12/09/14 Smallish Post 7

Last class, Brother Knutson discussed the release of chemicals in the brain that create addictions. My main interest for this topic is video game addiction because, unlike drugs, video games are not addictive to everyone. I have been contemplating what makes a video game addictive and after some research I have found that there are many different elements to making a video game "addictive." As discussed in a previous class from a conference talk, the main type of addictive gaming is called Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). What makes these particular types of games more addictive than others is the relationships users are able to build with other users (which generally replace often broken real-world relationships), and that the games have no end; when a game has no end goal, the user never experiences that final accomplishment of completing the game, thus sending him into a loop of never-ending tasks. As with everything in life, healthy gaming consists of gaming in moderation.


http://www.video-game-addiction.org/what-makes-games-addictive.html

12/02 Vlog Post

Checks, credit cards, and even physical banks are slowly becoming obsolete with new advances in technology. There are two main contenders that are threatening the existence of these classic forms of money management; the products are ApplePay, which uses an iPhone to charge payments, and now the bPay wristband, which is a new payment device worn on the wrist. With these new advances, it is more important than ever for programmers to stay up to date with current security safety measures in order to protect the end users and their private payment information. As Computer Science majors, it is imperative that we take the skills we have gained from lectures and from security classes and educate ourselves on the current issues before we enter the industry. If we take this job lightly, there could be many negative repercussions from a small obscure loophole in our code that could put the financial security of millions at risk.   

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/24/tech/innovation/future-finances-checkbook-pin-number/index.html