Module 13

                When I first started IS&T 1100, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew that the class would entail something about computers, but I did not know that I would be learning so much about the origin of the internet, how it has been adapted for business, and ongoing property issues. There were a few things that I think could have been skipped, as I do not think they added much importance to the class, but I really enjoyed the research papers.

                Not knowing what other text are out there for this class, I am going to guess the The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman was the best choice to cover all of the class objectives. I started reading the first chapter word by word and was truly fascinated by the information that was presented. Unfortunately, with the large amount of weekly reading material and my lack of time, I was unable to continue reading the text as intently.  From the first chapter, I was amazed at how much I had taken the internet for granted and I did not realize how many daily processes rely on the internet and computers for simply daily functions.  I also keep reminding my wife every time we use the McDonalds drive through that the order taker could possibly be in another state.  The text was compelling as it explained the events leading up to the invention of the internet and how it became readily accessible.  I had not thought much about outsourcing or offshoring before taking this class, but now I think about it every time I read about unemployment rates and how jobs are being moved out of country. My shopping trips to Wal Mart have become quite interesting as I wonder how long it will take to restock the items I just purchased. The example of the Wal Mart supply chain has me wondering what other business could benefit by allowing all their suppliers have access to their main database, and how more efficient they would be able to serve customers.  The reading also provided a great refresher on how Google has affected large, small and personal business. I am old enough to remember when you could only get product information online, but there was little to no online shopping. Now, online shopping has pretty much dominated the holiday shopping season. I was also impressed with Friedman’s concern about intellectual property, and how this text was written almost eight years prior to it becoming a federal issue. Overall, I feel that the required text was quite informative based on the class description.  

                There are only a few topics that were discussed during this course that I do not think were entirely applicable to the class objectives. While it was interesting to learn, I think the chapters covering CQ+PQ=IQ and skills personality could have been skipped. This is good knowledge to have generally going into the workforce, but I think they might have deterred from the specifics of this class. I also think the same thing about the material presented in Module 7, which covered chapters 10-13. Topics in these chapters included comparative advantage, self-directed consumer, and globalization vs. Americanization.  Where as the class started off discussing the development and growth of the internet and online communications, I feel that these chapters lead the reader on a bit of a tangent, leaving me confused as to what this class was trying to cover.  The chapter discussing the production of a Dell computer was interesting, but I feel that most of this information could have been combined with Chapter 2, World Flattner #7- Supply-Chaining and Wal Mart. Chapter 16: The Dell Theory of Conflict Prevent seemed to be slightly redundant, or maybe I missed the point. Lastly, I would have eliminated the chapter discussing the Curse of Oil. Again, another tangent that left me wondering the direction of this course. Instead, I would have liked to spend more time on various research papers or science fiction reading.

                Typically when I read though a class syllabus, I get slightly disappointed when the class work or reading is not from the text, such as research papers.  These assignments seem to be busy work as the instructor has run out of reading material. This is the first class that I can honestly say I enjoyed the work outside the text.  At first I was hesitant, but the additional reading was very interesting and correlated well with the text. From my interview paper, I learned more about what my brother-in-law does for the Navy, as well as other various IT jobs that other students wrote about.  I was amazed at how much I use a computer and online services when I wrote about how I have used the computer for my education. The science fiction piece and the article by Bill Joy left me thinking of how far our technology has come and the concerns we have yet to address, and the movie review paper was a good excuse to  watch an old favorite.

                I learned many things from this class- some will help me with my career and others are just good pieces of knowledge to have.  Overall, I think the text and additional course work helped to achieve the course objectives, and made this an enjoyable class.

Module 12

Bill Joy starts his article “Why the future doesn’t need us” by explaining that he never really thought about robots and such taking over society. He states that most of his thoughts of the future and technological advancements were based on watching Star Trek as a child. I think, like Joy, many of us have not really thought about what our daily technological advancements can lead to in the future. Joy states that he is most afraid of are advances in genetics, nanotechnology and robotics (GNR), and while his fears can be justified, there may not be much that the lay population can do to push forth regulations.

