Tech Topic Discussion

 

Tech Topic Discussion

 Discuss how your selected tech topic connects to the fundamentals of information technology covered in this course.

The Tech topic I chose for this assignment is Networking. I have an interest in networking due to the problems in our network in country I am currently in. Networking not only connects to the fundamentals of Information Technology, but it is one of those fundamentals.

 Explain how your chosen tech topic relates to the concepts of information technology and computer science, including the history of computers and the means by which computers operate.

Networking and the internet have changed the purpose of computers. Internet is one of the greatest achievements of the last century. People depend on the internet and their computer for their jobs, personal life, and even school now. If there was no network, I could not be attending college right now.  “Networking is sharing, and is there a better tool than the internet for that? The web has dozens of social networking sites for that, all incredibly useful for filling your address book. Whatever your profile or project, there is a social network for you” (2017). Networking allows people to communicate from anywhere in the world.

Evaluate how your chosen tech topic relies on the major hardware components and functions of a modern computer system.

Networking relies on the ability to connect to the internet. That could be via a LAN cable, WiFi router (and WiFi capability on your computer) or via a Cell phone data connection. If you do not have the hardware on the computer to perform any of these functions, you could not get on the internet. With that being said you still need a decent processor and a good amount (4 GB) of RAM to operate internet applications and surf the internet. The Routers being used are critical in networking. “Routers form the backbone of the Internet” (Hallberg, 2001, Pg. 69).

Explain how your chosen tech topic uses programming languages and program execution methods.

The internet applications such as Google Chrome rely on programming languages for web pages to communicate to the user. Everyone’s profile on social media has a unique page of programming language based on the user’s custom settings and posts.

Analyze the role that application software plays in regards to your chosen tech topic. 

Software is a major role in Networking. Whether it is the software you use to communicate with people, or the software programmed on the router to control your internet connection, software is important. Some software applications can help secure your internet connection such as a VPN application. I see the software as the blood of the networking body. 

Describe how your chosen tech topic relates to the basic concepts of database and database management.

“A database may be on a local computer but is commonly kept by a network server” (Vahid & Lysecky, 2017, CH 5). A network can allow data to be shared to everyone, or a specific set of people. Even a local database requires some sort of local networking. In order to manage the database from a remote location, that server must be connected to the internet via a network.

Illustrate how the basic concepts of network architecture, management, and security influence your chosen tech topic.

The basic concepts of network architecture, management, and security all embody networking. The most important concept of networking I believe is security. Some attacks on networks have caused millions of dollars of damage to property and business network infrastructures. Network architecture is like the skeleton of networking. With out one of the pieces of the architecture, the connection would fail.

 

 

Reference:

50MINUTES (2017). Networking : Venture outside your close circle and connect with other professionals. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.proxy-library.ashford.edu

Hallberg, B. A. (2001). Networking : A Beginner’s Guide: Vol. 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill Professional.

Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2017). Computing technology for all. Retrieved from zybooks.zyante.com/

Network Security

 

These last few weeks have taught me a lot about the vulnerability and lack off anonymity while using computers. I have learned how to use ping commands to learn about your own network setup and traceroute commands to identify where the packets go that you send out based on the servers of the location of the address. A ping command can be used in an attack. “Ping of Death (a.k.a. PoD) is a type of Denial of Service (DoS) attack in which an attacker attempts to crash, destabilize, or freeze the targeted computer or service by sending malformed or oversized packets using a simple ping command” (2019).

I also want to talk about Email Spam. All types of computer systems are subject to email spam. If you can receive email on your computer or device, you can receive this type of security incident. “Spam is unwanted mass-sent email. Most spam advertises products or sites (often porn sites). Some (about 5%) is used for phishing or spreading malware (like viruses). Because spam costs the sender almost nothing, spam has grown tremendously, making up 50%-80% of all Internet email traffic in 2014” (Vahid & Lysecky, 2017, CH 8). As mentioned above, the symptoms of email spam are advertisements or other products offered in your email. To prevent incidents occurring from spam, only open emails that you know you can trust. If you see emails that look suspicious or offers that seem too good to be true, they probably are. Another way to avoid spam is to limit who gets your information. If you are just shopping on the web, be cautious about who you give your email address too.

