Futurism

Technology is our future. During his speech, Ray Kurzweil paints and extremely technological and optimistic view of the future. He believes that according to his calculations of Moore's law and his law of accelerating return, we will continue to advance exponentially in the area of technology. He believes that by the year 2009, computer will become obsolete by installing monitors in our retina's and by 2029 well will have nanobots, mi nature robots in our blood streams that will communicate with our bodies ad create a true virtual reality. Contrary to this belief, Bill Joy the founder of Sun Microsystems is weary of rapid technological and think that in the wrong hands and on the wrong terms, technology can be dangerous.
I don't believe Kurzweil's theory is completely accurate however i side more with him than Bill Joy. I think Kurweil's prediction is a little ambitious and one can never account for how certain technologies are accepted by society. I do think in the next 30 years technology will become so integrated in our lives that it will hardly become noticeable, i think it can dramatically improve our standard of life. anything in our world that we create can be used against in some way and that should not prevent us from creating it in the first place. We should not be afraid of change and progression because it is our future.

The Turing Test

A computer that could pass the Turing test would first of all need the ability to communicate with humans and understand language and grammar. It would have to know how to respond appropriately to commonly asked questions someone. A super intelligent computer would be able to identify certain common slang terms or street language. It could answers the questions eloquently, without stiff or unnatural responses. In order for a computer to pass, the tester shouldn't be able to tell the difference between the computer and a human. Therefore the computers answers must be as natural as possible and mimic human intelligence as much as possible. It would be necessary for a computer to have some sort of sense of humor or understanding of humor, because most humans value humor and use it in their everyday conversations. If a computer simply mimics the tester, it is not truly intelligent, therefore a genuinely intelligent would have the appropriate intelligence and responses programmed inside them. The human mind is extremely complex therefore the amount of complexity in computer programming that must go into an extremely artificially intelligent computer would also have to be very complex, something that was an extremely simplified version of the thought processes of a human mind. Technically, a computer would not have to correctly answer every single question correctly because most humans could not correctly answer every single questions posed to them. Humans ability to make errors are what make them genuinely human therefore if a computer is mimicking human intelligence, it could be allowed to make mistakes too!

The electronic divide

The digital divide seems to tear the division of social classes even farther apart. Those who can afford computer and other technological perks have so much more access to an endless amount of information that those without access to technology could never try to keep up. The digital divide is becoming more and more evident through the advance of technology and the realization of how big of a role it plays of the life of a person living in the 21st century.

Education: The divide is apparent is apparent in many school throughout the U.S. Most privileged and privatized schools are lucky enough to have computer labs, full equipped with brand new computers. The very privileged and private school i work at has multiple computer labs all filled with brand new Mac computers. This is contrasted with lower income public schools that cant afford these resources. I think the lack of computers do affect a child's learning because computers offer more interactive learning; children will may be more interested in the material and therefore get more excited about learning and even learn more. Children that aren't exposed to the Internet and technology won't benefit from the abundance of knowledge on the web and wont be able to learn more topics that interest them.

Government: I think a very apparent example of the digital divide is when FEMA told victims of hurricane Katrina to access their website in order to receive their benefits. This show a lack of understanding and sympathizing of the part of the U.S. It goes to show that the digital divide has grown so large from the upper ranks of the government to the low-income southern homes of the south that government officials cant even relate to the diversity of its citizens. It is ignorant to assume that those homes would have Internet access in their, let alone Internet access after a major hurricane. Modern day government has become so dependent upon technology they are becoming unable to function without it.
Work: The odds of getting a job or exponentially increased with access to the Internet. The job oppertunities a person can have access to through websites like Monsterjobs.com and bayareajobs.com can change someones life and expose them to oppertunities they wouldn't normally receive or normally wouldn't be exposed to. The odds of getting any job are increased with the use of the internet because it is much easier and time efficent to apply online and can therefore apply to many more jobs. Even if you do try the old fashioned way of handing out your resume or going into places to fill out applications, many of those places will just tell you to apply online. The age of technology has raised the standards for job placement and has made the work world so much more competitive.
Entertainment: The media has probably blossomed and benefited the most through the age of technology. Without access to a computer or the internet, you miss out on all sorts downloadable media, the latest trends or bands, the newest movies coming out, latest gossip digitization of most major media outlets. The teenage culture has almost become completely dependent on technology and the internet and anyone who isn't exposed to this sort of media may feel out of touch with their peers.
Health:
The advance in medicine is mostly dependent upon the advance of technology. With newer technologies we are able to fight so many illnesses and invent extremely complex and expensive machines to analyze and remedy anyones body. Hospitals that don't have access to these machines or the funds to purchase them is directly reflected upon the health of the community.

