Explicit and Implicit Typed Variables

 Hey Everyone,

Describe the difference between explicit typed variables and implicit typed variables using examples.

Implicit typed variables, or ‘automatic type conversion’ is when Python automatically converts one data type to another without needing any intervention. Implicit typed variables happen when operations are performed on variables and Python needs to determine the appropriate data type for the result (Praneel, 2023).

Example:

Implicit type cast from integer (int) to float

x = 42

y = 5.0

n = x + y

 

print(n)

 

Output: 47.0

In this example, Python automatically converted the ‘x’ integer into a float, making ‘x’ = 42.0 in order to perform the addition operation. This automatic conversion was done without intervention from the programmer, making it an implicit typed variable.

Implicit typed variables are often easier to work with as programmer’s can focus solely on the intent of their code, rather than the full execution. However, there are limitations to automatic type conversions as the types have to be compatible. Two types that are not compatible for implicit conversions are string types to integer types.

Explicit typed variables, or ‘type casting’ requires the programmer to clearly state the desired data type (Praneel, 2023), often using the built-in functions that Python provides. Type casting, unlike automatic type conversions can convert string types to integer types.

Example:

current_year = 2024

 

user_birth_year_input = input(“what year were you born?”)

user_birth_year = int(user_birth_year_input)

 

user_age = current_year – user_birth_year

 

print(user_age)

 

output: based on the user’s input for the year they were born, an age will be outputted as an integer.

Since all user input obtained using input() is basically a string, a programmer must explicitly convert the input to a numeric type (Miller et al., 2015). By explicitly changing the user’s birth year input into an integer and storing the data into the variable ‘user_birth_year’, Python is able to subtract the user’s birth year from the current year and thus converting a string type into an integer type (Lemonaki, 2022). Without including the int function, Python could not subtract the user’s birth year from the current year because the user’s input would still have a string type.

In large scale applications, explain whether or not explicit declaration has a better impact over implicit declaration.

When determining whether implicit or explicit declaration of variable types would have a better impact for large scale applications, it is important to note that both declarations have their strong suits. Implicit declarations can allow for the programmer to focus on the intent of their code, rather than the full execution of the code which can help programmer’s to write their code more quickly and get their thoughts out while they have them. On the other hand, implicit declaration could feel like a rough draft for large scale applications. Explicit decelerations can help other programmer’s working on the same code or picking up the code after someone else to be able to clearly read each line and understand the type of data being stored. For large scale applications, I imagine that more than one programmer will be working together, which would require clarity and detailed instructions. Due to the needs that large scale applications would require, I think that explicit declarations could help to build a more cohesive, easy to follow, and clearly detailed code in the long run.

References:

Lemonaki, D. (2022, September 15). Python Convert string to Int – How to cast a string in Python. freeCodeCamp.org. https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/python-convert-string-to-int-how-to-cast-a-string-in-python/Links to an external site. 

Miller, B., Vahid, F., & Lysecky, R. (2015). Programming in Python 3. zyBooks.

Praneel, S. (2023, August 28). Understanding implicit and explicit type casting in Python. Medium. https://spraneel.medium.com/understanding-implicit-and-explicit-type-casting-in-python-93b248a0125dLinks to an external site. 

Network Security Connection

 Introduction

`           Throughout the past five weeks, data has been drawn from the fundamentals of information technology and applied to determine how network security has been influenced and adapted in order to properly secure a computer. This essay will work to discuss the components of a computer, whether hardware or software, that network security relies on in order to be effective and will piece together the relations of this topic to databases and their management. Similarly, this essay will provide a general overview of how network security is used for the protection of computers, the programming languages that assist with these methods, and the basic components that have influenced this topic to be what it is today.

Discuss how your selected tech topic connects to the fundamentals of information technology covered in this course.

            Network security connects to the fundamentals of information technology in numerous ways as hardware, software, programming, security, and operating systems can all work within network security to ensure the most effective methods are being used, tools are working properly, and the hardware is capable of storing and handling the data being secured. With that being said, network security is crucial to all of these fundamentals as security breaches, hacks, malware, and viruses can affect the computers we use today. Making sure that your computer is safe from being attacked is necessary to reduce risks of personal information, banking data, personal photos, etc. are not at risk of being leaked or distributed without your consent or permission. Of the fundamentals listed above, there are several ways for each component to be disrupted by some form of violation and ensuring that one has proper and efficient knowledge of network security can reduce those risks significantly.

