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Week 11 Blog Post

Dear Students of EID100,

As we continue to advance technologically, it is crucial that we pause and reflect on the implications of these advancements. We must ensure that our progress leads us towards a more positive digital future, where technology empowers us to achieve our goals, rather than becoming a hindrance.

In this letter, I would like to explore three emerging technologies: blockchain, 5G, and the Internet of Things (IoT), and highlight how they could be used to shape a more positive digital future.

Firstly, blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we store and manage data. The technology's inherent security features and decentralized nature could enable us to create a more transparent and trustworthy digital world. Blockchain could be used to create tamper-proof voting systems, secure healthcare records, and track the supply chain of goods to prevent fraud and ensure ethical sourcing. By utilizing blockchain technology, we can increase trust in the digital world and build a more secure future.

Secondly, the arrival of 5G technology could provide us with faster and more reliable internet connections. This technology will enable us to connect more devices and access information at an unprecedented speed. This could revolutionize the way we work and communicate, as we could collaborate more seamlessly with people across the globe. With this technology, we could also develop new ways of interacting with our environments, such as through augmented reality and virtual reality experiences. By embracing 5G technology, we can unlock the potential for more innovative and inclusive digital experiences.

Lastly, the Internet of Things (IoT) could enable us to create more sustainable and efficient systems. By connecting everyday objects to the internet, we could gather and analyze data to optimize processes and reduce waste. For example, smart homes could adjust their energy consumption based on occupancy patterns, reducing the carbon footprint of households. Similarly, smart cities could manage traffic flows to reduce congestion and pollution. By harnessing the power of IoT, we can create a more sustainable and efficient future.

In conclusion, emerging technologies such as blockchain, 5G, and the Internet of Things have the potential to shape a more positive digital future. By utilizing these technologies, we can create a more secure, innovative, and sustainable world. However, it is crucial that we approach these advancements with caution and consider their impact on society. We must work towards a future where technology is designed to serve humanity, rather than the other way around.

Sincerely,

Prisha Mitra

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Week 10 Blog Post

The following are badges that I earned over time while learning the Introduction to HTML on Codecademy, as well as a project I have completed with the skills I have learned.

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Week 9 Blog Post

As the Chief Technology Officer of a new start-up, I am excited to share our vision for the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in addressing one of the most pressing social challenges of our time: climate change.

Climate change is a complex problem that requires a multifaceted approach. One of the key areas where AI can make a significant impact is in the field of renewable energy. The world is already shifting towards renewable energy sources, but there are still significant challenges in optimizing their utilization, predicting their output, and managing their integration into the existing grid.

Our vision is to build a forecasting and optimization AI-powered platform that enables the efficient integration of renewable energy into the grid. Our platform will use unsupervised machine learning algorithms, in lieu of overfitting, to predict energy output from solar and wind farms, optimizing their utilization and reducing waste. By integrating real-time big data from weather patterns, energy demand, and the grid infrastructure, our platform will help utilities and energy providers make better decisions on energy generation and distribution.

But our vision goes beyond just optimization. We want to use deep learning AI to empower consumers to make more informed decisions about their energy consumption. Our platform will provide users with personalized recommendations on how to reduce their carbon footprint, based on their energy usage patterns and local renewable energy availability. This will not only help consumers save money on their energy bills but also contribute to reducing overall carbon emissions.

To achieve our vision, we will partner with renewable energy providers, utilities, and other stakeholders in the energy sector. We believe that collaboration is key to addressing the challenge of climate change, and we are committed to working together to build a more sustainable future.

In conclusion, our vision for the application of AI in addressing climate change is not only ambitious but also essential. We believe that technology has the power to transform the world for the better, and we are committed to using AI to tackle one of the biggest challenges facing our planet today. With our platform, we hope to contribute to building a more sustainable future for generations to come.

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Week 8 Blog Post

The image below as a helpful infographic on Alphabet Inc.'s innovation and its connection the Module 8 content, created on Venngage.

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Week 7 Blog Post

The Cyber Lab Cyber Security game walks users through a set of challenges that complete levels that educates the player on a series of implications of cyber threats that one might face when online. For example, the "Password Cracking Challenge" asked the player to create different passwords that would be strong enough to withstand breaching attempts. This relates back to the tips given in Module 7, regarding using complex and unique passwords for every account – such as random sequences of numbers, letters and symbols. The game also walks players through a set of activities asking to identify various phishing attempts in emails, phone calls, and websites. This relates back to the tips outlined in Module 7 such as checking the email address – recognizing where the email is coming from, the email address in the “reply to” line matching the email address the letter was sent from, and checking the web address with https:// being the prefix for a secure site. The game also walks users through a very simplified process of coding your website to ensure that necessary firewalls are in place to protect your business' data. This is discussed in Module 7 when discussing "Endpoint Security" which safeguards end-user devices from malicious threats which can take the form of antivirus software, safe web browsing features, and email gateways to identify phishing attempts.

