Week 3 EOC: 3 x Internet

The wave of the future is mobile. Gaming, surfing the internet, productivity, you name it. People want to take what they love and what they have to do with them, and they want it to be fast and convenient. “Cell phones and cell-phone radio towers send packets of digital information back and forth to each other via radio waves. In the case of a phone call, the packets of information carry voice data.” (How Stuff Works) The integration of internet with all the features of a palm-top computer is becoming the most prominent aspect of internet use.

One of the most standard means of accessing the internet is by DSL, or Digital Subscriber’s Line. It is a fast, dedicated line, the same as a normal telephone line or POTS, which using the standard copper wiring to transmit the digital signal. “DSL exploits this "extra capacity" to carry information on the wire without disturbing the line's ability to carry conversations.” (How Stuff Works) In many ways DSL is the preferred method of home internet access due to its ability to provide good, “high speed” internet access though it does have its limitations in terms of how much bandwidth it can funnel through at high speeds. Overall it is a reliable and moderately fast internet connection.

The final, and technically fastest way of accessing the internet is through use of cable internet. Unlike DSL, Cable works of the digital TV cable lines. It also provides for a faster connection speed with a higher bandwidth than DSL. “When a cable company offers Internet access over the cable, Internet information can use the same cables because the cable modem system puts downstream data -- data sent from the Internet to an individual computer -- into a 6-MHz channel.” (How Stuff Works) Another main difference is while DSL is a slower line with narrower bandwidth, Cable shares its high bandwidth with a community of internet connections. So if you have a cable modem then you are sharing your connection speed (depending on the time of day) with up to 100 other internet users. This makes the choice of internet options wholly dependent upon when you surf the internet, and what your usage type is.

Week 2 EOC: Internet Privacy

As the internet flourishes amongst the masses, one of the main trials and concerns that face not only everyday people, but also businesses, organizations, and an overall social atmosphere. Privacy and security have been, and will continue to be a hot-button issue as the internet continues to evolve. “It involves the exercise of control over the type or amount of information that persons reveal about themselves on the Internet and who may access such information.” (Wikipedia) A mainstay on the list is of course identity theft, which is an unfortunate state where a person assumes (usually digitally) the identity of another person in order to gain access to certain resources such as money (or some other tangible or intangible item).

Another interesting take on internet privacy can be interpreted as an attack of a different kind, not from hackers or those wishing to unlawfully use resources that don’t belong to them, but from those supposedly looking out for the people; the government. “Free speech is only possible if anonymity is possible. Internet privacy means internet anonymity or "pseudonymity." But this would be natural, were it not for government intervention.” (www.lewrockwell.com) In different circles, freedom is a far more important commodity than even personal safety. Allowing government agencies or the government itself to read any email they want, or bypass personal security in the interests of “keeping everyone safe,” can be interpreted in itself as a breach of personal freedom and the right to privacy.

Any way that you look at the issue it’s simple. People have the right to both privacy in keeping their own information private and secure, as well as security in being safe from harm from those who would wish it upon them. There are of course legal considerations that must be taken into account in an argument such as this, but that is where we walk a fine line.

Week 1 EOC: What is the Internet?

Even though it was started as a simple means of research and interdepartmental communication, the Internet itself is a community. It has become, in modern times, a sounding board, an informational outpost, a house of debauchery, a bastion of learning, and a place of fun simultaneously. It has become all of that and much more, even more than just about any imagination can fathom, and that is because it is comprised of every type of person (more or less) on this planet, each from their own individual place on it. “Although all these types of organizations are important for holding together the Internet, at the heart of the Internet are individual local networks.” (Gralla, Troller, p. 7). This world-wide community of people has laid claim to their rights from freedom of expression and information and they won’t be letting go of it anytime soon. In fact, the age of technology has embraced it, as we see more and more pieces of normal life being transferred into virtual, digital representations of ourselves and what people used to do “in the olden days.” Some may called it strange. Some may call it pathetic or antisocial. Some may hate technology and find difficulty in the inevitable change that comes with life. But whatever you wish to call it, at least call it progress. Personally, I may not have found my taste for Facebook and Twitter, but millions upon millions of other people have, and number do not lie as the money rolls in to business made of nothing but tiny pieces of code, 1’s and 0’s that somehow, amazingly end up as perceivably tangible things in front of us that we can see and experience. What is the Internet? Change. Electricity. Binary code. Whatever it is, it’s a community.

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

For the past seven years following my graduation from Seattle University with a degree in English, Creative Writing, I diverged from the path of writing and worked as a graphic designer. After years in the industry I have a desire to move onward and upward in my own experience. Now as a Web Designer I am working towards bridging the growing gap between graphic art and communication over the World Wide Web. I am also working towards finishing writing my first science fiction novel which will be completed soon. My goal in this industry has been to use design to effectively display the true nature of the company in a clean and clear way that optimally represents to mission and personality of the company. During this pursuit I have worked as the creative director for both a nationwide hospitality and room service company, as well as a regional holistic healthcare center. As a writer, I have been working towards completing and publishing science fiction and fantasy novels for the past ten years. Until recently have I given up my pursuits before the job was finished. But now I have found drive and work ethic, combined with a great story that is pushing me through to the end.