The Cloud

    I like the term "cloud computing" and the visualization it implies.  The Internet seems like some bright, misty place that magically stores information and runs computations for us.  In reality the connectivity created by the Internet is what really makes these things possible.  The abilities that the Internet has granted us do seem magical in many ways and can be used to create great archives of information that would be impossible to create otherwise.  Dr. Wilkes showed us how he has used the cloud for his, and all bee keepers, benefit.  By creating a place where bee keepers can store information about their hives for their own personal use, he has compiled a large, ever growing,  database full of statistics ready to be analyzed in ways that will benefit bee keepers everywhere.  The cloud has other uses than collecting and analyzing statistics.  It has served as a key tool in social and political change in multiple countries.  Actually, without the Internet and its "cloud" many modern day social movements would not be possible.  The power of the Internet never ceases to amaze.

Oops

     I may be a little late on posting this one, but at least I'm getting to it.  I love the idea of using games to help out society by digitizing books and improving search engines.  The coolest thing about it is that the games are actually fun and the player often isn't aware that they aren't just playing a game.  I hope that more of these games are created in the future, especially if they can be made educational.  I have always found that the best way for me to learn is to turn studying into some sort of a game.  The internet needs more games like the translation game described in the video we watched in class.  I feel that these applications of technology improve many aspects of our society including; ourselves, the internet, and our efficiency.  By creating more accurate online searches and translating pages correctly, we will waste less time online trying to decipher Russian translations and find specific images.  All in all, I am a huge fan of these types of crowd sourcing.