http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-10381355-266.html
Last Thursday the Federal Communications Commission unanimously voted to begin the process to create regulations in order to preserve the internet as an open form of communication. Although in favor of gathering research, Republican Attwell Baker does not see much point in specific rules because she believes there is little threat to internet openness. Leading up to the vote there was much debate on the subject with principle web companies like Google and upstarts agreeing that the internet's openness be preserved with prominent internet service providers were wary of intrusive regulation. Phone companies like AT&T and Verizon are fearful that the new regulation will target mostly network traffic causing higher costs and hassle to the companies responsible for handling that traffic. The new policies would prevent ISPs from viewing data sent on their network for any reason. This includes illegal activities such as pirated software and other unlawful uses of the companies' network. In addition to letting illegal activities go unnoticed the new policies would make it impossible for ISPs to increase efficiency by sorting data by type to allow for faster processing of data. While ISPs announce their disdain of the proposed plan open advocacy groups like the Open Internet Coalition, Public Knowledge, and Free Press are praising the FCC for their decision.
This decision is an important milestone in the history of the internet. Rarely has the United States enacted any policy to regulate or otherwise affect the internet. At least in the United States the internet has acted as a platform where free speech can flourish with minimal meddling by the government or anyone else who might choose to impede that right. Hopefully these new policies from the FCC will continue this tradition so that the internet can remain a safe-haven for free expression and wont be the start of a trend to regulate a once free space.
Reference:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/172371/fccs_net_neutrality_plan_draws_fast_fire.html
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Journl 8, October 18th
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8309583.stm
Recently Uruguay has become the first country to provide a computer for every child attending public elementary school. The new program has incorporated over 362,000 students and some 18,000 teachers in just the past two years. Plan Ceibal (Education Connect) has brought successfully been able to bring computers and the internet to many families for the very first time. To implement the program Uruguay has turned to the One Laptop Per Child project organized by Nicholas Negroponte. The original goal of the project was to create a modern laptop that could be produced for only $100. The final cost was a bit more at $216 for each laptop but that price includes extra features and services such as maintenance costs, equipment repairs, training for the teachers and internet connection. Even at the increased cost the Uruguay program represents less than 5% of the country's education budget. To attempt to implement the computers teachers have already been trained and encouraged to use the computers in the classroom. The laptops use an open source version of Linux that has been criticized because it is not one of the mainstream operating systems. However the introduction of any kind of computer system is seen as an improvement and is seen as an excellent start for more programs to use technology. Now that the children have the computers Uruguay must now maintain the program and be an example for other countries in similar situations.
The One Laptop Per Child project is an excellent effort to spread the benefits of technology all over the world. With a laptop in hand children are capable of accessing a world's worth of information to aid them in their studies. Also with use of the internet even the most rural areas of undeveloped countries can stay connected to the rest of the world to help even the plain. This is an example of what benefits technology is capable of and how important it is to take advantage of it wherever possible.
Reference:
http://laptop.org/en/vision/mission/index.shtml
Recently Uruguay has become the first country to provide a computer for every child attending public elementary school. The new program has incorporated over 362,000 students and some 18,000 teachers in just the past two years. Plan Ceibal (Education Connect) has brought successfully been able to bring computers and the internet to many families for the very first time. To implement the program Uruguay has turned to the One Laptop Per Child project organized by Nicholas Negroponte. The original goal of the project was to create a modern laptop that could be produced for only $100. The final cost was a bit more at $216 for each laptop but that price includes extra features and services such as maintenance costs, equipment repairs, training for the teachers and internet connection. Even at the increased cost the Uruguay program represents less than 5% of the country's education budget. To attempt to implement the computers teachers have already been trained and encouraged to use the computers in the classroom. The laptops use an open source version of Linux that has been criticized because it is not one of the mainstream operating systems. However the introduction of any kind of computer system is seen as an improvement and is seen as an excellent start for more programs to use technology. Now that the children have the computers Uruguay must now maintain the program and be an example for other countries in similar situations.
The One Laptop Per Child project is an excellent effort to spread the benefits of technology all over the world. With a laptop in hand children are capable of accessing a world's worth of information to aid them in their studies. Also with use of the internet even the most rural areas of undeveloped countries can stay connected to the rest of the world to help even the plain. This is an example of what benefits technology is capable of and how important it is to take advantage of it wherever possible.
Reference:
http://laptop.org/en/vision/mission/index.shtml
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Journal 7, October 11th
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/business/energy-environment/12iht-green.html?_r=1&ref=technology
Technology based companies like Google and Twitter have made life much more manageable but at the same time consumed vast amounts of energy to do so. To keep up with the scores of digital information necessary for the upkeep of the internet and countless office computers technology companies have erected data centers all over the world. These data centers in the United States alone use 1.5% of the entire countries power usage in 2006 and according to government these figures are set to double in just five years. Experts say there are plenty of ways to improve efficiency of power use by these data centers. Costs are obviously causing a loss to companies for example the power for a server over its useful life exceeds the initial cost of the hardware itself. Part of the problem lies in keeping these data centers cool. To allow chips work at maximum efficiency data centers must be kept below 80 degrees Fahrenheit which means money and power must be spent on expensive cooling equipment. To accommodate this potential expense businesses are taking advantage of alternate cooling methods, like the weather. Recently Microsoft built a data center in Ireland to take advantage of the sites cooler temperatures. In addition to considering innovative ways to design and implement data centers companies are also trying to gauge the exact amount of energy they are using so that they be aware of their impact. This way companies will be more easily able to manage their power usage so they can operate as efficiently as possible.