Web 2.0

http://www.wishpot.com/
Combines: Amazon +ecommerce + shopping.com
This website lets you save and share your favorite items that you find in any online store. You can collect things you like and the Mashup stores the product name, image, price and website link. You can also add personal notes and tags about each item. you can use this list for yourself to save and buy later or you can also share the list with friends and family. I like this mashup because i love online shopping and its helpful to be collect all my favorite items and put them in one place online to compare and decipher what to buy. This site would also help me remember those rare bargains i occasionally find online.

http://tokyostage.haru.tv/
Combines:Last.fm+YouTube+lyricWiki
This mashup allows you to search for music videos from you tube and also access information from last F.M. and also get lyrics from Wikipedia all at the same time. The site has up-to-date music charts from all over the world and has some downloadable Mp3s. This site centralizes most of the crucial information about your favorite music artist or band.

http://Gruvr.com
Combines:Google Maps + Myspace.com
This handy mashup shows you most the live music shows currently going on in your selected area via the information provided on MySpace. You can also save your favorite bands and Gruvr will track their shows all across the country for you. Users can also rank artists and shows in the Gruvr rankings. This mashup is great for music lovers like myself that love live music; Gruvr users will never face another boring Saturday night.

File Sharing

file sharing is something extremely commonplace to the average teenager. Most of adolescents today have had whatever song, movie or game accessible by the click of a mouse. Its hard for anyone to imagine that something so easy and wildly accepted could be illegal. However, there has been a very clear effort made by the government in the past 5 years that these programs ARE illegal and those who use them will be prosecuted. However, i don't believe things are as clear cut as the government make them out to be.
Music cannot be bought and sold. A CD, a guitar, a DVD, tape, or record can be bought and sold but something as beautiful and spiritual as music should be spread to all the ears willing to hear it, and musicians should promote and spread their songs and talents as far as ears can hear. however, big companies and record labels have made music just another commodity to be bought and sold. They control so much of the music media and jack up prices on cds. If CD's were only $10, alot more people would buy them. Therefore i do believe that most types of file sharing should be legal. I believe that someone downloading a song, "stealing it", is far more beneficial than someone picking up that musicians Cd in a store and then putting it right back down and buying something else. Musicians should expose themselves as much as possible.
I think the following are acceptable and shouldn't be illegal:
- Downloading a song you don't own from a major label artist.
- Downloading a song you don't own from a struggling independent artist.
- Downloading another copy of a song you already own.
- Downloading a song to "try it out" - if you like it enough, you'll buy the CD.
- Copying a CD from a friend.
I think that all these actions are beneficial to an artists notoriety and success because artists only receive an extremely small portion of the sales of their cd's.
i obviously don't think that stealing a cd from a store is okay, so i think that a happy medium between file sharing and common recording label/cd store model.
Artists could maybe make some of their most popular or older songs available for free download on their websites. Artists can use file downloading to their advantage and harness it to benefit their popularity. musicians and labels should accept the changing times and not fight change, because they definitely wont win.

Digital Media

The advances in the world of digital media has made it accessible to almost anyone. With a small amount of time and effort, anyone can learn to become a photo editor or music mixer through modern digital creation programs. These programs open doors for average people who might not normally be exposed to this type of media. 10 years ago the field of graphic design was completely different; the use of computers completely turned the field upside down. Normally difficult tasks like adding type to an image, all had to be done by hand -but computers changed this. As a graphic design major,I think it is wonderful that these programs are so accessible for consumers because it encourages a world of creation and exploration. It certainly makes my job easier. if computers hadn't made the world of graphic design so accessible for me, i might have a different major.  I also believe that since these programs assist in an artists ability to distribute their work more easily and effectively, it has crated a new generation of art, a digital art world. Artists can not only expose themselves online, in wonderfully designed websites but also be exposed and learn from other artists on the internet too. 

