Category: technology

Radio Interview with Asa Crowe on the KRUI Poli-Tech Tuesday Show

by Greg Johnson, posted in Media, photography, technology

I had the pleasure to be a guest on the Poli-Tech Tuesday show on KRUI with Asa Crowe and Arianna Chronis. In about 30 minutes, we covered technology on campus and a lot of other topics. The interview is available below. Click the play button to listen.

About the Interview

I was a sophomore at the University of Iowa when KRUI was launched. As IOWA alumni, it was meaningful to be at the station today during the weeks leading up to their 30-year anniversary celebration.

It was nice to have a chance to visit with Asa about the various technology resources available on campus. Here are some of the topics we discussed during the interview, and links to further reading:

  • Flipping the Classroom – We discussed the approach to instruction that involves delivering lectures and course content online outside of class time and focusing class time on interactive, participatory, and engaging learning activities.
  • GarageBand – An Apple program for multitrack recording and music composition on desktop computers or iOS touch interface devices (iPhone, iPod, iPad).
  • ITS Help Desk – The central source on campus where you can get support for all things tech.
  • Language Media Center – A computer and technology lab on campus for language learning and media services. The LMC is part of the Division of World Languages, Literatures & Cultures.
  • Lynda.UIOWA.edu – Over 100,000 video tutorials on topics such as: Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), Microsoft Windows and Mac OS, Adobe Suite (Acrobat, Photoshop, etc.), Apple products (iPad, iPhone, etc.), Web and mobile app design, Development and Programming, Google Products, Time management, running effective meetings, and Business skills (leadership and manager fundamentals, etc.).
  • Online Education @UIOWA – The University of Iowa offers Distance Education and online learning opportunities. This is explained on the Continuing Ed website as follows: “Online. On campus. On location. This phrase describes what Continuing Education at Iowa stands for: providing access to a nationally-ranked public institution to as many people as possible. In addition to where you take your course, there are a variety of ways the course is delivered. Many distance courses use the Internet to deliver course work to your desktop. Some distance degree programs or courses are offered on-location, such as Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, the Quad Cities, Sioux City, and Iowa Lakeside Laboratory in northwest Iowa. While still others are offered at the Iowa City campus, many at nontraditional times. Distance courses vary in delivery format and are supported with various technologies. Some are structured so you can complete them at a time that is most convenient for you (like our Guided Independent Study courses), while others provide a more specific set of deadlines and opportunities to collaborate with classmates.” [Facebook]
  • Stanford Open University – An example of higher education courses and reading materials made openly available to the public.
  • Tech Connection – The University of Iowa Bookstore computer center and authorized Apple repair center. [Facebook]
  • Two Koreas: Political Economy and Regional Rivalry – A course being delivered collaboratively by the University of Iowa, Ohio State University, and the University of Michigan. This is a CourseShare course offered by the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC).
  • UI Capture – The University of Iowa lecture capture system that provides recordings of the audio, PowerPoint presentations, and other content from class lectures.
  • University of Iowa Photography Club – The UIPC has over 500 members on their Facebook Group page. Their organization page is just over 260 likes. The club offers various opportunities to meet other photographers, participate in photography events, and learn at workshops and presentations. The Iowa City Photographers Guild is another local photography group.

Music

Below is a video sample of my music and photography. The song is “Arpeggio Rising.” The photos are from 28 days in India. More of my music is available on ReverbNation and SoundCloud.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQbLbdAFPWE]

Thanks For Sharing

I appreciate the interest everyone has had in this story, and those who have shared this post on Facebook and elsewhere. The maps below show recent visitors to this page. Click any map image for a larger gallery view.

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Interview with KWWL About Heartbleed Security Exploit

by Greg Johnson, posted in technology

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Today I had an interview with Justin Andrews of KWWL. We discussed the Heartbleed security exploit and what consumers can do to protect themselves. Click here to view the interview and read the KWWL story. If you have questions about this and other computing security concerns, feel free to contact me.

[vimeo 91917948 w=640 h=360]

“Considering the long exposure, ease of exploitation and attacks leaving no trace this exposure should be taken seriously.” ~ CodeNomicon

I’ve written a more comprehensive article on my technology website. Click here to read that article.

New Artificial Intelligence Big Data Computers Have Almost Psychic Abilities and Access to Confidential Data

by Greg Johnson, posted in technology

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Today I had a computer tell me some things that a computer or even a person would most likely not know.

I was setting up an online account. I’d only provided my name and address. Then suddenly a screen came up asking me to verify my identity with several multiple choice questions.

