Internet of Things (Social Network 2)

           As we continue this blog on the internet of things, I would like to reference my previous blog before we get started. In my previous blog we discussed the pros Social networks. As we concluded I mentioned there would be a part two, and in part two we would discuss the cons of Social networks. With great pleasure I say that time is now. So, lets get started with a few downsides to social networks.

          One big con in my opinion on social networks is privacy issues. We are normally required to give some personal information when creating accounts. Information like Address, phone number, birthday etc. While doing some research I read an article from bbcNews.com. This article was published in 2016 however, it speaks volumes in stating there was a 57% increase in identity theft via social networks in the UK alone. This has been considered a crime of opportunity due to the growing privacy issues. There are numerous reasons for this issue but one reason that stands out is the amount of information the social networks request and the additional information we provide. For example, I know a lot of users who tag their location when out and post documents like receipts on social networks. So, with all that information being given out I hope you can see why it’s a crime of opportunity.

          Another big con would be cyber bullying. While some may think its nothing compared to physical bullying, they would be wrong. Cyber bullying has clearly become a new age form of bullying created in large part by social networks. This gives individuals an outlet to bring other people down without revealing themselves at times or with the support of other followers due to popularity. This has been a constant topic when it comes to social networks. They have created hotlines, websites, etc. to help prevent or assist with cyber bullying incidents. If my words aren’t enough, try taking a look at this snapshot.

Cyber bullying/Victimization

This is a snapshot of statistics from 2016 taken by cyber bullying research center. In this study they polled 5,700 students age range 12-17 yrs old in middle or high school of whom almost all reported some sort of cyber bullying/victimization incident. This sample should give you an idea of just how big of a deal this issue is. Not to mention the long term effects it has on the kids involved. So just be mindful to not type things you wouldn’t feel comfortable saying in person. That’s a start but where it ends is a topic for another day.

The purpose of this blog was to shed some light on a couple of cons of social networking. Its so many more cons to discuss but these were two big cons that I had time to cover during this blog. However, feel free to list other cons in the comment section that you may feel strongly about there is no right or wrong response. I would like to thank you for taking the time to read the blog hope you enjoyed and took something from it. Until next time!

Sources:

Patchin, J. W. & Hinduja, S. (forthcoming). Digital Self-Harm Among Adolescents. Forthcoming in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

https://cyberbullying.org/2016-cyberbullying-data

Get Safe Online Team

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-36701297

https://www.getsafeonline.org/about-us/

Are Smart Cities the Future?

We all know that cities are notorious for being loud, overpopulated and chaotic, yet we seem to continually flock to cities to live and work each and every day. In fact, according to, Maddox, T. (n.d.), "60% of the population are expected to live in cities by 2050." With so many people flocking to the cities, it is imperative that we all move and operate in the most efficient way possible, this is where smart cities come in. A smart city “uses IoT sensors and technology to connect components across a city to derive data and improve the lives of citizens and visitors” (Maddox, T.). By connecting devices and collecting data, smart cities will help to streamline services, make transport more efficient and also improve infrastructure and our quality of life.

Transport

Europe is leading the way in regards to turning their major cities into smart cities. One of the key factors for these smart cities is the focus on transportation. Paris for example has begun to incorporate electric car sharing programs connected and tracked through GPS, whereas Copenhagen has “started using sensors to monitor the city's bike traffic in real time, which provides valuable data on improving bike routes in the city. This is crucial, as more than 40% of the city's residents commute by bike each day”(Meola,2016). Perhaps more importantly for many of us is how smart cities are affecting those of us who drive vehicles. London has pioneered tests for smart parking, which will allow drivers to “quickly locate parking spaces and remove the need for lengthy searches for an open spot” (Meola, 2016). They will do so by implementing sensors in the car parking spots that communicate with your device in real time to let you know if a spot is free or currently in use.

Smart Architecture and Infrastructure

As you can imagine, applying the architecture and infrastructure for a smart city does not come cheap. According to a report by the International Data Corporation (IDC), “smart city technology spending reached $80 billion in 2016, and is expected to grow to $135 billion by 2021 (Maddox, T.).Although these figures may appear high right now, they will undoubtedly continue to rise as companies begin to get on board with the smart city movement. Initial spending for property and business owners will e high in the hope that technology and IoT reduces cost in the long run. According to a survey from Daintree Networks, “60% of building managers in the U.S. are familiar with the IoT, and 43% believe the IoT would shape how they operate their buildings in the next two to three years” (Meola, 2016).

It is obvious that Smart cities are the future, but they are also our present. There is a wealth of possibilities, opportunities and information on smart cities from waste management ideas to retail. The world is becoming more and more complex yet more simplistic and straightforward at the same time. Where does the Iot begin and where does it end? Are smart cities sustainable or even practical? There are still many questions to ask and answer but one thing is for sure, smart cities are coming wether we want them to or not!