Explain how your chosen tech topic relates to the concepts of information technology and computer science, including the history of computers and the means by which computers operate.

Network security can relate to the concepts of information technology and computer science, with acknowledgments towards the history of computers in a vast but deeply intertwined way. For instance, the concept of information technology refers to a broad range of disciplines, often including database management, network security, operating systems, and much more. The concept of information technology directly correlates to the principles within network security as securing data transmission and managing authorized access to data is crucial for most of the concepts previously mentioned. Network security measures can help to ensure that all concepts within information technology can remain secure and properly accessed to reduce the risks of attackers or hackers getting into a computer or its databases.

Similarly, computer science also is directly related to network security as data structures and algorithm designs can help to analyze current network traffic and can detect security threats as they are happening (Zhang et al., 2023). Therefore, some aspects of computer science can be used to securely protect networks and can provide effective additional security measures from attacks. Lastly, network security relates to the history of computers and the means by which they operate today by allowing for time to acknowledge and comprehend the vulnerabilities and threats that were often found in older generations of hardware or software. Knowing the risks that older computers were exposed to can help to better adapt network security to more effective and fast responding methods.

Evaluate how your chosen tech topic relies on the major hardware components and functions of a modern computer system.

Poorly configured hardware and devices can lead to potential vulnerabilities that could give hackers an opportunity to gain access to the network. Some examples of poorly setup hardware are not setting up directory permissions correctly, server software is not up to date causing security patches to not be made, admin debugging functions aren’t properly setup, and improperly setting up encryption settings (5 Factors That Affect the Security of a Network, 2023). These are only a few of poorly maintained and managed hardware configurations, but each vulnerability can be damaging if left unaddressed. In a recent study conducted in 2021, twenty-three percent of devices with sensitive data were found to have poor encryption and protection controls (5 Factors That Affect the Security of a Network, 2023). That percentage could be significantly decreased if the setup was done correctly and was monitored following the setup.

With that being said, it is clear that network security relies on proper hardware devices to ensure security measures are in place and are working effectively in order to reduce the possibility of unauthorized access reaching the network. However, in a similar manner, network security also relies heavily on the components and functions of modern computer systems as firewalls, routers, modems, and switches are all hardware components that can help to ensure the upmost network security for a residence computer or organization. Firewalls and routers, specifically as routers work by connecting two or more networks, which could lead to security risks or breaches if the proper network security measures are not up to date, managed properly, or are poorly set up.

Explain how your chosen tech topic uses programming languages and program execution methods.

            Network security uses various forms of programming languages such as Python, C++, and Java in order to develop security tools and functions that can help to create firewalls, intrusion detection systems, antivirus software, and vulnerability identifiers. These program languages have helped to develop various tools that can assist with preventing security threats to networks. However, these detection and prevention tools are not the only way that programming languages can be useful for network security as browsing on secure websites to reduce the risk of viruses or malware is also a way that programming languages can help to ensure that a computer stays safe and protected. Additionally, the use of cryptography and encryptions are typically implemented using languages like C++ and Python to ensure the confidentiality and authenticity of data (Cheguri, 2023). Overall, most network security measures can be utilized, run, and adjusted using programming languages and help to ensure the most effective protection on computers.

Analyze the role that application software plays with regard to your chosen tech topic.

Application software and network security can heavily rely on one another as application software often helps to protect networks and can provide an additional layer of protection. Since network security consists of a wide range of security measures, one of which includes application security, the two are inseparable and should be considered as one when protecting a computer (Nangare, 2023). In order to best protect one’s network, each access point should be protected as well, as all applications running within a network can become an entry point for hackers. Setting up Firewalls can help to define the activities that are allowed or prohibited within the network so that entry-level attacks can be recognized before an attack actually happens. With software firewalls, it is important to note that these firewalls can conflict with each other and should typically only be used one at a time (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019). Antivirus software should be used in conjunction in order for more effective defenses to be set in place against attacks.

Describe how your chosen tech topic relates to the basic concepts of database and database management.

Network security can be related to the basic concepts of database and database management since they are network accessible. Therefore, security threats and attacks that are made to a network can easily become a threat to the database of a computer (Database Security: An Essential Guide, n.d.). Ensuring that network access controls are properly set up can help to reduce attacks made towards a database along with proper encryption settings so that all data, including data within the database is protected while at rest or in transit.

