We're Getting Better at Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity has been one of the hottest topics and skills over the last couple years. Cybersecurity refers to the protection of valuable IT assets. Although computers have been around since 1975, the access to a globally interconnected network and new technologies have been reasons of why computers have more threats than before, when they were practically 100% vulnerable to threats.

Nowadays, companies are investing heavily in recruiting of cybersecurity experts that will help them locate and manage risk in a preventive way and not a mainly reactive way.

According to a report by Fire Eye early in 2018, companies are getting better at identifying security threats before there is a report from an affected persona.

Another important fact is that now in 2018, hackers have only as much as 1/4 of the time they had in 2011. These advancements are critical for the continuous development of technology and our trust on it. The reason behind hackers having way much less time is that 64% of the security breaches are being identified internally compared to only 6% in 2011.

https://www.axios.com/surprise-were-getting-better-at-cybersecurity-b623204c-7499-4b83-8e19-7a4dcc2dfdee.html

Internet Service Providers in The United States

In an ever increasingly connected and fast-paced world, it has become more and more pressing that we have access to high-speed internet connections. Although the United States was one of the first pioneers for the world wide web, they currently place 10^th in average internet connection speeds. There are a few reasons why the United States has been slow to adopt new connectivity technologies, such as fiber optic cables. First, the United States is a wide spanning land mass with populations dispersed throughout, connecting so many people over such long distances requires massive investments in infrastructure. Second, the United States allows public companies to sell internet access as a private good and not as a utility. This allows these private companies to provide different levels of service and holds them accountable to private shareholders who’s primary objective is to get a return on their investment. Finally, the United States has allowed these private companies to essentially become monopolies, which lowers competition and disincentives these companies from making large infrastructure investments.

               Many of the countries that place above the United States for internet connectivity are densely populated and geographically are much smaller areas than the United States. The United States has a population of approximately 325.7 million people, spread out over a geographic region of 3.797 million square miles. The combination of the large population spread out over such a wide land mass makes it difficult for Internet Service Providers to provide internet access to everybody in a way that is still profitable for their shareholders. A widespread problem for Internet Service Providers is known as the last mile, this problem basically explains that building out the highways for the internet isn’t the hard part, however connecting all the residential neighborhoods is extremely difficult and costly. The cost to connect the major hubs of the United States was subsidized by the Federal government, however these Internet Service Providers have put off connecting all the residential neighborhoods because such an undertaking would be extremely costly. This hurts their position with their shareholders and because of the monopolistic nature of the industry, they don’t feel the need to do so due to the low levels of competition they experience.

               Due to the nature of public companies, they are held responsible to their shareholders to provide them with a return on their investment. This means that investments in infrastructure that would not be cost-efficient, such as connecting residential neighborhoods throughout, cannot be undertaken without questioning by their shareholders. Shareholders would rather the company hold on to that money and invest it in more cost-efficient and investments that would make the company more money. In other countries, such as Sweden, internet access is subsidized by the government and is treated as a utility rather than as a private good. This meant that a healthy amount of competition and publicly funded investments in the infrastructure allowed these countries to build out their internet infrastructure and provide internet access in a more consumer friendly way. Internet access has become so essential to the day to day life of both individuals and businesses and treating it as anything less than a utility makes it quite inefficient.

               In the United States, there’s an incredible amount of regulation and laws put in place that raise the barrier of entry for internet service providers. This means that a few companies own the access rights to a majority of the internet infrastructure that currently exists. The cost for a new internet service provider to build out a new set of cables to provide internet access is so high that even the highly profitable company Alphabet Inc, which is the parent company of Google, is unable to make the required investments. If one of the most profitable companies is unable to compete with the monopoly that existing internet service providers have, then the level of competition that can exist for the existing internet service providers is almost nonexistent.

Sources: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Internet_connection_speeds

http://www.businessinsider.com/internet-isps-competition-net-neutrality-ajit-pai-fcc-2017-4

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/bjdjd4/100-million-americans-only-have-one-isp-option-internet-broadband-net-neutrality

Smartphones - Are They Fueling Progress, or Hindering Our Lives?

Smartphones are apart of daily life in today’s culture. We are constantly using these devices to talk, text, surf the web, and even pay for our groceries. These gadgets have changed the world completely. The issue that presents itself is whether these devices are doing more harm than good.