However, since these programs can be so easy, a lot of people who probably should be making videos or images, end up creating distasteful or just plain ugly songs or art. Without these programs it would take a lot of dedication and time to create something like a image or song. The easy accessibility of these programs can often remove a lot of the artistic integrity of something. It can often cheapen something because it is so easy to make. However, i do believe these programs have definately raised the standards for artistic design in the art world because you can do so many great things with them. 

ultimately, the advances in digital media has brought mostly positive advances in the world of art and music. It has raised the bar for everyone and has made it possible for just about anyone to be and artist or musician. 

E-Waste

The issue of E-Waste in the united states and in the entire world, is an important issue that should immediately addressed. With the rapid rate of improvement in the technological world, the more outdated computer become obsolete. The difference in technology between a computer created today in 2008 compared to one made a mere 3 to 5 years ago is vast. This rapid advance in technology has created the demand for an environmentally safe place to discard all these old computers. However, not only are computers difficult to take apart, they contain extremely harmful chemicals such as lead and mercury,are expensive to recycle and no longer useful.  

Since computers are so difficult to safely dismantle, much of the companies responsible for recycling or disposing of these computers take what little parts that are of value or reusable and then outsource this difficult and expensive labor to other international companies. These companies are in places like Nigeria, China and India where the environmental laws are much less strict and labor is cheap. At these other recycling centers the small amount valuable components that are left on the computer are stripped off with hazardous chemical and many of the unusable remains are burned. These left over parts contain cancer causing chemicals and the effects are intensified when the components are burned, the lead and mercury has seeped into the ground water in the towns where many of these camps are located. 

What makes this issue so difficult to address is that fact that many times the consumer has no control over where their computer goes after they hand it off to their local electronic recycling center. The computers parts are repeatedly outsourced, the problem is outsourced. It is inevitable that e-waste will have detrimental effects on our environment and the people in it as well. In order to be a responsible consumer we should always try to recycle our computers through safe recycling companies, like those that have signed BAN's stewardship pledge. It is also important plays an active roll in regulating how the computers being used in America are being discarded of. Legislation should be passed nationally to regulate e-waste and its negative effects. I believe that the computer companies should be semi responsible for where the computers they create end up. Their is currently legislation like this in Texas but i think it should become a national because computer companies are ethically responsible for where the products they create end up. As consumers, especially consumers in America, we all need to be conscious of where all our waste goes and the affect it has on our environment. We only have one world to live in and all our waste as to go somewhere. Therefore, we need to reduce our use, reuse what we can and recycle the rest. 

#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 = 2^4 + 2^1 = 18

#2 

1. 31 = 2^4 + 2^3 + 2^2 + 2^1 + 2^0 = 11111

2. 51 = 2^5 + 2^4 + 2^1 + 2^0 = 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. 1KB/s = .125 KB/s -----> 56 KB/s = 7 KB/s -----> 100,000 KB/7KB/s = 3.97 Hours

2. 1MB/s = .125 MB/s -----> 5 MB/s = .625 MB/s -----> 100 MB/.625MB/s = 2 Minutes 40 seconds

3. 1MB/s = .125 MB/s -----> 10 MB/s = 1.25 MB/s -----> 100 MB/1.25MB/s = 1 minute 20 Seconds

#4.

1. 3 MB/s = .325 MB/s -----> ?/.375 MB/s x 3600 Seconds = 1350 MB / 60 MB = 22.5 Mp3s

