homework 284

Prof. D. Wade. to current assignment ... To Prof. Wade's main information page

Assignment #13, given 5/8/14, due 5/15/14

Please download and read this PDF file: Protecting Against Web Application Threats Using SSL (40 pages):
https://s3.amazonaws.com/enterprise-guide/resources/The%20Shortcut%20Guide%20to%20Protecting%20Against%20Web%20Application%20Threats%20Using%20SSL.pdf

From last Thursday's NYT Business Section, more of the Internet of Things:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/08/technology/personaltech/smartphones-smartwatches-and-now-smart-toothbrushes.html

And more articles on Net Neutrality. The second one is a bit long and you may only want to look at the first 10 paragraphs:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/12/business/media/warnings-along-fccs-fast-lane.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/11/business/defending-the-open-internet.html
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/10/a-tough-stretch-for-tom-wheeler-on-net-neutrality

If you have trouble getting these from the Times website, let me know and I'll try to send you a copy.

Here's 2 more reasonably short articles that just came out:

About our friend, the internet of things: http://electronicdesign.com/communications/internet-things-standards-thing
And some updates on NFC and mobile phones: http://electronicdesign.com/blog/whatever-happened-nfc-and-mobile-payments

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If you were absent or did not see the whole video, look at: Eli the Computer Guy Voice over IP (1 hr): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x3Ie6VZ_sg

If you missed the discussion of any of the articles in class, here is a list of what was looked at (copy and paste into your browser)

http://electronicdesign.com/embedded/how-mobile-devices-are-transforming-embedded-design
http://electronicdesign.com/blog/fcc-hell-bent-regulate-internet
Five Steps to prepare for a DDoS attack (2 pages): https://s3.amazonaws.com/enterprise-guide/resources/VRSN_SLeach_5Steps-Blog_Ind-Inst_201308-web.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_video_over_IP
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real-time_Transport_Protocol
http://windowssecrets.com/newsletter/net-neutrality-what-it-is-why-you-should-care/

Assignment #12, given 5/1/14, due 5/8/14

Here's an article that came out on Thursday Morning. Let me know if you cannot access it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/01/technology/personaltech/hd-voice-promises-better-call-quality-but-dont-hold-your-breath.html

I will post any additional items that come up.

Assignment #11, given 4/24, due 5/1/14

Read the this article from Thursday's NY Times. While not the "Internet of Things", it does talk about a novel cell phone use.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/24/technology/personaltech/app-controlled-hearing-aid-improves-even-normal-hearing.html?_r=0

Please read these 2 articles of general interest, one about home automation, one about NFC used by smartphones:
(If they are not clickable, copy and paste the entire link into your browser)

http://electronicdesign.com/communications/zigbee-drives-smart-home-industry?Issue=ED-03_20140430_ED-03_695

http://electronicdesign.com/blog/ibeacon-beckons?Issue=ED-03_20140430_ED-03_695

And an article about the direction cellular technology is going in. We will discuss this article in class.
http://electronicdesign.com/communications/what-expect-5g?Issue=ED-03_20140430_ED-03_695

Assignment #10, given 4/3, due 4/24/14

Read the following articles from the NY Times 4/2 issue, DealB%k section:

(added 4/9/14) Read the following and follow up on the links in it.

http://theinstitute.ieee.org/ieee-roundup/opinions/ieee-roundup/your-questions-answered-the-internet-of-things
and the following of general interest: http://theinstitute.ieee.org/ieee-roundup/opinions/ieee-roundup/hacking-for-good

Assignment #9, given 3/27, due 4/10/14

1. work on your report on the assigned subject. Your written report should be 4-5 or so pages. In addition you will be expected to give an oral report so that we can all be informed on the various subjects. Your report sould include, but not be limited to, the following points:

the technology involved
Who uses it
How widespread is it
What is its advantages and disadvantages
how is it better than other technologies and how is it different from other technologies
when was it adopted

2. Look at Wednesday's NY Times. The entire "DealB%k" section talks about alternate forms of money including Bitcoin. It's a big section so you might want to spend the $2.50 and buy the Times so you can read it at your leisure. I think the Times has limited availability on line.

Assignment #8, given 3/20/14, due 3/27/14

If you would like to read more about bitcoins, this was in today's NY Times (optional, read it if you are interested):
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/20/daily-report-entrepreneurs-in-hong-kong-place-their-bets-on-bitcoin/
Read the Wikipiedia article on "Internet Security."
Since an interest was expressed in wireless (cell) phone systems, I am going to ask for reports on the various systems. It will be given as assignment #10 (due 4/3) (Changed to #9, due 4/10). In preparation for that I am asking, as a homework assignment this week, you submit a list of the various technologies used by each of the various wireless carriers. This is a just a listing with the barest of descriptions. You do not need to compare them or go into details.

Assignment #7, given 3/13/14, due 3/20/14

Read section 8 of the text as given in class. And think about the problem of getting additional security out of the RSA algorithm. In addition we will discuss the following:

Net of a Million Lies

"It's not called the Net of a Million Lies for nothing." So said Vernor Vinge (in A Fire Upon The Deep), 'way back in 1991. As the Internet has grown, so has the number of lies that travel upon it. Sins of commission, sins of omission, sins of the NSA's mission, and a dozen such missions in the USA and untold numbers beyond.

I speak out against our government's spying and lying, and the heroes it tries to smear and harm to conceal its own guilt. But today, let's look at another "business as usual", the well-organized international business of scammers who contact you via your e-mail Inbox and on your phone.

