My CSI 112 Experience

When I first signed up for this class I expected to learn exactly what we did. I knew we would be learning how to use programs like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. I also knew that we would be using the more complicated programs like Access to create databases. I was expecting to learn about most of what we did, but I wasn't expecting to learn about it in such detail. When I used most of these programs in High School I was only taught to use the simple functions of Word or PowerPoint, some of the features we used for those in this class I didn't even know existed.

I already knew allot about many of the concepts we went over in class. But if I had to choose which one I learned the most about it would have to be security. I knew there was allot that went into protecting computers from viruses and other threats. But I had no idea that there were so many types of threats out there. I always just trusted my virus scan to sort out all of the problems and never really worried about it other than that. I still trust my virus scan to protect me most of the time, but now I avoid certain places as much as possible on the internet and take allot more precautions when doing anything that could cause a virus attack. I already knew about internet scams and already did what I could to avoid them, but certain things I just didn't know until I took this class.

I would say the program I learned the most about would be Access. I've never actually used a program like that before, the closest thing I've used to it would be Excel. I was always under the assumption that most businesses used programs like Excel to manage information. I had seen Access a few times before but only while I was just looking through the programs on a school computer. So of all the things I learned about,I learned the most about database management.

I feel learning about computer security has benefited me the most. As I already said, I learned the most in that section, and that being the most important section of the class made it that much more beneficial. Knowing how to protect my computer better is great for me, but now if I go into a field involving computer I will be more capable of defending those computers as well. I've already used most of what I learned to help several members of my family make their home PCs more secure. Overall every section of the class was beneficial to me, but this section was the most beneficial because of how often I will use what I've learned in it in real life.

Do you work harder when someone is watching?

I made this selection because it had allot to do with physchology, which is an area that I have explored a  little in High School. Of all the things in physchology that interest me the most though, it's how people react when they know they are being watched compared to when they don't know. This is not only an issue of physchology, but an issue of ethics. The reason i chose this question is because it's something I often wonder about myself.

I believe that I work harder when some is watching. If you're working without anyone watching me, I can relax more because if I make a mistake I won't get in trouble right away. But if I'm being watched I tend to worry about avoiding mistakes and working as fast as possible to avoid getting into trouble with your employer. When someone is watching me work I always give more effort than I normally would because when I'm doing something they're paying me to do, I wan't them to see that I'm doing it well. Really, it's all about impressing the person who hired me.

I feel the Hawthorne Effect might just be the most common sense psychological theory I've ever seen. Just by reflecting on your own behavior almost anyone should see that they work harder when being watched. It's just a natural thing for people to work harder to impress the person who is providing for us, in this case the people paying us. The theory makes sense and has evidence to back up what it claims, so I think it's a good theory.

I believe this observation is ethical. If you agree to work for a company under their conditions, then you agreed and that's all there really is to it. If someone doesn't want to be observed then they can work somewhere else or just deal with it. If a company is paying you  by the hour, they are perfectly justified in making sure you're doing your work. There is a chance that it will have psychological effects like stress. Actually, its almost certain that they will cause some people to experience more stress than they normally do. Not many people like to be observed, and when they are they become more aware of what they're doing and start to become more concerned about how well they do their jobs, so like everything else in the world, being observed has it's affect.

Observations is a good way to collect data, but because of the effect it has on people it isn't the best. If a company monitors it's employees without their knowledge it would be far more effective, however monitoring them without their knowledge is unethical in my opinion. There really is no way to know for sure whether employees are doing their jobs properly without some form of monitoring, so really it may not be a great choice, but it's the only good one.

Online Database Test

The database I chose was Grubba.

 Even though this online database is still in beta form it still works very well and I haven't encountered a bug yet. The program is free and simple to use, but even provides short video tutorials on how everything works. The buttons are placed well enough to where you don't need to look hard to find what you need, making it very easy to learn how to use it. The main page contains pretty much everything you need to manage your database, the video tutorials, individual users, and some other less important information. The task bar on the site allows you to search your database, create new data, and use any other tools available that are used to create and edit a database. There were also shortcuts on the site that allowed you to export your data to certain programs.

This site worked best for me because it had the best layout, functionality, and an overall better feel than the others I tested. Some things took me a while to learn but overall this is the best online database I could find that was free. The video tutorials helped with allot of the problems I was having, and most of the problems solutions were simple things that I just missed. The site was quick to load everything and it allowed me to do pretty much everything I can in a payed service like Access. On some of the sites  tried it was difficult for me to find the data after I had created it, and sometimes it wouldn't even save what I created. Overall Grubba was the best for me because it had a good, simple layout, but still allowed you to do everything you would with a more complex database.

I have created a test database and exported it to MS Excel: Assignment 8 Database This link will download the Excel file.