GNR is Joy’s acronym for the advancement in genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics. Genetics covers the genetic engineering of foods and cures for diseases. Nanotechnology is technology that is microscopic or that can occur on the molecular level. This broad category includes advancements in things such as cheap energy, changes to the human immune system, and smaller electronic devices. Robotics is simply robots that are used to for manufacturing and operating machinery or controlling operations. These three categories are areas of that have seen radical advancements within the past few years. These advancements may have come so quickly that the ethical consequences may have not been fully considered.

Joy’s concerns for GNR can be justified, but he uses few examples of current events to explain this. He regurgitates much that he reads and hears and perused the reader into thinking that he is presenting new information. The one example that Joy uses and tries to try it into GNR is the development of the atomic bomb. Unfortunately, his story falls short of really explaining to the reader how this experiment and GNR are related. While reading this article, I though of advancements such as the automobile. One hundred years ago, one could not have predicted the environmental and economic crisis that would one day evolve. Now that we have come completely dependent on our gas guzzling car, trucks, and SUV’s and now that over 30% of the population has become obese in part to a lack of exercise by not walking or pedaling a bicycle upon other consequences, we have gone beyond the point of eliminating this form of transportation. In 1911, Proctor and Gamble starting producing the first tubs of Crisco. It did not take long for Crisco to be a main ingredient in breads, pies, cookies and cakes. In 1940’s, research began on the correlation of trans fat and cancer, with positive results. Yet, society chose to ignore it. Again, we have developed such dependency on this technology that we are having hard time letting it go, even though it has lead to major health concerns. Other examples include genetically engineer salmon that the FDA deemed safe to eat and does not have to be labeled so that consumers know what they are purchasing, the development and FDA approved medication Phen-Phen, and our dependency on cell phones, laptops and other electronic devices. So, I agree that Joy is right to express his concern in these areas of rapid development, but he needs to provide better examples.

The greatest concern is not necessarily with the developments themselves, but with the way that these technologies are regulated. Joy fears that we may become a society that is overrun by robots that can think for themselves. These robots will have not use for us and will exterminate us. While I am hopeful that as a society we are intelligent enough to remain in control of our electronics, I am more concerned with genetics. When Social Security was first developed, the average life expectancy was much lower that it is today. This increase of years lived is due in part to advances in medicine. We now have cure to many illnesses and have the ability to perform complex surgeries. This is already causing an economic drain on society and has gotten to the point where Social Security will no longer provide a retirement for many people my age. I am also concerned with the engineering of foods. As of now, we have no idea how this will affect our health 20-30 years down the road, much like the development of trans fat. There comes a point were we, as a society can not fully rely on our government officials to protect us. It has come to a point were we must start thinking for ourselves and making our own educated decisions on what we eat, what we use for transportation, and how we conduct ourselves.

Module 11- Hackers

The 1995 film Hackers is based on a group of high school students who hack into a computer of a major oil company.  While the movie was filmed during the being of the internet and personal computer era, some parts of the movie are realistic to modern day computer hacking issues and includes past hacker history.

                The film starts in 1988, where a 12 year old boy is charged with hacking and crashing over 1,500 computers that disrupted production on Wall Street. He is to have no contact with computers or phones until he is 18 years old. In 1995, this boy, Dade Murphy is now 18, and spends his birthday hacking into a television station. He starts going to a new school in New York City, and meets other computer hackers.  This group hacks into a computer for a large oil company and finds that the computer has a virus that is being used as a decoy to cover a worm that is transferring millions of dollars into foreign account. The group of teenagers enlists the help of other hackers world wide to destroy the virus and expose the worm and its creator.

                When I first saw this movie a few years ago, I thought it was entirely bogus and a horrible version of Hollywood’s take on the underground life of computer hackers. I chose to review this movie because I thought it would be easy to write multiple pages as I picked out all the untruths. To my surprise, after watching it few more times, it was actually the complete opposite.  From my research I have determined that you can hack into a computer if you have the modem information and that you can use “phreaking” to make phone calls, which I would then assume would allow for internet access. Some of the pranks that the teenage hackers pulled include: setting a timer on fire sprinkler system in a school, deleting credit card information, changing a persons driving record, and changing a persons status from living to deceased. All these are plausible, but with today’s’ advanced security systems these scenarios would be highly unlikely.  What originally made me think that this film was entirely make believe where the ridiculous graphics of the interworkings of a computer,  showing that memory for this major oil company was stored in an enormous room  with towers of visible information, and file containing the worm was just a weird computer graphic.  This may have been done to help the non-computer user to better visualize how computers work, but it caused an unrealistic feeling for this viewer.

