Article Fourteen

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/04/25/israel.ipad.ban/index.html

This article talks about a recent issue regarding Ipad usage in Israel. When the Ipad was released, it quickly became illegal to use in Israel. They felt the devices advanced wi-fi technology would interfere with the communication capability of the country. Israeli authorities said the devices' Wi-Fi standard does not match Israel's standard, which is also used in Europe. In the past two weeks, Israelis and tourists entering the country at Ben Gurion Airport have had their iPads taken by customs officials. The country's communications ministry said it reached its decision after completing "intensive technical scrutiny." Many people across the world had publicly criticized the decision before the ban was lifted.

On the surface, this does not seem to be a big deal. However, this brings up an important principle that many people do not understand. Wi-fi is not universal. Yes, how it works is exactly the same, but the standards between a European Wi-fi capable device and an American capable device are much different. This is the reason why Israel placed the ban on the Ipad in the first place. These wi-fi differences make it easier for someone to hack into an important server and potentially do harmful things. On this regard, I completely back up Israel expressing concern over the device. They are not that developed of a country to begin with, so one can assume their internet security is not completely top notch. With Israel holding a huge stake in many governmental issues, the problem of hacking is extremely strong.

However, Israel also deserved some criticism for how they handled the situation to begin with. When the story originally broke, people were arriving into the country and with no real warning have their Ipads seized. They refused to go into specifics on plans other than they would be confiscating all Ipads due to internet security. Apparently the issue being discussed could easily be resolved just by tweaking a few things. When asked why they were refusing to do the simple tasks to fix the problem, they remained consistent on their stance. There are those who stand up with Israel with the idea that the world is backing up big business rather than a country's opinion. I have to say I can see where that argument is coming from as well.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/apr/25/apple-ipad-ban-ended-israel

This article goes into more specifics on the decision to stop the ban on Ipads.

The country had banned imports of the iPad, which was released in the US earlier this month, because of fears its wireless signal could disrupt other devices. At least 10 iPads were seized at the country's international airport. Israel's communications ministry said officials had determined that the iPad met local standards and, as of today, imports would be permitted. Although I understand Israel's original concern, they should of tried to resolve the issue before taking a drastic measure like they did.

Article Thirteen

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/04/13/graphing-internet-digg-google-trends/

This article talks about how interesting new ways that a person can look at trends on the internet. The first way talks about a program specifically for diggs. The program, known as arc, is a group of Diggs that move around a circle. Larger text sizes means hotter topics. Big Spy -- perhaps the least useful tool -- shows larger text sizes for the most popular topics. And Pics is all about popular photos and graphics. The second major program is Google Trends. This program allows you to compare two different subjects to see which is more popular. It shows one this information in bar and pie graphs. The last main program is known as microsoft pivot. This allows a user to read in depth about what they are searching, say Barack Obama. Pivot shows you he was the Time Magazine person-of-the-year. You can then "pivot" this data and see every person-of-the-year, or click filters to see only African-Americans. This type of data exploration just isn't possible otherwise.

Looking through this article, it's really neat what these technologies are capable of. This really does allow a user to "watch" the internet is a way never seen before. It will make the ability to expand searches seamless and much more satisfying. Also, if these technologies work properly it will be much easier to use the information for reports or other business projects. While doing this blog I tested out a couple of these things. I'll admit, before I went to try it I wasn't expecting much. I figured it would just basically be a search engine with a couple new tools. I figured it would somewhat interesting but nothing to write home about. I was 100% wrong. I could not believe how neat it was to see information presented in the way it was. It really gave me a lot of options I would never have with a simple google search.

With that being said, there are some things I didn't care for. For starters, it took a good bit of time to load up the information after I put it into the search engine. Also, although there was more information while searching this way, it often was somewhat confusing to try and figure out what was where. I would definitely only recommend this type of search for someone who is doing a report or heavy intensive research based project. Although this may seem like common sense, if these types of technologies get extremely popular people may get dragged in and forget about the simpler ways.

An article specifically regarding Digg Lab, found here http://thenextweb.com/apps/2010/03/24/new_digg_app/, discusses the idea that although interesting it is still just another search engine. The interface is nice and clean, easy to use and it will be nice to have Digg to search. But to be honest, this is Digg and I was expecting a lot more. So it is a good app and good to have, but it will need to work hard to keep my interest.

