CSU Long Beach
ENGR 350
Computers, Ethics, and Society

Syllabus
Schedule
Grading
Portfolio
Homework:
  Guidelines
  Standards
  1 - Images
  2 - Risks
    -- example
  3 - Infobahn
    -- example
  4 - Dataveillance
    -- example
  5 - Worklife
    -- example
  6 - Killer Robot
Term project

Homework 2 ("Risks")

Latest Update: Sat 23 Jan 99

First select a technology such as we've talked about in the discussion of risks -- it could be medical devices such as the Therac, automated guidance and control of aircraft, or something that you've found on your own. (You might also look at the newsgroup comp.risks for appropriate technologies.) You must use at least two sources of information about this technology, and you must document them as explained in the homework guide.

Then review the "Risks of Technology" article by Peter Neumann (Part VII. I. in C&C2). Pick at least four of the aphorisms that he lists, and illustrate each of them using the example of the technology that you've selected. You may illustrate more than four of the aphorisms, if you think they are relevant to your discussion of the technology.

By the way -- do you know what an "aphorism" is? Or, for that matter, what a "Luddite" is? These are the kinds of things that you should look up as you read an article, to help you understand it.

Here's an example of the kind of thinking that I want you to do for this assignment. Suppose that your example of technology is "cashless" financial transactions. Think about aphorism 1: who is telling us all the good things about this technology? The banks, the credit card companies, and the Internet-based vendors, of course! What do they stand to gain? (This is obvious, but you should ask it anyway.) How many consumers or consumer groups are clamoring for cashless transactions? Probably not many. How about aphorism 2: what could cashless transactions be "guilty" of? Maybe ripping us off, or opening us up to fraud or scams -- you'll think of more, if you try.