Class Over

CS 430 is over and this probably my last post on this blog for a long time...

I was an interesting course, I would love to see computer science have more courses focused on this. I understand the degree is learning to program, making software, managing or being in teams, researching various computer science subjects, but this is also a very interesting subject.

In fact I will go as far as to say certain aspects of this course should be mandatory for all computer science students. Privacy and security is important for people who will most likely be spending a large amount of their lives in front of a computer. This class briefly covered topics of security and so on, and I know other courses talk about the programming aspect of programming. But like many faculties teach their students about various aspects of their jobs. I feel computer science at should do a better job on this subject.

For example, although the class did not go into the subject, from my interest in the topic dug further into finding people and data about them online. There are various ways to find people, with only their name and location, or email or just name and matching it with one username they use.

I remember when I first joined the CS program at UBC, when choosing my CS-ID password they told us to choose a phrase and then choose the first or 2nd or whatever letter of that phrase. For example; the phrase "Computer Science 430 is a very interesting course" I could use the password: CS4IAVIC or the 2nd letter of each word. OC3SAEN
or maybe to be even more catious, the 1st then 2nd then 3rd letter. You get the point.

This method was new to me and these tips and tricks need to be shared by professors either in their classes, or forum setup by UBC. Maybe even a site setup by UBC for all its students really. I know UBC briefly covers privacy, but they can provide the detail and people can use it as they see fit.

I just realized how much I wrote, in conclusion, the class was one of the most interesting ones I have had not only in computer science but at UBC as a whole.

Computer Addiction

I realized as I was writing my essay on video game addiction, that I may have some serious computer addiction issues. Computer including the cell phone of course, even when I rest / take break I'm still on my phone or laptop. Usually doing some minuscule task. This issue needs to be looked into, but I can't like try to detox computers, I am in computer science, so i can never see if I have any withdrawals from it. Although, I am sure I would...

Killed iPhone and Laptop Wireless Adapter at same time

EDIT: THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENED ON TUESDAY JULY 20TH.

So while trying to study for the quiz on Wed July 21. I decided to downgrade my iPhone to 3.1.2 because 4.0 was very slow. Lets say I got halfway there and my iPhone kind decided to just not do anything. Then after a few resets I got it to go into recovery mode/DFU. Then I needed to use software ( I used RecBoot ) to take it out of Recovery Mode.

So I downloaded and ran the program. It killed my laptop. The network adapter stopped working, the keys and peripherals stopped working. I tried to restore to an older point only to remember I didn't have any restore points saved.

I went into safe mode with networking... no luck still didn't work. Tried to connect to internet using a wire nothing...

So now my phone was dead and I couldn't call Rogers and I couldn't go online to search this.

So I went on a 2nd computer and tried on that, nothing.

For some reason restore to old configuration worked. I got the laptop back and internet but none of the USB slots worked.... so had to go to device manager uninstall each USB separate and reinstall. finally got the iPhone to work. but now every time i restart my computer my usb slots don't work. also my computers font changed to extra small even tho the settings are on default... its weird.

Must know site for formatting computer

This site has all the essential software you want after a format.

http://ninite.com/

100 prisoners problem : 100 lines of code. COOL.

http://www.r-bloggers.com/100-prisoners-100-lines-of-code/

This is a pretty cool problem and a pretty cool solution. It's a problem you would think 320 could give you, seems like a fun problem to solve.

A new phone? Android vs iPhone

I want a phone aside from my iPhone. The problem is the only real option I see is the Google Nexus One. The Droid seemed like a cool phone but its not that great, especially be cause I know the new Droid X is out.

I would buy the Evo or the Droid X in a heartbeat, but there are CDMA phones and not on GSM yet, its quite unfortunate.

Intellectual Property

I don't like too post class notes, but these ones are pretty useful/ good to know.

Intellectual Property

- Introduction
○ Value of intellectual properties much greater than value of media

- What is IP?
○ Any unique product of the human intellect that has commercial value
§ Books, songs, movies
§ Paintings, drawings
§ Inventions, chemicals formulas, computer programs
○ Intellectual property != physical manifestation
- Property Rights
○ Locke: The Second Treatise of Government
○ People have a right…
§ To property in their own person
§ To their own labor
§ To things they remove from nature through their labor
○ As long as…
§ Nobody claims more property than they can use
§ After someone removes something from common state, there is plenty left over
- Expanding the Argument to Intellectual Property
○ Writing a play akin to making a belt buckle
○ Belt buckle
§ Mine ore
§ Smelt it down
§ Cast it
○ Writing a play
§ "mine" words from English language
§ "Smelt" them into prose
§ "Cast" tem into a complete play
- Analogy is Imperfect
○ If Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare simultaneously write down Hamelt, who owns it?
○ If Ben "steals" the play from Will, both have it.
- Benefits of Intellectual Property Protection
○ Some people are altruistic; some are not
○ Allure of wealth can be an incentive for speculative work
○ Authors of U.S. Constitution recognized benefits to limited intellectual property protection.

- Limits to Intellectual Property Protection
○ Giving creators rights to their inventions stimulates creativity
○ Society benefits most when inventions in public domain
○ Congress has struck compromise by giving authors and inventors rights for a limited time.

- 4.3 Protection Intellectual Property
○ Confidential piece of intellectual property that gives a company a competitive advantage
○ Never expires
○ Not appropriate for all intellectual properties
○ Reverse engineering allowed
○ May be compromised when employees leave firm.

- Trade Secret
○ Confidential piece of intellectual property that gives company a competitive advantage
○ Never expires
○ Not appropriate
○ Can tell once leave firm unless signed non disclosure agreement.
- Trademark, Service Mark
○ Trademark: Identifies goods
○ Service mark: identifies services
○ Company can establish a "brand name"
○ Does not expire
○ If brand name becomes common noun, trademark may be lost
○ Companies advertise to protect their trademarks
○ Companies also protect trademarks by contacting those who misuse them.
- Patent
○ A public document that provides detailed description of invention
○ Provides owner with exclusive right to the invention
○ Owner can prevent others from making, using, or selling invention for 20 years.
○ Can get the blueprints/ w.e for it unlike trade secrets
- Copyright
○ Provides owner of an original work five rights
§ Reproduction
§ Distribution
§ Public display
§ Public performance
§ Production of derivative works

Copyright-related industries represent 5-6% of US GDP

Various ways to get past Chinese firewall

http://www.randomwire.com/how-to-bypass-the-great-firewall-of-china

I was suprised hotspot shield was there. Mainly because I have used it before and its so popular, you would assume they would block the program.

WHO is Canada Online?

So I asked Reddit, how they see Canadians online, so far this is by far the best reply.

CLICK THIS LINK FOR COMIC.



CLICK THIS FOR ALL REDDIT REPLIES SO FAR.