sewood2008

This technology is already being used to track animals!
This particular chip only carries a unique 16 digit identification number, not any data of substance, like medical records. Once scanned, that number can unlock a central records database.

It's hardly a very secure technology, as there's no encryption involved. You may as well just keep the 16 digit code in your wallet. Sure beats spending a couple hundred bucks on the implant.

Coincidentally, most credit card numbers also have 16 digits. And imagine if your code was compromised and you had to change it like a credit card. Would that mean a new implant, or can they change it with an office visit?

The real security risk is the central database that holds your entire medical history. If all it takes is a 16 digit code to access your medical records, what's to stop an insurance company from acquiring the code as a condition of being insured? What's to keep people from entering random numbers in the hopes of getting a hit. Even credit card accounts have PIN or passcodes you use to access your data.

It would seem to me there's a better way to do something like this...like a smart card that requires a PIN.

From a privacy and security standpoint, some would be concerned that the increased availability of the medical (or other private) information by having it accessible in that chip embedded in your body would constitute an unreasonable risk. Just as people are encouraged not to carry their Social Security card with them because of the risk of having it stolen, so one might reasonably be concerned with the risks involved in carrying so much sensitive and private information such as medical records.

From a more philosophical and religious standpoint, some would be concerned that this type of procedure further denigrates that which makes us truly human, our natural limitations. In contrast, others would point out that it is very much a natural human quality to overcome limitations using technology.

What do you think?

http://www.verichipcorp.com/

Posted by sewood2008 at 03:31 PM | Permalink

Do artists today need to know the language of technology in order to communicate their ideas effectively?"

I would say that technology, in the sense that you are referring to it, is a tool, rather than a language. For me, the language of art is in the concepts, form and symbols it uses, whereas the tool is the medium used.

Of course, art can be just about anything. Technology can, and often is, incorporated into art.

think of Da Vinci's drawings. They are both technology and art.

As a tool, technology is no different to the paints and pigments that artists used in the renaissance period. We can go back even further, right back to the beginning of art, to the cave paintings in Lascaux, France 30000BC. Even then, those who made the paintings need a technique to do them with. They need to understand how to get pigments, and how to use them. they also need skill, drawing skill.

In the Renaissance period, great artists like Michelangelo and Da Vinci used to have students working for them. The student had to learn to learn how to mix pigments, make brushes and stretch canvas and so on. In return, he got to see how the master worked. The paints, brushes and cnavas are all technology, and great artists didn't want to be bothered with that, but they needed it. So the student master system worked well. The students had to invest a lot of time in the beginning in working with pigments, which may involve crushing materials, grinding, mixing and so on, often for many years.

The renaissance period is also interesting because another kind of technology was being investigated, and that was application of geometry, in the form of perspective. A successful renaissance artist not only had to be able to prepare materials, but were also required to have technical knowledge of geometric construction and perspective. That special knowledge, which is independent of talent, can also considered to be technology.

My point is that technology has always been around, and yes, it has always been necessary to know how to use it to produce art. Perhaps the simplest form of it is understanding pencils and paper, for no artist ever became a great artist without this simple drawing skill.

Very interesting site on many items including PLAGIARISM
in the RENAISSANCE

Posted by sewood2008 at 03:23 PM | Permalink

I am giving away all of my secrets. Anyway...Here is a list of vendors to think about in designing networks. You will have to desigin networks in future classes in this program. I guarantee it. Remember to think about redundancy expecialoly in the core / distribution / and access layer. Redundancy allows one part of the network to be either worked on or fail and your network will not go down. Think logiically and it will all make perfect sence.

Hardware

Q-Hardware to use (firewalls, routers, switches, phones, servers...)

A:Industry Standard UTM firewalls are:

1- Juniper
2-Cisco
3-SonicWall
4-Checkpoint

High-End Routers:

1-Cisco
2-Juniper

SOHO Routers:

1-Linksys
2-3com
3-D-Link

Switches:

1-Cisco
2-Foundry
3-Juniper
4-HP
5-Dell
6-D-Link
7-Linksys

IP-Phones:

1-Cisco
2-Grandstream
3-Polycom

Servers:

1-HP
2-Dell
3-IBM

This is not a definititive list of hardware vendors but this will get you started.

