I am hoping to develop a website devoted to Identity theft. Since this is a broad subject in and of itself, I'm planning on setting the focus of the website specifically towards how identity theft is done. An example would be 'dumpster diving,' where an individual actually digs through trash in order to obtain information. Other methods include "phishers" (or spam programs) that trick some people into offering this information and mail theft where the thief steals the victims mail in order to reply to credit card applications.

I'm hoping to limit the details to these three, but will change or add one depending on the depth of the information as well as the relevance. It also seems that I'm leaning more towards identity theft as it pertains specifically towards credit card fraud. So I may concentrate on this issue alone.

Finally, I'd like to include one section detailing an actual identity theft victims story. I don't think I'll be able to create my own content here..so what I may do is provide links to stories where identity theft is detailed and provide the reader with a brief explanation of the link.

that's all for now. I'm still working on the storyboards.

David

www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html
http://www.idtheftcenter.org/index.shtml

For my website project, I am going to look more into Computer Assisted Therapy and Online Therapy programs. I scratched the surface for my presentation by looking at just one online program offered, but for this project I plan to go more in depth about CAT and the research behind its effectiveness.

Ryan

I would like to do a website exploring transhumanism. In addition to exploring the augmentative possibilities humans have now and may have in the near future, I'd like to highlight the ethics discourse behind the idea of transcending our so-called "natural" limitations with technology. I will also focus on the spiritual aspect of transhumanism, especially the compatibility between transhumanist and Buddhist and Christian ethics (among others). Ultimately my website will argue that the terms "transhuman" and "posthuman" are, while useful, somewhat redundant, since humans have been augmenting themselves with technology as far back as we've been around. (Or as Mitchell put it, in so many words, that since we began using walking sticks and eyeglasses, we have never been what fearful biological purists call "human".)

the most prominent website out there right now is that of the World Transhumanist Association, whose avowed mission statement is to support "the ethical use of technology to extend human capabilities." While I ultimately agree with the WTA's politics, my website will serve more as a primer to the uninitiated than as a full-blown endorsement of transhumanism.

wwww.transhumanism.org

I'm going to do my project on spyware, it's legalities,liabilities, government response, personal response, and vast implications for identity protection
Joel

I plan on going into the history, future, and current state of teledildonics. I just thought it was so hilarious but there's some interesting stuff that I found. I can't really get into it too much here since I'm just starting out on all this.

links:
http://www.televibe.net/abouttelevibe.htm
http://haas.ca/articles/20050210-cyberdildonics.cfm
http://www.slashdong.org/content/articles/how_shit_works/how_shit_works_...

I'm going to do my project on Web 2.0 and discuss the many implications of web 2.0. I will probably divide the section up by medium unless i find another logical way to split them up; possibly by type of interaction or network. I guess that will be determined by reserach. Much of this will focus on the current Web2.0 companies and the future ones that are growing. Ill also include future of web 2.0 in genral

bt

I had thought I wanted to do something creative, but I felt that it might be constrained by my 1. lack of HTML experience or 2. the fact that I am very busy and might not devote enough time to it.

So instead, I would like to explore the internet vs. copyright. My sub-topics will include music, digital art vs. traditional art, writing, internet copyright laws, and commons lisences (these are only a few of the issues surrounding this, I might expand some if necessary and add more).

There are already some sites that discuss this, but I feel mine will more question the social ramifications of current copyright issues and look to the future as well.

http://www.piercelaw.edu/tfield/copynet.htm
http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html
http://www.copyright.gov/resces.html
http://publishing.wsu.edu/copyright/internet_copyright/

I may still play around with some creative pages and add them in to help further my arguement. (perhaps to show the positive side of the internet and how it helps fuel creativity.) I also might add a page on the books we have discussed and what they say on this subject (if this seems relevant).

I would like to do my project on the history of file sharing. I will talk about the progression of different ways this was accomplished. For example:

Floppy Disks
CDR's
email
Napster and it's clones
BitTorrent
YouTube and it's clones
Sites like peekvid.com which take advantage of YouTube
MegaUpload and it's clones

Some of the topics will include pros and cons for each method, legal implications, and ideas about what the future may hold.

Here are some existing websites I found with a quick google search:

http://www.sean.co.uk/a/musicjournalism/var/historyoffilesharing.shtm
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~schr0285/3921/history.html
http://www.ksc.kwansei.ac.jp/researchfair02/03/website/history.htm

Dr. Davis,

I figured I would also email you my website proposal in addition to posting it to the forums.

Basically, my website topic will be: The Evolution of Video-Gaming Culture from the 90's to the Present

Subtopics will include:

How VG Culture has changed.

Why VG Culture has changed.

Who benefits from the change ?

