No.  Until this chapter, I had never even heard of grid computing projects.

2.  Would you participate in a purely nonprofit grid computing project that appeared to be legitimate.

I would probably participate in this type of project.  I like the concept of nonprofit companies being able to use this valuable resource.  I would, however, do quite a bit of research on the project to verify that it was legitimate before participating in this type of project

3.  Would you participate in a grid computing project without asking for compensation if you knew some of your CPU cycles were being sold to profit-based businesses.

No.  I would not feel comfortable with a business using my donated CPU cycles to help their business make a profit with no benefit to me.

Buzzkill

I enjoyed learning a little bit about OO programming concepts. With time and experience there is so much you can do. When I first opened game maker, I will admit that I was intimidated.  However, after finishing the first tutorial, I was a little bit more comfortable with the OO environment.  It was pretty simple to add sprites, backgrounds and sounds from the resource file.  Adding objects was pretty simple as well, but it was a bit more difficult when it came to editing the properties of those objects’ by adding events and actions.  Even when adding events and actions there were parameters that needed to be adjusted to make sure that an object behaved a particular way.  There are so many ways that one can make an object behave and react to other objects in a room. 

I enjoyed this assignment (once I figured out what I was doing).  When I have more time, I am going to go through more of the Game Maker tutorials and see what I can do with it.

• Required Skills: Associates or Bachelors Degree; Full Exposure to MS Operating System and MS Office Suite; Strong Communication Skills; IT Certification
• Experience: 2+ years
• Salary Range:  $41,000 – $60,000 /Year
• Source:  Monster.com

Typical Day:  Responds to inquiries and requests for assistance with the organization’s computer systems or PC’s.  Identifies problems, troubleshoots and provides advice to assist users.  Coordinate with other IS areas to resolve problems if necessary.

Information Technology Consultant:  I think I would enjoy implementing new systems and migrations.  As well as managing the resolution of system and network issues for clients.

• Required Skills:  Bachelors Degree; Advanced server 2000 or 2003, and desktop OS: Win XP, and Mac OS X and above.  Experience with PHP, MySQL, ASP, Java  Scripts, Dreamweaver, and Photoshop a plus. 
• Experience:  1 – 2 Years
• Salary Range:  $39,000 – $63,000 / Year
• Source:  Monster.com

Typical Day:  Provide consultative and technical support.  Assist in supporting domain servers, maintain domain accounts, and system policies; Configure, troubleshoots, and support PCs and MACs: hardware and software; Resolve network related issues; Run security updates, patches, and daily backups; Assist in creating technology user guides.

Web Designer:  I enjoy the internet and have always been curious as to how web pages are created and designed.  I have an artistic eye that I feel would be of benefit to design creative web pages.

• Required Skills:  Associates or Bachelors Degree; Expert Knowledge of HTML, CSS, Javascript, Dreamweaver, Flash, Photoshop/Illustrator, Macromedia Studio;
• Experience: 2 + Years
• Salary Range:  $40,000 – $80,000 / Year
• Source:  Monster.com

Typical Day:  Maintain and provide ongoing design of the website and other projects in conjunction with marketing campaigns and initiatives.  Produce graphic art and visual materials for web content.  Take designs through the stages of concept, execution and published format in relatively short timeframes.

Current Skills:  I do not currently have many skills other than basic knowledge of computers and what I have learned in this class.  I just started back to school last summer and I have a lot to learn.  I plan to continue to attend classes at IUPUI to obtain the skills necessary to be successful in a computer career.

There is still more than I can find out about these jobs.  As many job posting that are out there, every company has different required skills.  I could find out more information on these jobs by searching the internet.   After this lab, I am not sure that I would want to pursue a career as a information technology consultant.

I feel that the major milestones in the history of computing are the developement of the integrated circuit, the development of the microprocessor and also the developement of the graphical interface.  All three of these events affected the way that we use computers today.

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2. The computer and IT industries have rapidly emerged as a global economic force in the last twenty years. What benefits and drawbacks does this rapid growth have for our culture? Do you think this growth should be slowed?  

The benefits of this rapid growth is the many jobs in the technology field along with an increase in economic growth.  The drawbacks are that sooner or later this rapid growth is going to slow down significantly creating a loss of jobs and decrease in economic growth.

