Saturday, March 29, 2014
Comp 380 unit 3 project: a Review
Overall, I think that this project enables us to be able to collect all the thoughts and muses of the past weeks together into one coherent unit as we strive to achieve greater understanding of the issues that surround our usage of the internet. Through Boyd, Carr, Coleman, Wojack, Oravec, Turkle and Shirkey, we are better able to understand the dangers and the potential of the internet age as we seek to achieve the cognitive surplus that will allow us to foster international harmony. The internet isn't just one static thing, as these people show, but it's a dynamic thing, also changing in flux and eventually there will be a new crop of investigators that will report on the changing landscape. The words of these authors are relevant today, but new technology will pose newer problems that will undoubtfully become essential for tomorrow. We should be careful, as Carr said, but we should also push forward according to Boyd. It is in our hands, after all an computer is only as good as it's human operator.
How Hacker changed the world; an retrospect
Hackers are undoubtedly very influential today; in China when somebody asked the children, what kind of occupation they would like to hold when they become older, some children expressed an desire to become a hacker. In China, hackers are sometimes treated like national heroes who practice a form of cyberwarfare with the United States and other target countries. In this sense, hackers have become involved in political affairs by actively sabotaging websites of an political nature. The documentary How hackers changed the world served to illustrate that our increasing dependence on the internet means that we are also increasingly more affected by the effects of hackers, who used this increased exposure to magnify the effects of their malicious actions. It obviously, also explains that the hacker phenomenon is not a good thing overall, because of all the security dangers it makes. Hackers today aren't limited to using it as a political weapon; it became possible for hackers to hack stores and email to receive personal information that could yield financial information. Not only that, by hacking into cyptocurrencies such as Bitcoins, they are also able to make off with virtual money. The combined effects of politics and economics ensure that hackers aren't for show and that their effects spread far and wide.
A possible danger of hacking is sometimes cited as a concern in the US defense department because it uses many components made in China, especially in their high level military assets, such as jet fighters. It is often speculated by movies that if someday, all of those devices made in China were to suddenly activate itself by remote and all of the devices in America were to fall under Chinese control, it would render the United States government powerless against the Chinese threat. While this scenario is likely false, hiding rogue code in devices is remarkably easy and extremely difficult to detect. This makes the situation very dicey if China does indeed have such a plan. In this way, hackers change the world's perception of the dangers of the internet and how an increasing dependence on the internet can create problems for reasons of international security.
A possible danger of hacking is sometimes cited as a concern in the US defense department because it uses many components made in China, especially in their high level military assets, such as jet fighters. It is often speculated by movies that if someday, all of those devices made in China were to suddenly activate itself by remote and all of the devices in America were to fall under Chinese control, it would render the United States government powerless against the Chinese threat. While this scenario is likely false, hiding rogue code in devices is remarkably easy and extremely difficult to detect. This makes the situation very dicey if China does indeed have such a plan. In this way, hackers change the world's perception of the dangers of the internet and how an increasing dependence on the internet can create problems for reasons of international security.
E Gabrielle Coleman; from phreakers to hackers
Phreakers is not a term that we are able to recognize using the eye test; but it an important predecessor of something that is: hackers. Phreakers operate using many of the same principles that guide hackers today; they rely on the gathering of information to study and analyze the infrastructure of their respective technologies and when it calls for, they are able to break into the system and interfere with it. Phreakers are familiar with the digital transistors; they form the basis for higher level digital hacking. But the role of phreakers extend beyond merely sitting behind a desk and hashing code; it involved significant legwork too. Phreakers had to gather physical evidence, whether it pretending to be a guest of the phone operator to scavenging for documents from telephone companies. These are very dedicated means that Phreakers used to decipher the algorithm that telephone companies use. In a way, using this information, they are able to intercept calls and pretend to be a phone operator to confuse the customers that call the telephone. However all of these work was not done with any form of malicious intent; instead it was formed to serve technical skills to those that dabbled in it and have fun.
