BEST = Better than the Rest

I found Assignment 3 to be a very challenging and particularly useful experience. Developing an idea for a start-up company that is socially-responsible, for-profit, and technology-related was certainly harder than I expected. On top of that, using $1 million to solve three societal problems was even more troublesome and definitely an exercise for the mind. I certainly learned a lot in the process, and I was hoping to share some of that with others who may have had similar experiences in completing this assignment.

As I began working on this assignment, I recalled a conversation I had with one of my friends. Like most university students (I think), one day we were just discussing ways to earn easy money, get rich fast, and hopefully retire by the age of 40. After throwing a bunch of ideas in the air, one by one, his eyes lit up and he said, “We should create a mobile application. Something that everybody needs but doesn't have. We can sell it for cheap, like $1. If a million people buy it, we'll be worth a million dollars...MILLIONAIRES!” I looked at him with the usual suspicious and doubt. After some thought, I realized that what he said had some merit. It made sense: Build something so cheap and important that people demand and would easily pay for. If enough people buy it, then it can be very lucrative.

So when it came time to thinking of an idea for this project, I was stuck. Initially, I couldn't come up with a genuine idea that could be marketed, was for-profit, or even used technology to solve three problems in the world. I was puzzled for a few days and thought the idea would eventually come to me. Then I thought for a second, why am I trying to come up with a unique and novel idea. Why reinvent the wheel, when you can just improve it? As long as you do it better (faster, smaller, bigger, cheaper, etc.) than your competitor, you have a potential marketable and successful idea. Then ideas began to flow.

Using this style of thinking, I began to analyze the industry. Facebook (and Twitter) is by far the most powerful social networking website out there. But it certainly was not the first. However, it did what it was supposed to do better than MySpace, Orkut, or Friendster. The iPhone (and other Apple products, e.g. iPad) has a similar story. People line up and make early purchases of this product. But the iPhone wasn't the first smartphone. Several companies made smartphones but this one particular phone stands out. Why? Because it is better than the rest.

While I was able to successfully finish my assignment, it proved to be a very good mental exercise. I'm curious to know what sorts of challenges others faced in doing this assignment. So feel free to comment and share!

DISCLAIMER: The thoughts of the writer are opinions and not established facts.

The Path to Safer Roads

I lived in the Middle East for more than 15 years. If you ask anyone who lives there to describe road safety and traffic conditions, you will likely receive a wide-eyed and open-mouth facial expression suggesting a “WHOA” response. Roads in the Middle East are built to perfection – smooth, wide, and quite often, empty. This is because you regularly encounter drivers who exceed the speed limit by huge margins in their ultra-fast cars. While you might be thinking this is the perfect venue to test drive rally and race cars, it is actually home to some of the world's most dangerous roads and the highest traffic-related death rates (Arab News, 2009).

Some of you probably use bluetooth headsets, or know others who do while driving. Many of you might think that bluetooth headsets are safe and prevent accidents by ensuring both hands are on the steering wheel. Well, bluetooth headsets and similar tools have been studied extensively and the results are quite eye-opening. Based on a study conducted by Strayer, Drews & Johnston, bluetooth headsets do not actually decrease the chances of car accidents (Strayer, Drews & Johnston, 2003). In their study, they had participants drive and talk on a phone, either with or without headsets. Later, participants were asked to recall information they saw when driving past billboards. Those in the “without headset” and “with headset” condition were able to recall significantly fewer billboards than the control condition (no phone conversation) (Strayer et al., 2003). Furthermore, those in the “with headset” and “without headset” condition had a longer reaction time when required to brake. The results indicated that, although your hand is free when using a bluetooth headset, your attention and reaction time are diminished (Strayer et al., 2003). Humans have a fixed number of cognitive resources. Essentially, whether using a headset or not, you allocate resources to process the conversation and other resources to drive. As a result, your competence in both skills is compromised when trying to multitask (Strayer et al., 2003).

Despite these results, scientists continue to find ways to make our roads safer. A new method to reduce accidents caused by in-car distractions has been developed by AT&T and researchers at Carnegie Mellon University. This piece of technology basically consists of a steering wheel that uses vibrations to communicate information rather than voice cues or directions on a map (Liszewski, 2012). For example, if the driver is supposed to turn left, a counter-clockwise pattern of vibrations will be felt in the wheel. To turn right, a clockwise pattern of vibrations would be felt. The use of vibrations is means to reduce the possible number of distractions that drivers experience (Liszewski, 2012).

