Will Laguzza

  I chose to speak on the word "Disinformation" today.  This word has become extremely popular. Since the election of President Donald Trump in 2016, this word has been used more times than I can count. We hear it on TV on every news channel. We read it in every newspaper. We see it on social media platforms. The word is everywhere!!!  But what does it actually mean? Some people mistakenly use it interchangeably with the word "misinformation." Although these two words sound similar, they have very different meanings. "Misinformation" is false information given out by mistake with no malicious intent. However, "Disinformation" is false information given out deliberately and with the intent to mislead or deceive. As you can see these two words mean very different things. Unfortunately, today we see disinformation way more than we should.  Disinformation is defined as "false information which is intended to mislead especially propaganda issued ...

 The Diffusion of Innovations Theory tries to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread. Everett Rogers argues that "diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time." I have chosen to examine Bluetooth technology and see how, why, and at what rate this technology spread.  Under this theory, five main elements influence the spread of a new idea or technology. They include 1. the innovation itself, 2, communication channels, 3. adopters, 4. time, and 5. social system. For an innovation to be self-sustaining it must be widely adopted. Bluetooth technology was invented by Dr. Jaap Haartsen in 1994. He was working for Ericsson's Mobile Terminal Division. This technology allows devices to be connected and to communicate with each other without wires. This innovation transformed the way we communicate and share data.                    According, to ...

  How many in this class have a wireless keyboard? How many have wireless headphones or a JBL speaker? If you have any of these wireless accessories you can thank Bluetooth technology. Bluetooth technology is a wireless system that connects devices together. It is responsible for connecting your computer to your wireless keyboard and your iPhones to your air pods or your wireless speaker.  Bluetooth technology was invented by Dr. Jaap Haarsen in 1994. It uses radio waves. However, Bluetooth technology would not have been possible if it had not been for a few very important men back in the 1800s. A man named James Clerk Maxwell believed that was an electric magnetic spectrum. He believed that electric magnetic waves could be transmitted through the air rather than through a wire. A man named Heinrich Hertz proved that Maxwell was correct. Hertz was the first person who was able to move electricity without wires. In the early 1900s, Reginald Fessenden created a device that allow...

 Our world has changed positively and negatively, over the past twenty-five years since scientists at CERN created the World Wide Web. (https://home.cern) The positive changes include how the internet transformed how the world does business. The Internet made doing business, easier, faster, and more efficient. For example, before the Internet, documents such as contracts or invoices, had to be sent through the US Post office, or by courier, or faxed. All of which took time. Thanks to the Internet, these documents can be sent and received immediately through email or text. Another positive is how websites such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok enable us to keep in touch with friends and family who may live far away. We can keep them updated with pictures of what we have been up to. However, as wonderful as all of these positives have been, they have come at a cost. The cost has been our privacy. Before the internet existed, we determined who saw our pictures, who we told about our ...

The Values of Free Expression   After more than a century of religious oppression under European and colonial rule, the framers of the US Constitution sought to create a more enlightened society where fundamental freedoms would be protected and thereby create a stronger country and society. The founding Fathers came up with the Bill of Rights and one of the amendments was the First Amendment which protected the freedom of speech, religion, and the right to assemble from government oppression. Many of these ideas were articulated in the Federalist Papers and were derived from philosophers and economists such as John Locke and John Milton. James Madison, who was one of the authors of the Federalist Papers, "introduced 12 amendments to the First Congress in 1789. Ten of these would go on to become what we now consider the Bill of Rights."  The Constitution In 1859 John Stuart Mill published On Liberty. "Is thought to be the origin of translating market competition into a th...

I get my news from several different sources because I like to hear multiple points of view. I want to understand all sides of an issue. I want to hear other perspectives, so I can decide where I stand on any particular issue. Here are five of my favorite news sources.  1. Fox News: To be honest, I started watching Fox News with my parents when I was young. They made me and my siblings watch Fox News, CNN, and BBC every weekend. They instilled in us the belief that it is important to know all the different views so we can make our own decisions. Now that I am old enough to vote I realize that this was really good advice. So now, I watch Fox News because I want to hear the conservative point of view. It is important to get the conservative point of view because it is a Presidential election year. I want to make sure I hear both sides before I vote in November. I would recommend this news source because it will give you the conservative view that you will not get on any of the other ...

 1. The one thing that I learned about the Supreme Court that I didn't already know was how much the Dred Scott case hurt the Supreme Court. I didn't realize that the American people lost faith in the Supreme Court. This was the most divisive issue in American History. Dred Scott tried to claim his freedom under an act of Congress. Under Chief Justice, Rodger Brooke Taney, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress had the power to ban slavery and that blacks could never be citizens. I learned from this video that this decision weakened the authority of the Supreme Court for many years.  2. The most important takeaway point about the Supreme Court is if the Supreme Court "Stops defending the Constitution or the American people stop listening to the Supreme Court, One of the treasures that this the freest nation in the world will cease to exist. The power of the Supreme Court depends on the trust it earns from the American people.   3. The surprising thing I learned was th...