Computer viruses have cost billions of dollars in repairs and man hours. Computers are more vulnerable to viruses than phones or devices that have newer Operating Systems. “The most common way for a virus to spread is via email, where a user is tricked into downloading and running an application that installs a virus” (Vahid & Lysecky, 2017, CH 8). If you have a virus, you will know if you have anti-virus software. You may also notice your computer doing strange things on its own. To prevent receiving a virus, it is recommended to have anti-virus software that is reliable such as McAfee. You should also ensure your OS is up to date. “Whether you are running Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, or any other OS, keep it up to date. OS developers are always issuing security patches that fix and plug security leaks. These patches will help to keep your system secure” (Benton, 2014).

  

References:

 

Benton, B., Kota, P., Anagnost, A., & O’Connell, K. (2018, December 21). Infected! 10 Tips How To Prevent Malware On Your Computer. Retrieved August 24, 2020, from https://www.autodesk.com/redshift/10-tips-on-how-to-prevent-malware-from-infecting-your-computer/

Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2017). Computing technology for all. Retrieved from zybooks.zyante.com/

What is Ping of Death (PoD): DDoS Attack Glossary: Imperva. (2019, December 29). Retrieved August 24, 2020, from https://www.imperva.com/learn/ddos/ping-of-death/

IT in Sales

         Information Technology has influence in almost every single industry you can think of. Every Job I have had there is an IT department whether it is big or small. I am going to use an example from an industry I used to work in. I used to work in sales for the company Tesla. I sold solar energy systems for your house. We did all our work with our computers. We would talk to people and gain leads, design systems on their house and book them appointments to see whether solar was truly a good option for them. If our computers were not working properly, it could totally mess up the sale. I had that happen a few times to me, nothing was more embarrassing. The good news is that we had a great IT team. They could do everything they needed to from a remote location and would walk me through steps over the phone. It absolutely helps any of the employees if they are computer savvy. Over the next ten years computers will continue to evolve and the role they play in the sales department will remain as pertinent to success as it does today. Sales associates need a computer to use multiple applications such as SalesForce, spreadsheets (excel, etc.), email, and calendar. The evolution of computation will allow for an easier adaptation and use of these applications. I foresee these types of applications becoming more streamlined and connected. Computers currently play a major role in the Sales industry and will continue to use them as a tool as technology and computers further develop.

Ping Commands

 After using ping commands and traceroute commands, I have learned a lot. I am currently in a place in the world where the internet is not very good. Our options for internet are WiFi (unlimited data use) through an Internet Service Provider and Cell Phone Data. It is nice to even have internet, but the internet infrastructure is not very strong and every storm we have, the connection is either extremely slow or nonexistent. The Cell Phone Data seems to be reliable and quick, but it is more expensive and there are no options for unlimited. After performing a traceroute command and a ping to these various websites, I have determined that the Cell Phone Data is immensely faster than the Wifi. It was fascinating to see the packets transfer from one device to another at measured speeds. The packet transfer times change as well as the places they go. The screenshot below shows the internet speeds are actually pretty fast but as I am writing this, the internet is very slow and some of the hops are taking over 2800ms. The path of the packets is different between domain names because each domain name has different servers in different geographic positions. For me, servers in America are a tiny bit slower than European Servers. These types of commands can be used to find out where the internet issues are located physically. The addresses in the traceroute can pinpoint between which routers or devices there is an issue. This saves time troubleshooting and can allow for a quick fix. The book mentions some good tips about restarting the modem, router, and computer to fix slight issues. I must reset my router about every other day and almost every single time I do, that procedure fixes the connection. This class is actually helping with real world problems and I can appreciate that.

Microsoft Word

A day in the life of using word processing applications such as Microsoft Word.

