SCI 199Y: The Impact of Society Upon Computers

Introduction

September 13, 20, and a bit of 27

I distributed a course info sheet (available here in PDF) including a grading scheme; a list of possible project topics; and some writing resource information (see the bottom of the target link).

Introductions.

Discussion of course topics.

History of computing technology

September 27 and October 4

Student presentations, October 11

1. Computer Privacy and Safety

Within the past decade, there has been a sudden surge in the number of computer users. With this increase comes several risks: privacy issues, viruses, spyware, etc. I will explore such topics as the risks of online banking, a basic understanding of Spyware, e-mail risks and break-ins, several common break-in tools, popular viruses and theit capabilites, and the people and forces behind these issues. I will also show how all of these topics are related to one another and the consequences each one has. I hope that after this presentation, people will have a greater understanding of what computers are capable of, and how society affects them.

2. CCTV Video Surveillance

The people of England have grown up with Closed Circuit Television Surveillance -- CCTV -- watching them. If you walk down many streets in London, you will likely be followed by the cameras. Do these cameras fulfill their purpose of protection and safety or do they make the people around just feel uncomfortable? How are these cameras affecting society in how they watch individuals and the entire society? I will be explaining the roots of CCTV, how it came to be, the advantages and disadvantages of it, how society is reacting to being watched whenever they leave their homes, and statistics on crime and deterrence in England.

Student presentations, October 18

1. Parallels between medieval marine innovation and the creation of the world-wide web

The shipbuilders, seamen, and navigators of the Middle Ages along with the clerks and lawyers who recorded the logs, cargo lists, and rules and regulations of the sea were the social prototypes of the hardware and software developers of the 20th century. Influenced by a world that craved trade, but restrained by an economy that could not afford speculative research, the medieval seamen struggled to modernize their ships and develop navigational tools that could make them more efficient. Those who benefited from their work would go on to describe in wonder the world opened up by an exchange of ideas and goods with people thousands of miles away. This same wonder is prevalent in the genesis of computer development -- from the early days when financing was scarce and results comparatively slow -- to the market-driven successes that have made computers a fully integrated part of our lives. This presentation will show how the social forces that drove pioneers in the medieval world to expand their empire were remarkably similar to the forces and conditions that led to the creation of computers and the world wide web.

A quick historical perspective will include how the people of the Middle Ages had to innovate a new social structure in the power vacuum left by the ruined Roman Empire. Along with a look at the social patterns which evolved, this presentation will also explore some of the medieval innovations that laid a foundation for a global economy including: Gutenberg's printing press; navigational advancements; full-rigged ocean-worthy ships; and Pacioni's double-entry bookkeeping.

2. Google's Search Engine

Google's search engine was one of the main contributors to the company's success. The search engine was a breakthrough on the internet because it had features that many other search engines lacked. The society's demands on computers also made search engine results to display accurate and satisfying web sites. Now what will Google do to further improve their search engine? The society's role in the future of Google is important because they can influence the company's decisions, and trends in society can make Google develop new products or change existing products such as the search engine. The fact that Google now is a corporation that has people owning its stocks only means that more of the public can now participate in Google's affairs, and more specifically its search engine capabilities.

Student presentations, October 25

1. The Internet, Internet-based Communication, and The Effects and Benefits on Today's Society -- The Internet for Personal Use

The Internet was introduced for personal use more than ten years ago and has steadily increased in popularity and efficiency ever since. The internet has many uses in today's society as it can serve for business, academic, and personal purposes. The internet provides modern society with an effective means of doing research, communication, business transactions, and much, much more. The question is, despite popular demand and all of the benefits that the internet provides, what are the implications of excessive internet use?

The focus of my presentation will be on the development of internet and more specifically, internet-based communication. How has the internet as a means of universal communication benefited modern society? How has face-to-face interaction been affected? I hope to provide explanations to these and many other questions throughout my presentation.

2. Electronic Cash

My presentation will define e-cash and the different forms of e-cash. It will also take into consideration the possible effects of electronic money on society as a whole. Finally who invented e-cash and for what reason.

3. The Printing Press

The printing press changed the history of humanity. With its invention came a revolution not only in the arts, but also in the sciences. Since the printing press was invented, mass publication and circulation became greater. It gave access to more ways of education, but it also brought revolution, rebellion, and new ideas. The printing press gave people the right of knowledge; not only the church could have books. They were not longer about religion. Somehow the Internet can be compared to the printing press. Both give people a wide selection of information, and both in their own way changed the course of the world.

Student presentations, November 1

1. Communication and Cell Phones

I will be talking about the development of the cell phone and its uses in today's world. As well as being a communication device, the cell phone has many other uses which are ever expanding in the technological world. I will also be discussing the positive and negative effects of having a cell phone and the effects of society on the growing demand for cell phones and some future developments.

