Math, Math, and More Math

1) Convert the following numbers from base 2 to base 10.
1. 1011= (2^3) + (2^1) + (2^0) = 10 + 11= 21
2. 101010= (2^5) + (2^3) + (2^1)= 32 + 8 + 2= 42
3. 11111= (2^4) + (2^3) + (2^2) + (2^1) = 31
4. 10010= (2^4) + (2^1) = 16 + 2 = 18
2) Convert the following numbers from base 10 to base 2.
1. 31= (2^4)+(2^3)+(2^2)+(2^1)+(2^0)= 11111
2. 51= (2^5)+(2^4)+(2^1)+(2^0)= 110011
3. 7= (2^2)+(2^1)+(2^0)= 111
4. 103= (2^6)+(2^5)+(2^2)+(2^1)+(2^0)= 1100111
3) Suppose that we want to download a 100 MB file. How long will it take on each of the following connections?
1. 56 Kilobits/sec
(56 kilobits/sec)/(8)= 7 kilobytes/sec
7 kilobytes/sec=0.007 megabytes/sec
(1s/0.007MB)= 142 sec/MB
(142 sec/MB)x(100)= (14200sec)/60=236.67min.
237/60=3.95=~4hours
2. 5 Megabits
(5MB/sec)/8=0.625MB/sec
(1sec/0.625MB)=1.6s/MB
(1.6 s/MB) x (100)= (160 sec.)/60= 2min. 40 Sec.
3. 10 Megabits/sec
(10 MB/sec)/(8)= 1.25 MB/sec
(1 sec/ 1.25MB)= .8s/MB
(.8 sec/MB)x(100)= 80 sec.
1 min 20 sec
4) If we have an Internet connection that can upload 3 Megabits/second, and an MP3 is 60 Megabytes, how many MP3s can we upload in an hour?

3mb/sec=.375 Megabytes/sec
1 sec/ .375 MB= 2.66 sec/MB
(2.66 sec/MB) x (60)= 160 sec= 2.66 min
60 min/2.66= 22.5= 22MP3/hr.

Net Neutrality

The abundance of the Internet and the way it has evolved into our everyday has made internet access a necessity. With this new found importance of the internet, the question becomes whether cable and telephone companies that provide internet access (i.e. AT&T, Comcast) should be allowed to capitalize on the possibility of creating deals with other internet service sites and allowing for faster access to these sites than the competitors? Or should we continue the Internet’s current status of “net neutrality”? Net Neutrality preserves the equal treatment of all web pages and packets sent between providers and carriers online. To get rid of this policy, a system similar to that of cable television would be put in its place where a “tiered” payment system would determine the quality of Internet service you received.
Companies like Amazon, Ebay, Google, Facebook, and Yahoo all support Net Neutrality. These high tech companies all began a small companies that online became the million/billion dollar corporations they are today because of the equal treatment given to websites under Net Neutrality. If Net Neutrality was to be abolished, small websites would no longer fail or succeed based on their own merit or because of the user’s choice to use the website’s services, but because of their relationship and financial deal with a Internet Network provider. With this censorship of small industry online, the lack of innovation online could be the result of a “tiered” payment system.
Other companies and organizations like AT&T and American Conservative Union feel that revoking Net Neutrality would allow for better internet service by creating competition among network providers and by meeting Internet users individual needs, improved ability to download movies and fewer span. These organizations feel that Net Neutrality and similar legislation prohibits the basic principles of capitalism.
While I do get frustrated every time the “buffering” symbol appears when I am trying to download a movie online, the thought that I would not have complete control over what sites I get to view concerns me. I would feel that part of my freedom was taken away, and if the internet provides anything it is freedom to access whatever information the user desires and to have the ability to chose where that information comes from. While capitalism and free market are key components of the American economy, legislation and regulations like Net Neutrality ensure that the Internet stays a free market and is not overtaken by large companies trying to create monopolies and stifle small business. This is why I feel Net Neutrality should be maintained

Identity Online

I was recently told that “private property” was the religion of the United States. But what qualifies as private property? In this digital era, Identity Theft has become a wide spread problem, putting a greater emphasis on the importance of our identity. And our name is clearly part of our identity. The digital era has also created an emphasis on also creating an online persona or “identity”, which may include a personal website with a personalized domain name. I think that cybersquatting, directly registering a person’s name as a domain name for profit, should be illegal because it is praying on a person’s identity. However, non commercial endeavors, like slight changes in popular domain names for the sake of political or social commentary, should be legal because they are not for profit. Motive should be what determines whether a “cybersquatter” is practicing within the law or doing something illegal. This will allow for activists to get there word out to the masses and practice their first amendment, and yet prevent cybersquatters from praying on other’s identities.

Could George Orwell Have Predicted This?

A lot has changed since 2001: politics, economics, and, perhaps most radically, technology. In the past seven years, technology has not only seeped into mainstream culture, but become intertwined with our daily lives. During this brief time, I have upgraded through five cell phones, each more advanced than the next. I have upgraded from a Walkman, that only played one CD, to a Ipod, that I never leave home without. I have gone from a desk computer to a laptop with wireless internet that I can now use at my local Starbucks. This new technology is not simply an upgrade from the old, but become a part of my life because of the convenience it provides, mostly thanks to the Internet. I can do everything from paying my electric bill automatically, and balancing my checkbook online, but also to put part of myself out there for the world to see. Thanks to social networks like Facebook and Myspace, I am to keep in touch with friends across the country. As an artist, I am able to post my resume online for future employers, and post video of my work on sights like YouTube for the masses to enjoy. But with so much exposure and access, it can be very overwhelming.
Even sitting here now, my life is on sensory overload. I am on my MacBook, IM-ing with a friend who is in Denver, listening to Internet Radio on Pandora.Com, and constantly checking my Facebook and email every few minutes. They are quite a distraction to this assignment. It probably would have taken me a few short, focused minutes to complete this response, but instead it has turned to an hour long game of procrastination and distraction. While ironically one of the many benefits of the internet is that it can help you be more efficient when it comes to commuting (nextmuni.com), buying books for school (amazon.com), going to the movies (fandango.com), staying in touch with friends you otherwise would not see again until you ten year high school reunion (facebook, myspace), and even dating (eharmony.com), the internet can also be like going to the grocery store for just a gallon of milk, and leaving with a cart full of food you did not need. I may go online simply to check my email, but then have to check Facebook, BBC News, YouTube, and check my Netflix status. In doing all this, I have wasted more time then I intended, all because the Internet provides me with too much information at my fingertips. It’s too much for my ADD mind to handle.
It is as if part of my life exists only in the digital realm, and I must designate a portion of my day to this life online. I sometimes wonder if I am missing out on truly living, in the real world, by living vicariously through the Internet. But at the end of the day, the pros out way the cons. Even worse is the fact that there is no going back, we have come to far in the digital era. Instead we must be aware of the cons of a society that is intertwined with the internet and learn from our human errors.