My digital story website

Digital Story finale

Debate article

This article covers the info released by the Guardian newspaper due to the Snowden leak. It states that of all the information leaked only 1% of it has been shared via the newspaper. From this we can gather the severity of the information that he has attained. Now what he does with it will be the true test as to whether he is a patriot or a traitor.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25205846

DS Storyboard

http://prezi.com/tilzdj0u6gfv/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

(couldn't figure out how to get onto blog, sorry)

annotated bibliography

I was originally doing my digital story on cyber bullying but as I have been requested to change my topic due to over popularity of it. I will be doing my digital story now on the hacker group anonymous and the good they do via their questionable methods.

http://www.businessinsider.com/good-hacks-by-anonymous-2013-4#

This source shows a brief description of good actions the group anonymous has done for society. I can use it to show they have decent intentions. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/07/anonymous-hackers_n_3398282.html

Is an article about how one member is putting his own life in trouble by taking accountability in order to raise awareness and get justice. I can use it to describe the commitment they give to their work.

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/10/25/que-boy-12-pleads-guilty-to-hacking-government-websites

This website shows they are willing to use anybody’s skills in order to do what needs to be done or attained. I can use this to show their willingness to use anyone how has computer skills even young people.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/30/anonymous-internet-war_n_1233977.html

this article talks about the early stages of the group and their initial efforts and plans. Also talk about the previous issues over piracy and internet rights. I can use this to show a perspective from anonymous and give background information.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/nov/15/jeremy-hammond-anonymous-hacker-sentenced

This article talks in depth about our own government possibly playing a hand in the efforts when the targets were foreign based. I can use this to show that even our own government plays dirty especially when it wants something.

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2011/07/21/anonymous-hackers-claim-to-breach-nato-security/

this article shows the magnitude and power that anonymous poses and that they can take on just about anyone or anything. I can use this to describe the power and skills that these hackers poses and what they can attain by using them.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/sunday-review/the-soul-of-the-new-hacktivist.html

this gives the history of hackers and anonymous and how they try to affect people and the internet. I can use this to show more background information about the group, what they try to do and the feelings/receptions they get from society. 

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/a/anonymous_internet_group/

this gives me access to various articles and sources to further my digital story. I can use this to add further strength to my digital story by picking articles to reinforce my point.

Media portrayal of a successful/unsuccessful man and our peer reviews

Nick Bozzo, Santo St. Vincent, Sean Shriner, Jacob Hedley

Digital story topic: Cyber Bullying

I plan to do a digital story on the effects of cyber bullying on people especially teens. This is a major problem in our society today and needs to remain in the spotlight no matter how much publicity it may get from time to time. I plan on using a multimedia source but am unsure as to which I wish to use for they are all very good. However I am doing the final steps in finalizing my decision for the best source. Bullying, ignorance, hatred, and discrimination over various things have been issues faced by people forever. While these problems are not new, they have never been appropriate. However there have been times in history when people tend to turn a blind eye to it or feel that they can get away with it in an easier fashion due to certain circumstances. Because of ideas similar to these, man has entered a new age of discriminating one another. Through technology people can harass, humiliate, demean, and drive people to the point of no return. No longer do people even need to be face to face to in order to say rude things or harass them. Now people can do this with a few clicks on the keyboard of their very own home computer or cellular device. This has caused much havoc for many people especially those in their teens (including myself.) There is nothing worse than have hateful and rude things said to you and not having any way to stop it especially since those who are saying these things are not even around to take accountability. Sure sometimes they make an effort to let you know who it is so at least there is a face to the comments. But in so many instances people will do it anonymously in order to preserve their own identity while   making their victims life hell. This issue has become an epidemic. According to bullying statistics (.org) approximately at least half of all teens have experienced bullying of some sort via technology with one in three getting actual threats of violence. In another study by do something (.org) the majority of teens said they felt that they couldn’t get in trouble or could get out of trouble in an easier fashion than if the bully bullied the victim in real life. And since bullies feel this sense of safety they do it all the more in the most rude and repulsive manners possible and for them any issue is fair game. Gender, Race, ethnicity, body type, sexual orientation, income, and looks amongst other things are all acceptable to bully about. In some instances, it may be true that the children were raised but parents with similar ideas therefore they reflect those opinions in school; however this ignorance is only partially to blame and only true in some situations. If children and teens continue these ideas and actions they may very well continue to act as bullies in their adult lives which can start the cycle all over again if they ever have kids. Another sad issue with bullying is when the victims feel they are totally alone and have no ulterior purpose in life than to get bullied. This unfortunately drives many young victims to commit suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in young people and was shown in a studies done by Yale and England that the majority of suicides were related to bullying and victims of bullying were more likely to commit suicide. This is the final point as to why I think this is a critical issue that deals with digital media and social justice, because the point at which a person can drive another to feel they are insignificant enough to take their own life then there is a major problem going on.  