This design incorporates the findings of numerous studies and applies it. Essentially, it ensures that the eyes of a driver are always focused on the road, and reduces the burden of having to listen to directions. The system is also capable of sensing when the distance between the car in the front is too little or if a car appear's in the car's blind spot (Liszewski, 2012). The steering wheel is definitely an innovative approach to make roads safer, prevent accidents, and save lives.

I think the steering wheel actually has promise. What are your thoughts about this technology? Do you think this kind of steering wheel will actually have a positive impact on road safety? Or do you think no amount of technology can make our roads safer because the real issue is incompetent drivers?

On a closing note, something my driving instructor used to tell me: “Speed thrills, but kills. Arrive alive.”


REFERENCES
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liszewski, A. (2012). Vibrating Steering Wheels Could Provide Distraction-Free Directions. Gizmodo: GPS. Retrieved from: http://gizmodo.com/5896098/vibrating-steering-wheels-could-provide-distraction+free-directions

Strayer, David L.; Drews, Frank A.; Johnston, William A. Cell phone-induced failures of visual attention during simulated driving. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, Vol 9(1), Mar 2003, 23-32. doi: 10.1037/1076-898X.9.1.23

Un-printing

Let's be honest, no one likes buying printers. As students, you most likely experienced the dilemma about whether to purchase a printer or rely on commercial vendors like FedEx Kinkos instead. I thought buying my own would be more convenient, but is it really worth all that money. Am I even saving, and if so, how much? I bought one despite my ambivalence and hesitation. What's more frustrating is when your ink runs out, and the most dreaded moment arrives – buying more ink! In most cases, the ink tends to cost a substantial amount of money (sometimes more than buying a brand-new printer itself).

What if I told you that you may never have to invest in ink again? You'd probably jump with joy. Well, that day may soon arrive. Scientists are calling it “un-printing”. The idea of “un-printing” is becoming more of a reality. Based on recent developments and discoveries, a team of scientists at the University of Cambridge claim that it is possible to remove toner from a paper and enable its re-use with the right type of laser technology (Netburn, 2012). After lots of experimentation with all kinds of lasers, including ultraviolet, visible, and infrared, they claim that toner removal and re-use is possible. This is groundbreaking news!

Furthermore, the team of researchers believe that “un-printing” will open new doors in the area of sustainability and recycling. Imagine, we could re-use paper that already has ink on it. Basically, we remove the ink from used paper, and then re-print on the paper with our desired content (Netburn, 2012). These processes are more sustainable and leave a smaller ecological footprint. While the technology is still in testing phases, and may initially cost a significant amount, it certainly sounds like a long-term investment.

Not only will this affect printer manufacturers and their revenues, but hopefully it will get them to set more reasonable prices for ink. What do you think?

Netburn, Deborah. (2012). Scientists develop the un-printer - vaporizes ink from paper. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/scientists-develop-the-unprinter--vaporises-ink-from-paper-20120319-1veat.html#ixzz1pVmWETaL

The Online Classroom

How many of you have ever looked up a video on YouTube that was related to your coursework? Maybe it was a short lesson on formal proofs using induction or it was a full lecture about linear algebra. You were probably studying for a test or exam. Chances are that you probably missed that lecture or were hoping that a different perspective could help you understand the material.

From my experience, I know that sitting in lecture trying to scribble down everything AND trying to understand what the instructor is saying doesn't work. It's hard to do both tasks simultaneously – humans aren't very good at multitasking (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95256794)! Instead, I try to just absorb the content and look at the notes that instructors post on Blackboard. More often that not, this method works. However, sometimes it's not enough because the material is really complex. This is when I turn to YouTube and utilize the power of the online classroom.

