User:Yadegarb

-

-

o

o

Introductions

 * 1) (Best)http://education.seattlepi.com/ideas-computers-changed-education-1685.html This article explains how the technology of computers has affected education by introducing learning tools, distance learning, virtual reality and communication. The author expresses the importance of these advancements and how we have benefited from them.
 * 2) http://techin.oureverydaylife.com/disadvantages-technology-communication-1821.html Not many people have the skill of holding a conversation with someone these days. Many believe that this is from the advancements in our technology, and how this has allowed us to communicate with computers. In this article it highlights the affects how technology has crippled our conversational skills, calling it the lost art of conversation.
 * 3) https://theurbantechnologist.com/2014/09/07/11-reasons-computers-cant-understand-or-solve-our-problems-without-human-judgement/ Many believe that computers will take over the world one day, and that humans will have to bow to their will. However, some believe that a computer is just another coded machine doing what we tell it to do without any deviation. This article provides us with 11 reasons why a computer can never understand or solve human problems and how it will always need the guidance of a human.

Privacy and Freedom of Speech

 * 1) (Best)http://www.abouthumanrights.co.uk/your-freedom-speech.html Freedom of speech sounds right on all levels, stating that we have the right to voice our opinion and debate others without any repercussion from the law or otherwise. Many countries in the world do not have this right, and those that do should appreciate it. Although it is a no brainer, everyone should have freedom of speech even if some believe it wise if people don’t. This article explains the nature of freedom of speech and talks about how everyone in the world should have this right and not just certain countries.
 * 2) http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/4-ways-your-constitutional-right-privacy-has-been-gutted-911 Since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, our privacy might have been compromised due to the necessity to make our country safe by preventing it from any terrorist attacks that may occur. An article written by Peter Van Buren highlights 4 ways of how our right to privacy has been altered to benefit us from future attacks.
 * 3) http://privacypolicies.com/blog/privacy-law-by-country/ Most countries have different regulations on privacy for large companies, necessitating them to reveal certain information if needed. Most companies these days outsource their businesses to countries with less strict laws, and when they do this, many of their regulations need to change. This website gives great insight on each country's laws on privacy and how the company must change their policies to meet them.

Intellectual Property

 * 1) (Best) http://www.npr.org/2014/11/03/360196476/picking-the-locks-redefining-copyright-law-in-the-digital-age Copyright laws have become outdated and, as a result, do not fit today's regulations for the digital content on the internet. Since the issue of music and other content being pirated since the late 90’s many believe the digital age has compromised our copyright laws. This article expresses the need for a change in our copyright laws to fit the content that is available on the internet.
 * 2) https://creativecommons.org/about/program-areas/arts-culture/ In order to get a little more information, I tried to look at how they manage certain sections of the internet, or, in this case, how they do creative commons licenses for artwork, music and other forms of culture. Their site mentions that their way of doing things requires you to be registered with them and they will create a personal license for you from their servers. Now you can feel safe about your "intellectual property" at least on their database because no other person will have the same copyright license as you do.
 * 3) http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf This is a PDF summarizing how the provision works and its various sections that deal with different issues.  The Digital Millennium Copyright act is split into five sections, each dealing with a different part of the copyright laws on the internet. For example, one deals with exceptions for computers downloading copyrighted software if the computer is undergoing maintenance. Another title deals with allowing some internet service providers with access to usually illegal products if they are engaging in specific activities.

