History of Computer Science

My computer science history started with a Mac II. When my dad bought it for $5500 I was so excited about the possibilities.  I mean I heard about computer games and now I could see for myself.  And lo my dad just wanted to do this thing that is still foreign to me, I think its called word processing?  Since this sweet piece of rockin machinery I have a few other computers.  Today I own a laptop which cost me about $1000 and a desktop which was also about $1000 and there is not a thing these computer cannot do.  And I think they also do that thing, word processing?

Computing in its simplest form is simply logical evaluation like: if this then that.  For example, if its raining then I will take an umbrella.  The first computer that we know of is the Antikythera Mechanism.  It was used to chart the stars by making some simple mathematical decisions.

Computing really started to come in its own by the US Military in order to compute artillery attacks.  A giant room sized computer was built in order to plug in different variables like range, elevation and wind; the computer would then output the necessary settings to plug into artillery.

Once these advanced forms of calculation started to make more of a public appearance, large companies began to put a serious investment into technology.  Companies like IBM took advantage of the sudden interest in computing and put all their effort into corporate us technology.

One of the first operating systems to be widely used is the Unix system.  Unix allowed companies and a small number of individuals to build unique programs limited to anybodies imagination.  Today, Apple's operating system, OS X, is built from a very close version of the original Unix.  Linux is also a more advanced build of Unix.  Microsoft, although they decided to reinvent the wheel a bit by building their own computational foundation, still followed the same structure when creating Windows.

Computers have come a long way from tubes and stone and Computer Science is moving faster today than ever before.  I am more excited than ever to see the new changes that are making computing cooler and cooler.  I can't wait to see what happens next!

Hacking…what is it? What does it mean?

To Hack is defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary as "to gain access to a computer illegally."  I am going to take it one step further and say that it is "to gain access to computer data illegally."  Something as simple as guessing someones Facebook password in order to get data that doesn't belong to you is also hacking.  The average computer user has a warped view of how hacking works.  With movies like The Matrix, Hackers and WarGames we have this idea that hacking has a cool visual interface and if you are capable of typing fast enough you can get any information from any computer you want.  There are three major types of hacking that are popular today: website hacking, corporate hacking and trojans.Corporate hacking is the next largest form of hacking.  Because of how profitable identity theft has become, hackers are looking for ways to collect more people information at a faster rate.  Several major companies as list by HotforSecurity include AT&T and even Google.  Hackers are collecting user data in order to open credit in the users name.

As a Computer Technician I get to see my fair share of fun people.  But my favorite has to be the this one lady that kept coming back once a week to get her computer completely wiped.  Each time I would ask her "what's going on today?"  And her reply would always be "My computer got hacked."



Website hacking.  Recently an organization that calls themselves Anonymous has been breaking into websites in order the bring them down, even if its just for a short time.  Anonymous was born from the governments attempt to start taxing and regulating the internet.  So far they have targeted large companies or government organizations that support this anti-free-internet point of view.


The last form of hacking is trojans.  Since most people have no idea how to actually break the security of a computer, trojans have become popular by the younger crowd to spy and mess with there friends or enemies.  A group of poorly guided programmers built some software that attaches to anything the user wants.  Someone can add this software to a song, photo or another app and send it to there victim.  When there victim opens the file the malicious software installs on the computer and allows the attacker to see everything the user is doing, read all key strokes entered and even take over the computer.

What the moral of this story?  Its basically this: Your computer is not being hacked once a week by a group of shady people you never met; but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful about what you download or what information you put in your computer.  Its not hack happy world out there but please take care of your self and your information.  After you do that, have fun!  The internet is a fun place.

AGILE, show me.

 I recently was working on a web site for a friend of mine.  He continually asks me how my progress is going and he generally wants to see what has been completed.  I tend work on the back end of my projects first and then create a user interface that connects with the backend workability.  I hadn't completed any of the user interface but he demanded to see the site.  I showed him the various tools I had built and described to him how they would interface with the user.  He wasn't at all impressed with my work.  He was looking to see a neat and shiny product that would impress him, and all he saw where numbers in a terminal window with no magic.

Agile is a lightweight development methodology that focuses on customer stories for production.  Agile can be used in variety of ways that can be tailored to individual needs and cases.  But what really makes Agile shine is its tools that allow each member of the production to team to work more efficiently.  For now I am going to skip how Agile works and I am going to proceed to sell you the idea.

Client:  With Agile the client will be given various land marks for production.  They will be able to see what things will be completed and when.  This allows them to have a good expectation of how things are going and what to expect when asking to see the current iteration.  Agile also allows the client to explain to the production team how the product should look and act without needing to have any technical knowledge.

Production team:  Agile allows the production to take the "stories" that the client provided and decide the best approach to completing this task.  It sets up goals and landmarks to help focus production and allows collaboration between the team.

Managers:  Agile allows team managers to see and follow progress.  They can easily report the status of the project and adjust for unforeseens along the way.

Customer:  The end user will be supplied with a great product that was quickly released.

I would have been able to set a better expectation of the site I was working on had I followed some of the simple steps that Agile provides.  Finding ways to collaborate, while quickly turning out a product, while supplying the "higher ups" with the information they want and all the while keeping the client happy has been a long and timeless struggle.  Agile provides a solution to this problem and I for one am a fan.

If your interested in looking to Agile and the way it works, watch the video below.

OPEN SOURCE: the only kind of Source.

As a teenage I was determined to build my own computer.  My parents had an old iMac and this thing could not play a video game to save its life.  So my solution was to save up and buy a computer piece by piece until I had made my gaming machine.  What I didn't count on was that after it was built I would need to have software to put on it.  I couldn't as much as write a paper on my new beauty.  So I did some hunting and found my answer in Open Source.