Will Widespread WIreless Broadband Connections Kill Print Media?

I chose this article because its something I've been hearing about for a while but never really given much thought. I'm already on the computer very often and read allot of information both on the internet and from a few magazines, so I figured I would be able to have a more balanced view of what is better about each one. Seeing as the only other article was about possible side effects of cell phone transmissions I really didn't have much of a choice seeing as the article itself claims that there have never been any conclusive studies. I have considerd the affect of the cellular radiation but I don't know enough to write mulitple paragraphs, so I was left with the obvious choice of this article.

I don't think they will completely put an end to newspapers and magazines. While many news paper and magazine companies will loose much of their business there will always be demand for papers in areas with poor/no Internet connection. While computers allow access to much more information than any newspaper or magazine could, they will never provide the reliability of newspapers and magazines to always display the information you want. Computers may be unlimited in information thanks to the Internet, they are limited in how often they can access this information. Even if computers were perfect and could access the Internet any time, any place, there will still be those who prefer the simplicity and tactile feel of a newspaper or magazine. So in my opinion, I don't think that newspaper or magazines will ever be completely eliminated, there will always be people who prefer physically holding a printed paper in their hand over reading things on a monitor.

If I had to choose between reading information from a magazine or from the Internet, I would choose the Internet every time. Magazines are limited to a certain number of physical pages, but the Internet contains pretty much every scrap of knowledge you can think of. I've heard many people say "If you can think of it, it's on the Internet" and I really cant think of anything you couldn't google and find results for. On the Internet articles can be physically interactive thanks to plug ins like Adobe Flash or Microsoft Silverlight, they can include video and audio in ways that would be impossible for a newspaper or a magazine. They can also provide links to more information on a similar subject, or even allow you to post your comments on the article. The only problem with reading news on the Internet is that you need a connection, but with cell phone companies expanding their 3G coverage this is becoming less of a problem than it was.

The media industry has an almost unlimited number of ways to take advantage of wireless Internet. Although, I can't really think of any way in which they haven't. The media industry has almost taken over the Internet with how much they use it to spread information. From cramming political advertisements on to YouTube to pushing pop-ups onto peoples screen, the media will always be trying to find new ways to tell you something, whether you want them to or not. Through the Internet the media outlets no longer have to wait for you to come buy their news paper, now they can take that information instantly to you via e-mail subscription, or other similar services. The media even uses the Internet to plant ads in specific places to get the information to people who may be more interested in what they are advertising. Asking the question 'How has' seems like a better choice than "how can" when you consider all the ways the media is already using the Internet.

Is Data Stored in the Cloud Free from Prying Eyes?

 I chose this section because cloud computing and the risks and befits involved are something I am very interested in. I already know allot about cloud computing and raise that it has many benefits and risks that need to be considered. It seemed like a good choice for me to select the subject I knew well so the answers would come to me quickly. After reading the question I could tell this section would be easy for me to answer simply because of the experience I've had with both the US legal system, software companies, and Cloud storage and computing. I also figured since the information I'm typing right now is going to be stored on a cloud server for you to view this seemed appropriate.

 Data should be treated however the software license says it will be, so my answer is yes. When you click "I Agree" below that wall of text known as a software license you may be agreeing to let that company share your information publicly. But, if a company does, somehow violate the terms of the contract you agreed to then they should be subject to the same penalties a person would be for giving away personal information. If someone from outside the company in charge of the cloud somehow gets access to a persons personal information they should they should be subject to the same punishment as if someone were to illegally access someones home computer for the same information.

Yes, the government should be allowed to access information stored on a cloud, in the same way they can search your home with a warrant. Normally I would have had to think about this more, but since the police are required to have a warrant I really don't see any problem with the government access this information. The government can already gain access to your home and anything in it relevant to a crime, so if the police see a reason to search for something specific in your mail I see no reason they shouldn't be able to. I only have experience in a high school criminal justice class, but that has taught me enough to where I realize that search warrants should apply to anything that could help solve a crime, especially information you have most likely already agreed to share.

I don't store any information on a cloud that could possibly lead to any problems for me other than maybe a few personal emails that would only be slightly embarrassing, but I realize companies wont just share information just to embarrass me, so no problem for me there. But I will never trust any company to store my important personal information; credit card numbers, SSN, etc. Its not that I think these companies are trying to sell my information for profit or try to steal my money; I'm more worried about people finding ways to get into the cloud and steal my information. I never send anything that could be used against me via email, not even if I personally know and trust the person I would be sending it to. I keep my personal information in a hidden file deep in my computer and try to access that as rarely as I can. I never have and never will trust anyone other than myself with anything more important that my full name and address, and even then I only trust established companies that have more to loose, legally, than I do if my information is stolen.