Engineers In Society 2008.05.16

Engineers in Society

Charles Mok

Internet Society Hong Kong

May 16, 2008

How did I become an engineer?

The spirit of discovery

One small step at a time…

“That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” – Neil Armstrong, first man on the moon, July 20, 1969. (BS 1955 Aeronautical Engineering, Purdue; MS 1970 Aerospace Engineering, USC)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCt1BwWE2gA

Who are they?• 22 NASA astronauts from Purdue

• “Here Man Completed His First Exploration of The Moon. December 1972 A.D. May The Spirit of Peace In Which We Came Be Reflected In the Lives of All Mankind.” Apollo 17, 1972.

• Latest: Mark Polansky, pilot of Atlantis, mission STS-98, Feb 2001• The spirit of Contribution, Discovery, Courage, Sacrifice.

Virgi “Gus” Grissom Roger Chaffee Neil Armstrong Eugene CernanBS Mechanical Engg 1950 BS Aeronautical Engg 1967 BS Aeronautical Engg 1956 BS Electrical Engg 1956Killed in flash fire in Apollo 1 capsule during testing, MS Aerospace Engg 1970 MS Aeronautical Engg 1964January 27, 1967 first man on the moon last man on the moon

Back down to earth…the Internet

• On Sep 2, 1969, the first node of the ARPANET was installed at UCLA

• This was the first successful wide-area packet switching network, and became the core of the Internet

• May 1974: “A Protocol for Packet Network Intercommunications,” Vint Cerf & Bob Kahn, IEEE Transactions on Communications – price (2004): US$7,500 in a NY antique bookstore

• Today (Mar 2008): 1,407,724,920 users (Internetworldstats.com)

Vint Cerf, now Chief Internet Evangelist, Google

World Internet statistics

Internet issues we face

• Technical -> Policy -> Social/economical– Reliability and availability– Security and privacy

• Security of routers, DNS, servers and clients• QOS for real-time services• Personal privacy• Authentication of parties in transactions• Email spamming

– Broadband deployment, including wireless– IPv6

• 128 bits address space (1038)• Eliminates need for Network Address Translation• Consumer electronics will be IPv6 enabled

Internet issues we face

• Technical -> Policy -> Social/economical– Regulatory issues

• Telecom and broadcasting– Intellectual property

• Copyright vs. copywrong• Creative Commons

– Anti-spamming– Privacy

• Personal privacy, database theft/loss etc.• RFID initiated issues

– Digital inclusion / digital divide – Freedom of speech

• China’s GFW• Web 2.0: user generated content, citizen journalism

What should engineers do then?

• What are the values of professionals?– Professional judgment and analysis– Professional independence– Professional freedom– Professional integrity– Pursuit of public interest– Improve quality of public governance– Empower the community in policy-making process

Relief.Asia

• DUMBO– Digital Ubiquitous Mobile Broadband OLSR– Developed by Asian International University (Thailand)– http://www.interlab.ait.ac.th/dumbo/what_is_dumbo.php

• Sahana– Free and Open Source Disaster Management System– Developed by Sri Lankan IT community after Dec 2004

Asian Tsunami– http://www.sahana.lk/

• www.relief.asia • Engineers Without Border – will be formed

Change the world• The engineers – solving problems, and more…

• “Ordinary people have more power to do public good than ever before because of the rise of non-governmental organizations, because of the global media culture, because of the Internet, which gives people of modest means the power, if they all agree, to change the world.”

-- Bill Clinton, at Harvard College Class Day 2007, Harvard Yard, June 6, 2007

• “Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?' But, conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because one's conscience tells one that it is right.”

-- Martin Luther King Jr.

Thank you!

Charles Mok

Internet Society Hong Kong

www.isoc.hk

charlesmok.blogspot.com

www.it360.hk