Friday, October 26, 2012

Hurricane Sandy

Natural disasters, as devastating as they may turn out, are remarkable occurrences.  One just has to sit back in awe of nature and the power it possesses.  As much as we'd like to think we can, humans can't control certain events such as tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, avalanches, etc.  That is out of our hands.  The only thing we can do is prepare for such disasters and know how to be as safe as possible in the event that we are caught in one.  It is good to be aware of the situation at hand and never underestimate what could happen.  Technology is very useful in tracking potential patterns for hurricanes, for example, and with that, the government can take proper precautions necessary to warn citizens and advise the best possible ways to get through them safely.  Currently, Hurricane Sandy is reeking havoc across the Caribbean, causing much damage in Cuba, Haiti, the Bahamas and Jamaica.  It is now en route to hit much of the east coast of the United States in the upcoming week.  The wind shield is increasing in size to the already prominent storm.  Cold fronts coming from the west are adding to and energizing Hurricane Sandy as well.  This is not a storm to be taking lightly.  Both CNN and FoxNews seemed to focused on the potential the storm has still and the threat it still poses to much of he east coast.  There were summaries of the casualties suffered in the areas already hit.  So far, there have been 40 deaths according to Fox News and CNN.  According to Sky News, which is a news organization in the United Kingdom, stated that there have been 39 recorded deaths.  Although it's only one off, I feel as if they don't have as much of an immediate supply of accurate information as news organizations in the United States might have.

All three news organizations highlighted the fact that this storm could be an historic one.  Obviously, to those in the United States would receive most of their news from US sources, so the message may be stressed more than in that of a foreign news article.  The Sky News article was a bit scarce and lacked enough detail to fully inform its audience.  Both Fox News and CNN's articles had convincing information and in addition to that, a few personal recollections from victims and survivors.  This creates much more of a "real" experience and even makes it more personal.  I trust US news covers much more than that of Great Britain or anywhere else around the world, unless it's coming from the Caribbean itself.  It comes down to contact with the story being covered as well.  The United States, which is already being hit by this storm, is going to be affected directly where as the rest of the world is not.  Therefore, I find American sources and news coverage more credible.  I have more of an understanding from the news of the potential of this storm, and I and my community are taking the proper precautions in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy.  

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Digital Divide or Participation Gap?

I found Kevin Guidry's writing to be quite interesting.  There was a central focus on innovation of technology and that despite technology advancing so much, it was still not achieving it's full potential.  In his writing, Guidry used college students as an example.  Some students have access to the internet at home and at school via their own laptops or computers while others don't own their own and have to rely on their school or a local library.  This is referred to as the "digital divide" as a large amount of Americans still do not own computers or have internet access at home. It is proven that those who do not have internet access at home, typically Blacks and Hispanics, are less educated and disproportionally unemployed.  According to the results of the 2007 Data Service from the 994 institutions that participated,  65.1% of their students use their own computer.  Rates differ from school to school of course, but this shows consensus still goes on to show that on average, one third of students do not own their own computer.  Demographics play a role.  The more expensive institutions produce the highest results for computer ownership as you can imagine.  As for the "participation gap", I definitely believe that exists in America.  Some people have more exposure to different technologic formats and devices.  I personally have never been technologically savvy, but with that being said, I have many technological items that I can operate just fine to do what I need to do.  Others, though, may have much more knowledge than I do on how to get the most out of certain things and make things even simpler and efficient.  It all has to do with the purpose one is trying to achieve and if he or she would embrace new ideas.  You have to be open minded in terms of technology because it is constantly changing and improving.  It's good to be up to date with such information and have the knowledge to operate different sorts of technology and not just stick to what you already know.  I strongly agree with Guidry's closing statement which said that different understandings of and experiences with technology may not always be conceptualized negatively as a "gap.  The fact that someone does not own a certain piece of technology does not mean an individual is unwilling to embrace new technology if he or she was given the opportunity.


 


Privacy and Data Management on Mobile Devices

Smartphones provide so much more than simply communication.  With all of the apps available for the iPhone and Droid, users have such a broader range of actions they can carry out.  You can now do banking at your fingertips and transfer all sorts of information.  Some apps have a negative aspect to them, though; that is adds and providing personal information.  Many apps require the user to provide fairly personal information.  It seems unnecessary for a lot of the apps to ask for such info, and therefore, people tend to either not install that particular app, or once realizing the type of information they need to provided, uninstall the app.  Once you put your information out there, you don't know who is actually viewing it and if there are any third parties involved.  In the future, I think there needs to be more guarantees from the apps that the information being provided by its users is in fact secure and confidential.  This would ease the minds of potential users and would in turn gain more.  People are reluctant to provide personal information via cellular devices for a good reason.  I think that fact will always remain.