The Internet of Things

The "Internet of Things" (IoT)

- The screen on you refrigerator tells you that your blood sugar is running low, so you grab some fruit. 

- While flying to your vacation destination, you realize that you forgot to turn the thermostat down at home, so you do it from your smart phone.

- Your car is about due for an oil change (using that fancy synthetic oil you like), and your mechanic is ready for you, because he monitors your engine, as well as his supply of synthetics.

This might sound like the future, or maybe you've heard of one of these things already happening - both are true. They're examples of what things might be like with the "Internet of Things".

In the IoT, EVERYTHING is connected via the internet (cloud): cars, appliances, planes, security, hospitals, animals and.....yes, you. The idea is that everything will communicate, and, in the end, this communication will help us to lead better lives.

"The Internet of Things is the next generation of personal computing, whereby objects interact, potentially independently, with each other and with their environment,”

"The Internet of Things is the combination of sensors, actuators, distributed computing power..."

"Tiny detectors that can gather and relay data about location, activity, and health...", "The IoT makes it possible to monitor and control the location, condition, and behavior of objects, machinery and devices through networks."

Here are some resources to look at that will help you understand the IoT. Take a look at them, and talk about what you think about the idea. Pros and cons.

Diagram: What kind of things are/will be connected?

We Need To Get The IoT Right

A Hacker's-eye View of the Internet of Things

The Making of a Vine Celebrity

The Making of a Vine Celebrity

There has NEVER been a time in the history of the planet when people had the ability to become instant "celebrities" as you can today. Think about it: Philip DeFranco, Rhett and Link, Justin Bieber - a person can be "discovered" instantly, just by posting a video - even a SIX SECOND video.

Read this article about a current Vine "celebrity", named Jerome Jarre. Take a look at the videos that are linked in the article also:

"Jerome Jarre: The Making of a Vine Celebrity"

Not only has this guy become famous in an instant, it looks like he's not just a "flash in the pan" because is seems as though he understands how to use social media apps to promote himself and other things around him. [Update: He and everyone else IS a "flash in the pan" as far as Vine is concerned - since they're pulling the plug on Vine!]

Had you heard of Jerome before reading the article? What do you think of what he's done on Vine?  What do you think about this kind of opportunity with mobile apps, such as Snapchat? Can anybody do it? Will such fame last, and is it something that can be made into a legitimate business?

HERE is his YouTube channel.

The Right To Be Forgotten

The Right To Be Forgotten

A couple of years ago, the European Union Court of Justice said that citizens have the right to ask that links be removed if they contain information that is "inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant." (They determined this following a court case where a Spanish man won the right to have negative information about him removed from Google search results. SEE LINK BELOW) There are efforts to make this the law outside of Europe, including in the U.S.

We've talked about the fact that information you post online is essentially permanent. Should it be, in all cases? Should someone have the right to have old, irrelevant information expunged from the Web?

Read this article, and also the arguments that follow it, ("The Arguments"), to help you form your opinion.

Should There Be A "Right to Be Forgotten"?

Further reading:

Link to Court Ruling

Wikipedia