CPSC203 T17 Initial Research Statements

=Initial research statement=

Marks: 20 This is a more formal write up of the project proposal that you provided your TA earlier in the semester. Provide a brief introduction about your project, how it works (don't assume that everyone will know the details of every project) what are some of the associated issues. Marking: 15 marks are allocated for providing informal proposals to the TA and incorporating some of his/her feedback in the final proposal, 5 marks are allocated for how well the research statement has been expressed.

source: http://pages.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/~tamj/203/assignments/assignment3/index.htm

Instructions
Use the edit link next to your group names to write your initial problem descriptions where it says . The deadline is Dec 5th 10:00 PM. So you will be marked based on what is up by Dec 5th 10:00 PM.

Group1 | Team Wii ACKO: Alston, Cook, Kean, Ou
Issue: Lacks fundamental lessons learned with real sports

Initial research statement:

There are a couple of problems associated with the Wii Fit and Wii Sports games for the Nintendo Wii system. Both games lack fundamental lessons that are learned from participating in traditional exercising and the actual playing of sports. The Wii Fit restricts It doesn't support not restrict you to do exercises on a small balance board. It does not allow It doesn't support not prevent you to make proper movements required for exercise and lacks commitment to a diet and exercise plan you can plan on playing Wii on a schedule. Wii Sports uses the Wii's sensor bar in which you make the motions to throw a ball swing a bat or tennis raquet Spelling etc. These movements though are easily mimicked by small, short and abrupt movements which tend to work better than doing the actual movements. Both Wii Fit and Sports do not allow it doesn't encourage like regular sports..but it also doesn't prevent socializing for much socializing. Wii Fit is a one person game and lacks the socializing that would come with going to a gym or taking a class more specific on what type of class. Wii Sports is multiplayer but lacks the team participation of actual sports. Both these games have the problems that will be discussed in our Wiki and our presentation.

Group2 | Team AFKW: Auger, Favreau, Knight, Wang
Technology: Video Games

Issue: Violence and Video Games

Initial research statement:

As video games evolve, they continue to be one of the most favorite recreations for all ages, especially children. Video games offer people an escape from the intense and stressful reality. In order to attract consumers' attention, video games have had a great evolution from the first simple mini-game to a large number of categories such as action and arcade. However, there is one type of game which is very influential for some. These are violent video games.

For the sake of maintaining the interest of a player, every game will set up different levels of difficulty for players to complete. Some of these games encourage players to kill characters in the game in order to get to the next level in the game (Gears of War: Kill locusts to continue surviving in the game). Since some of the tasks in the game cannot be easily fulfilled in the real world, people choose the imaginary world created by the game to accomplish those pities. Due to the graphic nature involved in some of the violent video games, playing them as proved to make the gamers aggressive. Many parents, organizations, etc. disagree with the release and availability of these games, they have even gone as far as campaigning against the release of violent games (Government elements in Saudi Arabia have launched a campaign against violent video games, some of which depict war between U.S. forces and Al-Qaeda).

An increasing amount of people are playing violent video games. For the most part, the gamers have the desire to be successful in the game. The players then spend a lengthy period of time playing games to reach the higher levels and eventually beat the game. As the player increases his time of play, he becomes more and more absorbed into the fantasy world of the game. In extreme cases, players have a sense they are still part of the game and this effects their decision making. Over a period of time the gamer will grow to be more aggressive and maybe mimic a crime they performed when they were playing the game.

Do violent video games really affect people's behavior, especially teenagers? We will answer this question by examining the following topics: Origin of violent video games, evolution of the games, why we play violent games, researches conducted on violent video games effect on humans, and examples of violence in society caused by video games.

Group3 | Team "Short a Few": Kordi,Warren
Technology: Electronic Surveillance

Issue: National Security vs. Privacy Violation

Initial research statement:

In today’s technology driven society privacy concerns regarding national security methods is a rising and demanding issue. Electronic Surveillance is one of the many technologies used to promote national security and has already proven itself useful in the past and present. It has been used in the form of audio, visual, and data surveillance utilized by the government, military, and security agencies to prevent terrorism, attacks, fraud, and illegal actions. However, where is the line drawn between protecting people and invading their privacy? In the following arguments presented below we have explored both sides of the rising controversy over national security and privacy invasion while looking at the benefits offered from electronic surveillance. We will explore the uses and evolution of electronic surveillance throughout the last century as well as the different types and the issues that each one raises.

Group4 | Team BHLSW: Bezdek, Hart, Lin, Soulsby, Wellman
Technology: Black Boxes in cars

Issue: Privacy Issues

Initial research statement:

In many cars and light trucks there are very durable modules called Event Data Records (EDR’s) or more commonly known as the "Black box". Event data recorders are attached to the restraint system control module of the automobile and are able to trigger airbag deployment, record car speed, engine speed, whether or not seatbelts were fastened, position of the gas pedal, average driving speed, whether or not the brakes were depressed and many other things. While this device can provide valuable information about automobile accidents and malfunctions, they also pose a threat to personal privacy. This is because most people are not aware that the devices are installed in their vehicles, and have no knowledge on the amount of information they are able record. A major cause of privacy violations is the fact that there are currently no laws governing who has access to the information recorded by an EDR within Canada. In our project, we will explore the benefits and drawbacks of Event Data Recorders, and determine whether or not we believe they should be installed in all new automobiles.

Group5 | Group MGD: Clark, Orza, Sproule, Yi
Technology: Hacktivism

Issue: Hacktivism and its impact on the world

Initial research statement:

What is the impact of hacktivism on the world today?

Hacktivism is described as “the nonviolent use of illegal or legally ambiguous digital tools in pursuit of political ends.” Essentially, hacktivism is activism through the use of computer hacking. It carries many of the effects of conventional activism--rallying supporters, spreading information, drawing attention to issues, etc.--but can reach a much larger number of people because of the incredibly widespread use of the internet.

Some of the issues associated with hacktivism arise from legality disputes and privacy constraints. Because hackers can use the internet to steal and distribute copyrighted, personal and restricted (ie. from government databases and servers) information, legal issues arise from their often intrusive actions.

The effects of hacktivism can be positive or negative, depending on the given argument. Cases such as the Mawanella worm--in which the hacktivists used their skills strictly to disseminate information to the public using a harmless virus--can easily be argued as positive cases, as they serve only to spread awareness of violent incidents, which may lead to the prevention of future incidents of such a type. From a negative point of view, however, this knowledge could incite vengeful action by members of the public--obviously a negative side-effect of information dissemination. It is also possible that, while hacking into, say, a government server in protest, a hacktivist could compromise the security of the server and cause an information leak to a malicious third party.

Through our research we will delve into the world of hacktivists, discovering what drives and defines them, as well as what impact they have on our world.