Computer Science Unit 6 - The Bigger Picture

Computing technology

An all-encompassing term referring to the hardware, software and infrastructure that underpin current and emerging computer systems

e-waste

any form of discarded electronic equipment, including computing technology

2 processes in manufacturing that affect the environment

Raw material extraction: Sand for making screens, oil used to make plastics, e.t.c
Production: Fuel used in manufacturing, a lot of water used for semiconductor chips

How does usage affect the environment

Energy used to power devices
Cloud computing and data centers

Carbon footprint

the amount of carbon dioxide an individual or organization produces as a result of the energy they consume

How does disposal affect the environment

E-waste contains dangerous materials which can leak toxic substances into the ground and water supply, infiltrating the food chain and polluting the air (toxic fumes).

Use of computing technology to preserve the environment

Climate change information
Early warning to natural disasters
Conservation of wildlife using technology to collect data
Analysis of energy usage (allowing for optimization)

ethics

a set of moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour

privacy

the right to be left alone and free from unwanted scrutiny and intrusion

personal data

information that is personal and unique to an individual

identity theft

the stealing of another person’s personal details, such as their bank account number, sort code or passport number, for the purpose of making purchases and running up debts in their name

List the privacy concerns of computing technology

Big data, Surveillance, Location-based services, privacy-enhancing tools

What is big data? (privacy concern)

Data analysts are able to learn more and more about us and gain insights about our behaviour by using huge volumes of personal data gathered from various sources.
(can benefit or harm society: prevent use of drugs or increase social engineering)

What is surveillance? (privacy concern)

Survelliance tehcnology always track us outside to prevent us from harm but this data can be used by criminals for harmful purposes

surveillance technology

CCTV, drones, number plate recognition, bugging and tracking devices used to monitor and record people’s acitivities, often without their knowledge

whistle-blower

someone who draws attention to the activities of an organization or person believed to be acting illegally or unethically

location-based services

services that enable people to access and share real-time location information online

What are privacy enhancing tools? (privacy)

Tools that help us stay secure while using computing devices such as encryption, cookie cleaners, anti-spyware, ad blockers, identity management service, password manager

digital inclusion

ensuring that everyone has affordable access to computing technology and the necessary skills to take advantage of it

digital divide

the gap between people who are technology-empowered and those who are technology-excluded

Impacts of digital exclusion (6 points)

Information and services, employment, democracy, economic growth, saving money, social isolation

Actions towards digital inclusion

Subsidies, encourage use of technology by changing government actions, training programs. building technology infrastructure

Professionalism in the context of computer science

Computer scientists must respect the wellbeing, privacy, and security of the environment and people, never stop learning and gaining skills and professional knowledge.

Intellectual property

a creation of the human mind that is unique and has commerical value

patent

an exclusive right granted to an inventor to make, use and sell an invention for a fixed period of time

What do licenses specify?

How many copies of the software you are allowed to use
Whether you can install the software on multiple devices
What type of organization can use the software
How long the software can be used for

Creative Commons

an organization that allows people to set copyright terms for their intellectual property. One use of a Creative Commons license is to allow people to copy material as long as it is not used commercially

Open-source software

software that is free to edit and redistribute

Proprietary software

software that belongs to an individual or a company. Its license specifies that users are not allowed to modify the source code and places restrictions on its use

Advantages of open source software

Free to use, can be modified, can be used to demonstrate programming concepts

Disadvatages of open source software

Might not be particularly user friendly and might look unprofessional
There might be little or no technical support available
Criminals may be able to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in code

What is AI?

The ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to peroform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings. Intelligent beigns are those that can adapt to changing circumstances.

Uses of AI in medicine

Digital consultations (using patient history to make diagnosis), Analysing test results, health monitoring

Uses of AI in everyday life

Personalized advertising, Virtual assistants, Flying an aircraft, Monitoring transactions to alert suspicious activity

DNA computing

Using the components of DNA such as adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine to store data; where codons store 3 digits.

Advantages of DNA computing over normal silicon-based ones

Always supply of DNA as long as there are cellular organisms
Large supply of DNA makes it a cheap resource
Can be made cleanly unlike toxic materials used to make traditional microprocessors
Much smaller than today’s computers

Nanotechnology

the manipulation of matter with a size of from 1 to 100 nanometers

nanometer

one millionth of a meter

Uses of nanotechnology

Self cleaning class (using nanoparticles)
Clothing (protection from UV light)
Scratch-resistant coatings
Medicine (ensures anti-cancer drugs that could harm normal tissue only reach the tumor)

Quantum computing

Use of quantum mechanics to crunch numbers much faster than traditional computers can. (because of superposition)

Quantum mechanics

a theory that explains the nature and behaviour of matter and energy on the atomic and subatomic level

subatomic particle

a unit of matter below the size of an atom, including elementary particles such as quarks that all atoms are made up of

superposition

the ability of a quantum system to be in multiple states at the same time until it is measured

qubit

a quantum bit, the counterpart in quantum computing to the binary digit or bit of classical computing

superconducting circuits

electrical circuits that have zero resistance, required to generate qubits

entanglement

co-dependence of the quantum states of pairs or groups of particles