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.

I think that these types of ratings systems are helpful in determining the quality of a seller for online merchant sites. With eBay’s system, it’s a bit more complicated. Each seller on the site has a number that indicates feedback, a star with a color that indicates the quality of the seller, as well as a percentage of good feedback v. negative. It’s a bit confusing and a buyer must look into detail to understand what all the numbers and colors mean. I would say that eBay’s system is adequate, and honestly a little confusing. However, for Amazon, I think their system is more efficient. Seller’s feedback is based on a 5 star system, and also a percentage number for only positive feedback. I like this ratings system better. I think both are effective and do help with my decision-making and what products I trust to buy.

Because these type of groups do bring like-minded people together, there definitely is a chance of a phenomenon called “groupthink”. I learned about it in a few of my communication classes. It is a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, evaluating and analyzing ideas. Individual creativity, uniqueness, and independent thinking are lost in the pursuit of group cohesiveness, as are the advantages of reasonable balance in choice and thought that might normally be obtained by making decisions as a group. Though the ideas within a socialized website may be complex and smart, a researcher must remember that these types of ideas are normally pretty narrow because many members agree with each other.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.