Hackers are able to operate more complex digital machines that be able to decipher algorithms and code to evoke a bigger effect; for example the hacking of a federal website may cost taxpayers money to fight and leaves millions of people unable to access it. This is clearly an attempt to inflict negative effects. However, the scope of modern day hacking has increased too, which means the same work in the phreaking age did not correlate with the payoff for the same work done in the hacking age; in other words, when the complexity increases, so does the rewards and desired result. Because hackers generally don't have good intentions, this creates problems for corporations and personal websites alike. Hackers are essentially computer science specialist with a focus on exploiting code vulnerabilities in websites and programs. While it's still possible for hackers to not have a bad intent, the actions of modern day hackers have shutdown federal websites and disrupted businesses all over the world, costing the world millions and millions of damages a year. The only similarities between phreakers and hackers, as Coleman suggests, is that both of these people share the same work ethic, that it requires dedication and perseverance to successfully execute.
Hackers are able to operate more complex digital machines that be able to decipher algorithms and code to evoke a bigger effect; for example the hacking of a federal website may cost taxpayers money to fight and leaves millions of people unable to access it. This is clearly an attempt to inflict negative effects. However, the scope of modern day hacking has increased too, which means the same work in the phreaking age did not correlate with the payoff for the same work done in the hacking age; in other words, when the complexity increases, so does the rewards and desired result. Because hackers generally don't have good intentions, this creates problems for corporations and personal websites alike. Hackers are essentially computer science specialist with a focus on exploiting code vulnerabilities in websites and programs. While it's still possible for hackers to not have a bad intent, the actions of modern day hackers have shutdown federal websites and disrupted businesses all over the world, costing the world millions and millions of damages a year. The only similarities between phreakers and hackers, as Coleman suggests, is that both of these people share the same work ethic, that it requires dedication and perseverance to successfully execute.
Wojack on Griefing and Separation of online personas
Roland Wojack was much like Jo Ann Oravec in the sense that he is concerned with the physical separation from their virtual personas because it creates changes in a person's psychology to an extent that he would consider it to be detrimental to the online community as a whole. To phrase it, he is considered about two developments; the people who grief, or destroy an online experience and how this physical separation allowed by the internet changes personalities.
Griefing can come in different forms of actions; they can come in discussion forums or they could come in the form of disrupting player experiences in a video game. They are similar to trolls, but they typically are more predisposed to incur negative reactions amongst the communities. Griefing also differs from trolling in the sense that they can come in a variety of scope and size. A person construct a building in the virtual game Minecraft, and a griefer can come in and destroy that person's work. The destruction of that person's work will incite strong actions from the victim and it represents a loss in time and emotional investment. In this case, the scale is pretty massive, especially if it required many hours of work to construct a building in the game. Griefing is best explained by this changing of human brain psychology to offload some of the burdens of the id to the human unto the internet.
The separation of the physical body and mind from the events online creates some of the desire to offload the id unto the internet, where it is possible to develop the id in such a way that it almost becomes another personality; an alter ego. This is I think Wojack's point that people change online because there are no real rules governing their conduct, so they are free to explore things to their pleasure, and by extension, to act the way they desired. This I think formed the backbone for the actions of the griefers, whose immediate goal is to satisfy their desire to wreck catastrophe upon any virtual worlds. Despite this separation, it does not make it justifiable for a person to inflict this kind of damage. The people on the other side of the internet are also people and they have emotions too. If this kind of conduct is allowed, then the reverse psychology might also be true; that when people get away from the internet where they store their alter ego, they might be tempted to bring some of those ego over the real world, creating real world problems. Therefore, griefing cannot be justified by any means.
Griefing can come in different forms of actions; they can come in discussion forums or they could come in the form of disrupting player experiences in a video game. They are similar to trolls, but they typically are more predisposed to incur negative reactions amongst the communities. Griefing also differs from trolling in the sense that they can come in a variety of scope and size. A person construct a building in the virtual game Minecraft, and a griefer can come in and destroy that person's work. The destruction of that person's work will incite strong actions from the victim and it represents a loss in time and emotional investment. In this case, the scale is pretty massive, especially if it required many hours of work to construct a building in the game. Griefing is best explained by this changing of human brain psychology to offload some of the burdens of the id to the human unto the internet.
