Week #7 - Internet Security

Our lives are becoming increasingly intertwined with the Internet. Our day to day lives are documented in the vines of social media. Confidential information such as our financial information are encrypted within the codes every time we shop online.

The thought that someone can easily bypass firewalls and whatnots to gather such information is scary. While we imagine the people who possess such skills are highly-trained sophisticated geniuses of the Bond and Bourne calibre. The truth is, hackers can be anyone with a computer. In the video below you can see for yourself who are some of the more infamous hackers and what kinds of security they have breached. Top sites, governments... Evidently, it wouldn't take the best hacker to succeed in getting you into your network and manipulate or steal information.

However, it is not difficult to take the first step to defend yourself against hackers. The first step is to install an antivirus software so your computer can detect any viruses that may threaten your computer. The next is to enable firewalls as they help control the traffic, deciding what gets to come through your network. Of course, then you would have to secure your home network. That is done simply by setting up a password on your router, so others cannot easily access it and steal information.

It is also sensible to practice good habits while on the Internet. The first habit everyone should cultivate is to not divulge too much on social networks. Facebook and its band of friends have managed to coax the exhibitionists out of even the most private of people. Indulging in such behaviour will come at a price, especially when the whole world can view who you are, where you have been and what you have done. Facebook is constantly in controversy over its privacy issues. It is a good habit to take time to read the privacy notices and adjust the privacy settings. Above is an extremely comprehensive video that will help you protect yourself from information miners and stalkers.

Lastly, the age old advice we have all heard to death - do not open dodgy emails. While a little old-fashion, it is an effective way for cyber-criminals to set viruses free into your computer. 

Week #6 - My Video

Week #5 - Why e-learning is Awesome

Considering that we live in this high-tech modern age, I’m surprised that I still have to wake up in the morning and drag myself to school. Especially since e-learning is such an accessible platform for learning. e-Learning has many advantages which I believe can benefit students and lecturers in ways the traditional school system cannot.

For one, e-learning is self-paced. This is especially important to me since I suffer from dyslexia, which means I learn at a rate much slower than others. Growing up, I always had to be the student taking remedial lessons or extra private lessons because I could not catch up in class. Not only did it cause me to question my own intellect, it made me waste so much time. With e-learning, students with disabilities would be able to go over material again till they were comfortable with the topic. Thus, eliminating the need for stupid remedial lessons that waste so much time.

Being self-paced also means it allows students to move faster. Sometimes I sit through a lecture completely zoned-out because I already have pre-existing knowledge about that lecture. With e-learning students would be able skip topics or modules they are already familiar with.

I know many friends who forsake getting a university education because of financial reasons. With e-learning, it makes it easy to save cost on education. Not only will the institution be able to save on operational costs, students can also save on travel and food by staying at home to complete modules. Also, assuming tuition is paid per topic, students can also opt to skip topics they are familiar with (as mentioned above) and save costs on that.

Sometimes school may not be the most conducive environment for learning. There might be distractions such as other students chattering or uncomfortable seating. The best thing about e-learning is that it is portable and you can access it at any time. You could be going through your online lessons at home, or even on holiday overseas, just as long as you have an internet connection. And if you’re the sort of person that prefers studying through the night, you can choose to access your learning material then.

e-Learning not only develops one's independence, it is also great because it gives the student more freedom to decide how he or she would like to study. Coupled with the different interactive media, there is great potential for e-learning to be the next step in the learning revolution.

Week #4 - Introduction to Bitcoins

I was going to do an in-depth analysis on Bitcoins and their advantages and their pitfalls. Unfortunately, after a week of research, I still am not confident that I will be able to accurately explain the intricate ideas behind Bitcoins. Instead, I will give an introduction to Bitcoins and hopefully help you understand this revolutionary invention better.

At the core of it all, BitCoins are essentially a digital file that lists a bunch of accounts and how much each account has, just like a ledger. A copy of this ledger is sent to the BitCoin network, and all computers linked to the network will have the same copy. 

