Thriving as a quadruple amputee

It is easy to assume that most people with all their limbs intact can hardly imagine the life of someone, who has had an amputation of a limb. Then, imagine a person who has no limbs at all. That is the case for CX, who is a quadruple amputee. 

However, he is still capable of very functions that might be hard to imagine for us. He has a wheelchair that can be lowered to floor level and bed height, so he can get himself around. However, he is still looking into prosthetics: due to his inability to dress, wash or go to toilet on his own without the help of prosthetics.

Still, he is capable of using a few different devices on his own. For example, he has his smartphone mounted to his wheelchair and he uses a hands-free speaker in order to operate his phone with voice commands. He can do things such as sending text messages and answering the phone without any touch, However, he is also capable of using his stump for some more complex actions.

His main way of using computers seems to be centered around using voice and voice commands. However, he also uses a mouth stick for desktop computers and laptops. This helps him contribute to household chores - he can do grocery shopping online, manage the family finances and keep up with the school notices of his four children.

In the future, CX wishes to drive on his own, achieve more independency when it comes to hygiene and be able to help in the kitchen. 

The article I am referencing was published in 2015, which means that hopefully CX has managed to gain more independence during this time.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0309364615579316

Kali Linux and Puppy Linux - a Comparison

 Puppy Linux is a lightweight operating system. The developers have kept in the ease of use while also minimizing the resources needed from the device itself to run the OS. Their own website claims that they are "grandpa-friendly certified". They also state that their product is a collection of multiple Linux distributions, meaning that each user can choose (or even create) from a wide variety of "flavors". The operating system is created for pretty much everyone, and even if the person does not need anything special (a regular grandpa), it is easy to use and lightweight, will most probably run nicely on grandpa´s old laptop.

Kali Linux, on the other hand, is very much directed towards IT professionals, more precisely, cyber security professionals. On their website, they advertise making the customer´s job easier, being available for most platforms and their customizability. It requires at least 2GB of RAM while Puppy Linux can make do with just 600MB. 

Obviously, the choice of OS is often mostly based on the user´s interest and tastes, however, in this case, it is also very important to note the capabilities of the machine that the OS is being installed on.

https://www.kali.org/#kali-highlights

https://puppylinux-woof-ce.github.io/faq.html

The Applicability of Hacker Ethic in 2022

 1. Access to computers - and anything which might teach you something about the way the world works - should be unlimited and total. Always yield to the Hands-On Imperative!

I definitely agree that this has been a goal not only to hackers, but the whole world in general. Nowadays, it is expected that all children learn to use a computer on some level at least (although, it usually seems that kids left to be "babysat" by a device actually have less computer skills).

2. All information should be free.

Of course, we are not trying to save computing cycles at this point. However, I suppose this point has a new meaning nowadays - people in general should have access to as much information as possible. People in general are rather used to having information about any topic imaginable at their fingertips.

3. Mistrust authority - promote decentralization

I would say that a lot of the Internet is "decentralized" - it does not belong to anyone, it is the making of everyone who is part of it. However, at the same time we have tech giants like Google and Facebook collecting our information. Obviously, these companies are not authorities in the traditional sense, but in some way it is eerie to think the authority they might have trough the snippets of information that they have collected over time. 

4. Hackers should be judged by their hacking, not bogus criteria such as degrees, age, race, or position.

I think people in tech are judged a bit less by their appearance in general, because to those they help they are often "wizards". The way computer-illiterate people look up to these "magical" folk (and then curse them to hell when the help they so desperately need does not arrive on time) might even make me believe that they were talking about a god. 

5. You can create art and beauty on a computer.

Definitely "more" true nowadays. Computers have become an unmatched helper in creating animations (for example Sullivan in "Monsters´ Inc"). Many artists nowadays prefer to use one of many available input devices meant for drawing. Recently, I really enjoyed the April Fools event on Reddit, where a subreddit called r/place was used to bring the whole community together via pixelart. Each Reddit user could place one pixel every 5 minutes. Estonians made an Estonian flag (obviously!) and later on tried to create an image of Suur Tõll. However, the Colombians decided to extend their flag which meant the literal erasure of our artwork.

Screenshot of Suur Tõll from r/place

6. Computers can change your life for the better.

I like the use of "can" instead of "will". Of course, computers have enabled humans to create things that were unthinkable a century or less ago. However, as I mentioned earlier - computers are not the greatest babysitters - they do not provide children with real company and do not teach social skills. Not to say that children should be kept away from their devices, however, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

Online Censorship and Privacy

 It makes sense that when it comes to privacy, the most vulnerable groups are likely children and people in need. If a child wondering the Internet decides to reveal their age or other information about themselves in a chatroom, for instance, it is highly possible that someone might take inappropriate interest in them. The more any person reveals about themselves online, the more likely it is that someone might try and exploit it.

