RIP Net Neutrality

I personally agree with the fact that net neutrality is dead.  The entire internet cant be confined to just one company, though many try to provide you with everything you need.  It is so true that some services provide better work than others and that we all should use different outlets for creations, communications, and sharing.  It is upsetting to see that the CEO of AT&T suggested a plan that would solve a lot of problems, but were exceptionally unreasonable and asked for an additional toll.  It is to no surprise that other companies attempted to make offers and whose to say that they are wrong.  If Comcast reaches an agreement that blocks some of the the web's most popular apps then all the more power to them.  There is only so long that network neutrality can last because consumer groups, technology companies, and political leaders have too much to gain from forming lucrative deals that benefit only them.  I guess the ultimate consequence of the death of net neutrality is the possible threat of a raised costs of use of the internet.  It would really be tough to do, but if it were done it would change the way America and the rest of the world operated.  A non discrimination rule keeps permission-less innovation of the internet available but it may not last much longer. 

Blog 7, I Dare You Hacker.

I believe we are all vulnerable to hackers these days.  All of my "money" is just a digital number that exist somewhere in the data world and is not a physical figure.  Now even though i am a poor college student, the little money i do have is very valuable to me.  I realize that when i look at my bank account that the amount of money i have is just another statistical figure in the sea of finances in this country.  I access my bank account online and rarely buy things off of the internet but still feel like i am always at risks of being hacked.  Hackers dont need much as you can see and i was shocked to see that information that i thought was personal, is readily available to those who want to look hard enough for it.  Though i may not be a threat to get hacked at this very moment, the future of my identity and money is something that i wish to take great care of.  As this article shows hacking is something that has been going on for a long time and the ways of hacking are only going to get more elusive.  This is a scary thing because i plan on growing my finances in the next couple of decades and i dont want my life in jeopardy of being hacked.  I almost feel powerless because of the variety of ways hackers can get my information.  Maybe we should all just join the hackers before it is too late and the financial system of the United States is ruined.

how do you search?

The main search engine I use is google.  I remember in 4th grade when my teacher first said, "i found this great website last night, its called gogle."  I think I use google the most because I have used it since I was so young.  Every now and then I will use Bing or Yahoo, but for the most part i stay with google.  I don't know if its the simplicity of typing in google, or just habit of immediately typing it into the browser.  The fact that google is a verb puts it higher on the food chain than any other search engine.  companies need to accept the genericide theme and accept the fact that Google is only going to expand.  The expansion of GMail and blogger and other resources makes Google the lead search engine even though actually searching for things on Google usually ends up in mostly adds.  The few times i do use Bing is usually when i get annoyed with Google or simply cant find the results i want.  The term "google it" has become a common term in the world and i cant see saying, "Bing it" over taking it.  Who knows, in twenty years if Google doesn't continue to transcend itself it may become obsolete.  They must stay on top of every form of technology and who's to say that they will be the first to discover every new form of technology. If Bing could win over all of the Microsoft users it might have a chance to cut into Google's market, but they have a long way to go.  I personally don't see myself changing any time soon.

Apple has put out some amazing products in the past and the new IPhone 5s and 5c has recently entered the market.  The much anticipated arrival has sent a wave through the industry.  In the short time the phones have been out, sales have already impacted the market.  Though the decision to release two phones has been met with mixed results, the two phones already represent 1.36% of the market.  1.05% of all phones in America are already the iPhone 5s whereas the 5c makes up just .31%.  This isn't surprising as Apple has built a cult-like following since the first iPhone release years ago.  There are a great deal of people that like to stay up on every aspect of technology, I am not one of those people.  My phone is 4 years old, but i hope to get a new one for Christmas.  I just don't see the need for a new phone every year, especially when software updates for your mobile device are available every couple of months.  It actually upsets me to walk past a mom on the phone with her 10 year old daughter holding the exact same phone.  Soon the daughter will be posting selfies of her standing in front of her bathroom mirror.  I just don't see the need for our younger generation to have access to everything that a mobile device like an iPhone 5s offers.  I believe technology is an amazing thing, and I do enjoy the way it is advancing.  Products will only get more technological and i cannot wait to see what communication devices are like when I'm 40.  Just think about laying in your bed watching TV, when a hologram call pops up beside you and you answer it, interacting in a real time 3D conversation with someone who is miles away.  Hopefully in the next couple of decades my dreams will become reality.

Artificial Intelligence Research

The first thing i notice about this article is the amount of money the grant is for.  25 million dollars is a lot of money to be spending, especially in a time where money is scarce across the country due to the past decade's financial downturn.  As i read through this article i realized that this technology is already all around me and its just a matter or time until it plays a further roll in my life.  I am somewhat wary of this technology, as movies like the Terminator and The Matrix have played out scenerios where machines run by A.I. have taken over the world.  Yes, I do realize this is Hollywood, but whose to say something couldnt happen?  I do find the research of neurobiology, engineering, and intelligence interesting and do believe that the research is beneficial.  I beleive the government has invested money and time in reasearch of A.I., just take the drone program for example.  The governement does a pretty good job of keeping the most innovative technology to itself, and i believe this will be the case with A.I. as well.

I completely agree with this article.  We all have the right to know how the agencies are controlling the Internet backbone and shouldn't have to worry about how this area of the Internet is controlled.  I agree with the fact that we need new communication platforms and re engineer the Internet.  On the other hand, who says that the government hasn't done that already.  I had no clue that there was an Internet Engineering Task Force, that's pretty cool.  Government influence is without a doubt the main solution here.  I don't know if dismantling of the worldwide surveillance is something that could even be done so it is hard to believe that any of this is truly possible.

My name is Sean Sweeney, i just turned 24 years old and i am a sports communications major here at Shepherd University.  I'm from Charlottesville, Va and cannot wait to graduate and return to my hometown.  I'm hoping to get a job with the local YMCA or Boys and Girls club and hopefully coach some baseball somewhere.  I picked Shepherd because of its DII baseball, subsequently i badly injured my shoulder and no longer am able to play.  I stayed at Shepherd this summer and took summer classes and worked at River Riders which was a great experience.  I am a zip line instructor and enjoy it very much.  I am a huge sports fan, Redskins, Nats, and the Orioles are my favorite teams. I dont know much at all about html or any other computer related dialoge so i am very interested in what i can learn this semester.