###### tags: `CDA`
# Reading Responses (Set 1)

- Checklist for a [good reading response](https://reagle.org/joseph/zwiki/Teaching/Best_Practices/Learning/Writing_Responses.html) of 250-350 words
- [ ] Begin with a punchy start.
- [ ] Mention specific ideas, details, and examples from the text and earlier classes.
- [ ] Offer something novel that you can offer towards class participation.
- [ ] Check for writing for clarity, concision, cohesion, and coherence.
- [ ] Send to professor with “hackmd” in the subject, with URL of this page and markdown of today’s response.

## Reading responses 5 out of 5

# 9/26 Learning

“Learning that’s easy is like writing in sand, here today and gone tomorrow,” (Brown, Roediger, McDaniel, p. 3), this is a quote that every reader can relate too because, well, it happens to everyone(markdown for me at first).
Learning comes in several ways, and these ways are much more than what people think is the innate ability. Studying in ways of cramming, trying before knowing, and so much more are all doable, but it is reliant on the person. Everyone learns in their own ways, so there is no “right way” to learn, but most of the time, there is a right way for every individual. On page five, the authors brought in a line that I love doing when I learn: “Elaboration is the process of giving new material meaning by expressing it in your own words and connecting it with what you already know.” This makes my learning feel much more interesting, but it also makes my learning stick with me. I tend to do this on a day to day basis, or at least attempt to do so. My favorite part about this article was the fact that I was trying to connect all of the learning attempts, or even a Matt Brown like situation, to myself in my studying and what not, and believe to have connected with all of them.

Why do teachers and professors always suggest reading things so many times while studying? On page 9, the authors wrote about how you actually shouldn’t read things to burn it into your memory as it is often ineffective and a waste of time. So, what’s the deal with that? The authors even spoke about how students will be backed into methods like this because they receive poor advice. This method has never seemed realistic to me, as it has felt like a waste of time, but also somewhat unrealistic to reread something when the majority of it may not be relevant.

# 10/3 Cooperation

Aren’t dilemmas usually bad? Well, not entirely. Dilemmas come in situations where a tough decision must be made, between two or more options, but they could come out to many different solutions. The prime example for Nowak’s piece was the Prisoner’s Dilemma, where two prisoners must either cooperate or tell on each other. The best case for both would be if they both cooperated, as they would get an equal punishment. To Nowak, this was his favorite idea, as they both benefit equally, and to Nowak, “the impact of cooperation on culture is huge and, for me, the central reason why life is so beguiling and beautiful,” (Nowak, p. 16). However, the Prisoner’s Dilemma isn’t the only dilemma in this world. We see this type of scenario daily, whether it be something that will benefit many (charity), where it harms many (litter), or even natural selection. The Prisoner Dilemma is almost just referred to as a big game, as people will be in situations like these daily. But there is so much more, as there can be another part added, other than the basic defect or cooperation, as there could be a punishment, a peer punishment, or a hierarchical punishment. In my opinion, peer punishment is less necessary, but they both play large roles. But in the end, Nowak comes back full circle with the idea that cooperation is so large for the community, which it is for even something as simple as us in class, just participating in a lecture.

Throughout gossip, reading about the idea of Dunbar’s number, the idea of relationships, and information circulation, how does Dunbar decide upon a number? I disagree with the idea, as there are so many different people who hold more relationships, with his specifics, that are quite easy to find. I honestly believe I could maintain over 150 relationships.

# 10/6 Social Networks

Imagine if there was a similarity within the networks of the most random things, like people, worms, and how the United States power runs. Well, you don’t have to imagine too hard. “Watts and Strogatz also proved that such networks existed in the nervous system of a kind of worm (C. elegans) and the power grid of the western United States,” (Rheingold 2012, p. 192). Within these similar networks, it states there are only about six people between us and anyone else in the world. For context, it suggests there are on average six different parts of each mentioned network, but they are usually smaller parts of a bigger network with more nodes. These nodes can be super nodes, which have high connections which result in the creation of curves. These curves are very important for networking, as a small portion of the curve holds the majority of the total area. It is just like a bell curve, which is better known as the normal distribution. And what can really make the network fluent, according to Rheingold, is, “The amount of freedom each node in a network has to connect with other nodes also influences the network’s nature,” (p. 198). As Rheingold progresses, it mentions how there is a technology of cooperation, which is similar to what we have talked about. The nodes must cooperate with one another to make the network work. But these connections, or bridges, are much stronger than in the past, as they almost usually disrupt older power connections.

“Social networks allow trust to spread transitively, “ (Rheingold 2012, p. 220), made me think back to the cooperation module and the Prisoner’s Dilemma. It left me thinking, if the prisoners had the opportunity to talk, would they trust each other to work it out best? In a way, I am left thinking that they wouldn’t and would try to benefit themselves, and this is just based on similar real-world instances I have had with friends.

# 10/10 Haters

So, are they good, or are they bad? Social networks are the idea that networks influence the behaviors of individuals and the fluidity of the network itself. Well, they are often good, but in some cases, they are most definitely bad. Going back to when the internet started, there were trolls, and they expanded. Social networks helped the expansion, as allowed for the mobilization of mobs on the internet, which made attacks and trolls much easier. However, “Some scholars at the time argued that flaming was potentially valuable because it ‘encourages clear writing and no-nonsense communication’: it educated the ignorant, enforced rules, and facilitated effective communication,” (Reagle 2015) therefore, social networks aren’t always bad. But social networks aren’t the topic, it is more focused on the idea of the trolls and griefers, and those who bring hate to the internet. These people, who have been shown to be mostly men, will come online to almost bully and harass others, or as they often claim to see it, they are coming online to just mess with people. This isn’t the case though. Kathy Sierra had started a blog that was helpful to others, and it benefited her as well, but that didn’t matter. This case (a case I am familiar with as I have read some of the Citron book) is a great example of why trolls aren’t what they say they are. They harm people just for themselves and the people they surround themselves with, and it can ruin their careers.

Has this harassment and bullying changed? Meta says yes, in a way. Meta announced studies from Instagram and Facebook saying that people have seen fewer and fewer bullying/harassing posts over the past several years, as they created an algorithm to delete these posts. However, they also said their algorithm will miss some posts, as it doesn’t know if someone is joking, or truly harassing/bullying. Having human insight for this study, rather than the algorithm, would make it much more interesting. Instead of asking whether these numbers are true or not, we would be asking, “How do we get the results for every 10,000, to reach zero bullying/harassing posts seen?”

# 10/17 Exam Review

1. Which of the following was NOT a method of security?
a. Symmetric Ciphers
b. Asymmetric Public Keys
c. Cookies
d. Certificates

2. According to what we learned, which of the following is a Public Good?
a. Cape Cod Fishing Stock
b. Online Content
c. Boston Commons
d. Traffic Congestion

3. What is the difference between a troll and a hater?

4. What is a DNS and what is the function?

Answers:
1. C. Cookies
2. B. Online Content
3. A troll is someone who will go online to be provocative and stir things up; not necessarily doing it to harm. A hater is someone who is hostile; they personally attack things or people.
4. A DNS is the domain name service for a web page. It translates the host name into the IP address for the web page.