i wasn't able to make it to class on Wednesday but from looking over others blogs & seeing what the topic to be discussed i have a general idea. being safe & protected online is something that everyone strives to achieve but many seem to fall victim to identity theft or theft in general. like many of us in class we all know someone who has had something taken from them online. my brother bought something off of e-bay & soon after while checking his bank account....someone was purchasing stuff with his account. they ended up spending something like $600 before he caught it but luckily our credit union was able to retrieve some the money back but not it all. it's amazing to see that we are able to purchase items online & simply just put in our credit/debit card without thinking too hard. it's good to see that companies now can purchase security protections for their customers to ensure a safe purchase but sometimes some websites can purchase a protection plan & let it run out but it will still show that it's a "protected website."  

another topic that seemed to be covered was cyberbullying. this topic has finally gotten the attention it deserves but it's sad to say it has taken so long. bullying is something that has been around for awhile & has affected many kids, but with the internet it took bullying to a whole another level. with people being able to say whatever they want with little to no accountability, people can be nastier to each other & get away with it (sometimes). the website thedirty.com is a perfect example. the website is based off of people sending in pictures of others who they typically don't like or think is a "douchebag" or "sloot" & the moderator Nik Richie says whatever he feels about the person. 9 out of 10 times Nik says things that are terribly about the posted person & others will leave comments to typically reinforce what Nik says. outlets such as facebook & myspace (RIP) also are another good place for people to bully. it's sad to see that kids now a days are taking their lives over comments that others make. hopefully there will be some outlet to help those bullied & those who bully. Self goverence seems to go hand in hand with this subject.

these two topics are rather sad but hopefully one day we can make advances to prevent these two problems from escalating any more than they already have. 

A.I.

after discussing AI in class Wednesday, it had me wondering more on the subject. AI is an interesting yet somewhat scary concept. after watching the Ferby video, it brought back memories of how creepy that toy was. i didn't really think of it was a somewhat simple version of AI but now i can see how it can be considered. after realizing that AI isn't simply "robot people" i started to think of what else would be AI. the next thing that came to me was the Roomba (the no person needed vacuum). it controlled its self & can tell where stairs/edges are. it's amazing that we can create something on the level where humans aren't necessary.


now that part of AI that is somewhat creepy would be Watson that IBM created for Jeopardy. IBM created the robot to challenge Ken Jennings & Brad Rutter. Watson ended up beating both the competitors over the 2 day game show. it's amazing to see that we are capable to create something that had the ability to withhold knowledge & then process a question with a correct response. Watson had problems with only a few questions and those were ones with short clues with a few words. after hearing about Watson & what he was capable of, i instantly thought of the Will Smith I robot or Robo Cop. 


i'm interested to see how we will use AI in the future. will we use it for good or bad?