The separation of the physical body and mind from the events online creates some of the desire to offload the id unto the internet, where it is possible to develop the id in such a way that it almost becomes another personality; an alter ego. This is I think Wojack's point that people change online because there are no real rules governing their conduct, so they are free to explore things to their pleasure, and by extension, to act the way they desired. This I think formed the backbone for the actions of the griefers, whose immediate goal is to satisfy their desire to wreck catastrophe upon any virtual worlds. Despite this separation, it does not make it justifiable for a person to inflict this kind of damage. The people on the other side of the internet are also people and they have emotions too. If this kind of conduct is allowed, then the reverse psychology might also be true; that when people get away from the internet where they store their alter ego, they might be tempted to bring some of those ego over the real world, creating real world problems. Therefore, griefing cannot be justified by any means.
Sexting; far more serious than you think
Jo Ann Oravec raises very important questions regarding the weird modern propensity for sexting; she attempts to explain and condemn the ethics of sexting. Sexting is far more serious than the general populace may agree; it represents the liberation of human instincts, especially on the male side. In simple, sexting is a mechanism that seeks to circumvent the limits placed upon human sexual expression; it was used as a form of shortcut. When a man decides to sext to another person, he is seeking an alternative form of sexual communication that wasn't possible in the traditional world. With the availability of SMS texting technologies, It became entirely feasible to pursue virtual relationships, and to an extent sexting represents the furthest virtual extent of these virtual relationships. When a teenager is able to justify sexting, it unfortunately also enables other behaviors that can result in a poor development of decision making skills. Coupling with the inherent problem of protecting confidentiality in sexting cases, when another teenager decides to spread the image, it creates problems for the original teenager because it destroys their naive perception of trust and friendship. In this case, they might start to sext more because it doesn't have the emotional baggage that comes with the spread of rumors amongst friends; instead if a stranger spreads it, it shouldn't affect the person too much.
Sexting isn't merely limited to the teenage populace however; it also an alternative channel for possible cases of adultery. The virtual nature of sexting means that by definition, no physical contact was initiated between either parties, creating a form of loophole that makes it easy for an adulterer to justify it. Because sexting can lead to increasing levels of eroticism and desire, it can be a catalyst for breaking marriages and relationships. It is also possible that the generation of teenagers who grow up sexting can eventually settle into an adult relationship where they continue to practice such debauchery. Such actions show the degradation of society and morals but at the same time serve to illustrate the sexting releases those base impulses. In this regard, I agree with Jo Ann Oravec's interpretation of the dangers of sexting. It is something that must be taken seriously, as also because the receiving party is usually innocent and seeing such material is considered a form of sexual harassment.
