The Non-Encryption Age

Ah, the digital age. Not only does it have a nice ring to it, but its this time in history when almost anything can be accessed at the click of a mouse, the tap of a keyboard, and even the touch of a finger. The world wide web has become humanity's encyclopedia, marketplace, and, in the case of serious social media addicts, therapist. With all of this connectivity, surely problems would arise. People would try to take advantage of this instant accessibility. Luckily, modern technology gives us the gift of encryption. With encryption, service providers are able to carefully mask sensitive and important data from those that might want to take it. This makes for safe use of some of the most popular past-times of the internet, such as shopping, social networking, and even email.

But what if this wasn't the case?

What if we lived in a world without encryption? Or even that technology had evolved to the point where encryption was obsolete? Would Amazon still be a powerhouse? Would people still put all of their information on social media like Facebook or Twitter? These are actually some serious thoughts to ponder, since compromising someone's personal information can lead to devastating results.

One of the major scenarios to look at is online shopping. Clothing shopping, book shopping, video game shopping, pretty much anything can be found for sale online. As long as the company gets a name, usually an email address, and credit card information, the product will soon become yours. Of course, online shopping is one of the most efficient ways to do business between two parties. Then there are the criminals of the web, just waiting for precious information like that to come across them. Think of it like a game of football, when the winning pass is suddenly intercepted by the other team. In the blink of an eye, your information is in the hands of someone else, ready to be used. Now it might be easy at this point to say that online transactions would grind to a screeching halt...but would they? Believe it or not, some people will still risk security for efficiency. While a large majority of the online consumer market may disappear, there would still be a few web-goers looking for a quick bargain.

What if banks or hospitals kept electronic records in the "non-encryption age"? Records that include social security, bank account details, as well as health insurance. Would we, the people, demand they be taken down in place of paper records? The immediate response might be, "heck yes, we would! Break out the pencil and paper!" But another roadblock appears that isn't readily present in computers: human error. Humans are not as accurate as computers, and not as able to see mistakes and correct them. Too much gets withdrawn from the bank, or too high a dosage of a medicine might be given to a patient.

The greatest conundrum in considering a "non-encryption age" is weighing the costs and benefits. Safety for inefficiency? Risk for accuracy? The average person may be more wary of picking up a cell phone or opening up a laptop. The normal household would hold many less electronics than it does in today's society. International relations and communications would become more difficult as a safe connection would be more than rare. It's hard to say that we would all become isolationists, but the would would definitely not be as connected as it is today.

The PB&J Algorithm

There are some things we do in life that we don’t think about – breathing, walking, checking Facebook. But actions that seem simple to us might actually be comprised of many different steps. Who thinks about opening a bottle of water on a hot day? What if someone had to write out instructions for it? It might look something like this:

1.      Firmly grasp the bottle of water in your left hand.

2.      With your right hand, grip the lid portion of the water bottle.

3.      Twist the lid with your right hand in a counter-clockwise motion

4.      Continue to turn the lid in a counter-clockwise motion until the lid is separated from the bottle.

Surely that would get that job done whenever a bottle needed to be open. But what if someone wants to use opposite hands? Maybe someone does not know the difference between clockwise and counter-clockwise motion. There are some limitation to how algorithms can be carried out, and sometimes an entirely different algorithm comes into play. What about making a sandwich? Believe it or not, when giving directions to make a PB&J it can seem like the most complicated set of directions ever given by man. There are small little intricacies that affect the entire interpretation of something. What if someone followed these directions:

1.      Separate two slices of bread.

2.      Put peanut butter on one slice.

3.      Put jelly on the other slice.

4.      Put both pieces of bread together.

That seems simple enough to anyone that has made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but in reality if these directions were interpreted literally, such as by a small child or a computer, you could have a lot of different results. You might end up with jars of peanut butter and jelly stuck between two slices of bread. The sandwich might be inside out because the maker spread the peanut butter and jelly on the outside. The PB&J algorithm looks incredibly efficient, with one minor flaw: it takes prior knowledge or context to perform like it should.

