During the past eight weeks, I have learned a great deal about computers and related topics, topics ranging from input/output devices to topics such as those concerning sociological matters, such as the issues regarding privacy when RFID tags are implemented. As a matter of fact, the issue of RFID tags is the first topic that I will discuss that is personally significant to me. RFID tags can be attached to virtually anything, whether it be organic or mechanical, animate or inanimate. And as such, the use of RFID tags can help catalog and organize things very efficiently. Farmers could use RFID tags on their livestock, the military regarding the cataloging and accounting for of each individual weapon, and companies and the products they produce and distribute. Indeed, the RFID tag is an excellent tool to utilize in the modern-day world. However, even though there are some privacy issues concerning the use of RFID tags, I still feel that the benefit of increased efficiency with using RFID tags to identify and catalogue things is worth the downside of people’s privacy being invaded, to an extent of course. Naturally, steps should be taken to prevent invasions of privacy, but with the way things are now, the benefits of RFID are still far outweighing the current privacy issues. This topic was particularly meaningful to me because I personally feel that a key instrument in being successful is to be efficient. If one is efficient, they waste less resources (let’s say) doing a task. Many professions in the world today involve selling something, and because RFID can be used to catalogue and organize your inventory of products efficiently, it will be utilized by most, if not all, big businesses. Thus being familiar with such a thing would be beneficial to someone in a field where the use of RFID would increase efficiency, such as checking the inventory of an entire truckload electronically in the blink of an eye. The next topic I will discuss that I felt was personally meaningful to me would be that of intellectual property and issues concerning it. Intellectual property (in contexts regarding this class) can be defined basically as an idea, such as design plans or trade secrets, and these are, as such, regarded as the property of their owner, usually the creator. As such, most, if not all, big businesses get patents on all their new inventions and products. Why I am interested in the legal ownership of knowledge is because this topic is a significant sociological subject in regards to the advent of new technology. If there are no intellectual property laws, then the developers would not spend their time developing new technology, they would invest their energy into stealing the ideas of other developers. In time, developers would simply just stop developing new technology to their full potential, for fear of theft of their designs. However, we do have laws that protect intellectual property. And though this subject is often overlooked and not fully understood, I feel that this is one of the pillars that keep industries going to develop new technology. If I ever enter an industry in which I am charged with the development of new technology, of course I will want to know the laws regarding intellectual property, especially if I see my idea being used by someone else without my permission. It’s good to know that as long as I patent an invention of my own design, it will not (or at least should not) be taken by anyone else. The next topic I will discuss that I felt was personally significant to me would be that of E-commerce. E-commerce I would say is a relatively new phenomenon. Someone sitting at home can sign on to the Internet and buy computer parts from Taiwan, whilst at the same time, order a Pizza online. Also, both these transactions are happening in real-time. The person on the other end, assuming there is one, can see all the actions of the person on the opposite side of the transaction. The ability to conduct a transaction in real-time via the Internet from the comfort of one’s home is truly one of the greatest innovations of the recent times, if not all time. E-commerce can play a critical role in one’s career, especially if that individual’s career is dependent on e-commerce to sell products and make profit. For example, I have a friend who owns his own business, he operates a warehouse full of computer parts, and his sole method for the selling of his merchandise is through his eBay store. This kind of industry, one which is reliant on E-commerce, is a somewhat recent thing, however, this trend is growing more and more popular as computer and technology in general are becoming more and more popular and familiar to the average individual. The final topic I will discuss that I felt was personally meaningful to me would be the issue of security (in regards to this course). Security is a big issue in many fields of work, and computer networks are no exception. A breach in security can reveal all kinds of secrets and confidential files to unauthorized third parties. These files may contain things like new design plans or trade secrets (intellectual property) and as such, are protected by the law, but that doesn’t mean people won’t still try to steal them. Having tight security over one’s computer network can be extremely crucial as it prevents third parties from getting your secrets. As mentioned earlier, I have a friend who runs a business online, and online stores will benefit greatly from investing in security, for as with improved security over the Internet, customers are more willing to trust and buy from the online store (which I assume has a cheaper price) than the regular store.
Assignment Links
affectsmylife.htm
cpu.htm
storage.htm
linux.htm
ethics.htm
editors.htm
bibliography.htm
