Fall's knocking on the door

Is it just me or is there already a sense of autumn in the air? According to the calendar, it's still summer, but the weather as well as the leaves falling of the sky tell otherwise.

Anyway, I recently discovered a beautiful song that captures this mood, as I think, very well:

 

  

CAJ_How hacktivists benefit from the Deep Web

I have to acknowledge that I have never even heard of the term Deep Web myself until I read an article about it in the newspaper Die Presse. Apparently the article’s authors were also quite clueless about it because they hired an IT expert who navigated them through this rather dangerous version of the WWW. In my understanding, it is the utterly uncensored version of the Internet, the one where not only adult content, but also illegal products of all sorts are available – all of it in the greatest excess possible.

More exactly, it is a hidden part of the Web, one that search engines cannot find and which can be accessed by using the software TOR (The Onion Router) that I previously mentioned. TOR can be purchased free of charge and enables its users to surf the Internet in a totally anonymous way. Once you’ve installed it, all you have to do is to open a special domain mainly comprised of numbers and you can start to browse. However, there's no search engine that helps you navigating through the vastness of the Web (allegedly, the Deep Web is 550 times bigger than its “visible” counterpart, the WWW). You have to manage that all by yourself.

Of course, this anonymity as well as the lack of censorship also appeal to criminals. The Deep Web is a prominent place of transshipment where all kinds of drugs, illegal arms and fake passports are traded. The common currency is Bitcoin. The Deep Web is also a place that is of great use to hacktivists, since they are able to flee the NSA as well as censorship. When they want to publish leaked information, they can do so on various sites and hope that somehow, this information will find its way to the surface. This meeting place for hacktivists eventually resulted in the creation of various hacktivism groups such as “Movement of Torism”. This group considers themselves to be a defender of anonymity as well as a bulwark against surveillance.

This was also about the only positive aspect I could find regarding this subject, because in my opinion, the Deep Web is mostly a place where crime is in full bloom and where sinister stuff is available.

CAJ_The most famous hacktivists

The most famous group of hacktivists of our times arguably is WikiLeaks, the individuals behind the leak of various documents related to the Afghanistan war and the Iraq war. With Julian Assange being the mastermind of the project, the organization has had its fair share of scandals. In 2010, Assange was persecuted for allegedly sexual offenses against two women in Sweden which he fled only to be taken in custody in London a few months later. A lot of controversy surrounded this arrest, with many people being suspicious about its timing. It just seemed a bit too convenient for US authorities to have him locked up behind the pen at a critical time for the US government. Whether he is guilty or not has not been decided yet to this very moment – it would arguably be a big disappointment for his supporters and a great victory for his critics if he indeed happened to be guilty.

But what is it that makes the hacktivists behind WikiLeaks as well as its founder such controversial figures? Well, first of all, they released the Afghan War Diary, a compilation of over 70000 documents revealing among other things the controversial relations US intelligent services had with the Taliban during the war, even citing increased Taliban attacks. In 2013, they released details about the CEOs of 20 surveillance companies in Europe.

WikiLeaks is comprised of several well-known hacktivists such as Assange’s former buddy Daniel Domscheit-Berg (now they are estranged with Domscheit_Berg having created his own whistleblower organization named OpenLeaks), the vast majority of its hackers, however, remains unknown to the public. But Assange himself might very well be its most colorful figure. Having been raised by a very anti-authoritarian mother, the Australian seemed predestined for later whistleblower activities. The lack of respect for authorities is something a lot of hacktivists seem to have in common anyway.

Even though Assange as well as Edward Snowden are probably the most well-known hacktivists/ whistleblowers in the public’s eye, I’ve always wondered if there weren’t other, much lesser-known hacktivists possessing as explosive material as the former two. They only distinguish themselves from the former two in regard of the fact that they do not get that much coverage by the media. One of them is the hackitivist Jacob Appelbaum who is currently living in Germany due to better privacy conditions. He created the portmanteau hacktivism and also is in favor of TOR, which is the abbreviation of The Onion Router, a network that enables Internet users to remain totally anonymous while surfing and also allows one to dive into the so-called Deep Web. But more on that later.