http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html

http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-cyber-bullying

http://www.internetsafety101.org/cyberbullyingstatistics.htm

http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/cyber-bullying-statistics.html

week 9 review

Internet privacy has been an issue with users since the very foundation of the internet. While this may has been an issue for many years now, many people don’t seem to understand the problems and trouble they can be putting themselves in by having things as simple as twitter or facebook. If people are careful with the information they put up and monitored what they included in their information rather than publishing their life story then possibly there would be fewer problems for them and society as we know it. But alas people don’t seem to understand this and therefore post multitudes of information that can harm their personal lives. For some people it may only be a small slap on the wrist while others it can mean a loss of a career, potential job or schooling. Many people forget that during the job process their future employers search the candidate’s history to see if there is any history in the person that may not want. Even the most qualified of people make mistakes occasionally but it shouldn’t be on the internet where it remains forever. On the other hand potential identity thieves can do amazing yet horrifying things with the little amount of information that we post online. They no longer need large amounts of information but rather use their skills to attain the extra information that people don’t post online. Over the years there have been some major breaches in privacy been not in a personal level but rather a national level. War documents of the highest levels of security clearance have been leaked as well as less important files pertaining to various government ordeals. Even politicians are getting in trouble over stupid and idiotic decisions on their end that are causing multitudes of problems for them. And no one is above the effects of internet privacy idiocracy as this has been proven again and again. Everyone posts stupid things that should not be allowed for everyone to see from time to time so it is only a matter of time before a US president posts something that can get him in trouble. 

dangers of posting on facebook

While social networking can be a great and amazing thing people need to be careful with it.  Most of the time people don’t care about the little privacy options they have to protect themselves until it is too late. Most of the time people just post whatever they feel like and have no fear of any possible repercussions they may face due to their actions. It is all the more amazing when people post rude, provocative or other horrible comments and they feel that since it was just a post on a social network site that it doesn't reflect their attitude in the least. Now I am not saying that every now and then someone has a God awful day and they say something on accident they might regret or in a moment of anger. I am referring to the people who continuously do stupid things and expect to be fine because of it. Over the years, there have been some advances in the way the police see technology. Heck because of the lack of sense that many people have now days, they post their own doom in a sense. Whether its college kids taking photos of themselves drinking alcoholic beverages and posting it for everyone (including the school) to see or people running from the law and bragging about it. The lack of common sense never ceases to amaze me nor does it cease to frighten me. I myself am very careful with everything I do as I don’t want anything to come back and haunt me in the future. If all teens attacked social networking with something similar to these thoughts then they would have nothing to worry about and fear no possible. However kids will be kids and continue to post stupid things from time to time. But even adults do this to so it is hard to say if it ever really gets better over time or just gets to the point where it is not as bad. So the next time you are thinking about posting some horrible photo, status, or any other possible thing take a moment and think about the possible repercussions.     

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/16/arrested-over-facebook-po_n_683160.html#s127067&title=Student_Busted_For

The NSA and our personal information

When are people going to stand up for our own personal privacy when it comes to the government violating our rights in order to “protect” us? In my opinion, yes it is necessary to monitor some things to a certain extent however the NSA has gone to unprecedented levels. Based off new data we can see that they have more than enough technology to retrieve the information of individuals however is that what they do? No, they take everyone’s information for no good cause other than they don’t feel like taking the time to do their job properly. Yes all things come at a certain price, however as life tells us again and again, freedom is not free. But does the government need all our personal messages, emails, bank statements and other personal information? Some say yes but how often does this actually truly help the government. Maybe I would feel a little more at ease if the NSA released some documents of incidents that they were able to prevent (that were of true concern and danger to people.) But until then I am not sure what to really think of the NSA. However knowing someone somewhere can access my personal information for no other reason than they just feel like it really makes me uneasy and annoyed with the government.  But as I look around, most people don’t seem to concerned about this invasion of privacy. They are too concerned over other issues, whether it’s important personal problems or the fact that their favorite sports team can’t win for anything. I swear foreign governments are more concerned about how our rights are trampled over us than we are. The German, English and Australian governments have said this is not the necessary steps that need to be taken in order to protect America. So while only time can tell if these “precautions” turn out to be useful, we can only hope that all these infringements of our rights yield some benefit to us rather than it be stolen in vain.   

