• Has Big Brother Arrived?
  Many people are now afraid that the technology that we have and are developing today will one day be used to keep track of our activities. George Orwell, in his novel, "1984" described a society who's every action and re-action was monitored by a governing agency known as "Big Brother". People are afraid that if they gain access to the Internet the government will daily, secretly monitor their lives through their computer. This is obivously ridiculous, however, to those who don't understand the workings of the Internet this is a very real fear. And perhaps, to those of us who do understand the Internet, this SHOULD be a very real fear.
• Security or People tracking
  • Some corporations today are asking employess to wear identification badges which allow their where abouts in a building to be known. These corporations are using this technology to benefit the employees. For instance, the phone call that is for John, will be redirected to the room that John is currently in. Could this mean the end of pagers and hours spent tracking down co-workers? Perhaps, however, it is easy to imagine how this technology could be used to track peoples activities. It could possibly be used to monitor how much of an employees time is spent in the bathroom or on smoke breaks. Who will monitor and regulate this technology to ensure that it is not mis-used in this fashion?
  • This same sort of technology could also be put to use in your home as a home security system. When you are working at the office, an internet connection to your house could inform you of any un-authorized access to your domicile. It may unfortunately also be the cause of many ulcers if you were to know that your teenage daughter has a male visitor in her bedroom. The question then arises if this is infringing on your daughters rights as an individual.
• Privacy
  • Your time is your business. However, corporations with which you are employed are paying for your time. Isn't it then only fair that you get paid only for those hours you spend actually working. Would it not also be beneficial if the government were to use something like this to monitor and us and thereby lower the crime rate? The government could then also make sure that those on welfare REALLY are looking for work. Would these be good or bad things?
  • While who is invading your home is very much your business and serious issue in home security. Will you be able to resist the temptation to monitor the other members of your household? Are they monitoring you?
  • Shopping & Food
    With the Internet it is now possible for any interested party to monitor what you buy and where on the web you buy it. Many companies already do this through your credit cards, which is where your junk mail comes from. Do you really want to get junk e-mail, and have junk e-mail clogging up band width?
  • Electronic Banks and Banking
    • It is now possible to do your banking via the Internet. Virtual places like: Cyber Cash and E-bank will be more than happy to take your money and your investments.
    • You can shop on the Internet using your credit cards. The big question is...do you want to? Is it safe to surf on your card? Many people will tell you that it is very possible for someone to pick up your credit card number as a careens down the Information Highway. There is another group of people who will tell you that this is not possible. These people will tell you that the possiblity of your credit card number being stolen is a story put out by companies that sell encryption software. Who do you believe?
  • Shopping
    • There is a surprisingly large amount of things that are currently available for you to buy on the Web. You will no longer have to get dressed and drive to the mall. You can sit in an armchair and shop from the comfort or your home. Is this going to affect the amount of social interaction which people currently partake in? For some it very well may, but for others (like those confined by physical disabilities) it may mean a whole new world of freedom.
    • Items available on the Internet also include some highly illegal items, such as drugs, child pornography and guns. Having found some of these places, I will not publish their locations of this page for fear of prosecution by a governing body. Nor do I EVER wish to visit these URL's again, as I arrived at all of them by accident due to false advertising on the part of the person who contained the link to these sites.
    
  • Food
    • Many restaurants in Calgary are on the Web. The reviews of these restaurants can also be found on the Web. I suggest that you check out the reviews before going to the restaurant, so that you are guaranteed that your student dollar will go far and be well spent. How long will it take before we pop up a new Window on our machine, order our food and then go back to our work and await the arrival of our food.
      ex. Karouzos PLEASE NOTE THE Karouzo's SITE HAS MOVED TO A DIFFERENT LOCATION SINCE THE PRESENTATION