Question 2: What practical steps have you taken or are you thinking of taking to make sure that you don’t find yourself trapped in a filter bubble or in a situation where you are giving up more personal information on the web than you’d like?
Prior to this class, my general idea of the internet was similar to the general idea of a machine or computer, you give it a command and it executes in a programmed fashion, uniformly for everyone and everywhere the same exact way. Extensively learning in this class how websites, programs, and applications can create personalized profiles of each user, I’m sure it made everyone in the class aware of the dangers of being trapped in a filter bubble. I no longer follow my “mouse like” trends on the internet as I used to. I try to use various search engines, read up on various topics (sometimes outside of my interest area) and gather information from contrasting points of view. Learning of how “our info can travel to places we’ve never been” was definitely one of the most alarming topics. I still hope that our private info is save with the largest tech giants such as Google or Facebook, but as for subscriptions, sign ups, surveys or anything that asks me for a list of private info, I am always thinking twice if its worth the risk. These days the internet is the window used to look up anyones reputation, and it’s very easy to create a bad one either intentionally or by mistake, such as being wrongly tagged as a cancer patient or even a criminal suspect. But as for the goal of protecting our online reputations we must be very careful of what we share, who we share it with and how that infomation is searchable or displayed.
Moore’s Law was made in 1965 by Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore. Since then, the law has been in full effect, and the number of transistors placed inexpensively on an circuit board has consistently doubled every two years, or some claim an 18 month cycle. But Moore’s Law won’t be true forever, and theoretical physicist, Michio Kaku thinks he knows how it will collapse. He argues that the collapse isn’t going to happen in some distant future but within the next decade. The problem is finding a replacement for silicon together with the exponential nature of Moore’s Law. Basically, computing power cannot go on doubling every two years forever. Another issue is we are about to reach the limits of silicon. According to Kaku, “once we get done to 5nm processes for chip production, silicon is finished. Any smaller and processors will just overheat. What’s beyond silicon? There have been a number of proposals: protein computers, DNA computers, optical computers, quantum computers, molecular computers.”
Could he be right about the dead-end of our current technology limitations? Could technology ever reach the intelligence of a human brain?
If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn’t.
-Watson, Lyall
Video:
Michio Kaku: Tweaking Moore’s Law and the Computers of the Post-Silicon Era
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bm6ScvNygUU
Its been a big week for Google. Their stock is at all time highs of $900.00/ share and with the conclusion of their 2013 I/O we have a better idea of what Google is focused on where they are headed. Rather than looking at what they emphasized for the future, it is interesting to look at what they chose to leave out. Putting it all in one word, hardware. No new phones, no new tablets no new chromebooks, no new glass news, no new smartwatch, no news on self-driving cars. Their vision is obvious without even mentioning it. Software, Apps and services. Are we at a point where our current hardware has temporarily exceeded our software? If we look at Apple, this week their stock is in the low territory of $400.00/share. Apple’s bread and butter is mainly the hardware business and recent sales have not been too fond. Of course you may say that this industry is cyclical and future launches of new hardware will boost either company as a whole. But might Google be foreseeing something far ahead? Something like a speculation that hardware is approaching physical limits of advancing further do to the still unknown of how to enable morality, creativity and other human characteristics into machines?
I came across this video on Gizmodo today, showing in 1:30 a fast-forward of Google’s timeline from start to finish. In 1 minute 30 seconds you can only squeeze so much content to display, but its a job well done showing how slowly (or quickly) Google has evolved. The video greatly reminded me of our class wiki project of the 25th street plaza, and how each one in the class had a unique way of finding/building/expressing something as well as having unique computer skills to construct a uniform page that appears much more than just the sum of little parts and pieces.
link to video:
http://gizmodo.com/this-is-how-the-web-was-built-according-to-google-506808278
Eli Pariser briefly touches on the possible capabilities, good and bad of Google Glass. In class we we were quite polarized of either being for or against this idea of technology. But it is still early to predict actual outcomes since we are still in the prototype stage of Google Glass.
A ski goggle manufacturer has released onto the market something similar to Google Glass. Oakley Airwave goggles have a built-in display that integrates GPS, Bluetooth and more with a host of on-board sensors to provide a bunch of information in your peripheral vision. Oakley claims “When you are active on the mountain, you will have clear and open vision without obstruction or distraction. When it is time to stop and review your performance or get vital information, you simply move your eye toward the miniature prism lens. The displayed information will appear as though you are looking at a 14-inch display from a distance of five feet, so refocusing your eye is not necessary.”
