Electronic donations

The recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile have started a wave of electronic-donation resources. These resources enable people to make donations to relief organizations and allow people to keep tabs on relief efforts. Such resources are a new avenue for people who, after witnessing such catastrophes, feel helpless to offer aid, but want to help. Electronic donations have also made it a lot easier to contribute. Now there is the opportunity to contribute anytime, anywhere. For example, many phone companies are allowing subscribers to use their cellphone accounts to pledge support by sending a text message to a specified number. Faster and more accessible ways to donate are allowing support to get to those in need in an expedient manner–resulting in a greater number of saved lives.

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Embracing Change

What does it take for a society to embrace a different way of doing something? Our current system of consuming electricity starts at a central power plant. The energy produced is then directed to homes through an extensive network of substations and power lines. Large costs go into each foot of the electrical infrastructure. Conversely, a new model for energy consumption has been created by Bloom Energy. This week, Bloom Energy released plans for the new electrical infrastructure that would put a micro power plant in every backyard. The company's plans outline a greener and more cost efficient way to produce and consume energy with a device called the Bloombox. But the current energy model is very invested into landlines and large power production companies. With a better model that saves money and stamps a green footprint in every yard, is there a obligation to convert society? I'm not talking about a single product, but the entire way that we think about energy consumption. A way that we've unanimously followed sense Tesla created the energy framework.

The Cuckoo's egg

In medieval times, castles with thick walls were constructed to protect persons and their possessions. Sadly, there have always been offenders who plunder for a profit. At first, arrows and rocks were used to attack. Then black powder and cannons changed the battle field. Today, the networked world first defended itself with passwords. Only the exact combination of characters could open the door. Then holes in operating systems and communication networks allowed modern pillagers to hack there way into sensitive information. The story of Cliff Stoll is evidence of a computer hacker's genesis cannon shot. The days of simple password protection crumbled after Cliff found out how far Markus Hess penetrated into government websites. Warfare requires rules and the prosecution of rule breakers. WWII produced the Geneva convention. The convention rules cross boundaries and allow the prosecution of war criminals. At the end of The Cuckoo's Egg, Markus Hess still walked free from his crime. There's no need for a cyber world war before standardized laws are created, allowing the prosecution of cyber criminals in other nations. With a law comes the ability to prosecute offenders. The cyber history of the networked world is still young. But the lessons learned from past warfare can be applied to the fresh battle field of computers. Governments need to plan, prepare, and protect now for future nuclear cyber attacks. Learning from the past lends to a safer and better prepared future.

Total Genealogy

One use of computers is to connect lives through genealogy. Relative's records, both of the living and of the dead, are linked together online. Personal lineages have been combined to form vast online databases of the human family. Though the information transition from personal pedigree to the online community happened seamlessly, there now needs to be a union of all the different online repositories of genealogical information. That is, there is a need if the end goal is to create a single bank of connected names for all humanity to reference. There is, however, a problem. The issue lies with online-pedigree databases that focus on profiting from the names collected. How do you combine information when segments are held under lock and key? I feel that, if money is to be made from genealogy, let it be made by creating applications that access a database of all gathered names, and not from the slice of the names to which someone has the rights.

Lazy Computing

Today, Apple announced its new product, the iPad. It's a product focussed on putting a computer in your hands when you want to relax. The iPad exists for lazy computing. Computers save time, and now, more than ever, computers are used to waste time. As technology continues to ease into every facet of my life, I expect two things. First, I want to be able to block salacious Internet material. I do not need statistical data to prove that a person is more likely to come across such material while lazily browsing the internet. Second, I expect myself to be able to step away from technology and do other things with my free time. No programmer can instill that characteristic in me; however, I realize how easy it is to sit down and pass the time with a computer instead of using that time to plan and engage myself in hobbies and other real life-exploring activities.

Women and Computer Science

I have noticed that computer science is mostly looked down upon in the minds of college students. In general, computer science is held in high regard as being a "difficult degree", but at the same time there is the regard of "See ya, wouldn't want to be ya. Nerd!" I think it is computer science's stereotype that keeps women away from the field. Men, in general, brand computer scientists as nerds. So, why would a woman label herself as such, and run the risk of being judged negatively by men? I would venture that if the trademark "nerd" was removed from the minds of both men and women, when referring to computer scientists, and replaced with a term that is smiled upon, then more women would enter the field. It is not that women are incapable of perusing computer science, because there are a lot of really intelligent women that would do just fine in the degree, but there is a mold that needs to be broken. Women who are willing to face the clichés of computer science need to break the mold before women, in general, accept computer science as a viable field of study.

PDA - Personality Detachment Assistant

I am currently an uncle eight and a half times over. The half is a niece on the way! The eight that have been born rage in age from the oldest, who is eight, to the youngest, who is only six months old. Each niece and nephew expands the joyfulness of my nuclear family. With each new addition, I realize what I never knew was missing and I never want my family to be without the newcomer again. It's their fun personalities that I appreciate the most, and each personality is so unique. Now, what does any of this have to do with a new survey about child media consumption? Well, a lot. The survey shows that children's daily media consumption is now, on average, 7 hours and 38 minutes. I want to make it clear that I'm not a child development expert, but I am capable of making observations. One related observation involves my nieces and nephews. I've noticed that the more time they spend by themselves in front of a screen, whether big or small, the more closed off they become. The more time that one of them spends consuming media, the greater the need to always be entertained. I've watch as one of my nephews has become remote to the rest of the family. His sentences have become shorter. He asks fewer questions. A growing desire to be in front of a screen has consumed parts of his life, leaving behind bits and fragments. Most affected is his personality. At times his personality seems turned off, though it's often replaced with fits about not being able to play a game. It's hard for me to watch the change. That part of his life that adds so much to the family is being replaced by alone time–looking into a windowed world. He's one out of 8 and a half and I want him back. I want him with his complete personality back. Daily media consumption, you'd better look out, because your 7 hours and 38 minutes are going down.