I'm sure many of you have heard of Khan Academy or PatrickJMT (if not, you should definitely check out their videos on YouTube). These are just two examples of people that have revolutionized education in the computer age. Not only have they made education more accessible, they have also empowered students. Recently the founder of Khan Academy, Sal Khan, was invited to give a TED talk about how he went from being a hedge fund analyst with 3 degrees from MIT and an MBA from Harvard to pioneering the Khan Academy. The video can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM95HHI4gLk

According to the TED video (these statistics are slightly dated), there are approximately 2200 videos online. Topics covered range from basic arithmetic to vector calculus. Most importantly, about 1 million students use the website every month, and between 100,000-200,000 videos are watched daily. This just goes to show how powerful the Internet is. These videos basically review important concepts that are commonly encountered at university. Students find these videos extremely helpful, because they allow students to learn at their own pace. A student can return to the video a number of times until he/she masters the concept – something not possible in a classroom.

The idea that substantial learning can occur outside the classroom is becoming more of a reality. Computers and the Internet are at the forefront of this movement, and have had a huge impact on the notion of “the online classroom”. Online courses are now offered at many universities around the world. Computers have affected a number of industries. ATMs have replaced bank tellers. Online travel services have replaced travel agents. These are just some examples. In my opinion, teachers are definitely irreplaceable, but the works of Khan Academy are definitely valuable tools and resources. It's no surprise that Bill Gates and Eric Schmidt have donated millions of dollars to the development of Khan Academy!

What are your experiences with online learning? Any thoughts?

The full article about Khan Academy can be read here:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57395106-93/tech-giants-back-effort-to-revolutionize-teaching/

Up in the Cloud

Cloud computing has been dubbed the next big thing by many tech companies and IT moguls. It has and will continue to transform the way people look at and access their information. According to the National Institute of Science and Technology, cloud computing is “the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices as a utility (like the electricity grid) over a network (typically the Internet).” It gives users access to data management services, applications, and databases, and is grounded on the assumption that users need not worry about the location of resources and how they're stored.

Watch this neat video for an explanation of what cloud computing is and how it works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae_DKNwK_ms

Users can access the cloud's resources from a computer, laptop, cell phone, or tablet pc, with a working Internet connection. Imagine if all you needed was an iPad (or any tablet) and you could continue carrying out all your current tasks. In terms of saving money, this option is a no-brainer! Imagine the portability! These are just some of the reasons behind why cloud computing has created such a buzz.

On the other hand, cloud computing has also raised a number of privacy and security concerns regarding the storage and accessibility of information. Companies are wary that their information could be accessed by others, misused, and therefore leave them vulnerable. According to information from a report authored by Longhaus, an Australian research firm, cloud computing is still a work in progress. Many large companies are reluctant to embrace cloud technology and remotely store highly confidential and top secret information. The risk is too high.

Despite these risks, I think that many firms are willing to embrace, and should invest in, cloud computing as a viable means of storing information. Whether this means proceeding on a trial basis, or experiment with less sensitive information, companies should be testing the limits of this technology. Internet speeds are continually increasing and the prices for these services are decreasing. At the current rate of growth, cloud computing could become the primary means of computing, in business and for personal use. I've personally been a huge fan of cloud computing. While I'm no expert on privacy and security, or how cloud computing works, the ability of cloud technology is fascinating. Google Docs has been revolutionary. It's made online collaboration so easy. Todd Nielson, a renowned IT Executive, has written an excellent article about cloud computing and how it currently impacts society. You can read it at: http://www.wired.com/cloudline/2012/03/the-perfect-storm-for-cloud-computing/

What are your thoughts? Any comments, questions, or concerns?

The Rise of Smartphones: Moderation is Key

Based on current trends of cellphone ownership, I would consider myself to be a late bloomer. I truly began using a cellphone at the age of 18. Nowadays however, even children under the age of 10 have their own mobile device. I don't understand why they need one or what they use it for, but they have it. Based on several studies and reports, cellphone usage is on the rise. In this post I will explore the growth in cellphone ownership/usage and what this means for us as a society.

There is little doubt that the introduction of smartphones triggered the rise in cellphones. Smartphones are basically mini computers. They have the ability to access the internet and install software programs called applications. These “apps” are the driving force behind the success of smartphones. The following article is a fantastic read that shows how smartphones have gone from a luxury to a tool of necessity: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_668540.html.

