Week Ten

Would you let the Asus Zenbo robot look after your children?

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/let-asus-zenbo-robot-look-children-135005158.html

"As part of its huge Computex product offensive, Taiwanese tech giant Asus on Monday took the wraps off Zenbo – an all-singing, all-dancing robot that wants to be an integral part of your connected household."

For less than an iPad pro, you can purchase a robot to look after your family. They are quoting that this special robot can not only care for your children, but also for the elderly in your life that need supervision. Perks for children include stories, educational games and dimming lights for bedtime.  It can remind elderly to take their medicine, make emergency calls and can lend a hand in the kitchen. Have we really gotten too busy to take care of these people in our lives? This is very disturbing. The human touch is healing, desired and really necessary for our development. The article does state that putting small children to bed with a robot may lead to nightmares, but what happened to good old fashioned love and comfort? What parent would deprive a child of that? The elderly have long been neglected by family as they age, this doesn't really seem any more caring. I find it so hard to believe that an individual could be so selfish with their time that this would become necessary.

Week Nine

An Alarming Number Of People Rely On Social Media For News

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/social-media-news_us_573e1a70e4b045cc9a705fdc?utm_hp_ref=technology 

As Facebook has been increasingly slammed for being anti-conservative in their trending news topics, Pew Research decided to see where most people get their news updates. They said their study showed an alarming 66% of people who have Facebook accounts rely on their Facebook feed to provide the news they are reading. People may argue that they have a varied group of friends and follow several public figures, but Facebook warns that they show you what they "think" you'll be interested in. This article suggests using a news reader, like Feedly, to highlight publications you are interested in, instead of relying solely on your Facebook feed. 

Week Eight

The Terrible Truth About How Your Gadgets Die

Our obsession with pretty devices has made them VERY hard to recycle.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/recycling-ipad-iphone_us_573f5396e4b0613b512a3536?utm_hp_ref=technology

"Consumer demand for small devices has helped create a system where products are recycled via shredding, which is very much what it sounds like. Gadgets are essentially pulverized down to their smallest bits, after which relevant parts are scavenged for repurposing. It’s neither cost-effective nor sustainable, experts recently told The Huffington Post."

I found this article interesting. In our house, we have several iPads. I try to sell them every couple of years, because after awhile, you can't update the operating system to your antiquated device. This makes it difficult to read books and play games.  Just the other day, we threw out a Nook color, one of the first generation, because it just didn't work well. In fact, I moved from the Nook color to an iPad because of the ease of use that Apple products offer. While throwing the Nook in the trash, I wondered what kind of "plan" they have for these outdated little tablets. 

It's sad that the article states that Apple is the worst. We've had some broken screens in our house. Fortunately, my husband is extremely handy and able to replace them successfully. I know there are places locally that will buy your broken devices, but hadn't really considered their fate in the long run. I can see this becoming more and more disturbing as our schools have been providing our kids with iPads.

Week Seven

Facebook Was So Adorable And Harmless Back In The Day

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/npr-facebook-segment_us_5733925fe4b0365741118b1b?utm_hp_ref=technology

 I found this a funny little article about the "good ol' days" of Facebook, not what it has become now. It was short, sweet to the point about the fundamentals of what made Facebook cool. One of the more ironic pieces of information is that the co-founder states that originally, thefacebook was not to replace fraternizing, frat parties or other college pursuits. Who knew what a ginormous ad/newsfeed providing application it would become?

Week 6

U.S. families struggling with teens' phone addiction: report

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/u-families-struggling-teens-phone-addiction-report-153811768.html 

"The majority of parents concurred, with 59 percent of those with children between ages 12 and 18 saying their kids cannot give up their phones, according to a poll of 1,240 parents and children by Common Sense Media."

 This is such a difficult struggle. In our household, you have to play outside or read for an hour before you are allowed to have screen time. We have a contract set up with our kids regarding their cellphone use, however, the school makes it increasingly more difficult in their handing out of iPads. I hate to have the argument of "I have homework to do on my iPad". I find my husband constantly on his phone while he is home. I have started logging off of all of my social media apps. I primarily use my iPad to read.

I have a standing date with my kids to walk or play at the park or ride bikes when I am not in class in the afternoons. Most weekends that it is nice, we are either out hiking, fishing or camping as a family. The only application for the phones then are for pictures. But unlike before, I'm really choosing some meaningful shots and discarding the rest. As a parent and just a phone user myself, I find the invasion of social media overwhelming. My kids need to know how to shut down and find some peace. They aren't going to find that if I don't provide that example either. 

Week Five

Facebook Sees Spike In Government Data Requests

Most of the requests came from the U.S. and India.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/facebook-government-data-request_us_57225d9fe4b0f309baf03766?utm_hp_ref=technology 

"Facebook has about 1.65 billion regular users, or about one in every four people in the world.

