Shirky Epilogue
What have you had to “unlearn” (i.e. that only phones are for having conversations) in the past 10 years due to technological change?
I would say that I had to unlearn that cameras are only for taking pictures. They can do so much more now. They are for taking videos, for storing files on a memory card and then printing pictures directly from a camera to a printer, for editing on the camera, etc. Everything has changed because of digital technology and you no longer have to take your camera to a photo store to have them printed on physical paper. You can upload them to the internet for all of your family to see.
Also, I had to unlearn that you need to print off a bunch of different drafts to a paper to have it revised. With Google docs, I am able to revise my paper over and over and also have others look at it and make edits to it before having to print my final draft. With saving paper, it also helps save the environment. Technology rules.
Shirky ch.10 – Failure is not an option, or is it?
Think back to your experiences in middle and high school. How many opportunities were you given to experiment and “fail” in solving a problem? How could a school work today where students were regularly offered such opportunities?
Thinking back, I think the most chances I was ever really given to fail was probably once. Our schools did believe in second chances, and if you messed up the first time, you would get a “re-do”. But I’m fairly positive that was only in middle school. In high school, there really weren’t too many opportunities to fail, because my parents told me I good grades were essential for getting into a good college, so failure was never an option. I was a great student, and sure I slipped up a few times from not studying hard enough, but was failure ever welcomed? Absolutely not. Schools today that are teaching kids should have the 3 strikes and you’re out kind of system, because it’s very difficult to get everything right on the first try. Definitely possible, but not the best kind of learning environment. With the 3 strikes system, you have the first two chances to get it wrong, then learn from your mistakes as to why you got it wrong. Then the third try is your last shot. Many teachers and parents would say that this kind of system is promoting and rewarding mediocrity, but is it really? Or is it just giving students a chance who aren’t the perfectionists? I find the latter to be true.
Shirky ch. 9 – FOAF networks
What professional benefits do you see by investing time into a FOAF-style network?
Social networking sites like Facebook almost entirely rely on friend-of-a-friend relationships. Actually, they facilitate these types of relationship by sending notifications saying “Connect with John Smith. You have 147 friends in common.” So what started out as just a social activity, is now being utilized for professional and career purposes. FOAF networks bring people together through other people and common interests. It’s no surprise that these types of networks are being for professional benefits. Personally, I would find the major benefit of being able to know the people you could be working with at your job beforehand and that way you already have an established relationship (which could either be a good or bad thing). More often than not, the job you’re looking for is probably not going to be advertised all over the place, and through FOAF networks and the more you have, there’s a better chance that you can find a job you love simply through who you know.
Shirky ch. 8 – Prisoner’s dilemma
Considering the Prisoner’s Dilemma in this chapter, provide your own insight on how sites such as eBay “work” for most participants of this popular online auction site. Do they really work? Or is there too much risk?
Personally, I love eBay and in terms of the Prisoner’s Dilemma discussed in chapter 8, I don’t think there is too much risk and I think it “works” just fine. I have bought many times off of the popular auction site and have never had a problem with any of the sellers. I actually sell my textbooks at half.com at the end of the semester and make a lot of more money than I would if I was selling back to the bookstore. And I think if things were to get out of hand, that eBay has a lot of security and assurance to its customer and would handle any situation involving a rogue seller of buyer quickly and efficiently.
Shirky ch. 8 – Online vs. print media
While younger people today may not make distinctions between online and real-world friends according to Shirky, do you make distinctions between online vs. print media? Why or why not? Is there an advantage to one or the other?
Thinking about it, I don’t really make any significant distinctions between online and print media. I take them both seriously, and don’t look down on either one simply for the form that it comes in. I would say that there is definitely an advantage with online media because with an internet connection you are able to access hundreds of different news sources and media companies, whereas with print media, you can only read that one particular news source and not cross-reference other newspaper/magazine companies that may be covering the same story.
Abelson ch. 6 – Bit value
What’s the value of a bit? It seems that going after folks who have traded songs or movies online is a huge expenditure of effort and money. Is DRM-protected content the way to go? If you don’t agree, propose another method for the distribution of digital multimedia so that content creators can still be compensated.
I agree that it would be a waste of time and money going after people who illegally download music and movies online, because there are millions of people who do it everyday. Having DRM protected content definitely has its pros and cons, but moreover, it isn’t protecting what needs to be protected. There will always be hackers who are breaking the barriers in order to get their hands on digital media files without having to pay for them. Also, those who have already bought media that is DRM protected, will have hassles to deal with to watch and listen to the media they have purchased. However, it seems that DRM protection is the only realistic form of content control over the internet so that artists and movie production companies have protection against illegal downloads.
Abelson ch. 5 – DVD copy protection
The copy protection originally designed to protect content on DVDs has been overcome some years ago. What other methods can you find today that movie studios are using to protect their content on DVDs or other optical media?
I found quite a few different encryption devices that have been used in the past decade. The most current form of protection is Advanced Access Content System (AACS) for DVDs including the newer HD DVDs and BluRay discs. Other forms I have found are RipGuard, created by Macrovision, which will deter away most people looking to crack DVD encryption. ProtectBURN is also used by movie studios to protect DVD copying by analyzing the discs’ structure; it can also be used by optical media publishers.
Abelson ch. 5 – WEP/WPA
If your mother uses wifi at home to send you e-mail, and your home network is not protected by WEP or WPA, what reasons would you suggest to her for enabling one of these two protocols at home if the liability of reading those e-mails still exists once her message leaves your home, on it’s way to school?
I think in this situation you have to pick the stronger of the two weaker options. Both WEP and WPA have been proven to not be very strong against hackers trying to view your email, but because WPA is more controlled (temporary keys for data encryption), I would want her to enable WPA protocol over WEP. I would also try to convince her that it’s better to have at least one type of security protection rather than having nothing. Granted, most of the people who can access your Wi-Fi probably aren’t hackers looking to steal your information, but it’s better to be a little safe than sorry.
