Joshua Walker

Prof. Jensen

IST 1100

11 April 2015

I feel that some of the views and opinions that was shared from the article makes some very valid points as to why the future doesn't need us. I agree with most points but not all of them. Just because some of the things exist doesn't mean that things can and will go downhill and things can fall apart. But at the same time you should have realistic thinking and plan for the future in case something unfortunately comes up.

A reason why I agree that the future won’t need us is that how far things such as technology have advanced and improved over the years. Things have taken off in ways that people would have never imagined years ago and the good thing about it is that things will continue to get better. With that being said, the fact that things will improve or even come about could mean less and less of a need for things that we could have been using for years, Things could become useless with improvements as well as advancements. It is a good thing for things that needed to be improved but bad for things that we rely on now as everyday things and then they will become useless and go towards other things. Things could then develop a mind for themselves and make us as the humans useless. They would not have the need for us even though we were the ones to develop these sort of things. That is likely but at the same time I don’t think it will be the end all be all thing that proves that the future won’t need us.

Why I feel that the future still has a huge need for us is because the future would not be possible if not for us. Certain things that we have would not be around if it was not for us and the creative minds that made those things come to past. The future needs us more than people would think. To think about how far things have become and how much better things have been it would not be possible if it were not for us. How we can order food, explore the internet, call a friend, watch tv, play games, none would be possible if not for us as the humans. We made those things happen and because of that we are needed to keep things in check while at the same time keep bringing improvements.

Joshua Walker

Prof. Jensen

IST 1100

18 April 2015

The things that I learned in this class have been very valuable and things that I can and will use in my everyday life, even more so when it comes to technology. I really enjoyed the class and the structure of how the class was. I hope that in the nearby future for this class that nothing is changed for this class. The writing papers I enjoyed that since writing papers is something that I really enjoy and I actually take pride in so that made this class that much more enjoyable. All you need to do is read, understand the material and do the work and there is no reason why anyone should not pass this class.

As far as the book goes I think the book was ok. With the beginning of the book when discussing Friedman’s idea for the world being flat and how actually coming to find out that the world isn’t flat I feel that was more of a metaphor for saying how the world has evolved and basically it has become a much better place to live over time. With a reference to the world being flat I think he may have meant how the world as in us the people was flat and in this case technology was the subject and over time technology evolved and has become a driving force today. That’s how I would interpret the meaning of what he meant. I could be wrong but it is another way to look at it. I would like to see if Friedman felt the same or anyone else for that matter. It isn’t anything ridiculous to think that’s what he could mean as it is just my own opinion.

One of my favorite assignments that we were assigned to do was the one where when we were asked to find a movie with computers involved and if they could be related or used today. I picked the movie The Matrix because I know computers were a prominent use in the film and there is no way that can be used today. The usage for computers can be similiar but not the extent of what they were in the film.

Joshua Walker

Prof. Jensen

IST 1100

4 April 2015

In the movie The Matrix the use of computers are obviously not how we would use computers today. It would be really nice but it is unrealistic and would unlikely happen. I remember when they would use the computers to locate where certain people were. The exact same location. Computers now give an idea and not really a specific location. Neo in the movie was a computer hacker. That was his everyday thing. He thought that was the reality of things and how everything was supposed to be until later finding out there was much more to his life than he could have ever imagined. He was the one. Anyone would be confused to think my life is supposed to be this way and then someone comes and tells you that this is how your destiny is really supposed to be. It was not a bad one as all the abilities and powers Neo had so no one can really complain about that.

The images that you saw on the computers were codes that only some people could see. An everyday person such as you and I would not be able to interpret something like that. It is odd that they can but thats why it is a movie. It provides another point of view in other words. It is a way in which someone else would be able to see something but another person would think that it would not be possible for that to happen. Much like Neo in the beginning of it all how he did not understand how any of that was possible.

The use of the computers in this movie is unrealistic and that is based on as stated before the whole coding of it all. It is something we as humans would not be able to comprehend. As technology improves as it has maybe in the nearby feature it could be possible but I do not see that to likely happen. As far as any cultural issues arising I think the sole problem would be just that it is something different and something that has never been done before. With new things it takes awhile to get adjusting to especially with ground-breaking things as this would definitely be.

Joshua Walker

Prof Jensen

IST 1100

28 March 2015

The story was about how basically computers started to become what we know them as today. Based on how the story went it seemed like the computer eventually gained the ability to start thinking on its own without the help of a human helping it compute any sort of information. Sounds like an issue with many people are potentially worried about happening today. The network that the computer known as Joe, had the malfunction that allowed him to allow circuits and basically like stated before gained the ability to do things on its own. That’s not a good thing as a lot of bad can come out of that. With that happening now the computer has all this access to a lot of things it was thought to be private.

