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Cybercrime is any illegal activity carried out using computers or the Internet. Since 2001, the number of cybercrime victims has increased nearly 1500%. It is a worldwide issue. In my personal experiences, I have experienced phishing, data breaches, and adware.  Phishing is a type of cyberattack where attackers attempt to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information, like passwords, bank numbers, or personal data. This is done in several different ways like impersonating a trustworthy entity, like a bank or government agency. I have experienced this type of cybercrime several times in different methods like someone pretending that an online order hasn’t gone through and they need to verify my address. I have received emails about renewing my insurance. It is easy for me to understand these messages are fake and spam, however, my mother is not so technologically advanced (to put it nicely). So, she constantly falls for it.  A data breach is a security incident in whic...

Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be disrupting society and business even more than the World Wide Web (WWW). Just like WWW led to the disintermediation of several industries like travel and programming.  For example, an industry that could severely shrink or even disappear is customer service. Due to the rise of AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants (SIRI and Alexa) who provide 24/7 support and are more than likely more cost effective. They have already taken over entry level customer service jobs. In general, industries that rely on repetitive tasks or clear-cut rules. Jobs like data entry, basic accounting, and research might disappear as well. As AI and ML  become more sophisticated, they could also start taking over jobs in the creative industries (such as graphic design). While the rise of AI and ML has led to severe job loss in several industries, the convergence of AI with other technologies can open new opportunities in those industries. ...

In last Wednesday’s presentation titled ‘Dot.com to Dot. bomb’, we discussed the period of rapid growth in the stock market for internet-based companies in the late 1990s and the subsequent bust. It also discussed the evolution of technology to our present times. The presentation talked about early online communities like Prodigy and AOL to later ones such as Yahoo and Amazon. The presentation revolved around the boom, the bust, and the current state of technology.  One of the parts that interested me was the “Insanity” portion of the presentation. It discussed the initial boom in people investing in internet companies without proper reasoning. This led to a lot of start-ups garnering a lot of funding in the initial stages, despite not having good profits or sustainable business. This is why it was called a “bubble”. A lot of companies were valued highly but not prepared for long-term success. Like Pets.com and March 1st, they eventually succumbed to an unstable business plan. Howe...

Our first guest this quarter was Erik Hanberg. He is an author, entrepreneur and publisher. He has released several books of several genres. One of the genres he has written books about and has experience in is nonprofit management, fundraising, marketing and leadership. His books have sold tens of thousands of books to nonprofit organizations. One of his biggest books is ‘The Little Book of Gold: Fundraising for Small (and Very Small) Nonprofits’ which is a step-by-step guide to professional fundraising. The other genres he has written/ published in were science fiction, mysteries (suspense & cozies) and literary drama.   One of the biggest takeaways from Erik is his take on self-publishing and content creation, especially the uncertainty that AI brings into the field. He discussed how the rise of AI has influenced every single industry, emphasizing how writing, audiobook, and even programming is being impacted. He talked about how AI can be useful & beneficial in thi...

The documentary Startup.com (2001) follows the journey of govWorks, a tech startup founded in late 1990s by two lifelong friends, Tom Herman and Kaleil Isaza Tuzman. It was set against the backdrop of the dot-com boom, the idea behind govWorks was to build an online platform that streamlines interactions with the local government like paying parking tickets and filing building permits. The ambitious goal attracted a lot of interest which led to the company securing millions in venture capital funding. As the film unfolds, we begin to see the founders navigating complex challenges of running a high-stakes startup. From intense competition with other startups to technical setbacks to high expectations from investors. Kaliel’s role was the charismatic CEO which often put him in the spotlight and Tom was more focused on product development. They both had different ideas as to how to run the business. As their business grew, we witnessed as stress, pressure and power deteriorated their frie...

Last week in class, we completed an online scavenger hunt with a partner. In this assignment we received a list of 18 random items to find online, with a time limit until the end of class. My partner and I were able to locate everything on the list in the time frame. by dividing our efforts. One of us started at question 1 while the other began at question 18 with the goal of meeting in the middle.  Throughout the scavenger hunt, I discovered several new things, such as alternative search engine sites that were not Google, Yahoo or BING, and I also learned who Jimmy Buffet is. In the interest of completing the assignment as fast as possible, we were not able to fact-check all of our information. There was also a prize of a gift card to a local coffee shop for participants.  During the assignment, my partner and I had different methods to get answers. I mainly stuck to Google as my main search engine and starting point. However, she used ChatGPT to find her answers. I have neve...