User:Chowv3

I am from San Francisco and I currently attend the University of California, Irvine, as well as De Anza College online with Professor Taylor's CIS2: Computers and the Internet in Society class. I study business economics, management, and digital information systems. I look forward to studying each of these subjects on a deeper level and being able to apply it to real-world situations. I enjoy hiking, drawing, reading, and learning new things!

Abstract
After taking AP Environmental Science in high school, I've always been interested in sustainability and the environment. With the rapid industrialization going on around the world, it seems like new technologies and the culture of consumerism only does harm to the environment; which it why it was so interesting to me to hear and learn more about innovative new ways to better the environment. Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas in our atmosphere, released at the burning of any fossil fuels, so hearing that it can be captured and repurposed to prevent it from being released in the atmosphere was fascinating to me. I started out on GreenBiz's "5 Surprising Products Companies are Making from Carbon Dioxide" for an overall idea, and proceeded to look deeper into the three most intriguing ones.

"Carbon Dioxide Turned Carbon Nanotubes and Nanofibers"
C2CNT, a startup by researchers at George Washington University learned how to convert carbon dioxide into carbon fibers. These carbon nanotubes and nanofibers can be used as a lighter-weight alternative to metal, and are used in blades, race cars, airplanes, bicycles, and car engines. What's even better is that producing these materials out of carbon dioxide rather than traditional carbon nanofiber manufacturing methods, is actually cheaper in costs. The technology used in this process is molten electroysis, which dissolves carbon dioxide into carbonates, where it's proceeded to be electrochemically split to yield oxygen and carbon nanotubes. This is a great way of repurposing carbon dioxide, as pure carbon nanotubes are the most compact form of CO2, and which helps mitigate climate change.

==== "Carbon Dioxide Conversion to Methanol: Opportunities and Fundamental Challenges" ==== A more popular way of repurposing carbon dioxide is converting it into usable chemicals, like methanol. Methanol is a type of alcohol, widely used in synthetic fabrics, fibers, plywood in construction, and is a huge chemical agent in pharaceuticals and agrochemicals. Methanol is safe, clean and versatile; it can be used in liquid form or as a material in rechargeable batteries, solar cells, or direct methanol cells. This is typically done through chemical conversion or catalytic conversion, but there is research on developing an artificail photosynthesis process to convert carbon dioxide into methanol. This process is great because it takes a greenhouse gas, that would usually be released into the atmosphere, and converts it to another form of usable energy; In a way, recycling the carbon dioxide and mitigating the amount of greenhouse gases in the air.

Newlight Technologies: AirCarbon
This was by far one of the most interesting and innovative ways to repurpose carbon dioxide to me. A company called Newlight Technologies specializes in transforming greenhouse gasses into bioplastic. Their plastic, called AirCarbon, is approximately 40% oxygen and 60% carbon and hydrogen from carbon dioxide emissions. The company has a special polymerization system for material synthesis where carbon emissions are combined with Newlight's biocatalyst to isolate atoms just to polymerize them again to form their plastic. The resulting product is a sustainable, high-performance plastic that is carbon-negative from cradle to grave, including manufacturing, transportation, and packaging costs!

The Best Private Search Engines -- Alternatives to Google
This article goes in depth about eleven top private search engines; Search Encrypt, StartPage, DuckDuckGo, Gibiru, Swisscows, Yippy, Bitclave, Qwant, DiscreteSearch, and Oscobo. All of these sites are a way to protect your search history, and to prevent your information from being shared or leaked. I never really considered needing an alternative to such a major search engine, but this definitely peaked my interest.

Source: (ironically) Google Search for Learning Literacies - Find It Discussion

Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?
This article reports that screen time and risk for mental health problems such as depression are strongly correlated, as well as with the decrease in family and friend time spent in person, the amount of dating, sex, and driving in their lives, and healthy sleep practices and self-esteem. Although I'm already pretty aware of how my time is spent on my phone, this really put things into perspective and motivated me to spend less time on it.

Source: Google Search for Computers and Societies Websites Discussion

How One Tech Initiative Helps Syrian Refugee Kids Learn New Skills (Favorite!)
This article talks about a program, accessible to many low-income people through commonly used social media, Facebook and WhatsApp, to teach children certain skills and critical thinking using everyday objects and tasks. This allows refugees and other less-fortunate populations to be able to integrate their children's learning into their usual lifestyles. I enjoyed this article because it shows how technology could be used to better society and help the disadvantaged.

