Week 11 EOC: The Future of the Internet

The future of the internet is likely to move and change quickly. 10 years ago, we'd never have imagined the kind of computing power we now take for granted. The speed at which information travels is already blindingly fast, and will keep increasing exponentially as new advancements are made.

Even a mere 5 years ago, features like bar code scanning, online banking, entire music libraries and photos would not have been portable and unilaterally accessible as they are from our phones now.

Alvin Toffler painted a bleak picture of technology back in 1971, when he posted we’d all end up cut off, isolated and oppressed by our technology. Shel Israel at Forbes.com writes; “He coined the term “information overload,” and painted a picture of people who were isolated and depressed, cut off from human intimacy by a relentless fire hose of messages and data barraging us relentlessly.” He goes on to say, "But we are not isolated by it. And when the information overloads us, most people are still wise enough to use the power of the ‘Off’ button to gain some peace, or perhaps they take a beach walk or tend their gardens." http://www.forbes.com

In some ways Toffler was right, in that we do get overloaded with information, and there are now issues like cyber-bullying and ID Theft to deal with, but we also gain a lot. When else in history could people find others who share their interests from across the globe? When else could we have bought and sold items online as we do now? Works of art are collaborated on from across continents, bringing artists and appreciators together like never before. http://www.hitrecord.org/

Technology keeps advancing, and I think we will soon have Google Glasses (or some future iteration of the idea) as integral to our daily lives as cellphones have become. Perhaps even digital prosthetics or implants. The tech is already in development, but I sure don’t look forward to having a trip to the Apple store involve removing a cyber-eye, or pulling a chip out of my forearm to reboot it. But  think it’s coming.

Week 10 EOC: Illicit Trade on the Web

In the past year, evidence has mounted that a large percentage of the Viagra and other erectile dysfunction (ED) medication sold online is fake. And that the majority of the sites selling Viagra online can’t be trusted.

The Majority of Online Pharmacies Untrustworthy. Imagine That!

Last month, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), which accredits online pharmacies, announced the results of an analysis showing that 97 percent of the more 10,000 online sites selling prescription medications were operating illegally or not following pharmacy laws and standards. (Note: This is prescription medications; the report did not even touch the websites selling drugs without a prescription.)

So You Want to Buy Viagra Safely Online. The HARD facts:

There are a number of resources specifically created to enable consumers to shop safely online. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) offers its own website to find an accredited online pharmacy, AwareRX, which lists pharmacies vetted by the NABP through their VIPPS program (Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites). The FDA also has its own consumer protection website campaign launched in late 2012, BeSafeRX.

www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2013/09/12/buying-viagra-online-its-very-likely-fake-and-possibly-dangerous-new-data-say/2/

I’ll take KIDNEY for $1,000!

Desperate need for money, lack of adequate organs lead to mushrooming of cyber forums for illegal sales; agents involved claim to ‘facilitate transplants’ at various hospitals for hefty prices

It’s not just books, clothes and electronic gadgets that are up for sale online — kidneys too, are available.

Google ‘kidneys for sale’ and a host of websites offering the organ pop up. On social networking forums and private sites with message boards, there are hundreds of people interested in selling and buying kidneys.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/want-a-kidney-just-go-online-price-negotiable/article4820717.ece

