Feds Probe Medical Devices for Possible Cyber Flaws

According to this article the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is investigating around two dozen cases of suspected cybersecurity flaws in certain medical devices that they fear could be exploited by hackers. The product under suspicion is an infusion pump and implantable heart device. The specific worry that Homeland Security has is that these devices could be accessed by hackers who could then control them remotely and use them to purposefully overdose a patient by using the infusion pump, or use the heart implant to deliver a jolt of electricity.

While there have not been any instances of hackers ever attacking patients though these devices this article is a very interesting one because it raises some questions and problems that will only become more and more pressing as time goes on. As time goes on more and more people will have devices such as these implanted inside of them, and it is most likely that the devices themselves will be more connected to the outside world. This is a good thing because it could provide valuable data for doctors, make caring for patients easier, and provide the patients themselves with important information. But this increasing functionality and connectedness is also a problem because then the devices could be exploited by hackers looking to gain information on their target or even harm them. One of the many things that people think will become a technology of the future is wearable technology that will do things such as monitor location, heartbeat, pulse, and provide relevant information to the wearer when needed. What people don’t think about is that if you wear this it means someone could potentially know exactly where you are, whether or not you’re sleeping, and other information such as that.

Already we are seeing that an overreliance on technology can lead to problems (leaked celebrity photos, hacked bank accounts, etc.) and as technology develops and is used for more and more things the potential for these things to be hacked increases. Very soon we will have to address these issues because technology and the internet are becoming more and more a part of our daily lives, meaning more and more of our lives is out there for anyone to see.

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/gadgets/feds-probe-medical-devices-possible-cyber-flaws-n231601

Can Apple Pay Kill Cash?

With the release of a new phone, and a new series of iPads and iPods coming up Apple is also releasing a new feature that some think might finally be the death of cash. This service is called Apple Pay and allows people to pay for things directly through their phone. All the consumer has to do is wave their phone near a compatible payment terminal and they can buy something. While this idea is not necessarily completely new (Google Wallet was released three years ago) there are some people who think that Apple might be able to bring it into the mainstream, and do it in such a way that it is actually more convenient to use Apple Pay than a credit card. Looking at some statistics, it is predicted that in 2019 Americans will spend 53.1 billion with their phones which is a huge jump from the 0.4 billion spent in 2012. One of the main reasons that systems like this are being pushed by companies is that people tend to spend more when they don’t have to think about it as much. For instance it is much easier to simply take a bottle of water from a Starbucks, and then have that money automatically charged to your account than it is to pay for it with cash when you walk in.

Despite the supposed convenience of Apple Pay, many people are skeptical that it will do what supporters say it will do. One of the main reasons for this is that small businesses will dislike this model as it means they have to have an internet connection to be able to charge stuff, and will have to have something that can charge the phone. This of course means more expense for the small business which may already have low profit margins. Another reason small businesses dislike stuff such as this is because with credit cards they are often charged a percentage of each transaction which further cuts into profit margins. Additionally, it seems that this idea might not take off simply because people like to pay with cash. There is simply something nice about holding physical money that I think will be the main reason people will dislike switching over to a system such as Apple Pay.

                

While there are people on both sides of the issue here I personally do think that a system similar to Apple Pay will eventually become the primary method with which people purchase things. I think this is because as it is people love to use credit and debit cards because of the convenience and all this system is doing is making everything even more convenient. Ultimately, people want the simplest thing and I think a technology will come about that is so simple people will forget about their attachments to cash. I am still skeptical about Apple Pay however because for now I think it more a gimmick than anything serious, however this could easily change in the near future. 

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/can-apple-pay-kill-cash-dont-bet-it-n222261

Can L.A. Kill Traffic With Self-Driving Cars?

As many people might know, Las Angeles has one of the worst traffic problems in the United States that is a result of millions of cars driving on overcrowded roads. The result of traffic in the U.S. is millions of man hours wasted sitting on the road, increased travel times, increased cost of traveling, and more pollutants in the environment just to change a few. As it stands now around 76% of people drive to work alone which means there are more cars on the road and more gas used per person than if we could decrease this number by using public transportation. Additionally human drivers have faults such as carelessness, drunkenness, or tiredness. All of these problems are not present in a self-driving car.

One of the solutions to the traffic problem that is currently being looked into is a fleet of self-driving cars that would operate on a ride-sharing service similar to Uber. Essentially there would be numerous self-driving cars going through a city that could be summoned by a smart phone. The promise of this solution is that the cars could be operated by a smart algorithm that automatically sent the car closest to minimize driving distance and time, they would not cause accidents, Another benefit of this would be that there would be no need to waste time parking which has been estimated to account for 40% of gasoline consumption when driving in urban areas. According to this article Emilio Frazzoli looked at this scenario and concluded that only 300,000 self-driving cars would be necessary to serve the 6 million people in Singapore.

While this idea is still only being discusses and is in its very early stages there would be several road blocks such as developing the proper technology, convincing people to use them, and making it cheap.

While I personally think that using a large system of self-driving cars would be incredibly beneficial to nearly every aspect touched on this article I personally do not think I will see it happen in my lifetime, and I am personally unsure of whether or not I would even support the idea. For me, and most likely many Americans, I absolutely love the ability to go and get in my car and simply drive wherever I want. There is something wonderful about the freedom that owning your (or your parent's) own car and being able to drive down a highway. This is one of the reason I think people would be reluctant to adopt something such as this because it would mean giving up this freedom. A car that drives for you would not truly allow you to go anywhere, and would restrict the freedom that comes from owning a car.

Additionally, there is something about being in control of a car that I think would turn many people against the self-driving car. As it is I'm uneasy riding in a car with some people, and I don't know if I have reached the stage where I would trust a computer with my life to drive me through the roads of L.A. I think that many people would reject this idea simply because self-reliance is a huge part of being American, and they would dislike the idea of relying on a computer.

Overall, I simply like the control and freedom that driving provides me too much to support a program of self-driving cars, even if they actually are much better than humans. It would take a radical shift in my beliefs about cars to become one of the people who would use this program.