The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

THE GOOD: How web video powers global innovation

http://www.ted.com/talks/chris_anderson_how_web_video_powers_global_innovation.html

This video shows the good side of the Internet because it shows the power it has to spread ideas and interests all over the globe. By posting a video on sites such as YouTube, people have the ability to see it, comment on it, and share it with others which can lead to millions of views from everywhere. The bigger the crowd the more innovation is possible. The Internet has caused dance to evolve by people sharing their moves on video and people challenge their video by posting one of their own maybe coming up with more and more new skills and it reaches a wide audience. As seen in the TED talk, a 6 year old was able to dance with the skills of a much older person. People are able to share their ideas through videos and learn from each other and learn about other countries and it is a really good tool to have and is advancing our world. If a video goes viral it can get global recognition and I think it can be a really helpful and useful thing.

THE BAD: The Internet could crash. We need a plan B

http://www.ted.com/talks/danny_hillis_the_internet_could_crash_we_need_a_plan_b.html

This video shows the bad side of the Internet. This TED talk brings up the point that we are too dependent on the Internet and that it wasn't designed to handle this large scale of uses. If the Internet did ever crash, which could be possible what we do? I think everyone would be lost and that is not a good feeling. The Internet is depended upon for everything now a days because technology keeps advancing and time moves forward. Danny Hillis believes we are setting ourselves up for disaster, that we don't know the consequence that will be if we suddenly didn't have the Internet and I agree with him. Our world is connected through the Internet and so is so many aspects of our lives and it is sad to me that our dependency keeps growing on the Internet and that no one thinks to make a Plan B incase the Internet fails.

THE UGLY: A mile-high hack: An app that could remotely hijack planes

http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/04/11/176939711/a-mile-high-hack-an-app-that-could-remotely-hijack-planes

This video shows the ugly of the Internet. When people are at risk for harm that's when the Internet gets ugly. This article was about a man that was able to use an app on his smartphone to hijack a virtual air control system. Even though it is not known if it could work on an actual aircraft in flight it is still terrifying that someone could, through their phone, control the plane. That is a very dangerous thing if the wrong people get a hold of that technology and knowledge. I think it is a wake up call for the aircraft industry that their security needs to be improved and be updated so an attack like this never occurs. People are getting smarter and smarter and it's scary that even the bad guys are getting smarter and are trying to find ways to take us down and the Internet can definitely be an ugly place and this is one example of it.

PrePaid Cell Phones

PrePaid cell phones have gotten a lot of discussion in our class. There are both positive and negative aspects of them and about privacy issues. The majority of prepaid cell phone users use them to be anonymous and stay hidden. This is what we talked about in class that if someone wanted to or needed to stay hidden and untraceable this type of phone would come in handy, but that's where the downfall of them comes to play. No one wants criminals to avoid the government finding them and staying hidden, and who knows how many actually do this, but it's not something we really hear about so I don't think it's an issue (for now at least). There are also good reasons people use prepaid cell phones too. This type of phone is cheaper than buying a normal cell phone and easier than having to deal with companies and making a plan and all that and it's also a good starter phone for kids who get one for emergencies only. When I was in 8th grade my friends and I had all gotten our first cell phone except our one friend, so for her birthday we all pitched in and bought her one of the prepaid phones, it wasn't for her to not be tracked, it was so we can communicate. I don't think the government should be able to control prepaid phones and have them registered for them to be tracked, maybe in the future it will become an issue of criminals using them for bad, and they will decide to do this, but for now I don't think it is. And I also think this notion by the law will be coming soon because they are nosy and probably don't like the fact there some people they can't track.

Location Tracking

 I can understand vets using tracking devices for animals, but when it comes to using them for children now thats just absurd. You must be crazy to think it's even remotely ok to implant a tracking chip into a child. Children are not animals, they have the right to privacy even though they may not need it until they grow up a little bit and aren't dependent on the care of their parents, but still why would an infant be out of the sight of their guardian long enough to need to be tracked? If parents were good parents they would be intently watching their child and not let them leave their sight. As the child grows up it becomes an issue of not only privacy, but of trust. A parent should trust their kid (unless given a reason not to) that they can make their own choices and not be under constant surveillance 24/7 by the parents. It's also a learning experience to let the kid make their own mistakes and not have the parents be there and know where they are all the time. Let the kid grow up how they should and how they have been since the beginning of time, without tracking devices in them, especially now that cell phones can be tracked. Parents do not have a right to do this, even if they might think so. If there was a bill in Congress I would not support it. Yes, children do need lots of attention, but that comes with the job of parenting, why would a tracking chip be necessary if they were doing their job in the first place? I think it could cause parents to be lazier with their children and that would not be a positive at all. When talking about senior citizens who have Alzheimer's, I still think using location tracking is wrong, but it should be up to the individual and if they would like to have a device to track them. It may make them feel safer and more independent knowing someone is looking out for them and then by all means go for it.

Living in a Networked World

I'm taking CS408 Living in a Networked World this spring semester. I find it very interesting so far; it makes me think about the Internet in a new way and get to hear other people's point of view. I am learning a lot and glad I took this class.