According to data collected by Apple, iPhone users pull out their phones around 80 times a day. This is approximately 30,000 times over a year period. Our minds are becoming addicted to these devices and are dependent on them. One study that I found exceptionally interesting included 41 iPhone users that showed signs of high blood pressure, increased pulse, and decline in problem solving skills whenever their phone buzzed or beeped. These results were quite shocking and show that this type of technology has some sort of an impact on our brains. Another study went on to show how just the presence of smartphones can cause our intellect to decline rapidly. In this particular study, they divided 520 undergraduate students and tested their intellectual acuity with two separate tests. One group was placed in a room with their phones on the table, another group was told to put their phones in their pocket or bags, and the last group was told to place their phones in a separate room. The results of the study concluded that just the presence of smartphones had a decent effect on our intelligence. Those that had the phones on the tables did the worst followed by those that had them in their pocket or bag. Those that placed the devices in a separate room scored the highest.

Based on these studies, one can surmise that smartphones have the potential to do more harm than good to cause obstacles in daily life. While we have a lot of technology in these smartphones, the real question here is if we would be better off without them. If we are constantly faced with anxiety and endless distractions, are we reaching our potential as human beings?

Please write your opinions below.

Sources: https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-smartphones-hijack-our-minds-1507307811

Electronic cleaning of the Oceans

Electronic cleaning of the Oceans: 

  Today in the world, we have toy cars, Tupperware containers, plastic wrap and many more objects that have helped make life on land for humans better. These objects made out of plastic and non biodegradable materials might make everyday life for us better, but who is feeling the downside? Mother Earth is.

According to National Geographic there is “5.25 Trillion Pieces and Counting” of trash in the oceans. In the Pacific Ocean there is a garbage mass that has been estimated to be the double the size of Texas. The thing with trash is no one wants it, so when it is hundreds of miles away in the ocean, no one is racing to go clean it all up. With technology making production of the trash easier, is their any technology helping get rid of the trash?

Introducing the Seabin project.

The SeaBin project was started by two friends who where surfers. One day they realized how much trash they swam and surfed into and had finally had enough. Their goal is to "Save the Ocean" by deploying their "Seabins". These Seabins are a combination of technology and passion to save the ocean. 

How does it work?

"Water is sucked in from the surface and passes through a catch bag in side the Seabin, with a submersible water pump capable of displacing 25.000 Lph (liters per hour), plugged directly into 110/220 V outlet. The water is then pumped back into the marina leaving litter and debris trapped in the catch bag."

Look more into the Seabin at http://seabinproject.com/ 

Questions:

1.This is basic technology being used to help the environment, what other ways can you think of?

2. On a larger scale can you think of any way how connecting a processor that communicates to a database to these seabins could help clean up more sea trash?

Source:

http://www.slate.com/articles/video/video/2015/12/a_clever_new_automatic_ocean_trash_collection_system_called_the_seabin_is.html

http://seabinproject.com/ 

Using AI to 'Predict' Gang-Related Crimes

Analysts are using artificial intelligence to help police officers to identify crimes and spot out the ones that are gang-related. Jeffrey Brantingham, a professor at UCLA in anthropology, presented studies using a neural network to predict if crimes are gang-related. The final intention of the project is “to automatically classify gang-related crimes where some crucial pieces of crime information are not currently available or are missing.”

The AI essentially notifies police if someone is a member of a gang or have a history of gang-related charges. Gang members face harsher prison sentences and prohibited to communicate or access certain people and places. These technologies are being adopted across the country in the hope of reducing gang-related incidents, For example, elementary schools in New Mexico are implementing face recognition to ban gang members from entering. In Chicago, police even use these technologies to predict the possibility of someone either engaging in or being a victim of gang-related gun violence.

However, this practice also faces criticism.  Christo Wilson, assistant professor in computer and information science at Northeastern University, points out that the AI's predictions could be biased if the LAPD's gang classification is biased. “Now, maybe the LAPD is 100 percent objective in their determinations of what is and is not gang-related, but if they are not, then the algorithm is going to reproduce their errors and biases,” Wilson told the reporter.

