Thursday, December 10, 2009
Thanks for Posting!
Thanks for posting. The semester is over and any further posts will not be counted towards your semester grade. Have a happy holiday and thanks for your participation.
Labels: announcement
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Cyber war on arrival!
In this article John Arquilla and David Ronfelt believe that in the near future Cyber war will be coming! It is one of the most enviable events that will happen. At least that's what I believe. The way Technology is developing now you can say that the future is now. In this passage they briefly explain the man power of the technology we have or soon will have could do to us.
"Today, a variety of new technologies are again taking hold, and further innovations are on the way. The most enticing include non-nuclear high-explosives, precision-guided munitions, stealth designs for aircraft, tanks, and ships, radio-electronic combat (REC) systems, new electronics for intelligence-gathering, interference, and deception, new information and communications systems that improve command, control, communications and intelligence (C3I) functions, and futuristic designs for space-based weapons and for automated and robotic warfare. In addition, virtual reality systems are being developed for simulation and training. Many of these advances enter into a current notion of a military technology revolution"
Even as we speak U.S developing new types of military weapons cable of destroying a whole country at will. I believe that the U.S is also hiding a lot of top secret weapons that they will not reveal to the people because it will cause panic and chaos. It would be best if the U.S did deploy secrets to Society because of the results will astronomical!
"Today, a variety of new technologies are again taking hold, and further innovations are on the way. The most enticing include non-nuclear high-explosives, precision-guided munitions, stealth designs for aircraft, tanks, and ships, radio-electronic combat (REC) systems, new electronics for intelligence-gathering, interference, and deception, new information and communications systems that improve command, control, communications and intelligence (C3I) functions, and futuristic designs for space-based weapons and for automated and robotic warfare. In addition, virtual reality systems are being developed for simulation and training. Many of these advances enter into a current notion of a military technology revolution"
Even as we speak U.S developing new types of military weapons cable of destroying a whole country at will. I believe that the U.S is also hiding a lot of top secret weapons that they will not reveal to the people because it will cause panic and chaos. It would be best if the U.S did deploy secrets to Society because of the results will astronomical!
Cyber Security
Earlier this year President, Barack Obama, released a statement revealing his efforts to make America a safer place by protecting our networks. The President's detailed plan included plans to make his government more transparent meanwhile making it more secure. This is important because the proposed plans to reform the health care system will greatly depend on this if all medical records were to be put online.
As we embrace the technological changes and the levels of productivity it empowers us with we as individuals have to be vigilant with every click. The threat of identity theft is always looming. It is scary to think that even the president of the U.S. and his staff had issues with cyber security. But with these proposed changes the nation will be more reluctant to allow the transition to the new system that will in turn allow us to reduce the cost of health care in the United States.
Google Limits its free news
The battle between Google and the media has been a prominent obstacle in the dispersal of news. Significant changes have been made to limit the access of the number of free news articles one may be able to aquire through Google.
An article called "Google to Limit Free News Access" from the BBC news explains the new perameters for accessing news. According to the new guide lines, users clicking on more than five articles a day might be routed to registration or payment pages. This will only affect sites that charge for content.
An article called "Google to Limit Free News Access" from the BBC news explains the new perameters for accessing news. According to the new guide lines, users clicking on more than five articles a day might be routed to registration or payment pages. This will only affect sites that charge for content.
Can Video Games Really Help War?
According the the article "When War Games Meet Video Games," by Amit Asaravala, you are able to try out different war techniques, and see how it could effect the life after the war happens.
"For instance, military leaders could use Urban Resolve to predict what would happen if they destroyed the electricity source in a particular city. Such a tactic might have the desired effect of preventing the rebels from communicating with one another. Or it could backfire and harm hundreds or thousands of civilians -- something the military would like to minimize."War games the consider these scenarios are not new for military, but they have never been attempted on the grand scale.
"The video game uses realisim, to show the different battle scenarios. But realism isn't the only reason military leaders like the simulator. It also gives them a chance to peek into the future by introducing weapons and tools that don't yet exist into their battle scenarios."This video game is kind of like second life. It includes different avatars who re -in act the different parts of the military.
