Tasks For A 10-Week Computing Course

The text discusses the elements of modern computing architecture however is largely silent on the individuals who played a role in its development.  Find and summarise a resource that describes ONE such individual.  The individual should have had a significant influence on the development of computers and/or components of modern computing architecture.

Title and Reference:

Title: Professor John McCarthy 

Reference: McCarthy, J. 2017. Professor John McCarthy – Artificial Intelligence. [online] Jmc.stanford.edu. Available at: https://jmc.stanford.edu/artificial-intelligence/index.html [Accessed 25 Sep. 2017]. 

URL: https://jmc.stanford.edu/artificial-intelligence/index.html 

Summary:

This article describes the life and contribution of John McCarthy. He was known to be a legendary scientist in the computer science field. He had a significant contribution in the development of modern architecture of computer. I have chosen this article because it describes an influential individual who had contributed in modern computing. John McCarthy played a significant role in the development of time-sharing method. He had invented LISP and had founded the Artificial Intelligence field.

In this article the author describes the significant role played by John McCarthy in the invention of new scientific field and in the transformation of technology. He was behind the concept of artificial intelligence. The commonsense reasoning and human level artificial intelligence were the key contributions of Professor John McCarthy. John McCarthy is the father of AI. This article gives a brief overview about the awards as well as the prizes that were won during his lifetime.

The most interesting fact about this article is that it gave detailed information regarding several papers on programming languages and the fictional stories that were written by John McCarthy.  This article said that John McCarthy had won Kyoto Prize in the year 1988, ACM Turning Award in 1971 and two more medals. John McCarthy’s achievements is said to have a long lasting impact on the society.

I found this article interesting because it gave an idea about artificial intelligence. AI is the science of developing intelligent programs. This article also spoke about the applications and branches of AI. 

The text discusses the components and activities of operating systems however is largely silent on the individuals who played a role in their development.  Find and summarise a resource that describes ONEsuch individual.  The individual should have had a significant influence on the writing or development of operating systems.

Title and Reference:

Title: Ken Thompson 

Reference: Linfo.org. 2017. Ken Thompson: developed UNIX at Bell Labs. [online] Available at: https://www.linfo.org/thompson.html [Accessed 25 Sep. 2017]. 

URL: https://www.linfo.org/thompson.html 

Summary:

This article describes about the life and achievements of Ken Thompson. Ken Thompson is known for playing a significant role in the development of UNIX operating system. I have chosen this article because this article gives a clear overview of the development and success of the UNIX operating system.

In this article the author describes the way in which UNIX operating system was developed. Ken Thompson is known to be the principal inventor of the UNIX OS. Ken Thompson was an electric engineer and had been hired by the Bell Labs in the year 1966. The birth of UNIX took place in 1969. Ken Thompson had withdrawn himself from MULTICS for the purpose of creating UNIX operating system.

The most interesting part of this article is that it explained exactly how UNIX was developed. Ken Thompson had developed a game called Space Travel to run on MULTICS. Later on he thought of rewriting the game so that it can be used on PDP-7 computer at the Bell Labs. Space Travel was the first game developed by Ken Thompson and it had a huge contribution behind developing UNIX operating system. Ken Thompson had become proficient in developing programs for PDP-7 that made the development of the UNIX OS possible.

I found this article interesting because it gave a clear description regarding the development of UNIX.  Ken Thompson had written B programming language. He had rewritten UNIX in C language in 1972 for making it portable, adaptable in different platforms and successful in future.    

The Internet didn’t just appear – it was an evolution from earlier networks. Find and summarise a resource that describes ONEof the networks that led to the development of the modern Internet.  

Title and Reference:

Title: ARPANET

Reference: SearchNetworking. 2017. What is ARPANET? – Definition from WhatIs.com. [online] Available at: https://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/ARPANET [Accessed 25 Sep. 2017]. 

URL: https://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/ARPANET 

Summary:

This article describes about one of the networks that paved the way for developing modern Internet. I have chosen this article because it has described about ARPANET that was developed before the invention of Internet. ARPANET stands for Advanced Research Projects Agency. The main aim of the research project was to find out the ways in which investments could be utilized in computers.