Sexting isn't merely limited to the teenage populace however; it also an alternative channel for possible cases of adultery. The virtual nature of sexting means that by definition, no physical contact was initiated between either parties, creating a form of loophole that makes it easy for an adulterer to justify it. Because sexting can lead to increasing levels of eroticism and desire, it can be a catalyst for breaking marriages and relationships. It is also possible that the generation of teenagers who grow up sexting can eventually settle into an adult relationship where they continue to practice such debauchery. Such actions show the degradation of society and morals but at the same time serve to illustrate the sexting releases those base impulses. In this regard, I agree with Jo Ann Oravec's interpretation of the dangers of sexting. It is something that must be taken seriously, as also because the receiving party is usually innocent and seeing such material is considered a form of sexual harassment.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Cognitive Surplus: Clay Shirkey
It has been the destiny of humanity to make contact with each other and establish a permanent network by which perhaps the people of the earth could collaborate and live a peaceful and prosperous life. Without the internet, the collaboration would simply be unfeasible. Instead of focusing on political or economic partnerships, Clay Shirkey speaks of the Cognitive surplus, which seeks to increase the collective intellectual exchange between people of many nations. This way, by combining human mental ability and creativity. However, it doesn't work exactly like this; instead the cognitive surplus is the difference when a person using pen and paper attempt to complete a task versus a person with a computer for the same task. The cognitive surplus is the time difference between these two tasks, presumably using the computer simplifies the entire process. Cognitive surplus can also be thought of in a different way too - in that thanks to automated things like direct pay from your employer, Facetime, Calendars, Mail applications, you free your mind of these miscellaneous tasks so that you can focus on the more important and detailed things like your class project. Combined, these three factors form the backbone of Clay Shirkey's Cognitive surplus. With cognitive surplus, it relies on Boyd's assertion that humanity will not lose sight of what's important in the internet age; the cognitive surplus depends on human impulse control to watch the latest cat videos, for example. However, generally, speaking a person can save countless hours in their lives regardless due to the internet and computers. Together, creativity blossomed and many artists showcased their artwork at devianart or through youtube videos, creating a very vibrant international intellectual community. Overall, it is an important vocabulary as it exemplifies the changes in human behavior as their time allocated in their favorite activities increased. Without Cognitive surplus, it wasn't possible for all these bursts of creativity to take root. In this end, the cognitive surplus works tandem with Boyd to portray a very optimistic view of the internet age.
Boyd: A visionary skeptic
Nicholas Carr's Shallows book has been the poster child for the dangers of the internet age; citing the massive distractions that the internet provides for the world's current generation. Nicholas' Carr's approach also reflects his position on the subject; he is a huge skeptic of the internet and it's benefits. To go about doing this, Carr conducted careful research and applied logical reasoning to support his position. By doing so, in a way Carr is criticizing the element of humanity when taking the internet into context. Though youtube videos and other forms of online entertainment do take away our productivity; they are products of creativity and human expression. From an anthropological perspective, these creations are invaluable and signifies a quirky evolution of the human thought. The internet liberated human expression in such a way that people from all over the world can converge and express themselves to the best of their abilities. Boyd is a proponent of these thoughts.
Boyd likened the internet to another form of highway, in that it connects people's minds together in virtual web. Through this highway of intellectual exchange comes with quirky internet phenomenons, from cat videos to documentaries. The internet is a major facilitator of the globalization trend that has happened within the last 100 years. Through the internet creates a powerful subculture; the internet that united many countries under its grasp. Internet culture isn't limited to merely cultural context; they are expressed in chats, discussion rooms, social media, pictures and videos; these mediums are cross compatible with each other; a Chinese man can exchange videos with an Swedish man, for example, but the medium of exchange is in a format of a video. Perhaps it's a cat video, in which case it breaks the language barrier and introduces an cat whose purpose is to bring smiles around the world. In this essence, Boyd praises the internet for it's creativity. Because she understands Carr's argument, she was keenly aware of the dangers, instead concentrating on the potential cognitive surplus provided by these interesting creations. Boyd focuses on the positive energy these creations can on human lives; cat videos can improve human mood, which can lead to greater levels of productivity. In this sense, Boyd is what I'd call a visionary skeptic.
Boyd likened the internet to another form of highway, in that it connects people's minds together in virtual web. Through this highway of intellectual exchange comes with quirky internet phenomenons, from cat videos to documentaries. The internet is a major facilitator of the globalization trend that has happened within the last 100 years. Through the internet creates a powerful subculture; the internet that united many countries under its grasp. Internet culture isn't limited to merely cultural context; they are expressed in chats, discussion rooms, social media, pictures and videos; these mediums are cross compatible with each other; a Chinese man can exchange videos with an Swedish man, for example, but the medium of exchange is in a format of a video. Perhaps it's a cat video, in which case it breaks the language barrier and introduces an cat whose purpose is to bring smiles around the world. In this essence, Boyd praises the internet for it's creativity. Because she understands Carr's argument, she was keenly aware of the dangers, instead concentrating on the potential cognitive surplus provided by these interesting creations. Boyd focuses on the positive energy these creations can on human lives; cat videos can improve human mood, which can lead to greater levels of productivity. In this sense, Boyd is what I'd call a visionary skeptic.
