Assignment:
Primary Task Response: Within the Discussion Board area, write 400 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.
Note: There are 2 parts to this assignment.
Part 1
The purpose of this exercise is to explore the importance of technology in your life. How pervasive is technology? How does it affect you? Think of your typical day, from the time you wake up until you go to sleep. How many technological items touch your life in a single day? Write down as many items as you can think of in 5 minutes. Now, share your experience with others.
Write the answers to the following questions on the Discussion Board:
- How many items did you identify?
- List the 5 most important items that you cannot live without.
- List the 5 least important items that you can live without.
- What percentage of these items have been invented since you were born?
Responses to Other Students: Review at least 2 other posts. Comment on the following:
- Identify similar important items.
- Identify similar unimportant items.
- Comment on why these items are considered important or unimportant.
- What could you say about the relation between the number of new items and a person's age?
Part 2
The events of 9/11 demonstrated the catastrophic effects of subverting critical infrastructure. Traditional weapons of mass destruction (WMD) provide another avenue for inflicting catastrophic damage. The knowledge, technology, and materials that are needed to build WMD are spreading. If terrorists acquire chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear capabilities, they are likely to try using them, with potential consequences far more devastating than those of 9/11.
Write the answers to the following questions on the Discussion Board:
- Which type of WMD (chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear) do you think is the most destructive? Why?
- Which type of WMD do you think is the easiest for terrorists to acquire? Why?