In this article the author describes about ARPANET as an important network that paved the way for the development of modern Internet. ARPANET is considered to be the basis of Internet. This project had started in 1969 by interconnecting four different computers present in the university. The motive behind this development was to allow communication as well as interaction among a group or number of users.

The most interesting part of this article is that it gave a clear idea about how ARPANET played a significant role in developing modern Internet. ARPANET is considered to be the first interconnection of networks that was developed in order to facilitate communication among the scientific users so that they could exchange important resources among various connected institutes. ARPANET took advantage of data packets for sending information to the destinations by using the most feasible path.

I found this article interesting because it discussed how the first network called ARPANET was developed along with its features. In 1970s, the TCP/IP protocols helped to expand the network size which now became Internet. ARPANET had become DARPANET in the year 1971. Therefore it is sometimes referred to as DARPANET. 

Ethernet is an example of a Layer Two (L2) data link protocol that is discussed in the text.  Find and summarise a resource that describes the features and uses of ONE other L2 protocol that is not discussed in the text (i.e. NOT Ethernet).

Title and Reference:

Title: High Level Data Link Control (HDLC) Protocol 

Reference: : Erg.abdn.ac.uk. 2017. High Level Data Link Control (HDLC) Protocol. [online] Available at: https://www.erg.abdn.ac.uk/users/gorry/course/dl-pages/hdlc.html [Accessed 25 Sep. 2017].
 URL: https://www.erg.abdn.ac.uk/users/gorry/course/dl-pages/hdlc.html

Summary:

This article describes about the features and uses of High Level Data Link Control or HDLC protocol. I have chosen this article because it discusses about one such L2 protocol like Ethernet. HDLC protocol is known to operate at the second layer or data link layer present in the OSI model.

The author of this article describes about HDLC protocol in details. OSI reference model consists of seven different layers. All the layers present in the OSI model are associated with different protocols. Data link or the second layer of OSI model has several protocols but the most commonly used protocol is the HDLC protocol.

The most interesting part of this article is that it gives a clear idea about HDLC protocol. It is known to be a connection oriented protocol. This protocol can be used for the transmission of data between the points or nodes that are present in network. HDLC receives and encapsulates the frame from layer 3 of the OSI model by adding a header and trailer. HDLC flags are responsible for separating the frames. HDLC variations are used in public networks. HDLC services depend on the mode of HDLC.

I found this article interesting because it explained several interesting facts about HDLC protocol. It said that the header contains HDLC address along with HDLC control field. It also said that the end of the frame consists of trailer that consists of a CRC or Cyclic Redundancy Check for detecting any type of error that can take place at the time of transmission.  

The text mentions the role of hackers in attacks on networked infrastructure.  Find and summarise a resource that describes ONE famous or well-known hacker.

Title and Reference:

Title: Hacker for the Hell of It: The Adventures of Kevin Mitnick 

Reference: Bigthink.com. 2017. Hacker for the Hell of It: The Adventures of Kevin Mitnick. [online] Big Think. Available at: https://bigthink.com/think-tank/hacker-for-the-hell-of-it-the-adventures-of-kevin-mitnick [Accessed 25 Sep. 2017]. 

URL: https://bigthink.com/think-tank/hacker-for-the-hell-of-it-the-adventures-of-kevin-mitnick 

Summary:

This article describes about a famous and well known hacker named Kevin Mitnick. I have chosen this article because it gives a description about the adventures and journeys of a hacker who is famous around the entire world. FBI had considered Kevin Mitnick to be the most wanted hacker in 1995 in America.

The author of this article described the way in which Kevin Mitnick compromised computer systems, computer networks and databases in the nation. At the age of 12, Kevin Mitnick had become an expert in social engineering. He was able to social engineer a bus driver in the area of Los Angeles.  Few years later Kevin Mitnick was able to tap phone lines and make long distance phone calls for free.

The most interesting fact about this article is the “FBI Donuts” incident that took place. Kevin Mitnick had developed a system that would give him a warning signal whenever the FBI approached him for investigation. At present Kevin Mitnick is a well known security expert and he continues his hacking in a legal way. He has even written a book called “Ghost in the Wires” where he has described about his hacking incidents and hacking skills.

I found this article interesting because it gave an insight of the adventures of Kevin Mitnick who is a famous hacker across the world.  He was once able to control the Pacific Bell network by using his hacking skills. This article discussed interesting facts about a most wanted hacker who is a security expert at present.