My opinion on that happening is that I feel like something like that could possibly happen. It’s something that more people should be aware of. We see in movies where there are malfunctions with any sort of technology and then everything just goes bad. In this situation in the text it luckily didn’t happen that way but it is something that could have happened.  I can ask exactly what would we as the people do in that sort of situation? How would people react? I know that people who make the products do their best to see that something like that can be avoided at all costs but at the same time you can’t be perfect. I am trying to be reasonable with this point and see that more should be aware and hopefully that something like that does not happen.

In the story how Joe was then able to access information that was normally thought that their was no way of being able to access that sort of information but due to a malfunction the worst was finally realized.

Joshua Walker

Prof. Jensen

IST 1100

21 March 2015

How to build a dell laptop is a very simple one actually. You can have one customized and built just the way that you like it. Knowing that the laptop that I currently have is a dell laptop I had no idea that you could do that. I know that you begin by going on the dell website and you can begin from there. Selecting exactly the laptop that you were looking for and the software that is needed or something that you would like. I want to some day try this and get an updated and customized laptop that meet my needs exactly.

Al qaeda does have a supply chain. They are a movement that works off of a supply chain. They are said to be a suicide chain. Reason why we are up against Iraq to begin with. So al qaeda does have a supply chain. It may not be the one that we may know or one that we may approve of but they have one. It certainly isn’t a positive one.

The curse of oil is when there is an abundance of oil. It is one of those situations where most people would look at it and say how is having too much of something good be a bad thing? In this situation it can be because knowing that you have a lot of oil means you’ll be the place where people will come to for oil. It would make you feel like people are just using you just for your oil. That’s like in other situations having too much food it may be a good thing to begin with but in the long run it may turn out to be a bad thing.

Joshua Walker

Prof. Jensen

IST 1100

5 March 2015

There has been a number of ways in which computers have been relevant and useful in my education. Without the use of  computers some of the assignments for class that I have been asked to do they would not have been able to have been completed. Computers have been there for everyone and makes communicating that much easier for when person to person communicating can not be done. I am sure that many others can agree with me on the ways that computers have been useful in the ways of education.

One way that computers have been useful in my education has been as stated before with communication. Whenever I need to communicate something to maybe another student or a teacher for help on something I can use that as a reference. I may not have their number so I can email them or contact them via social media. If i am having trouble with an assignment or test I can quickly email the teacher and get some clarification on what the teacher may have meant on a certain topic. When it comes to communicating with another student, I could do the same thing when asking the teacher for help on an assignment I can do the same asking a student. There may be time when I didn’t show up to class and if there was an assignment that was due I can ask the other student as to what the assignment was and now I am able to get it done.

Another way that I have used computers in my education is when it comes it researching things. I have been asked to do many research papers and without the use of the internet sometimes that would not have been possible. In some cases I could use a book, or a magazine or even another person but for the most person I could have relied on the internet to give me the answers that I am looking for. You can’t always rely on the internet as everything isn’t always true so when that happens I can refer to a book. When I do find the research that I am looking for and then it is time to actually start the research paper I use word or even powerpoint to mark down all the information that I was able to obtain.

Those have been the two most useful ways that the use of computers has been relevant to me in my education. Without those things I would not be able to do get good grades and complete the tests and homework/projects that I need to do.

Joshua Walker

Prof. Jensen

IST 1100

28 February 2014

I believe that some countries and some regions are better than other countries at certain things is because of where some countries are located. For example places that are close to bodies of water usually specialize in things such as fishing and boating. They specialize more so than other places when it also comes to shipping because they are so close to the ocean so you can rely on them to get the shipping done and done rather swiftly. They have the advantage over other countries and they would be first in being contacted when it comes to shipping or maybe when it comes to seafood. Other places that have a comparative advantage in farming would be more heavily relied on more so than like as mentioned before the countries closer to any body of water. It all comes down to where the countries or regions are located.

Self-directed consumers I think are consumers who are self directed by themselves by the things that they need or want. I think that I am a self-directed consumer as I don’t let really anything directed me for getting something that I may want or even need. I am directed by my own desires and needs. I feel like everyone is to a certain point as more so of the things that we obtain is because we were directed either by a need or want for something. Most of America is made up of self-directed consumers. I can probably say the same for other countries but then again I can’t since I don’t live in the other countries even though I did live in Germany for 9 years and the feeling that I got from being there it is the same as it is for people in America. Consumers are directed by their own needs and wants and I am one of them.

I feel like globalization does in a way mean Americanization. From what you see everyday that other countries are influenced by some of the things that America does and also vice versa. Everyone has had some sort of influence on the things that are done or look. It may not be as major as other places like in regions that aren’t as big as America since they don’t get exposed to the things that America or other places do. More and more places are becoming more similar. Someone may see something good that one may do and get an idea from that and base something off of that thing. So I believe that globalization does mean Americanization but it doesn’t specifically come down to just America as it happens globally.