Extra Credit - World's Fastest Processing Speed

While discussing data throughput and the progression of modem speeds, Andrew asked us to search for the fastest processing speed.  I found that just recently, in February 2016, according to an article in gizmag.com, University College London has developed a new optical communication system that processes at 1.125 terabits per second.  To put that into perspective, according to the researchers, “the entire HD series of the TV show Game of Thrones could be downloaded in less than one second.” (Jeffery. 12 Feb. 2016)

Gizmag.com reported in May of 2016 that German researchers have set a new world record for wireless data transfer at 6 Gigabits per second. That is “the equivalent of the entire contents of a conventional DVD in under 10 seconds.” (Mack. 24 May 2016)  The team is trying to create an alternate to fiber optic cable for broadband providing fast reliable internet connections. 

As someone who remembers having a 28.8K and 56.6K modem and then my first T1 line, I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this new development.  And yet, I get frustrated when I have to wait 2 minutes to heat my tea in the microwave or wait for an email to get to me from my coworker next door due to a fire wall.  It has me questioning, will be ever be satisfied?  Will computational speed ever be fast enough? 

Now, more than ever, it is important to unplug and remember that not all things must happen instantaneously.  AND, we must teach our children these lessons.  They are growing up in a world where everything is granted to them as soon as they ask the question.  There is something to be said for patience and realizing something after a long wait.   

What Makes a Community

What does make a great community?  I love our UWT community and Tacoma.  I started thinking about WHY I love it here.  I think it is absolutely imperative that community members feel respected and that they have a voice. Other words that come to mind:

·         Acceptance. 

·         Creativity.   

·         Values education and life-long learning. 

·         Communication. 

·         Ability to get things done without a lot of hassle. 

·         Laughter. 

I wanted to know what others thought on this topic.  So, my friend Google shared with me the following list found in an article on economic development.  This is spot on, in my opinion, and easily could have been a description of our great city.   

Top 10 Indicators of a Great City, the essential ingredients according to Conway, Inc. 

1. Lack of/minimal political divisiveness at the local level.

2. The ability of the public to be able to name the local “movers and shakers” with ease.

3. Strong public/private partnerships.

4. Citizens know the “civic story” – the city’s strengths, weaknesses, and plans moving forward.

5. The condition and potential for the city’s downtown will indicate the city’s future.

6. Nearby research institution.

7. Strong community college at the city center.

8. Creative and experimental public schools.

9. Inclusive and open to all groups.

10. A collective “big dream” – a sense of where things are going.

11. BONUS – A great craft brew industry.

With all of our greatness, we do have our flaws.  We still see ourselves as lesser than our big sister to the north, Seattle.  And yet, for all of our huffing and puffing about Seattle, we do not play well with the smaller cities surrounding us.  We need to think more regionally and band together with our neighbors rather than acting like the bullying middle-child who wants more attention but doesn’t know how to ask for it properly.  

Archie, Veronica, and Jughead - not the cartoon characters

I missed this question on our first exam.  In truth, I first wrote SEARCH ENGINES, but then crossed it out vigorously to write in "The names of servers, easy for the IT Team to remember, but difficult to hack."  I should stop second guessing myself!!  

Archie, Veronica, and Jughead are archival systems.  Archie is considered the first internet search engine.  It was written in 1990 by Alan Emtage at McGill University in Montreal.  Veronica was developed in 1992 as a search engine by Steven Foster and Fred Barrie at the University of Nevada, Reno.  Jughead was developed in 1993 at University of Utah as another search engine system using the Gopher protocol. The name stands for "Very Easy Rodent-Oriented Net-wide Index to Computer Archives".  It was chosen to match that of the FTP search service known as Archie.  And thus the naming system according to popular cartoon band characters.  Jughead is officially an acronym for “Jonzy's Universal Gopher Hierarchy Excavation and Display.”  