Citations

How can we achieve more inclusive smart cities? Find out. (2018, July 12). Retrieved from https://www.geospatialworld.net/blogs/achieve-inclusive-smart-cities/ Maddox, T. (n.d.). Smart cities: A cheat sheet. Retrieved November 11, 2018, from https://www.techrepublic.com/article/smart-cities-the-smart-persons-guide/ Meola, A. (2016, December 20). How smart cities & IoT will change our communities. Retrieved November 11, 2018, from https://www.businessinsider.com/internet-of-things-smart-cities-2016-10

Thomas Coombes

The Convergence of Artificial Intelligence and Society

What is this AI non-sense?

With the advent of Artificial Intelligence, there seem to be two camps of thought that people subscribe to. There is the pragmatic approach to AI and then there is the cynical approach. The pragmatics in the AI realm are not worried about a future where Google ends up being Skynet from the Terminator universe. They understand that AI is in its infancy. Just because an AI was able to beat the world champion of the Go, that does not translate into AI becoming sentient and capable of forming its own thoughts. AI is not able to perform some of the most mundane but complex tasks that humans do every day with relative ease. However, mankind's brightest scientists are currently trying to solve that issue. So it may be closer than we think. The pragmatic approach is well grounded in research, rationality, and realistic expectations. Understandably, a lot of people will bring up Moore's law and the exponential growth of technology to refute this reasonable approach. There is a lot of merit to Moore's law and it is empirically evident that Technology has been growing at an accelerated pace but it hardly seems likely that an efficient (evil) AI will render humans obsolete. It is fair to say that such future only exists in the far fringes of our fears and imagination. These dialogues between these opposing views are still fundamental to the development and use of this incredible technology. Somewhere between these extremes, there is a middle ground where conversations about the ethical use of AI and robotics needs to take place. History reminds us about the scientific breakthroughs of the past. Big governments in the brink of conflict have managed to weaponize our greatest discoveries and inventions. Project Manhattan's primary goal was not to create 14,575 nuclear bombs that can disintegrate all living things in a matter of seconds. It took years following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki for the world to take notice of nuclear proliferation. AI will not disintegrate anyone, thankfully, but it will profoundly change the nature of human existence. Many have gone as far to call AI to be the next step in human evolution. While others think that humans will share a symbiotic relationship with AI in a utopian society. The answer is probably somewhere in the middle but most people agree that AI will disrupt the very fabric that creates the modern society as we know it. The only rational course of action is to engage in the discussion of AI and be prepared when the technology reaches maturation.



Let's take a step back and forget about AI. Our lives are full of technology that enhances our wellbeing but people hardly take notice. All mammals are born with about 3 billion heartbeats that give every human being about 40 years to live. The average American lives for about 78.7 years with the help of modern diagnostic tools, medical research, and pharmaceutical research. This is only one example of the wonders of technology and such examples are abundant in our everyday lives. As the modern human, we have an arsenal of technology at our disposal at any given time. We access them through our phones, tablets, computers, and even watches. All these devices are also becoming smarter with passing time. Most people use some form of a smart device without even realizing it. The new iPhones and pixel phones in our pockets have already started to utilize AI in a lot of its functionality. Reputed companies like Nike have already partnered with Apple to create wearable technology. It is not difficult to imagine that our computers will soon give us real-time feedback about our health and make our lives easier to manage. All of these devices will utilize some form of machine-learning or AI algorithms as it is evidently the only existing solution to our needs. It is only a matter of time when AI will be an integral part of our everyday life.


About 300 years after his demise, Newton still haunts us with the third law of motion. For every good thing AI can accomplish, there is an equal potential for harm. There is always the yin to our proverbial AI yang. AI is also being weaponized by the U.S. and Russia for military use. The reason to weaponize AI is indeed a noble one that is to save the lives of soldiers, right? But let me ask you this, is an AI capable of making a value judgment based on ethics and empathy? Will our friendly robot soldiers be able to tell the difference between a child soldier and a kid playing with a fake gun? These are all questions that deserve extensive debate and discussion. These are the types of problem that are more imminent and threatening than that of robots taking over the world. For the rest of us, we can hope that these expeditions to our future are led by highly intelligent and rational people who embody the best of our traits. If that is not the case, the prognosis is not too bright but rather dark. It is not up to us anymore to decide if we want to open this Pandora's box, it is open already. However, it is our responsibility to best prepare for the future we are creating together.




By Shyer Amin

Citations:

1. https://bigthink.com/think-tank/big-idea-technology-grows-exponentially
2. http://fortune.com/2018/02/09/us-life-expectancy-dropped-again
3. https://www.ploughshares.org/world-nuclear-stockpile-report
4. https://www.greekboston.com/culture/mythology/pandoras-box/
5. https://pixabay.com/photo-3010309/
6. https://cdn.defenseone.com/a/defenseone/interstitial.html