What is a bit and what does it mean to say that "it's all just bits"? (Koan 1) Give examples of the things today that are stored in bits?
Describe, in your own words, Moore's Law.
Someone offers you a summer job and offers you two pay rates: (1) $10 per hour for 40 hours per week for 30 days or (2) One cent on day 1, two cents and day two, four cents on day three and on (doubling each day) for 30 days. If you were trying to make as much money as possible in 30 days, which pay rate would you choose? What does this illustrate?
Give an example of how the digital explosion is "neither good nor bad" but has both positive and negative implications.
"Advances in computing have generated and increased creativity in other fields." Comment on this statement. Do you agree? Can you give an example to support (or contradict) it?
1. A bit is the smallest and simplest unit that is involved with all computers and everything we do online. The quote "it's all just bits" makes sense because everything on a computer is composed entirely of many different bits. Examples of things today that are stored in bits are pictures, texts, and videos. 2. Moore's Law states that the density of integrated circuits has increased at a very fast pace over the years. 3. The second pay rate would be better because it shows how numbers increase faster through exponents then multiplication. 4. The digital explosion is neither good nor bad because it has it's pros and cons. While we have been able to store so much information and have it at our fingertips anywhere in the world, it is slowly encompassing all of humanity in a digital atmosphere taking us further away from the real world. 5. This statement is true because these advances have opened up new routes for programmers and scientists to express themselves and use the technology to display many things. An example of this would be the MIT App Inventor that we use in this class because it allows the user to create the app with their own design.
Chapter 3 Reflections
What is metadata? Give an example.
What is a model?
What's the difference between a raster image and an ASCII representation of a text document?
What are filename extensions? What are they used for?
What is lossless representation? What is lossy representation? What are the trade-offs in using each representation?
What is steganography and what is it used for? Describe in your own words the steganographic algorithm used in the activity.
What would you have to do to delete a document from your computer so that it could not possibly be read by anyone else?
What is free and open source software? Provide an example.
1. Meta data is an electronic document that contains more information about the file. An example of metadata is the name of a file.
2. A model is a representation of something in a smaller form.
3. The difference between a raster image and an ASC ll representation is that an ASC ll codes for characters while raster is better for freeform shapes.
4. File name extensions are the three letters after the dot of the file name which help categorize different forms of files.
5. A lossless representation allows for no data to be lost, creating higher quality. A lossy representation creates faster rendering and smaller data sizes at the cost of some quality.
6. Steganophry is the process of sending secret messages that cannot be retrieved or seen by anyone. They are used for classified information or other information that cannot be seen by others.
7. To completely delete a document from your computer you would have to first delete it from the computer and make sure it is not stored on any discs or other hard drives.
8. Open source software is viewable software with accessible code free to look at and change. An example of this is OpenOffice.
9. Retouching has become a controversial issue because the computer does all of the work and it is nearly impossible for humans to replicate what the computer has done, decreasing the need for human creativity.
10. I would rather own a camera with a higher number of megapixels so the image is clear and concise.
11. An example of a computer model would be a model of a house, that shows the different rooms and hallways. This is a model because it shows the representation of the real house on a smaller scale.
12. An example of open source software is the education app Planetarium, that teaches people about the solar system. This application has a positive impact on society because it teaches about the planets and also displays its code for others to compare and learn from.
Chapter 2 Short answer
What is an RFID tag and what does it do?
What is an EDR and what does it do?
Is it possible to identify someone, perhaps a patient, knowing just his or her gender, birth date, and zip code? Explain.
What is the difference between "big brotherism" and "little brotherism"?
Free Response
How do you feel about “Big Brother” watching you? Do you think having security cameras everywhere is good or bad?
Is the Privacy Act effective? Explain.
“The digital explosion has scattered the bits of our lives everywhere: records of the clothes we wear, the soaps we wash with, the streets we walk, and the cars we drive and where we drive them.” (pg 20) Marketing companies use these data to build models of our preferences and use these models to recommend products to us.. In 1 or 2 paragraphs, address the question 'Am I willing to trade some of my privacy for the convenience of having a computer or a company recommend products to me? Why or Why not?’
Critical Thinking Questions
How do “we leave digital footprints and fingerprints?” Do you think this is important for everyone to know? Why or why not?
How has the social evolution affected privacy? Consider social networking.
What are our responsibilities as app developers with data that is gathered from the apps we create?
1. An RFID (radio frequency identification device) is a device that is attached to objects which sends signals to perform specific tasks. 2. An EDR an event data recorder that records specific data. It can be used in vehicles to record things like speed and breaking. 3. It is possible to identify a person using this information however there is a decent possibility that this could identify the wrong person with he same statistics. 4. The difference between big brotherism and little brotherism is that big brotherism refers to the government and large corporations keeping an eye on your data and information while little brotherism refers to day to day people having access to each other's information. 5. I am not a big fan of big brother watching over me. As an advocate of team privacy, I believe that it is an invasion of my life and think that security cameras everywhere are a poor idea. 6. The Privacy Act is effective because through court of law it prevents government agencies from releasing unwarranted information about people, and when it is released public notice is given first. 7. I am not willing to sacrifice some privacy in order for efficiency. I highly value my privacy and if giving up my internet and shopping efficiency is necessary to keep it, I am all for it. It is more relieving to know that companies are not keeping track of your purchases and searches. It becomes quite creepy when they begin to know everything about you, so privacy is keen. 8. We leave digital footprints by online shopping, social media, filling out forms, and other internet activities. It is important for people to know about this because it helps them beware of their internet history so they do not develop a bad reputation. 9. The social evolution has created a huge loss in privacy because our information is available to anyone on the internet. Although we enjoy social media, we forget how much information on the web there is about us and how it could hurt us negatively. Before social media and the internet, humans had much more privacy. 10. Our responsibilities as app developers is to protect the privacy of our downloaders and users. When they give us information, we must keep it safe and not use it for bad purposes or release it to others. Since they are trusting us with this information, we must be sure to protect it.
