Friday, 5/23/97 Surfing the world COMPUTERS: Whether or not
people like it, the electronic age of computer technology is an
integral part of everyday life, as the information superhighway,
the Internet and global communication become increasingly
accessible to public and personal use
By Linda Yoon Daily Bruin Contributor As the 20th century comes
to a close, computer technology has advanced from mere word
processing to offering the general public access to all four
corners of the earth, simply with a click of the mouse. Many
students are becoming aware of the conveniences of the computer
age, not only for automatic spell checks and built-in thesauruses,
but for free communication through electronic mailing and
effortless research via the World Wide Web. "We’re in the age of
electronics, and computers are growing vastly as we speak," said
Zack Foster, a first-year electrical engineering student. Foster
had already been introduced to the Internet in high school and
currently takes advantage of the free Internet access UCLA provides
for students. He uses e-mail to communicate with his friends across
the country and clicks onto the information superhighway for
occasional entertainment, such as sports and Comedy Central. "I’ve
hit on bizarre sites before, like ‘whitepower.com’ and a page that
praises O.J. Simpson. I thought they might be sick or interesting,
or maybe something I might get offended by," Foster said. Aside
from the entertainment, Foster explains that computer skills,
including navigation around the World Wide Web, is vital for his
future. "If I stick with my major, I’ll definitely be using
computers. In fact, computers will be prominent in any business,"
he said. Richard Kroon, the manager of the Student Technology
Center, agrees that it is important that students familiarize
themselves with computers. "You don’t have to own (a computer), but
you certainly can’t get through college without one. It’s the
reality of our life, our age," Kroon said. "It’s difficult to go
into a professional career and not encounter a computer somewhere
where you have to use it." Kroon believes Internet access gives
students a fair amount of diverse information that would be
difficult to obtain otherwise. He also feels e-mail affords two
distinct advantages – time, independence and time to compose. "It
doesn’t matter whether the person is awake, in a different time
zone, or on vacation. You can send them something and get something
back from them. E-mail also gives you the opportunity, if you take
it, to compose your thoughts," Kroon said. "Many times, people just
spew a stream-of-consciousness and send it off, only to wonder why
(the receiver) is either confused or offended." Despite the
convenience of e-mail, it is not completely danger-free. Viruses
can be sent through e-mail, and once downloaded into the computer,
the virus can either destroy certain applications or the entire
hard drive. However, Kroon explains that e-mail viruses are rarely
effective in disabling computer applications as well as the hard
drive. In order to function properly, e-mail viruses must be
written for the specific operating system or application it is
being sent to. But the variety of e-mail systems is so broad,
viruses are usually unable to pinpoint and destroy specific
targets. Kroon emphasizes that most of the scares associated with
e-mail viruses are hoaxes. Kalpen Modi, a second-year theater
student, has yet to encounter an e-mail virus. In fact, he has yet
to encounter a computer that he likes. But he admits he enjoys
e-mail and World Wide Web access, especially since he has many
friends on the East Coast. "The big thing for me is e-mail because
of the whole communicating thing. It saves a lot of money on phone
bills," Modi said. Although he appreciates the benefit of free
communication, Modi claims e-mail also has its downside. Along with
normal messages from friends, Modi occasionally receives chain
letters. "I hate chain letters. Don’t send me any chain letters
because you’ll get a pretty nasty response, unless it’s an
awareness thing like safety issues on campus or a national crisis.
Sometimes, a list of jokes are fine as long as I don’t have to
forward it to 10 people (to have a better love life)," Modi said.
"It’s annoying to have to deal with something like that, especially
because I’ve tried it and it didn’t work." Modi recalls an incident
involving a chain letter claiming that, for each letter forwarded,
the American Cancer Society would donate seven cents to a young
girl dying of cancer. It was later discovered the American Cancer
Society was not involved, and the chain letter was only a prank. "I
know people do some pretty low and stupid things, but to joke about
something like that is really sick," Modi said. Despite the pranks
and chain letters, Modi feels the Internet is a well of knowledge
and can only benefit the user’s future, if utilized properly. As a
hopeful actor and producer, Modi has already had to deal with
computers in his field. "Everything’s digital and computer
generated. I just got done filming for Wes Cravens’ new movie …
(and in the scene), my head explodes. They explained the process
they were going to go through during the post-production to
digitilize my head exploding with special effects. I can’t wait to
see that," he said. Modi stresses that computers will be a part of
most people’s futures and is essential to finding a good career.
Brad Chapin, a third-year microbiology and molecular genetics
student, agrees that computers are necessary for advancement. His
own computer has not been turned off since January. "Computers are
an essential part of my everyday life. Computers keep me in touch
with my family and friends on a daily basis," Chapin said. Chapin
was part of the Office of Residential Life (ORL) computer support
staff earlier in the year, and was involved in computer programs
intended for on-campus students. He expressed disappointment at the
low student attendance of campus computer workshops sponsored by
the ORL. "I think computers are an essential part of anyone’s
future, because in this day and age technology is the driving force
behind our society. If you don’t have those computer skills, the
doors of opportunity are going to be shut to you because computers
are used in businesses across the globe," Chapin said. However,
Hector Garcia, a first-year undeclared student, believes the
Internet is dynamic, but is not useful either professionally or
educationally. "The Internet is a whole bunch of (incomplete)
information, and not very organized at all. If you’re looking for
something, you get something else, or you get things halfway
reliable," Garcia said. Garcia also believes computers are
degrading human society. "The grammar that people are using when
they write e-mail and chat on the Internet are degrading the
language," he said. "And those little sideways happy faces are
annoying." Chapin disagrees, and stresses that technology will
progress to better the Internet. He believes computers are an
opportunity for students to take advantage of knowledge and utilize
it in the best possible way. "Computers are a great source of
entertainment and information, and if applied properly, it’s only
going to expand the minds of individuals by actively seeking out
different places of the Web, of different countries and of
different cultures," he said. "They’re bound to learn something new
and something exciting."