Evan Howell

I found it interesting that even though I may not accept for one app to use my data, another app may be doing it without my knowledge due to how their privacy policies are setup. Apps like tiktok collect a magnitude of data points, and it makes me feel a little "silly", if I deny cookies or any other metric of data an app needs. It is already being taken anyway, so why not at that point? 

I was interested in the attack on Hamas using pagers. The whole story about the intercepting the supply chain, and the vast amounts of intelligence Israel had to carry out such an attack is intriguing to say the least. This is very concerning, as this type of attack may lay the groundwork for terrorist attacks around the world. The implications this attack brings forth are a little terrifying, and how the world will respond in moderating attacks like this in the future is what I am mostly interested in hearing about.

      After watching the citizen four documentary, I found what stuck out to me the most was actually a personal experience related to when Snowden initially released the information. My parents growing up always told me to be careful with what I do or say online. They were very cognizant of my online presence, ie what I was looking up and or who I was talking to. They had mentioned that nothing I do online is private, and that someone is basically always watching. What they meant in this case was more than likely they as parents knew everything I was doing. That comment always stuck with me for whatever reason. Fast forward to when I first remember Snowden being in the news, I remember thinking "oh, my parents were right". I also found it very interesting that someone blowing the whistle on surveillance in a free country has to hide. This to me is very counterintuitive, and is arguably worse than the surveillance itself.

My experience with Hurricane Helene was much better than that of my peers. I live 30 minutes away from Boone, down the mountain. We had quite a bit of rain, and the wind was pretty intense. Trees fell in my neighborhood, and we lost power around 8 a.m. on Saturday. My dad and I went about 10 miles up the road to get a generator. The roads on 421 weren’t too bad, and it honestly just looked like a severe thunderstorm. The storm where I live was extremely mild compared to every surrounding county, which was mind-blowing. I had no idea how severe the storm was until around noon or 1 p.m., when my Instagram and TikTok feeds were flooded with videos of the surrounding counties. I was able to communicate with my peers on Discord, and that’s when I realized this was going to be a major disaster. One notable thing in the days following the aftermath was that with the power being out, I saw families walking around and talking to each other. People were cooking on grills and sharing meals with o...

     From this study, I learned three key insights: Firstly, launching a software company entails continuous evolution and adaptation of its products. Secondly, funding for projects can be secured through grants. Lastly, if you are interested in something, there is data to be found/gathered from it. The one that will stick with me is the last point. Which essentially means that you can create a software based around anything. I like this idea because I have had some pretty decent ideas in the past for various applications, and I hope to get around to them one day.

      I found the ethics discussion quite intriguing. I found that mostly everyone had some sort of overlap, in that they had some sort of morals that guided their decisions. I really liked the two diagrams depicting various parts of our lives, and how they needed to be balanced. I have never thought about life or decisions based on that way, and it made me think quite a bit on how ethics/morals in my own life guide my decisions subconsciously. I did not dive much into it while speaking, and I have had a little more after thought on the subject, but I would say that religion and influences are my biggest motivators in my decisions ethically. Religiously, I try to do better for those around me. I try to make sure that their needs are taken care of before mine, and I also will try to help others in need. This is not perfect because it takes a  conscious effort, but it is an ever evolving thing for me. I also believe my family plays a huge part in influencing my ethics....