User:Melhuy

Hello, my name is Mellissa Huynh. I like to read, play badminton and volleyball, and going to concerts. I attend UCSC and I am a CIS2 student this summer.

My Midterm project for CIS2 was based on Millenium Development Goal 4, which is Reducing Child Mortality. The goal is to reduce child mortality by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. Child mortality in developing countries could have been prevented had there been easy and available access to healthcare and education for mothers about basic needs for their children and diseases that could affect them. Technology would make informing mothers of child diseases and their symptoms easier. The technological devices that helped to reduce child mortality include monitoring systems using SMS that informed of drug stock outs and devices that diagnose pneumonia in infants.

= Final Project =

1. Introductions
http://digitalliteracy.cornell.edu/tutorial/dpl3200.html

This article, coming from Cornell University, provides information on how to find and evaluate sources for research. This article informs of two approaches for finding sources of information: the library and using search engines. It then goes on to describe that you can find information beyond books from the library, such as databases, and beyond “throwing a couple of keywords into a search engine”.

http://www.ted.com/talks/gregory_stock_to_upgrade_is_human#t-203979

In his Ted Talk, “To Upgrade is Human”, Gregory Stock discusses how human beings are using technology to improve and alter human life itself. Technology is being used to alter genetics and preventative measures, using medicine, are taken so that we can have choices for our “perfect” life. Stock describes these measures to be unavoidable because we seek to improve anything possible due to us being humans although we are the subjects.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/technology/21brain.html?pagewanted=6&_r=0

Taking into consideration that students are finding solace in computers and technology to find interest in future occupations, though risking grades due to the distraction, should we embrace technology in the classroom?

2. Privacy and freedom of speech
http://www.dmnews.com/the-inside-scoop-blog/technology-is-invading-our-privacy/article/307471/

The key point of this article is that storing personal information on our devices is too easy and has become too habitual leaving ourselves vulnerable. I found this article interesting because it was published in 2013 before the cloud and before we became even more dependent on technology.

http://privacygrade.org/

It is very useful to know what extent of privacy you have on the apps that you are downloading such as popular apps like Snapchat and Cut the Rope which use location data.

http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/06/07/india-new-monitoring-system-threatens-rights

This article details the Central Monitoring System in India that enables the government to monitor its telecommunications. Though the Indian laws that regard privacy and free expression are ambiguous and mostly bias towards the government, it results in arrests for people expressing their opinions on the government on social media.

3. Intellectual Property
http://lss.info.yorku.ca/resources/university-time-management/

This article is very useful for all students especially college students since it teaches you how to manage your time and strategies for “peak performance”. These suggestions would work for me since I already do some of these tips to help me manage my time which includes topics in the article such as "time tracking", "weekly planner", "time shifting and adjusting", "how much time is enough", and "between classes".

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140406/07212626819/sony-youtube-take-down-sintel-blenders-open-source-creative-commons-crowdfunded-masterpiece.shtml

This article is about Sintel, a short animated film, which was created using open source software and released under a Creative Commons license. The company Sony used clips from the film to advertise its TVs which they were allowed to do under the CC license. However, the copyright system that Youtube uses,Contentid, recognized Sintel as Sony’s property. This incident makes me wonder how reliable these systems are and how are they enforced?

http://www.elon.edu/e-web/predictions/expertsurveys/2004_politics.xhtml

This article is a prediction on politics that by 2014 the internet will play a significant role in political opinion, however it is the people’s discretion whether or not to filter and allow discussions to sway them by any means.