Who initiated the change ?

Is anything being done to go back to the "old days" ?

If that's not making sense, I'll briefly explain. Since the early 90's, I have been a video game player. Over the years I have witnessed first hand a steady decline in the culture that surrounds gaming, with the most profound changes coming in recent years. What I am talking about is how video game culture is now "cool" and not necessarily something that would warrant ridicule from others. Not that I was a big fan of ridicule for being a gamer, it is just that it seems as if gaming is becoming the new "in" thing and publishers are now finally getting the chance to exploit the gaming business. Game developers and publishers are only producings games that will net the most revenue, as opposed to creating games that deliver original and interesting content to long-time gamers. The term "release party" used to have hardly anything to do with gaming, yet there are now release parties with the likes of Paris Hilton among the attendees. I am a firm believer that this "hip hop", "bling bling", urban youth focused trend of marketing and culture is infecting gaming at its very core.

The web is full of information on games and gaming culture, but what I hope to achieve is to create a hub of sorts that will bring together information showing how and when this change in VG culture started, and if anything is possible to return gaming to its once more wholesome days.

If this is confusing, I would be more than happy to stay after class tomorrow and explain more.

I plan on doing my website about Organic Light Emitting Diodes that will look at their present use and their possibilities in the future. I saw a segment on a news program that showed the possibilities of OLED displays and I also read in Popular Science about their use in our future homes/cars.

A Few possible sub-topics:
How They Work
Current Applications
Current Limitations on Advancement
Advanates/Disadvantages
Future of OLED's and How They May Affect Our Lives.

A few sites:
http://komar.cs.stthomas.edu/qm425/01s/Tollefsrud2.htm
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/oled.htm
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/whatsnew/088f0e0796b84010vgnvcm1000004eecbc...
http://www.ewh.ieee.org/soc/cpmt/presentations/cpmt0401a.pdf
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,119722-page,1/article.html

I plan writing my website around autonomous vehicles. Every time a new type of transporation is invented, society chances becuase of that. I want to discuss the different ways autonomous cars will change our lives and society.

SUB-TOPICS
1. Technology behind it
2. DARPA challenge
3. Effects to work/family life
4. Proposed law and infrastructure changes.

WEBSITES
http://www.aaai.org/AITopics/html/autveh.html
http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/index.asp
http://vislab.it/
http://www.discovery.com

I would like to focus not only on the cool new things we'll be able to do, but the change in the society as a whole. Will we be lazier? How big will our networks be then? ...

I realize that Diane is doing nanotech, but I want to explore VERY specific applications. She is correct that the topic is very broad. What I want to do is expand my presentation on nanotech applications in solar (that will be one page), fuel cells and hydrogen. I took the STS Nanotech class last Fall, and I have tons of info I want to share. My thrust is going to concern climate change and the promise that nano holds to perhaps not solve the problem, but at least slow it down. I mean, certain car companies are working on cars with nano-driven fuel cells that require zero fossil fuels.

I also interviewed one of the world's leading experts on the subject for the Daily Texan last month (Andrew Jamison - he wrote a book called Hubris and Hybrids), and a lot of his info concerned governmental involvement in R&D. This will be a subject I address as well.

Considering that the only definition of nano is size, I would think that she and I won't have too much cross-over. This stuff can be organic or not, built from bottom up or bottom down. I will be dealing almost exclusively with carbon nanotubes, quantum dots and other conductive nanotech materials. Stem cells are technically nanotech, and I'm not going anywhere near commercial, medical, pharmaceutical or defense apps.

Maybe Diane and I could explore different areas. Trust me, the possibilties even for feasible, right-now tech apps lie in so many different areas, a comprehensive website would be impossible to make in the time we have.

I'm not at my own computer right now, so I don't have any of my bookmarked links, but I can add them later this afternoon when I get home to my machine.

Hope that works.

Trevor Wallace,
t_rev2323@yahoo.com

I will be doing my website on the philosophy of hacking and the effect of varying philosophies on the public at large. I've always been interested in the philosophical aspect of hacking and the black hat/white hat reflections of varying parties of thought. Some potential subtopics I'll cover are religion in hacking, the criminal leanings of some hackers, motivations and possible connections to nietzsche's philosphy.

Potential websites:

http://fringe.davesource.com/Fringe/Hacking/Philosophy/
http://www.hackthissite.org/pages/info/guide.php
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/news/2004/05/63506?currentPage=all
http://www.bemuzed.com/elmorian/philosophy/files/_13_X_Philosophy_21_11_...

