Tuesday, December 10

Near Field Communication Enables Users to Wirelessly Transfer Data from One Device to Another

Near field communication (NFC) allows for the sharing of data between two devices possible through the formation of a radio-wave field by one device that the target (another device) can detect and access over a distance of about 4 inches max. NFC is built upon Radio-frequency identification, which can only go one way.

An example of RFID is EZ-Pass where the EZ-Pass transmits a signal to the receiver.  However, NFC allows devices to be able to send and receive data.  NFC exists in some smartphones now, such as the Samsung Galaxy. The Samsung Galaxy S3 came out with the ability to pass data between two devices just by touching the phones together.

NFC is also starting to be seen in some stores where customers can just tap their credit card on a NFC-enabled payment machine and the payment will go through (http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2011-02/near-field-communication-helping-your-smartphone-replace-your-wallet-2010) . The video that we watched about the "corning glass" would use this NFC technology where a mobile device can be placed on the kitchen counter, and the data could be viewed on the countertop. However, for the "corning glass" technology to be possible like it was in the video, NFC has to be modified to allow data transmission to occur over a further distance than it is now.

Thursday, December 5

Uncovering the Ethics used online at College Park and bringing about Awareness to the Digital Code of Ethics on College Campus'.

In my section of chapter 8 the main ideas revolve around the importance of ethics, specifically in journalism, and its ever changing ways due to today’s technological advancements.  There are a number of questions I will ask the college students here at College Park in regard to these ethics in order to see what ethics are being used, if any at all.  A few questions will include, ‘Is there any form of ethics being followed by this age group?’  Also, ‘What ethics (if any) do you use when using online forums?’ Furthermore, how do you feel about today’s advancing technology and the ethics of the internet… are they keeping up or not?’  And lastly, ‘do you feel that if everyone online was held to a certain code of ethics that they would be more respectful in the forum’s they are involved in?’   
This will uncover what ethics are being used/followed.  It will also help decipher whether more or less awareness about such ethics needs to take place.  Getting a college students opinion will prove most helpful because of the amount of time they spend online (for both school and personal reasons). It seems they would be the best population to interview.    

Wednesday, December 4

Street Interview About User Awareness of Settings on Social Networking Sites: What Do College Students Think?

A large portion of Our Digital Privacy (Chapter 7) focuses on user awareness of their settings on Social Networking Sites (SNS). One of the things discussed in this section is the differences between perceived settings and actual settings, so I want to see how this matches up with college students. I plan to go around the University of Maryland, College Park campus and tell random students about the statistics then ask them the following questions: ""Are you and/or most of your friends aware of your privacy settings on the internet?" as well as "Why do you think there is such a discrepancy between perceived and actual settings?" I would like to ask these questions because I think they will provide strong feedback on the issue and its relevance in a college setting. From these questions, I hope to find insight toward how the statistics match up on our campus as well as why it is thought that there are differences in what settings are versus what people think they are. In turn, I will be helping raise awareness about privacy settings and how people, especially college students, should be aware of them.

Street Interview trying to figure out why, even with a law banning it, student drivers continue to text and drive.

My section of Chapter 6, “Our Digital Youth”, focuses on the safeties and dangers of technology to youth, specifically the use of technology while driving. Because of the rise in accidents due to texting while driving, many states have placed laws banning the act. Unfortunately, many people still continue to text and drive and use other technologies while driving, risking their lives. The question I want to ask is, “Even though you know that texting and driving can cause accidents, why do you think drivers still do it?” I want to ask this question to college students because I know for a fact that some college students on campus text and drive (or used to text and drive). I would like to know their rationale/reason for texting and driving, being fully aware of the consequences. Knowing their reasoning will help me to further examine the situation and write a better and more detailed section on the dangers of technology.