Source: Selected Media List

5 Steps to Building an Online Reputation on LinkedIn (Favorite!)
This article discusses how your online reputation can be used to your advantage to showcase your professional passions and interests, which can attract the attention of recruiters, or building your professional profile. I feel that this is important because LinkedIn is becoming more and more important in the professional world, and I have personally been trying to build my image on LinkedIn as well, so this articel was actually quite helpful! Source: Google search

Source: Google Search for Learning Literacies - Protect It Discussion

6 Common Phishing Attacks and How to Protect Against Them
This article talks about different types of phishing attacks, such as spear phishing, where attackers use very customized forms of contacting you in order to gain your trust and convince you to release your information. Another form is Pharming, where attackers hack and redirect users to a malicious website of their choice. I always had an idea of phishing, but this was the first itme I got an official definition; after reading it, I'm definitely a lot more cautious and I know more about how to protect against them!

Source: Google Search for Privacy & Personal Information Discussion

You Will Never Kill Piracy and Piracy Will Never Kill You
This article clearly defines piracy and discusses its consequences and how it affects you. Some examples talked about priated movies and TV shows online for free, as well as free textbooks and pdf uploads that us, as students have most likely come across. I never really thought too much about piracy before looking into it more, and it's interesting the effects it can have.

Source: Google Search for Intellectual Property Keywords Discussion

==== The Top 7 Characteristics that Define Good Learners (Favorite!) ==== Although a number of the characteristics mentioned in the article sounded like pretty general advice for me, the two that stood out to me the most was realizing that learning isn't always enjoyable, and the ability to accommodate and change what you've previously known as you go. Sometimes it's easy to get stuck or lose motivation, but I feel that those are the times where it's most important to push through, and what you learn at the end tends to be very rewarding. This article reminded me that it is important to remain open-minded, as I feel that arrogance and reluctance to change is the strongest obstacle against growth.

Source: Selected Media List

How Has the Internet Affected the Art World?
This article discussed how social media and new technologies have actually benefited the art industry, and how the online world makes content available to a much larger audience. Instagram is one of the most powerful marketing tools at the moment, and Twitter allows for communication and expression between an artist and his/her followers and easier online sales. The article does emphasize, however, that online sales will very unlikely overpower traditional forms of art selling such as galleries and museums. As a person who draws myself, I've always appreciated how eayy it was to find inspiration through finding new art and artists, but I never really thought about the implications on in-person experiences.

Source: Google Search for Art and Computers Discussion

Always Ask These 8 Questions in a Job Interview
This article reminded me that interviews are a two-way thing; you're having a conversation with your interviewer, not just responding to their questions. The questions recommended seemed to focus on culture fit, opportunities for growth, and solidifying interest in the position by learning more about it. I dfinitelyy appreciated the fact that this was one of the

Source: Solve It Media Selections

Dark Web Cyber Crime Markets Thriving
The article talked about how cyber criminals no longer require extensive technical knowledge, but almost any type of attack now is doable with adequate amounts of funding. I always knew cyber crime was a big thing, but this article put into perspective how easy some of the simpler crimes can be to commit, and I feel that with proper laws and security in place, they cannot be completely eradicated, but only mitigated. It scares me a bit, but it's also a reminder that the internet is still relatively new and people can do a lot with the right tools and incentives.

Source: Google Search for Computers and Crime Discussion

8 Things to Do Right Now if You've Been Hacked (Favorite!)
Any online device is at risk for hacking, but before reading this article, I honestly would not really know what to do if I was. This article recommends actions and includes individual steps and tips within each recommendation which I really appreciated. I feel that although this may be very basic information for some, it's important that everyone should at least have some idea as to what to do.

Source: Google Search for Hacked: Now What? Discussion

Social Media for Business: A Marketer's Guide (Favorite!)
As a person who loves Instagram and creating strategized content to engage my intended audience as much as possible, I find new jobs and opportunities around social media and influencer marketing absolutely fascinating. It's a growing field in marketing, a field I'm trying to get into as a career, and reading about the methods and work that goes behind it was really itneresting for me.

Source: Google Search for Business and Social Media Discussion

Game: Fake It to Make It
In this game, you operated a fake "news" site where your primary goal is to generate views and clicks, regardless of where you get your information or the accuracy of it. Financial incentives play a big role in taking political stances or opinions on certain matters, and online articles nowadays are more about generating clicks, views, and impressions especially for the ads that run on their pages. This is concerning to me as not many people take a moment to question the reliablilty of their sources.

Source: Google Search for Games in Education Discussion

Three Artificial Intelligence and Tech Tools Trying to Boost People's Mental Health (Favorite!)
The article talks about new technologies called Cogito and Woebot, artificial intelligence software and products designed to detect mental health problems in people and veterans, as well as depression and other mental healht issues in people. I thought this was very interesting, as I didn't realize that something liek therapy and counseling would ever be replaced by a robot over a human being.

Source: Google Search for Challenge: AI to Solve the World's Challenges Discussion

Will Avatars be the Future of Mental Health Treatment?
This article also discussed mental health and solutions in another light. It talked about avatars serving as therapists and people to confide into, which sounds like an interesting idea. There is, however, evidence that some poeple prefer confessing to a computer over another person, which is reassuring because I feel like these technologies will help people become more open to talking about it. I do, however, wonder to what extent they can replace real-life therapists and counselors.

