1/25/2017 2 Comments Bridges and QuizesFor my first ever blog post, I will be speaking my mind regarding the topics of the good in bridges and also about an article I have read about unethical programming.
An interesting question was asked by our professor "Name something that is intrinsically good", in other words, what by nature is just plain good? After thinking extensively about the topic, and going through many ideas ranging from cats to crayolas, I ended up deciding that bridges are, in my eyes, intrinsically good. I say this because no bridge is built without a purpose, or without adding some sort of utility to the area. A bridge does exactly what it was meant to do, to close the gap across a previously difficult ravine or crossing. This in of itself can only add good to its surroundings. Bridges also come in all shapes and sizes, from freeway overpasses allowing two roads to glide by each other without much of a hiccup, to a handicap ramp allowing those who would otherwise unable to cross the difficult terrain we call stairs. The existence of bridges is intrinsically good, and to its polar opposite the term "burning the bridge" is meant to be used to signify a bad event that caused two previously united beings from being connected. Lastly, in a more literal sense, burning actual bridges that cross rivers, ravines, and other dangerous alleys is literally done to disconnect one area from others. Another very interesting topic, not so related to bridges, is a theoretical last line of defense. An article that I was given to read by our professor speaks about a programmer and his story about a time he was told to make an ad, disguised as a website targeting teenagers. At first it may not seem that bad, and to me while reading it didn't either. There are plenty of websites that seemingly only exist to promote a single product or family of products. Cereal boxes are some of the most known for this, telling kids to visit their site to play games surrounding the idea of Captain Crunch or Fruity Loops. These in of themselves do not seem bad, and actually offer some sort of utility to the children visiting them, they get to play games, albeit usually poorly designed. In the case of the programmer asked to make a similar website, the product in the spotlight was a drug that the company held stakes for. Furthermore, the website contained a quiz that was meant to help 'diagnose' the user and recommend a drug for them. This although seems fine and dandy, but the quiz requirements, no matter what the user answered the questions with, were to recommend the same drug every time, all the time. This I feel is wrong, especially since the website posed itself as an info site, with a hidden agenda. Finally, what I think is proof that this site worked extremely well, and for the wrong reasons is that the programmer was later informed that there was in fact a girl who had fallen for the site and the quiz, taken the drug and ended up passing away not too long after. Ref: Article /t
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