2.11 Impacts of CS: The Digital Explosion

2.11 Impacts of CS: The Digital Explosion Curriculum Page

Portfolio Reflection Questions:

1. What is a bit and what does it mean to say that "it's all just bits"? (Koan 1) Give examples of the things today that are stored in bits.
   • A bit is a single binary digit, which is the smallest unit of data on a computer. When someone says "It's all just bits," they are referring to the fact that the only thing computers hold are bits. The attachments that we see, for example folders and files, are just illusions created by programmers. All things on the computer are very similar because they are all made of bits, programmers just package the bits in different ways to create different attachments. Some examples of things today that are stored in bits include images on Photos, videos on Youtube, songs in iTunes, and texts.
2. Describe, in your own words, Moore's Law.
   • Moore's Law is the idea that the processing power, or the speed of a computer, has doubled every few years. Gordon Moore observed that computers are becoming faster and more powerful every few years.
3. Give an example of how the digital explosion is "neither good nor bad" but has both positive and negative implications.
   • The digital explosions is "neither good nor bad" because the internet makes information readily available, but it also causes our privacy to be invaded upon.
4. Find and summarize a news article that talks about the positive or negative impacts of a computing innovation. Is the technology itself positive or negative? Or have people used the technology in positive and/or negative ways?
   • The news article I read described that due to the power of computers, new innovations such as self-driving cars and drone delivery, are going to drastically change the work force by eliminating roughly 20% of people's jobs. The jobs that these computerized innovations will replace are already low-paying jobs, so when these jobs are eliminated, it will lead to an even larger wage gap.
   • The technology itself isn't negative, it's the way people are shaping/altering the technology. If people weren't coming up with these innovations, most jobs from the past would still be available today. However, as people want things to become more efficient, they shape the technology to benefit their society. Sometimes, these innovations can end up having negative outcomes for certain groups of people.