Final Thoughts

This will be my last post on this Baker Blog, so I'd like to close with a few final thoughts (or "ahas") based on the last week of class and the final presentations I've enjoyed viewing from my colleagues and peers.

1. The idea of digital privacy is practically an oxymoron. To think that one might experience true privacy in a digital world is sort of like imagining a retail store in which theft cannot occur. This is simply unrealistic. Instead, we can use the available tools, such as virtual credit card numbers, secure websites, and unique password verification systems that challenge hackers and might deter them from attempting to steal our information. It will be less feasible as time progresses to prevent corporations from accessing our personal information, though.

2. There is such a thing as being "too connected." People need to get outside periodically! Turn off the devices! Kids need to be kids, not just beings glued to screens in one form or another. Cyberbullying is a side-effect of this, so parents, be proactive. Bring back family game night (remember board games?). Eat dinner together. Toss around the football outside. Technology is awesome, but it's OK to disconnect occasionally.

3. Cloud Computing is serious stuff. The idea of cloud computing isn't exactly new; before it was reality, it was the stuff of science fiction for many years. But there's something sort of scary about my documents not residing somewhere physically... Although I use the term "physically" loosely, of course, since ones and zeros aren't really physical. What I mean is that if cloud computing becomes the rule rather than the exception, we are placing our personal data in the hands of LITERALLY everyone who has access to the web and therefore can potentially damage it. They made a movie about this called TERMINATOR. Perhaps you've seen it?

4. User-generated content is taking over the web. The internet used to be dominated by commercial content...and PORN... but that's commercial content, too, ahem... Anyway, the spectrum has been shifting toward user-generated content with websites like YouTube and Facebook popping up all over the place. With users numbering over half a BILLION, Facebook users post tons of photos and videos daily. Youtube streams hundreds of TERAbytes (not mega-, not giga-, but terabytes) of videos daily. Blogs are becoming increasingly simple to create. The trend is for anyone to have a voice and share their lives with the rest of the world online. This will likely continue.

5. This is only the beginning. We've just entered the 21st century. The potential for the digital world is only just now starting to emerge. Look to science fiction movies to get an idea of where we're heading. The movie Minority Report shows us what computing will probably look like. The "high-speed internet" of today will likely be laughable in 20 years. Clunky PCs will cease to exist. Handheld devices will be even more functional than they are today. Be prepared to adapt.

Thanks to everyone who has been reading my rants and raves each week. And special thanks to those of you who clicked on the PORN link above. Thanks for trusting me to send you somewhere entertaining rather than somewhere inappropriate. I hoped you've enjoyed my attempts to walk that fine line for the past several weeks, and I thank you for staying with me during this experiment of a blog.

Best wishes, and Happy Holidays!

Mike