Illustrate how the basic concepts of network architecture, management, and security influence your chosen tech topic.

            Network architecture, management, and security have helped to influence network security as a whole, though each concept has individually provided its own independent influence. For instance, network architecture has helped to influence network security through segmentation and redundancy. The segmentation influence has helped to limit the scope of attacks and data compromises within network security as segmented networks can separate data from less secure areas and deny hackers access to that new area. Similarly, redundant networks can help to enhance resiliency in networks that are experiencing constant network disruptions such as denial-of-service attacks (DoS). Network architecture has provided several security measures that can be useful when attempting to negate or dismiss attacks.

            When it comes to network management, network security has been greatly influenced in terms of monitoring and configuring methods. Monitoring influences on network security can include logging network traffic and potential security threats through the use of algorithms and data structures (Zhang et al., 2023). Network management also refers to the configuration of hardware and software so that potential threats can be reduced. Ensuring that each component is set up correctly is an extremely influential concept of network security.

Conclusion

            In conclusion, the technology topic of network security is not only connected to the various information technology concepts, but it is also connected to the hardware of a computer, the programming languages that run it, and the application software that helps to double ensure protection. Network security is extremely important when it comes to reducing the risks of hackers or attackers gaining unauthorized access to a computer’s network which can lead to damaging outcomes without the proper software to recognize attacks before they happen and to separate confidential data when an area becomes compromised. This essay established the importance of network security while also defining the key ways that users can stay as secure as possible when it comes to their independent network or their organizations.

 

 

 

 

 

References

5 Factors That Affect the Security of a Network. (2023, September 28). DOT Security. https://dotsecurity.com/insights/blog-factors-that-affect-security-of-network

Cheguri, P. (2023, January 6). Top 10 Programming Languages for Cryptography in 2023. Analytics Insight. https://www.analyticsinsight.net/top-10-programming-languages-for-cryptography-in-2023/

Database Security: An Essential Guide. (n.d.). IBM. https://www.ibm.com/topics/database-security#:~:text=Because%20databases%20are%20network%2Daccessible,workstation%20can%20threaten%20the%20database.

Nangare, S. (2023, March 6). Why Application Security is Critical to Network Security. Network Computing. https://www.networkcomputing.com/network-security/why-application-security-critical-network-security

Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2019). Computing technology for all. zyBooks.

Zhang, J., Feng, H., Liu, B., & Zhao, D. (2023). Survey of Technology in Network Security Situation Awareness. Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 23(5), 2608. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23052608

 

 

Ping and Traceroute Commands

Hey Everyone, 

This blog post will dive into ping and traceroute commands by comparing the different IP locations, packets received and lost, and amount of router hops between 3 different companies hosted in different parts of the world. 

Ping Google.com. Take a screenshot and document the results, including the number of packets sent, received, or lost and the range of response speeds.

 

Google.com = 4 packets sent, 4 packets received, 0 packets lost. 

Average RTT-9ms, maximum RTT-12ms, minimum RTT-8ms.

Ping at least two other websites, choosing sites hosted in different regions of the world. Take a screenshot and document the ping results for each website.

 

Howtonote.jp = 4 packets sent, 4 packets received, 0 packets lost. 

Average RTT-180ms, maximum RTT-182ms, minimum RTT-179ms. 

 

Polytec.com.au = 4 packets sent, 4 packets received, 0 packets lost.

Average RTT-211ms, maximum RTT-213ms, minimum RTT-213ms.

Run a traceroute to Google.com. Take a screenshot and document the results, including how many routers it passes through, how long it takes to hop from router to router, and if it fails before reaching its destination.

 

Google.com = 20 router hops.

Consistent RTT in ms from middle to end. 9 hop requests timed out. 

Run a traceroute to the same two websites you used in the ping activity. 

 

Howtonote.jp = 16 router hops.

Consistent RTT in ms from middle to end. 3 hop requests timed out. 

 

Polytec.com.au = 29 router hops.

Inconsistent RTT in ms from middle to end. 11 hop requests timed out.

Reflecting on your experience using the ping and traceroute commands, describe how packets travel through the network. Compare the ping and traceroute results from the different websites and explain how the paths to the different destinations differ. Make a conclusion about the relationship between the roundtrip time and geographical location.