If technology is to be properly integrated into society companies must be sure that energy efficiency is one of their top concerns. As the rest of the world attempts to become "greener" so must the field of technology. It is essential that companies plan for the future by implementing the most cost affective and energy efficient methods today so that society will pay less in the future.
Reference:
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/08/reducing_data_c.html;jsessionid=TNBTMEOUUSXCZQE1GHPSKH4ATMY32JVN
Technology based companies like Google and Twitter have made life much more manageable but at the same time consumed vast amounts of energy to do so. To keep up with the scores of digital information necessary for the upkeep of the internet and countless office computers technology companies have erected data centers all over the world. These data centers in the United States alone use 1.5% of the entire countries power usage in 2006 and according to government these figures are set to double in just five years. Experts say there are plenty of ways to improve efficiency of power use by these data centers. Costs are obviously causing a loss to companies for example the power for a server over its useful life exceeds the initial cost of the hardware itself. Part of the problem lies in keeping these data centers cool. To allow chips work at maximum efficiency data centers must be kept below 80 degrees Fahrenheit which means money and power must be spent on expensive cooling equipment. To accommodate this potential expense businesses are taking advantage of alternate cooling methods, like the weather. Recently Microsoft built a data center in Ireland to take advantage of the sites cooler temperatures. In addition to considering innovative ways to design and implement data centers companies are also trying to gauge the exact amount of energy they are using so that they be aware of their impact. This way companies will be more easily able to manage their power usage so they can operate as efficiently as possible.
If technology is to be properly integrated into society companies must be sure that energy efficiency is one of their top concerns. As the rest of the world attempts to become "greener" so must the field of technology. It is essential that companies plan for the future by implementing the most cost affective and energy efficient methods today so that society will pay less in the future.
Reference:
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/08/reducing_data_c.html;jsessionid=TNBTMEOUUSXCZQE1GHPSKH4ATMY32JVN
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Journal 6, October 4th
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-10364590-266.html?tag=mncol
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) bringing broadband internet to the entire United States will not be cheap. The FCC has been put in charge of forming a national broadband policy that would ensure that every American has access to broadband internet. Last Tuesday the FCC task force issued its initial report which estimated the project would cost more than $350 billion to bring universal broadband to the United States. This estimate is the result of many workshops and hearings that will continue until the FCC presents its final report to Congress in February. While it is estimated that it would only cost approximately $20 billion to set up nationwide broadband at speeds between 768Kbps and 3Mbps, the FCC has concluded that these speeds would be insufficient for future computing demands. Therefore the FCC has suggested a plan that would allow 100Mbps or greater and cost around $350 billion if not higher. This exorbitant price can be attributed to a number of factors in delivering nationwide broadband. One such factor is the process of implementing the service in rural areas where not only capital costs are high but upkeep expenses as well. As of now Congress has appropriated $7 billion to the project and is expected to contribute more tax payer money but the bulk of the funding will come from the private sector. FCC has decided that it is necessary to implement faster networks to accommodate the "bandwidth-intensive applications" that will become popular among users in the near future. These include include streaming video, video teleconferencing, and electronic medical monitoring, all which require significantly more bandwidth. The FCC is also looking into implementing policy for the use of wireless networks and expanding the wireless spectrum available for commercial use.
Expanding the United State's availability of broadband internet has many obvious benefits not only to consumers but also to businesses and government programs. With a more robust national network people will be able to communicate like never before to even the most remote parts of the country. Also having access to quicker speeds will allow users to take advantage of the newest technology and stay on the cutting edge. Although a nationwide broadband policy would incur high costs it will ultimately become a necessity and be implemented eventually due to popular demand.
Reference:
http://www.wral.com/news/technology/story/4913467/
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) bringing broadband internet to the entire United States will not be cheap. The FCC has been put in charge of forming a national broadband policy that would ensure that every American has access to broadband internet. Last Tuesday the FCC task force issued its initial report which estimated the project would cost more than $350 billion to bring universal broadband to the United States. This estimate is the result of many workshops and hearings that will continue until the FCC presents its final report to Congress in February. While it is estimated that it would only cost approximately $20 billion to set up nationwide broadband at speeds between 768Kbps and 3Mbps, the FCC has concluded that these speeds would be insufficient for future computing demands. Therefore the FCC has suggested a plan that would allow 100Mbps or greater and cost around $350 billion if not higher. This exorbitant price can be attributed to a number of factors in delivering nationwide broadband. One such factor is the process of implementing the service in rural areas where not only capital costs are high but upkeep expenses as well. As of now Congress has appropriated $7 billion to the project and is expected to contribute more tax payer money but the bulk of the funding will come from the private sector. FCC has decided that it is necessary to implement faster networks to accommodate the "bandwidth-intensive applications" that will become popular among users in the near future. These include include streaming video, video teleconferencing, and electronic medical monitoring, all which require significantly more bandwidth. The FCC is also looking into implementing policy for the use of wireless networks and expanding the wireless spectrum available for commercial use.
Expanding the United State's availability of broadband internet has many obvious benefits not only to consumers but also to businesses and government programs. With a more robust national network people will be able to communicate like never before to even the most remote parts of the country. Also having access to quicker speeds will allow users to take advantage of the newest technology and stay on the cutting edge. Although a nationwide broadband policy would incur high costs it will ultimately become a necessity and be implemented eventually due to popular demand.
Reference:
http://www.wral.com/news/technology/story/4913467/
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