Society is increasingly reliant on networks and network technologies but they are evolving at a rapid pace.  Find and summarise a resource that describes ONE example of a future networking technology or trend that will impact society.

Title and Reference:

Title: The Future Of Mobile: 5G Networks And Their Revolutionary Impact On Business 

Reference: Forbes.com. 2017. The Future Of Mobile: 5G Networks And Their Revolutionary Impact On Business. [online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesinsights/2016/11/04/the-future-of-mobile-5g-networks-and-their-revolutionary-impact-on-business/#58aa1bff126f [Accessed 25 Sep. 2017]. 

URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesinsights/2016/11/04/the-future-of-mobile-5g-networks-and-their-revolutionary-impact-on-business/#7f1c7740126f

Summary:

This article describes about 5G networks along with its impact on the society as well as business. I have chosen this article because it gives a clear overview of one of the networking technologies that is supposed to have an influential impact on the community and society in the near future.

The author of this article describes about the future technology that will help the mobile networking. The present generation has understood the need of wireless technology and realized its importance in business. A company will be able to flourish in the future only if it incorporates the concept of wireless technology in its business processes.

The most interesting fact about this article is that it tells us that 5G technology will be able to fulfill the requirements of the businesses in the future. This technology will be able to increase the connectivity, capacity as well as the speed of the mobile devices. Wireless technologies are becoming better through the process of innovation.  The idea of communication is changing over the years.  Several innovations are taking place in the field of wireless technology that will help to improve the communication process.

 I have found this article interesting because it gave a clear overview of how 5G technology will help in the improvement of the business productivity. Mobiles will be able to connect at a faster speed. We got to know that 5G technology will help to generate high throughput along with high speed of connection. 5G technology will help to improve business processes and providing huge customer satisfaction.       

The text mentions social business and the impact of the use of social networking platforms.  Find and summarise a resource that describes the history of the development of ONE such social media platform.

Title and Reference:

Title: A brief history of Facebook 

Reference: Phillips, S. 2017. A brief history of Facebook. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/jul/25/media.newmedia [Accessed 26 Sep. 2017]. 

URL: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/jul/25/media.newmedia

This article describes about the development as well as history of Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg and his roommates in Harvard University had developed this social media platform in 2004. I have chosen this article because it describes the history of the development of one of the most famous websites of social networking.  

The author of this article describes the success journey of Facebook. At the age of 23, Mark Zuckerberg had founded Facebook. He had developed several social networking sites for the student that allowed the users to find people and rate their attractiveness. After the launch of Facebook, 1200 students of Harvard had registered within 24 hours. This website was then extended to Boston Universities followed by Ivy League and the universities of US. Facebook had had got the dot com extension (.com) in 2005.

The most interesting fact about this article is that it informed us that this website was extended beyond educational institutes. This article informs us about the fact that there have been rumors that Google and Yahoo were interested in buying this site for around 2 billion dollars but mark Zuckerberg had rejected the offer.  The features of this website have been developing over the years starting from 2007. The popular features during 2007 were giving gifts to all friends, posting free advertisements and developing customized applications scrabble and graffiti.  

The most interesting fact about this article is that it showed the gradual development of Facebook.  The number of users had become 30 million in the year 2007. 

With the advent of mass data collection and storage has come data mining. Find and summarise a resource that describes ONE example where data mining has been used successfully by a business.  You should not use any examples covered in the textbook.

Title and Reference:

Title: Facebook uses data-mining company to track consumers’ retail purchases

Reference: Now, G. 2017. Facebook uses data-mining company to track consumers’ retail purchases | Gadgets Now. [online] Gadget Now. Available at: https://www.gadgetsnow.com/social/Facebook-uses-data-mining-company-to-track-consumers-retail-purchases/articleshow/16533516.cms [Accessed 25 Sep. 2017].

URL: https://www.gadgetsnow.com/social/Facebook-uses-data-mining-company-to-track-consumers-retail-purchases/articleshow/16533516.cms

Summary:

This article describes about Facebook and how successfully it has incorporated data mining in its business processes on order to keep a track of the consumer purchases that take place. I have chosen this article because it has described one example where a business has successfully used data mining. Facebook is known for utilizing the process of data mining in a tactful manner for handling the information of 200 million users.