Packets travel through the network from one computer to another, routed through switches and routers before reaching the final destination (Everything You Need to Know About Network Packets, 2022).

Once I had started to ping and traceroute the different websites, I had realized that the further away the country hosting the server was, the longer the round trip time would be. Following the results of each ping and traceroute, I was able to determine that the conclusion was true. In addition to my conclusion, Luke Richardson (2023) stated that distance can affect roundtrip times due to the length of travel directly correlating with the time taken for a request to reach a server and for a response to come back.

Explain how the ping and traceroute commands can be used to troubleshoot internet connection problems. Give at least two possible reasons why a ping request or traceroute command might time out or return with an error response.

Ping and traceroute commands can be used to troubleshoot internet connection problems by identifying the connectivity between two network connections and by checking the path that the computer is using to connect to the network (Ping Trace Techniques for Network Connectivity Troubleshooting, 2022). A traceroute command might time out or return with an error response if a router's firewall is blocking requests or if there are connection problems. Similarly, packets can get lost if there is interference from another device or if there are faulty network cards (Everything You Need to Know About Network Packets, 2022).

References

Everything You Need to Know About Network Packets. (2022, April 24). KeyCDN. https://www.keycdn.com/support/network-packets#:~:text=Packets%20are%20transmitted%20over%20a,reassembled%20into%20the%20original%20dataLinks to an external site..

Kaczanowski, M. (2021, October 4). How to use the Traceroute and Ping commands to troubleshoot network connectivity issues. freeCodeCamp.org. https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/traceroute-and-ping/Links to an external site.

Ping Trace Techniques for network connectivity troubleshooting. (2022, April 21). Okta, Inc. https://www.okta.com/identity-101/ping-trace/#:~:text=The%20PING%20test%20can%20identify,to%20connect%20to%20the%20networkLinks to an external site..

Richardson, L. (2023, December 20). What is Round Trip Time (RTT) | Behind the Ping | CDN Guide | Imperva. Learning Center. https://www.imperva.com/learn/performance/round-trip-time-rtt/Links to an external site.

Technological shifts in Jobs

Hey Everyone

In this new digital age, a lot of industries have had a technological transition towards the way jobs and positions get completed. This can be found to be true through the basic understanding of adaptations and transformations. Once the industrial age began, most companies began adopting power-driven machines to help replace hand tools and thus creating faster and more efficient ways of production, which helped to transform societies and cultures altogether. The technological age can be witnessed in real-time as medical professionals now document patients’ health, medications, and notes digitally. Along with the medical field, almost all professions utilize a form of technology in their day-to-day operations, including sales jobs. During the industrial age as previously mentioned, goods and services were sold by local salesmen often at their place of employment. 

However, the use of technology has drastically transitioned the way that goods and services are often bought today as shopping online has now become the norm for a lot of households. Online retailers have become one of the largest leading goods suppliers in the 21^st century and have provided various choices and convenience to everyday consumers.

The sales profession has substantially shifted from one that was originally conducted through door-to-door services or meets in person to a new way of business which consists of phone calls, online appointments, and online retailers. With the transition that has taken place, employees within this field of work must be technologically literate or they could miss out on meeting their sales quotes or they could end up unaware of the online orders that have been placed. Not only are technology skills important for sales professionals to communicate with their clients, but it is also important as documentation of sales is often required and basic knowledge of software applications such as Microsoft Excel, Adobe PDFs, and PowerPoint Presentations are essential for maintaining the roles that exist in this newly shifted profession. 

Network Security Importance

Hey Everyone,

Cyber attacks have now been easier to commit than ever and the likeliness of becoming a target to this form of attack has substantially increased since entering into the digital age of the 21^st century.  This blog post is meant to examine a few of the forms of cyber attacks and express the level of security threats that they can impose on not only large organizations but individuals as well.

Computer systems can be vulnerable to threats of password cracking and computer viruses for various reasons. When it comes to password cracking, an individual’s personal information can be obtained, photos and videos can be leaked or viewed without consent, contact lists can be accessed and used for negative reasons, and personal and private subjects could be shared to humiliate or harm an individual (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019). For some, financial theft and identity theft can even be the byproduct of an unsecured password. However, vulnerabilities are not just limited to passwords. Computer viruses can also lead to threats of computers being used for illicit tasks, personal information being stolen, or data being deleted (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019). Often these illicit tasks are meant to infect other computers, without the originally infected computer noticing that it is being used to continue sending viruses to others. The most common way that these viruses are spread is through emails or illegitimate websites. It can be extremely difficult to determine whether a computer has been infected with a virus, but it is possible for someone to discover that their computer is infected if it begins running slower than usual or if there are signs that the computer may be active even when it is not in use.

