Module 13

Jaquelyn Hernandez

IST

11/25/12

Module 13

            In this Module we are to describe what we have learned in this class. I had learned many things in this class and it is hard to narrow down the things I have learned. We had studied the book “The world is Flat” By Thomas L. Friedman and learned from his point of view how the world is changing and that everywhere in the world people are catching up to an equal level.  Friedman began his book describing the differences in Globalization 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0. 1.0 is when Columbus set sail in 1492 and he opened a trade between the old world and the new world.  This action shrank the world from a large world into a medium one. 1.0 was about countries strength.

            “In 2.0 the world shrank once again. This era was from 1800 to 200, during the Great Depression and World wars 1 and 2. "In Globalization 2.0, the key agent of change, the dynamic force driving global integration, was multinational companies. These multinationals went global for markets and labor, spearheaded first by the expansion of the Dutch and English joint-Stock companies and the Industrial Revolution." (page 9).” (Jaquelyn Hernandez). 3.0 then shrank the world down again into a tiny small. During 3.0 people felt more like individuals and wanted to work together and work globally. We then learned about Netscape and how it was the first web browser to be created. It would allow anyone to get into the internet; it was the window that helped everyone learn about the world. It was also a large thing created in the 3.0 stage.

            The next subjects we learned about was Workflow software, Source Software and Outsourcing. Workflow software is software that allows computers and machines the ability to talk to each other. Source Software gives people the ability to create and upload their own software. Outsourcing is when a service is given to a person/company from an outside company or provider

            I later learned from The world is flat about offshore in China, supply chains and how Google affects businesses. Off-shoring is when a company is moved overseas into a new country that offers cheaper labor and that is what had been done to China. A supply chain is a system of organization of people, activities, and resources to create the ability of a product to come from the supplier to the customer.” Google has come to affect nearly all businesses. When you type something into Google’s look-up bar advertisements from hundreds of companies show up. Links to companies of anyone’s interest are setting up webpages, sending out advertisements and Google is supporting them on its pages and pull ups. Google has improved the ability to find companies; it helps companies succeed in ways that companies have never succeeded. “ (Jaquelyn Hernandez).

            These are only a few examples that I had learned in this course.  My overall reaction to the book The world is flat by Thomas L. Friedman is that it is a book that widens the mind on how our future may grow. The only thing that is keeping people away from the playing level is language and miles. The internet and technology has made it possible for people to connect and learn in a different way than we had before. Firedman’s book has open a window to understanding the changes created by technology. This book was over all good. 

Module 12

Jaquelyn Hernandez

IST

11/18/2012

Module 12, The Future.

            In this module we were assigned to read an article called “The Future doesn’t need us” published by Wired magazine in April 200. The author of the article is Bill Joy (William Nelson Joy). Joy expresses his concerns about development in modern technology. He believes that by continuing our fast growth with technology it could bring some risks to mankind.

Joy continues talking about his discussions with other people. How other people talk about the future being full of robots and people not having to do anything because robots and machines are already doing the job for them. His concern is that machines/robots/computers will turn on humans and think that we are useless.

Joy even begins to talk about GNR (Genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics). He beings explaining why he has such a fear for GNR. “(GNR)- are so powerful that they can spawn whole new classes of accidents and abuses. Most dangerously, for the first time, these accidents and abuses are widely within the reach of individuals or small groups.” Joy exposes his fear that GNR will be controlled by individuals or small groups in a negative way that can cause problems.

Joy states that “I think it is no exaggeration to say we are on the cusp of the further perfection of extreme evil…. To a surprising and terrible empowerment of extreme individuals.” Personally I believe in what joy states. The growth in technology has affected mankind. We now have terrorist that are able to hack their way through firewalls and passwords. We would not hand over all the power to machines/ computers/ and robots willingly.

However, if we expect them to ruin our life’s they will be able to find a reason why mankind should not be around. I believe that there should not be a point to cross. I believe that we should not relay on technology too much to the point where it does everything for us. In that way hopefully Joys fears will never come to be. 