Dot.Com to Dot.Bomb

Having lived through the boom and bust of 1992-2001, it has been fun to look back on those years and hear Andrew's tales of what life was like on the inside. I have my own nearly-insider point of view. In 1995 I moved across country with my boyfriend who had just accepted a job as the VP of marketing and sales with Media Station in Ann Arbor, MI. Media Station was a startup company launched in 1994.  It grew to over 100 employees quickly.  1994-1998 were crazy years with tons of overtime and excitement while multimedia stories and games were selling like crazy.  But, the hype could not be sustained.  I remember the first major industry hiccup. Christmas sales in 1995 were projected to be huge. BUT, there was a glut in the market with so many companies releasing new titles.  The major characters backed by Disney and other well know players won out, though many of the products with lesser known characters were far better. Media Station "downsized" in mid-1996, as was happening in other multimedia companies.  Those of us who were the significant others and spouses of the Media Station employees looked on at times with excitement and a sense of pride in what our loved ones were accomplishing.  At other times, we grew weary of the lack of time spent with us and the never-ending-need to push the market.  It was a tough game. The employees, especially those who came in early on, had a strong commitment to the company and each other.  When things started going south, those who stayed after the layoffs felt guilty.  And, there was always the question, "when will it be out turn to leave?"  We left Ann Arbor in 1998, while the dot.com insanity was ramping up and well before the bust.  The multimedia fire burned hot and extinguished itself quickly.

 

Convergence

Convergence.  I've memorized my notes from Andrew's lecture, but let's look it up....

con·ver·gence

kənˈvərjəns/

noun

1. the process or state of converging.

   "the convergence of lines in the distance"

   • BIOLOGY

     the tendency of unrelated animals and plants to evolve superficially similar characteristics under similar environmental conditions.
   • a location where airflows or ocean currents meet, characteristically marked by upwelling (of air) or downwelling (of water).

     plural noun: convergences; noun: convergence zone; plural noun: convergence zones

   Well, that wasn't what I was expecting, but it is my understanding of the word prior to this class.   I guess we could apply the "tendency of unrelated" systems "to evolve superficially similar characteristics under similar environmental conditions" to the way that devices built by different makers often mimic what is successful with their competitors.  For example, we all now use a swipe screen motion, all of our computers are "windows" based, we file things in a similar way, cars now have USB charging capabilities rather than cigarette lighters.  Convergence.  

2. So Wiki, what say you?  

Computing and technology[edit]

• Convergence (evolutionary computing), a means of modeling the tendency for genetic characteristics of populations to stabilize over time
• Convergence (routing), the status of a set of routers having the same knowledge of the surrounding network topology
• Convergence (SSL), a distributed replacement for the CA system used by Secure Sockets Layer
• Convergence (telecommunications), the combination of multiple services through lines of telecommunication from a single provider
• Technological convergence, the tendency for different technological systems to evolve toward performing similar tasks

There we go!  Convergence as we discussed it in class refers to Technological convergence where systems evolve and in doing so, we have a better tool or function.  Were it not for the evolution of systems, especially circuits and memory, so that we have the computing power, data throughput, memory, and accessibility, we would not know Facebook or other social media. Likewise, we would not have so many of today's gadgets that make life easier, faster, more connected to friends and family; Skype, home security systems that notify us on our phones, smart phones themselves!  The list is truly endless.  I look forward to seeing how and where I might spot the next level of convergences.  

1. 
   

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HTML Web Page

Seriously!  I just created a web page using HTML.  Take a look...

file:///H:/Barbara's%20web%20page%20HTML_TINST207.html


For the CS majors in our group, you've probably been doing this for years, but I am not a techy.  I am not comfortable in the realm of technology--that is part of the reason I took this class, to boost my confidence and knowledge.  So, the fact that I was able to get my web page to work, I am pretty proud of myself at this moment.  Now, I don't think I have a future path in technology, but I did just learn that making a web page is as simple as following a recipe.

Artificial Intelligence

During Andrew's lecture and in my brief research, this is the definition I locked onto: 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence exhibited by machines. In computer science, an ideal "intelligent" machine is a flexible rational agent that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chance of success at some goal.

In class we had some discussion about dog being intelligent or not.  Given I am the guardian of two dogs and have trained many, by this definition I can argue that dogs can be intelligent.  They perceive their environment and take actions that maximize the chance of success at some goal.  Examples - chasing and catching squirrels or other wildlife by out smarting them in their chosen path; figuring out the treat ball and emptying it in minutes rather than the extended feeding it is supposed to enable.  