While the research is still in experimental stage, policing work is in the trend of becoming more automatic. “Hot spot” policing uses computational methods to send police to geographic locations to anticipate crimes, changing simple patrolling. License plate readers provide a host of information on drivers, and police have looked into autonomous driving vehicles that ticket speeding drivers. The end goal of Brantingham’s research is to remove the need for police officers to do manual paperwork entirely.

Questions:
1. Would AI in policing to predict crime increase racial profiling?
2. Is there privacy concern when police gathering increasing amount of data on citizens?
3. How to ensure AI classifications are created unbiased?

Sources: 
https://gizmodo.com/researchers-want-to-use-ai-to-predict-when-crimes-are-g-1825602023
https://www.cais.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/AIES_2018_paper_93.pdf
https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/26/17285058/predictive-policing-predpol-pentagon-ai-racial-bias
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8012853-axon-artificial-intelligence-ai-ethics-board/

Technology with ADHD

Technology habits and distractions is a very interesting topic. Technology is widely assumed to help with education. However that you for the general public. The Center for Disease Control says that almost 11% of children in the United States of America suffer from the disorder known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD. ADHD is a disorder that effects the brain of individuals who have it. Simply put people with ADHD have a supremely hard time with focusing on anything that they do not find interesting.

For these children technology is not always helpful and can be harmful. Children with ADHD are prone to over-connect with technology. They are far more attached to TV, video games as well as computers. They are 25% more likely to succumb to internet addiction. Extraordinary levels of screen time has shown to lead to multiple problems for people with ADHD.

Poor performance in school is a result of too much technology for students with ADHD. Almost 90% of all teachers said that technology is creating shorter and shorter attention spans. This is horrible new for kids with ADHD who already have basically no attention span for things they don’t find interesting, things such as school.

ADHD is a disorder that so many people struggle to cope with, the fact that technology is hurting them more and more is horrible to hear about. Many people struggle with the concept of ADHD but its real and people diagnosed need help to learn. Technology has done the opposite.

Questions

1.      How can technology be better used to help Kids with ADHD ?

2.      How can society fight technology addiction?

Sources:

http://www.chadd.org/AttentionPDFs/ATTN_06_15_TooMuchScreenTime.pdf

https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/facts-statistics-infographic

'Seeing' Artificial Intelligence

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about how technology is growing so rapidly, but still leaving a lot of people behind. Tons of tech companies and start-ups are creating devices and apps that facilitate our day-to-day lives; however, not a lot of them are creating super high-level technology specifically for those with disabilities. Additionally, even though many companies are embarking and taking on corporate social responsibility initiatives in developing countries, so much of the global population still lacks basic access to technology. I’m glad that societal pressures and even the way the stock market operates has pushed companies to take on corporate social responsibility initiatives, but I think it's sad that what holds many of them back a lot of the time is the lack of profit that comes from simply doing good.

Recently, Microsoft released Seeing AI glasses. This video tells the touching story of how this technology came to be.

The grounds for this initiative came from a Microsoft developer, Saqib Shaikh, that lost his own sight at age 7. He learned how to code himself with the help of a computer created specifically for those without sight. He then created the foundation for the code that allowed for these incredible glasses that take in the environment and relays to their user what's around them. They can even do so much as relay the expression and mood of a person the user is conversing with. This technology has the means to totally transform the quality of life for thousands without the privilege of site. However, it took a blind man to envision such a technology. I think it's amazing that Microsoft went about the creation of these glasses. As a large corporation, they have the means (resources and money) to actually do and create amazing products that can change the world. In fact, lots of giant corporations have such means. People with disabilities and those in developing companies should be able to advocate for themselves like this incredible man. 

Recently, I read an article from the MIT Technology Review on how AI can further  "level the playing" field for those with disabilities. Companies like Facebook and Youtube are rolling out image and video recognition algorithms. The article discusses Liat Kaver, a product manager at YouTube who is deaf, saying,

"Machine learning is giving people like me that need accommodation in some situations the same independence as others." -Liat Kaver

I think progress like this is genuinely changing the world for the better, and personally I would love to be a part of an initiative like this that could make an impact on lives.

Questions:
1. Do you think that the growing importance of CSR initiatives at large corporations is what is driving lots of companies to do good? If so, does that change your perspective on the good that they do?
2. Do you think that these technologies would end up being too costly anyway to actually make an impact on the larger population?