Features:
-jump analytics that show distance, height and airtime.
-Preloaded maps available for many resorts, you can find your location and even track others in your group.
-Additional sensor information includes altitude, speed and vertical descent data.
-Bluetooth connectivity allows pairing with a compatible smartphone for immediate viewing of incoming calls and text messages, and if your Bluetooth-enabled smartphone has music, your playlists can be accessed and controlled.
For the price of $600 you get a pretty impressive piece of technology, especially since their regular goggles without any electronics embedded average around $200-$300. I am still waiting to experience these goggles in person, but as of now I love the whole idea of it. It seems not too far in the future that the sport of skiing/snowboarding will be like driving a Mercedes with all of the information you need right on your dashboard (or in your goggles).
link to Oakley Airwave webpage:
http://www.oakley.com/products/7094/27029
Changes made to wiki:
- sentence revision on “introduction” page
- sentence revision on “what plazas are” page
- addition to idea of “artistic piece”, a fountain
- upload image of “like us on Facebook” (took me a couple attempts to figure out how to upload)
- add link to official Facebook page
Chapter 8 of Eli Pariser’s The Filter Bubble focuses in on what can be done to eliminate, or at least reduce, the personalization of the internet. Suggestions of action are targeted towards three major groups; individuals, companies, and, governments & citizens. Some suggestions provided seem to be likely feasible and based on individual efforts, while some suggestions are near impossible due to conflicting interests, lack of incentive or absence of regulation.
The strongest idea that Pariser has for popping the filter bubble is “Stop being a mouse.” (P223) This suggestion is directed towards all individuals and can be successfully attained by the sole efforts of an individual. The mouse traps currently existent on the internet are very efficient, given the average user of the internet is interested in merely a handful of websites, sources, and, topics therefore putting themselves right in the “bubble” or mouse trap. This does not necessarily mean individuals are narrow-minded with few interests, that small loop of websites might be used for a purpose such as business processes, and in business time is money so there is no time to take the long route. Even on a personal interest level, “habits are hard to break” (P223) but extending interests into new territory, increases the playing field of your personalization algorithms and discourages being closed in a small filter-bubble.
The weakest idea that Pariser has for popping the filter bubble is the proposed idea of the FTC to create a Do Not Track list (P238). At some point on the internet we have all attempted “private browsing” or reject access to cookies, to realize that many websites and applications do not work as they should, or may deny access altogether. Ebay, Amazon, Facebook, Google Dashboard are not the same without personalization characteristics and are therefore a MUST to provide. The Do Not Track list would “offer a binary choice-either your in or you’re out” (P238). So now if we are members of the DNT list, seems like websites (that use personalization) will not work properly or not even at all. If Google no longer collects our personal info in exchange for free tools and email, will we have a monthly email subscription and pay-per-google-search? The Do Not Track idea works for phone numbers because there is no exchange going on, its eliminating the spam while maintaining functionality, but on the internet one cannot always expect something-for-nothing. In exchange for data, individuals do receive a lot of tools and convenience to make the internet what it is today.
Communication-1.TV, FIOS network, news channels
2. iPhone, calls, SMS, email, internet, personal hotspot, etc.
3. Desktop, laptop
Transportation-
1.Drive car to bus stop
2.Express bus, MTA card
3.School elevators
Food Appliances-1. Refrigerator
2. Toaster
3. Electric tea pot
Electronics-1. Alarm Clock
2. Electronic toothbrush
3. Watch
4. Radio (headphones)
5. printer
6.Credit Card payment
People are always skeptical of new technology and especially unforeseen circumstances that come about. Frank Abagnale, a con-man who is now a security consultant is warning Facebook users that the more information is listed about them on social media, the easier it is for cyber criminals to steal their identity. Abagnale explains how easy it is to steal one’s identity and even easier when provided with a name, date of birth, and birthplace.
“If you tell me your date of birth and where you’re born [on Facebook], I’m 98 percent [of the way] to stealing your identity,” he said at an Advertising Week Europe conference on Wednesday. “Never state your date of birth and where you were born [on personal profiles], otherwise you are saying ‘come and steal my identity.'”