Now, how do I feel about Artificial Intelligence?  At first blush, the concept is exciting and there could be many tasks accomplished by machines thus creating efficiencies in our work, increasing safety and throughput.  But, with deeper investigation and consideration, I agree with Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak and others in their warning that, "artificial intelligence can potentially be more dangerous than nuclear weapons."  "Success in creating AI would be the biggest event in human history,” wrote Stephen Hawking in an op-ed, which appeared in The Independent in 2014. “Unfortunately, it might also be the last, unless we learn how to avoid the risks. In the near term, world militaries are considering autonomous-weapon systems that can choose and eliminate targets.” Professor Hawking added in a 2014 interview with BBC, “humans, limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete and would be superseded by A.I.” (Michael Sainato. Observer. 08/19/15) 

Yes, there are benefits to be brought to humanity by artificial intelligence, but given the state of our world; I do not believe we can risk AI getting into the wrong hands.  We cannot implement a fail-safe system.  The threats to our world as we know it are too many to be put at risk.  We must tread lightly.  We must call for greater investigation into the pitfalls, before we are too far down the rabbit hole.  Humans must remain in control of the machines.    

Scavenger Hunt

Barbara, John, and Arthur worked together as a team on this assignment....

1. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60654-d2140201-Reviews-Aulani_a_Disney_Resort_Spa-Kapolei_Oahu_Hawaii.html

2.

3 http://www.w3.org/WCA/ https://www.w3.org/1998/11/05/WC-workshop/Papers/Fry.html

4. neko case, beck, white stripes

15  http://andrewfry.blogspot.com/2007/07/tacoma-tag-clouds-and-technorati.htmlhttp://bp2.blogger.com/_ebJdmah2hio/RqjiXTr7h4I/AAAAAAAAAKE/oMxCpFn5jzE/s320/
technorati2.jpg
17  https://www.facebook.com/diana.seaman.121?fref=ts  Barbara Bartolatz-Littrell's high school classmate Diana Seamen

18  twitter  -   https://twitter.com/search?q=%23GlobalWarming&src=tyah

5) The names of three matchmaking websites that are NOT eHarmony.com. And these are match.com, matchmaker.com, and okcupid.com.

6) A web page or address featuring Andrew Fry as a panelist for Digital Hollywood. And this is prime.digitalhollywood.com. Bonus for naming one person on the panel - Kevin Liga.

7) A home valued at between 200,000 and 300,000, three bedrooms in University Place from Zillow and Redfin and directions how to get them. The one one zillow is at 3407 Morrison Rd W, university Place, WA 98466 and you can get there by getting on the I-705 S, Take Exit 132B and WA-16 to Center St then take Exit 1C from WA-16W.  As for the one on Redfin you'll have ti take Exit 132B, WA-16, Regents Blvd, 27th St W and Grandview Dr W to 37th St W in University Place and drive to 8902 Colgate Dr W.

9) The names of three general search engines sites that are NOT, Google, Yahoo or BING Search. And these are dogpile.com, duckduckgo.com, and ixquick.com.

10) Financial information for RealNetworks. URL...
http://investor.realnetworks.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=954111

Nope, I am not going to buy that online

I buy many things online. Not to say I shop online exclusively, but Amazon knows me; a little too well. I buy my text books and art supplies, my gluten-free snacks and dye-free Crystal Light, and clothing and shoes for every member of our family. Heck, I even buy my contact lenses and makeup online. Most of the time these purchases are made because I am short on time and do not have it in me to go shopping – to spend hours going from place to place looking for the item I know I want. When time allows, I prefer to shop for gifts and clothing at our local boutiques, but time is a luxury these days. No matter how strapped for time I am, I will not purchase my prescription drugs online. I like the face-to-face interaction at the pharmacy. I fill all of my prescriptions at the same neighborhood pharmacy. I know the team there. And they know me. And although I do not have many prescriptions, I want to know that I will not be taking any medicines that will negatively interact with each other.  I also want to make sure that we HAVE a local pharmacy. There are instances when a prescription is needed immediately, not over night or via express shipping. By shopping my local pharmacy I am helping to keep the pharmacists and technicians employed, the lights on and the doors open. I am insuring that when I need to talk with a pharmacist, I will have one in the neighborhood, one who knows me and my family, not someone at the other end of a customer service email address. 