Model 11, The Matrix

Jaquelyn Hernandez

IST

11/10/12

Model 11, The Matrix

In this assignment we were assign to watch a movie of our choice and describe how computers and networks are demonstrated in the film. I chose the Matrix, I have always had thought that the Matrix may be the reflection of our possible future.  In the Matrix, humans are being used as batteries. They are grown by computers to be used as devises, that is. As these people are being used unknowingly, their mentality is in an ultra-net world. These people believe that they are living a day to day life; however, they are truly in a program created by the computers.

The computers are dominant to humans; once the person lives up their life span and dies they are ‘flushed down’ in to the sewers. In the movie, there is a rebellion group of people that were able to get out of the program and escape the computers. These people fight back towards the computers with computer technology. Which I find a bit ironic because they are trying to fight the computers/machine with computers. Fight fire with fire?

The rebellion group waits around for the “one” (also known as Nio) who will defeat the computers and help man-kind. Nio realizes he is the ‘one’ and kicks some computer butt. The Matrix must have made people think, “what if we really are in the Matrix now?” It must have created a large scare to the public that one day (or even now) the matrix is going to happen or is happening.

In a way I do find it ridicules that man-kind would let computers go that out of hand. However, it is not unlikely for that to happen. We could be creating a better future that may just turn ugly. Computers will never have the ability to feel what a human can feel. They will never need to have to make an unreasonable choice. However, that is what science is trying to do. Create something that can relate to us; make something humanistic but with more possibility’s than human.  I believe, to a point, that this is wrong. Why create something humanistic when humans are everywhere…People will always have flaws, but why replace them with a program?

Short story, essay 10

Jaquelyn Hernandez

IST

11/4/12

Short Story, Essay 10

            In this short story “A Logic Named Joe” by Murray Leinster is a short story about a man nicked-named Ducky. He describes how computers, or logics, are involved in human lives. He describes how logics have changed civilization by giving people immediate information about anything and everything. However, much of this information is very bad. People begin researching on how to kill their wife’s or how to become sober unhealthily.

            It was predictable to see that computers/logics would be used to find negative information or would upload a person’s information without authorization from that person. In Ducky’s case, his computer cased his security. Ducky had gotten married and had children; however, his ex-girlfriend (who was married four times and shot one of her husbands) remembered Ducky from when they were together. She looked on her logic to find Ducky.

            As soon as she found Ducky though her computer, she immediately began to pressure him into getting married to her. Ducky was not willing to marry her and end up shot like one of her earlier husbands. It was very unpredictable as to what he was going to do next. He took his logic/computer and switched it with someone else’s logic/computer so that his ex-girlfriend would be unable to contact him or his wife. Ducky went home and put his logic where he would never need to use it.

                        It is unbelievable how well the story from the 1940’s was so on top of how computers work today. Ducky was basically using a webcam to talk to his ex-girlfriend when she called him though the computer. He was able to see her hotel room and see her ‘keeping her self cool’. The logics where even able to give him information about his neighbors and their personal information. The people from the 1940’s had amazing insight

Essay 9, the world is flat

Jaquelyn Hernandez

10/28/2012

IST

Essay 9, the world is flat

            In this chapter of The world is flat By Thomas L.Friedman, Friedman goes into more detail about how the world is becoming flatter. In this chapters Friedman speaks about subjects that prove his theory about the world becoming flat. Friedman speaks about how Dell builds their laptop, if al-Qaeda has a supply Chain, and why the curse of oil is.

            In this chapter I was very amused on how Dell builds their laptops. Dell will never run out of supplies for their computers, they have suppliers from all over the world. Dell laptops can be modified in the company to a customer liking and then sent to the customer. Dell even has an intelligent way of managing their supply links. A customer could be buying a 70 GD HDD but Dell will offer a larger HDD for only a few dollars more. Thus, they are never jammed with too many supplies and they continue with their sell chain.