Basically, every time someone sends or receives BitCoins, the 'ledger' is updated, ensuring the money was actually sent and received. For example, if Cavin sends 5 BitCoins to Brian, the ledger will update itself, showing that Cavin has 5 BitCoins less and Brian has 5 BitCoins more.

Are you still with me? Well, it this isn't the confusing part yet.

BitCoins don't really have any value, BUT there are people willing to BELIEVE it has value and are willing to trade goods and services for it. It is no different from fiat currency - this digital, decentralised currency only has value because we believe it is valuable.

An interesting thing about the BitCoin system is how it is designed so that no trust is needed. As you may have to deal with completely anonymous people in the network, a special algorithm was created to protect people from forgeries. A special password is needed to prove at the rightful owner has authorised some of the unspent funds to be sent. This password is called a digital signature. You can't copy a digital signature as a mathematical algorithm prevents that. Also, every transaction's digital signature is different so it cannot be re-sued.

At this point of time I would like to add that the BitCoin system is not flawless. In fact, I find it to be rather dodgy at times. Firstly there is the issue about anonymity. In my research I have found that it is possible to create different, for a lack of a better word, 'personas' and make it impossible to link a persons different transactions together. The danger lies in the fact that this ability makes it very difficult to regulate and keep track of.

Another thing I've come across in my research is that BitCoins can be lost when someone inputs a wrong code or if the computer's harddrive crashes. Not only will the money disappear from your bank account, it will also disappear from the BitCoin economy. As there will definitely be someone out there whose harddrive will crash, it is likely that this currency might become a deflationary one.

I point these problems out as there are many videos and articles out there that only explain the advantages of digital currency. For example, the most popular one out there would be the fact that it is decentralised and not governed by any bank or institution That sounds great, but I'm sure there are not so great parts (well, you call me a skeptic.)

I hope I have given you a better understand of the BitCoin and how it works. It is an extremely difficult notion to grasp well in a short time, but I hope this is a good introduction. I'm sorry if I have made an errors in this post, I have truly tried to understand to the best of my ability and all mistakes are unintentional and though I hate to say it, rather ignorant. I leave you with a video about how BitCoins are created, or mined, so you might have a even better understanding of this new fangled creation.

Week #3 - Why I Quit Facebook

Social Networking sites have changed the landscape of how we socialise. There are a billion-and-one ways we can rave about Facebook and its counterparts... I find it difficult to say much about social networking because I believe everyone has already given their two cents worth.

In an attempt to jazz things up a little here, I'm going to list down 10 reasons why I said hasta la vista to Facebook.

1. I lost control of my wall. My wall wasn't mine anymore. ANYONE could post on it without my consent and clutter it up with junk!
   
   
2. I googled my name and all my FB pictures showed up. If you don't think this is creepy, you are creepy.
   
   
3. My grandmothers got on FB. Once, my Mama Lily asked me about my life based on my FB activity.
   
   
4. I was addicted to scrolling through the home feed. So much stupid on FB feeds, but I simply couldn't look away. It was pure voodoo.
   
   
5. FB told all my friends what I was up to, and I lost loads of conversational starter material. I'm a storyteller, and I hate it when FB ruins my tales by giving my friends spoilers through stuff like pictures OTHER PEOPLE posted of what I've been up to.
   
   
6. Potential employers now look-up your FB page aka a history of your life since you were a stupid teenager. Baaaaaaaddddd idea.
   
   
7. I kept getting invited to Farmville. My godmother & my aunt ordered me to join so they could get cabbages or something :(
   
   
8. I was 'friends' with people I didn't want to be 'friends' with. Those said 'friends' had the most annoying FB posts.
   
   
9. No matter how I fiddled with the privacy & notification settings, SOMETHING would end up bothering me. I don't know if it was because the privacy settings and such weren't that refined yet, but some notification or another would end up slipping through the net.
   
   
10. I was so convinced that all my information would end up being used against me. Wisdom from Sun Zi's Art of War - "To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself." I'm not going to be the provider of my own doom.