Source: Google Search for Challenge: Anywhere is Possible Discussion

Wahoo - Remote Surface Vessel
Researchers at Texas A&M University have found ways to discover and learn about the ocean floor with artificall intelligence, and the vessel utilizes communication, collision avoidance system, and cameras to execute missions that last up to a week or greater. It makes me happy that new technolgoies like the Wahoo vessel are being used to research and better the environemnt as well as increase our knowledge about the environment.

Source: Google Serach for Challenge: Ocean Discovery Discussion

"How the Internet Enables Intimacy" - Stefana Broadbent (Favorite!)
This article brought out the good and the benefits in the ease of communication between people; it made me more aware and grateful for the communicative technolgoies we have, such as Facetime, Skype and iMessage that allows easier connections betwenn friends and family alike. It's actually quite remarkable how we now take these technologies for granted, but weren't available for people just a generation before ours.

Source: Google Search for Computers and Society Video Discussion

Doodle - Scheduling
Doodle is a platform that simplifies the process of scheduling appointments, events, meetings, or anything that involves planning with multiple people. I've actually used the program multiple times to set up meeting times for group projects, plan social hangouts with friends, and even to set up appointment times for interviews. It's great because everyone involved simply checks the times that they are free and the system automatically tells you which times are most convenient for the highest number of people in the group.

Source: Share It Media Section for Learnign Literacies - Share It Discussion

The Stock Market Game
This is an online simulation of the real stock market, designed to teach students principles of investing, the results and consequences of doing so. It is commonly used in business or finance classes. As a pesonn that doesn't know much about stocks, I appreciate that this allows people to experiment and learn without real-world consequences.

Source: Google Search for Simulations Discussion

Ethics, Technology, and the Future of Humanity (Favorite!)
In this article, Professor Singer voiced that from an ethical standpoint, the interests of all people are equal, and one person's interests do not take priority over others. I agree that in the context of intellectual property rights, it should encourage innovation and creation for the benefit of all involved. the problem arises, however, in how different people define that and how it should be regulated.

Source: Google Search for Risks, Failure, and Responsibilities Keywords Discussion

Role of Computers in Medical Lab Technology
There are mulitple ways that computers are used in the medical field, including to test drugs and run simulations, which can run models and perform extensive research and experimentation in a matter of minutes. As someone who is interested in the data analytics field, it's absolutely fascinating to me the massive amoutns of information that can come from data and computers, and how useful it can be for human lives.

Source: Google Search for Medicine and Computers Discussion

Digital Wallet: The Future of Pay and Why You Should Care
Concise and to the point, this article discussed the rise of digital wallets and the role they will play in our future lives. As someone who consistently uses Venmo and Paypal, and am just getting into using ApplePay, I definitely see the appeal and convenience in having a digital wallet and such accessible money. I would like to look into and research some more secure digital wallets and maybe convert my family too. Cash is almost a thing of the past!

Source: Google Search for Anytime, Anywhere Keywords

Let's Design Social Media that Drives Real Change (Favorite!)
This TedTalk discussed the power of social media, and how it's been used to organize and plan real-life, large sclae, social movements. I liked this because it recognized how social media nowadays can easily be steered to a negative discussion with people being offended, starting arguments, and trolling. It, however, promoted the idea that social media should be used to discuss and connect people with differntt points of view to talk and share ideas.

Source: Google Search for Social Innovation Discussion

Why Some of Us Don't Have a One True Calling
I really liked this TedTalk because she talks about the future and the social pressure around it for people, which is especially relevant to me as a colelge student. She moves on to talk about people with multiple skills and careers, and are successful in all of them. She calls these people without a "one true calling" multipotentialites, and points out three skills; idea synthesis, rapid learning, and adaptability. I enjoyed this because it promoted the idea that you dontt have to just choose one thing and stick to it.

Source: Google Search for Virtual Lectures Discussion

Net Power (Favorite!)
Netpower is a new power system that generates electricity from natural gas, but generates zero atmospheric emissions. It uses a new process to capture CO2 during the process, rather than attempt to mitigate it afterwards.The company is still in the process of refining their product for use, but learning about these products makes me happy and hopeful for the future because I feel that technologies like this can truly improve the world for the better, and may be the key to sustaining the consumer culture we have now.

Source: Google Search for Whats New and Important? Discussion

6 Global Media Trends in Charts
I enjoyed this source because it showed a lot of different forms of visual data. Most of their charts and tables were simple, straightforward, and easy to interpret, and represented the data accurately. As a person interested in data analytics and visualization, I enjoyed reading about their multiple statistics as well as their different forms of representing it.

Source: Google Search for Interesting Quantitative Facts Discussion