These are definitely interesting pieces of technologies, but I will still just google what I need for now.

Article Twelve

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/space/04/09/cnet.nasa.new.programs/index.html

This article talks about the new programs that NASA is trying to get into production for 2011. The NASA programs will center on commercial manned rockets and technology for deep space exploration. However, The new plan for NASA does not specify a long-range target for exploration. This new program will cancel out President Bush's previous plan, Constellation, which will result in thousands of lost jobs. Under this new fiscal plan, roughly $6 billion more dollars will be put into NASA research and development. This is somewhat controversial given the current state of the economy, but president Barack Obama feels it is vital for NASA research to go on stronger than ever.

I am on the fence when it comes to money being spent of space exploration. On the one hand, I realize there are many vital reasons to explore space. Understanding how space works helps us to predict patterns of behavior for Earth. Also, knowing about the distant planets and the solar system is very important to know for our future. There is also an obvious need for things such as satellites and defense systems. However, the other half of me wonders how much money is going to waste on programs that mean nothing for Earth. The most recent thing that comes to my mind is the project NASA implemented to try and find water on Mars. The cost of the project was roughly $450 million dollars. I do realize understanding the composition of other planets is important, but was this completely necessary? It certainly seems to me that our society has much more pressing needs than seeing if there water vapor on a distant planet.

I know a lot of people would argue with me that $450 million in an economy such as United States is not a whole lot, but think how many times similar money has been used on such projects. I'd guess billions upon billions of dollars have been pumped into programs that probably weren't needed. This money could be used to fuel failing government programs that need more assistance. Maybe I don't understand how important some things NASA do are, but it seems to me that the money could be a lot better spent in America

http://www.financialnewsusa.com/more/47-tech/14252-nasa-unveils-sweeping-new-programs

This article puts into better perspective the cost of the new policy broken down into more specific. It also talks more about how the new program will completely eliminate many of Bush's prior programs which will cost thousands of jobs. Looking through the costs, I see many many things that from an outsider view look superfluous. I suppose I will always wonder if only that money were used differently how it could affect society differently.

Article Eleven

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/04/02/navy-developing-cyber-weapons-shoot-data/

This article talks about the U.S. Navy trying to create a remote control plane that could shoot data beams instead of actual attacks. According to the report, the navy expects to spend around $400 million dollars over the next eight years to try and accomplish this feat. The practical uses could include jamming an enemy's radar signal, or cut of communications of a buildings. This plane would be a completely unmanned aircraft vessel controlled by remote control at a central command base. There would be a defensive weapons system on the plate as well. The use of nanotechnology would be vital to recognize distinct radio and wave signals as well as antenna signals. The Navy cites that this airplane is currently only in the planning phase and still needs approval from other government outlets before the construction begins.

This is such an interesting piece of technology that would be amazing for use in the wars of the future. Imagine a plane that would be able to shut down communications and jam computers. Ground forces would be able to gain a strategic advantage before having to risk their lives invading a building or area. It's simply amazing that we have come this far in society today. Not only can we use this in war, but the fact that it will be unmanned is so great to save lives. I really hope that this idea gets pushed through and the project gets completed. A lot of times sadly these great ideas do even get approval yet never get finished due to lack of resources of man power. If the Navy decides to stick this one out and put it into production for use in future wars.

A lot of the time I see people talking about how the government wastes money on projects like this. This really frustrates me and makes me realize that people are ignorant to the world around. We are arguably the most technologically advanced country in the world, and in order for that to stay this way we have to be on the cutting edge of technology. If we do not spend the necessary funds to stay on top of the game, another country will gain the edge over us. I think Americans take for granted the fact we have never been truly invaded by another country on our mainland. This is largely due to the fact that we have spent the money to create a defense system that is cutting edge. Without this defense, who knows what could possibly happen to the America we all live in.

http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,212940,00.html

this article is a direct link from the military discussing the specifics on how the airplane would function and its uses again. It goes into good detail on the exact radar technology that would be used and each step of the production throughout the eight year process. The director of the process told the reporter that this type of technology is slowly becoming vital to warfare of the future. Without these types of technologies America could fall behind and be susceptible to attack. Although people may disagree that this money is being spent inappropriately, its obvious to me that this type of advanced digital fighting is necessary for our country.