Name: Bryant Hernandez

Per: 1 Date: 02/09/19
Explorer Task Computational Artifact
iCloud
2a) Provide information on your computing innovation and computational
artifact. Name the computing innovation that is represented by your
computational artifact. Describe the computing innovation’s intended
purpose and function. Describe how your computational artifact illustrates,
represents, or explains the computing innovation’s intended purpose, its
function, or its effect.
The computing innovation I chose was Apple’s iCloud. This innovation has many
functions, such as being able to store individuals’ photos and other personal
documents. Its intended purpose is to act as an online storage service; somewhere
to store all your files and access them across all your devices that share the same
account. iCloud, in some cases, can even be used to find a lost device. The picture
depicts the process of iCloud and the lower photo shows that accessing iCloud is
through an apple account.
2b) Describe your development process, explicitly identifying the computing
tools and techniques you used to create your artifact. Your description must
be detailed enough so that a person unfamiliar with those tools and
techniques will understand your process.
(Must not exceed 100 words)
I used Adobes Photoshop to conjoin the two phots. I simply dragged the images onto
the canvas and scaled appropriately with the integrated scale-tool that photoshop
comes with. I then used the built-in export tool to export the image as a pdf file.
2c. Explain at least one beneficial effect and at least one harmful effect the
computing innovation has had, or has the potential to have, on society,
economy, or culture.
(Must not exceed 250 words)
iCloud has potential to deter situations that result from the lack of phone storage.
iCloud automatically instantaneously uploads photos that are taken, this gives the
user an advantage as it is not taking up space on the storage on the phone, but
rather on the online-storage that iCloud provides. However, uploading photos and
documents onto an online-storage does have its disadvantages. For starters, to cost
of expanding the space of iClouds storage is overwhelming, which affects people
finically as it is a monthly subscription. Having photos and personal documents
automatically uploaded does have its risks as well. If an unwanted individual were
to access this online-storage, they’d potentially have access to all the files on your
phone, which in most cases, are important documents such as passwords and
personal photos. This can affect an individual socially as it is violating their legal
privacy and possibly exploiting security information and photos that can have
detrimental effects towards their social lives.
2d. Using specific details, describe:
the data your innovation uses;how the innovation consumes (as input), produces
(as output), and/or transforms data; and at least one data storage concern, data
privacy concern, or data security concern directly related to the computing
innovation.
(Must not exceed 250 words)
iCloud uses a cloud storage system, which “stashes data on hardware in a remote
physical location, which can be accessed from any device via the internet” (How it
works team). This data is then transformed into packets of information, traveling
across different servers but ending up at the same destination. All these files
end up in a data center, which are designed to keep these files safe from theft and
to make available whenever an individual wants to access it. However, it not
impossible for someone to manipulate the system and gain account information to
view an individual’s personal files. This brings the risk of having files leaked and
potentially exploited.
References
2e. Provide a list of at least three online or print sources used to create
your computational
artifact and/or support your responses through in-text citation to the
prompts provided in
this performance task.
At least two of the sources must have been created after the end of the
previous academic year.
For each online source, include the complete and permanent URL. Identify
the author, title,
source, the date you retrieved the source, and, if possible, the date the
reference was
written or posted.
For each print source, include the author, title of excerpt/article and
magazine or book, page
number(s), publisher, and date of publication.
If you include an interview source, include the name of the person you
interviewed, the date
on which the interview occurred, and the person’s position in the field.
Include in-text citations for the sources you used.
Each source must be relevant, credible, and easily accessed.
(Note: No word count limit for this answer)
Editor. (2018, September 12). Disadvantages of iCloud. Retrieved from
https://www.icloudcentral.com/disadvantages-of-icloud/
McCarthy, D. (2018, January 12). The pros and cons of Apple's iCloud Photo Library. Retrieved
from https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/technology/the-pros-and-cons-ofapples-icloud-photo-library/
How it Works Team. (2016, January 04). Cloud storage: What is it and how does it work? –
How It Works. Retrieved from https://www.howitworksdaily.com/cloud-storagewhat-is-it-and-how-does-it-work/
Strickland, J. (2008, April 30). How Cloud Storage Works. Retrieved from
https://computer.howstuffworks.com/cloud-computing/cloud-storage.htm