Computer Applications in Business and Finance - Autumn 2007
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Lectures & Tutorials

Week 1: 20th September 2007

Lecture Slides

• Introduction [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].
• Computer Hardware and Software [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].
• Website Design 1 [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].

Week 2: 27th September 2007

Reading

• Firefox open source web browser.
• Introduction to the basic concepts of programming.
• Introduction to UML.
• Extreme programming.
• The case against extreme programming.

Lecture Slides

• Software Development [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].
• Website Design 2 [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].

Week 3: 4th October 2007

Reading

• More information about Wide Area Networks.
• Packet transmission.
• Packet switching demo.
• Introduction to MAC addressing.
• Overview of TCP/IP.
• TCP/IP Guide.
• Site that converts a domain name into an IP address.
• ICANN.
• World Wide Web Consortium.
• Internet censorship in China.
• Freenet.

Lecture Slides

• The Internet [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].
• Website Design 3 [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].

Week 4: 11th October 2007

Reading

• Introduction to databases.
• Introduction to databases.
• Introduction to database normalization.
• Database normalization.
• SQL tutorial.
• Article on MySpace.
• Article on data warehouses.
• Data warehouse information centre
• A more business-oriented article on data warehouses.
• Introduction to data mining.
• Data warehousing case study (PDF file).
• Data mining case study (PDF file).

Lecture Slides

• Databases [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].
• Website Design 4 [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].
• Cat website week 4 [ZIP].

Week 5: 18th October 2007

Reading

• Business-oriented handbook on computer security (PDF file).
• Online book on computer security.
• Guide to home computer security.
• Security Focus - high quality articles and news on security-related issues.
• Cost of cyberattacks (PDF document).
• Sony rootkit.
• Blaster worm.
• Using Google to access sensitive information.
• Malicious websites.
• Buffer overflow attacks.
• Buffer overflow attacks.
• Defence against buffer overflow attacks.
• Botnets.
• Ping of death denial of service.
• Distributed denial of service attack (DDos).
• DDos extortion.
• Man arrested for DDos attacks.
• Poor password security
• Keylogger scam.
• Failed attempt to steal £220 million using keyloggers.
• Physical access.
• Stolen laptop contains sensitive information.
• Roundtable discussion about the possibility of cyberterrorism.
• Hackers target utility control systems.
• Slammer worm disables safety monitoring system at nuclear plant.

Lecture Slides

• Computer Security [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].
• Assignments [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].

Week 6: 25th October 2007

Reading

• Introduction to public key cryptography.
• Illustrated guide to IPsec.
• US government spies on citizens without court orders.
• Freenet arguments for online privacy.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation (organization defending civil liberties online).
• Data retention law.
• List of anonymizers.
• Spam reaches 95% of all email.
• EU study on the cost of Spam.
• Spamhaus anti-spam organization.
• Feds arrest ‘Spam King’.
• List of disposable email address providers.
• Alternative way of creating disposable email addresses.
• Examples of hoax emails.
• Email obfuscator.
• UK Information Commissioner’s Office.
• Top ten data loss disasters.
• Study on bad hard drive disposal practices.

Lecture Slides

• Data Protection and Privacy [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].
• Website Design 5 [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].
• Cat website week 6 [ZIP].

Week 7: 1st November 2007

Reading

• Introduction to AI.
• Cyc logic-based system.
• Textbook on neural networks.
• Applications of neural networks in games.
• Video on artificial ants.
• Artificial Ants solve networking problems.
• Overview of genetic algorithms and their applications.
• Slide show on genetic algorithms.
• Evolution of a neural network to control a toy car.
• Eurobios.
• Artificial intelligence and the stock market.
• Stock market and genetic algorithms.
• More about the CRONOS project.

Lecture Slides

• Artifical Intelligence [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].
• Website Design 6 [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].
• Cat website week 7 [ZIP].

Week 8: 8th November 2007

Reading

• Work on biologically inspired robotics.
• Passive dynamic walker.
• iRobot company.
• Self-replicating robot.
• Military applications of robotics.
• Big Dog robot.
• Robots in agriculture.
• Nissan robot helper in car.
• DARPA Grand Challenge 2005.
• Wired article on Urban Grand Challenge.
• RoboCup 2007.
• Video of the humanoid RoboCup.
• Microsoft Robotics Studio.
• Player / stage robot development environment.
• Webots robot development environment.

Lecture Slides

• Robotics [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].
• Website Design 7 [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].
• Cat website week 8 [ZIP].

Week 9: 15th November 2007

Reading

• W3Schools AJAX tutorial.
• Website dedicated to AJAX.
• Mozilla information on AJAX.
• Google web toolkit.
• Adobe AIR.
• Microsoft Silverlight.
• Awards for the best mashups.
• Mashup site.
• Article on EBay Desktop.
• Article on online version of Photoshop.
• Google docs.
• FCKeditor.
• thinkfree.
• Gliffy.
• Google Maps.
• Google Gears.
• Mozilla Prism.

Lecture Slides

• AJAX [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].
• Website Design 8 [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].
• Cat website week 9 [ZIP].

Week 10: 22nd November 2007

Reading

• Xcerion.
• G.ho.st.
• EyeOS.
• YouOS.
• Desktoptwo.
• AJAX Windows.
• Article on Web-based operating systems.
• Tim O’Reilly’s essay introducing Web 2.0.
• Presentations given at the first conference on Web 2.0.
• Overview of Web 2.0.
• How to start a startup.
• Web 2.0 business models.
• Web 2.0 business.
• Article on the Long Tail.
• Article on Viaweb, which became Yahoo Store.
• Yahoo Store.

Lecture Slides

• Web 2.0 [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].

Week 11: 29th November 2007

Reading

• Overview of virtual reality.
• Site dedicated to virtual reality.
• Tele-immersion overview.
• Retinal scanning display.
• Virtual reality and medicine.
• Robotic surgery.
• Electronic books for surgical training.
• Da Vinci surgical system.
• Augmented reality corrects tunnel vision.
• Augmented vision for visually impaired.
• Virtual reality therapy company.
• Augmented reality version of Pacman.
• America’s Army.
• Article on America’s Army.
• Second Life.
• List of businesses and organizations in Second Life.

Lecture Slides

• Virtual Reality [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].
• Website Design 9 [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].
• Cat website week 11 [ZIP].

Week 12: 6th December 2007

Lecture Slides

• Exam Revision [PDF] [Zipped Powerpoint].