Class Presentation #2

World without secrets by Richard Hunter was actually presented by two groups which probably means i obtained the most information from this particular book out of all the other presentations. One of these two presentations i remember being particularly long which seemed to spark my interest less as the information flowed on and on.
The book goes in depth with the advancement of technology like telematics and WiFi (Wireless Fidelity). It also talks about privacy on the web, while lots of web users claim to care about their personal information, PPIs are still being posted. The book isn't just about privacy and protecting it, or not as the case may be, but also offers a look at how open source software like Linux has created true alternatives for Microsoft.

Much of these technological advances were exciting to hear about as this is what may come of our future and could be what we have to look forward to. In the book face scanning technology to find criminals in the crowd was used and cars are improving technology to become safer for the driver/ passengers. While driving one will be able to know what conditions lie ahead; like snow or animals. Also, a car could one day be pinpointed to know its exact location for the knowledge of a crash or be able to tell how severe the crash was. Face detection on cameras in public places could one day, according to World Without Secrets, be able to identify a criminal or certain information one would need to know about a person who is entering a business for safety reasons.

One of the most interesting technological advances mentioned in the book was technology within a house. Houses will simply be controlled with a universal remote control which could turn lights on and off, detect security cameras, even tell you what is in your fridge from a simple device. This reminded me of the Disney movie that was created about a house that cleaned itself, woke people up when they need to be somewhere, made them the dinner of their choice, even got kids ready for school. The movie was called Smart House and was probably made within the years 2000-2002. With actual technology being created to do these things is almost unbelievable yet astonishing when it seemed like a fairytale only 6 years ago.

So, if people can be identified through a camera with face detection and a house can cook a family dinner, i would say that technology is advancing and quickly. This book was published in 2002 and was probably written in 2001. If 7 years have gone by i would say this advancement in technology could be creeping up on us faster than we think.

Class Presentation #1

One of the books that caught my interest during presentations was titled: Steal This File Sharing Book: What They Wont Tell You About File Sharing by Wallace Wang. The book talked about file sharing networks such as Kazaa, Usenet and Morpheus and covered subjects relating to dangers of using file sharing networks including viruses, lawsuits, spyware and also explained how to avoid them. Through these file sharing networks users are able to share everything from music and video files to pornography and books. Worst of all it reveals how people use them to share secrets and censored information banned by their government. In the book industries are trying to stop the ongoing battle between software, video and music pirates.

The topics included in the book are of interest to me because many people my age use illegal tools to download free music such as limewire. it seems that if industries were so motivated to discontinue the ability to obtain pirated music, videos and software, it would have been done by now, limewire would no longer be available to download and many would have to convert back to buying songs on I tunes or purchasing CDs.

Reasons why songs or other downloads should be illegal to own without purchasing: The artist is not able to enjoy full royalties, such as a large number of their CDs sold each year; that statistic is now considered to be insufficient information. Also, stores that carry CDs depend on buyers to create profit.

Reasons why downloads should be legal to own without purchasing: Sampling songs from unpopular groups before buying which creates popularity for the group. If new music had to be purchased before sampling, nobody would buy the music because of fear of disappointment.

consequently, pirated music could be a good thing for the artist, as long as people continue to listen to their music. If i had to choose, using music through illegal file sharing networks should be legal. We didn't have to pay for our ears, so why have to pay for a song? I am aware that an artist receives profit through the selling of their music, but they still have concerts and T-shirts and other products contributing to their fame and fortune.

Presentation Information

Preparation for the group project started with the reading material; a couple chapters from our book of choice, Burn Rate, were distributed evenly throughout the group. I was in charge of chapters five and six, which unfortunately fall directly in the middle of the reading. This was a very confusing way to collect information as a group because one had to assume what was going on before the start of the chapter that was assigned. Professor Fry led us to the idea that we should share our findings on our readings as a group so the contents become more clear. As our group came together to collect the information notes from other chapters, everyone seemed to be a little confised about the plot. Thankfully, Scott volunteered to read the entire book on his spare time in order to patch up the missing peices of the storyline. Hearing the storyline from one person helped everybody in the group to understatnd what they would be delivering in the presentation. On monday we hope to have somewaht of a rough draft for the actual presentation. We will be following a short powerpoint as our presentation is being delivered to the class which will explain the plot of Burn Rate briefly and what we, as a group, thought about the read.

Vritual World Traveling

If i had to travel to a virtual world i would most likely visit a place i was unable to visit in the real world on a short term notice. Somewhere like Africa, China, or the UAE would be favorable. Most people in the U.S. aren't able to say they have been to a place like this throughout their lifetime which is why i would like to experience these places. Of course there is nothing like the real experience of being in a place, smelling, hearing and feeling the different climate changes on your skin, however, if i was not able to travel because of my income i would be interested in traveling to exotic and far away places in a virtual world.
As talked about in class, virtual worlds can give people feelings and emotions as the real world does, but in a different sense. You could say that i have little experience with living in a virtual world. I have played many Sims games and at one point was putting in long hours that seemed to pass like minutes. Other video games serve as virtual worlds, like call of duty and Banjo Kazooee in which you have to pass levels to get to harder, more exciting areas of the game. Games like these have similar aspects as Triggerstreet, which was introduced to us today in class. On this website you have to earn a certain number of points in order to grow and become a higher part of the Triggerstreet society. Much time is spent on the making of these second worlds including many details in order to capture a most realistic feeling and sense about a specific place. If these worlds on the Internet gave the same experiences as real world traveling because of the many details that are included in the very diverse areas of the virtual world, one could learn much about the world within a short amount of time and best of all, at no cost to the user. Life experiences such as these could teach one how other people live, it introduces a new way of living for you, and disparity between you and others.
One thing I would not do in a virtual world is get involved with relationships and create somewhat of a second life online. I would specifically use this as a tool for traveling to places i would want to know more about. When people get too involved within virtual communities they miss out on what is happening in the real world. if there were not a demand for such sites, the sites would not exist. In reality many people may feel like outcasts so they visit these worlds to fulfill their desires. the safety of these net worlds allows for dissonance to take place.
Traveling or living in a new world can teach you life altering lessons and puts a new perspective on the area you are familiar with and grew up in. This is one reason why traveling through different virtual worlds could be a positive learning experience especially for people with lower incomes. Virtual worlds, if used correctly could be an advantage for those who want learn more about the different nations throughout the earth.