How instant photographs work

 

Polaroid cameras have been in use for such a long time now that even one’s grandparents have probably taken pictures with them. Even though instant photography might be considered old-fashioned by some, there are others who appreciate it as a nostalgic and useful tool to taking pictures. The process of a photograph developed right in front your eyes can actually be described as a chemical reaction.
 

Instant Polaroid film consists of three different layers. Each has a dye coupler layer between them. The top of these layers is completed with yet another set of layers: an image layer, an acid layer as well as a timing layer.
 

The different color layers:
 

 

The aforementioned chemical reaction is started by the so-called re-agent. This product essentially is a combination of white pigments, alkali and opacifier. The opacifier and alkali are crucial elements since they function as a light blocker and an acid neutralizer, respectively. This mixture of products is spread all over the frame of the film. Out of this reason, polaroids also have a white frame around the outside of the film.
 

While taking a picture with a Polaroid camera, the pushing out of the film happens automatically due to small rollers inside the camera. This is when the re-agent is spread across the film. But how does the color blending that is necessary for a proper picture work? Well, it is now that the chemical reaction comes into full motion: While the colors from the dye layers rise up from the lower layers, the acid layer also goes up to the top. Meanwhile, the re-agent does his work from above. As soon as the meeting between the two chemicals occurs, there is a reaction between the alkali and opacifier in order to make the re-agent turn clear.

Now you just have to wait for the slowly, but steadily appearing image to become a piece of developed film.

(Note: I apologize for the parts in white. I've repeatedly tried to remove the white highlights, but it just won't work)


 

(313 words)

Photography Project - Evaluate Instructions

The instructions for making a camera lucida are generally not well organized but still manage to give the most essential information. As soon as looking at the instructions, one gets confused as where to begin. After eventually finding the start and continuing reading, the confusion grows as one does not know what to glue together exactly. The general lack of numbered steps makes the instructions seem more complicated than necessary. While the drawings provide details for the construction of the camera, the text merely instructs the reader briefly in terms of what actions to perform. The text also does not contain a list of needed materials or tools, which would be very helpful. Another unhelpful part is that a certain David Hockney is mentioned but the reader has no idea who this is supposed to be, so it is a irrelevant information and could simply be left out. Although the text is rather confusing than helpful and although its references to the drawings are unclear, the construction of a camera lucida with the help of these instructions is generally speaking doable.

 

(181 words)

CAJ_An introduction to hacktivism

 

 

Hacktivism - criminal or clever ?? 

 

Since it's time for us to get started with our CAJ's, I thought I'll just do a quick introduction on the topic.  Although I guess that everybody kinda knows the term, it is probably difficult to define it. Is it just about the crazy Julian Assange guy and the criminal Anonymous pinching data from other people's computers? Is it the gouvernment that is outrageously criminal or the sneaky hackers? May the questions rest in peace for now and let's start instead with a definition:

 

"Hacktivism is the act of hacking, or breaking into a computer system, for a politically or socially motivated purpose. The individual who performs an act of hacktivism is said to be a hacktivist. A hacktivist uses the same tools and techniques as a hacker, but does so in order to disrupt services and bring attention to a political or social cause." 

(source: http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/hacktivism)

The term “hacktivism” itself is a portmanteau of hack and activism and already indicates a fusion of the negative and the positive. In my CAJ, I am not only going to explore the political hacktivism inspired by the hackers’ political ideals, but also the criminal variation called cyberterrorism. Hacktivism uses cyber attacks based on political motivations to promote a specific cause. As opposed to the hacking industry intent on data theft, hacktivism is not motivated by money and high visibility is key.

I am further going to explore the different forms of hacktivism, take a close look at the most famous hacktivists and various experts on the field. Since hacktivism can partly also be performed by amateurs, popular hacktivism techniques will also be addressed. Another item will be popular hacktivism campaigns as well as the extent to which whistleblowers are threatened by governments or other stakeholders in politics.