In addition to password cracking and computer viruses, Ping flooding is another form of cyber-attack that can be used to execute an attack just by using simple ping commands, this form of attack is known as a Denial of service (DoS). DoS attacks are done by overloading a specific website by sending a large amount of access requests to overwhelm the site and cause legitimate requests to be denied service (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019). This type of attack can also be completed using multiple computers to overload a specific site, which is often referred to as a distributed denial of service (DDoS). This form of attack is often done when an individual is dissatisfied with a website or the government, when wanting to hurt a company’s business, or when trying to hassle an organization.

The best way to protect a computer from security breaches such as password cracking and computer viruses can include setting up two-step verifications for accounts that require passwords, as the individual attempting to crack a password will not have access to the temporary code most likely sent to the account holder’s phone. Similarly, updating passwords regularly and creating complex passwords that don’t contain defined words (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019) can help to prevent password cracking overall. Protecting a computer from a malicious virus can be a more difficult attempt as some viruses are harder to detect. A few ways to protect a computer against viruses can be to remain cautious when clicking external links found within emails or by downloading antivirus software to alert the computer when accessing an unsecured or reliable website (Stouffer, 2018). Installing antivirus software does not always ensure that malware and viruses will not be installed onto your computer, but it can be an effective way to stay alert.

References:

Stouffer, C. (2018, August 8). 6 tips to avoid getting a virus on your devices from the internet. Norton. https://us.norton.com/blog/how-to/avoid-getting-a-virus-on-the-internet

Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2019). Computing technology for all. zyBooks

A Day In The Life - Applications

Hey Everyone

While starting this journey, I wanted to make sure that I had a proper foundation of the most basic forms of software, starting with the most common Microsoft applications. While establishing the basic of these applications, I wanted to document a day in my life so that I could better determine what each application was best used for. When it came to the Word application, I essentially just typed up and wrote about a typical day in my life while utilizing the fonts, sizing, color, and paragraphing functions. While documenting the day in my life with Excel, I wanted to incorporate more mathematical features and formulas in order to better layout the amount of time used in a day on common tasks. Lastly, I wanted to visualize what my typical day looks like by using the PowerPoint Presentation application. PowerPoint allowed me various features that could help me to upload images and customize each individual slide with animations and transitions. This blog post will mostly dive into each feature that these applications have to offer and provide some insight into what these applications may be best utilized for.

With word processor functions including formatting texts and spreadsheets having a primary function of representing data, it is important to review some of the functions that presentations may have. Presentation apps are computer applications, just like word processors, except the primary function of this application is to create a slideshow of texts and images (ZYBOOK). Presentation apps are often used to provide visualized information and the most common apps include PowerPoint and Google slides. Presentation apps have a wide variety of functions such as color palettes, themes, fonts, text sizing, and animations are all able to be added and adjusted to fit the presentation being created. Lastly, database applications are a collection of data organized to retrieve information efficiently (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019). There are several different kinds of database applications some of which could include multidimensional databases, object-oriented databases, and relational databases. Each application is often characterized by the method data is organized (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019). Though all of the applications mentioned above have similar functions that can be used, the functions in which they are used can vastly differ depending upon the application being used. 

The primary functions of a word processor often include formatting texts in a computer application, typically done in word processors such as Microsoft Word and Google Docs (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019). Some of the most common functions used in a word processor can include changing sizes, fonts, and colors of texts. Adjusting spacing, margins, indentions, and layouts can also be done in these computer applications. Meanwhile, spreadsheet applications typically have the primary function of representing data with texts and numbers. Spreadsheet applications are able to process formulas in order to output data from what is entered into different cells, columns, and rows and can be an extremely useful tool when needing to present graphs, charts, or to calculate data (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019)

The advantage of using word processors is that mistakes are easily noticed due to spell checks and that the layout of information is entirely up to the user. The disadvantage of using word processors is the data corruption that can sometimes happen to saved files, meaning that data from a word processor could be lost (Dally, 2013). On that same note, the advantages of using spreadsheet applications include the ability to easily calculate mathematical equations and organize the output data into various graphs and charts. The disadvantages of using spreadsheet applications include the lack of knowledge an individual has on this application can determine how much that user can do with their spreadsheet. Spreadsheet applications can have a wide variety of differing equations and formulas which can be tricky to navigate and learn (Natter, 2019).