"Taking this versatility one step further, the soldiers and the buildings in the system could be replaced with almost any characters in any scene, according to the ISI researchers. Doing so could help law enforcement agencies determine the best possible ways to deal with crowds. For instance, police in the United Kingdom might use it to anticipate the sort of behavior to expect from fans after a particularly tense soccer match."I think this is a great idea. This way you have an idea of the outcome you will have throughout the war.
obama's remarks on cyber-security
Obama is basically disgusted with the cyber security that is going on in the world right now. its really a matter of public safety and national security. Obama states that we count on computer networks to deliver our oil and gas, our power and our water. We rely on them for public transportation and air traffic control. And with doing all of that im pretty sure that people around the world know that cyber intruders have probed our electric grid and that in other countries cyber attacks have plunged entire cities into darkness. i myself was very aware of these incidents.
Obama has informed me that one of the most serious cyber incidents to date against our military networks was that several thousand computers were infected last year by malicious software. everyone had to basically change the way they used their computers. The big issue here is the privacy and security of american families. We rely on th internet to do almost everything such as pay bills, to shop, and much more. i believe that this issue needs to be worked on and fixed as soon as possible because its damaging peoples lives.
Obama has informed me that one of the most serious cyber incidents to date against our military networks was that several thousand computers were infected last year by malicious software. everyone had to basically change the way they used their computers. The big issue here is the privacy and security of american families. We rely on th internet to do almost everything such as pay bills, to shop, and much more. i believe that this issue needs to be worked on and fixed as soon as possible because its damaging peoples lives.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Creating a Second Life
In the beginning, God created everything in the earth and heaven. Now we can create ourselves in the virtual world. Most people dream about their second life, which is a fascinating idea in the website. I am unfamiliar with all the terms of the second life in the new social network such as avatar, linden money etc. We are living in a digital world to make everything possible in the virtual world, second life. We create us by our thought and desire and we become residents in the place where we hang around, chat with people we like and even fly to the space. What a wonderful world it is!
In 2003, Second Life gave birth as a virtual world by Linden Lab and now many people who over 18 years old become a resident in online website. In there, they create their community and socialize and trade properties etc. There is more freedom and honesty about who they are and who they want to be in the virtual world said Philip Rosedale who is the CEO in Linden Lab.
If I have enough time to have fun, I will be someone who I admired and dreamt about in the virtual world such as prima donna, in a big opera house, a famous painter, or a politician etc. I plan my second life, even though I am in a satisfied and happy life.
Facebook and Yahoo, Working Together
In January, Yahoo had taken on a new CEO and she goes by the name of Carol Bartz. Almost right away, the President and now CEO, Carol Bartz had decided to give Microsoft Corp. the opportunity to continue researching the Internet search technology.
Infact, earlier in the year, Yahoo had re-designed their home page, and in doing so added an option for the user to check his/her Facebook messages from the Yahoo homepage itself.
Now, almost any activity performed from the Yahoo site can be brought into Facebook's news feed. The main goal of this is to drive users back to Yahoo of course, generating a little more buzz around it's own website.
Yahoo has been doing a lot to transform their image including working with Facebook in an attempt to re-vamp its brand.
This new change to Yahoo, is a big one, and Facebook has been adjusting to its vaslty growing community as well, actually, currently Facebook has about 350 million members.
Facebook Connect is a program that has been around for about a year now, and what this does is it allows the user to make their personal ID from Facebook, more universal around the web, meaning your Identity would be known from Facebook so this website you are on now has a way to trust you and or know who you are.
Is Identity 2.0 taking a lift off? It seems like it.
Labels: carol bartz, facebook, Identity, yahoo
Cyber Battle Front
The day's of regular war and terrorism have evolved along with the age of technology. As the times change, the cyber world effects evolves also. Our online identity and even the way we play video games are all effected. The Cyber World allows us to engage without physically engaging in anything; where people become virtual.
"This world -- cyberspace -- is a world that we depend on every single day. It's our hardware and our software, our desktops and laptops and cell phones and Blackberries that have become woven into every aspect of our lives" - President Barack Obama
It would seem as if the cross between human and machine, or rather man and technology has already been made. We the people of the modern age bare witness to many the great dimensions of the cyber world that has yet to come. Although the days of field combat are still among us, a new battle field is approaching. A battle field where the enemy is invisible.