Sew

Posted by sewood2008 at 03:15 PM | Permalink

Here is a tool that you can use that will assist you in setting a network up from the ground up. You will need some information about layer 2 / Layer 3 / layer 4 or Layer 7 switched.

Product Advisor

The interactive tool allows you to select the desired networking product and environment and provides a list of product recommendations based on your preferences. Once you've narrowed your search to a few products, you can compare the recommended products on a feature-by-feature basis. Products available for review include: Routers, Switches, Wireless, and Security.
http://www.ciscowebtools.com/productadvisor/

Security Policy Builder

The Cisco Security Policy Builder will help you create a custom security policy tailored to your organization's specific requirements. After completing a short interview that helps navigate through key security issues and concerns, a custom security policy in MS Word format will be emailed to an email address you provide.

http://www.ciscowebtools.com/spb/child/1.0/index.asp

The Cisco Solution Designer demonstrates how 'SMB Class Solutions' (e.g. Network Foundation, Security) and 'Industry-specific Solutions' (e.g. Banking, Healthcare) may be successfully deployed in organizations with 1000 or fewer network users.
DESIGN A CUSTOM SOLUTION FOR YOUR BUSINESS
The Cisco Solution Designer demonstrates how Cisco Smart Business Communications may be successfully deployed in organizations with up to 1000 network users.

After completing a short requirements interview, you will be presented with a custom network reference design tailored to your organization's specific needs. You will also learn the components that make up the complete, end-to-end solution you choose. You will then have the opportunity to contact a Cisco expert for an in-depth network design customized for your organization's specific requirements. Network Foundation
Learn how a network foundation can be deployed in your organization that will be secure and reliable, while enabling you to deploy advanced technologies for additional productivity gains.

http://www.ciscowebtools.com/sa2/child/1.0/wizard.asp?qid=2&langid=1&did=151700&rid=10000&sid=5

This should get you started. Cisco is the leader and they have so much information on their website. The links above do not take a loging id to access but many areas do.

good luck

sew

Posted by sewood2008 at 02:59 PM | Permalink

Heard of google analytics ? It is the hotest new trending software on the internet.

In GA, the following information is listed

117 Visits
153 Pageviews
1.31 Pages/Visit

So what are the differences btwn visits, pageviews, and pages/visit.
Visit - unique visitor
Page view - a single visitor may very well view more than one page
1.31 pages/visit - number of page views divided by the number of unique visitors

Re: "why does average time on site sometimes show as zero"?
Analytics is the last thing your page loads, so anyone who leaves before the page finishes will show as having spent no time, or something to that effect. Also, they might not be storing cookies, but I don't know if that's a factor.

http://www.google.com/support/googleanalytics/bin/answer.py?answer=57164
A visitor can view page multiple times before Google stops grouping them under one visit. I could visit the same site twice in 30 minutes and it is still grouped under the same "visit". I could also visit the same page 10 times over the course of 2 days and be treated as a few different visitors as well as visits, if for example if I clear my cookies or if my IP address changes.

Also see: http://www.google.com/support/googleanalytics/bin/answer.py?answer=57164
And: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unique_visitor, or a Google search for "unique visitor" and the like.
sew

Posted by sewood2008 at 02:50 PM | Permalink

Should I pick a layer 2 switch or a layer 3 switch. There are also layer 4 and layer 7 switches.
Lets get back to layer 2 or layer3.
Layer 2 only provides routing based on layer 2 information(ie VLAN) where as layer 3 switches will route based on information such as IP addresses.

What are your requirements for a switch?
29x series switches are generally layer 2 only with limited VLAN support

2960G-24TCL is layer 2 - Feattures = Auto-sensing per device, DHCP support, auto-negotiation, VLAN support, IGMP snooping

More.....