                During this film, the villain explains that major companies are looking for hackers just like him to help run their IT departments and to protect their private information. After a quick Google search, I found numerous articles about how the government is recruiting hackers to aid in national security. It appears that hackers have increased their importance by moving from simple company IT departments to several U.S. Federal agencies.   

                Hackers, whether intentional or not, was released round the same time that a computer hacker named Kevin Mitnick was arrested. H e was charged with: hacking into the Los Angeles bus system to get free rides, hacking into the FBI, hacking into and gaining administrator privileges to the Computer Learning Center (this was done on a bet), and hacking various cellular companies such as Motorola, Nokia and Siemens. Mitnick started his hacking career at the age of 16. While Mitnick’s personal story was not depicted or mentioned during this film, it was a current issue within society.

                I have watched this film now three times. Each time I watch it, I see more of the reality of the story and less of the cheesy Hollywood graphics. As Roger Ebert stating in his review of Hackers, “The movie is smart and entertaining, then, as long as you don’t take the computer stuff very seriously. I didn’t. I took it approximately as seriously as the archeology in Indiana Jones.” This film was entertaining, and after doing a little research into the probability of the ideas presented, I actually learned a little about computer hacking, the demand for hackers, and past famous computer and phone hackers.

Module 10

            The short story, “A Logic Named Joe” was written in the late 1940’s, yet it closely depicts many modern computer and internet concepts. During the time that this story was written, there were no personal computers, no internet, and no social networking, but the author was able to imagine all these things and include them in this story.

            In this story, personal computers are called Logics and described as looking like an old tube television with a keyboard where the dials are typically located. The “vision screen” is like the compute monitor where information and video calling are displayed. The description of video calling reminds me of The Jetson’s, but the cartoon didn’t air until 1962. The Logic can display television shows, current weather, game scores, as well as computing math, bookkeeping, as well as few other profession career services. At the time, gadgets and concepts in The Jetson’s were considered futurist and ahead of the times, but the ideas in “A Logic Named Joe” were presented even earlier.

            The author explains that all of the Logics are connect to each other, but at the beginning of the story, do not communicate with each other. The Logics begin to link together when one highly intelligent Logic understands how to compile and display information from all the combined Logics, and starts operating as a server. It also learns how to over ride a censor block (think parental controls). The Logic then starts its’ own version of Google and transmits it to all other Logics. Users would be greeted with a message, asking them what they would like to know. The user could then type in a question, and an answer would appear. The earliest version of Google did not exist until 1996, 60 years after this story was written.

            At one point in the story, a Logic user is trying to locate a local resident. She types in the name of the person she is looking for, and the Logic begins searching through all the connect Logics that are registered to the owners. This is now known as an IP address. In this story, though, the person that is being searched for has not registered his Logic. Today, you can find almost anyone with a computer based on their IP address, and, unlike this story, every computer is registered.

            When the Logic is unable to find who the user is looking for, it decides to ask all Logic users for their name. The logic then takes this information and links it with their address, birthday, bank information, criminal records, and anything else that might be stored on a database. While this could happen today, most people and institutions have developed software and firewalls to protect the privacy of the general public. But, with advent of Facebook and other social networking websites, some of the public has become sloppy at what they post and provide to the World Wide Web.

            There is one part in “A Logic Named Joe” that slightly resembles Facebook, and past relationships that are rekindled by using this social networking website. Once the Logics user was able to find the former flame she was looking for, she tries to reignite their relationship. The Logic makes this easier by providing her with all his information. Social networking websites like Facebook have made reconnecting with old relationships as easy as typing a name. The searcher can be provided with information such as age, martial status, location, phone number and email address. In my opinion, this short section of the story foreshadows social networking which did not start until the mid to late 1990’s.

            If I was to have read this story about five years ago, I would have thought that the author was close to predicting the future of computers and the internet, with the exception of watching this information from the comfort of your living room. Today, you can connect your television to your computer or wireless internet connection and watch various television shows, movies, and other websites. Even though this story was written almost 70 years ago, the author was able to explain the evolution of computers in a short science fiction story.