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/nsa-collects-millions-of-e-mail-address-books-globally/2013/10/14/8e58b5be-34f9-11e3-80c6-7e6dd8d22d8f_story.html?ref=twttr

social action idea

I think a speaker coming in would be the best way to raise awareness to both the local community and student body on how serious we care about what is going on in the world. If we could bring in a person who is well known and experienced in their line of work it will give us an experience to learn from their own. I think someone like John King, Larry King, or Anderson Cooper who has amassed large amounts of experiences and knowledge with the problems going on in the world. These men are just examples of the many great newsmen who have been around through the years and seen both the highlights of America and its slight regression over the years. Or even if we were able to bring in someone like comedian John Stewart it would be a great turnout for both his knowledge and comedic talents. Yes his show can be a bit much at times, however he raises key points that some others are unwilling to do and he also reaches a different type of audience that may not even know of these situations otherwise. Both of these types of new casters are skilled in their own manner and have a unique style in which they connect and spread their perspective of the world events going on. Another good speaker who could come and relate would be Hazel O'Leary. She was a former secretary of energy who did much good and helped the government when she was in. She could help spread awareness of ways to conserve energy and start ways to do programs that could help the local community.

internet freedom

I believe internet freedom should be a basic right to everybody everywhere. As I have done further and further research, it continues to amaze me how so many people across the world don’t have the same accessibility that I as an American have. It’s another surprising factor that it’s the governments enacting these crunch downs on the people’s internet usage. But not to prevent them from doing illegal activities such as hacking other people’s accounts or the selling of illegal narcotics, but to supposedly “protect” the people as well as the government. It’s a sad world we live in where we can no longer have basic access to information and knowledge. And when I hear of this it makes me think of a quote from the movie V for Vendetta, “People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.” Now I’m not saying we should topple all governments and start a new world order or anything but we need to do at least something about this. In Egypt, the internet was restricted (amongst numerous other things) which helped prompt people to rebel and use what internet they did have to coordinate the protests that helped stopped the reign of Hosni Mubarak who had ruled Egypt as he had seen fit for 29 years. But Egypt was lucky in the sense that the even had somewhat internet access in the first place. Places like China, North Korea, and Iran (amongst numerous others) have restrictions on their internet so they have hardly any access to the internet (If they have any internet access to begin with) compared to the many numerous nations of the world where internet action is freer and less restricted. But even now governments are beginning to monitor and surveil people’s internet access on a level that has not been seen before. Even America who is supposed to be the land of the free is starting to watch its own citizens more and more. Even the US House of representatives opposes international regulation for the Web but favors US censorship in order for its own and the people’s protection. Is there truly anything we do anymore that isn’t monitored and or kept on file? And while I can’t speak for everyone else but that sure as hell scares me a little.

 http://rt.com/news/internet-freedom-house-report-706/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

"Petopia" questions

1.) Have you ever had an account to anything that you once deemed "useful/necessary" that you had to pay money for? Do you still use it?

2.) Does having technology that can access large amounts of data (or even the internet) create possible threats for the people that use them, why do you believe this?

3.) Do you think people are using technology to take advantage of other people in order to get their money? Has this gotten easier as technology progressed or gotten harder?

http://www.lightandmatter.com/fiction/petopia

Attempting to turn atomic waste into power and simultaneously making the world safer

Can we truly use the waste that we already have to help fuel and give energy to countries that are in need of it? While this is in its early phases, if this were to come to pass it could be one of the greatest advances in getting and reusing waste in decades. We would be able to worry less about the extra and possibly harmful effects of the uranium and use the plutonium in a more beneficial and worthwhile manner. Now this does not only help reduce the extra waste that we are currently making now but uses it in a manner where people everywhere may one day benefit from it. Another great advantage that this simultaneously helps is to deter in the production of nuclear weapons. “Today’s nuclear reactors run on concentrations of 3 to 5 percent uranium 235, an enriched fuel that leaves behind a pure, mostly natural waste, uranium 238. A uranium bomb runs on more than 90 percent uranium 235.” By using the reactors that Bill Gates and others hope to one day use, countries will no longer require storing up on uranium 235 because the reactors use primarily uranium 238 and very little uranium 235. This would allow the UN to monitor countries that are possible threat when it comes to nuclear threats because the amount of uranium required is far more that what they would ever need to have stored up at one time. So while this is still far off in the future we can hope that some form of plan can be developed. Because it will help people as a whole through electricity, help to protect people from hostile nations that could try to create a nuclear bomb, and eliminate some waste. And while nuclear power is still effective, I think people like Bill Gates amongst other wealthy and educated people should work together to try to find a more clear and hopefully permanent solution. I do find that it’s a little sad however, that this was started by Bill Gates and not an actual government because the government should have the interests of the people under it as their priority first and before anything else. I guess we can only hope everything turns out for the best and that one day this will be used for the good it was originally thought up for.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/business/energy-environment/atomic-goal-800-years-of-power-from-waste.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&ref=science

