Hi, all! As a quick note, if you’re having any trouble reading the comments on your presentation — which I understand, given the handwriting — I’ll be happy to go over them with you during my office hours or by appointment. The same goes for all future assignments for our class.

Given the timing of this weekend and the textbook we’re using for this class, I thought it would be appropriate to start this week’s discussion post by taking a step back in time to Apple’s famous “1984” Super Bowl advertisement. The commercial was revolutionary in its time, but most people aren’t aware that Apple executives hated the advertisement and tried to cancel it. (For those of you who have not seen the ad, a copy is embedded within the linked article.) What are your thoughts on the advertisement? What would you have done if you had to approve or reject it? What made it so great, and what about it could have turned into a catastrophe?

The internet officially ran out of IP addresses last week. Things should still be fine for at least a few months, according to most analysts, but there will ultimately have to be a change from the IPv4 format to IPv6. How do you think this will affect internet use, if at all? Could it derail internet browsers and other tools that rely on the IPv4 format? Given how long the IPv4 format has been used, how can the new format be effectively distributed across regions and countries? Should we expect any resistance or hesitation to conform?

Earlier this week, Apple made headlines by rejecting a prominent Sony application from its App Store without a clear reason. It turns out that Apple is tightening its policies in an attempt to receive some of the profits from publishers who use the iPad to distribute content like books and magazines. Some consumers and companies are concerned that this will force changes to a number of existing and future apps to avoid similar rejection. Likewise, Apple is gambling that publishers will be willing to share profits rather than abandon the App Store. What are your thoughts on this issue?

We certainly can’t let this week pass without looking at this evening’s Steelers-Packers showdown. It’s official: the Pittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl XLV!

…According to Madden 11, anyway. The video game simulated the matchup last week and predicted a back-and-forth battle, resulting in a 24-20 victory and Pittsburgh’s seventh Super Bowl win. Laugh if you like, but Madden has a strong track record with Super Bowl predictions since they started in 2004; in seven years, it has only missed one prediction (the Giants’ 2008 comeback against New England). It’s also been fairly close on some of the scores, particularly over the last couple of years. Every few years sports analysts return to the discussion of sabermetrics, or the prediction of sports outcomes based on individual and team histories and other available statistics. What do you think about the accuracy of video games for gameplay and predictions? How do you foresee the future of such simulations, whether in the sports realm, the social sphere, or other processes like chemical reactions and aerodynamics?

On a more somber note, a recent research study showed that the risk of cardiac arrest significantly increases following a Super Bowl loss by one’s favored team. The study itself is significant, but it might also be helpful to consider three different ways of reporting the research. How are they different? Why are they different? Would you have reported the study any differently?

Of course, we can’t end this post without returning to the story that’s been all over the news: Egypt. U.S. President Obama and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak have both voiced their approval for current Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman leading an Egyptian transition toward democracy. While this technically satisfies the demands for Mubarak’s departure, concerns remain among protesters and human rights activists about the integrity of that democracy, as Suleiman has not indicated that he will stop the policy of imprisoning political opponents. All things considered, will this be enough to curtail the current violence? Do you think this will be an improvement for the citizens of Egypt or not? How will this affect the international tensions within and beyond the Middle East?

Other articles of interest:
Fifth grader gets to report on Super Bowl XLV
Hackers Penetrate Nasdaq’s Computers
Facebook, Twitter Fans To Decide Fate of Barbie and Ken
‘Small’ iPad 2 introduction event later this month; launch in March: report
Meet Watson, the computer set to outsmart the champions of Jeopardy!
(related, from Week 1, IBM computer taking on ‘Jeopardy’ champs)