However it may seem, the cyber world is unceasingly morphing onto our world.
ARE YOU READY?
"This world -- cyberspace -- is a world that we depend on every single day. It's our hardware and our software, our desktops and laptops and cell phones and Blackberries that have become woven into every aspect of our lives" - President Barack Obama
It would seem as if the cross between human and machine, or rather man and technology has already been made. We the people of the modern age bare witness to many the great dimensions of the cyber world that has yet to come. Although the days of field combat are still among us, a new battle field is approaching. A battle field where the enemy is invisible.
However it may seem, the cyber world is unceasingly morphing onto our world.
ARE YOU READY?
"Cyber Czar"
The creation of a new military command for cyberspace is set to take place in the White House. This new office would complement a national effort that would overhaul the way the United States protects its computer networks. Coordinating a multibillion-dollar effort to confine access to government computers and protect systems that run the stock exchanges, clear global banking transactions and manage the air traffic control system; these systems that are in constant attack by cyber attackers, hackers and even by foreign governments.
The White House office will be run by a “cyber czar,”that has to report to both the National Security Council and the National Economic Council. However, the main dispute over this new cyber command has been over whether the Pentagon or the National Security Agency should take the lead in preparing for and fighting these cyber battles. Thus far, according to the article “Pentagon Plans New Arm to Wage Cyberspace Wars” by David Sanger and Thomshanker, all that has been proposed is that parts of the N.S.A would be integrated into the military command so they could operate jointly.
Who ever ends up controlling the military’s new cyber command office is in the White House is still vague, but it’s sure to be a major step beyond the actions taken by the Bush administration that lacked to resolve the issue of how the government would prepare for warfare in the new era of digital networks. All that matters as a Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman, says,
The White House office will be run by a “cyber czar,”that has to report to both the National Security Council and the National Economic Council. However, the main dispute over this new cyber command has been over whether the Pentagon or the National Security Agency should take the lead in preparing for and fighting these cyber battles. Thus far, according to the article “Pentagon Plans New Arm to Wage Cyberspace Wars” by David Sanger and Thomshanker, all that has been proposed is that parts of the N.S.A would be integrated into the military command so they could operate jointly.
Who ever ends up controlling the military’s new cyber command office is in the White House is still vague, but it’s sure to be a major step beyond the actions taken by the Bush administration that lacked to resolve the issue of how the government would prepare for warfare in the new era of digital networks. All that matters as a Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman, says,
"We need to be able to operate within that domain just like on any battlefield, which includes protecting our freedom of movement and preserving our capability to perform in that environment"
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Asimo and human deletion.
As we saw in class, Asimo is a robot developed by the Honda motor company. According to Honda, Asimo is the first humanoid robot which can independently walk and climb stairs. As great as that is, that does not make it revolutionary. What does make Asimo special is it's ability to understand pre-programmed gestures and spoken commands. It also has the ability to recognize voices and facial expressions.
Sure, he is cute. That is not by mistake. His designers developed it this way on purpose. It has a "like able" build which is not dis-similar from a child in a space suit. Are we meant to feel emotional attachment to Asimo? The team behind the mechanized nano human sure hope so. They want you to feel like it is real, like it can feel and understand.
So, i ask the question, is this the first step toward human deletion? Computers are developed and designed to be as efficient as possible. If a computer reaches the stage where it becomes self aware and that it does exist, could it decide that having humans around is less efficient? Imagine if when you went to delete a program, it fought you tooth and nail for survival, deciding that it should not be destroyed and instead you should be destroyed. Right now, it is only science fiction, however Asimo and similar projects are all working toward advancement in artificial intelligence.
Digital Revolutions in Artificial Intelligence, Science & Medicine
On Artificial Intelligence:
Can Robots Learn?
"Artificial Intelligence: Thinking Big" (KQED QUEST TV, October 14, 2008)
What is the Semantic Web?