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3. Compare computer professions to other professions such as the law, medicine, teaching, etc. in terms of working conditions, educational preparation, salaries, and social status. Consider why you are attracted to the computing professions and discuss what would provide the incentive for you to be successful in an IT field.

Computer professions are similar to any other profession.  You have to know what you are doing and be able to make educated decisions.  Just being around computers and wanting to know how they work attracts me to the computer profession.  To be successful in an IT field, I will need to continue to educate myself every day as the technology is always changing.

As one can see, there are several options available from this menu including starting a new game or loading a previously saved game.  For this project, I chose to load a previously saved game.  When I clicked the button “Load” it took me to another screen where I was able to choose which of my saved games I wanted to load.  I clicked the one I wanted and the game then loaded.

In the actual game as my character moves there are several visual components that you can see.  The flames on the swords move and flicker whether the character is moving or not.  There are also shadows on the floor by the character in relation to the various light sources.  The cape also moves as my character moves about.  In addition to the visual there are the sound effects.  Such as the echoe of my character’s footsteps or the sound of a door creaking as it is opening.  It doesn’t take long before my character is engaged in a fight with a NP character.  As the fight occurs the NP character moves in with his weapon trying to strike my character and then grunts when taking the hits from my character.  The sound of steel striking steel can also be heard as the fight progresses.  The NP character gives a last dying shriek as my character finishes him off.

I have been frustrated with different software user interface’s in the past by not being able to find options that I needed but I can’t recall which software it was.

2.)  Is it possible to make computer software significantly easier to use?

I do think it is possible to make software easier to use.  Programmers need to realize that not everyone is as computer savvy as they are and they need to be able to design software so that a novice user does not feel overwhelmed when using the software.  This is not to say that all software should be catered toward the novice user.  There are more advanced users out there that want more features in software.

3.)  Would you agree that programmers do not understand the viewpoint of a typical computer user and consequently produce bad software?

I would agree with this statement.  As with my answer to the previous question, I feel that programmers create software for themselves more than for the typical computer user even though they may intend to create software that is easy to use.  I am sure there is a lot of software out there that started out as a great idea, but because the programmer did not fully understand the everday user the software that ended up being produced was bad.

There are several ways that an organization can respond to threats from competitors.  They can make improvements, such as cutting costs, lowering prices, improving customer service, etc…  An organization can also choose to change the industry by changing the way things are done.  Another option is to create new products.  The mission statement should keep an organization focused on their goal and the best way to accomplish that goal.
 

2. The decision to create an information system is sometimes driven by new technology—that is, new hardware or software that makes it possible to automate a system or process—while others are driven by users—the people who will ultimately use the information system. What are the pros and cons of each approach?  

New technology whether it be hardware or software can be used to make things easier to do and streamline processes.  The problem is, just because there is new technology does not mean that it is the best choice for an organization to implement.  If the current system isn’t broken, why fix it?  If a change in the system is driven by the end user, it is possible that the new system will be more user friendly with less training.  However, it is possible that the end user may not know what is best for the organization and how different departments will work with a new system.
 

3. Recall a time when you were frustrated by the way a program or operating system was functioning. How did you solve the problem? For example, did you use a help desk, user manual, or solve the problem on your own? Could the design of the program or operating system itself cause the problem? If so, what changes would you recommend to make the solution to your problem more obvious.  

The last time I had a problem with a program I went to the programs website and used the FAQ section to find out what the problem was and how to solve it.  The problem was not with the program itself, but rather it was the hardware on my computer system that was not compatible with the program.

4. Some users have suggested that user documentation should be developed before the system, and then used as the blueprint for system design. How would this approach change the development process and the system itself?

I think that this approach, however well thought out, would not improve the developemental process.  In fact, one could end up with a substandard system because a great idea was not able to be included in the system because of the restriction of having to go by the user documentation.

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Yes, if it is information that pertains to me, I would like to have a say in whether or not that information is distributed.

2.  Can you identify an actual incident when you discovered that data about you was distributed without your approval?

I cannot think of any incidents where it was discovered that someone had distributed data without my approval.

3.  Do you think the information you provide on paper forms is more private than information you enter into Web-based forms?

No, I think whether it is online or on a paper form, if someone is trying to obtain information about me they have the ability to obtain it either way.

4.  Have you thought about ways to protect your privacy?

Yes, I shred any physical documents before throwing them away.  I also use McAfee Security to protect my privacy when on my computer.