Crime

 * 1) (Best)http://www.forbes.com/sites/thesba/2013/08/28/how-to-prevent-cyber-crime/#3fb2dee6218b Cyber crime is always present on the internet. There are many ways to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of cybercrime, such as making sure your passwords aren’t easy, having a VPN(Virtual Private Network), and having a good security system in place for your home or business computer. This article gives everyday users of computers different ways on how to prevent cyber crime and highlights common weak points that may expose us to this form of crime.
 * 2) http://www.wired.com/insights/2015/03/whats-lurking-deep-end-internet/ This article introduces you to the so-called “dark web”, or the un-indexed portion of the internet. Here, black market websites such as the recently shut down “Silk Road” thrive. It discusses how a new government agency is being created to deal with such websites, and how it will make it easier to track down illegal activity on the dark web. I chose this article because, although I have no experience with the dark web, I can tell that it is very detrimental to the country’s security.
 * 3) http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/02/16/bank-hesit-cybersecurity-kaspersky-report/23509937/ The advent of the internet created a whole new form of crime. These days people do not have to physically go and rob a bank with guns and masks, instead they hack the banks and transfer the money directly to their accounts. I chose this article because the new forms of crime can affect anyone at any time.

Employment, Education, and Entertainment

 * 1) (Best) https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2012/10/king-ludd-is-still-dead/ The effect of advancing technology is discussed in this article. Advancing technology reduces the number of jobs needed in numerous fields. Automation in factories reduces the number of people needed to produce goods. While widespread access to the internet, and the ability to buy products with the click of a button reduces the employees needed in retail work. While I agree that advancing technology reduces the number of jobs in the short term, I believe that a lot more jobs will be created in the long term.
 * 2) http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/education/technology-is-changing-how-students-learn-teachers-say.html?_r=0 This article is about how teachers believe that technology negatively affects the abilities of students to pay attention by reducing their attention spans, which, as a result, impedes their ability to learn. Interviewed teachers say that they have to work harder to capture students attention. I chose this article because I always see people on their phones during class, not taking notes and ignoring the teacher's lecture.
 * 3) http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2332342,00.asp This article discusses how technological advancements have changed the ways we entertain ourselves. It talks about how entertainment has evolved from reading books and knitting, to playing video games and watching TV. I picked this article because I personally cannot imagine not having computers or television to entertain myself.

Grand Challenges

 * 1) (Best) http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/16/opinion/nuclear-terrorism-a-clear-danger.html?_r=0 This article talks about how terrorists around the world exploit gaps in the security of countries. It states that the current regime for preventing terrorists from acquiring nuclear weapons is not perfect. I chose this article because I think that nuclear terror will be a major problem for the world in the future.
 * 2) https://www.technologyreview.com/s/406050/reverse-engineering-the-brain/ This article describes MIT’s experiences with an extremely smart monkey named Maggie. They are using the data obtained from giving Maggie problems to solve for advancing the artificial intelligence field. I chose this article because artificial intelligence will, without a doubt, be a major piece of the society of the future, most likely doing things like managing our lives, protecting our homes, and solving our problems.
 * 3) http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-right-clean-fresh-water/ This article tells us how the U.N. came to a decision that access to clean water is a basic human right. It states that the implications of such a decision are that every country which doesn’t have clean water should be assisted in acquiring it. I chose this article because I have always known that the lack of clean water in some of the less developed countries was a huge problem, and learned to appreciate how accessible clean water is to me as a result.

Evaluating and Controlling Technology

 * 1) (Best) https://www.technologyreview.com/s/530566/the-impact-of-the-internet-on-society-a-global-perspective/ This article explains to us how we live in the information age, where we can pull up information on anything we want by searching it on google, and how the entire world is connected through the internet. It states how this has impacted the social lives of everyone involved with the internet, whether in a good or bad way. I chose this article because I have experienced first-hand what the changes to social interaction the internet has brought upon us.
 * 2) http://www.sas.com/en_id/insights/analytics/machine-learning.html This article presents to us the ramifications of having a machine that can learn. It discusses possible scenarios such as the machine learning about all of the wars humans have caused and deciding to eradicate every last one. I believe that this is an extremely relevant topic, considering the alarming rate of improvement that machines have had recently, and what they may acquire in the future as a result.
 * 3) http://www.nature.com/ncb/journal/v2/n3/full/ncb0300_E37.html This article discusses the most recent improvements in technology that have had a major effect on biology, such as in vitro fertilization, and how they might affect humanity as a whole in the future. I chose this article because I have seen T.V. shows and read books on possible scenarios where technological advancements caused humanity to mutate horridly, such as the ghouls from the Fallout series.