As I said in class, I'd like to do an artistic piece. It would mainly be of a visual nature rather than focus on text and sound, although I may incorporate those aspects in part. The images will be either created by me in Photoshop/Artrage or heavily manipulated from public domain or copylefted base images. I plan to use the flexibility of hyperlinks to make the website interesting. The structure will be like Patchwork Girl, with each image or set of images linking to each other but standing on its own. However, I'd like to make it more rhizomatic than simply multilinear. It'll be primarily HTML/CSS with images, although I might throw in a flash animation or two.

I haven't found any sites that are exactly like what I want to do (especially from a structural standpoint), but the following links are in the style to which I will be closest:

http://www.sporkworld.org/oulipoems/
http://perte-de-temps.com/lhorloge.htm
http://www.yhchang.com/RIVIERA.html
http://www.yhchang.com/AOMORI_AMORI_SNOW.html
http://www.moca.org/museum/digital_gallery/pmiller/opener.html
http://www.computerfinearts.com/collection/

If this isn't cool, I'll just do a traditional site regarding developments in internet art, surveying and categorizing various works.

I would like to do a website on nanotechnology. I attended a lecture on nanotechnology a few years ago so I am a little familiar with it.

Since nanotechnology is very broad, I would like to focus mainly on nanotechnology and nanoparticles already in use or likely to be implemented in the very near future. I want to stay away from all the hype of far-future applications and probably not focus as much on what nanotechnology is. I'd really like to focus on things that the majority of people will benefit from or use rather than things that only benefit particular industries or scientists, such as air and water purification and sanitations, or in consumer products like paints and sunscreens.

Some websites I have already found:
http://www.nano.gov/html/facts/appsprod.html
http://scienceline.org/2006/09/22/env-cosier-nanotech/
http://www.nanotech-now.com/current-uses.htm
http://www.nanotechproject.org/index.php?id=44&action=view

• A brief explanation of your main topic and your current familiarity with and interest in it
o I will create a website about RFIDs. I am hoping that through putting together a website, I can learn more about the cultural importance of this very literal mesh of meat and metal. I am not very familiar with RFIDs, but because of that, I am extremely interested to find out more.
• A list of the potential sub-topics you'll explore on your site
o Cell phone implants in teeth
o Identification for pets and people
o Dangers
o Benefits
o
• A tentative list of online sites already devoted to your topic and what you imagine you'll offer that they don't
o http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/gettingstarted/
o http://www.aimglobal.org/technologies/rfid/
o http://www.rfidgazette.org/
o http://www.spychips.com/ (anti-RFID group)
o I plan to offer more insight about the societal impacts of RFIDs. I will focus less on how it works and more on the analysis of an upcoming culture of body-embedded technology. I will also spend time analyzing how technology has not only become more personal, but, with RFIDs, it is now IN a person-- this is, perhaps, the ultimate personalization.

-Hallie

For my website project, I would like to study Smart Fabrics. I want to examine all their applications, from loss prevention puporposes to smart shirts for medical uses to "just for fun" reasons like the Hug Shirt we heard about in class. I think that smart fabrics have the potential to make a huge impact on how we live our everyday lives. Some really good articles I've found in researching this topic are:

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6553
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6460033.stm
http://infotech.indiatimes.com/quickiearticleshow/msid-1834505.cms

I am interested in creating a website about In Vitro Fertilization and the Ethics surrounding modern issues ("Designer Babies"). The main topics that I want to investigate are the different types of In Vitro Fertilization, the efficacy and health risks, and also the For and Against sides of In Vitro Fertilization. Here are some websites I found dealing with these topics:
http://www.ivf.com/ivffaq.html
http://www.fertilitynetwork.com/articles/articles-ivf.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/05/AR200701...

- Mackenzie

I will be doing my website project on robotic surgery. Although I did not do my VC report on this topic, I am interested in this topic because technology, especially the use of robotic devices is revolutionalizing the medical field. Some potential subtopics I'll explore on my website are the benefits and disadvantages it provides for people undergoing surgery, the impact on surgeons, and the uses of robotic surgery. Potential websites that I may be using in my project: http://biomed.brown.edu/Courses/BI108/BI108_2005_Groups/04/
http://www.fda.gov/Fdac/features/2002/302_bots.html
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-143524721.html

I will be creating a website on gaming (console and online, if possible) and its effect on people outside of the game. I did my VC report on an online game and am a bit of a gamer myself. As such, I have an interest in gaming, its effects, and whether these effects are beneficial or detrimental to a person. The main topics I wish to explore are the benefits and detriments to gaming. Subtopics to these may include social, mental, educational, and potentially physical effects of gaming on people. Potential websites I may be putting to use include Serious Gaming (http://www.seriousgames.org/index2.html), various news related articles such as this one (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4774534.stm), and research articles like this (http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=8&sid=303d3c26-ecb3-4b6a...).