From Text to Ontology: The Semantic Web: Takahira Yamaguchi Research Group Video
Corporate AI Research:
Microsoft's Artificial Intelligence Unit Creates a Virtual Assistant
On Cognitive Computing and Building Cat Brains:
Dharmendra Modha on Cognitive Computing (Singularity Conference, 10/3/2009)
Dharmendra S. Modha's home page (Manager, Cognitive Computing, IBM Almaden Research Center)
Dharmendra S Modha's Cognitive Computing Blog
Pam Baker "IBM Researchers Go Way Beyond AI With Cat-Like Cognitive Computing," TechNewsWorld, November 19, 2009.
Can Robots Learn?
"Artificial Intelligence: Thinking Big" (KQED QUEST TV, October 14, 2008)
What is the Semantic Web?
From Text to Ontology: The Semantic Web: Takahira Yamaguchi Research Group Video
Corporate AI Research:
Microsoft's Artificial Intelligence Unit Creates a Virtual Assistant
On Cognitive Computing and Building Cat Brains:
Dharmendra Modha on Cognitive Computing (Singularity Conference, 10/3/2009)
Dharmendra S. Modha's home page (Manager, Cognitive Computing, IBM Almaden Research Center)
Dharmendra S Modha's Cognitive Computing Blog
Pam Baker "IBM Researchers Go Way Beyond AI With Cat-Like Cognitive Computing," TechNewsWorld, November 19, 2009.
Labels: Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Science
The White House Fighting against Cyber Attackers
According to David E. Sanger & John Markoff, “Obama Outlines Coordinated Cyber-Security Plan", the White House is going to be controlling the defensive operations against Internet attackers. Obama presented his teams' plan to combat cyberattackers in a 38 page reading that is available to the public and to companies who suffer from cyberattackers. The New Policy states that the government would place a cyber coordinator over all forms of Internet that would provide offense and defense against domestic and non-domestic cyberattackers. This cyber coordinator would hold a dual position, with one position being with the White House and the other position being the director of the Nation Securtiy Agency, which houses a majority of the governments' computer information in regards to cyber warfare.
My opinion on this issue is that Obama did not lay out a clear plan. To me it sounds good, but there are to many uncertainties, such as the actual tactics that are gonna be used to combat these cyber attackers and the advantages and disadvantages other countries programs have. I am getting tired of having to change emails all of the time because someone hacked the account and to me this problem should not occur if people were punished for their negative activity on the web.
My opinion on this issue is that Obama did not lay out a clear plan. To me it sounds good, but there are to many uncertainties, such as the actual tactics that are gonna be used to combat these cyber attackers and the advantages and disadvantages other countries programs have. I am getting tired of having to change emails all of the time because someone hacked the account and to me this problem should not occur if people were punished for their negative activity on the web.
A New Kind of War
To my understanding, cyberwar is a tactic countries would use to breakdown another country's infracture. "Countries are most likely moving away from conventional methods such as battle tanks and aircraft".Information Technology runs American society. If other nations have the capacity to interfere with our databases America would be vulnerable and at a loss.
"Cyberwarfare techniques will transform military operations in the 21st century as much as aircraft transformed warfare in the 2nd World War."
"Cyberwar technologies are easy to acquire and easy to implement, and it will not be long before these concepts are going to become a reality".
The advantage of using cyberwar tactics would be fewer causalities and you may be able to win by disabling the other side's information processing capabilities without sacrificing soldiers in the field.
In a recent Newsday article, by AP writer, Lolita C. Baldor states how China is "building cyberwarfare capabilities". Countries have the tools just don't know how to use them, slowly but surely they will. "Potential Chinese targets in the U.S., according to the report, would likely include Pentagon networks and databases to disrupt command and control communications, and possibly corrupt encrypted data.The report notes, however, that penetrating such classified systems would be time consuming and difficult".Labels: cyberwarfare
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Will Second Life Grow into a Force it's owner Predicts it to be?
Today I read an article by James Johnson where he interviewed Phillip Rosedale, the founder of virtual community Second Life. In this article they discuss many things from the mechanics behind Second Life, to its expected future growth and changes that could be made to better the experience in the virtual community. According to Phillip Rosedale, he expects his creation to be the next 'it' thing, surpassing actual physical communication and turning the world into a place where we communicate through this virtual world. His basis behind this feeling is that he feels that people are more comfortable expressing themselves in a virtual world than in the physical world. This isn't just Rosedale's opinion, as he has studies that back his notion up.
