COMP 006: Computers Make It Possible

1. COMP 006: Computers Make It Possible 25 August 2004

2. Today’s Plan • Introductions • Surveys • Class Logistics • Projects • Course introduction

3. Contact Information Diane Pozefsky Sitterson 327 962-1817 dpoz@us.ibm.com AIM: dianepozefsky www.cs.unc.edu/~pozefsky/comp006

4. Office Hours • Feel free to come see me whenever I’m in my office • Call or instant message to see if I’m in • My schedule won’t finalize until next week • Will post best hours on web site

5. Introductions • Name • School • An interesting fact about yourself • What you hope to learn in this seminar

6. Surveys

7. Class Logistics • Seminars vs. classes • Small groups • Active participation • Not 75 minute lectures • Readings before the discussions • Online or handed out • Web site • Assignments • Readings • Presentation materials

8. Software • All software required is available through CCI • Microsoft Office • Access • FrontPage • PowerPoint • Word • Browser

9. Policies • Regular attendance expected • Late assignments • Excused: speak to me when assignment given • Emergencies: requires proof • Unexcused: reduced credit based on length of assignment • Missed tests • Excused: to be taken in advance • Emergencies: requires proof • Unexcused: no make-up

10. Alternate Meeting Times • Hold this slot on Fridays • If I need to reschedule • If I need to meet with project teams • Hand in your schedules on Monday • Allows me to schedule activities that won’t fit in regular times

11. What we’ll be doing • Syllabus will be posted by Monday • Adapted based on what I learn about you • Assignments • Group and individual • Papers, presentations, projects • Learning about being a student as well as about computers

12. Meet your neighbor • Find something in common with your partner • Not your age • Not that you are freshman at UNC

13. Some of the Projects • Computer influence on society • Building a web site • Computer security or privacy • Building a database • How computers can help address a particular problem • Computer use in the arts • Analysis of news reports

14. To solve a problem • Understand the domain • Understand the tools available • Propose a solution • Try it

15. Problems that YOU want to address • I’m not going to hold you to these topics • I am going to try to address them within the course • Tell us • What • Why

16. Computers Make It Possible • The good, the bad, and the ugly • Computers allow us to do things that we never could have done before • The power of computers can be misused • Computers don’t always work right

17. The Eyes Have it NASA program develops a system that tracks eye movements for cursor controlNASA is exploring new frontiers in accessibility with a program that could give disabled users line-of-sight control over their computer screens. The space agency has provided funding to create a system that tracks head and eye movements to register cursor movements and clicks. Developers plan to provide the system free to the public. Government Computer News, August 9

18. CAPPS II: Government Surveillance via Passenger Profiling The U.S. Transportation Security Administration announced plans to implement CAPPS II, a controversial passenger profiling and surveillance system that would require you to give your birth date, home phone number, and home address before you can board a U.S. flight. Under CAPPS II, travel authorities would check these and other personal details against the information collected in government and commercial databases, then "tag" you with a color-coded score indicating the level of security risk that you appear to pose. 

19. CAPPS II: Government Surveillance via Passenger Profiling The U.S. Transportation Security Administration announced plans to implement CAPPS II, a controversial passenger profiling and surveillance system that would require you to give your birth date, home phone number, and home address before you can board a U.S. flight. Under CAPPS II, travel authorities would check these and other personal details against the information collected in government and commercial databases, then "tag" you with a color-coded score indicating the level of security risk that you appear to pose.  SCRAPPED

20. November 20, 1985Bug causes Financial crisis! • BoNY: Nation’s largest clearer of Govt securities. • Software to track Federal securities transactions wrote new information on top of old. • Feds debited the bank for each transaction but bank did not know who owed it how much. • 90 minutes => $32 Billion overdraft! With thanks to Mithun Arora

21. Cost of Bug • Bank had to borrow $24 bill from federal reserves. Interest paid ~$5 mill for 1 day. (Annual earnings of bank ~120 mill) • BoNY share prices dropped by 25c • Federal funds rate dropped from 8.4% to 5.5% • System down for 28 hours. • Fear of financial crisis caused increase in price of platinum! With thanks to Mithun Arora

22. For Monday • Make sure that you have the software installed • Bring your schedules • Enjoy the weekend: it’s probably the last time that you won’t have an assignment!