The Good The Bad The Ugly

The Good: http://www.silverfishlongboarding.com/Tech_Articles/

This is a link to one of my favorite websites, I believe this represents the good side of the internet. The internet can be a very knowledgeable source of information, it can also be a great way to get proactive advice from someone you have never met before. As you click this link you will find it leads you to a page on the Silverfish Longboarding website called Tech Articles. This website is set up in forum fashion, and can teach you anything you need to know about longboards. In this section of the website it teaches you how to make your own longboard, what shapes and designs can best suit your needs, it even goes to the extent to explain the best wheels you should buy for your skating needs. I have used this site hundreds of times and asked hundreds of questions and always gotten a positive response back. Without the internet I would not have access to this sort of information because longboarding is an upcoming sport and unless you personally know an expert it is difficult to find information on the majority of these topics.

The Bad: http://gizmodo.com/5805928/the-underground-website-where-you-can-buy-any-drug-imaginable

Here is an article explaining Silk Road. Recently an online black market has been created on the underweb. It allows users to purchase any sort of illegal narcotic they desire. From marijuana to LSD, this website sells it all. They claim it to be untraceable because users use "bitcoins" instead of actual currency. This is misuse of the internet because it is giving thousands of people access to illegal drugs that have been outlawed by the government. This vendor needs to be shut down immediately to benefit humanity and the internet.

The Ugly: http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2013/01/18/internet_trolls_an_online_nightmare_for_young_women.html

This article goes into detail about how young women are extremely susceptible to trolling attacks. Although it is a bad decision to post revealing photos of yourself on the internet, young women claim to not know any better and are taken advantage of by the creeps on the internet. They can find themselves on porn websites with pictures taken from their Facebook or Instagram. This is very traumatic for these individuals, most being under the age of 18, and it sickens me the internet allows for these atrocities to happen. Having something as simple as a "girly" username can make you more susceptible to trolling attempts.

Privacy Issues: Cell Phones and Privacy (Assignment 3B)

Prepaid cell phones should not be discontinued because criminals use them. We might as well discontinue guns, knives, alcohol and cars because criminals use them too. Prepaid cell phones are extremely useful when one is traveling out of the country, they are an inexpensive way for a few phone calls to a relative or loved one. Coming from experience, the first cell phone I ever owned was a prepaid flip phone that I bought with the money I had earned from reffing soccer games. My parents did not think cell phones would be useful for someone my age, this experience taught me to always strive for what I wanted no matter how long it took me. The desire for a cell phone motivated me to obtain my first job and helped me set goals for myself. Oh and guess what my mother hopped on the iPhone bandwagon the same time I did, it was my turn to tell her she was obsolete for this technology.

Privacy Issues: Location Tracking (Assignment 3B)

A dog and a cat are wild animals who run away on a regular basis whether it be after a squirrel, a car, or just to be free. Location trackers are very useful in this scenario, but humans are domesticated and have the ability to make decisions for themselves. We have rights to freedom and privacy, we should be allowed to disappear off the face of the earth at our own discretion. Stalking a person is a felony and can result in years of jail time, but following a persons every move on a GPS is okay because we are using technology? There are many risks involved with implanting a chip into the human body, it most likely requires a surgery where even the slightest mistake can be detrimental when an individual is under 5 years. The chip could malfunction jeopardizing lives  considering humans, on average, are made up of 50% water. Finally this chip could be abused very easily, hackers could find a way into your system and follow your every move, relatives or spouses could access your exact location without you knowing. On the other hand, if the government passed a law stating that ID chips are required in children under five years old it would yield drastic benefits. This would come close to eliminating Amber Alerts in search of missing children, milk cartons could have cartoons instead of an innocent lost soul. Kidnappers would be arrested almost immediately and pedophiles put in prison for the rest of their lives. I would support this bill only if children would be allowed the decision whether or not to keep the chip once they turned above the age of 5. In most cases I would not even consider passing this bill. GPS Shoes are a great invention and give individuals the right to choose whether or not they want to be followed, after all who doesn't have an extra pair of shoes laying around?

Living in a Networked World

When I first read the class description while choosing courses for the spring semester, it immediately stood out to me as one of the most relevant classes I could take at UNH. Since enrolling I have learned something new in class everyday, all in regards to technology. It started with something as simple as a Captcha and slowly grew into the creators of the internet. Another major topic of this class is the discussion of how the internet is beneficial and detrimental to the human society. We gain different perspectives from peers, adults, and even young children. These different perspectives make it easier to manage how many hours I spend using technology, and makes me less dependent on materials like my iPhone and laptop.