jasneetsc-blog

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Pretty crazy to think that some putters weren't able to run Windows 95 and now something we wear on our wrist can run it with ease.

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Huge step forward regarding privacy in a digital age. Hopefully this sets an example and other cases have a similar outcome.

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Uber was forced to share the data they had collected from customers with the government. Once again, the government is forcing companies to give them out personal data.

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I find it funny how a Google engineer has to spend his time testing Amazons products. I expected Amazon to have a product tester or have some type of test a product must pass before being sold on their website. In fact I'll probably end up buying higher quality cables just in case from now on. This whole scenario shows how much power one person can have over an entire company.

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Immersion

After watching two of the most iconic movies in regards to computers and the evolution of technology, one word stuck with me, immersion. Tron (1982) and The Matrix (1999) both revolve around the concept of being immersed into a virtual reality of sorts. In today’s society this concept is becoming a reality. Whether it be through our phones, computers, video games and now VR headsets. 

Tron was released right before the video game crash of 1983. Due to this Tron focused on the rise of video games and the idea of them being something that we can immerse ourselves in. The movie itself revolves around a man named Flynn that gets sucked into a video game and has to find his way out while fighting parts of the machine he is in. When the movie was released it caused a large interest in computers and video games. It made people want to try and replicate what had happened and go into the grid like Flynn. It helped boost the number people interested in personal computers and the number people who created them. In Tron, Flynn is fighting parts of the machine like the MCP (Master Control Program), which has control over the programs across a variety of machines. The MCP is able to gather the different types of programs onto one single machine. This concept was brought into the movie after one of the creators discovered ARPANET more commonly known as the Internet. While this was not one of the main topics of the movie it is something that sparked curiosity around the subject of being able to share data among multiple devices. We do this on a daily basis with all of our devices. For example, my phone, watch and computer all connect and sync up with each other. I can send a text on my phone, go on my computer and continue the conversation from there. While Tron revolved around going into a video game and essentially playing it to escape, The Matrix focused on escaping a virtual reality and staying in reality.

The Matrix was released in 1999 after the rise of the personal computer and during the rise of the Internet. The Matrix focused on the future of human life if we continued to immerse ourselves with our devices. The concept of humans being born into a virtual reality and being under the control of programs and machines is something that has appeared in a variety of films before and after the matrix was released. However this time it was different, there is someone who is able to fight the programs, someone who is able to the read the code known as the Matrix and manipulate it to his will. What this shows us is that we are the creators; we can alter anything on a computer with a few keystrokes. This created an interest in programming and personal computers. The idea of being able to create something and have it do something for you with one click brought a larger interest in personal computers and helped create new technology. In The Matrix, those who were free and outside of the Matrix went back in by being ‘plugged in’. Once plugged in, you were able to connect with everyone else in the matrix. It’s like plugging an Ethernet cable into a computer and going onto the Internet. In fact, when those who were free went into the matrix, they were able to download and learn how to something in seconds. Today, we can go onto the World Wide Web and search how to do something and find a guide within seconds. What was once a concept in a movie is now reality.

We are slowly adapting all of the ideas in these movies and using them on a day-to-day basis. Whether it be sharing data among different devices or going online to something we do it as if its nothing. Even now, we are creating technology that allows us to immerse into a video or a movie or anything really. Virtual reality is becoming a reality as we speak and it will be something that we use on a day-to-day basis as well.

Overall, these movies played a huge role in inspiring technology and creating a larger interest in technology.

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The FBI seems to consistently shoot themselves in the foot in regards to encryption. When the FBI originally asked Apple to unlock the San Bernardino shooters phone they thought the public would support them. However the exact opposite happened and the public backed Apples decision. Now the FBI are saying that smart cars are much more prone to hacking than most would expect. This potential hacking of smart cars could easily be stopped with encryption, the same encryption they are fighting against. They are just making themselves look like fools by contradicting everything they are doing against Apple. 