Kevin Freitas

Kevin Freitas, who specializes in web application development currently works for a company called site crafting. He certainly has a passion for the web as he has created multiple websites including kevinfreitas.net and the most interesting, Feed Tacoma. The website, Feed Tacoma, acts as a community resource made possible by Tacoma residents and other people who are interested in the area. The website enables people of Tacoma to blog about new restaurants, construction projects, and other important events that occur in Tacoma. As Kevin was speaking about his creation to our Living in a Virtual World class at UWT he explained how the blogs "equalize voices" as people spill their feelings about the community that they know and love so much. As the city changes and goes through periods of gentrification, city residents are sure to have a say about their home town; this website provides a way for the people of Tacoma to communicate about something they all have in common, their love for Tacoma. The website not only offers the blogging, there is much more. For instance, small Tacoma shops and boutiques are able to post pictures of goods that they offer and prices are included, its almost as if people can virtually shop in Tacoma. This allows for businesses to have a unique marketing strategy and for shoppers to have the convenience of knowing which store fits them best. Interestingly enough, Feed Tacoma is also a place where you can get to know people who have similar interests as you. Kevin mentioned he has run into some of his blog commenters in local bars or restaurants and has made friends with some of these random encounters.
So Feed Tacoma not only serves as a website to learn more about whats happening in your local community, it can lead you to finding the best places to picnic, to the boutique that is unique to fit your style. Feed Tacoma also brings the community together in a sort of festival sense. Also the people who blog and post comments on the website have made friends through this connection. Feed Tacoma has been a success for the Tacoma community, making residents more aware of whats happening in their town, therefore, every town/city should have a feed site.

Online Financial Possibilities

Convenience. This is the reason so many people in today's society agree with the idea of financing online. The world wide web provides the ability for purchases made easy, instant bank statements, applying for loans or credit, and easy ways to sell. An immense amount of people post their personal information everyday when interacting with these online financial possibilities which classifies financing online as unsafe. Plenty of people, although aware of the dangers of posting personal identifiable information on the web, are following through with potentially harmful practices.
Purchases are made online everyday for the convenience of shopping from your in home PC. Shoppers risk putting personal information on the web in exchange for a lower opportunity cost. By doing this, people can spend their time doing something of more worth to them instead of shopping outside of the home which takes up valuable time. Instant bank statements have become extremely useful today. Bank statements use to be delivered once a month and check/card users would have to keep a close record of their spending. Now instead of keeping track of purchases in a check book, purchasers are able to go online to view their spending record and is guaranteed to have no mistakes. People now have the ability to apply for loans and credit online through their personal bank. The process works the same, however it provides convenience and saves time. Instead of dealing with an actual person, the only thing you have to face is the screen of your PC. Selling is another way to do financing online. EBay has become an extremely popular selling site and gives people the ability to auction off products. Craigslist has also become familiar to many, acting as the classifieds section of a newspaper, Craigslist offers a wide range of purchasing and selling possibilities, to just marketing for businesses that are offering jobs. Sites like these offer easy to find information, rather than going out to do your shopping at local stores.
Financing online has grown in popularity as more and more people become familiar with the Internet and its possibilities. These online abilities are great for saving time to maximize your utility and to lower opportunity cost, however, the process which involves these financial abilities is not always safe. Personal identifiable information is posted on websites everyday and who knows who has the ability to see or even use this information for their own online financial possibilities.

Comfortalbe With Purchses Made Online?

To tell you the truth, i purchased my first car online; well my parents bought it. However, i think that gives you a good idea about my comfort level with the market system on the web. EBay was the enabler of this purchase and through this system we used a secure payment plan that kept our information personal.
After few background checks of this long distance offer we were able to send a cashiers check through the mail to the dealership that was selling the car. Carfax is a firm that actually looks at the vehicle and writes a detailed description of the car including a rating from 1-10. This told us that the car was in good condition and we were being told by a firm in which we could trust. The most uncomfortable part about the situation was that the car was coming from Virginia; so in order for the car to arrive in our hometown safely we had to use dependable auto shippers to transport the bulk. This was a little scary because we were misinformed about the estimated time of arrival of the car, and we were also unsure about the condition. Turns out the car was fine and i had the best 16th birthday present i could've asked for.
Overall the purchase of the car online wasn't so bad because of all the precautions we took during the process; from the secure payment system, to the background check through a trusted company, we felt pretty comfortable with the purchase. If we changed some of the characteristics of the buying process, such as a for sale by owner, or sending the payment directly to the personal seller, the situation becomes much more uncomfortable.
Other purchases that i have made online include music, software, and clothes from large, well known companies. Clearly there is a boundary i will not cross when it comes to online buying. I wont give random sellers my personal identifiable information, unless its through a trusted company in which i am familiar with, or if much thought and research has been conducted through a questionable company. No major problems have occurred within the lines of my online purchase history, otherwise i would not be comfortable with purchsing online.