Chapter 4 Questions
Is Wikipedia considered Web 1.0 or Web 2.0? Explain.
Should a researcher place absolute trust in a search engine? Why or why not?
"The architecture of human knowledge has changed as a result of search." What does this claim mean?
When you type a word or phrase into the Google search engine, what is the search algorithm that is being used? Does Google’s search engine search the web? Explain
What does it mean to “empty the cache”?
Think of a number between 1 and 100. If you tell me "too high" or "too low", I can guess the number in 7 guesses. How come? What algorithm makes this possible?
What is the PageRank algorithm? How does it work?
What is a captcha and why are captchas important?
Free Response:
"The architecture of human knowledge has changed as a result of search." Do you agree?
"Google emerged -- from this dilemma at least -- with its pocketbooks overflowing and its principles intact." Do you agree?
What do you think about the differences between Figure 4.10 and Figure 4.11?
Would you retain your search history or delete it? Why?
1. Wikipedia is considered a Web 2.0 site because users contribute and add their own information to help form the site. 2. A researcher should not place absolute trust in a search engine because people can pay for certain results to show up more frequently and also pay for ads. This means that the information they see first might not be the most reliable. 3. This claims means that search engines have allowed humans to faster access of more extensive sources of informations thus making us more knowledgeable as a species. 4. Google uses an algorithm that is based on a variable called page ranks, which count links to a website and helps google differentiate the popular websites from the unpopular. 5. Emptying the cache simply erases your storage from websites visited prior. 6. This algorithm is called a binary search and is done by guessing the middle number in a set of numbers which divides the total possible outcomes by two each times. This tactic can help you find the number in 7 guesses. 7. The Page Rank algorithm records the quality and amount of links to a website to determine its validity and popularity. 8. A captcha is a program that prevents bots from overloading the site by creating a test that humans can pass but robots cannot get past. 9. I agree with this statement because the search has allowed faster, more reliable, and more extensive information to all people with access to a computer. 10. I agree with this statement because Google managed their business and searches well to create a popular and reliable tool that made a lot of money. 11. The difference between the figures is that the American version shows no censorship in its results while the Chinese version censors some of their results. 12. I would keep my search history because I have nothing to hide. If people feel the need to look at my history, that is their problem and not mine.Show Less
Chapter 6
Why should all Internet users be aware of copyrighted material?
What is a GB? How many bytes are in GB?
What is the NET Act and what is its significance in the history of copyright?
What is a peer-to-peer architecture? Provide an example of at least one well-known peer-to-peer network.
What is the DMCA and why is it significant to copyright?
What are Open Access and Creative Commons? How have they impacted the sharing of digital information? Free Response Questions
Before reading this chapter, were you aware of copyright infringement? When you put digital content (e.g. images, videos) in your apps, where did you get it from? Is it possible that you violated any copyright terms? Has the reading raised your awareness of how you use content found on the Internet?
In your opinion, are YouTube users violating copyright terms when they make lyric videos? Why or why not?
In your opinion, are computers that use DRAM violating copyright terms? Why or why not?
Select one of the technical innovations described in the chapter and write an explanation of the technical details of this innovation. Try to use terms that someone unfamiliar with the innovation would understand.
1. Internet users should be awareof copyrighted material because they could easily be sued for using it incorrectly. If someone is not aware of a materials copyright laws the owner could sue them if they were caught. 2. A gigabyte is a unit of electronic stoage that is equal to 1,000,000,000 bytes. 3. The NET Act was an act passed in 1997 that criminalized any authorized coping with retail value over 1 thousand dollars. NET stands for 'No Electronic Theft'. 4. Peer to peer architecture allows users to connect with their friends to share data and files. An example of a peer to peer nework is USENET, which was established in 1979. 5. The DMCA is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. It outlaws technology for bypassing copyright protection and helps keeps the material from being illegally distributed. 6. Open access and creative commons gives Internet uses their own copyright licenses to protect any content that they publish online. They impact the sharing of digital information because it makes information more accessible and creates less copyright concerns. 7. Yes, I have known about copyright infringement since I was very young because of always hearing my favorite youtubers complain about trying to find music for their videos that are not copyrighted. When I put digital contents in my apps I got them straight from google images, so I definitely violated some copyright laws by this point in the year. 8. As much as I do not want to admit it, Youtube users probably violate copyright terms when they make lyrics videos. Even though they might not make any money on the videos, they definitely take money away from paid music services and the artists because of the people that watch the Youtube video for free instead of buying the song. 9. I do not think computers that use DRAM are violating copyright terms because computers need this feature in order to save files and store them on their device. 10. One of the technical innovations described in the chapter was the music shaing company Napster. This let users share and exchange song files that either user was looking for or requested. The website paired the two together which allowed them to both have access to the song.
Chapter 5
What does it mean to say that the government would like to have a back door to the encrypted data on Apple's iPhone or Google's Android phone?
What is the main argument for letting the government have a back door?
What is the main argument against letting the government have a back door?
Where do you come down on this issue -- i.e., what is your opinion?
1. The government wants a back door to the encrypted data on phones so that they are the only ones that have access to data stored on these devices other than the manufacturers.
2. The main argument for allowing the government to have a back door is that it could help solve crimes, prevent terrorist attacks, and uncover information to stop future violence.
3. The main argument against allowing the government to have a back door is that people lose their privacy rights if they are given this privilege. The government would have immediate access to everything on our phones and it would give them too much power.
4. I believe that the government should have this access, but it should be used as a last resort. Although it is a major loss of privacy, this access could potentially save lives one day.