File Sharing (P2P)

File sharing or Peer to peer (p2p) is a system of sharing files directly between network users. It does not need the assistance of a central server. Typical programs include Kazaa,Limwire, and Bitcomet. Many people use these programs to share music,movies, and programs illegally. Basically people are stealing because they are not paying for the products they download. In the United States it is illegal to download music that is not purchased. I view this as stealing because the artist or producer are not being paid for their product. Would you go to a music store and steal a cd? Most likely no, but downloading music illegally is the same as going to the store and stealing it. Today, companies like Itunes and Realone offer an alternative way in downloading music. For example, each song typically sell for .99 cents. Although many people would prefer to download illegally because it is convenient and best of all its FREE!!! plus the chances of being prosecuted is quite low.
File sharing can be dangerous for the user because many files that are downloaded come with spyware,virus, and trjoans. This could lead to identity theft because a hacker could control the computer and steal information. Here is a video that talks about the dangers of file sharing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcuH27IwWVk





http://andrewfry.blogspot.com/
http://mdkr13.blogspot.com/

Virtual Vacation

What is a vacation? Webster dictionary states " a period spent away from home or business in travel or recreation." Would it be weird to say that I am taking a vacation in a virtual world? Would it be consider a vacation? I would say yes because a person is spending their own time away from home or business in recreation.
If I could choose a place to travel in the virtual world, I would visit race tracks around the world. For example, I would go to a track in Japan and would later try one in Germany. This would be fun because I could drive exotic cars and crash them lol

Feed Tacoma

Kevin Freitas visited our class and discussed FeedTacoma.com. The website was really interesting because of what it has to offer. The website gives the bloggers and readers in the Tacoma area a sense of community. The website is low maintenance, which I found shocking. Exit 133 has higher maintenance because Derek Young, the founder of the website worries about taking vacations if he does not have someone else in charge. Also, I found it interesting that Kevin Freitas is not trying to make money. He could easily put a few ads or charge other businesses around Tacoma to advertise. I explored the website and found businesses around Tacoma that I would like to visit in the future. Also, it's great that it gives me directions for the particular business.

Finance

Why do people prefer the internet as a way to do their finances? Or to buy and sell products online? I believe the main reason is convenience. It’s quite easy to transfer funds from one account to the other. With one click of a button one could transfer their entire funds to a different account. Or I could buy or sell an entire vehicle without too much effort. Do people know the dangers of putting their personal information online for other people to see? In order to purchase or sell products, one has to put their name, address, credit card number and in some rare cases their social security number. Personally if a website asked for my social security number I would not give it to them because what would happen if someone uses that for a different reason. Most commerce websites have some sort of WEP or encryption to protect personal information such as credit card numbers. But is it really that safe? Could it be broken? Well so far I’ve purchased a lot of things online, but yet to encounter theft. Maybe its luck?