social Justice major with an emphasis in theater. I am currently still in the process of deciding a minor but I think I am going to declare French Studies since I am plan to study abroad next spring in Paris.
I love to travel to foreign countries especially to Europe. I love to see the old buildings and historic monuments that you find there. Living in a country that is so relatively new I love learning about the culture and history and art of foreign countries. I am originally from Santa Cruz, California so I love the ocean and going to the beach. But my main passion in life is acting. I am currently involved in a very exciting production on campus of the play Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman.
I really enjoying living in San Francisco because it is such a beautiful and forward thinking city and I love taking advantage of all the wonderful theater you can watch when I have the time. Being a well-rounded person and fallowing your dreams are two very important things to me. So I intend on maintaining or becoming a successful, well-rounded, fabulous person.
My experience in computers is pretty basic. E-mailing, word-processing, simple spreadsheets etc. But I used to play around with Flash as a kid, which basically included making a ball jump around and I don't know how much I still remember. I remember it being a lot of fun though!