Module 11

It’s been many moons ago since I’ve had a chance to watch Wargames.  I suppose that now that the movie is nothing in comparison with the modern day CGI shows and enhanced 3D effects.  Nevertheless, the concept of accessing military computers via a phone connection was just science fiction to mainstream Americans in 1983.  Most Americans back then did not have personal home computers that we have today, so I suppose the show to the general movie-goers in the 80's was just pure entertainment. 

The movie Wargames begins with the problem of humans not launching missiles but not just any human rather professional soldiers trained to follow orders to launch Intercontinental ballistic missile, (ICBM) that would start World War III.  As a result the military implements the difficult decision to launch ICBM process to a single computer that will not hesitate to launch against any perceived enemy.  In the movie David (Matthew Broderick) is a teenager who has a personal computer that hacks into his high school computer to change his grades. Well David also decides to hack into a toy company, seeking to access new games, however, he eventually figures out the password to another computer instead of the toy company, he connects to the War Operation Plan Response (WOPR) system that is located at the North American Aerospace (NORAD) in Colorado.  Unknowingly, he now has access to the military network that controls all of the worldwide military weapons operation.  David wants to play a game but not any game - he wants to play Thermo War game between USA and the Soviet Union.  David soon discovers that the computer is playing for real and the United States of America is changing its military safe guard condition to DEFCON 1 that means that nuclear war is imminent and this is the highest condition of readiness against any threat toward the United States. 

My personal memory of the 80’s is slowly diminishing but I still do have some memories bouncing around in my brain that are alive and well.  I do recall several headline news stories of teenagers hacking into high school networks or banks and some trying to access military networks back then.   I’m sure the same thing goes on even today.  I’m sure the movies like Tron, Short Circuit, 2010, and Terminator inspired wanna be hackers or even real hackers. During this science fiction genre it has become apparent that a good handful of the technology back then has become more or less a reality today.   The technology of computers has definitely evolved and changed to enhance our lives to be more efficient and more productive in how we function in our daily activities.  Perhaps, letting our computers make difficult decisions for us has made our lives a little easier? For example the simple tasks of finding addresses or phone numbers, I use to hate to do but now I can find those tasks by simply asking “Siri” via my I-phone or devices that have those same functions.  However, on the flip side I suppose it also brought on elements of fear of how much technology will/has control of our daily lives in other words maybe this is the first step of losing our own humanity?

Module 10

A 1946 comic science-fiction story, A Logic Named Joe, by Murray Leinster- I believe his story was the template for future science-fiction movies that I loved.  One of the first thought I had when reading this story was 2001 Space Odyssey a 1968 science fiction film about an American spaceship Discovery One that was bound for Jupiter.  On board were astronauts that were wakened from a cryogenic hibernation. The main computer that operates the ship is named "Hal" the ship's HAL 9000 computer.  Very much like Joe the computer goes a little crazy. 

I suppose that the story is very much prophetic and perhaps a lot more forthcoming than the story was intended to be for the typical science fiction reader in the 1940’s as a “just another science-fiction story.”  My first initial thought about the story was when it mentioned punching in keys into the logic to be hooked to the tank reminded me of today’s search engines e.g., Google, Yahoo, and Aol.  Perhaps the most prophetic within the story was the query process of crafting new ideas via the tank.  It is very interesting that the author spent a lot time intergrading human behavior based on greed and murder.  Searching out how to counterfeit money, murdering someone or even make millions of dollars via the tank is concept that is still alive in today’s world - unfortunately.  Nevertheless, I’m sure to the reader back then this was purely science-fiction and just another good story. In my opinion it is a sad irony today that this type of searching is done daily but unlike the story no one person cannot simply put the computer into the basement and forget about it.

I find myself in the same position of frustration of my logic at times and want to take an axe to it when it doesn’t function the way I want it.  However, most of the time I simply just turn it off and step away but I know that civilization will continue with or without me and technology stops for no one.

The story has many of its strengths from its details of the operation of the Logic in the story.  Within this science fiction story it is interesting how society and how the civilization becomes more dependent on the Logic’s ability to perform its function.   It is also interesting to find that once the tank becomes too big to handle and there is a belief to shut it down but then realizing it’s too late that the tank is already involved in every aspect of the human daily life.  Perhaps, this process hasn’t happened yet and maybe in some distance future we will have to consider this option?

Perhaps the most intriguing part of the whole Dell’s computer manufacturing process is the end users the “consumer.”   We simply visit Dell.com to initiate our computer desire via their website – which usually takes only a few minutes to hours or maybe days.  No matter, just the fact we had made a final decision on the bells and whistles that we might never use in the computer that we had just built.  I know this process because I have done this same process several times over the years.  Nevertheless, I didn’t have a clue on the process after my final decision was made.  This is the where the real wonder begins with a least a hundred thousand plus other daily emails of purchase orders.  Dell has six global factories from Ireland, China, Brazil, Tennessee, Texas, and Malaysia.  The Malaysia notebook factory receives a purchase order email to begin the building process of laptops.  The parts are then requested from the Penang factory which is Dell’s supplier logistics centers (SLCs) they are global staging areas for the company.  The process operates 24 hours 7 days a week’s 365 days a year.

In any complex organization the operation processes are essential to having the organization flow seamlessly, therefore, it takes a great deal of logistics that needs to be in place for the organization to operate effectively.  For years Al-Qaeda’s operation has had a somewhat of success in its supply chain organization.  Early on in Al-Qaeda’s history they have had unfortunately successes as a result of its supply chain operation.  Within their supply chain operation there are a large number of different variables from the planning of an operation to the execution of their terrorist’s activities.   Overcoming issues of communication and suppliers there needs to be a formal supply chain management to be successful, therefore, the answer to the questions of if Al-Qaeda has a supply chain?  The answer is yes.

The curse of oil is mostly an issue of balance of power or the lack thereof.  As a result of our addiction to oil this has played right into the part of the curse that has plagued citizens that are ruled by dictators and monarchs.  Countries have used their own oil revenues to adversely influence all the levels of their state, including the police, the army and their own government infrastructure.

As a result of their activities they do not need to be transparent for the mere fact that they don’t tax their people, and when they don’t tax their people, they don’t need to be accountable on how they allocate their funds from oil.