summary blog

When I first began this project I was very confused as to what to create. After much thought I figured out the thing that I would benefit from. In the first few posts I was only relating the idea as a whole back to me, such as only tweeting the location of the phone instead of taking advantage of all social media sites I thought only of the sites I used. I was not considering those who are older and may not have a twitter or those who did not want the location of their phone to be public.I began to consider the bigger picture and soon realized I would have to create a new website in order for everyone to be able to benefit from the phone.
The idea of security was the first time I truly questioned using twitter and began to think of the projects in broader terms instead of just relating it back to me. I decided it was necessary for me to create a separate site only used for the location of the phone that would have a username and a password to every phone so people would not be able to see everyones location so that people would be ensured security when using my new application. In making the new website I had to use the idea of IP adress's and coloring and editing of websites in order for me to create the best website I could.
Not only has my project completely evolved, but my blogging in general has improved. While I have used twitter for quite a while I have never written long blogs before this project. After researching a famous blogger and writing 8 blogs I feel as though my blogs have progressively improved and I may continue to blog even after the project is over.


http://jackiebadger.blogspot.com/2011/09/blog1.html?showComment=1320089954192#c6303744193368105898

http://esther0748.blogspot.com/2011/09/week-2-social-media.html?showComment=1320090291533#c546280237249639311

http://eldimitr.blogspot.com/2011/09/smart-app-for-smart-clothing.html?showComment=1320090800129#!/2011/09/smart-app-for-smart-clothing.html

IP adress

After discussing with my peers about my new invention I began to question the security of using “twitter” and “facebook” to show the location of the phone. After much consideration and some input from my peers I decided the best way to ensure safety of the location of the phone is by creating my own website.  The website would be where the location of the phone would be displayed and each member would have their own password and username in order to ensure the most safety.           

When looking at creating a website I had to first figure out an IP address because every device on the Internet needs an IP address to communicate.  An IP address consists of 4 sets of numbers, which are 8 bit numbers. The first set of two numbers are the network address, the third number is a sub network, and the last number is the actual host system. Every IP address can be calculated at whatismyip.com. After figuring out my IP address I needed to figure out a domain name that would be easy for people to remember in place of an IP address.

After contemplating it for a while, I decided the best domain name for my invention would be whereismyphone.com.  I decided to use .com because it is the most common domain name and it is easy for people to remember and say.  Also, I used .com because it is unrestricted and therefore anyone is allowed to publish information as opposed to certain domains such as  .gov, .edu, and .mil. I think that by creating a website along with the application this invention will not only be super helpful but now it will be safe as well.  

operating systems

After figuring out what chip to use to build the new invention, I decided to progress on creating the invention.  The next step was to decide what operating system to use. An operating system is a piece of software that sits between your application and the hardware. It works from taking instructions from whatever you are doing within the software and putting it into your hardware and vice versa. There are many different types of operating systems that are used today. They include, Multi user vs. Single user, Multi-tasking vs. Single tasking, and Mobile O/S. After examining the different types of operating systems I decided that the best one to use would be the Mobile O/S system because this application is based off a phone which is most relatable to this operating system.  

I also decided that I would make this application and open source software. Open source is source code that you built is open to the public, someone can get this source code can edit and republish it with a different sourcecode. I decided to use this for my invention because I want people to be able to edit my invention and make it fit their needs best. If someone can not use the social media sites provided I want them to be able to use edit the system so that they can use it.

This open source is seen today on many applications on phones. On iphone, and androids you are able to create apps that fit your needs. Apple requires one to first be evaluated before allowing the app to be open to the public while google allows everything to be released. The application I am creating for this phone will be more like the iphone in where suggestions can be made with updates but I will first check them before sending them out to everyone else for I do not want people to get virus’s. 

research on another blogger

            This week instead of writing a typical blog about how my invention is progressing, I decided to write about my competition in the blogging world. After thoroughly searching on google I stumbled upon an article, “40 bloggers to watch out for in 2011.” Upon reading the article I decided to research one of my up and coming competitors Jaime Tardy. Jaime Tardy is currently a business coach at Eventual Millionare. She once held positions such as a business coach at NEXT level business, project manager at EepyBird, LLc, and Project Manager at SeaChange International. She attended Rochester Institute of Technology and Coach University. She has won multiple awards such as StartUp Nation America’s 100 Best Home-Based Businesses Probloggers and Top 40 Bloggers to Watch in 2011.