Risks, Failures, and Responsibilities

 * 1) (Best) http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/4-dangers-internet This article provides us with 4 reasons as to why allowing our kids to be on the internet can be dangerous. The reasons are, as follows, Cyberbullying, Sexual Predators, Pornography, and Damaged Reputation. I chose this article because when I have kids, if I ever let them on the internet, I would like to make sure that they are properly educated about each one of these risks so they never have to learn the hard way.
 * 2) http://themodernparent.net/rights-and-responsibilities-online-safer-internet-day-2013/ This article explains how the U.N. recently outlined some basic rights that should be provided to children browsing the web. It proceeds to list each right, and how they are relevant to ensuring a child’s safety when they are online. I chose this article because I believe that children on the internet should be protected in some way, even if their parents do not properly inform them before letting them on.
 * 3) http://www.smallbusinessbrief.com/articles/software/008587.html This article describes to us why having antivirus software is absolutely essential to anybody who owns a computer. It states that not only does the software prevent our computer from downloading a virus, but it also defends us from people trying to hack into our computer to view our files, look through our webcam, or worse. I chose this article because I have personally had experience with viruses infecting my computer, and know how painful they can be to deal with.

Anytime, Anywhere

 * 1) (Best)http://www.educause.edu/research-and-publications/books/educating-net-generation/convenience-communications-and-control-how-students-use-technology This article talks about how advancements in technology allow us to access books much more easily. New products such as the kindle and other tablets allow people to access a library of books at any time. This is a great benefit to students because they can keep all of their textbooks on a single tablets so they don't have to carry numerous heavy textbooks around with them to their classes. I picked this article because, as a student being able to keep all my textbooks on a single tablet would be infinitely more convenient.
 * 2) http://www.nwitimes.com/lifestyles/seniors/generations-technology-keeps-us-connected/article_0c9705ef-8bdc-5e4b-b9a4-7a3c57dc4628.html New advancements in communication technology allow people to stay in touch constantly. Before, the only way to communicate long distances was through letters, which took a while to arrive. This resulted in people unable to have real conversations over long distances. New technologies like cell phones and apps like skype not only allow people to speak to each other, but see each other face to face while they do it. I chose this article because I constantly use Skype to speak to my friends.
 * 3) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/shopping-and-consumer-news/12172230/Are-mobiles-changing-how-we-shop.html This article talks about how mobile phones, and the internet are affecting the way people shop. Before, people had to go to the store to purchase what they needed,  but now with companies like amazon, you just place an order online, pay online, and the product is delivered right to your house. I chose this article because I use amazon to purchase a lot of things, from books to computers.

Technological Advancements, Social Trends

 * 1) (Best)http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2011/how-social-media-impacts-brand-marketing.html This article explains how the popularity of social media has affected the field of marketing. According to the article, social media is an important tool for consumers to discover and purchase new products. I chose this article because I see people constantly on social media, and have wondered how effective advertisements on those websites would be for companies.
 * 2) http://online.purdue.edu/ldt/learning-design-technology/resources/evolution-technology-classroom The advancing technology has also played a big role in education, before students only used text books and calculators, but these days computers and tablets are common place. I chose this article because as a student these advancements affect me as well.
 * 3) http://techin.oureverydaylife.com/advances-communication-technology-1639.html Technological advances in communication have made it much easier for people to get in  touch with each other. Mailing letters through the post office has become a thing of the past, these days people instantly send messages to each other through text messages, or speak to each other face to face with Skype. I chose this article because communication is an extremely important aspect of today's society.

=
Solar panels have proven to be incredibly costly and difficult to set up. However, the excellent work done by Google and Tesla have helped to reduce these costs through government rebates, and make the economic costs clear to the average individual. Saving on electricity bills by using solar energy and owning an electric vehicle provides cause for individuals to make the transition to solar energy. =====