Open Source software is simply projects where the code is available for users to look at and or change. This allows large groups of people who may or may not know each other to work on the software and make it better for no more than a bit of glory.  As a result the software is free and available for anyone to use.  A couple of well known and useful open source projects are as follows:

Ubuntu is an entire operating system build off the Open Source platform Linux.  Anyone can download and use it for free.

Open Office is a free and open source project that is attempting to replace Microsoft Office.  The original developers thought that office was to over priced for the simple software that it is and created an alternative.

Apache is a web server used by a majority of the internet.  It now comes preinstalled on every Apple Computer because of how powerful and useful it is.

Open Source projects like these have reduced the cost of competing software, made it easier for small business to cheaply operate and have allows millions of coder to collaborate to create great work.  I use Open Source software when ever I can, and I highly recommend you do as well!

LinkedIn and Branding: What's my name!?

I googled my name once or a lot more.  Apparently I make draw concept cars, I was in a movie call DisOrientation, and I take amazing wedding photos.  In truth I'm much more boring than that.  Nothing came up in my google search about an aspiring programmer named Andrew Sheffield who is just trying to get his Computer Science degree at San Jose State University.  That is, until now.  I recently googled my name once more and behold, the top result!  For those to lazy to click that link, that is a linked in page that displays me, the one true Andrew Sheffield, at the top of the list.  This little adventure into my digital me got me thinking.

When an employer types your name in google, and I honestly can not see a scenario where they wont, what will they find? What do you want them to see? Davidhallsocialmedia.com conducted a study and discovered that 92% of employers search online for details about their potential employees.  LinkedIn is the perfect location to get your name out there, while supplying the appropriate information.

In this digital age resumes make less and less sense.  Why look through countless pages of data that may or may not be accurate, when you can just get online and search for the information you need.  wbaltv.com says that the number one choice of employers to find candidates in LinkedIn.  With the ease of filling out a few forms on LinkedIn.com you can be one step closer to employment discovery.

I am not at the top of a google search if employers do decide to "stalk" me online and I think that is fantastic.  And when they do stumble upon my profile they will see only the best experience, schooling (shout out to SJSU) and skills that can be had.  Check it out for yourself: linkedin.com/in/andrewsheffield.

QR Code: Stop making people type!

I picked up my phone and noticed my girl friend had sent me a text.  I slide the screen up on my sweet samsung slide phone to reveal a number pad.  Using, my opposable thumbs I "quickly" jammed out a reply.  An elderly man behind me noticed my rapidly working thumbs and exclaimed "I don't understand how you kids do that!"  I chuckled and thought to myself how silly this old man was.  I never thought I'd see the day when I became annoyed at the time it took to type on a normal keyboard.  With the advances of smart phones and the copy and paste, I find myself wanting quicker and faster ways of transferring information.  In todays world everyone and everything has a webpage, email address, Facebook, Twitter and the list goes on.  What if, and I'm just reaching here, what if our phones could read the information and take us to those locations without any typing?  How awesome would that be?  And thus,viola, QR Codes!

According to Statisticbrain.com the average attention span of a human person is 8 seconds long.  That means if a user has to type out something long or read to much they may lose interest in the information.  So we have made a flyer with some awesome logos, the text pops and the user is drawn in and becomes interested in the information, next we need to have a way for the user to return to the information when they need and perhaps the ability for the user to collect more info if needed.  QR Code readers do both of these things.  A user can quickly hold up a cell phone and collect the address of the page with out much pause.  Code readers can store the data for later or take the user to the site.

Scanlife.com says that 39% of young adults have a scanned a QR Code at some point.  As this becomes larger and as people start collecting more data by QR Code, it will become more necessary to add them to your site, business card and advertisements.

And the best news is...it's free, easy AND takes up a small amount of real-estate!  http://goqr.me is my favorite place to create a QR Code and youtube.com can teach how to edit them and make them look cool!

In your next flyer try adding a QR code and see if anyone tries it.  You may just be saving some sweet, young teenager, who someday has dreams of becoming a thumb wrestler.

Social Networking and security. . .or lack of when promoting your brand.

Social media is a great tool that allows its users to communicate, share and build community quickly, easily and over great distances.  Because of the great benefits in can provide users at no cost, it allows for a constant stream of data and connections that can be made by people and companies to promote their brand.  Facebook, as an example, allows users to make ads that can be pointer to specific groups, interests, locations, searches, ages and the list goes on.  All of the information can be extremely helpful and useful in promoting a product and service but it is also now available for anyone and everyone to find and exploit.

The chart by Barracuda Networks shows the problems that users most experience as a result of joining social networks.  Although, this may seem scary and overwhelming, the things you can do to protect yourself is quite simple.

You can begin by creating a Professional identity.  Create a new email address and new accounts for every site you wish to be apart of.  This will allow you to start fresh and know that you haven't yet entered compromising data into these site.  Then ensure you do control the information that goes into these sites. Keep it limited to your email address and PO box if mail is necessary.  If you have to send a phone number make sure you are not publishing  the number for all to see and you that you trust the recipient of the number.

Secondly, don't fall victim to phishing scams.  Identity thieves will send emails or messages within social media sites that look and seem official.  These messages are intended to trick you into sending your information back to them.  These scams are easily bypassed if you know what to look for.  These emails and messages are rarely if every sent by an actual company.  Its always a good idea to not click any links inside these messages, even if they are official.  I go straight to the site and log in as normal.

Lastly, I like to start fresh whenever I switch from doing anything person to anything professional.  I usually reboot my computer, log-in under a different account and ensure I write everything carefully and with much thought.

With all of the technology available it is becoming easier and easier for thieves to steal identities.  And once it is stolen, your professional and financial lives can be destroyed.  It is our responsibility to protect ourselves and ensure we can coexist in this social, online world.