I signed up for Second Life wanting to know what the website was about. I didn't get past creating a character because the old westbury computer doesn't allow for a the Second Life virtual world to be uploaded on their computer. However, from reading the Second Life manual to seeing the avatar character that I created, I think that Rosedale is on to something. Also, he stated in the article that business meeting have been and are currently being conducted on his virtual database. That means that there is already a cult following behind this virtual world and that leads to expansion. Also in second life, you can live voice conversations where if your computer has a microphone, you can talk to the people in the community. I think this company definetly has a bright future and can become a viable source for people to communicate and handle business in terms of economics.
I signed up for Second Life wanting to know what the website was about. I didn't get past creating a character because the old westbury computer doesn't allow for a the Second Life virtual world to be uploaded on their computer. However, from reading the Second Life manual to seeing the avatar character that I created, I think that Rosedale is on to something. Also, he stated in the article that business meeting have been and are currently being conducted on his virtual database. That means that there is already a cult following behind this virtual world and that leads to expansion. Also in second life, you can live voice conversations where if your computer has a microphone, you can talk to the people in the community. I think this company definetly has a bright future and can become a viable source for people to communicate and handle business in terms of economics.
A New virtual life.....Second life!
Second life is one of the newest technological social network where people can create and make their own virtual self. It is like a social network design to recreate an actual reality into a new one.
IBM is taking second life to the next level and using an avatar to communicate with actual customers. They use the Avatar to process online transactions for customers or other business companies to purchase what they want.
Second Life will be the future of further purchases on IBM and other companies. The second life system is offered in other languages. IBM has a virtual sale associate that can speak and translate into the native langauge selected.
"IBM sales reps will staff the virtual center during business hours in their respective countries and will be able to speak the following languages: English, Portuguese, German, Spanish, Dutch, Italian and French. Asian languages will be supported later this year."
Second life is the way to go! How would your Avatar be like?
IBM is taking second life to the next level and using an avatar to communicate with actual customers. They use the Avatar to process online transactions for customers or other business companies to purchase what they want.
Second Life will be the future of further purchases on IBM and other companies. The second life system is offered in other languages. IBM has a virtual sale associate that can speak and translate into the native langauge selected.
"IBM sales reps will staff the virtual center during business hours in their respective countries and will be able to speak the following languages: English, Portuguese, German, Spanish, Dutch, Italian and French. Asian languages will be supported later this year."
Second life is the way to go! How would your Avatar be like?
Monday, November 23, 2009
"Older adults linked to digital revolution"
With advances in technology, there is new hope for those who have not yet taken part in the digital revolution. Millions of elderly people have not had the opportunity to join the revolution due to the complexity of new electronic devices; however, that is now changing thanks to the creation of new stripped-down ''SimplicITy'' Pcs.“ These new personal computers, "which are less prone to viruses than standard computers, have just six buttons and allow technology-shy users to surf the internet, send emails and watch videos without having to navigate around cluttered desktops.”
Having the ability to use these simple machines, allows millions of elderly people to keep in better contact with friends and relatives through the use of emails and sharing of pictures. Although the new PCs are a little more expensive than your simple desktops, the older generations will no longer be left out when it comes to the use of cutting edge technology. “The company claimed it had already received interest from several nursing home chains interested in installing the machines in communal areas, as well as approaches from Germany, the US and Canada.” These machines seem like a great way to get the older generations on board during what we have called the digital revolution.
Having the ability to use these simple machines, allows millions of elderly people to keep in better contact with friends and relatives through the use of emails and sharing of pictures. Although the new PCs are a little more expensive than your simple desktops, the older generations will no longer be left out when it comes to the use of cutting edge technology. “The company claimed it had already received interest from several nursing home chains interested in installing the machines in communal areas, as well as approaches from Germany, the US and Canada.” These machines seem like a great way to get the older generations on board during what we have called the digital revolution.
Second Life
Philip Rosedale, CEO of Second Life:
Second Life: What Do We Learn If We Digitize EVERYTHING?
Philip Rosedale at the TED Conference in May of 2008:(ForaTV, Cowell Theater - San Francisco, CA. Nov 30th, 2006.)
