HTML Adventure

         We had to create a simple web page with HTML for our class assignment. I had read the instructions various times and it felt so overwhelming since I don’t know much about webpages or some of the things mentioned. It felt so intimidating, and I honestly was dreading even trying to do it because I just felt so lost. After going to class today and having our professor talk about HTML a little bit more and explain that we needed to use a text editor it made a little more sense, I at least knew where to start. I got home and after failing multiple times and not getting anywhere I decided to watch some videos and read my notes. I opened the Text Editor app on my laptop I didn’t even know existed and typed in the simple codes we learned in class. I kept getting frustrated because I would type it but when I would try to open it on my browser nothing would happen. Just as I was about to call it quits, I read over my notes one last time and realized I was not saving it as an HTML file! I felt silly because our professor emphasized this, but I got so hung up on other details I forgot the most important part. After so much frustration I finally got it to say Hello World! When I pasted it on the browser. I felt so happy and relieved because after so many failed attempts I was ready to quit. Who knew creating a simple web page with HTML would be so difficult yet bring me a little spark of joy I didn’t even know I needed today.  

CYBERCRIME

      We spent our class time discussing various types of cybercrime and attacks, it was shocking to see all the live time cyber-attacks going in, not just in our country but all over the world. I have definitely been a victim of cybercrime, one of them being Phishing. About a year ago, I had sent a package through the post office like I have many times, but this time after I sent out the package, I got a text message the next day. This particular text message seemed to be sent from the U.S. Post office and it said my package could not be delivered until I updated some information. This was a very important package, so I clicked the link and updated my personal information, I then called the post office to make sure everything was good to go and they told me the post office does not send messages. It was then that I realized it was a phishing scam and had to contact my bank and credit bureau to report it. 

     Another cybercrime we discussed I have been a part of was a data breach, I don’t know how common this is nowadays, but I feel like I have received a few letters in the past years stating my information was a part of a data breach, it’s terrifying how common this has become these days. I have also been affected by online fraud, specifically credit card fraud. I am not sure how this happened but somehow an individual got a hold of my credit card information and spent about $600 at a GameStop website. Luckily, my bank sent me a message about recent transactions, and I realized what was going on. I was able to get that money back but having to worry about cyber-attacks is stressful so taking action to protect ourselves is vital.   

AI ML and Convergence

     In class, we discussed how disintermediation and the convergence of technologies lead to many changes and innovations. This brought to reflect on how Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) may disrupt society and how they could create new opportunities or shrink positions in our society. One way AI could disrupt our society is by impacting job placement, many jobs in automation could be replaced by these new technologies causing mass unemployment in our society. AI and ML could also cause a change in literature and other forms of art since people could use them to create, this could eventually replace authors and directors if AI is able to create work at a higher standard. 

    Although AI and ML could impact us in negative ways and minimize positions in society it could also create opportunities. One of these opportunities could be that AI and ML could serve as a resource for those who may be disadvantaged to learn new skills and information. AI could also be a tool for professionals in analyzing and diagnosing, especially in the medical and psychological fields. Another possible opportunity with the convergence of this technology is the creation of new job roles to fulfill our new society with AI and ML in our daily lives. This new technological era we are experiencing comes with various changes, and impacts but also great opportunities. I am excited and a little nervous to see how much our world will change and how our society will evolve with the convergence of ML and AI.

Dot.com to Dot.bomb

     In class we had a lecture we discussed the technological revolution of the 90’s to the present day. We discussed 5 different stages of this revolution, an innocent beginning. The boom, insanity, the bust, and the crawl back to sanity. It was interesting to learn about how rapidly things changed from great to terrible. I found it fascinating how certain companies such as CompuServe, Yahoo and AOL were doing so well in the beginning of this revolution. Then suddenly after so much success and growth, the bust happened. Many companies went bankrupt, I can’t even imagine what the people working in these companies must have felt. From working in a company with incredible successes and security to suddenly losing it all.  This also reminded me of the documentary Startup.com and how they started off great during the boom, but then suddenly they lost everything.     

    This lecture made me reflect on how rapidly things can change on the web, and how companies need to evolve, or they will not survive. It also gave me a better understanding of the early technological revolution in the 90s that I was not aware of.  It makes me wonder if anything like this could happen again now that AI is so prevalent, and if companies don’t adjust and move rapidly to adopt some form of AI. I wonder If AI will impact companies in other ways and if it will benefit them or negatively impact their business. Overall, I found this lecture very interesting, and helped me understand the technological revolution. 

StartUp.com

     The documentary StartUp.com (2001) follows the story of Kaleil Tuzman and Tom Herman, they came up with the idea of Govworks.com where people can pay for parking tickets and such online. Throughout the film, they encounter many challenges that they were not prepared for not just in their professional life but also in their personal life. I think this documentary shines a light on the reality of starting up a company on the web, it’s not as simple as just having an idea. It requires a lot more than many think, and this film shows the harsh reality of entrepreneurship on the web. 

I think Kaleil and Tom had a great idea but did not execute it in the best way possible. In a way they were naive but it's understandable since not many people at the time knew how to start up a business online. I think knowledge on starting up a business online nowadays is more available, which is beneficial for other young people who may want to start a business online like Tuzman and Herman. There are so many resources online and videos that could assist new entrepreneurs.  In relation to how it may impact your personal life, not much is talked about on this so although this film came out in 2001, it may still be relevant, and it can show the reality of what the journey to being an entrepreneur can look like. Also, how it can affect relationships and other aspects of life. 

Reflection on Guest Speaker

     In class, we had a guest speaker, Erick Hanberg, an entrepreneur who has worked for multiple tech companies. He talked about how he has written and self-published multiple books in his career. Erick mentioned how the web has made this a lot easier for him and how companies such as Amazon have made him a more successful author. The use of online Ads and the ability to self-publish have also contributed to his success.  What I found the most fascinating was when he talked about how certain authors have started to incorporate the use of AI into their work. Although he is not interested in using AI for his books, he did show us examples of prompts he gave to AI. Some of the stories generated by AI were not the best, but one of the ones he demonstrated by AI Claude was actually pretty good.  

    This made me ponder how AI impacts authors and other aspects of media such as film. Currently, what AI has created is not as great as what humans can make but is still very impressive. I wonder if with time, AI will be indistinguishable from humans and if it could eventually take over what humans make such as art, music, books, and film. It’s exciting and terrifying to think about what AI will be able to do. There are so many possibilities for what our world could look like, and this discussion from our guest speaker truly made me stop and think about what our world could look like with AI. 

Scavenger Hunt

 This week in class we paired up with a partner and completed a class scavenger hunt. This particular scavenger hunt was based on certain things we had to find searching on the web. I found the things we had to find very interesting they varied from itineraries to more specific information. I often forget how much information is available online, such as personal information. For example, I found it kind of creepy how when I googled myself all my past addresses were available to include the address of the house my husband and I recently bought, it also included when we bought the house and how much we paid for it. It seems like all this information that is out there is so normal to us that we forget how cool and scary that actually is. If someone wanted to, they could easily find out so much information about you, to include your address and contact information! 

On the other hand, having all this information available to us could be incredibly beneficial. We have become so accustomed to all this information that we take it for granted. I can’t even imagine how different our world would be if we used the web to learn new things and create new innovations rather than just spend our time on social media. The web is such an incredible tool, it’s hard to think about the times it wasn’t around since ever since it’s been around since I could remember. I wonder how different it may look in a few years.