Chapter 6 - Penalties for hacking

I was happy to read that the penalties for hacking are severe. Up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine! There are also laws against hacking into telephones, email, or any other data transmissions. I agree whole-heartedly that these actions should be persecuted within the fullest extent of the law. I believe that so much of this type of crime goes unseen or unpersecuted simply because these criminals can be so hard to track down. Just about the time that the police are able to find out how to track down a group, they are able to cover up their tracks and then you've got people working full time just to keep up with the technology, let alone actually use it to find the criminals. Also, so many hackers do not act alone. We recently saw Live Free or Die Hard and although I'm sure it wasn't completely believable, it did demonstrate that there are hacker organizations and there can be hundreds of people involved in one hack. Who is to blame? Who gets in trouble? Do they all get the same punishment? I think our law enforcement organizations have a long way to go before they can really keep up with this kind of crime.

Chapter 5 - Spyware

According to pg. 228 of the book, 91 % of U.S consumers with broadband Internet connections had spyware on their computers. This means that someone is able to monitor everything they do online. What a scary thought! I just don't like the idea of anyone taking pictures of my computer screen, it's kind of like having a peeping Tom outside of your window! We recently purchased a new computer and had to buy a seperate spyware blocker. It think that is why so many computers have spyware is because on top of already expensive computers, we don't want to add to the expense by buying software to protect it. It looks like more companies such as AOL are going to be including spyware blockers with their software which should help. I would predict, however, that the people who engineer so much of the spyware will eventually crack the code and we'll just end up spending more and more money to keep our machines updated and spyware free. Someone must be making a killing!

Laptops Change Curriculum -- And Students

Wow, I would really like to talk to some of the teachers in that building and see how they really feel about all students having a laptop. I would also like to know at what age the students are given their laptops. I thought it was funny that although there were benefits such as making the students more focused and more excited about school, it was like anything else that schools purchase for kids. 1. There will always be students who forget their materials. 2. Teachers don't always know how to implement the technology appropriately. I personally would resist this kind of movement in our school because I feel that the one-on-one interaction between the students and myself and their peers would suffer. This is another one of those situations where I feel technology is being pushed and there's pressure to have it everywhere in your school and it doesn't matter what the cost is. Sometimes moderation is the key.

The Changing Face of Classroom Technology

The novelty of buying new software and hardware evolved into a realization that technology means nothing by itself. Technology now is seen for what it truly is -- a resource, not a be-all or end-all solution.

I found this particluar passage of this article very, very true. I sometimes see that our district is pumping so much money into technology, not teacher salaries, not after school programs, because it looks good and we want to seem like we're on the cutting edge like anyone else. Fast foward to a year later and only 10% of the teachers even know how to use the new programs! I enjoyed reading the point of view of a technolgy expert in education. I have seen our tech guy go through some pretty trying times with teachers who just don't seem to want to learn or change. It's getting better, and we have seen a lot more use of technology. The hard part about the technolgy is finding a time to implement it in an already cram packed day and also sharing the equipment such as projectors. I thought this lady made a very good point in saying that teachers that do use technology tended to be more impatient and want things "now". I think technology has turned some of us into that type of impatient person and has kind of spoiled us!

Technology Brings False Promise to Schools

This article was really interesting to me. I tend to agree with the author here that too much emphasis is placed on technology in our schools at times. I believe students should understand how to use the technology so that they can function in our society. However, this type of education sometimes gets out of hand and we end up cutting other necessary things in order to bring in as much technology as possible. Students do need to learn how to use creative thinking to solve problems and they need to learn how to do so by working with other teachers. If everything is completely computer driven, we aren't teaching kids how to think outside the box. I think some kids are getting too dependent on the technology. Here is a quote that I especially agree with:

A school's job is to build every youngster's imaginative foundation; his or her capacity for discussion and reflection and creativity.

Although technolgoy can be used to help us along in this goal, we can't forget that kids need a well-rounded education where technology is just one piece of the puzzle and we aren't using it as a replacement for something else.

Response #2: The Blue Nowhere

From what I have read in the book so far, I can honestly say that I am impressed with the author's ability to mesh murder mystery with technology. I was thinking that it was going to be more one than the other, but this book has a pretty good balance of the two. Althought this book is fiction, I think technology really has made it easier for people to find out way more about each other than ever before, especially if you know what you're doing. The scary thing is the internet doesn't discriminate...it will supply information to anyone no matter what their intent is. Jamie Turner is the only character in the book that I really like, and I'm hoping to find out more about him as we go along, but I'm not counting on it. I'm predicting that the book will go in a different direction and bring in several more side characters before it's over. I'm also curious, will anyone else on the squad be targeted by Phate?

Response 1: The Blue Nowhere

As I began to read this book, I noticed the glossary of terms. Hackers and people in the computer world really do have their own language. I find myself wondering how many computer criminals live around us here in Kansas, or if it is just a regional thing to areas that are very rich in computer business, such as Silicon Valley. I noticed that when the character Gillette is trying to cut deals with the cops if he'll help them, that all he really wants is his computer. I know a lot of people who really like computers, but I'd never thought about people having addictions to them. I also wonder how much of this book is based on fact. Is it really that easy for a hacker to find out all that information about me? Or is it just dramatized for the sake of entertainment?