I have been using Microsoft Word for school and work since probably 2002. The functionality and interface has changed but the end product of a word document file has remained similar. In a day of using Microsoft Word I utilize some but not nearly all the features. If I am writing a final paper on Microsoft Word, I will be writing possibly over 1000 words and then I make formatting changes. I will create a title page with a Running Header, then change the font to Times New Roman, the line spacing to 2 and the size of the font to 12 point. One thing the textbook did not mention that I use quite often is the ruler tool. The ruler tool allows me to make indent adjustments on the references to ensure that they are in correct APA format. The indent on the references is not typical formatting. Every once in a while, I will have an assignment where I have to use a bulleted list such as this:

·       Hamburger Meat

·       Buns

·       Cheese

·       Potato Salad

·       Drinks

The Bulleted list is very simple to make and I use them quite a bit for personal things like goal setting or grocery lists.

The text alignment for an APA reference has the indent under the top text so I use the ruler to slide the indent over. I also change the font to Times New Roman, line spacing to two and the font size to 12.

Thames, B. (2018). How should one live? An introduction to ethics and moral reasoning (3rd ed.). Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu

For this journal entry I changed the majority of the font to Arial. Arial is now allowed to be used on memos for the Army. I have had to type and create many memos in the Army and we also use Microsoft Word for this task.

Spotify

 

This week I am going to be talking about an app most of you should know called Spotify. Spotify is a music app that allows users to listen to millions of songs at any point as long as you have internet. There is a free version and a premium version where if you pay $9.99 there are no advertisements, you can listen to any of the songs in the library and you can download your own songs and listen to them without internet. If you have the free version, you can only select certain songs or artists and you have advertisements between songs sometimes. I have had Spotify Premium for quite some time and have downloaded a lot of songs and listen to them anywhere. I even have downloaded a few playlists to my Garmin watch and listen to music on Spotify without my phone on runs. I have attached a picture of the app on the watch and an example of a playlist. The Usability of the App is very seamless. When you are playing music, your phone (when on standby or when the user interface is locked) has a widget with simple controls that allows the user to pause, go back a song or skip a song. That feature is something I use all the time. One of my absolute favorite features is if you like a certain song such as Thunderstruck by ACDC, you can select the menu option on the song, and you have an option to go to song radio. That song radio generates many songs that are very similar to that specific song. This is a great way to discover new songs or just have a playlist that has the exact vibe you want.  The design of the App Is nice, it is very user friendly for most functions. The only issue I have is the navigation on the App makes it hard to find your account settings. You must go to the website and login to unsubscribe from premium which may be annoying for some users. Spotify will automatically create playlists for you based on music you listen to regularly. I have quite the variety of playlists because I listen to just about every genre of music. The functionality overall is very basic and easy to understand. There is a profile associated with your account where you can set a profile picture and follow people like other social media platforms and see what others are listening to. The social aspect of Spotify is very limited but does give you a chance to connect with others. Overall Spotify is one of the leaders in the music realm of applications and for good reason. The ability to have unlimited access to songs, the ability to download them anytime and the algorithms made to find playlists related to a single song at a budget friendly cost of $9.99 a month (with more discounts for students) are just some examples why. I do not see myself uninstalling Spotify anytime soon.

Scratch

 

Scratch was an experience that I have not done in white some time, learn something completely foreign. I have used Alice 3D but that was a very long time ago, I believe that was in 2008. The difficulties I had with Scratch were how to move the sprite. I could figure out how to make the cat move but then I had a hard time getting the cat back to the center. Through a bit of toying around, I figured it out.  Some of the insights I learned about programming is that programming is a set of commands being accomplished all the time. This also reminded me of the textbook when it mentions programming is like a cooking recipe or like the process of brushing one’s teeth. You cannot simply go out of order or miss steps. The difference between languages seems to be mainly their level of formula manipulating. Some seem much more complex than others. I found Python to be the easiest to understand. I would like to think that the assembly language would be god for a simple calculator and higher-level languages like Python would be good in a graphing calculator. I have heard of Python before so because of that I would like to think that Python is the most common programming language. I have also heard of C++ before and I believe that C++ is one of the certificates you can get that is required for some certain jobs. I look forward to learning a lot more about programming. I think that eventually I will need to get a new computer because my computer cannot run programs like Python because I have an Arm processor and programs like Python require traditional processors. My Scratch program can be found here at https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/414177542/ . Very simple program but it did teach me some things.