Photography Project: Descriptive Text "Migrant Mother"

The black and white picture “Migrant Mother” taken by famous photographer Dorothea Lange shows a Native American woman, probably in her 30s, holding a little baby in her arms while being surrounded by two toddlers leaning against their mother’s shoulder. They are hiding their faces, be it out of sombreness, embarrassment or shyness in front of the camera. The simple, slightly ragged yet proper clothes cannot distract from the sad and sorrowful atmosphere that is created by the little family huddled tightly together outside their simple tent. Her hand’s fingertips are resting thoughtfully against her lower jaw. When closely regarding the mother’s face in detail one can see that her face has been wrinkled by raw weather and the worries of her unforgiving life. With her lined forehead and her gaze into the distance, she seems to be troubled by her and her children’s uncertain future. Despite her obvious misery there lies a certain determination and strength in her appearance, as if she was a lonely wolf mother protecting her pups from the woes

of the world.   

                                                                                                                                      

(176 words)

                                       

Narrative article: Major earthquake in Chile

Juanita could literally feel the earth trembling under her feet. Carrying Maria, the youngest of her children, she tried as fast as she could to get to the bus that would bring them to higher surroundings. Her two sons Enrique and Julio stumbled after her. “Hurry up, children! If you want to see Aunt Carla and Uncle José again, you need to get your feet off the ground!” she urged them, while thinking of her dear sister who’d offered to receive them in this difficult time. “Gracias a Dios!” she thought…

Juanita was one of almost a million people who had to be evacuated to higher ground due to the most severe earthquake Chile had endured in 150 years. Tsunami alarm was given for vast parts of the pacific coast, warning people about the deadly, magnitude-8.2 earthquake. While at least six people were killed, the financial damage was limited. (...)

(150 words)

 

 

Urgent announcement: Do not draw on after-death avatars!!

The death of a loved one is a tough, if not excruciating experience. It can completely paralyze you. Yet there are options that help you deal with it in a sensible way.

The creation of an after-death avatar is not one of them.

Don’t be tempted by these products, because ultimately, that’s what they are! They won’t bring your father, mother, sister, brother, daughter, son, boyfriend or girlfriend back – not in a virtual way and certainly not for real!

Let your loved ones rest in peace and move on with your own life.

 

A day in the life of…myself:)

The day before an exam can be tough. That is especially true when the exam happens to take place on a Monday. Whenever this is the case, I try to spend the Sunday at my parents’ since it’s just much more relaxing for me to recharge my batteries in the quiet countryside where they live than in the noisy city. These days usually begin with a nice cup of hot chocolate. (I only drink coffee when I’m extremely tired or exhausted because I simply can’t stand the taste of it.) Afterwards, I get ready in order to join the breakfast table which involves me getting dressed and picking out some earrings, while reading the ÖH students’ magazine “Libelle”.



Following a substantial brunch, the whole family takes the obligatory walk – these are usually the most beautiful when the landscape is winter wonderland-like. I really enjoy these walks because they distract me from the upcoming exam madness on the next day.
 

 

After a fun afternoon, I tend to go over the material one last time (yeah, I’m an avid member of the study-in-the-last-minute group) before I head off to Graz again – and hope for the best.

 

 

(200 words)

 

 

 

Text Project Part 4_Final Version

Here's the link to our awesome final essay on why "Joining the EU would be disadvantageous for Switzerland in many ways.":

http://sparklybirgit.blogspot.co.at/2013/12/text-project-part-4.html

Enjoy reading it:)

My pronunciation diary – Part 1

With English-speaking people having so many different accents, it’s not easy to choose which one you like best and which one you want to adapt yourself, respectively. We were always taught in school that the Brits speak the most beautiful and most correct English of all the English-speaking countries in the world. The thing is that to me, British English often sounds a bit posh, so that’s not really an option for me. Since I’ve always wanted to sound like an American and more specifically like one from California, I’ve been looking for some good pronunciation videos made by people with a Californian background. I found this interesting video starring a girl named Katy pronouncing a row of words in a Californian accent:


 

Words:

