When I think of October I think of witches and warlocks, ghosts and goblins, and fun sized candy bars that aren’t any fun at all since they’re too small to get any real enjoyment out of them. I think of haunted houses and headless horsemen and all the other scary things that go along with the Halloween Holiday. I do not, however, think of technology – although I should. Technology can be more frightening than any ghost or headless horseman. While the kooky creatures come out but once a year, these scary technologies can creep up behind you 365 days a year. Here are some of the most terrifying technologies that leave me shaking in my shoes. So be afraid… be very afraid!
1. Artificial Intelligence: Think back to 1950. What were the popular movies of the time? You may remember The Thing, Creature from the Black Lagoon or I Married A Monster from Outer Space. Fast forward to modern day and aliens got traded out for another type of scary invasion. Movies like I, Robot, Minority Report and A.I. are now the box office hits and the theme is a frightening one: Artificial intelligence, aka computers, have the ability to outsmart humans and even take over the world. Although it may not be a reality yet (or perhaps ever) it’s still a frightening thought! For more information on this click here:http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/high-tech-gadgets/5-scary-technologies4.htm
2. Cloud Computing: Chances are, you’ve stumbled across this new technology at some point- people are storing all kinds of things in “the cloud” – music, grocery lists, birth certificates and work reports. Granted, it has a lot of upsides- cost, convenience and scalability to name a few, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Unfortunately the law does not classify searching your home and searching your computer in the same way. So while it takes a search warrant to enter your house, often it only takes a subpoena (which is much easier to obtain) to search your computer and invade your privacy. With everything being stored in the cloud these days, it means almost everything is available to be searched, sometimes even without your knowledge. While I don’t have anything to hide, I don’t like the idea of my life being an open book to anyone who wants to nose around either! For more information on this click here: https://ssd.eff.org/book/export/html/42
3. Job Loss: The economy is down, the unemployment rate is up, and although all parties claim that they have the magical solution to create jobs and boost the economy, this could be far from the truth. And it’s not because of the evil Republicans, the disastrous Democrats or the crazy Tea Partiers – we can blame it on technology! More and more, technology is taking over jobs that used to require a human or multiple humans, to complete. Even though the new equipment will require a person to operate it, that may not be enough to keep hundreds or even thousands from losing their jobs. For more information, click here:http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/10/07/9-skilled-occupations-being-killed-by-technology/?ncid=dynalduscare00000003|
4. Cyberwars: I’m sure you’ve experience mild to severe frustration when the power goes out. Besides having no lights and no water, not having internet can pretty much bring your life to a screeching hault. Well imagine if a virus came in and wiped out everything on the internet – bank accounts, business records, criminal histories etc. Nowadays, everything has gone “paperless” to make the world a greener place. But if the only file on record is an online file, we could be in big trouble. If you think the government had difficulty now, imagine how bad it could be after a cyberwar! For more information on this click here:http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/241393/security_upgrades_needed_with_growing_cyberwar_threats.html
I know some of these ideas are farfetched, but in the spirit of Halloween, I thought it only appropriate to give you just a few more spooky things to think about when you lay down to sleep at night. So keep your eyes open and your ears alert – you never know where the next scare will come from.
Happy Halloween, and remember, if any of your technology is scaring you, give Aegis a call and we’d be more than happy to get rid of any “I.T. skeletons” you may have hiding in your closet!
No comments:
Post a Comment