            In order for me to fully understand my competition, I also needed to read through a few of her blogs in order to understand what she writes about and her style of writing. After scrolling through a few of her blogs I picked up on a few things that she incorporates in her blogs. First off, almost all of her blogs are interviews with millionaires. I also noticed that she includes both a written blog of the interview and the actual clip of the interview. This can attract more people because people these days often get lazy and do not feel like reading. By her having the actual clip it will attract way more people. I also noticed that on her first blog she has a picture of the person she is interviewing and his book.

            I will use the knowledge I learned from Jaime Tardy in order to better my blogs. Although it is hard for me to incorporate audio clips seeing as I am not doing interviews, I will bdvin to add more graphics because it makes the blog much more appealing. Also, its nice when the blogger focus’s on one topic. I know that I will always talk only about my new invention so that it makes the blog an easy read. 

RFID chip

While I was thinking of ways to create the phone finder, I was perplexed as to what I would use as the chip that goes on the phone. However, after hearing about RFID in my last lecture I knew that I could use this new technology in order for me to help locate the phone. An RFID, also known as Radio Frequency Identification, is a little chip that can be embedded into almost anything and it contains information. For the sake of the phone locator, the RFID can be used to find the location of the phone.

            There are two types of RFID that can be used, a passive tag or an active tag. The difference between the two is price and distance. The passive tag requires the person to be within 3 meters of the RFID in order for it to pick up the information and therefore this tag is cheaper being only around five cents. An active tag can be read from up to 100 meters away and with a speed of 100 mph. For the phone finder, I would use an active tag because we want the person to be able to find the phone even if they are not near it. If we only get the passive tags then the person must be relatively close to the phone for the invention to work however with the active phone you could be very far from the phone and you would still be able to find the phone.

            This RFID chip has a lot of potential in the industry. While many promote using this, some argue against it because of security issues. If someone has a reader they can pick up someone else’s RFID chip therefore stealing all their information. This is a huge risk and still is being dealt with. For this phone finder, the security of other information is not that big of an issue. We will make sure that you will only be able to pick up your phones information with a certain tracker.

identity theft

            While watching t.v. today the catchy advertisement for freecreditreport.com popped up on my television and it got me thinking in detail about identity theft. After completing the quiz about what I know about identity theft, I was dismayed to find out I knew very little about it. However, after attending a class on identity theft I feel confident that my knowledge has improved and I feel as though I can relate this new knowledge to the new invention that I have created.

            When I first learned about identity theft I second guessed my invention for it did release personal information, such as the location of my phone, however after much consideration I do not find this invention to be high risk for identity theft. The steps that are supposed to be taken in order to avoid identity theft is no debit cards, no social security number, don’t provide bank account or credit card info unless forced, check monthly statements, do not bring a lot in you wallet, don’t write down passwords, shred everything that has account numbers, do not show personasl infor on the web, and monitor your credit card. My invention which tweets the location of the phone, does disclose personal information however, one is not able to steal your identity if they only have the location of the phone.

            Worst case scenario is that someone is able to obtain the phone, if one puts the right blockage on the phone this will not be a problem. First, everyone should back up all information to the computer because once on the computer it is almost impossible for something to be fully deleted. Then one should set the phone to delete all information if locked and the password guessed 10 times therefore preventing someone from hacking your phone. Your password should be something that can not be easily guessed, such as password or your name. If one follows these steps then your identity being stolen is not even a thought.   

privacy

            If you read my last post, I bet your wondering “if the location gets tweeted then won’t everyone know where my phone is?!” “How will my privacy be protected?” “Do I have to have a twitter to use the application?”  

            Privacy these days is hard to come by.  It feels as though everyday our private lives are becoming more public. Things such as emails, facebook pages, twitter, and other websites are becoming publicized. My wise teacher once told me, “don’t send an email that you don’t want on the cover of the New York Times!” With mottos like this, you wonder why would you want such private information such as the location of your phone being tweeted. I believe that if you take the right steps onto protecting your privacy you will have no problems.  The first step to take when using this application is to make sure that you make your twitter private so that if someone was to look you up on google he/ she would not be able to view all your tweets. Secondly, check to see who your followers are and make sure you know them personally. aIf you do not know them  I suggest blocking them from your tweets. Lastly after finding the location of your phone you must delete the tweet that posted where the phone was immediately. After taking these precautions you willl be fully protected from your phone being stolen.

            If you find that you do not trust twitter since it is an open social network you may choose to send it to facebook instead which is a much more intimate social media website. On Facebook, you will be able to make your status private by making the setting view only for me. This will protect you from other people trying to steal your cell phone. This part of the new invention is not for everyone since it does involve some risk, however, as I previously mentioned you will be able to click a button and have the phone beep and blink. I do believe that if you follow all the above steps you should have no problem with the twitter part of the new invention.