Garage

herb (I find it weird that she prounces the "h", but apparently Californians pronounce the "h")

schedule

figure

jaguar

lieutenant

water

advertisement (Katy points out that the first d normally shouldn't be pronounced too harsh, but she says that she does it anyway)

vase

route

ballet

tomato

leisure (She never pronounces it the British way, always in the American way)

address

ate

buoy

aluminium

aunt

wash

oil

theater

iron

salmon

caramel (It's pronounced carmel, like the small town in California Clint Eastwood was the mayor of for a few years;))

fire

sure

data

ruin

crayon

toilet

New Orleans

pecan

both

again

probably

spitting image

Alabama

lawyer

coupon

mayonnaise

syrup

pajamas

caught

 

I'm pretty surprised that this accent sounds exactly like the one you always hear in the American TV shows set in Beverly Hills or Orange County in general. Listening to the video again, I realized that this is the accent I'd like to have.

 
 

Joining the EU would be disadvantageous for the EU in many ways.

Link to our text: http://sparklybirgit.blogspot.co.at/2013/12/text-project-part-4.html

Progress on Academic Paper: A Report

Even though I now know more exactly what I want to focus on in my paper, I’m not going to pretend that I’m making good progress. That is because I changed my topic from “Refugees in the EU” to “Refugees in the EU – focusing on Austria” due to some good advice in the Office Hour. I realized that describing the situation of refugees in the whole of Europe was way too big for a topic, so I decided to put the emphasis on the situation of refugees in Austria.

Although I’m still not quite sure on what sources to use or how to cut it down, I’m positive that I will have an outline soon. Besides, we have the upcoming Christmas holidays to write on our papers (something to look forward to in our spare time – hurrah;)).

Happy Holidays everybody:)

Picture: dialogueseriesnew.blogspot.com

The EU’s focus for 2014: European Year for Reconciling Work and Family Life

Paragraph brainstorming






Original paragraph

The “European Year for Reconciling Work and Family Life“ is a campaign brought into being by COFACE (The Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union) and is supported by the European Parliament itself. It puts the main emphasis on supporting families, how to make having a family and a job more compatible and gender equality. The latter is seen as the key to a successfully converted work-life-balance because it allows women to lead a working life as successful and well-paid as men do. As a result, women’s lives become more flexible and time-arrangements are easier to keep. The confederation understands devices such as care services, satisfactory wages, job security and working conditions which acknowledge family life as being the basis to a financially secure family life. Through this campaign, COFACE wants to promote family friendly policies within all of the member states of the European Union. While this year’s campaign exclusively revolves around families, it is also closely related to 2010’s focus The  European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion and 2012’s The European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations. Consequently, the confederation hopes to be able to directly follow these campaigns.

                                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                             (196 words)


Feedback and reflection from class this week 

Since I was absent from last week's class, I was only given feedback on my paragraph in this week's class. Although my classmates were fine with the paragraph's topic sentence and register, they agreed on me using the word "campaign" way too often. As far as vocabulary in general is concerned, they found that it is suitable for the topic.


Final version of the paragraph


The “European Year for Reconciling Work and Family Life“ is a campaign brought into being by COFACE (The Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union) and is supported by the European Parliament itself. It puts the main emphasis on supporting families, how to make having a family and a job more compatible and gender equality. The latter is seen as the key to a successfully converted work-life-balance because it allows women to lead a working life as successfully and well-paid as men. As a result, women’s lives become more flexible and time-arrangements are easier to keep. The confederation understands devices such as care services, satisfactory wages, job security and working conditions which acknowledge family life as being the basis for a financially secure family life. Through this campaign, COFACE wants to promote family friendly policies within all of the member states of the European Union. While this year’s project exclusively revolves around families, it is also closely related to 2010’s focus The European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion and 2012’s The European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations. Consequently, the confederation hopes to be able to directly follow these initiatives.