Cory Ondrejka of Second Life reviews the history of online gaming which leads to Second Life:
Cory Ondrejka, "Building Better Places -- Second Life, Collaborative Creation, and 5 Missing Pieces" (Microsoft Research Tech Talk, December, 2005.)
Videos about the Second Life experience:
Wonderland - virtual relationships (BBC, 2008):
Hugity, "Man vs. Second Life," (2008):
"SLKN Jan 28th - Second Life Korea News [Engish Subtitles]" (Second Life Korea News, January, 2008):
"Live from Second Life: Crisis in Darfur with Mia Farrow and Guests" (Second Life, January, 2007):
Business in Second Life:
IBM Virtual Business Center Tour
"IBM Virtual Strike in SECONDLIFE!"(In Spanish):
Birth in Second Life:
"Kat Horatio Welcomes Twins in Second Life! 7-24-09":
"Te Wāhi Whānau - The Birth Place in Second Life" (Pookymedia, New Zealand. Second Life Education Project, August, 2009):
"SL-Octo Mom - A Second Life Spoof" (pixelscoop.net, Josue Habana, August, 2009):
Architecture in Second Life Machinima (Crescendo Design, ARCH Network, 2007):
More on Virtual Architecture:
"Models from Revit Imported into a Multi-User, Realtime, Collaborative Virtual World" (The ARCH Network, March, 2009.)
Brands in Second Life (Music, filming and editing by Gary Hayes, 2007.)
KZERO Slide Presentation on Virtual World Marketing (April 2008):
Second Life: What Do We Learn If We Digitize EVERYTHING?
Philip Rosedale at the TED Conference in May of 2008:(ForaTV, Cowell Theater - San Francisco, CA. Nov 30th, 2006.)
Cory Ondrejka of Second Life reviews the history of online gaming which leads to Second Life:
Cory Ondrejka, "Building Better Places -- Second Life, Collaborative Creation, and 5 Missing Pieces" (Microsoft Research Tech Talk, December, 2005.)
Videos about the Second Life experience:
Wonderland - virtual relationships (BBC, 2008):
Hugity, "Man vs. Second Life," (2008):
"SLKN Jan 28th - Second Life Korea News [Engish Subtitles]" (Second Life Korea News, January, 2008):
"Live from Second Life: Crisis in Darfur with Mia Farrow and Guests" (Second Life, January, 2007):
Business in Second Life:
IBM Virtual Business Center Tour
"IBM Virtual Strike in SECONDLIFE!"(In Spanish):
Birth in Second Life:
"Kat Horatio Welcomes Twins in Second Life! 7-24-09":
"Te Wāhi Whānau - The Birth Place in Second Life" (Pookymedia, New Zealand. Second Life Education Project, August, 2009):
"SL-Octo Mom - A Second Life Spoof" (pixelscoop.net, Josue Habana, August, 2009):
Architecture in Second Life Machinima (Crescendo Design, ARCH Network, 2007):
More on Virtual Architecture:
"Models from Revit Imported into a Multi-User, Realtime, Collaborative Virtual World" (The ARCH Network, March, 2009.)
Brands in Second Life (Music, filming and editing by Gary Hayes, 2007.)
KZERO Slide Presentation on Virtual World Marketing (April 2008):
Labels: Second life, virtual worlds
Saturday, November 21, 2009
New Online Ads, Behavioral Targeting
We are living in a mass production and a mass consumption era, so marketers always are trying to sell their products to get big profits. According to improve the digital world, marketing has been transformed in a traditional way to the behavioral targeting in online ads.
We know that Google’s enormous revenue come from online ads. One of the plans is behavioral targeting, which involves tracking user’s online words. Eric Auchard described the process of tracking of behavioral targeting in his article, “Google Wary if Behavioral Targeting in Online Ads”:
“A user who types “Italy vacation” into a Google search box might
see ads about Tuscany or cheap flights to Europe. Were the same
user to subsequently search for “weather,” Google will assume
there is a link between “Italy vacation” and “weather” and deliver
ads tied to local weather conditions in Italy.”
It is absolutely a smart and economic way for marketers and consumers as well as Google, but we always afraid of our privacy.