Facebook said about 60 percent of requests in the United States had a non-disclosure order prohibiting the company from notifying the user of the government request.

This was the first time Facebook has included details on non-disclosure orders since it started issuing the global requests reports in 2013."

Facebook reports that government requests for data have increased by 13% in the second half of 2015. It also reported that most of those requests have non-disclosure orders as well, by the amount of 60%. This means that users aren't aware that their information has been requested. I've also noticed in our local news that they are grabbing profile pictures and anything that is public on various articles. This is kind of creepy to me. I'm not sure that I like how available our information is, and it's evident with the disruption over hacking the iPhone and other issues, that other people are starting slowly to become alarmed. It would appear that Facebook is also letting their users know that this is happening, since this is the first time that they've included them in issued the global requests report since 2013. 

 

Week Four

FBI Paid More Than $1.3 Million To Break Into San Bernardino iPhone

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/fbi-it-cost-the-fbi-a-staggering-amount-to-break-into-the-san-bernardino-iphone_us_57192053e4b0d4d3f722adf8?utm_hp_ref=technology


FBI  Director James Comey said they paid more to get into the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters than he will make in the remaining time he has in his job.

"According to figures from the FBI and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Comey’s annual salary as of January 2015 was $183,300. Without a raise or bonus, Comey will make $1.34 million over the remainder of his job."

Clearly, there is money in hacking, whether you are a good guy or a bad guy! This is the largest publicized amount that the FBI has paid for a hacking technique. This is heightening the debate on whether personal rights of privacy are more important than matters of national security. 

Week Three

Microsoft Wants To Let You Know When The Feds Are Snooping In Your Email

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/microsoft-sues-government_us_570fc68fe4b0ffa5937e6f5a?utm_hp_ref=technology

Microsoft filed a lawsuit Wednesday, complaining that the feds are violating user's constitutional rights when they request access thousands of user's emails and files and will not allow Microsoft to notify their clients. Apparently the US Department of Justice did not respond to a request to comment.  Apparently this focuses the government more easily accessing data, due to people storing data on remote servers instead of their own personal computers. The article states that this lawsuit represents the newest front in the battle between technology companies and the U.S. government over how much private businesses should assist government surveillance. Microsoft is now taking a more prominent role in this alongside Apple who is already embattled over the government's access to people's personal devices. It is good to see that these corporations are taking this stuff seriously and considering the consumer's rights, since the government seems to be taking advantage of the rapid growth and people's unawareness.

Second Life

I found it very intriguing to read about Second life on Wikipedia. They state that it is not a game, but created for people to immerse themselves in a virtual reality. As you read, it is clear that they've done quite a bit of work on it. It's incredible to think that they have created commerce in this virtual world. Under the Social Networks tab, it says,

"Second Life can be a real-time, immersive social space for people including those with physical or mental disabilities that impair their first lives, who often find comfort and security interacting through anonymous avatars. (Indeed, some academics believe using Second Life might even help improve motor ability for people with Parkinson’s.)^[78]"

<sup>How fascinating when you think how limiting their lives may be in real life. This opens up all sorts of opportunity for those who are housebound. However, I do find it a bit scary, as it is almost like Wall-E coming true! 

As I watched the introduction video, I was struck by the beauty of the graphics. It reminded me of Avatar, the movie. I would have to say that once I went and immersed myself in that environment, it would be difficult to return to every day life. The opportunities with this seem endless, but one that I am not yet willing to begin yet.</sup>
 

Week Two

FBI Won’t Be Able To Hack Into iPhones For Much Longer, Say Apple Engineers

see link: https://www.yahoo.com/tech/fbi-wont-be-able-to-hack-into-iphones-for-much-092219275.html

I am relieved that Apple has been standing their ground on this topic. As an Apple user, I appreciate that they are working towards correcting the security flaw that made it possible for the third party to unlock the phone. It would appear that they are looking at it from not only a justice perspective, but also as a risk of devices being hacked by other sources. I find it interesting that the article states that the FBI is likely to carry on unlocking handsets while it can. They've offered to unlock an iPhone to investigate a murder case. Typically, crime solving efforts are not cast in a criminalized setting, but this obstruction of privacy has everyone concerned. That's good. I look forward to seeing how this continues.

Introduction

I am taking the CIS 120 class to refresh my computer knowledge. Though I've been using computers for a long time, I look forward to specific instruction in Excel and using Powerpoint. These programs rose to popularity after I was out of high school. My "computer classes" involved big clunky Macs and paper that was attached with the strips that you pulled off.  It was also very noveau to include your wpm on your work resume. I don't think that even matters anymore. I've been out of the workforce as a stay at home mom for 11 years now and it's really important to me to be able to re-enter the workforce with a competency level that is indicative of my work experience level, even though it is a bit antiquated.