This scamming is a very big business that reaches out to every one of us. It offers ever more attractive bait in sure knowledge that sooner or later, awake or nearly asleep, many of us will bite. The Confidence Man and his con game are alive, and are doing far too well.

Any topic will do, but your wishes and concerns are what cause you to take the bait. For example, on the night of March 8th (7th, US time) Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 strayed off the radar and disappeared. Within days, people were receiving faked Internet messages [http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-03/14/beware-of-fake-malaysia-airlines-links], often disguised as legitimate Facebook traffic, which were designed to get them to sign on to Facebook-like sites for further entrapment

Scammers also disguise themselves as "officials", to twist your arm more effectively. This detailed discussion with one such scammer [http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/12/6230004/rekha-basu-to-us-its-a-scam-to.html#storylink=misearch] tells how his scam works - and also sheds light on the reasons people take on this sort of employment. You may be surprised; or not.

A web search on "talking back to a phone scammer" turned up other such articles for me. If you do the same, you'll no longer be surprised. And you'll be that much more on guard.

"URGENT!! Be sure to share this with all your friends!" Got a possible scam, and want to know more? Search (say, with DuckDuckGo [http://donttrack.us/]) to see whether it's listed on Snopes.com. That's stopped us from spreading a lot of lies, which more gullible friends have passed to us as fascinating "truths". Just as importantly, some of those messages hide routines that "phone home" with all those pyramiding e-mail addresses - or worse.

On the Net of a Million Lies, forewarned is forearmed.

Cheers from
--Dick Miller, Partner, MMS <TheMillers@millermicro.com>

Assignment #6, given 3/6/14, due 3/13/14

Read the article given out in class from the IEEE Institute. In addition the following was just broadcast on the radio, Please listen to this approximately 15 minute audio, along with a previous broadcast:

Delving Into the Security of an Internet of Things: http://www.sciencefriday.com/segment/03/07/2014/delving-into-the-security-of-an-internet-of-things.html
Building an Open 'Internet of Things': http://www.sciencefriday.com/segment/02/21/2014/building-an-open-internet-of-things.html

And please read another article on the general subject, it provides another way of looking at things.

As Objects Go Online; The Promise (and Pitfalls) of the Internet of Things: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/140745/neil-gershenfeld-and-jp-vasseur/as-objects-go-online

Assignment #5, given 2/27, due 3/6/14

Read Chapter 6 in the Home Automation Text.
On the web site http://www.smarthome.com read about Insteon
Write (and print out to hand in) a short (1-2 pages) report summarizing the different methods for home control. For example: WiFi, Powerline, RF, etc.

Assignment #4, given 2/13, due 2/27/14

On 2/6 there were two articles in The NY Times. You should read them on-line:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/06/technology/personaltech/leds-change-thinking-about-the-light-bulb.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/06/technology/heat-system-called-door-to-target-for-hackers.html
You should be able to see them although you might have to sign on to the NY Times website.

Don't forget to look at the video from assigment #3 and in addition look at:

From sand to chip - How a CPU is made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GQmtITMdas
A 10 min video of a copper inconnect CPU from AMD with lots of animations and sort of fuzzy actual pictures of the process. Long on special effects, WOW! items, and praise for AMD; short on hard facts.
From Sand to Silicon: Integrated Circuit Design and Manufacturing: http://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/digital-logic/12/288/2220
a 5+ min video with actual pictures of the the process and an explanation of what is going on.

Assignment #3, given 2/6, due 2/13/14

Read Chapter 1 of Home automation book
Look up information on the construction of Integrated Circuits. Unfortunately many of the links on my information pages ar either borken or require the installation of special programs. There is a youtube video which gives a good overview of the process (less than 11 min. long). You should look at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35jWSQXku74
we will discuss this further in class.

Assignment #2, given 1/30/14, due 2/6/14

Do ASCII homework
make up a web "home page" with the features as follows:

Some Information about yourself

Some informative links with comments

in regular type:

make a 6-item numbered list

make a 6-item dotted list -- in this list make each line a different color.

Your web site should be made up of several linked pages; not just one page

Save the main page with the name "index.html" (no quotes). Save all the other files required to display the web page in the same folder as your index page.

Make up a section of your page to put information in sections of the page somewhat like the format given below

	PUT A PICTURE HERE	PUT A PICTURE HERE
text	put some text over here
	and put some text here		PUT A PICTURE HERE

You should print our your pages. Put them on a flash drive I will look at them, then and answer questions about how to do things.

If you did not do so last week, please sign onto blackboaard and look at the homework assignments there

Assignment #1, given 1/23/14, due 1/30/14

E-mail Prof. Wade the e-mail address you prefer to use. You may use his address on the class information sheet or email DonWade (at) donwade.us
look at HTML references. I suggest that you look at at least the first 3 references on my PC/HTML information page: http://donwade.us/pcinfo.htm#html
make an html page (print out page and source code)
- your name in bold
- my name in italic
- hyperlink to my page
- Title the page
- save it with some appropriate file name
- Put some text at the left in green
  
  Put some text in the center in blue
  
  Put some text at the right in red
Sign onto blackboard and look at the homework assignments there
Write up a brief (2-3 pages) report on HTML5. For example, how is it different from HTML4? Why is a new HTML spec. needed? Is it currently in wide use?

rev. 5/14/14; broken links, problems, email Prof. Wade (javascript must be enabled for e-mail links to work)