Attached is a screenshot of the progress made in 30-45 minutes of playing the Cyber Lab Cyber Security game.

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Week 5 Blog Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/08/11/too-good-to-check-sean-hannitys-tale-of-a-trump-rescue/

Disinformation is false information circulated with the intent of doing harm. In order to aid Donald Trump's campaign, Sean Hannity's story of sending a plane to make two trips from North Carolina to Miami to transport over 200 Gulf War marines back home, was published on his website and Stickney publicly told his story at a Trump rally in Houston. The story was fact checked and proved to be disinformation, as Trump has a fleet of planes that he was struggling to make payments for, that actually had a contract with the military, in which the flight home was part of said contract.

Misinformation refers to false information that is disseminated in good faith. The president of France tweeted an incorrect image of a forest fire and included false information regarding oxygen production from rainforests. The image used was taken by a National Geographic photojournalist Loren McIntyre, who passed in 2003, making the image at least 16 years old at the time of posting. Macron also claimed that the Amazon is responsible for 20 percent of the world's oxygen, while a simple Google search shows that it only accounts for 6 percent of oxygen in terms of current production. While it is believed Macron tweeted this in good faith - attempting to gather members of the G7 summit to tackle the claimed emergency - it is still considered misinformation as false information was spread across Twitter.

Three Reasons You Should Stop Eating Peanut Butter Cups

A viral post misrepresents the science behind three additives in the popular peanut butter and chocolate treat.

Mal-information refers to information that is disseminated with the intent of doing harm. This article covers a viral Facebook post about 3 ingredients present in Reece's peanut butter cups but misrepresented the science behind them. The first of which being soy-GMO, which Hershey's Company already discloses, and the lecithin amount that claims that it is linked to breast cancer and infertility is actually negligible and is based off a 1985 study that was not thorough in nature. Similarly, the article's mention to PGPR and TBHQ are negligible and unproven. The author had mal intent when writing this article as they were aware of the exaggeration that mislead and caused harm.

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Week 3 Blog Post

After adding the Disconnect extension to my Firefox browser, I surfed numerous sites to check for the number of tracking sites that were active in my session. Fashion Nova posed the highest number of tracking sites, at 76 total tracking sites. Interestingly, it showed 0 sites on the homepage, but upon clicking the "Loungewear" category (https://www.fashionnova.com/collections/activewear-lounge), it showed 76 tracking sites.

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Week 2 Blog Post

This site poses a number of accessibility issues, five of which are outlined with annotations at the link below.

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Week 1 Blog Post

One of the precepts of Social Media Best Practice is building a personal brand, "a process that is always evolving and adapting, just as you are always evolving and adapting." An important strategy for personal branding online is to engage; this is where you ensure you "talk to others, join the conversation, join groups, make friends and make sure you respond to people." Mejuri is a now established jewelry brand based in Canada. Their online presence has grown incrementally over the past 5 years, and we watched them grow from a small Vancouver jewelry brand to multiple successful locations across the country. Engaging with their customers is a part a personal branding that Mejuri ensures they are consistent in. As you can see in the screenshot above, they reply back to comments under their posts often - this builds a strong relationship with their target market and makes potential and current customers feel that they are seen and heard by the brand they are supporting - and that support comes full circle for Mejuri.

Another brand's social media presence that I find interesting is The Honey Pot Co. For the sake of context, they are a women's hygiene product company, but what I find interesting is how they have approached Self Branding, and their hyper display of their "authentic selves." As you can see in the screenshot above, the brand uses very raw language to capture their target audience. Women's hygiene has always been a taboo subject of conversation across all cultures, and this brand works to actively break the stigma of conversation around women's hygiene. While most of their posts come across as relatable memes, they still ensure that their products are tied in to their playful nuances. In the comic above, for example, a woman is seen putting on a pad while on a video meeting; while it plays on the fear we all have of doing something odd with the camera accidentally on, users can still see a Honey Pot Co product pictured in the background, as well as a corresponding caption promoting their "Peppermint Milkshake pad." Although ones "authentic self" is discussed as something in discourse of "self branding," this brand effectively ties both concepts into their personal branding. Honey Pot Co breaks that wall by portraying a sense of authentic self that their target market can relate to, effectively allowing them to feel authentic in their purchase of the Honey Pot Co products.