Definition (Merriam Webster Dictionary)
biological diversity in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals"
Example:
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Word of the day - BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity = biology + diversity
Definition (Merriam Webster Dictionary)
Definition (Merriam Webster Dictionary)
Monday, October 25, 2010
Week 5 - Health and Science
Heath and science may not be your favorite subjects to read on the Internet. However, the marvelous development of health care and science sometimes surprises us. Sometimes statistics or outbreak of diseases worry us. Let's brainstorm here some of of the news in health and science that have caught your attention over the years.
For me, recently the prediction that the percentage of people with diabetes in the U.S. will rise to about one third of the population in 2050 is alarming to me. Diabetes is one of the main causes for blindness, kidney failure, etc. Having a healthy diet and lifestyle is the key to prevent this disease.
For me, recently the prediction that the percentage of people with diabetes in the U.S. will rise to about one third of the population in 2050 is alarming to me. Diabetes is one of the main causes for blindness, kidney failure, etc. Having a healthy diet and lifestyle is the key to prevent this disease.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Word of the day - PUNCH
That's a PUNCH.
I guess it's an easy word. Most of you must already know it. I posted it just for a change. However, notice its use in the second headline I posted today :)
Headlines of the day - 10/21/10
Meet the 20-cent 'cloud phone'
Nigel Waller set out to create a $5 phone. FULL STORY
Windows Phone 7, Microsoft's complete do-over of its mobile operating system, is off to a promising start with the Samsung Focus. FULL STORY
Right now, mobile apps are hot -- and for the next few years they're likely to remain a popular part of the mobile ecosystem. FULL STORY
Put the BlackBerry on mute. Don't check your e-mail every time the pop-up box appears on your computer screen. FULL STORY
It seems that the news is inundated with articles about smartphones. Apparently, smartphones have become so popular. So have technologies that go with them. From the headlines, you can see the mentioning of mobile operating system and app.
We learnt the word "app" a few days before. And here it is again, used in a word play "APP-POCALYPSE"
Apocalypse is phophetic revelation, something that is predicted to happen by a prophet or by god. APP-POCALYPSE is the combination of the word APP + APOCALYPSE, which is used in the highlighted headline, to mean that mobile apps are predicted to continue to exist and stay popular.
Review: Samsung's Windows Phone 7 packs intuitive, visual punch
Happy Information Overload Day!
It seems that the news is inundated with articles about smartphones. Apparently, smartphones have become so popular. So have technologies that go with them. From the headlines, you can see the mentioning of mobile operating system and app.
We learnt the word "app" a few days before. And here it is again, used in a word play "APP-POCALYPSE"
Apocalypse is phophetic revelation, something that is predicted to happen by a prophet or by god. APP-POCALYPSE is the combination of the word APP + APOCALYPSE, which is used in the highlighted headline, to mean that mobile apps are predicted to continue to exist and stay popular.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Week 4 Reading - Facebook Privacy Concern
From: http://techland.com/2010/10/18/facebook-in-hot-water-over-leaked-user-ids/
Facebook in Hot Water Over Leaked User IDs
By Doug Aamoth on October 18, 2010
Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal published a story concerning the inadvertent passing of Facebook users' personal information between popular third-party Facebook applications and several outside marketing agencies and data-gathering firms.Every Facebook user is assigned a unique, non-identifying, numeric "user ID" that's used for several purposes within the site. At the most basic level, for instance, numeric IDs can be used to differentiate several users who have the same first and last names. So if there are 100 people named Joe Smith on Facebook, they each have their own user ID.
Facebook can also make use of these IDs for its own marketing purposes. It may not collect the actual personal information of User #12345 but it knows that User #12345 likes to play FarmVille and knows which kinds of ads that user clicks on, so it can target similar ads to that user in the future.
The problem is that the third-party apps like FarmVille also have access to these unique user ID numbers, and the Wall Street Journal contends that not only have these user IDs been passed to outside marketing and data-gathering companies, but the ID numbers themselves can be used to reveal personally identifying information about the users themselves.
According to the article:
"The information being transmitted is one of Facebook's basic building blocks: the unique 'Facebook ID' number assigned to every user on the site. Since a Facebook user ID is a public part of any Facebook profile, anyone can use an ID number to look up a person's name, using a standard Web browser, even if that person has set all of his or her Facebook information to be private. For other users, the Facebook ID reveals information they have set to share with 'everyone,' including age, residence, occupation and photos.
The apps reviewed by the Journal were sending Facebook ID numbers to at least 25 advertising and data firms, several of which build profiles of Internet users by tracking their online activities."
That's a pretty serious accusation; that "anyone can use an ID number to look up a person's name, using a standard Web browser, even if that person has set all of his or her Facebook information to be private."
Facebook has responded, saying:
"Recently, it has come to our attention that several applications built on Facebook Platform were passing the User ID (UID), an identifier that we use within our APIs, in a manner that violated [Facebook's privacy] policy. In most cases, developers did not intend to pass this information, but did so because of the technical details of how browsers work.
Press reports have exaggerated the implications of sharing a UID. Knowledge of a UID does not enable anyone to access private user information without explicit user consent. Nevertheless, we are committed to ensuring that even the inadvertent passing of UIDs is prevented and all applications are in compliance with our policy."
Basically, Facebook is saying that applications were indeed sending user IDs to outside companies in violation of Facebook's privacy policy but that it may have been inadvertent. More importantly, Facebook is saying that contrary to the Wall Street Journal's report, the user IDs can't be used to look up private personal information.
However, you may recall an article from a couple months ago about a Facebook bug that returned the photo, full name, and e-mail address of any user when trying to log in to the site using their e-mail address. Even if you got the password wrong, you could see the person's name and e-mail address and that data could be harvested using an automated script. If something similar is possible with someone's user ID, it's pretty troubling.
In the meantime, a Facebook spokesperson told the Journal, "We have taken immediate action to disable all applications that violate our terms," and the company blog post says, "We are talking with our key partners and the broader Web community about possible solutions."
Reading comprehension
Answer the following questions in your own words, using the information in the article.
1. What is the problem reported on the Wall Street Journal concerning Facebook?
2. What is the function of a numeric “user ID” on Facebook?
3. How can Facebook make use of these IDs?
4. According to the WSJ, what can a person do with a Facebook user ID?
5. According to Facebook, why is there such leak of user IDs?
6. What is the incident that worries users several months ago?
Vocabulary
Choose the closest meaning to the following words. The words are highlighted in yellow the passage.
1. Inadvertent
a. Planned
b. Unintentional
c. Adventurous
d. Inappropriate
2. Assigned
a. Pointed
b. Requested
c. Given
d. Categorized
3. Differentiate
a. Discriminate
b. Distinguish
c. Vary
d. Confirm
4. Contend
a. Fight
b. Admit
c. Agree
d. Argue
5. Violated
a. Interrupted
b. Disturbed
c. Disregarded
d. Followed
6. Exaggerated
a. Overstated
b. Stretched
c. Lenghtened
d. Emphasized
7. Compliance
a. Harmony
b. Regard
c. Contrast
d. Obedience
Expansion
1. Do you know what marketing agencies and data-gathering firms do? Can you give some examples of such firms?
2. Can you give some examples of third-paty Facebook applications?
Discussion
1. Are you worried that your personal information will be collected and used in a way that you don’t consent
2. Are you annoyed by advertisements?
3. How do you understand privacy?
Optional
Based on your answers to the comprehension questions, write a summary of the article.
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