Sources:
http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-seeing-ai-app-photos-video-2017-7/#the-seeing-ai-app-has-other-applications-such-as-working-in-groups-9

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603899/machine-learning-opens-up-new-ways-to-help-disabled-people/

Blockchain - Samsung's Adoption to Track Their Global Supply Chain

Blockchain technology is changing the way many companies are going about their operations. Many companies are adopting the Bitcoin pioneered methodology of blockchain's open ledger transactions. Although this concept has been a big topic throughout this course, for those of you who are still struggling to understand the concept here is another quick video to help you grasp the concept.

 
Many major corporations are considering the use of blockchain technology to better manage various operations throughout their company. Samsung SDS the world's largest producer of smartphones and semiconductors believes blockchain technology will allow them to cut shipping costs by 20 percent. Song Kwang-woo, Vice President of Samsung, recently stated, "It will have an enormous impact on the supply chains of manufacturing industries... Blockchain is a core platform to fuel our digital transformation."

Samsung being South Korea's largest conglomerate was backed in by the South Korea government to implement blockchain technology nation wide to record their imports and exports. Samsung developed their own blockchain platform Nexledger over a year ago and implemented in May, 2017. Nexledger was tested on South Korea's shipping logistics companies, state-run research centers, and various government authorities over a 7 month period. Samsung released all of their research finding to the public and concluded it as complete success.

The findings were revolutionary for B2B shipping and logistics transactions. Traditionally in the shipping industry paperwork must travel back and forth between the shipper and where the cargo would be shipped to which takes time, trust, and human coordination. With the implementation of blockchain technology this whole process is automated reducing all of those factors significantly.

However, blockchain can be used further beyond just the facilitation of just the paperwork for shipping transactions. When shipping cargo such as produce, new blockchain ledgers better track data on the position, temperature, and humidity increasing the time and transparency of the cargo which reduces issues during shipment.

Now, over the next year Samsung expects to facilitate over 488,000 tons of just air cargo in the next year to provide the displays for the new Galaxy S9, Note 9, and iPhoneX. With the implementation of blockchain technology Samsung can more efficiently respond to shipments ramping up launch times of new devices to be in the hands of end users.

As an MIS and OM major the implementation of blockchain in logistics is very fascinating to me because I believe it will completely change the industry and way shipping operations are done.  Blockchain will change the way many organizations, governments, and institutions operate. To conclude my post I will leave you with what I think is the most eye opening statement that I came across. Gartner inc., an American research and advisory firm on IT related topics, predicts that by 2025 blockchain-related businesses will create over $176 billion of value.

I hope you learned a thing or two from my post feel free to comment, agree, or disagree with me!

Sources:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-15/samsung-jumps-on-blockchain-bandwagon-to-manage-its-supply-chain

https://www.ccn.com/samsung-electronics-turns-to-blockchain-to-manage-its-global-supply-chains/

https://www.ccn.com/samsung-sds-successfully-pilots-blockchain-tech-koreas-shipping-industry/




  

Blockchain Technology's Impact on Information

Blockchain is the digitized decentralization of information and can be used in a variety of fields to ensure that information is valid; for example, blockchain technology first made headlines as a disruptive technology with it's link to Bitcoin transactions, as transactions were logged chronologically and stored on individual computers, eliminating the need for a centralized record keeping. This invasive concept has since made it's way into other technological fields. Take a minute or two to view this video on how blockchain technolgy works: How Blockchain Works


One example of blockchain's multidimensional usage is in video content sharing. Prior to the blockchain invasion, video content sharing sites like Netflix, HBO, and Amazon dominated the means for sharing and viewing video content like television shows, movies, and streams. And with respect to these vendors, they still dominate this industry. However, experts claim that as blockchain technology becomes the norm and people adapt to the variety of uses that blockchain can offer, it is highly likely that the need for a centralized sharing site will diminish.


Furthermore, blockchain technology will become the norm for almost all internet transactions, ranging from video content sharing to authentication of voter's identity. This technology will undoubtedly improve the means of internet usage, as security measures can expand to all internet users, ensuring that the validity of content as well as the source of where the content was found. As blockchain technology becomes more widely accepted, it will surely alter the way we use the internet.


Questions:

1. Can you think of somethings that blockchain technology can improve? 
2. How likely are you to accept blockchain validation of content? 