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Today Ray Tomlinson, inverter of the killer so known as email has passed away. If it wasn't for him we wouldn't be where we are when it comes to communication. Who knows where we would be if he did not create email. Email was the start of instant messaging via the Internet. We may not have iMessage or what's app or any other major messaging system if it weren't for him. We also wouldn't use the @ sign nearly as much. Right now, most social media networks use he @ sign to distinguish a users username. If he didn't start the use of the @ sign via email we may be using a completely different sign or method to recognize one another on social media. The killer app is used by billions on a daily basis. It truly spawned a movement in communication and professionalism. Email is now used to send basic files to send promotional messages to people in a non invasive way. It's used by almost everyone to send basic things like a happy birthday message to a spreadsheet that may contain the information needed to start up a company. If it weren't Ray we could have been years behind in communication.

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I personally don’t understand the reasoning behind doing something like this. It just pushes us further back and prevents society from advancing and discourages people from joining on the eco friendly movement. We may be a long ways away from going fully electric but if Tesla can continue to sell in Indiana it will bring us somewhat closer to that future. GM is only thinking about themselves in this situation and not about the rest of society. Tesla has been a team player by allowing other companies to use their patents to create electric cars or similar technology but yet they are still facing backlash. 

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Earlier this week Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, made a statement regarding encryption and creating backdoor access for the government. Apple has decided to stand firm and not create back door for anyone to access their customers information. I personally stand with Apple on this issue. Encryption is a very controversial topic but in the end it is needed. The FBI may say that they will only have access to our information but they can't guarantee that. If Apple creates a back door anyone who is smart enough can access it. In addition to that, other companies may follow by example. Other tech giants like Google have said that they stand with Apple on this issue and it shows that the government can't bully corporations into doing something they want. This letter is a huge step forward in the right direction.

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I’m honestly not shocked by this at all. AT&T has the power to offer gigabit internet but they don’t. Wherever google fiber is announced, every other ISP in that area announces their own gigabit Internet service and it’s incredibly frustrating. Consumers are more than willing to pay extra for gigabit Internet but for some odd reason the companies that can offer it never do.

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I thought that this article was pretty interesting and showed the true power of a blog. It really shows that something as small as a blog can get the attention of people who you would never expect to take the time out of their day to look at something so small.

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Technology and Society

The use of technology in our daily lives has changed drastically within the last 5-10 years. 10 years ago my cousin got his drivers license, and his parents only allowed him to drive somewhere if they knew where he was going. When I got my license 2 years ago, my parents only allowed me to drive somewhere if I had my phone on me. Within those 10 years, society evolved and adapted to all the new technology that was and is emerging. If we don’t know something we can pull out our phones and ask them about what we don't know and they will tell us all about it. Since we can do that, we don't need to know or memorize everything, we can just look it up if we forget. It also makes everything we do more efficient. We can just google something instead going back through our notes or trying to remember it. We can learn how to do something faster by looking up other methods of how to do said thing. Its astonishing that we can do all of this yet no one really realizes it. Its crazy to think that the devices we carry in our pockets everyday have more computing power than the first space shuttle that went to the moon. With that being said, we are creating knew technology at such a rapid pace that in a few years, the cutting edge technology that is out right now will be obsolete. However that doesn’t mean it’s worthless. Apple recently released their newest phone, the iPhone 6s, with the phone something called 3D or force touch was released. Many people think that it is something completely pointless, but in a few years it could be something that every device has. If it is something that ends up being in all of the devices in the future, it’ll become second nature to us. With all of that being said, technology evolves with us and we evolve with technology. 

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Blogging, Vlogging and all the other loggings...

Blogging is something that I never really understood for a while. I understood the purpose of it but I could never get behind it and actually do it. However, through youtube I found out about Vlogging. It’s the same concept expect in video form. I personally like vlogging over traditional blogging. The reason for this is that it forces you to be more creative and actually go out and do something, With blogging I could write about me “doing” something and never actually do it. With vlogging, your filming it, proving that you actually did something. It also just makes you want to be more creative. For me it would be through the editing process and getting cool shots of whatever your filming. Someone who I started following around July has a great vlog explaining why he does it. His name is Casey Neistat, he's a new yorker and a great videographer. Heres the link to said video :https://youtu.be/RvPH86HxGHk?t=16s

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BynSb5dfWc)

This vlog really caught my eye while I was catching up to the most recent one. Loved the editing and transitions throughout the video. Also, Casey is always doing something and it makes me want to go out and do/create something.