Willing to Share

Many remember the days when the Internet was just beginning to emerge. It was a technology many were wary of. Sharing personal information was never done. As the years have gone by and we have become more accustomed to having it in our lives, that wariness has slowly faded. With the introduction of sites such as Myspace and Facebook, for some reason sharing information has become much more accepted and even expected. While security measures have definitely improved over time to keep things private and safe, it is necessary to revive some of that feeling of wariness of sharing personal information that came with the introduction of the Internet.

The Social Revolution

In recent months, we have been able to witness an incredible time in history, particularly in Africa where revolutions and protests are happening throughout norther part of the continent. As the first protests and revolts occurred in Egypt, the government shortly thereafter cut access to the internet throughout the entire country in an attempt to squash the revolts. Nevertheless, individuals around the world spread the word by creating long distance phone numbers through which Egyptians could dial in to access the internet and continue to organize themselves. It was this same social network that inspired revolts and protests in other countries in the region such as Libya and Syria.

The social aspect of the internet has expanded to such a point that it has become an integral part of our life allowing everything from overthrowing tyrants to simply sending out wedding announcements. Just as the invention of the printing press allowed the widespread sharing of both ideas and slander, the internet has both good and bad uses and will never reach a point in which the bad is eradicated. Nonetheless, the invention of the Internet is already being compared to past technologies such as the printing press. We will soon reach the point in which we will look at the internet with the nonchalance we look at the technology of a paperback book with today.

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Capital Theft

The discussion about whether media piracy is actual theft or not is one that has lasted years leaving sides very much in disagreement with each other.Without entering the discussion directly, it is interesting to note that according to a well known author, the corporations responsible for delivering the media are perhaps those primarily at fault in the discussion. When malpractices are taken to an extent that it would border theft, what is the punishment of the individual who committed it? Similar to capital punishment as a result of murder, is theft from that individual a reasonable punishment? Those that argue against media piracy are further enabling those committing the malpractices. Those that argue for media piracy are committing theft from many people besides just the corporations. To entirely solve the dilemma of media piracy, it is first necessary to eliminate the malpractices of the middle-man corporations before we address the piracy of the individual.

Let's not get Hasty

Before reaching college, one generally find themselves drawn towards a specific field of study because of their interests and passions. If unsure about a field to study, one is still drawn towards a specific area as a result of those interests. It is well-known knowledge that the number of females working in the computer industry today is very small compared to the number of males; this doesn't come because of the way the curriculum is taught in colleges but rather the way the field is perceived as well as interests before college. If we want to draw more females to the field of Computer Science, we need to first improve the way it is perceived to draw more females to introductory courses rather than making drastic changes to curriculum.

From Few to Many

Several technologies that were previously accessible to very few have now been made available to billions as a result result of the introduction of the Internet. One such of these that has been made much more accessible is performing the work of genealogy and family history. Where before it was only possible to find an individual's ancestors at select institutions, it is now possible to pull up records from hundreds of years ago from anywhere almost instantly. The instant connection we make and appreciation we gain for our ancestors is invaluable. As we put aside our own predispositions towards some of these activities and recognize the experience the benefits, we just might come to understand why these activities have existed for such a long time.

It might be for you too

"Oh, I have no idea how that stuff works" is a phrase that gets thrown around quite often. When we say it, we limit ourselves from opportunities that might have been available to us had we been willing to learn a bit more, whatever that 'stuff' might be. The Internet, for example, is an incredible tool that can be used for good, but lacks many great ideas because many of the brightest minds are just unwilling to learn how it works. We need to abandon the notion that something may just not be for us and be willing to learn so that we might both open opportunities to ourselves and others.