Average paid by Kidney Buyer: $150,000

Average paid to Seller of Kidney: $5,000

Kidney Traffickers in Turkey: $10,000 profit

Kidney Transplant Operation - China: $15,200

Kidney Transplant Operation - Europe: $32,000

Kidney broker in Yemen: $60,000

Kidney broker in the Philippines: $1,000 to $1,500

Kidney buyer in China: $47,500

Kidney buyer in Egypt: $20,000

Kidney buyer in Israel: $125,000 to $135,000

Kidney buyer in Moldova: $100,000 to $250,000

Kidney buyer in Singapore: $300,000

Kidney buyer in South Africa: $200,000

Kidney buyer in United States: $120,000

Kidney buyers in Saudi Arabia: $16,000

Kidney seller in Bangladesh: $2,500

Kidney seller in China: $15,000

Kidney seller in Costa Rica: $20,000

Kidney seller in Egypt: $2,000

Kidney seller in India: $1,000

Kidney seller in Israel: $10,000

Kidney seller in Kenya: $650

Kidney seller in Moldova: $2,500 to $3,000

Kidney seller in Pakistan: $10,000

Kidney seller in Peru: $5,000

Kidney seller in Romania: $2,700

Kidney seller in Turkey: $10,000

Kidney seller in Ukraine: $200,000

Kidney seller in Vietnam: $2,410

Kidney seller in Yemen: $5,000

Kidney seller in the Philippines: $2,000 to $10,000

http://www.havocscope.com/black-market-prices/organs-kidneys/

Perhaps an AK-47 would go well with that Evening Gown?

The AK-47, perhaps the world's best-known gun, is so easy to make and so hard to break that the Soviet-designed original has spawned countless variants, updated and modified versions churned out by factories all over the globe. Although US customs laws ban importing the weapons, parts kits—which include most original components of a Kalashnikov variant—are legal. So is reassembling them, as long as no more than 10 foreign-made components are used and they are mounted on a new receiver, the box-shaped central frame that holds the gun's key mechanics. There are no fussy irritations like, say, passing a background check to buy a kit. And because we're assembling the guns for our own "personal use," whatever that may entail, we're not required to stamp in serial numbers. These rifles are totally untraceable, and even under California's stringent assault weapons ban, that's perfectly within the law.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/05/ak-47-semi-automatic-rifle-building-party

        Afghanistan: $1,500

        Afghanistan - Kabul: $1,500 for US issued Night Vision Goggles

        Australia: $15,493 in Sydney

        Average price of AK-47 worldwide: $534

        Canada: $2,000 for handgun, $600 to rent

        Europe: $400 to $900 for Rocket Launchers and AK-47s

        Iraq - AK-47: $800, with model favored by Osama Bin Laden going for $2,000

        Iraq - Rocket Launcher: $100 for Rocket Launcher, $50 per grenade

        Iraq- Bullets: $0.15 to $0.45 per bullet

        Mexico - AK-47: $1,400 by U.S. border / $3,000 in Southern Mexico

        Mexico - Grenade: $100 to $500 for M67 Grenade

        Niger Delta: $75 for AK-47

        Philippines: $120 for .22 Caliber Magnum Black Widow

        Profit in the U.S.: $500 for selling AK-47 to Mexican drug cartels

        Somalia: $400 for authentic Russian AK-47 / $600 for North Korean model.

        Sudan: $86 for AK-47, $33 for child

        Syria: $2,100 for AK-47, $2,000 for RPG

        Thailand: $2,600 for gun

        United States: $400 in California's black market

        United States - Straw Purchaser: Up to $500 per gun

http://www.havocscope.com/black-market-prices/ak-47/

Week 9 EOC: How to Set up a Domain Name

Before understanding how to configure a domain name, one should know how a domain name works. There are three parts to setting up a domain name for a website - (i) registering the domain name with a domain registrar, (ii) setting up the domain name entry in a DNS server, and finally (iii) configuring the web server to listen to the requests for the domain name. A request for the domain (e.g. http://websitegear.com) starts at one of the registrar's server, which then routes it to a DNS server containing the DNS information for the domain. Once the DNS record for the domain resolves the domain name to a particular IP address, the request is sent to the web server listening to that IP address. The web server can now delegate the request to the particular website based on the domain name in the host header of the request object.