Facebook can also make users more exposed to being tracked. If your mobile device is linked to your profile, hackers can use programs to see your physical location, even if the website or app is not logged on.
Facial recognition software is also being linked with Facebook:
“Another program that is owned by Google has the ability to recognize faces and match them with profiles on social networking sites, such as Facebook. This can all be done “in just seven seconds,” Abagnale said. If someone were to snap an image on an iPhone of a passerby and upload that photo to an app, like PittPatt, that app could then be used to determine who that person is.”
With all this concern about our privacy being leaked and identity easily stolen, will there ever be a way to still use social media without increasing our chances of personal harm?
Or will we all shift to profiles without pictures, using fake names and not being able to see upcoming birthdays of our friends?
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE ON RT.COM
I could not find the article through the Baruch library search page. I went to the NY Times website, searched for “facebook search”, sorted my results by date, and found correct article published on the 28th.
Link to article
Author: SOMINI SENGUPTA
People Mentioned:
- Kathryn Hymes, 25 left a master’s program in linguistics at Stanford to join the team in late 2011, said the goal was to create “this natural, intuitive language.”
- Loren Cheng, 39 led what is known as the natural language processing part of the project
- Clifford I. Nass professor of communication at Stanford who specializes in human-computer interaction
Ideas:
- the new search reflects an “idealized view of how people communicate.”
- the search engine can recognize at least 275,000 ways to ask about “students.”
- The very principle of the like button is based on a psychological concept known as homophily: the notion that people like similar kinds of people and things.
Comments:
"This is a great example of how technology and globalization are changing todays business practices. The interesting (and very scary) truth is that this online marketplace revolution is happening in every industry you look. Whether it be movies, books, shoes or even used cars, there is no longer much reason to hold an actual inventory of what your business intends to sell. It's changing from "I have that in stock" to "I can have that in your hands in three business days". While the efficiency increases (having a buyer for a product before investing anything)and risks decrease (unsold items hogging capital, space and may depreciate) this all begs to question if all small businesses can remain to survive and collect profit? Or will it only be survival of the biggest fittest businesses that can sell for the lowest price?"
posted on May 21, 2013, on the post From Newspaper Articles, to Online Articles"As long as google glass remains a clearly visible and tangible device I feel it will follow the same rules as currently held for cameras, phones, Bluetooth earpieces and so on. Basically google glass is a combination of existing devices packed into a pair of glasses. As with any of those devices you are able to turn it off or put it away, where it would not receive information. If someone is looking at you while wearing google glass it is the same as they are pointing a camera, voice recorder or iPad at you. Casinos have already banned the use of google glass since there are a multitude of ways to use the technology to increase your winning odds and more. If google glass technology was not something others can see you are using (concealed device) or if it were something implanted or hard wired then we could only imagine on how many ways it would be immoral, illegal and an invasion of privacy."
posted on May 21, 2013, on the post Congress Expressing Privacy Concerns for Google Glass"As for executing trades, and high-frequency trading, the computer is using algorithms and rules of code that have been written by humans (programmers). It is considered artificial intelligence since the computers are receiving unpredictable data and must make a decision of how to handle it. But the limit of today's technology is just that, computational decision making. Compared to the human brain, computers lack creativity and cannot learn from experiences in the same way humans do. Computers currently do not have emotions, the way that humans do. To put it short, computer code and algorithms will continue to advance, but computers are still a long way from working the way our brains do."
posted on May 21, 2013, on the post Would We Stand a Chance Against Machines?"When we buy something online we already give out a good chunk of personal info each time to each vendor. They have our correct name, address (billing and shipping) phone number, email and so on. Compared to buying something in person where you can be completely anonymous and use cash, online buying is only able to work with the compromise of personal info. With payment options such as Ebay's "bill me later" it is a way of financing a purchase therefore that company must run your credit history or your recent reputation based on past purchases. As for checking your Facebook statuses I'm almost certain these companies do not have a magic password to be able to view info that has been locked down to only your circle of friends."
posted on May 16, 2013, on the post More convenience, less privacy"Its funny how young kids are sort of creating their own "code languages", going far beyond 2-4 letter acronyms to where a two or three digit number will mean something only meant for the "inside" to know.