4. Crime
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-five-computer-crimes-protect/

This article talks about the top five computer crimes and how to protect yourself from them, the social issue described is criminal activity by malware, identity theft, cyberstalking, child pornography, and spam. Most of these crimes involve criminals making money off of stolen personal information. If there are multiple ways that you can protect yourself how is it that new criminal activity, like phishing, can now exist? Is this an issue in other countries?

http://greatist.com/happiness/better-study-tips-test

This article provides some science-backed tips to ace a test which include spaced repetition, writing it out, and studying before sleeping. Although these tips are helpful, it really depends on what kind of "learning style(s) or tips" you believe works for you. Also, I do not know how these tips are science-backed because these tips are briefly explained and barely gives any scientific evidence.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/30/senior-tech-a-tablet-for-aging-hands-fall-short/

This article is a colloquial review of the AARP RealPad which is marketed for older adults. We are more concerned with  getting the latest tech gadget and forgetting about the older generation that barely even knows how to connect to this tech world.

5. Employment, Education and Entertainment
http://study.com/academy/lesson/types-of-communication-interpersonal-non-verbal-written-oral.html

This video is about various types of communication (interpersonal, non-verbal, written, and oral) and which type to use for the appropriate situation at work. This video would be useful in all jobs because it is about the different forms of communication required for all jobs. The appropriate audience would be all employees including managers and higher positions.

http://patch.com/washington/shoreline/making-things-go-at-room-nine#photo-5202027

This link is an article about an annual math and engineering fair showcasing a school’s STEM program. This fair exposes students to the science and technology fields with talks from professionals, science projects, and demonstrations. K-8 engineering is important because it exposes the younger generations to possible fields of careers and interests in going to college.

http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/flipping-the-classroom/

This link is an article from Vanderbilt university about flipped classrooms which provided evidence from reliable sources and studies that show evidence that flipping classrooms have a positive effect.

6. Midterm
https://www.innovateforchildren.org/projects/arida-acute-respiratory-infection-diagnostic-aid

The ARIDA (Acute Respiratory Infection Diagnostic Aid) is used to diagnose pneumonia. To determine respiratory rates, the Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) timer was developed in the 90’s and required counting however some community health workers could not count. So then, another method was developed so that those that did not know how to count would use strands that had age-specific color-coded beads to interpret breath count. This device was the start-up for the development of a device with no need for counting and no reliance on power currently underway.

http://www.nothingbutnets.net/new/saving-lives/?referrer=http://www.nothingbutnets.net/new/saving-lives/

Nothing But Nets, advertised by Basketball players, CEOs, NBA Cares, and Major League Soccer, is a global campaign to fight against malaria. A $10 donation sends an insecticide-treated bed net to Africa.

http://www.projectpeanutbutter.org/about-us/

This is a nonprofit that provides nutritional and medical support for malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. It produces Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) consisting of peanut paste, powdered milk, vegetable oil, sugar, and vitamins/minerals (foods rich in protein and zinc) in local factories and distributes them at mobile clinics and sells them to governments and aid organizations.

7. Evaluating and controlling technology
http://www.wsj.com/articles/does-artificial-intelligence-pose-a-threat-1431109025

This article is about a panel discussing the development of artificial intelligence and its future in the world which includes future implications of jobs and rights. It gives the opinion of artificial intelligence from Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking who are against artificial intelligence, and from a panel of experts related in the technology and computer field.

http://www.technologyreview.com/review/534871/our-fear-of-artificial-intelligence/

This is an article about artificial intelligence and its capabilities to exceed human intelligence. It explains this theory called “computronium” where the copy of something is the most perfect form which in turn results in machine intelligence exceeding human intelligence. Overall, not needing humans around however that is impossible because machines are incapable of introspection to modify and advance its hardware by itself. According to this article, we do not need to worry because there is “no technology remotely close to superintelligence”, yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnT1xgZgkpk

This TedTalk video demonstrated by Nick Bostrom, a technologist, is titled “What happens when our computers get smarter than we are?” This video compares the abilities of a computer or artificial intelligence to the abilities of a human brain.