Registering A Domain Name

A domain name needs to be registered with one of the ICANN (http://www.icann.org) approved domain registrars for a yearly registration fee. One of the cheapest registrar with all the required features is GoDaddy.com (http://www.godaddy.com). There are registrars for each country specific domain names (such as .co.uk for United Kingdom, .nl for Netherlands). One should choose a domain name very carefully. After deciding on an available domain name, one has to provide the following information during the registration process:

• ·         Domain name owner credentials (name, company name, address, phone, email address etc.)
• ·         Administrative contact credentials
• ·         Technical contact credentials
• ·         Domain Name System (DNS) server details

Conclusion

Domain configuration starts with an entry with a domain registrar, and the registrar record maps the domain to name servers, which contains the detailed DNS entries for the domain. The lookup for the domain name at the designated DNS server resolves the domain to an IP address of the web server. The web server in turn delegates the requests based on its configuration for the domain.

http://content.websitegear.com/article/domain_setup.htm

Week 8 EOC: Small Business Saturday

Created in 2010, AmEx offered 100,000 card members a $25 credit for shopping locally. That's a possible $2,500,000 in free money. (Taken from Cnbc.com)

First observed on November 27, 2010, it is a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which feature big box retail and e-commerce stores respectively. By contrast, Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers to patronize brick and mortar businesses that are small and local. (taken from Wikipedia.com)

Aided by a full-fledged radio, TV, and social media ad blitz, credit card giant American Express launched Small Business Saturday on November 27, 2010. The idea was simple: Encourage U.S. consumers to use the Saturday between Black Friday and Cyber Monday to shop at their local mom-and-pop businesses.  

The folks at Twitter want Small Business Saturday to survive. “Twitter is offering $1 million in free ads for small businesses,” writes Dylan Tweney for Venture Beat.

 “In just three years, Small Business Saturday went from an idea to help Small Business find more customers, to a permanent fixture on the holiday shopping calendar,” said Susan Sobbott, president, American Express OPEN. “According to the research, we are seeing the small business community take ownership of the day and make it their own.”

“The inaugural Small Business Saturday Insights Survey, which was released this week, found 47 percent of independent merchants will make a point of using Small Business Saturday as a way to draw customers,” Tim Gallen write for the Phoenix Business Journal.

The study also shows that at least 67 percent of small businesses intend to include Black Friday-style discounts to help drive sales.

“American Express started the Small Business Saturday ‘movement’ in 2010 and last year over 100 million people decided to Shop Small for the big day,” Marketing Pilgrim notes. (taken from theblaze.com)

EOC Week 7: Companies That Can Spy On Me; Legally!

Amazon & Ebay: Edward Snowden is not the only big story here. What he has revealed about the hidden wiring of our networked world... now THAT'S something!

The National Security Agency (NSA) has long been able to access the emails, Facebook accounts and videos of citizens across the world; or how it had secretly acquired the phone records of millions of Americans; or how, through a secret court, it has been able to bend nine US internet companies to its demands for access to their users' data.

We must be aware of changes to what the internet means. The days of the internet as a truly global network are numbered. Today’s internet is headed towards a geographically-divided, government-controlled arena of communications now.

US-based internet companies cannot be trusted with our private information at all.

Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft are all integral components of the US cyber-surveillance system. Kindle's software "will provide Amazon with data about your Device and its interaction with the Service...and information related to the content on your Device and your use of it (such as automatic bookmarking of the last page read and content deletions from the Device)."

EBay, ever anxious to up profits, bends over backward to provide data to law enforcement officials. "I don't know another Web site that has a privacy policy as flexible as eBay's," says Joseph Sullivan, Senior Director of Law Enforcement Relations. "We don't make you show a subpoena, except in exceptional cases," Sullivan told his listeners. "When someone uses our site and clicks on the `I Agree' button, it is as if he agrees to let us submit all of his data to the legal authorities. Every move an Ebay user makes; clicks, purchases, emails, leaving feedback; is all recorded. And given freely to Law Enforcement upon asking.

http://www.unionbook.org/profiles/blogs/spying-on-us-not-just-us-google-facebook-yahoo-amazon-apple-and

http://cryptome.org/ebay-spy-rat.htm

http://pages.ebay.com/community/chatter/2005march/marketplacesafety.html