Smartphones are a relatively new innovation. But the importance people place on these devices is hugely significant. As an avid Android user, I must admit the experience is mesmerizing. I am a proud owner of the world's first “superphone” as LG described their Optimus 2X. I upload my entire schedule into my phone. All my contacts, e-mails, grocery lists, and pending tasks are accessible through my phone – it's amazing. My phone is my lifeline in many ways. If I forget it at home, I feel lost and worried, disconnected from society. I'm positive a significant percentage of people share this sentiment. Why is it that a smartphone has so much a value? What features and qualities of smartphones produce this feeling of addiction? From my experience, I find that smartphones are becoming increasingly more popular and important in people's lives, because they provide so many ways to connect with one another. Humans are innately social beings. Smartphones, largely through the use of apps, have simplified and facilitated interaction and computer-mediated communication. Whether it's using BBM, Facebook for mobile, or Foursquare, millions of apps for smartphones are providing endless opportunities for people to communicate and interact from the convenience of a mobile device, regardless of location.

While all the benefits of smartphones are irrefutable, I think there are a few key drawbacks and disadvantages. A number of studies have shown that intensive use of electronics, whether smartphone or PC, and particularly accessing social media, can lead to increased chances of developing ADHD. Furthermore, a groundbreaking study found that people who use social networking sites for more than one hour a day, spend significantly less time in direct-contact with people (including household members). This is shocking information considering that one of the most popular activities of smartphone users is checking Facebook and Twitter. The consequences of the reduced contact are severe. Having physical contact with others, intimate or not, is critical for proper social development. Anything short can lead to various personality disorders.

In closing, I don't believe that we should all start to reduce the amount of time we spend on our smartphones. However, forewarned is forearmed, and we should make the most of this information by creating a strong balance. Too much of anything is not good – moderation is the key. What are your thoughts?

Internet Censorship

“Censorship is advertising paid by the government.” - Federico Fellini, Renowned Italian Film Director

Internet censorship is not a new concept. The greatest examples of it can be found in countries like China and Iran where over 5 million websites have been blocked by the government. Many of these websites are considered to be inappropriate for having anti-religious information or serve as a haven for political dissidents. Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based NGO, has even developed an index that measures the level of censorship; countries like Iran and China, among others, are categorized as “enemies of the internet”.

Now, I guess it's no surprise that most of the “internet enemies” are also totalitarian regimes and their violation of human rights have been well-documented. But should governments even have the authority to control the content of the web? Should they be able to control what YOU can view online? What happens in totalitarian states seems to be out of our control, but recent developments in India, a democratic nation, have been causing global concern.

The Delhi High Court recently passed a law which orders a number of websites, including web giants Google, Facebook, and Yahoo, to “delete inflammatory images of religious figures” and remove any “objectionable or offensive content”. In an effort to make a clearer statement, a spokesperson said this law pertains to online content that is “harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, blasphemous, defamatory, pornographic, libellous, invasive of another’s privacy, hateful, disparaging, racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable, relating to money laundering or gambling.” The full article can be read here: http://searchengineland.com/free-speech-battle-in-india-google-facebook-summoned-by-court-over-inflammatory-images-105644

With over 100 million users, India has the third largest Internet audience. India is known to protect free speech and has taken a liberal stand on Internet censorship in the past. I am of the opinion that people should be able to have free access of the Internet as long as their activity is not malicious or offensive to anyone. Furthermore, the only involvement governments should have in regulating the Internet, is to ensure that these conditions are met; not to decide what Internet users can and cannot do.

The problem with the law in India is that it's not very specific and is subject to people's interpretation. For example, my idea of “offensive” content is different than someone else's. Furthermore, it leaves companies like Facebook and Google in an impossible situation. Pre-screening everything that gets uploaded on these websites is impractical. As such, companies like Google and Facebook have appealed to the Indian government for some leniency. Furthermore, it seems wrong to hold the websites liable for the content users upload. While the intentions of the Indian government are in good faith, the consequences of this law are significant and far-reaching. For example, anyone can now claim that some online content is offensive or defamatory.

There is little doubt why the passing of the law has raised so much concern. Such a precedence can be a dramatic change in a democratic society. The question now becomes, if traditionally free and liberal governments begin to adopt such policies, where will the line between freedom of expression and preserving respect be drawn? Also, what role will governments play in determining the content of the Internet?