Module 9

The Dell computer company has become a model for providing products that are made per customer request, instead of mass producing one item. Any person can call the Dell phone number and place an order for a computer or laptop and have that order customized to their needs and requests. This system not only allows for a personal customer experience, it means that no product is left on the shelf waiting for sale.

This first step in building a Dell computer is knowing what the customer wants. A customer service representative can be reach by phone, and the customer places their order. This order information is then entered into the Dell order management system, along with the customer’s credit card and shipping information. Once the credit card has been verified and payment is received, the order is then send to Dell’s production system. This information is received in one of Dell’s six factories. The factory then orders the parts for the computer or laptop from their local suppliers. The parts arrive at the factory within ninety minutes. These parts are then placed into a bin where they are shipped to another area in the factory where the computer is screwed together by hand. The almost finished product then travels to another area where software is loading onto the computer. The product is then boxed, placed on a pallet, and sent to the airport. It will arrive in Nashville, TN about a day later. The computer will then be shipped to the customer’s home. This system proves to be fast and effective.

Dell is also very creative in the way they shape the demand of certain products. If Dell notices that their supplier is running low on a specific product, the customer service representative will try to pursue customers into ordering an upgrade at a discounted price. This way, the fabrication and shipping process is preformed without delay.

The internet has been used by many to operate companies more efficiently. Companies can use the internet for conducting global meetings and updating suppliers of products that need to be shipped. Freidman mentions that the Al-Qaeda also uses the internet to conduct its global supply chain, but then explains that they really use it mainly for recruitment. When I think of supply chain, I think of the examples presented earlier in Freidman’s book, like how WalMart provides information to all of the supplier of what needs to be replaced on the shelves, and then having that product shipped to one central distribution center. Recruiting new suicide bombers is only part of the supply chain. The Al-Qaeda also uses the internet to shape their image, instead of only relying on publicity from their acts of terror. This could be considered part of the supply chain, as they will only want to recruit a certain type of person. When looking at all the information that is presented, and when compared to a traditional supply chain, I think that the Al-Qaeda does not have an effective supply chain.

Counties in the Middle East that produce most of the world’s oil tend to keep the wealth within the monarchs and dictators. These select few are able to freely spend the millions they have earned just by drilling oil. Citizens of these countries do not pay taxes, and therefore this is no money going towards the betterment of the country as a whole. These counties tend to have no higher education, court systems, or general rights for the citizens. This is known as the “curse of oil”; since most of the counties wealth comes from oil and oil related sales, the rest of the population has not developed any other creative ways to make money. Once the oil runs out, there will be no more money coming into the country. There is no advanced education to provide the general public with tools to support themselves. The country will fail without the oil.

Module 8

                While many like to focus on how computers and the internet have improved the ease at which we can perform our jobs, these two inventions have helped many of us before we even stepped foot in our first jobs. The use of computers and the internet has personally helped me through my education both in high school and college by allowing me to take long distance classes, to access books and magazines through multiple sources, and by providing me with instant test results, and access to tutorial services.

                While I was in high school, one service that my school provided was the resources to take collage classes during school time. At the time, I was living in an isolated area and the nearest college campus was over an hour away. I and other students at my school were able to take these classes without traveling. Surrounding colleges would have classrooms for select general education classes wired with cameras and microphones. Our school had one classroom that was wired the same way. These college classes online, and then projected onto a large screen TV within our classroom. The students could watch and hear what was going on in each college class. If a student at the high school had questions, they could press a button on one of the microphones located through out the classroom and ask the professor their question. The professor could pull up the footage from the high school, allowing the teacher to see and speak to the student. This program not only helped to prepare me for taking classes on an actual campus, it also gave me practice taking online classes. Many colleges, like Weber  State provide online classes. Students can take just a few classes like this one or complete full degrees . In this way, computers and the internet have helped to further my education.