Startup.com - what a ride

Startup.com - what a ride

I found Startup.com to be an authentic and intriguing film.  It was reminiscent of what I experienced as an insider to a startup company around the same time this film was made.  Kaleil and Tom, in addition to their deep friendship, had a great idea to solve a problem, enough charisma to talk their way through meetings with VCs , and friends and family willing to help them via angel funding.  Their downside was in not following a business plan but rather chasing their competition (eGov), not having a hiring strategy and therefore growing too quickly, not addressing critical issues in their platform, and a severe case of bad judgement and inflated ego. 

I find it interesting to learn that Tom and Kaleil went on to work together again at two startups; Recognition Group and JumpTV.  The way in which Tom exited govWorks, I would have thought the two would not work together again.  With a quick search of the internet I learned that Tom has since lectured on “What I learned from Startup.com” and in 2005 Kaleil wrote and published The Entrepreneur's Success with St. Martin's Griffin.  https://smile.amazon.com/Entrepreneurs-Success-Kit-5-Step-Business/dp/0312329458/ref=smi_se_mit_rcol_smi_2537928482?_encoding=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0&pldnCmp=rcol&pldnCrt=my-impact

After watching Startup.com, I can’t say I would buy a book on entrepreneurship from Kaleil.  I found him to be arrogant and irritating, at best.  And though Tom took what seems to be a more insightful approach to cashing in on the fame found after Startup.com premiered at Sundance, I don’t know that I would pay to attend one of his lectures either.  

Thoughts after viewing "The Machine Is Us/Using Us"

I have now watched and re-watched "The Machine Is Us/Using Us" a few times.  The most powerful part of this short video is the end when the filmmaker, Michael Wesch, asks the viewer to think about how as the Web is such a part of our lives we must re-think EVERYTHING.  Community, privacy, love, family, relationships, ownership, governance...  We have seen big changes already in the last 20 years and there will continue to be more.  I feel we’ve just scratched the tip of the iceberg.  We need to decide what we want from the Web and how best to utilize it as a TOOL so that it does not overrun our lives.  Already I see people, even family members who are addicted to their phones and using the Web.  Social media and gaming are the two biggest issues I witness.  We need to find the balance between using the Web to make our lives easier and more connected to family and friends and having a monkey on our back that is constantly nagging and interrupting our time with family and friends.  My family is probably tired of hearing me say, “Be with the people who are here!” as I get frustrated to find everyone with their nose pointed down toward their phones every time I turn around. 

In watching the credits for the film, I noted the composer DEUS and the name of the song that plays throughout; “There’s Nothing Impossible.”  How true.  20 years ago it I would not have imagined the progress we have made in such a short time.  Truly, there is nothing that is impossible.   Now, to use this tool and the power it has to better our lives, not detract from them.  

What I want out of this class; Living and Working in the Virtual World

I've never been "good with technology" and I feel I need to catch up. Understanding the history of the internet and World Wide Web is fascinating and I have enjoyed the lectures thus far.  I am looking forward to going beyond the history and I hope to better understand the implications of being on the Web and how I should protect myself, my privacy, and the privacy of my daughter.

I remember vividly the first time I logged onto the Web in 1995--looking back it is funny to remember how foreign the concept was (and how slow!).  Listening to Andrew's lectures this week has me thinking, "Wow, we've come a long way!"  1995 was only 21 years ago and yet in 1995 I had to log onto the web using my desktop computer, or maybe a laptop that weighed more than two bricks, using a modem and telephone cable connection.  At that time, I did not own a cell phone, let alone the mini-computer that I carry with me everywhere today.   I got my personal email address, barbara_renee@hotmail.com, in 1996.  Yes, the same one I use today! I used email to keep in touch with my family and friends as I was living in Ann Arbor and most of my connections were still in Washington. I've had other work email addresses, but this address has been a constant, my permanent address that has followed me through multiple physical moves in four different states over the last 20 years.  

As I try to remember when using the Web for more than just email became part of my daily life, I cannot.  It is like asking me to remember when I started sleeping on the left side of the bed or when I switched from chardonnay to pinot gris as my summer wine.  It just is.  I remember in high school and when I was first in college using encyclopedias and reference tools like the card catalog at the library to look up what I needed.  But when did it become second nature to “google” to find the answer or lead me on a path of discovery?  I am glad that I had the opportunity to do research prior to the Web, it gives me a greater appreciation for how much easier life is now.  And I think I am a better problem solver and researcher for having done it the “old fashioned way.”   I hope this class will give me, and my classmates, an even greater appreciation of the tool we now cannot live without.