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.

Kittens and Facts - A Video Blog

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.

User Who?

Although I have been working as a software developer in the industry for a relatively short amount of time, I learned quickly that the user comes first. In a recent project of mine, infrequent releases and not enough attention paid to the user ultimately proved to be the the primary factor of a delayed final product. History has shown, particularly in the production of open-source software, that this communication is critical to success. It is unfortunate but all-too common that developers and users view the other as simply a burden to their own success, inhibiting them from producing their best work. Rather, it is essential that both work together to be able to create great programs that suit both sides well.

A Peer's Influence

It's interesting that individuals of similar ideologies and schools of thought tend to gather together at one level or another. For example, colleges across the Unites States are predominantly liberal in thought and the southern states tend to attract the republican voters. It's not necessarily that an individual is opposed to living in an environment where most disagree with him. In fact, my own leanings have rarely coincided well with my community's majority, but I find myself associating myself with those whose ideas agree with my own—simply because it comes naturally to appreciate one who shares beliefs. In the book, the Cuckoo's Egg, the main character, while working at Berkeley, begins dedicating all of his time to tracking down a hacker who is breaking into military networks. As he works with government agencies to attempt to bring him down, he asks himself on several occasions, “What would my friends think if they found out I was working with the government?” While he always wonders this in a kind of sarcastic context, there is always a degree of truth behind the comment.

It is extremely difficult to make someone think a different way or accept a different line of thought as correct. There is naturally a bit of uncertainty and fear of judgment from others that comes with change. In particular though, It's incredible how strong the perception of peers' judgment can affect our own line of reasoning. Where one might be inclined to believe a certain way as the result of some event, that individual might be reluctant to change solely because of what peers might say. The influence we allow others to have on us with the respect to the way we think and believe really is a fascinating subject.

So That's What Happened to AOL

Recently, I read an article that discussed AOL and how it was still generating income through its dial-up subscribers. At the time, I was shocked that AOL still found itself in the exact same business it was in nearly 15 years ago. Despite still being in that same dying industry it started 15 years ago, it appears AOL is attempting to once again establish its presence on the internet by purchasing Huffington Post. AOL is showing us that it is not planning on going softly into the night. Instead, it is beginning to shift its focus and pouring a large percentage of its current assets into a company with a very different business model than what it started with years ago. According to Alexa, Huffington Post is the 127th most visited site on the internet offering blogs, columnists, and news stores. Despite several failures in the past, it is necessary to give respect where respect is due; AOL is doing everything it can to stay afloat. If this acquisition turns into a success for the company, we might just see AOL clambering out if its grave and back into solid competition.

Would You Pay for it?

You are reading an article on the internet that for some reason is just a bit more intriguing than all the others you've read that day. At the bottom of the article, you find a button to click and pay ten cents to support the author. If it really were as easy as clicking that button, would you do it? Companies are beginning to emerge under the assumption that internet users want some way of giving back to the authors of the content they already use. Flattr is one of those companies. Started in 2010, it already boasts a user base of 70,000, and wants 1,000,000 by the end of the year. A goal this high seems to be quite lofty considering that the two companies using the model that came before have struggled to stay afloat (One of which has listed that the company is for sale on the home page). Flattr has a slightly different model than its predecessors in that it asks for a flat rate every month from its users and distributes money evenly between clicks, but will this be enough to differentiate itself? Most likely not, but only time will tell if users find the concept appealing enough to subscribe.

A Bit More Competition for Google

As Google has grown to be the absolute dominant force in search engines, it has come under the light of scrutiny concerning just about every aspect of its business. Other companies have begun emerging to compete with Google including Bing and a brand new search engine, called DuckDuckGo. Recently, DuckDuckGo has been pushing its business model by subtly criticizing Google's gathering of information from its users. It seems to be working too, as DuckDuckGo can now claim 160,000 queries every day. This may seem like a virtually insignificant number, but by pushing its model of not gathering user information, it is showing Google and the other large search engines that there are those who prefer imperfect search algorithms over having their information gathered. As more and more smaller companies begin to appear and pull on Google's share of the search engine market, Google will have to admit its own flaws and begin changing some of its policies or it will keep losing small portions of its share to these smaller companies.

When News Ceases to be New(s)

What is it exactly that gives news its appeal? That leads us to have an interest and a desire to know? In an article by John Gehl and Suzanne Douglas, they state that "News is surprise", and go on to state that there is a steady decline in this "surprise" as the world becomes more and more connected through all the mediums of communication. Could the fact that the world is so connected today though, lead to the decline of major news outlets? The surprise is gone, surely without that element of surprise, they will inevitably disappear or at least shrink in size. I can safely say that I never get all of my news in a day solely from major media outlets. Instead, I hear about something happening from an acquaintance. Or, I might see mention of some major happening on facebook, which ultimately leads me to read about that happening on cnn or foxnews, or some other site. Where 100 years ago newspapers were the first source for people to learn about an event, now these sources have adapted the model of reporting the news rather than simply telling the news. Because they are not what they used to be, they have adapted to a changing, connected world and will not be going anywhere anytime soon.