Final Lab Part 1

This is the mouse of my computer which is an input device.

In the background you see a printer. This is an output device.

This is the USB cable to the mouse next to me. This is the jack.

Critical Thinking, Ethics, and Civic Responsibility

       An unmanned aerial vehicle, also known as a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot. They are used usually for missions that are too dangerous for a normal manned aircraft. Another type of robot that is being researched and experimented on are swarm robots. Instead of one giant robot completing a task thousands of tiny robots work together as a whole to complete a task. This would be good for future space exploration since if a few robots fail they still have a higher chance to succeed as a whole (Swarm Robotics.)

       The main reason UAV's are used in the military is because there are a pilotless weapon. The military can go on missions, without sending anyone in, and take out all the risk. UAV's are also being use by some law enforcement agencies and even the department of homeland security. Swarm robotics is the idea of having coordination between many small robots to achieve something as a whole. This is where the idea of nanorobotics comes into play but it is very expensive.

       Some pro's for drones or UAV's in warfare are that they can target and take out enemy leaders without harming a single troop, our troops are out of danger since it is remote controlled warfare, and that it has been working very well since the military started using them. Some con's are that since soldiers are removed from the horrors of war they can make decisions to kill or destroy without any context, and that they can seem cowardly since it isn't facing the enemy directly (Killer Drones.) Some pro's of swarm robotics are that the robots can not fail at a task unless they fail as a whole, and they have a lot of potential in the future. Some con's are that the hardware can be very expensive while the programming can be very challenging.

       I believe UAV's and swarm robotics could play a very good role in our future. When it comes to warfare a lot of lives can be saved by UAV's. When it comes to law enforcement its just another way of public monitoring. Swarm robotics could be used for long term space missions where there is a high chance of failing, or save lives in the future.


Sources:

"Swarm Robotics." What Is & Swarm Robots. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2012.

"The Pros and Cons of Killer Drones." The Atlantic Wire. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2012.

Critical Thinking, Ethics, and Civic Responsibility

       Copyrights exist in order to protect authors of documentation or software from unauthorized copying or selling of their work (GNU.) A copyleft will provide a method for software or documentation to be modified or distributed. With a copyleft an author can give users the rights of using and distributing their work keeping it free for everyone to use no matter how it has been modified. The goal of copyleft is to keep author's work free from comercial use. Richard Stallman created the GNU General Public License which was the first copyleft license to be extensively used.

       Copyrights give the creator of original work the right to protect themselves from unauthorized use by others. A copyright holder has the right to be credited for their work, determine who may modify their work, sell their work, or who may finically benefit from their work. A copyright lasts 50 years after the death of the owner, or 75 years after it was published if owned by a company (CU.) 

       A copyleft is the complete opposite of a copyright. The point of a copyleft is to allow an author to distribute their work for free allowing users to modify and distribute it. Every modified or distributed copy retains the original copyleft license with it. A copyleft license is basically a copyright license where the author surrenders some, but not all his rights under the copyright laws.

       In my opinion if there were only copylefts then a lot of authors would lose credit and money for their work. If someone's job is to create software for a company then they would make no money from that job. On the other hand if there weren't copylefts then people wouldn't be able to distribute their work for free, allowing others to modify it, and keep the credit for their work.

Sources:

Persad, Tabatha. "Libre Documentation Explained." GNU Operating System. N.p., 13 Mar. 2002. Web. 4 Dec. 2012.

"Quick Summary of Copyright Issues." Quick Summary of Copyright Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2012.

These are the screen shots of the programming for the display, sound, touch sensor, light sensor, and motor movement for the lego robot vehicle.

 

Display:

 

Motor:

 

Light Sensor:

 

Sound:

 

Touch Sensor"

Critical Thinking, Ethics, and Civic Responsibility

One scenario of software theft is called "softlifting." This is where someone buys an application with a cd key and shares it with all his friends despite the terms on the license. This is illegal because the friends would receive a free copy of the application. Another scenario of software theft is called "software counterfeit." This is where someone would make copies of an application and sell them as if they were legitimate.

Softlifting happens to businesses a lot because they will often pass out more copies of an application than their license has agreed to. If they get caught for this they could get in some trouble because most software is protected by federal copyright laws. To ensure that a business never gets caught for this they should keep a log for when they purchase new software, educate their employees, and record when employees ask for software.

Software counterfeiting is normally done when someone takes a real copy of the software and puts it in a cd burner creating illegal copies of the software. If you get caught doing this you can face jail time and huge fines. Individuals can face up to $93,000 in fines and up to five years of jail time.

In the end its nearly impossible to get caught for most types of software theft, but when someone does get caught the punishment can be severe. In my opinion software punishment should be the same as if someone was getting caught for shoplifting. If someone steals a copy of windows and shares it with someone that should be the same as someone stealing $300 worth of goods from a store. In reality the punishment for software theft is a lot more severe.

"Counterfeit Software." Webopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. .

"Types of Software Piracy." | SafeNet. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. .

"Are You €˜softlifting?€™." Business Management Daily RSS. N.p., 26 Nov. 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. .

Critical Thinking, Ethics, and Civic Responsibility

Overcrowding in prisons and jails is a problem that the United States and other countries have been working on for awhile. Operating budgets have been cut as well so jails and prisons receive less money than they used to. Each year incarcerated people cost the tax payers approximately 27.5 billion dollars a year.

To reduce California's jail and prison population they created a bill that reduced the sentence for low level drug offenses. Now instead of going to a state prison for up to three years the person getting charged would have to spend up to a year in a county jail.

Another idea that has been put out there is to privatize jails and prisons. By doing this the government would save a lot of money while private companies make money. The downside to this is that security may not be the best since it may not be up to government standards. It would be hard to see what happens inside a private prison since the inmates could be treated unfairly, and it may not be as safe from escapes and hostage situations.

"Jail Overcrowding." Jail Overcrowding. N.p., n.d. Web. .

"A Simple Solution to the Serious Problem of Prison Overcrowding." Ella Baker Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. .

"Criminal Justice: Pros & Cons of Prison Privatization: Ashworth College Community." Recent Posts. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. .

Critical thinking, Ethics, and Civic Responsibility

Is monitoring in public locations a problem? Since the events of 9/11 the surveillance of public spaces has taken on a greater importance and urgency. Some large cities have integrated complex networks of cameras on almost ever street corner, public transit, classroom, and even businesses. On one hand the surveillance cameras would be a huge deterrent for crime, but they have no way to actually stop crimes and the cameras may be considered invading one's privacy.

The University of Minnesota website shows that it is for monitoring in public areas. Students from the school actually set up cameras across a bus stop and found that criminals doing illegal activities were likely to show up to the scene of the crime on future days. Having cameras up in public areas is a huge deterrent to crime and I believe that it is not an invasion to privacy because it's in a public place (UMN.)

On the debate website the people who are against monitoring in public areas mainly say it is because it is an invasion of the privacy of law-abiding citizens. They also say that who ever is controlling the cameras could abuse the system. The cameras that are installed are also not very good cameras and the pictures turn out very blurry (Debate.)

I am for monitoring in public areas because the good things outweigh the bad ones. Crime can be very bad in certain parts of the cities and having a camera there would not only catch the criminals but also keep the streets safer. It is true that most people are law abiding and do not need to be watched on cameras but I personally do not think it is a big deal and choose safety over privacy.

Sources:
"Publications:." Monitoring Activity in Public Places. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. .

"Public Surveillance Pros and Cons." Yahoo! Contributor Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. .

"Society Opinions." Are Video Surveillance Cameras in Public Places a Good Idea? – Debate.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. .