I have been a facebook user ever since myspace started to die off and its the only social media I use. I guess maybe its the lack of time due to school and work constraints, but I find facebook to be an accurate timeline or diary of my life (what I wish to publicly display) and as a "cloud storage" for many of my pictures. There may be some bad things of what I did earlier, that my parents may stumble upon as I write this comment, but if some content is really that serious, its possible to delete. Im sure if most of my friends leave facebook for instagram, I would definitely do the same."
posted on May 16, 2013, on the post The Generation Gap"I see this as a finger-pointing game between Google and Bing. Fact is that Google developed and released most (if not all) of its tools first, before Bing later copied them. So why should we as consumers have to trust Bing more than Google mining/holding our data and making a profile of us? Nonetheless, it is a great thing that multiple search engines exist, which promotes competition and innovation between them. And in theory the more equal "market share" is between search engines (or any industry) the consumer will get more, for less."
posted on May 15, 2013, on the post Are You Getting Scroogled?"There could be a positive side to youtube channel subscriptions. For example lets say someone watches only NBA basketball games, NHL hockey matches and follows the Survivor TV show. If you want to watch these 3 things on tv you most likely need a whole cable/satellite package-subscription, where you are paying for many more channels than you watch, therefore not getting your monies worth.. With you tube subscription maybe we can finally only pay for what we prefer."
posted on May 15, 2013, on the post Social media will do anything to get into our wallets!"I am also an iphone & ipad user tied to AT&T and feel the same way upset how AT&T does what it wants with its plans and follows a very strict business model in their data/minute options.
Prior to the iphone 5, I also had "unlimited data" on the 3G network, which didn't mean much since my usage stayed around the 1GB/mo mark. When I upgraded to iphone5, I had the choice to keep unlimited data while sacrificing the "wireless hotspot", or choose from the data levels offered and use "wireless hotspot". The current 4gLTE network definitely allows you to breeze through more data due to increased speed. I had to throw away my "unlimited" for the usefulness of hotspot function. I am currently on a 10GB/mo plan shared by 4 phones, but my share is 3-4GB (if needed) and I still do not reach those limits. Having the Hotspot function allowed me to save money by buying an ipad mini (without LTE capability) which when connected to hotspot gives you the same functions as an LTE ipad. Also there is no additional "ipad monthly data charge"($10 a month i believe), since only the phone is directly to the network. Hotspot also allows me to use my Macbook on the go.
AT&T does try to charge money for every little thing, but they run their business the way they want. Maybe now that Tmobile has the iphone, more people will flock there, hopefully forcing ATT to reduce rates and increase limits.
P.S. You can save 18% on your ATT bill by being a CUNY student and holding the billing responsibility of the account."
posted on May 14, 2013, on the post Unlimited Cell Phone Data?""smartphone workout buddies" is such a useful and remarkable technology to be able to use today. I have personally used it for running and skiing. The smartphone is quite accurate at monitoring speed/pace/distance traveled/ recording time improvements and so on. Having this tech. allows one to train more easily with instant feedback and monitoring at hand, keeping a consistent pace can be very important for distance running and the smartphone acts like a "cruise control" to help keep a constant pace. As for the skiing App, its contains neat features of recording maximum speed achieved, total downhill miles, total uphill miles, gives you a map with your "traced route" of where you have been and can even monitor elevation, making it possible to calculate rate of vertical decent, which are all neat features to have and have transformed (in a way) the sport of skiing."
posted on May 14, 2013, on the post My smartphone is my workout buddy!"These passenger vehicle "black boxes" are likely to be a standard feature in new vehicles as early as 2014. There MANY privacy issues here and legislation will need to be made to draw the fine line of what can be monitored and what cannot. Your car is considered private property, and allowing personal infomation of vehicle parameters to be accessible by outsiders without the car owners consent goes against constitutional rights. In the near future, I feel society will hestitate to purchase 2014 cars and rather buy 2013 models to avoid the "black box". Although the black box provides advantage in the case of an accident, I feel that is the only info that should be shared. Futher details about whats going on it the vehicle should be recorded on a hard drive (in the vehicle) and should only be shared at the owners consent."
posted on Mar 5, 2013, on the post Car black boxes: Privacy nightmare or a safety measure?"4 5 6!"
posted on Jan 31, 2013, on the post Hello Everyone =)