One of the questions was, “Which of the following people are you associated with?”

It was able to list someone who isn’t a family member, isn’t on any shared bank account, doesn’t live at the same address, but is indeed someone I know. The other names listed were people I don’t know.

How is a computer able to know someone I’m acquainted with only socially and not through any online connection? That’s almost spooky. Perhaps because the geopositioning information on our phones has identified us as being in close proximity of each other?

I’ve had similar authentication questions when setting up accounts, where the system will ask “Which of the following addresses have you ever lived at” and an address from many years ago will be listed.

It’s as if the system is instantaneously being granted access to my credit report without my consent.

On one occasion, about 10 years ago, when getting auto insurance, I was asked, “Will ______ be driving the car also?” The insurance agent was reading from a computer screen, and somehow the database was aware of everyone who had ever lived at the address where I was. The insurance agent was going to calculate my auto insurance based on other people the computer knew might drive my car. I had to convince the agent that the person in question maintained the same local address, but lived in another state and wouldn’t be driving the car.

It seems like computers are becoming more and more powerful as databases are connected globally. Let’s hope their programming doesn’t allow them to take control away from the humans.

Making the Move to a Post PC World With the iPad Mini

by Greg Johnson, posted in articles, technology
Greg Johnson
Greg Johnson

Embracing Technology. In the early 1980s, I became intentional about embracing computing technology and using it in every area of life. At first it was disorienting and uncomfortable to shift my daily activities to a new unfamiliar platform. The ongoing task of putting information in and getting it out took a while to get used to. I’m now going through a similar shift as I move toward increasingly using small, portable, solid-state, touch-screen devices for more of my work.

From Mouse to Touch Pad. After years of using a mouse for computer navigation it is disorienting for most people to switch to a touchpad. Not only does the interface feel different but the neural pathways in the brain that make mouse activity so familiar and efficient need to be re-created for a new interface like the touchpad. A physiological change the brain and body is needed. New muscles are engaged and old ones are no longer needed. The shift to an entirely different hardware platform with a completely new operating system and user interface is even more challenging.

Slimming Down. I recently decided to start riding my bicycle again to work, and walking more whenever possible. Given my reliance and dependence upon using my notebook computer, I’ve always carried it along with all the acoutrements. For many years, I would put my heavy backpack and accessories in a trailer behind my bicycle. I’m now storing my bicycle in a smaller space that doesn’t easily accomodate the trailer. Also, I’m wanting to carry a lighter load so walking will be easier.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKe6PUB8qi0?w=640&h=360]

Mobile Devices. Some tasks are intuitive and more easily performed using mobile devices. Text chatting and posting photos to Instagram are examples of tasks where mobile devices are more practical. With iMovie for the iPhone and Garageband for the iPhone, basic video editing and music production are now more easily done on a mobile device.

Large Screens. Some tasks are still more easily performed on a large screen, such as writing content when multiple documents are being referenced. The ability to simultaneously see multiple items on the screen at one time from different programs is unique to the desktop-world since mobile devices typically don’t support multitasking in that sense due to screen size limitations and processor limitations. With mobile devices, the visual aspect of multi-tasking must take place in the creator’s mind since content isn’t in front of you.

Visual Editing. I’ve written many pages of content and articles for the web using notebook or desktop computers. A larger display has always been a preference of mine. I usually keep a window open on the right for reference materials. The convenience of WSWG Visual editing (What you See is What you Get) is essential for creating content to see the formatting in real-time. When designing websites, it’s handy to have a window open showing the results of design changes.

Website Editing on Mobile Devices. I’ve been using WordPress for a while to manage websites. Editing sites using a tablet device has been limiting. The WordPress mobile editor app requires editing in HTML. While I’m quite comfortable with HTML, it’s much easier to use a visual editor when working with images and tables. So, I’ve continued using my notebook computer for creating and editing website content. Recently I discovered an app for the iPad and iPad Mini called BlogPad Pro. It’s a full featured website editor with visual editing and additional features that aren’t even found in the standard WordPress visual editor such as a table generator. Below is a screenshot of the post/page editing screen (click to enlarge). This app is making is possible to do advanced mobile post and page editing from the iPad Mini. This entire article was written and posted using BlogPad Pro – including the image below. The software works much better than the app provided by WordPress for editing.

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The Impact of Apps and Websites. Mobile devices are only as effective and useful as the apps allow them to be. Increasingly websites are being designed so that they are easily usable and navigate using a mobile device such as a tablet.