Similarly, the advantages of using presentation applications consist of being able to save presentations as PDF files, which can minimize their size and make uploading these presentations much easier. However, a con of using presentation applications is that presentation slides require much more effort than other applications to represent the same data. Often in presentation applications, images, themes, and animations are used to create visually appealing ways of sharing data. Whereas other applications just require the data to be typed and entered into cells (TheKnowledgeAcademy, n.d.).

References:

TheKnowledgeAcademy. (n.d.). Advantages and Disadvantages of Presentation: Learn quickly. https://www.theknowledgeacademy.com/blog/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-presentation/

Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2019). Computing technology for all. zyBooks.

Get To Know Me

 Hey Everyone!

My name is Hayley and I wanted to start a blog so that I could better document my progression within the field of cyber data and information technology! Throughout the advancements and developments that I make while studying for my bachelor’s degree in cyber and data security technology, I hope to update this blog and express what I have learned and what I have found to be the most interesting. Currently, I have extremely minimal experience within the tech field, but I hope to one day apply this degree towards a fulfilling and exciting new career. My ultimate professional goal includes working in the cyber security field for one of the top defense agencies around, including but not limited to, the FBI, DCSA, or the DoD. I can’t wait to continue learning more about command prompts, programming languages, and system organizations. Throughout this blog, I look forward to uploading new information that I learn to hopefully look back on in the later years of my life in order to better identify how far I have come from the beginning of this degree to the end. I truly hope that throughout this journey, you will follow along with me as I dive into this new chapter in my life and continue into this world of information technology!

TikTok Mobile App Review

Hey Everyone, 

During my frequent use of some social media apps, I decided that I wanted to dive into a review of the popular TikTok app. The TikTok app is a video-sharing platform where most users upload short videos that can be commented on, liked, shared with friends, or saved into a user's favorites. This app contains a wide variety of different kinds of videos that can range from comedy to infotainment and news. This media platform allows users to create and upload videos of their liking and can include filters, tags in the descriptions, and music or sound bites. In order to complete a proper review, I wanted to dissect the usability, design, and function of this app overall in order to determine whether or not there was any room for improvements that could be made to this app.

Usability: TikTok is an extremely easy mobile app to use as app users can create a free account or continue as a guest to start watching these short videos. Once on the app, users can simply begin scrolling through the videos on their "For You" page and skip past videos that they are not interested in. Videos found on signed-in user accounts are much more generated for them based on their video topic preferences, whereas a guest login will typically generate popular videos onto the "For You" page. The likes, comments, share option, and saved areas of a video are on the right side of the screen for easy access and the music or sound bite is underneath at the bottom portion of the video for when users may want to save the sound or find similar videos using the same sound. This mobile app is incredibly easy to navigate as most function abilities can be found close together on top of a video. The option to follow a user's account is also found on this overlay, along with video descriptions, the user's name, and more. The app is so easy to use that addiction is pretty commonly found with this app. The mindless scrolling can often lead to increased time usage and decreased memory circuits (Petrillo, 2021). TikTok has since released videos to appear on user's timelines when the app detects long continuous usage in one day meant to encourage users to take a break from the app.

Design: The design of TikTok is overall very impressive as the concept is simple yet effective. The simple scroll option allows the user to move on from video to video as they please and users can easily navigate through the main functions. If an account was made, the ability to change account statuses to private, filter out keywords, and block other user's accounts are super easy to find on your profile. Additionally, saved videos in a user's favorite can be easily found and made private, and folders can be created in a user's favorites for a simple way to group similar videos together. For example, home improvement videos can be saved into one folder and funny videos can be saved in another. TikTok often keeps color layouts basic as most videos are already made in color and could distract away from the functions. 