                Once I got to college, I was amazed at how may papers I had to write for each class. The best place to go for accurate research is the college library. While in middle school and high school, most of my research was limited to the latest copy of Encyclopedia Britannica and interviews with older adults. The library here at Weber State has the Inter-Library loan system that has expanded my research beyond what books and magazines they have currently on the shelves. I can get online and look for books and magazines that other surrounding colleges have on their shelves.  I can then look at t digital copy on line, or ask a library assistant to order the book for me that I can pick up within a few days. This system also allows me to look up articles from peered reviewed journals that would otherwise be hard to find or that would only post the article abstract online. Once again computers and the many uses of the internet have allowed me to further my education.

                One simple function that computers can do that has relieved some of my college stress is to provide me with instant results to many of my tests. Whether I am taking a test online or in the Testing Center using a Scantron sheet, I can receive instant feed back on most of my tests. This has removed the anxiety that comes with waiting a weekend or a couple of weeks for my professors to grade my tests. It also helps me to prepare questions based on my test results for my next session with my professor. So while it my not necessarily help to advance my education, receiving instant results helps to keep my sanity.

                The last way computers and the internet have helped me with my education is by providing me with access to various websites that have helped me to learn and understand difficult concepts in my math and physics classes. I have been able to find a quite a few websites (including YouTube) that have devoted much of their content to understanding math concepts for mechanical engineers.  I am sure that this area of study is not the only one that has other people willing to those within their degrees. These resources have provided students with a feeling of empowerment to take control of their learning. We no longer have to wait for the professor to have office hours to ask questions.  This has also forced many of us students to look out side the box for answers, which will carry on into our computer dominated careers.

Module 7

            For centuries, certain countries have excelled in certain areas of goods and trading. China was one of the few countries that produced silk, since the silkworm only thrived in the orient; certain spices were only grown and produced in India. Location also helped in moving products, as the European countries had the financial ability to built ships and travel to these surrounding countries. It is a different story today. Most countries can produce or import materials to make products; not longer is the location of goods limited to where their elements are grown. Location doesn’t seem to apply anymore, as Friedman pointed out when discussed the differences between Mexico and China. Ideally, one would think that Mexico would be a prime candidate for controlling cheap imports based on the fact that it is located next to the United States. The US would be a large importer of cheap Mexican goods, and in a way, is the gateway to trade throughout the world. Instead, China has become the leader in manufacturing and exporting cheap goods. This goes against all reason and logic. Friedman explains this as “intangible things”, or the ability of a society to solely focus on economic growth and to have leaders that have the drive to push for change. China has done this and has left Mexico in the dust.

                                                                                                                               

The self-directed consumer is one who creates their own shopping experience. This concept has come about thanks to the internet. Before most people had easy access to the World Wide Web and before merchants started listing their wares on-line, consumers had to settle for the price of an item that was local. It was harder to compare pricing when there was not a common place where prices were listed from competing stores. Since the rise of the Internet, consumers can now shop online and compare prices of stores not only in their local city, but across the world. This allows the consumer to pay what they want, how they want, and determine how long it will take to receive the item. This has created a competitive atmosphere amongst merchants, both large and small. The customer now feels in charge of their shopping experience, which is seen as a plus for both the customer and the merchant.

The question of “Globalization meaning Americanization” is addressed in Freidman’s book. For years, many have felt that globalization meant that the world would be taken over by America; cultures would be lost to the foods and pop culture of American traditions. For a while, this seemed true, but this was due to the fact that America was one of the first cultures to attempt to instill globalization. American also had some of the richest corporations such as McDonalds and Coca-Cola that were able to open shop and sell to other countries. I noticed this trend when I visited Japan in the late 1990’s. Many of the students in Japan wanted American goods such as Levi’s. For many years, blue jeans were not common in Japan, but as America started leading the globalization revolution, the Levi’s brand became huge in countries throughout the world. There was concerned that American and western traditions were taking over the native traditions of other cultures. This has gradually slowed, and now these cultures are getting their traditions in the mix of globalization. This can be easily seen today with the Japanese culture becoming very popular in the United States. My three year old daughter knows more about Hello Kitty than Garfield, and my thirteen year old niece is a huge fan of Japanese anime. No longer are our youth attending Star Trek conventions- they are now traveling hundreds of mile to attend Anime conventions. As more countries educate themselves in the way of the Internet and on-line communications, they too will have their culture and traditions in the lime light.