I recently happened upon a reality show called "Adults Adopting Adults". It is a show where young people who might be in a vulnerable place are adopted by adults. I do not see anything really wrong with the idea itself, however, there was one family on the show that created quite the controversy. The adopting couple had a lot of marital issues, including the husband cheating and having feelings towards a young woman who they wanted to adopt before the show. During the show, the couple is adopting a young pregnant woman called Ileana, who flies over to the US from Austria. 

The husband, Danny, is the one that wants to adopt her, his wife is rather against the whole situation. As a compromise, they place Iliana in a trailer next to their home. They also suspect Iliana of "only caring for money" and catfishing them. Danny also makes sexual remarks about her behind her back.

So, why did this poor girl get into this situation in the first place? Obviously, she was in a vulnerable state being pregnant and homeless in Austria. She posted on a Facebook group for adult adoption about her issues. Thus, giving up information about her that a man like Danny could easily use for his benefit. I think she was likely too caught up in her problems to think what would a person like Danny be getting out of her moving to the US. In my opinion, a prime example of a person in need getting "help". The show was cancelled and the last episodes not even shown, most likely due to Danny´s inappropriate actions. 

I personally do not really believe in "stranger danger" - I am not afraid to make friends online. However, it still feels like finding "adult adopters" online in such a manner is probably really unsafe. I do wonder, if there are other vulnerable people who have fallen victim to such people, however, this is more likely a question of "how many", not "if".

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Wikipedia is often seen as the student´s most valuable aid, being a fast way to get information about all sorts of topics. Whenever I have a question about anything, the most accessible way to easily understand something is usually Wikipedia. And in essence, Wikipedia seems like a very innocent site. However, two countries have blocked it off from their citizens: China and Myanmar (after the coup d'état).

Red - Countries where Wikipedia is currently blocked; Dark green - previously blocked; Light green - previously partially blocked https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Wikipedia_website_blocks.svg/1920px-Wikipedia_website_blocks.svg.png

I was intrigued by why these countries, especially China had blocked off Wikipedia - the embodiment of "information freedom". I could not really find an answer. I could definitely see at least some reason for most of the other sites that they have blocked. My best guess is that Wikipedia could potentially share information that might undermine the government.

If anyone is wondering, why the UK is bright green, it is because they blocked a Wikipedia article about an album - the cover featured a prepubescent girl posing nude.

 

Analysis for Estonia´s National Cyber Security Index

If I were to guess, I would say that Estonia is doing pretty well security-wise. The biggest problem I have heard discussed in the general media, is the security of e-voting. However, it mostly seemed to be one party accusing everyone else of cheating and in the end did not bring any real conclusions, only mostly funny and ridiculous lists of why e-voting is bad (Source 1).

Looking at the NCSI (National Cyber Security Index) it seems that Estonia is doing quite well for itself. We are currently on the 5th place. What baffles me a bit is how Greece is in the first place - I have never heard of them dominating that field. When looking at Digital Development Level, Estonia ranks 20th. Not too bad, but definitely not great for a nation that is trying to uphold the image of being one of the most digitally advanced countries worldwide. (Source 2)

When looking at the data more closely, it seems that Estonia mostly scores maximum points, or looses a lot in certain spots.

Screenshot of NCSI comparison webpage: Incident and Crisis Management Indicators

As can be seen in the picture above, Estonia lost 3 points due to the lack of a cybercrime unit. 

Screenshot of NCSI comparison webpage: Education and Professional Development

Here the NCSI has pointed out the lack of a PhD programme for cyber security. In general, it seems that NCSI has done a great job analyzing Estonia´s cyber capabilities (they are also originated in Estonia:)).

To conclude, it seems that my assumptions were true - Estonia is well-developed in regards to cyber security. Of course, those who desire a PhD in Cyber Security must obtain their education from elsewhere or settle with some other PhD programme. 

Source 1 (Mentioning the list of problems with e-voting): https://web.archive.org/web/20200810060230/https://www.mkm.ee/et/uudised/tooruhm-tegi-ettepanekud-e-haaletamise-susteemi-taiendamiseks-ning-edasiseks-arendamiseks

Source 2 : https://ncsi.ega.ee/ncsi-index/?order=-ncsi