Virtual Reality in the Medical Field

          Hi class, today I would like to share my findings on virtual reality, especially on how virtual reality has changed the medical field. Our generation has been enjoying so many benefits that technology brought to our lives since we were born. Now, with the development of virtual reality, our lives will be even better. We all know that the VR market keeps expanding, and big companies like Microsoft has created many interesting games which can put the user actually in the game itself. However, VR technology is doing something greater than that which many of us do not know. That is its application in the medical field.

          VR  has been used in the medical field to help patients with pain management, reduce anxiety and cravings, and make children feel like at home. Recently, the VR healthcare market was predicted to reach 5 billion dollars in 10 years. I believe this technology will benefit human greatly and save many more lives.

          Let us take a closer look at an example of VR in medical training.

          The medical training usually takes a long time, and more importantly, it requires real models(aka dead bodies), such us surgery perform training. With VR, you can practice the same thing over and over again without using a body each time. Can you imagine how many resources could be saved? Since 2015, some universities have been studying the use of VR in medical training.

          Students do best with hands-on experience. In the future,  I believe VR will be used in every area of study.

Threats of Voice Activated Devices

When we hear the words “voice recognition”, we immediately think of Siri and Alexa. These two products are used for your average everyday task. Along with these common devices, voice recognition is now being used for disabled people to communicate. According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, approximately 20 million homes own a voice-activated assistance device. Since so many of our devices are voice activated, there are vulnerabilities that come with them.

According to a study at the University of Alabama Birmingham, any voice-activated software is susceptible to voice impersonation attacks. These impersonators can gain access to your voice through something as simple as a spam phone call. Having the access to one of the home devices can lead to a complete breach of any other device on the same network or in the home.

Another negative factor to these devices is that anyone can control it. Devices that can control appliances in your home can be controlled by any voice. This allows someone with malicious intent to have control over your home electronics while you’re not there. We are becoming so reliant on technology that these threats don’t cross our minds but we have to understand the vulnerabilities that come with our electronic devices.

In these modern times, speech recognition is transforming at a rapid pace. Although they are used for small tasks, these devices aren’t under full protection against hackers and malicious activity. We don’t realize how much information is stored on our phone and electronic devices but if someone wants access, they can easily hack in, wiping our phone and compromising the specific device.

Questions:

1.     Do you think these devices will ever be secure?

2.     Have you ever been a victim of hacking through voice recognition?

3.     What preventive measures need to be taken if you own one of these devices?

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/hey-alexa-how-secure-are-voice-activated-assistants-you-n824566

http://resources.infosecinstitute.com/security-vulnerabilities-of-voice-recognition-technologies/

US Internet Speeds Vs International Speeds

US Internet providers have been improving the speeds they offer however the US is still behind when it comes to top average speeds. According to Speedtest’s Global Index, the US ranks 12th for fixed broadband and 45th for mobile internet. The US average broadband speed is pretty good at approximately 77 Mbps while mobile speeds are severely lacking at an average of only 27 Mbps. 73% of US households had access to broadband service in 2016 meaning that 1 in 4 households didn’t (Fortune, 2017). That improved to almost 88% in 2017 according to Internet World Stats. The US needs to improve its mobile Internet speeds because we pay the 6th highest amount per month for mobile Internet (Forbes, 2017). If I were to discuss this further, would look at what technology improvements are happening with internet providers/ mobile carriers.

Along with continuing to improve internet speeds, the US needs to work on increasing access to quality internet providers. Many people in the US still do not have internet access. This limits what they are able to do in an ever-advancing world. Children are not able to do their homework and adults are unable to apply for jobs, pay bills, or do other things that make life easier in a modern world. Improving Internet speeds and increasing access in not enough, the US ISPs need to work on lowering the price that they are charging for Internet access. Many people do no have access because it is simply too expensive.

Why are some possible reasons for ISPs to charge higher prices compared to what other countries charge for comparable speeds?

Do you think the US government should step in and do something about pricing and ease of access?

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinmurnane/2017/08/14/speedtest-ranks-internet-access-speed-in-more-than-100-countries/#67f65c3465b5

http://fortune.com/2017/06/02/internet-speed-akamai-survey/

http://www.speedtest.net/global-index

http://www.internetworldstats.com/top20.htm