Topics for Second Contest

1. Privacy:

a. What privacy do you have on the Internet?

(1) Check Facebook and Google
Check out teacher's aide being fired for refusing to give Facebook password to school.  It seems to me this would be a legitimate cause for ACLU to pursue in the courts.  Also, are employers in general demanding to see potential employees Facebook pages. It seems there is no law protecting individuals privacy on Facebook.

(2) Discuss the variation among sites

(3) How is privacy enforced in the US? Self regulation: See sites such as TRUSTe and articles on effectiveness

b. If you lived in the EU what privacy would you have? EU is currently considering new legislation.

c. What are the pros and cons of the US privacy policy?

d. How do you protect yourself online? Also need to consider how firms should increase their defenses against hackers.

2. Job market

a. To what extent is the current unemployment a consequence of the latest recession? Remember this recession was caused by financial factors that generally make for a more severe recession
Check out: One and Two  There are numerous articles about this

b. To what extent is it caused by [1] automation and [2] shipping manufacturing jobs abroad?

c. To what extent is it caused by [1] automation and [2] shipping paper processing and white-collar jobs abroad?
Divide your efforts into three categories:
                 (1) Jobs where the associated paperwork has been transferred to electronics. Routine activities of these jobs are easy to                            automated using software especially articial intelligence software:   One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven,
                 (2) Manipulating physical objects with robotics: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six
                 (3)  Jobs that still use paper. These jobs are harder to automate.
(4)  Shift abroad: Five, Four, Zero, One, two, three

d. Are there any new industries in the US that will expand employment?

(1) For example, is Facebook creating many or few jobs?

(2) Are citizens being properly educated for the new jobs? Check out manufacturing where people are not being trained for the high tech manufacturing jobs available.

3. Identity theft: One, Two, Three

a. What is identity theft?

b. What procedures do crooks use to steal identities? Need catalog of ways your identity can be stolen.

c. What are the economic costs of identity theft?

d. How do you protect yourself? Also need to consider how firms should increase their defenses against hackers.

4. Searching for a digital camera. Check out the followings: one, two, three, four, five, six

a. Make a chart of the requirements for a digital camera and video camera

(1) When is the camera on a cell phone or iPad enough?

(2) When do you need a point and click camera?

(3) When do you need an external flash?

(4) When do you need a telephoto lens?

(5) When do you need a DSLR camera?

b. Devise a strategy to determine the best camera for the various types of shot.

(1) Should show online sources

(2) How to interpret online sources

(3) Digital picture galleries
Digital camera selection software created by psychologists has used input weights for tradeoffs.  My contention is that user must be educated to know what type of camera is needed for the type of shots wanted at an affordable price.