3. The Death of Distance -- The Rise of Speed

The use of the internet is becoming dynamic. It's a high-speed world out there; don't you want your computer to keep up? There isn't much on the Internet these days that doesn't require a high-speed connection in order to fully experience and appreciate what the Web has to offer. The Internet has become such an integral part of our lives, with such powerful capabilities that millions of people around the world use the Internet every day -- to communicate with others, follow the stock market, keep up with the news, check the weather, make travel plans, conduct business, shop, entertain themselves, and learn. In my presentation I'll talk about broadband internet, its benefits in general and at home and its disadvantages, and lightly touch upon the different kinds of high-speed technologies that the ISPs use.

Student presentations, November 8

1. Computers and the Second World War

I intend to talk about the type of computers that were used in the war, how they were used by both sides, why they were used, and how the companies that made these computers were affected.

2. Electronic Security Systems

Have you ever encountered cases where your car, property at home or even in the work place has been stolen or invaded? Moreover, regardless of what you did, it was impossible to detect the burglar. During this session we will be discussing the features of an electronic security system as well as the benefits and disadvantages of these devices.

Student presentations, November 15

1. RFID

What is Radio Frequency Identification? Not many people know what it is and how it is used. In my presentation I will introduce RFID, the history of this technology, and its usage today in our society. I will talk about the privacy issues and controversies surrounding this subject and the future of this technology.

2.

3.

The purpose of this presentation is to inform about and create awareness of the rapidly changing technology in the medical industry, particularly the pharmaceutical automated system. In my presentation, I intend to discuss the purpose of this device, the procedure, the benefits, and the impacts as well as the challenges that this new technology may present to the medical field.

Cute videos circulating on the net

Instructor presentation about some of the kinds of cute little videos circulating around the net, some of which are "viral marketing".

Student presentations, November 22

1. Nicolaus Copernicus

In today's technologically-advanced modern world, many people tend to forget about the influence of the past scientific discoveries, many made during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. One of them was Nicolaus Copernicus's theory of the heliocentric solar system.

In my presentation I will talk about Copernicus's origin, his theory, and what impact it had not only on science, but also on previously-dominating religious dogma. My findings are available online at http://copernicus.atspace.com.

2. The August 2003 blackout

On August 14th, 2003 a massive power outage occurred, affecting about one third of Canada's population. I will be talking about the causes of the blackout, which was due to "overgrown trees", and the affected infrastructure. I will also provide information on when power was restored. Also facts will be provided about the blackout.

How the internet works

(instructor presentation)

Student presentations, November 29

Time-Keeping History, part 1

Instructor presentation on time-keeping, apparent solar time, mean solar time, time-zones, etc.

Student presentation, December 6

Spiritualism and artificial agents

January 10

Time-Keeping History, part 2

Instructor presentation on the "longitude problem" and John Harrison's clocks.
An excellent book about all this: Dava Sobel, Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time, Penguin, 1996.

Student presentation, January 17

January 24

Computer-Mediated Communication (instructor presentation)

"Groupware" is a general term for software meant to be used by more than one person simultaneously, in a group, with interactions between the simultaneous users. This interaction constitutes a specialized communication.

The social psychologist and human-computer-interaction researcher Robert Kraut (CMU) said circa 1991 that despite the wide interest in "groupware", e-mail was the only successful groupware application to date. I believe he was right, at least if you count the various then-existent text communications fora under the umbrella of "e-mail", and I think that there are specific reasons that e-mail-like communication would be adopted much more readily than all of the flashier, more complex groupware software which never received wide use. I also believe that my analysis explains why "instant messaging" subsequently became a successful groupware application.

I will also report on some interesting aspects of how people relate to each other when their communication is mediated by computers, and discuss further social issues in computer-mediated communication, and the great impact of the design of computer systems on how their users behave towards each other.

January 31

Student presentation: Sputnik Made Outer Space History

Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite, was launched in competition with the United States to see who could get into outer space first. The purpose was to research the atmosphere and get vital information on meteoroids. In my presentation I will discuss important issues with Sputnik such as how it came to be such as who came up with the idea and who developed it also what society thought, how they felt and the impact of it.

Computer users' rights; data privacy

Instructor presentation

Student presentations, February 7

1. Voting Machines

I will focus my presentation on voting machines. Within the past several years there has been a lot of controversy on the legitimacy of these machines. For instance, many believe that these machines were programmed to give George Bush extra votes in the past election of 2004. Therefore, the human impact on these machines is vast and I will be focusing on the pros and cons of voting machines and alternate ways of tallying votes.

2. Microcomputers and their creation

A Microcomputer is a small, low cost computer originally designed for individual users. Recently, microcomputers have become powerful tools for many businesses that, when networked together, have replace minicomputers and in some cases mainframes and information tools. With the creation of these, companies have been able to further their trade and it has opened up the possibilities for people and companies alike, and has expanded both the use of computers and employees' computer skills in the workplace.

3. Internet Security

Surfing and using the Internet can allow unwanted viruses, spyware and adware onto your computer. I will explore different security issues related to the Internet and different types of protection that can be used to dispose of and/or prevent this malware from getting onto your computer, such as firewalls, virus protection, and the use of encryption. I will discuss a little bit on Internet "crackers", internet confidentiality and privacy, and other ways of protecting your computer such as using remailers, different passwords, routers, and anti-spyware programs.