Comic Strip

iOS 7 Bug?

      Is advancing in technology really worth the possibility of exposing our personal information to possible hackings? The new IOS 7 released by Apple Company on Wednesday September eighteenth has been greatly anticipated and downloaded by countless apple technology users in order to enhance their overall experience. However technology experts are already starting to find flaws in the new IOS 7’s programing to the point that an intelligent hacker can remotely hack any user’s device. Once hacked the hacker can look into the device to find personal photos, emails, and even access people’s Twitter accounts. The scary part is that there are also security problems that allow just about anyone to access your device with a few clicks or a few well timed swipes. While IOS 7 is still new and updates to prevent such hacks will probably be developed soon, how can we truly feel safe within our technology? Even when we supposedly upgrade it to the point where it’s the “top of the line” is it truly the safest or even most dependent software out there? While I have faith in Apple that it will resolve the problem fairly soon, it still bothers me that it made it through all the test phases and personnel tests before having to be found by the public after its release. And while I believe that technology will improve and become better and safer for all users, I also know for a fact that there will be those people who are just natural geniuses with technology and use their powers to inflict or cause harm for others as either a means for a prank or for personal gain. We can only hope that people who have these talents of hacking will do the right thing and let people be aware of the problems and malfunctions they find in technology.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/09/19/ios-7-bug-lets-anyone-bypass-iphones-lockscreen-to-hijack-photos-email-or-twitter/

discussion ques. "What money can't buy"

Is it truly for the best that people can get just about anything they want with money and what impact can this make on the world?

How far are people willing to go in order to protect their interests when it comes to them purchasing certain things?

Is there a point when it has morally gone to far, and what do you feel that point is?

What is the most outrageous thing you would do for a large amount of money?

losing faith in technology but can't break the addiction wk1

http://readwrite.com/2013/09/12/americans-losing-faith-in-technology-but-cant-break-the-addiction#awesm=~ohi4VdNA49weAf

Is it true that we as people are becoming too dependent to the point where we are addicted to electronics? I won't deny that I too enjoy the occasional evening of video games with friends or spend a few hours connecting with my friends through sites like facebook, reddit, and youtube. But ultimately I don’t feel like I am addicted however I can’t say that I could stop using technology all together either. While the more entertainment factors of technology are less necessary great values of good can be done by the positive aspects of technology. In the survey done, it was shown that people believe that technology is becoming a hindrance to people’s lives and their own identities. But in this same study by the same people it was found that they believed people could not give up technology for one reason or another or may even be addicted to it. I find it hard to believe that people are willing to admit that while we find technology hindering our own personal lives we are unwilling to move on from it or even attempt to lower the amount of time we commit to it. We have become so dependent on technology that we carry around small devices (smart phones) that contain more technology than what NASA used to put people on the moon in 1969. However do most people use this amazing technology effectively? No, we take it for granted and waste our time arguing with complete strangers on the internet or playing stupid games like angry birds or candy crush! People are becoming to dependent on technology and I don’t feel it’s for the best. Technology is an amazing thing and while it can be used for untold amounts of good, people abuse it and are becoming dependent on it for the most mediocre of tasks.    

blog 1

1.) Santo from Lockport, NY
2.) Santo is fine

4.)I love history, I am an only child, and I have played piano for years.
5.) It must be something worthwhile and that will be beneficial in some way.
6.) the internet. The internet has allowed people all across the world to connect and it allows people to find useful information without vast amounts of research.
7.) internet (computer) and cell phones
8.) I've dealt with computers for years so I'm ok. (6) Digital media is nice but I can live with or without it (4) Social media is nice but it can be annoying and pointless. (5)
9.) If you weren't a professor what would you be? What has been your favorite class you've ever taught?