Turkle: Mac vs. PC Paradigm
Sherry Tukle, the author of a Tale of Two Aesthetics recalls the landscape of users interfaces by compare and contrasting the Macintosh and PC user interfaces. She contends that the approach wielded by these two sides reflect the personal tastes. However I am here to assert that it is not merely a tale of two operating systems, but a tale of three operating systems and how their approach defines personal tastes and preferences which includes Windows, MacOS and Linux.
Conceptualized by Microsoft in 1985, Windows has grown to become the most dominant operating system utilized by the masses for their computational needs. Microsoft Windows, in terms of customization is moderate. The biggest appeal for Windows is the fact that it is an operating system that is paired with an incredible number of different hardware configurations. Microsoft Windows has been the predominant choice of operating system for gamers, for example because most of the games that were developed in the past decades were written for the Windows operating system through the DirectX API. As a reflection of this taste, hardware manufacturers such as Nvidia and AMD consequently tailored their processors to work best with the Windows codebase. In this regard, Windows has no peer in the operating system world and it reflects upon a person when they decide on a computer with Windows in it; it includes those who like to play very 3D intensive games. Windows also have another huge advantage; it's ability to run legacy applications and it's broad compatibility. It's very possible to run very old MS programs through the DOS box emulator, but slightly newer programs will run natively on the operating system. Of course, because of this wide compatibility and huge install base means that Windows is prone to virus attacks, making it a dangerous task to run Windows without an antivirus software included. The introduction of Windows 8 saw a rising importance in touchscreen integration into the traditional computing experience. While the benefits is to be debated, the inclusion of touchscreen support in Windows 8 will define a consumer's preference because it affects the consumer's workflow. Overall, Windows is a robust operating system, but it lacks the battery and memory optimizations that come with MacOS computing environment.
The second biggest market share in home computing operating systems belong to MacOS, which run on Apple Inc.'s latest in house built computers. Unlike Windows, MacOS and the hardware it runs on are both designed by Apple, which houses several advantages and disadvantages and those reflect a consumer's needs. To achieve this tightly controlled environment, the operating system has to be locked down and closed off from personal modifications (it's still possible). This is a major disincentive for game developers to port their games to the MacOS X environment. But the Mac using demographics is much lower, it further cripples the MacOS's ability to compete in gaming with Windows. Notwithstanding, the hardware that the MacOS X runs on is also slower than their windows counterparts. This is partially alleviated by the close integration of hardware and software with allows battery, memory and overall operating system efficiency on lower end hardware which gives it the perception of being faster. However the cost of these Research and development means a more expensive laptop. But with the increased cost means an greater emphasis on great design and durability. The current line of Macbooks are built using aluminum unibody enclosures to ensure the best rigidity and aesthetics. For a person to own a Mac, generally they don't play alot of games, wants basic computing tasks and care about the appeal of the Apple design. There are more advantages to the MacOS X operating system though; in that is also allows the developers to be able to add convenient programs to aid in productivity like Mail and iMovie that makes it very usable out of the box.
Finally, Linux is a free operating system that potentially spans the entire hardware gamut that Windows have except for high end components. Linux is a bit of a oddity today; they have many many different flavors and and extremely high level of customization. This makes it easy to make Linux look the way you want it to. However in the beginning and it's still true today, Linux is built on a command line GUI; it doesn't intuitively use the same concepts that MacOSX and Windows use. This makes adoption extremely difficult and bothersome for beginners. If anything, Linux represents the pinnacle of those technologically intelligent population. However the folder structure is closer to Windows than MacOS which aids in its usability. Linux is also used to for servers which allow users to utilize a free operating system by which to push their media through the cloud. It's cheap and highly customization, which are two qualities that allow it to suceeed as a media server.
