CSE3000.03 Professional Practice in ComputingMichael Jenkin (jenkin@cse.yorku.ca)

Office: CSEB 3032 M/W 12:00-13:00

www.cse.yorku.ca/~jenkin

The course....Professional, legal and ethical issues in the development, deployment and use of computer systems and their impact on society. Topics include: the impact of computing technology on society, privacy and security, computer crime, malware, intellectual property, legal issues, professional ethics and responsibilities. One third of the course will consist of guest lecturers from industry, government and the university who will typically discuss a broad range of topics related to professional issues (entrepreneurialism, small business start-up, human resources, infrastructure planning and development, research and development in industry, project management, etc.).

The textbook

Gift of Fire (3rd edition) by Sara Baase

We will cover (roughly) one chapter/week.

You are expected to have read the material prior to class.

Evaluation

Two essays (5 pages, double spaced)

Two midterms (multiple choice, non-cumulative, roughly 1/2 taken from material from guest lectures)

MINUS penalties for non-attendance and poor hosting of visitors.

Guest Speakers

Roughly one a week.

YOU host

Details in course handout (and on web page)

Attendance required (medical/similar excuse only exception)

Attendance at the guest lectures is mandatory and will be recorded.! Each missed guest lecture will result in a 10 point reduction in your final grade.

Hosting a guest involves a number of different tasks. It is up to the group to perform this task. Failure to perform this task well will result in a 10 point grade reduction for each member of the group.

(i)!!! At least one week prior to the visit, contact the speaker (I will provide email), introduce yourself. Arrange to meet the speaker when they arrive on campus or 15 minutes prior to the talk. Organize transportation and deal with other issues as they arise. Obtain a short biography of the speaker.! Obtain a short abstract of their talk. Email name, title and abstract to me for addition to the web page. Obtain a class list of emails from me. Query any AV requirements. Sort these out. Pick up gift and water for the speaker.!

(ii)!!! Meet the speaker prior to the visit. Ensure that the speaker’s AV is working. Provide the speaker with water prior to their talk.! Introduce the speaker to the class. Ensure that the talk goes well. Moderate question and answer session. Thank the speaker. Given gift to the speaker. Circulate and collect attendance sheet.

(iii)!!! No more than one week post visit, email me the completed attendance sheet and a 1-2 page (maximum) text summary of the guest lecture. Note: You cannot just use the speaker’s slides. You must summarize their talk. You may wish to ask the speaker if they would be willing to review it before sending it to me. This summary will be posted on the course web site.! You must also email me five multiple choice questions based on the presentation along with five options for each. You must also provide a rationale for which answer you believe is correct.

Questions?

A Gift of Fire: Social, legal, and ethical issues for Computing and the Internet

Some slides adapted from the book.NB: Book is US based. Canada is different.

Rapid Pace of Change

1940s: The first computer is built

1956: First hard-disk drive weighed a ton and stored five megabytes

1991: Space shuttle had a one-megahertz computer

2006: Pocket devices hold a terabyte (one trillion bytes) of data

2006: Automobiles can have 100-megahertz computers

Harvard Mark I, 1944

Rapid Pace of Change

1940s: The first computer is built

1956: First hard-disk drive weighed a ton and stored five megabytes

1991: Space shuttle had a one-megahertz computer

2006: Pocket devices hold a terabyte (one trillion bytes) of data

2006: Automobiles can have 100-megahertz computers

IBM RAMAC, 1956

50 24” disks, 5meg

Rapid Pace of Change

1940s: The first computer is built

1956: First hard-disk drive weighed a ton and stored five megabytes

1991: Space shuttle had a one-megahertz computer

2006: Pocket devices hold a terabyte (one trillion bytes) of data

2006: Automobiles can have 100-megahertz computers

IBM AP-101, 1992 1 meg addressable

memory

Rapid Pace of Change

1940s: The first computer is built

1956: First hard-disk drive weighed a ton and stored five megabytes

1991: Space shuttle had a one-megahertz computer

2006: Pocket devices hold a terabyte (one trillion bytes) of data

2006: Automobiles can have 100-megahertz computers

Western Digital, 2009

Terabyte 2.5” drive

Rapid Pace of Change

1940s: The first computer is built

1956: First hard-disk drive weighed a ton and stored five megabytes

1991: Space shuttle had a one-megahertz computer

2006: Pocket devices hold a terabyte (one trillion bytes) of data

2006: Automobiles can have 100-megahertz computers

BMW onboard computer

Rapid Pace of Change: Discussion Question

What devices are now computerized that were not originally? Think back 10, 20, 50 years ago.

Medial devicesBlood glucose monitor, heart monitor, ...

EntertainmentTVs, radio, video games....

AppliancesDishwasher, vacuum, dryer, ....

BankingATMs, ...

TransportationCars, boats, planes, trains, ...

Rapid Pace of Change: Development of novel mechanisms for interaction and communication

Facebook, Twitter, Web, podcasts, ....

Open up to the masses communication mechanisms that were previously restricted to large organizations (publishing houses)

New Developments

Blogs (Word made up from ‘web log’):

Began as outlets for amateurs who want to express ideas or creativity

Appealing because present personal views, are funny and creative, and present a quirky perspective on current events

New Developments (cont.)

Blogs (cont.):

Now used as alternatives to mainstream news and for business public relations

Popular blogs have 100,000 to 500,000 readers per day and can peak at several million views per day

New Developments (cont.)

Video Sharing:

Rise of amateur videos on the web

Boom of websites like Youtube and Myspace

Many videos on the web can infringe copyrights owned by entertainment companies

New Developments (cont.)

Cell Phones:

Can now be used for travel, last minute planning, taking pictures and downloading music

Talking on cell phones while driving is a problem

Cell phones can interfere with solitude, quiet and concentration

Cameras in cell phones and privacy issues

New Developments (cont.)

Social Networking:

First online social networking site was www.classmates.com in 1995

Myspace, founded in 2003 had roughly 100 million member profiles by 2006

Facebook was started at Harvard as an online version of student directories

New Developments (cont.)

Collaboration:

Wikipedia, the online, collaborative encyclopedia

Alternatives (conservapedia)

Open Directory Project (ODP)

Collaboration between scientists in different states or countries

Watch-dogs on the Web

New Developments (cont.)

E-commerce and Free Stuff:

Free stuff on the web: email, books, newspapers, games, etc.

www.Amazon.com started in 1994 and 10 years later annual sales reached $8.5 billion

TV show episodes are available to view on the Web