Going through life, we are often faced with problems that we have help with or are described to us so that we can work through them. From a computational perspective, this is the act of others passing algorithms down to us so that we may use them in the future. Of course our brains don’t work in ones and zeros, but think of it like writing a new program to be used on a computer. It’s this passage of information that can be used in the future to accomplish tasks. Many times, we do it without thinking. Teachers are constantly sharing their “algorithms” so that they can be used in the future.

Whether it’s something as simple as breathing, or something seemingly simple such as opening a water bottle, our life is made of algorithms – those sets of directions used to accomplish a set of tasks that can range from a few simple motions to loads of information.

Approximately 20 steps should be taken to make a correct and edible peanut butter and jelly sandwich…what are the chances of something so simple being so complex?

Opening Doors...and Windows

Philanthropist, inventor, programmer, William - just some of the titles of Bill Gates, the man known as the co-creator of Microsoft.

To me, Bill is the most interesting person in the history of computing because of his past, his goals, and his achievements. The well-known fact is that Bill Gates never finished high school. This is astounding to me, given his successes. If I were to meet him, I would ask how difficult it was to learn to program when he was young. I would also ask what sparked his interest in computing, and how he kept that interest and passion going for so long. Gates' interest led to the creation of the most widely used computer operating system in the world: Windows. It's hard to think about what the world would be like without Bill Gates and his creations. Maybe Apple would be the market leader? Or maybe we would be set years into the past when it comes to technology. Thanks to his aggressive business strategies and constantly broadening the line of products, Bill Gates has been on the front lines of the computer market for over 30 years. For introducing the world to something seen in every day life, I deem Bill Gates the most interesting person in computing.

From a Harvard dropout to the richest man in the world...what are the chances?

Images and information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Gates and http://www.forbes.com/profile/bill-gates/

Who is Chance?

Greetings, everyone!

My name is Chance Hunley, and I am writing this little thing called a blog to give a little insight into my life.

I grew up in Riverton, Kansas, a small town in southeast Kansas. Don't look for it on a map, you won't find it. Riverton is about five minutes west of the Missouri border and approximately 10 minutes north of the Oklahoma border. Needless to say, there is quite a distance between my hometown and Manhattan, Kansas. I grew up on a farm, helping my dad and grandpa raise beef cattle, as well as harvest hay in the summer.

Throughout my life, I've been found in many places - on a tractor, mowing the hay field, at the rodeo grounds, watching everyone compete, or just in my backyard, drawing back my bow. Nature has always been a part of my life, and agriculture is in my blood. I was taught to hunt at an early age, and almost always made the first day of dove or deer season.

While the outdoors have always been a major part of my life, so has indoors, more specifically somewhere near a gaming machine.

The first computer I ever used was a machine running Windows 98, and around that time I was the proud owner and user of a Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or SNES. As technology evolved over the years, so too has my understanding of these electronic marvels. From a very early age I've wondered how computers operate, and have always wanted to gain more insight into controlling them.

Throughout high school, I had become very involved in the National FFA Organization. I became president of my local chapter, the reporter in the southeast district of the state, and am currently serving as the State Secretary for the Kansas FFA Association. Being in the FFA has taught me many valuable skills, including business management and communication skills. Though I didn't know it at the time, being involved in the FFA would have impacts on my major, as well as my choice of college.

By my freshman year of high school I had made the decision that I would go to college to major in Computer Science. The whole idea of working with computers, making new programs, or even just playing games, fascinated me. But where would I attend college? My immediate choice was MIT. As I went through high school without taking an SAT, I realized that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology might not be my perfect fit. I eventually found myself choosing between the University of Kansas and the one and only Kansas State University.

Call me crazy, but I actually had a hard time choosing between the two schools. That is, until I took a tour of KSU's engineering department. I instantly fell in love with KSU's campus, and am now proud to call myself a wildcat.

From a middle-of-nowhere town in southeast Kansas to living it up as a K State Wildcat. What are the chances?