8. Risks, Failures, and Responsibilities
https://code.org/

This link is an informative source for learning more about coding and how to code. It also provides workshops for teachers, and school districts can apply for partnerships to teach code. It allows kids from diverse backgrounds for an opportunity to be exposed in STEM technology, a field where girls and people of color are a minority.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/sunday-review/high-tech-health-care-useful-to-a-point.html

This article describes technology that makes people their own doctors with health tools and data made accessible by phones. I believe that technology is a tool and should not be used in place of an actual diagnosis from a living breathing doctor, to what extent should we rely on self-diagnosis? What about people that cannot afford these tools? In what aspects would we rely or not rely on it, until someone misdiagnose themself?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2710605/

This is a study on the overdependence of technology in healthcare and its adverse effects. This study researches the use of technology of eight different hospitals in three ways- system downtime, data accuracy, and Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) technology. The research showed that reliance on the system can interrupt workflow and slow activities if it is not accessible. Overall this study explains that completely trusting systems and having no training in non-automated clinics will consequently result in inefficient hospitals and if the systems were down, poor quality of care.

9. Anytime, Anywhere
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/education/edlife/massive-open-online-courses-are-multiplying-at-a-rapid-pace.html

This article talks about the increasing use and popularity of MOOCs. It explains what a MOOC, how easy it is to enroll, and the advantages using startup MOOC websites as examples. MOOCs are usually free, credit-less with brief lectures adapted from college courses, electronic feedback, and teacher/aid- monitored discussions. It also mentions the disadvantages such as imperfect grading, possible cheating, and unpreparedness.

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/07/how-online-courses-are-becoming-educations-new-wave/375152/

This article describes the ease that MOOCs allow for comfort at home but also the “serious compromise of quality of education” replacing teachers. It claims that MOOCs are the future of American education but also explains the adverse affects.

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/news/2014/07/30/94864/offshoring-work-is-taking-a-toll-on-the-u-s-economy/

This article is about off-shoring work and its toll on the U.S. Economy. It explains that production of materials in foreign countries with low standards of living lower costs but it is not practical for the U.S. market to sell in.

10. Technology Advances, Social trends
http://thetechawards.thetech.org/laureates/nanoly

I think that Nanoly’s work with photodegradable polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel biomaterial that will cease the need to refrigerate vaccines will have the most significant impact for the greatest number of people. Millions of people die preventable deaths in developing countries because of drug stock outs and the refrigeration of vaccines in expensive regrigerators. It would surely help the Millenium Development Goal of Reducing Child Mortality that I did research on.

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Information_society_statistics_-_households_and_individuals

These numbers are interesting because it is recent data on society statistics of households and individuals in the European Union of information and communication technologies. The quantitative information is represented with bar graphs and line graphs. One figure compares internet access of households in 2009 and 2014 and there is a clear increase in internet use in 2014.

http://interestingengineering.com/the-future-of-the-human-body/

This article is titled “The Future of the Human Body”. It talks about how, with the help of technology, the human body can live longer and become better (stronger, faster, or smarter). The important points made was that there is a fusion of mortal and metal and only we, as humans, can control how we can become “better”. The author is not providing a balanced representation of the facts, she is just stating the research and facts of Natasha Vita-More and her project, the Primo Posthuman.

= What was your favorite topic? = My favorite topic was the Midterm Project, Millenium Development Goal 4: Reducing Child Mortality. It was my favorite topic because technology was used to save lives in foreign countries where they need the most help.The first step to eradicate child mortality is informing mothers of diseases and their symptoms. Technology makes life easier and could be used to help solve the problems by offering educational classes or programs for mothers about the diseases and preventative measures that could be done and how to feed and care for their children. It could also be used to educate young girls of their bodies and how to care for it and how to diagnose for diseases

= What was one resource that taught you the most about computer and society? = The one resource that taught me the most about computer and society was http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2710605/. This is a study on the overdependence of technology in healthcare and its adverse effects. This study researches the use of technology of eight different hospitals in three ways- system downtime, data accuracy, and Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) technology. The research showed that reliance on the system can interrupt workflow and slow activities if it is not accessible. Overall this study explains that completely trusting systems and having no training in non-automated clinics will consequently result in inefficient hospitals and if the systems were down, poor quality of care.