Welcome to CTS 287 - Spring 2014

Welcome to CTS 287 - Emerging Technologies (Spring 2014) at Edgecombe Community College.

If you are reading this, you are probably in my class this semester. (If not, you're still welcome to read along.)

I typically maintain a blog during the course as well, but due to some additional items on my plate this semester, I may not be able to do so.  One of the curses (and perks) of being the department chair.

You should still check this blog at least once a week on the off chance that I post something that is related to the course material we are covering at the moment.  Feel free to reply to any post that I make, and feel free to reply to your classmates as well.

You may find it interesting to read through my blog postings from the last few times this class was taught (Spring 2008 - 2013). You might actually find something useful, or you may simply be amazed at how technology has changed in the last 6+ years. You don't have to reply to those posts, and if you do, I probably won't see them since I have no plans of re-reading my posts from the previous semesters.

Links to student blogs from the previous semester can be found at the bottom right of the page. Links to student blogs from this semester will be at the top right once everyone submits their links. Older student blogs may or may not still be available.

I hope you enjoy the class and your blogging experiences. If you have questions, let me know.

How Secure are You?

Let's start of the semester by looking at some relatively recent security items.  Below you will find a list of links to articles on security related topics.  You should read all of them, then comment - as a reply to this post - on at least one article.  Feel free to ask questions if you need clarification on something.

• Three Arrested for Distributing Virus
• Cracking 14 Character Complex Passwords in 5 Seconds  (This one's kind of old.  Also read the article about NTLM passwords linked at the end.  You can download their password cracker - Ophcrack.  Just use your powers for good and not evil!)
• The Hunt for Red October (with due respect to Tom Clancy)
• US Power Plants Hit with Malware
• 3.6 Million Social Security Numbers Exposed (You can also read a chronology of how they responded.)

Your responses should be posted no later than 9:00 AM on Monday, 04 February 2013 to receive credit.

Welcome to CTS 287 - Spring 2013

Welcome to CTS 287 - Emerging Technologies (Spring 2013) at Edgecombe Community College.

If you are reading this, you are probably in my class this semester. (If not, you're still welcome to read along.) Since you are going to be required to maintain a blog throughout the semester, I thought it would only be fair for me to maintain one as well.  The only difference is that I may not post as often as you have to - it's one of the perks of being the instructor.

I will be posting items that are relevant to the topics that we are covering in class along with other technology related items that I think may be of interest to you. And who knows, I may post something that has absolutely nothing to do with technology just for the fun of it. Yet another advantage of being the instructor!

You should check my blog at least once per week. Checking once at the beginning of the week and once at the end of the week would be even better. If I pose questions in a particular post, I will expect you to post a comment in response - it will count as part of your blog grade for that week. However, you can feel free to reply to any post that I make. Also feel free to reply to your classmates' posts as well.

You may find it interesting to read through my blog postings from the last few times this class was taught (Spring 2008 - 2012). You might actually find something useful, or you may simply be amazed at how technology has changed in the last 4+ years. You don't have to reply to those posts, and if you do, I probably won't see them since I have no plans of re-reading my posts from the previous semesters. Links to student blogs from the previous semester can be found at the bottom right of the page. Links to student blogs from this semester will be at the top right once everyone submits their links. Older student blogs may or may not still be available.

I hope you enjoy the class and your blogging experiences. If you have questions, let me know.

Homeless Hotspots

According to an article published today (03/12/2012) in the New York Daily News, BBH Labs is testing a concept called "Homeless Hotspots" at this year's South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas.

Read up on the concept - pros and cons - and share your thoughts in the comments.  This will count as a portion or your blog grade for you March 20th blog.

Security Related Articles

For those of you who are interested in security related topics, you will probably find the following articles fairly interesting.  Article titles have been changed to make them more interesting.

• Even the bad guys need tech support (Warning: Do not try this at home!)
• Dropping the F-Bomb (Not what you're thinking.)
• Hey, did I just click that link? (Probably not your best decision.)
• Hi. Is this the guy who stole my iPhone? (I'll take that back now.)

Enjoy.  And feel free to leave comments.

Blog Links Posted

Everyone should have a blog link posted in the right hand column. If your blog link brings you back to here, then you have a problem! And if you have a problem, then you need to correct it ASAP!  Let me know via email.

I grade blogs from this page, so if the link to the right doesn't carry me where I need to go, you need to let me know so I can fix the link. The link is based off of what you sent me as part of your initial assignment. Again, some of those links have issues! Get them fixed ASAP!

Once your blog is up and working and I can get to it from the links to the right, you may want to check out these two sites...

• Lifehacker
• Gizmodo

Enjoy!

Welcome to CTS 287 - Spring 2012

Welcome to CTS 287 - Emerging Technologies (Spring 2012) at Edgecombe Community College.

If you are reading this, you are probably in my class this semester. (If not, you're still welcome to read along.) Since you are going to be required to maintain a blog throughout the semester, I thought it would only be fair for me to maintain one as well.  The only difference is that I may not post as often as you have to - it's one of the perks of being in charge.

I will be posting items that are relevant to the topics that we are covering in class along with other technology items that I think may be of interest to you. And who knows, I may post something that has absolutely nothing to do with technology just for the fun of it. Yet another advantage of being the instructor!

You to check my blog at least once per week. Checking once at the beginning of the week and once at the end of the week would be even better. If I pose questions in a particular post, I will expect you to post a comment in response - it will count as part of your blog grade for that week. However, you can feel free to reply to any post that I make. Also feel free to reply to your classmates' posts as well.

You may find it interesting to read through my blog postings from the last few times this class was taught (Spring 2008 - 2011). You might actually find something useful, or you may simply be amazed at how technology has changed in the last 4+ years. You don't have to reply to those posts, and if you do, I probably won't see them since I have no plans of re-reading my posts from the previous semesters. Links to student blogs from the previous semester can be found at the bottom right of the page. Links to student blogs from this semester will be at the top right once everyone submits their links. Student blogs may or may not still be available.

I hope you enjoy the class and your blogging experiences. If you have questions, let me know.