The author of this article describes that Facebook utilizes the services that are provided by Datalogix for collecting and analyzing information about the shoppers starting to find out the number of buyers whose purchasing decisions are based on several advertisements that are displayed on the social media platforms.

The most interesting fact about this article is that it tells us the process by which Datalogix tracks the customer details. It collects the user details from Facebook accounts and loyalty cards and matches it with the customer details that are present in the store to find out whether they have bought the items after getting influenced by the advertisements that were put up on Facebook. This article also informed us about the fact that Facebook had purchased data of 70 million households from Datalogix.

I found this article interesting because it helped me to understand about the concept of data mining and how it helps business to grow. It helped Facebook to understand the impact of advertisements on the buying behavior of the consumers. This article gave an insight about the usefulness of data mining in running a business.       

One of the greatest success stories in application development in recent times has been the popularity of mobile apps.  Find and summarise a resource that describes the story of ONE successful mobile app developer.

Title and Reference:

Title: Ben Silbermann Success Story

Reference: Successstory.com. 2017. Ben Silbermann Story – Bio, Facts, Networth, Family, Auto, Home | Famous Entrepreneurs | SuccessStory. [online] Available at: https://successstory.com/people/ben-silbermann [Accessed 25 Sep. 2017]. 

URL: https://successstory.com/people/ben-silbermann 

Summary:

This article describes about the story of success of Ben Silbermann. He is the developer of the Pinterest application. I have chosen this article because it describes about a successful mobile application developer. Pinterest can be used for the purpose of uploading, saving, sorting as well as managing images and different media articles and contents.

The author of this article described the success journey of Ben Silbermann. It gave us information regarding fact that Ben Silbermann did not have a technical background. He was hired by Google for the purpose of designing applications. Later on he wanted to grow in life even more and left Google. Initially he had failed to develop an iPhone app.  After that Ben Silbermann had successfully developed Pinterest. It helped people in sharing their interests via pin board.

The most interesting fact about this article is that it gave us an idea about how the Pinterest app was developed. When he worked in Google, he used to give innovative ideas regarding products and applications by seeing the other people who were working in Google but his ideas were not entertained by the people of Google because he did not have an engineering background.

I found this article interesting because it showed how Ben Silbermann did not give up after the failure of iOS app. It said that even after 9 months of the launch of Pinterest there were only 10,000 users. This article said that the main motto of Ben Silbermann was to make Pinterest work but his hard work and confidence led to its success.       

While information systems and technology deliver many benefits to society, they can also result in (sometimes inadvertent) negative effects and outcomes.  Find and summarise a resource that describes ONE example of where the use of an information system or technology has led to negative consequences for humans.

Title and Reference:

Title: Verizon data of 6 million users leaked online

Reference: Larson, S. 2017. Verizon data of 6 million users leaked online. [online] CNNMoney. Available at: https://money.cnn.com/2017/07/12/technology/verizon-data-leaked-online/index.html [Accessed 25 Sep. 2017]. 

URL: https://money.cnn.com/2017/07/12/technology/verizon-data-leaked-online/index.html

Summary:

This article describes about the Verizon Data Breach incident that had occurred in July, 2017. I have chosen this article because it gives a description about one such example which showed the negative impact of information system and information technology on the society. Information technology provides several benefits to the society but at the same time it imposes certain threats on the society.

The author of this article described about the Verizon incident. The data and information of around six million users had been leaked over the Internet. This company provides telecommunication carriers as well as components to the subscribers. NICE, its third party cloud vendor was responsible for the breach of data. NICE had not configured the cloud database and this led to the data leakage of the Verizon Company.

The most interesting fact about this article is that it gave us an idea of the negative side of cloud computing. In this incident sensitive data like addresses, pin codes as well as phone numbers had been leaked that harmed millions of users of Verizon Company. Cloud has the capacity to store huge information. This article gave a clear overview of the fact that if there is digital service then there will be high chances of cyber risk as well.

I found this article interesting because it gave an insight about the negative impacts of technology. In this era of technology, security risks and threats are increasing at a fast pace. Information technology has several vulnerabilities that can be exploited by the attacker to harm the users of the data.