Welcome to The Boston Network Users Group

The Boston Network Users Group was Established in 1986

Our Next Meeting will be held on Tue, August 6, 2024

2024 August 6th Meeting – Strengths and Weaknesses of the Internet

As the Internet comes close to its 50th anniversary, how is it doing?

Why is the Internet so strong? Why is the Internet so vulnerable?

Strong: stellar performance during COVID

immense growth while still working well

number of people involved is astonishing

developing world has a lot of connectivity

Any business can advertise worldwide very inexpensively

lots of people can meet to discuss, plan and practice democracy, even if they live far away from each other

Positive effects on politics– messages sent very quickly

Access to wonderful free or low cost resources:  Libre Vox free audiobooks in the public domain, Richard Feynman’s physics lectures, youtube videos explaining how to replace a battery in a Surface 6

People use Facebook, LinkedIn and other programs to keep in touch

Education can be international, like our Rwanda class

 

Vulnerable:  Crowdstrike vulnerability — Thursday July 18th 

8 million Windows machines stopped working — Blue Screen of Death

Crowdstrike’s role is to PREVENT this from happening, but this spread throughout many Fortune 500 companies, Delta Airlines, hospitals.  How did this happen? 

Strong evidence that social networks are causing mental illness and suicidality in teenagers

Scamming has become the largest crime worldwide

What is the role of government in keeping the Internet working well, and what is the role of private companies, and what is the role of nonprofits?

Spread of lies and reinforcing stubborn ignorance by creating misguided kinship groups

developing world is connected by a very small number of companies, and we wonder what cultural effect the companies are having on these countries

Advertising revenue has been almost entirely removed from journalism, leaving us with few responsible, well-trained journalists being paid to do their job

lots of people can meet to discuss, plan and practice facism, even if they live far away from each other

Other negative effects on politics…messages can spread very quickly 

Lower attention spans– we follow the next shiny object that comes along

Strong evidence that Facebook, LinkedIn and other companies are exploiting people’s private lives for personal gain

 

Sharif: how the Internet has changed Pakistan

Tom: how the Crowdstrike disaster affected our society

Norm: the positive of collaborating around the world

the negative effects on politics

Adam: the joys of free resources to learn and grow

How Do I Get to The  Boston Network User Group Meeting

Who: All Are Welcome

Zoom Meeting Time: *7:00 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time)

* In Person Meeting gather at 6:30pm at Mass Bay

Click Here – How do I Get to the BNUG In-Person Meeting?

In-person Meeting Location: Atrium @ Mass Bay Community College &  Zoom

Click Button Below to get to Meeting room

Connecting to Zoom Meeting Information

For people who cannot come in person, we run the  meeting also on Zoom, and you are very welcome to join us.

• All Meeting Times are U.S Eastern Time Zones  (US and Canada)