Network Neutrality

Network Neutrality is the idea that all content on the internet is treated the same, and networks must pass on all information equally and all at the same speed. Networks are not allowed to block any type of content. Net. neutrality maintains the idea that all consumers have the right to view whatever they want. Networks are essentially neutral to the content they pass on. This idea creates a free and open market in the internet and does not allow the internet to be privatized by any companies.
The underlying issue of network neutrality is all about rights. Should all content really be treated equally? Do viewers really have the right to view whatever they want? and should network owners have the right to chose what content they carry? Also since more and more people are beginning to use the internet for purposes such as gaming and watching videos, internet quality is becoming more important. What about the demand for quality of service? There are two different structures that try to answer these questions; telecommunication networks and information networks. Telecommunication networks are neutral to the content they pass, all data is treated equally, while information networks can chose the content they pass on.
Two groups in favor of net neutrality are companies like Google, yahoo and special interest groups such as liberals or the religious right. These groups believe that all information should be neutral and the only job networks should have is to move data. Proponents believe that net neutrality encourages economic innovation, democratic participation, and free speech online.
Two groups that oppose network neutrality are groups like AT&T and Sprint, who would like to control network content. These groups are interested in the idea of tiered service; you get what you pay for. Those who pay for better internet service would get faster and better access to sites. Opponents of net neutrality could slow down or even block access to certain sites that would somehow benefit them.
I believe that net neutrality is the right choice for the internet. By privatizing the internet, companies would have too much control. I believe that a free and open internet is does promote innovation, and everyone should recieve relitavely the same amount of service. the theory of tiered service would just leave the less fortunate behind and not do that much benefit for those who can afford it. Since net neutrality still has its regulations, it can still put a stop to websites displaying or promoting illegal content. Privatizing the internet through corporations like AT&T would be a bad idea for the concept of equal oppertunity that America has prided it self on for so long.

The Invention of the Internet

I am part of a generation that has grown up with computers and technology. Even at the age of 12, I was much more computer savvy than my mother, I was always the one helping everyone in my family figure out the latest technology purchase for our household. This new generation of technology has also open up a new generation of knowledge. In this day and age, limitless information is extremely accessible with a working, Internet friendly computer.

 Computers and the Internet have extremely impacted my school experience and social connections. I used the computer to do about 3/4 of my homework in high school. I could quickly and easily type up a paper response or essay or research a project or subject. The Internet was also helpful for my foreign language classes, for a quick and free translation. However, my language teachers would always advise their class against using these online translators because they would not correctly translate sentences and would use the wrong word order of misplace subjects or pronouns. Often, these teachers could tell if a student used a translator due to the poor grammar and conjugation. 

Another Internet invention that extremely impacted my high school experience was the invention of turnitin.com and the ramped paranoia it would cause for us students. Many student would get lazy and copy and paste information from certain websites or even plagiarize work. But the invention of Turnitin.com would stop all this plagiarism with its huge database of Internet sites; similar to the way google is used. Even if we hadn't plagiarized information my friends and I would always get paranoid about the work we would turn into this website, we all heard that the program looked for phrases of 5 consecutive words. Maybe the universe would play a cruel trick on us and someone else would same consecutive words. I always passed the "Turn it in " test and so did most my friends. In this case the Internet is used for good because whether us student like it or not, it encourages us to come up with our own ideas, instead of copy and pasting others. 

 Something else that has impacted my life more so in high school than now was the invention of Instant messenger. I was constantly on AIM in high school and many of my friendships and relationships were conducted through it. I got together with my first boyfriend because of the fact we could talk so much over instant message and created a deeper relationship because of it. From personal experience, I think Instant messenger allows the users to be more honest and open because the confrontation is not face-to-face or even voice-to-voice. I have created and destroyed friends and relationships through AIM and it defiantly has is negatives and positives. It creates a network of communication and friends, however many times these relationships can be artificial, because 2 people can only connect so much with the other person over a computer. The use of communication through computers also can create a facade because the party has no real way of know of what the other person is saying is true. 

  There are pros and cons to everything in life and it all comes down to how the user is utilizing the Internet. Anything can be abused; most of the time is more so about the person that is abusing the substance or thing rather than that thing itself. Don't use and abuse.  Hugs not drugs. Or computers.

 

 

 

One day there will be a robot revolution

Nicole Therese Pittman

I come from san jose CA, born and raised, except for the 2 years my family spent in England. My family's move to england is what defined the attitudes and perspective of my whole family, making us the crazy unit we are today. i come from what you can call a liberal arts family. i was completly surrounded by art and beautiful things in my home and daily life, and thats what has made me the person i am today. As result of this environment i chose to be a graphic design major. i have always had a knack for computers, and i love making things look beautiful, so my major definately suits me. i have never had any official computer training or classes but my father has taught me alot about computers, i would say i have about a medium level of experience, i understand how the basic functions work, can use simple and advanced programs and can navigate through the desktop and registry. i also took Intro to Graphic Design last semester and learned how to use indesign and photoshop. in my free time i like to listen to music, music inspires me, i like to make art in every and all sorts of mediums and also waste lots and lots of times in front of the computer. to break it down to a few words, my life is: art.music. love. laughter and crazyness.