Student presentations, February 14

1. The Dot Com Bubble Burst

The Dot com bubble burst was a significant event that showed how the North American society can change the internet and the software industry. Firstly, I will be discussing the origins of why where people so optimistic about the internet and ultimately the creation of the dot com bubble. Secondly, I will analyze how the dot com bubble burst and its tragic results for many IT companies and its impact on the internet.

2. Fear of Robots

This presentation will take a quick look at what a robot is and then delve into the love/hate relationship our modern society has with robots. What components of fear can be attributed to nature and what components are nurtured by our society? "Robot Fear" will also be examined in the context of popular literature and movies. While examining some of the psychological profiles of "robot fear" a look will also be taken at how other cultures view robots. Batteries permitting, there will be a demonstration.

Instructor presentation on "The Prevention of Technology"

The material about the Amish was taken primarily from http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.01/amish.html.

(reading week)

Student presentations, February 28

1. Technology services replace costly long-distance phone calls

Many of us have relatives and/or friends who live far away, and one of the most personal ways of communication we find is the telephone. Thus, we make long distance phone calls that end up costing a lot of money, especially if we do not have an appropriate long-distance package with our telephone company. However, we find other ways (cheaper and personal ways) to communicate with those overseas. Many instant messenger providers allow us to have video and voice conferences over the Internet, without paying high long distance rates. We only pay the usual amount for the Internet service. Yet, in order to talk with whom we want to, it is imperative that the other person is connected to the same provider. But there are other options such as VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). This service let us call from a home phone to another phone, only using an Internet connection, sometimes for free, and some others just paying a small monthly fee. In my presentation I will talk about the most common ways people are communicating nowadays (in a more personal way than chatting) with people from all around the world, without having to pay too much.

3. The Antikythera Mechanism

In 1901 divers working off the isle of Antikythera (Greece) found remains of a strange mechanism that turned out to be 2,000 years old. Who created it? What is it and what was the purpose of it?

Student presentations, March 7

1. Social Engineering

Social Engineering is "the practice of obtaining confidential information by manipulation of legitimate users". In the presentation on social engineering I will be talking about the different types of social engineering, how it works, and what are some of the precautions companies can use in order to prevent it.

2. Wikipedia

Founded on January 10, 2001 by Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia has been growing on an exponential rate and has gained major popularity today. Wikipedia is a freely-licensed encyclopedia which is reasonably stable and full of good information. Free in the sense of GNU and free as in free speech. It is available in many languages and is written by thousands of volunteers. Today, English Wikipedia is larger than Britannica Encyclopedia and Microsoft Encarta combined. But how reliable is the information found of Wikipedia in comparison to the Encyclopedia Britannica and other information providing sources? One entry of Britannica is probably more authoritative than quoting the wikipedia, nevertheless the results of a study show that they are somewhat similar. Wikipedia is interesting, not so much technically as socially.

Student presentations, March 14

1. Computer Security

I'll be talking about computer protection, and how do we protect ourself? What is a hacker and why are we so vulnerable? The Hacker attitude, for example the way in which a hacker can hack into your computer.

2. All about wikis

Where did the word wiki come from? What wikis already exist? What is a wiki? How are wikis able to function? What are other applications of wiki engines? These are the questions I intend to answer.

Student presentations, March 21

2. [re cellphones]

Modern technology has changed communications in a variety of ways. The world today is referred to as a global village due to the advancement of technology, particularly, cellular phones. Since the invention of cellular phones in 1947, researchers looked at basic mobile (car) phones and realized that by using small cells, the phone would be portable and convenient to the public. In this presentation I will be discussing the history of cell phones, what cell phones consist of, how they work, and the impacts on society.

Student presentations, March 28

1. The Citizen Lab

The students at the University of Toronto along with other students in North America are some of the many citizens who are concerned about the growing problems of those in the developing countries. The Citizen Lab is a laboratory which is instituted at the Munk Centre for International Studies here at the University of Toronto. During this presentation we will highlight some of the great accomplishments of the summer internships. Furthermore, we will discuss the aspects of the Citizen Lab.

2. The Chernobyl Disaster

Chernobyl is an internationally recognized name of a small Ukrainian town located thirty kilometres from a former nuclear power plant, where on April 26th, 1986, the worst nuclear disaster in history took place. Since then, Chernobyl has become associated, as Mikhail Gorbachev stated, with human confrontation "of the real force of nuclear energy, out of control". In my presentation, I will talk about the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant before the catastrophe occurred, the disaster and its causes, the decontamination, the aftermath, and the impact of society after the disaster.

"Non-Technical Infiltration" (instructor, April 4)

"Social Engineering", and other forms of security penetration which are based on people more than on the technology.

April 11

Closing comments and other discussion

Student presentation on Social Engineering

I will be discussing the various types of attacks that social engineering can engage with;aswell, discussing the role of society in which control seems to play a big role in how social engineering is pursued. In addition, I will also talk about a man named Kevin Mitnick who by some is considered to be the smartest hacker ever, and I will deal with some ideas around how one might "avoid being a victim" to social engineering.

[main course page]