L3 switches are fast routers. In Cisco's case, the same IOS runs both on routers and on switches. One of the primary differences is that only a more traditional router can "route" traffic between disparate physical-layer connectivity, i.e. between Token Ring and Ethernet, between WAN (T3, T1, ISDN, etc) and LAN.
Because the L3 switches need to be fast, many of the advanced features of a router are left out, ie. IPX and Appletalk routing, advanced routing protocols like OSPF, IS-IS, and sometimes Quality of Service as well as access-control features.
http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac123/ac147/archived_issues/ipj_1-2/switch_evolution.html

sew

Posted by sewood2008 at 02:26 PM | Permalink

Hey, didn’t you hear? Blogs are so 2004. They’re dead now, says Paul Boutin (who also writes for Valleywag) in a piece he wrote for Wired magazine. Here’s his argument (such as it is) in a nutshell:

“The blogosphere, once a freshwater oasis of folksy self-expression and clever thought, has been flooded by a tsunami of paid bilge. Cut-rate journalists and underground marketing campaigns now drown out the authentic voices of amateur wordsmiths.

It’s almost impossible to get noticed, except by hecklers. And why bother? The time it takes to craft sharp, witty blog prose is better spent expressing yourself on Flickr, Facebook, or Twitter.”

http://www.wired.com/entertainment/theweb/magazine/16-11/st_essay

Wow — that’s pretty persuasive, isn’t it? You can’t miss with a great environmental metaphor like that. I guess I had better stop blogging then. To tell you the truth, I’m kind of surprised that Paul didn’t put a headline like “Twitter and Facebook have killed blogging” on his piece. Things are always killing other things in the kind of world Boutin describes. And what evidence do we have that blogs aren’t the place to be any more? Just this: Jason Calacanis quit blogging and moved to an email newsletter, and Robert Scoble is mostly doing video posts and Twittering.

I have actually never been much of a blogger. I actually do subscribe to two blogs but I post little if anything. There are so many entries it is hard to get noticed expecially if the blog is popular.
Too many people on the internet?
I enjoy researching on the internet and will always continue to ...but my blogging days are over.

Sew

Posted by sewood2008 at 05:43 AM | Permalink

Structure of a Logical Argument

Whether we are consciously aware of it or not, our arguments all follow a certain basic structure. They begin with one or more premises, which are facts that the argument takes for granted as the starting point. Then a principle of logic is applied in order to come to a conclusion. This structure is often illustrated symbolically with the following example:

Premise1: If A = B,
Premise2: and B = C
Logical connection: Then (apply principle of equivalence)
Conclusion: A = C

In order for a conclusion to be considered valid all the premises of an argument must be true, and the logical connection must be valid. I use the term �valid� here specifically to refer to such conclusions, because a conclusion may still be �true� even if it is not valid. This is because it is possible to use wrong information, or faulty logic to reach a conclusion that happens to be true. An invalid argument does not necessarily prove the conclusion false. Demonstrating that an argument is not valid, however, removes it as support for the truth of the conclusion.

Breaking down an argument into its components (sound familiar its a Gillettism)is a very useful exercise, for it enables us to examine both our own arguments and those of others and critically analyze them for validity. This is an excellent way of sharpening one�s thinking, avoiding biases, and making effective arguments.
http://www.theness.com/articles.asp?id=38

Novella, D. S. (2006). How to Argue . New England Skeptical Newsletter , 1-4.

Posted by sewood2008 at 08:45 AM | Permalink

Prepare Phase -- Build a case for change

o Forces for change include:
 Leadership needs more relevant feedback about their experience from customers to inform decision-making
 The company’s pay-for-performance philosophy provides incentive for people to meet or exceed objectives
 The current customer survey process has not produced significant increases in customer satisfaction despite the significant time and effort expended
o Forces against change include:
 Unknown level of project support from supervisors and managers
 Potential that vendor will be unable to deliver the system on time and/or to requirements
 Natural resistance to organizational change
 Customer apathy or reluctance to participate in surveys (critical)
 Timing of project implementation. Spring is a difficult month for a variety of reason... ( this included the selling off of the company)

The Direct phase includes the following:
o Visioning
o Activity Planning
o Congruence Worksheet
o Decision-making Responsibility Chart
o Communication Plan