Overall Turkle is mostly right; there is a certain difference between the operating systems and their users, but ultimately I believe that it's a tale of three operating systems that represent three different philosophies. However with these three approaches, technology are able to reach the entire gamut of consumers.
Conceptualized by Microsoft in 1985, Windows has grown to become the most dominant operating system utilized by the masses for their computational needs. Microsoft Windows, in terms of customization is moderate. The biggest appeal for Windows is the fact that it is an operating system that is paired with an incredible number of different hardware configurations. Microsoft Windows has been the predominant choice of operating system for gamers, for example because most of the games that were developed in the past decades were written for the Windows operating system through the DirectX API. As a reflection of this taste, hardware manufacturers such as Nvidia and AMD consequently tailored their processors to work best with the Windows codebase. In this regard, Windows has no peer in the operating system world and it reflects upon a person when they decide on a computer with Windows in it; it includes those who like to play very 3D intensive games. Windows also have another huge advantage; it's ability to run legacy applications and it's broad compatibility. It's very possible to run very old MS programs through the DOS box emulator, but slightly newer programs will run natively on the operating system. Of course, because of this wide compatibility and huge install base means that Windows is prone to virus attacks, making it a dangerous task to run Windows without an antivirus software included. The introduction of Windows 8 saw a rising importance in touchscreen integration into the traditional computing experience. While the benefits is to be debated, the inclusion of touchscreen support in Windows 8 will define a consumer's preference because it affects the consumer's workflow. Overall, Windows is a robust operating system, but it lacks the battery and memory optimizations that come with MacOS computing environment.
The second biggest market share in home computing operating systems belong to MacOS, which run on Apple Inc.'s latest in house built computers. Unlike Windows, MacOS and the hardware it runs on are both designed by Apple, which houses several advantages and disadvantages and those reflect a consumer's needs. To achieve this tightly controlled environment, the operating system has to be locked down and closed off from personal modifications (it's still possible). This is a major disincentive for game developers to port their games to the MacOS X environment. But the Mac using demographics is much lower, it further cripples the MacOS's ability to compete in gaming with Windows. Notwithstanding, the hardware that the MacOS X runs on is also slower than their windows counterparts. This is partially alleviated by the close integration of hardware and software with allows battery, memory and overall operating system efficiency on lower end hardware which gives it the perception of being faster. However the cost of these Research and development means a more expensive laptop. But with the increased cost means an greater emphasis on great design and durability. The current line of Macbooks are built using aluminum unibody enclosures to ensure the best rigidity and aesthetics. For a person to own a Mac, generally they don't play alot of games, wants basic computing tasks and care about the appeal of the Apple design. There are more advantages to the MacOS X operating system though; in that is also allows the developers to be able to add convenient programs to aid in productivity like Mail and iMovie that makes it very usable out of the box.
Finally, Linux is a free operating system that potentially spans the entire hardware gamut that Windows have except for high end components. Linux is a bit of a oddity today; they have many many different flavors and and extremely high level of customization. This makes it easy to make Linux look the way you want it to. However in the beginning and it's still true today, Linux is built on a command line GUI; it doesn't intuitively use the same concepts that MacOSX and Windows use. This makes adoption extremely difficult and bothersome for beginners. If anything, Linux represents the pinnacle of those technologically intelligent population. However the folder structure is closer to Windows than MacOS which aids in its usability. Linux is also used to for servers which allow users to utilize a free operating system by which to push their media through the cloud. It's cheap and highly customization, which are two qualities that allow it to suceeed as a media server.
Overall Turkle is mostly right; there is a certain difference between the operating systems and their users, but ultimately I believe that it's a tale of three operating systems that represent three different philosophies. However with these three approaches, technology are able to reach the entire gamut of consumers.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Hello!
This my Lesson 8 blog for COMP 380 online class. I will be blogging about course materials here and the content related to them. Thank you for visiting my blog!
--Sammy Xu
--Sammy Xu
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