Week 3: Clear

Virtual Private Networks
     As I sit happily sipping my green tea at Starbucks, enjoying free Wi-Fi, I can't help but wonder where all of this information is going. Can someone else access my class notes right now? Did another girl intercept my email? Is my information safe in this public place? As I learned through week three's lectures, there is a way to ensure that my information is not received by any unintended receptors. One way to do this is through VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks.
     VPNs should be used when it is important that people do not have access to your files and information over a network. A VPN uses encryption technology to safeguard your data. The technology breaks your data into a billion puzzle pieces that are basically impossible to put back together unless your computer has the correct code or key to do so. If someone intercepted your data while it was encrypted it would look like a jumbled mess -- good luck trying to put all of that nonsense back together! They would need a lot more than Nancy Drew's sleuthing skills for that.
     VPNs are great for traveling or if you have a remote office. Maybe your company's headquarters are in Nashville, TN, but you have a branch in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. A VPN would be a good investment to protect any information that was transported between the two. Maybe you are traveling my plane from one city to the other. You could access your VPN securely from the airport as a means of protection as well.
     This video outlines how VPNs work in more detail. It also explains the many benefits of a VPN.

     Below is an illustration of how a Virtual Private Network operates. It demonstrates quite well how a VPN can be used. (Source: wikipedia)

    

Week 2: Clear

In the 7th grade, I suffered a devastating athletic injury that put me in a plastic back brace (like the one pictured below) for eight weeks. I fractured my lower spine, and the brace was uncomfortable in the South Florida heat. However, what lasted long after my brace-wearing days was the physical therapy I went through in the months following and the effects the injury still has on me today. Now, nearly a decade later, I still have to be careful. That injury still effects my participation in sports and group fitness classes, but most of all, it effects my posture. That is why ergonomics particularly struck a chord wth me this week.

According to Merriam-Webster, ergonomics is "an applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely." This is especially critical in how we interact with our computers and the effects it can have on our posture and overall well-being. How are you interacting with your computer? To be "efficient" and "safe" while on your PC there are a few easy practices to get into the habit of:

1. Sit up straight; do not slouch.

2. Keep your feet firmly on the ground. You don't want too much pressure resting on your back.

3. Do not strecth out your arms to reach your keyboard. Your hands should be able to rest comfortably on your keyboard.

4. Do not sit too close to your screen. This is bad for your eyes! In fact, you should look away from your computer screen about every 20 minutes.

5. Keep your monitor directly in front of you instead of off to the side to avoid neck strain.

(This is an abbreviated list adapted from Kimberly Robinson's blog.)

Take it from me, a firsthand expert on extreme back pain, that these simple tricks really do work. Not only will you be more comfortable, but your productivity will increase. Think about it, instead of focusing on how uncomfortable you are, you'll be focusing on the assignment at your fingertips. Ergonomics in relation to how you use your computer makes sense, and it pays off.

Week 1: Clear

The concept that I found to be the most clear in Week 1 was netiquette. Not only was it the most clear to me, but it is also the concept that I find most applicable to life in general. Our world revolves around technology today - who doesn't check their Facebook and/or email within 30 minutes of waking up? However, technology is not human; thus, it is often difficult to accurately convey feelings, emotions and sentiments. That is why is so so important to practice proper etiquette online, or "netiquette." If you don't, you could end up offending someone or making people feel badly about something.

If you agree with me that manners and respect are timeless, then it probably won't surprise you that netiquette has not changed much over the last 20 years. In fact, the general rules of proper net etiquette that were published in 1983 still stand true today:

1. Put all items in an appropriate group.
2. Reply via mail.
3. Exhibit care in preparing items.
4. Read followups.
5. Don't be rude or abusive.
6. Avoid sarcasm and facetious remarks.
7. Use descriptive titles.
8. Cite references.
9. Summarize the original item in followups.
10. In posting summaries of replies, summarize.
11. Be as brief as possible.
12. Don't submit items berating violators of these rules.
13.  Don't make people read the same thing more than once.
(Click here to read an expansion on each of these rules by the author himself Jerry Shwarz.)

Check out this short  YouTube video from goanimate.com about why it is important to use proper netiquette. Like the man in the clip says, "There are people behind those computers." If you let that guide your internet actions you may save yourself from embarrassment down the road.