                Friedman even goes into detail about whether or not al-Qaeda has a supply chain or not. To answer this, the al-Qaeda does have a chain. It is a traditional supply chain to influence other people to join their beliefs. By having this ability the Al-Qaeda can use the flat world to recruit more people and attack using technology.

                The Curse of oil is brought up by Friedman in his chapter. The Curse of oil is when there is an Abundance of natural sources. Because of the large amount of natural resources the culture most likely has less growth economically.  Also, due to the fact that the countries are on such rich natural area most leaders lose their morals and tend to care less about their people and more about money. People become neglected because there is no supply to them, they are only the suppliers. 

Essay 8

Jaquelyn Hernandez

1100 IST

10/21/2012

Module 8 Essay, How have computers been useful to me.

            Computers are useful in many ways; they help us learn new information globally. Computers help entertain us and they can help us communicate with each other from long distances. Computers have also been helpful to me and varies of ways. You could even say that computers helped me learn how to spell and read.

            Due to the fact that I had very strong ADD when I was younger, I did not have the focus to learn things that my teachers where teaching me. I did not learn to read or write properly until I was older, by that time I had begun the launch off of the new technology area. I soon was able to understand my spelling problems and used Google to find the correct word that I was attempting to spell. Using computers to learn what I hadn't been able to do before was extremely helpful.

            During my life I have lived in many different places; German, Utah, D.C, Mexico, and Hungary. During my travels I had made many friends that I would have to move away from. Computers gave me the ability to keep in contact with them though emails, Facebook, and MySpace (I no longer have a MySpace). However, because of my computer I was able to keep in contact with my close friends though an easy way that wasn't too time consuming.

            Computers are wonderful for nearly everything, learning, keeping in contact with friends and even knowing what’s going on globally. I have many friends around the world, when I hear on the news that Japan had an earthquake I could not help but wish for my friends that are there to be ok. By having a computer I was able to contact them through email and discover that they were all safe. Computers are even able to give you large amounts of logic and information, with this information we are able to learn how to deal with live problems without even having to go through them.

            Computers are extremely important in my life and I am very lucky to have been born in such a time where information is at my fingertips. 

Essay 7

Jaquelyn Hernandez

Essay 7

IST

10/14/12

The world is flat, Essay 7

            In these pages of the world is flat by Thomas L. Friedman, Friedman moves forward in showing his discoveries of how many things have “flatten” the world.  In these pages Friedman reviews how some countries or regions do better in things then other countries or regions, what self-directed consumers are, and what a globalization means Americanization. All of these subjects help Friedman explain how the world becomes flat due to these subjects.

            One may not think that there would be a large difference in how countries or regions organize their businesses. However, the large difference in them shows their ability to expand or outsources their product/company’s.  Many companies are at the same level, due to the fact that the world is becoming flatter and all companies are starting to play at the same playing field.  Globalization brings all companies to the same level as well. However, many companies are still at a low point. But it isn’t a condescending attitude attacking these companies, it’s just as they are.

            Self-Directed consumers are consumer that are giving the ability to customize their products in a certain way that they approve. Consumers no longer need to go with the black computer or read computer, they are now able to customize it in any way they wish. It changes the playing field very sharply because now companies need to have the ability to let their customers control what they want for their product. If they do not, then they may lose the consumer all together. I am a Self-directed consumer, I enjoy having my objects customized to my liking.

Americanization means taking immigrants and turning them into Americans. Even if the immigrants wanted to change or not. While globalization means ‘growth to a worldwide scale’. Though it may sound like globalization means Americanization it doesn’t mean it has to. There are many American companies outsourcing and taking over companies in other countries, however, there are companies that are also taking over American companies. Globalization is influencing the world, which many companies and countries do. Not just the Americans. Though the two (Americanization and globalization) may seem similar, they do not completely define each other.