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Hello and welcome to Terry's UMUC Blog! Sure, this page was created out of necessity (as required by ITEC 610). But you know what? This page will be more than that (and much more than my last site). Visit here frequently to hear me wax ecstatic about my degree program, the lessons learned during my IT adventure, and perhaps some carefully-worded (read: hastily blurted) commentary. Have fun!


Tuesday, October 2, 2007

ITEC 610 - Week 3

So what are we talking about in Week 3? The big themes are the Internet, emerging technologies, and the "security vs. privacy" debate. Some thoughts:
  • The future of the Internet is going to be a wild, wonderful, and sometimes scary place. The dominant theme in my mind will be social networking and interactivity. Virtual worlds and collaborative environments will be huge, but the question remains: will these virtual lives be more interesting for many people than their real lives? How will this impact the functioning of our physical society? I'm wondering if, in the future, mothers' pleas with children to "get outside" will fall on deaf ears as their kids play online kickball with friends from halfway around the world...
  • I looked at some interesting articles on RFID this week, and was amazed at some of its applications. It's being used to track files, inventory, shipments, and even people. Some are especially troubled by the "people-monitoring" potential for RFID, and a small population even equates it with evil. For the most part, though, it seems to be an important technology in reducing supply chain inefficiencies and costs - its eerie social applications notwithstanding.
  • Should we be secure, private, or both? Many would argue that privacy is paramount, security would be nice, and a mix of the two almost always disappoints someone. My thoughts are that I'd be willing to give up some privacy in exchange for a known level of security, especially since I'm not doing anything illicit or illegal. However, the age-old question of "how much is too much?" is especially salient here. In the end, people must have respect for others' privacy, but this will be increasingly difficult as technology facilitates virtual invasion. For now, I haven't seen any good answers to this issue.

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