(196 words)

 

Second final version of the paragraph

The “European Year for Reconciling Work and Family Life” is part of the “European Year” campaign brought into being by the EU. The campaign is led on many fronts by The Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union (COFACE) and is supported by the European Parliament. It puts the main emphasis of its efforts on supporting families, reconciling work and family life, and gender equality. The latter is seen as the key to a successful work-life-balance because it allows women to lead a working life as successfully and well-paid as men. This results in women’s lives becoming more flexible and makes it easier to keep appointments. The confederation is convinced that care services, satisfactory wages, job security and working conditions which acknowledge family life are the basis for a financially secure family life. Through the EU’s focus for 2014, COFACE wants to promote family friendly policies within all of the member states of the European Union. While this year’s project exclusively revolves around families, it is also closely related to 2010’s focus The European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion and 2012’s The European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations. The confederation hopes to be able to directly follow the success of last year’s campaign.

(209 words)

 

 

 

Suggestions for academic papers - 5 EU topics worth writing about

Interpreters working for the EU

I’m sure that many of us dream about being an interpreter for the EU as it certainly is a thrilling but also very challenging job. In doing so, it would be advisable to know more about it: What are the requirements for getting such a demanding job? Which languages are most in demand? How do interpreters cope with the time pressure at press conferences and what happens if they make a mistake?

Erasmus

Erasmus is an EU program that enables more than 200000 students every year to spend some time in another EU country. As I would like to go on Erasmus, I figured that getting in on it a bit more certainly wouldn’t hurtJ  Although I really look forward to a semester abroad, I think that I’m not the only one who is a bit deterred by the enormous amounts of bureaucracy stuff you have to fill in. So I think that we could all use some information about that.

Refugees in the EU

When asylum seekers try to cross into the European Union, they know they are putting their lives at risk. Yet thousands of African refugees are stranded somewhere on the European coasts, not knowing if there will be enough compassion for them to be admitted to the European Union. Keyword Lampedusa: How is the EU helping refugees?

Identification with the EU

When I sometimes ride on a bus and I hear people talking about various current events including whether or not Austria should resign its EU membership, I wonder if Austrians identify with the EU at all. I guess that a lot of people in Austria can’t really see the advantages from which they benefit through living in the EU. I think it would be interesting to hear what’s stopping them to do so and how inhabitants of other EU countries feel about living in this European community.

Health care in the EU

Even though it’s an interesting topic, I barely know what the European Union does in terms of health care, because it’s not really something that is in the news on a daily basis. I know that the EU offers its citizens the European Health Insurance Card, but to get beyond that further research would have to be done – best to be done so in an academic paperJ

 

The 5 Culture Presentations I would like to choose for the KGP

So the culture presentations took place on Wednesday and Thursday last week!
I think that was a big day for all of us, since this project was a big part of this semester. Eagerly and maybe nervously awaiting our big moment in the spotlight, I think everybody did a pretty good job. I also had the impression that the audience really paid attention.


These were the presentations I listened to:

1. The Columbian exchange
2. Why on earth would anyone live in Tornado Alley?!
3. Racial Segregation as Depicted in 2 Movies
4. Delta Blues
5. Deaf Art
6. Scientology
7. The Amish country
8. Recent gun discussion
9. Painted America
10. Harlem, NYC

And the 3 Irish ones:

1. Culture Connects
2. Patrick Nee
3. Operation Demetrius

It was a tough choice, but the 5 presentations I chose for the KGP are:

1. Racial Segregation as Depicted in 2 Movies
2. The Amish country
3. Painted America
4. Harlem, NYC
5. Ellen DeGeneres

To all of you: Good luck for the KGP!!:)

The end of a semester can be a new beginning...

I know I've been neglecting my duties as a blogger way too long, but I'm really willing to change for the better concerning a more consistant way of blogging in SUK3. (I hope I'm going to make it there :))

Lately, I've been thinking about what I really liked about my first year at university, what I didn't like and what went really wrong. While reflecting on my actions concerning last semester, I realized that there are a few things that I should do in order to enjoy university more:

• Stop doing homework assignments in the nick of time
• Going to bed earlier than I usually do (I guess going to bed at midnight isn't a good idea, is it?)
• "The early bird catches the worm" - This proverb suggesting waking up early clearly has a deeper meaning:)
• Get organized (arranging things really shouldn't be underestimated)
• Join a study group, which is especially in my case a good idea, since studying with other "fellow-sufferers" sometimes really motivates me

We'll see if I can live up to that:)