Function: The functions of TikTok are essentially endless with the basic components of liking, commenting, sharing, or saving specific videos being right on top of each video. Direct messaging is another basic function that can be done through this app along with the ability to follow friends, family, and preferred users. Though, TikTok has begun expanding the capabilities of this mobile app and has now made online shopping possible through the app. Users can create and upload videos that are eligible for commission if they promote products that can be bought through the TikTok shop. Additionally, users can earn money on this mobile app by live-streaming videos and receiving "gifts" from their viewers. Gifting options are available for all users where they can buy animated emoji-like things for real money and gift to the live streamer. This can then be cashed in for real currency. Other functionalities of this mobile app include switching from the "For You" page to a "STEM" page which changes the type of videos that will appear on your feed. The STEM feed consists of science, medical, geographical, etc. related videos so that users can watch educational videos instead. 

Recommendations:

1. The security of user's data within this mobile app has been alarming some users about their privacy. This mobile app has been reported to allegedly share user's data more than any other social media app, with no clear indication of where users' data is being sent (Huddleston, 2022). My recommendation is for TikTok to start taking security measures much more seriously and offering more privacy settings to allow user's data to be more contained to the app itself. 

2. Auto scrolling is also something that has been requested since TikTok first began to become popular as most users seem to want videos to scroll on their own. Auto-scrolling options would allow the user to continue doing household chores, getting ready, or just laying in bed without having to fixate on moving on to the next video. Though I do believe that this improvement could lead to worsened attention spans, I do agree that this improvement could also be useful for those struggling with disabilities. 

3. The last recommendation I have is for TikTok to include hazardous or trigger warnings for videos with potentially dangerous and unhealthy video tags. TikTok challenges have become super popular on this app, but some of the challenges can be extremely dangerous and TikTok should encourage users to be aware of the danger that could result from attempting these challenges when a video is posted. Some of the most dangerous TikTok challenges that have become popular are the Benadryl challenge (which has resulted in deaths), the Borg challenge (which has led to alcohol poisoning cases), and the penny challenge(which has led to several reported house fires). On these video challenges, a basic warning alerting the viewer of the dangers associated with the challenge could be life-saving. 

References: 

Huddleston, T., Jr. (2022, February 22). TikTok shares your data more than any other social media app — and it’s unclear where it goes, study says. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/08/tiktok-shares-your-data-more-than-any-other-social-media-app-study.htmlLinks to an external site. 

Petrillo, S. (2021, December 13). What makes TikTok so addictive?: an analysis of the mechanisms underlying the world’s latest social media craze. Brown Undergraduate Journal of Public Health. https://sites.brown.edu/publichealthjournal/2021/12/13/tiktok/Links to an external site. 

Programming Languages - Scratch

Hey Everyone!  

The experience that I had while building my very own program with Scratch was overall amazing. While utilizing this tool, it was super easy to play around with all of the different functions and I was able to truly learn what each block did. I think that Scratch offered a great interactive way to learn a lower-level program without the intimidations that can often surround the thoughts of beginning to build and create a program. The Scratch block programming tool almost felt like I was just playing a little game, and I had a great time learning how to program the story that I ended up telling.

Though this tool was super easy to use, I did find it a bit difficult to understand what each block actually did. The primary blocks that I struggled with the most were the control and action blocks as they did not always work in the order that I placed them. The action blocks specifically were much harder to work with, aside from the ‘wait __ seconds’ block which I did end up using more than a few times. The repeat blocks and the if statement blocks were not super easy to comprehend or get to work in the beginning either, which unfortunately made both of these blocks slightly more limited within the program that I did end up building overall. 

In order to better figure out how to use the specific blocks that I was struggling with while building my program, I searched through some of the tutorial videos that Scratch provided to find ways that they were able to incorporate those blocks into their program and see if I could replicate some of their control and action blocks. Another way that I was able to overcome this difficulty was by simply messing around with the blocks and adding additional blocks to them in order to gain better insight on how they worked. Being able to see how the blocks were interacting with one another helped me to understand what each block did and their uses.

Utilizing this programming tool helped me to gain insight on the ideology in which not all programs or codes are going hard to learn, which truly helped me to gain the confidence I needed when crossing the start line for my new academic journey. I think that the concept of block programming can be super simple and easy to work with, while also providing more advanced coding options like repeat blocks and if statements. This exercise overall gave me more confidence in my abilities to program and learn which was super helpful as someone who has not worked with this form of technology very much in the prior to beginning this chapter of much life.

If you would like to review the program that I created during my first attempt at using the Scratch tool, you can find the link below!

Scratch Build: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/967979762/