The Execute phase is leadership in action. It involves implementing plans supported by visible and active leadership.
o The implementation plan timeline – a comprehensive Work Breakout Structure is maintained by the project manager
o Coach leaders to make the vision real – change leadership expectations are built into performance reviews. RVPs (regional Vice Presidents) will be leading off the training at each site and will be provided with talking points. This step will continue to be refined.
o Assuring that resources are allocated appropriately
o Help control the process to reduce surprises

The best-laid plans still need fine-tuning once a change is implemented. Determining if the change is being implemented effectively and if course corrections are needed are the goals of the Assess phase. By evaluating the current status of the change, the team may decide that future plans need to be modified in order to be optimally effective or to suit an environment that has changed from what was previously planned for. This phase also provides an opportunity to learn from experience and be better prepared for the next change effort.
o Outcomes Checklist – The purpose of this checklist is to determine which business outcomes to measure as a way of assessing the overall success of the change effort. The measurements answer the question of whether the business goals were met as a result of the change.
o Post-implementation pulse survey – Survey a randomly selected group of handlers, supervisors and managers to get a sense of how things are going and what emerging change management challenges may need to be dealt with.
o Implementation Success Measures Review – Conduct this review with members of the project team and, potentially, the RVPs. The intent is to gather peoples’ impressions about the implementation of the change; what went well, did we do what we said we would, etc.

**********************
As you can see the level of detail to put a project like this into action is incredible. The project was important enough for the company to implement. But as mentioned above the bank that I was working at did not have the capital to stay in bsiness and was bought ought by a larger bank.

http://www.cio.com/white-paper/462995/Business_Process_Utility_Accelerating_Change_Through_Standardization

http://www.lds.com/index.asp . (2008, 12 02). Retrieved 12 02, 2008, from http://www.lds.com : http://www.lds.com/index.asp
Wood, S., Wise, M., Flach, G., & Chute, R. (1996). Customer Loyalty Project . Cincinnati : n/a.

Posted by sewood2008 at 12:36 PM | Permalink

In 2006 I was in charge of a project to guage customer satisfaction with our services called "The Customer Loyalty Project". Whats an IT guy like me working on a project like this? IT works accross the entire organization. As you can imigine the banking industry is a highly regulated one. What makes bank a better than bank b? They are both lending money at the same rate, to the same clientelle. We were trying to initiate brand loyalty in banking. Think about two of the best brands in the world. Harley Davidson and Coca Cola. What brand recognition Harley Davidson has. People will tatoo their brand on their arms!
Below is some of the change management I actually was in charge of initiating. Unfortuneately Provident Bank was bought out by National City shortly after this project got underway and was never fully implemented.

Scott Wood
June 2006
Overview
The ability to effectively implement change is key to organizational success. 60-70% of changes fail due to lack of follow-up/follow-through, communication, clear direction, and a host of other reasons. Therefore, Provident Bank has adopted a formal change management process that orchestrates the many activities needed to make the change successful. In this case, the change being managed is the design and implementation of the Customer Loyalty project.

Assessment of the Change
Although the Customer Loyalty project is highly pervasive in that it affects many people within the organization, the change is not a deep one. It appears that, implemented effectively, this project has many benefits and few disadvantages, which simplifies the change management process. Observations of the change are as follows:
o The business case convincingly establishes the need for change.
o There is strong leadership support for the project.
o Moving from Customer Satisfaction to Customer Loyalty is a natural evolution, not a major change in the status quo.
o There is minimal change in terms of the knowledge and skills needed for workers and supervisors to do their jobs in the future.
o There will be no impact on staffing levels.
o Training will address process changes as well as the difference in measuring customer satisfaction vs. customer loyalty.
o The elements of an effective change management plan, which include project planning, communications, and training, are well established and progressing on schedule.
o The new survey process leverages EDM functionality and reduces complexity when accessing survey results.

Applying the Change Model
The Change Model consists of five phases:
Prepare o Build the Case for Change
Direct
Execute
Assess
Reinforce.

Posted by sewood2008 at 11:43 AM | Permalink