GUEST SPEAKER - JOEL LARSEN

So I was a little nervous about this guest speaker and his presentation. When I sat down in class and the slideshow was titles "databases" I figured it was going to be a lot of detail oriented information and quite possibly over my head. I do have a background working with databases when I was active duty in the military, but it has been years since I worked in the field.
I was pleasantly surprised when Joel's presentation was the complete opposite of what I was expecting. He was very personable and kept the information on a basic type level so that he wouldn't lose the whole class with glossed over looks.
I think my favorite part of his presentation was when he spoke about the NCR (National Cash Register). When he explained how grocery stores use to operate, I was blown away. The system 50 years ago seems more simple, but also that there was a huge margin of error. Lots of money could be lost very easily just by counting wrong or human error at checkout. With the advancements of databases and being able to electronically keep track of inventory and prices for everything, the margin of error was significantly reduced. Also, there was a huge increase in the number of products and brands that were now available to the consumer. Pretty amazing!
It's things like the advancement of NCR that people don't think about, but most people would not be able to do much throughout their normal day if databases weren't around. They help this scary world of technology be more organized and filter the mass amounts of information in an instant. Joel had a great presentation! I would definitely like to learn more from him.

3 THINGS I WOULD NEVER BUY ONLINE

When I was in high school, I had a part time job working at the JCPenney catalog call center. I would have all of the magazines and catalogs that were in circulation in front of me at my desk as references, and would answer call after call of people wanting to place orders. Not only did I enter in the information that the customer would give me, but I would add on extras such as gift wrap or magazine subscriptions. At the end of the call I would take the credit card information and move on the the next customer. I was essentially a shopping cart. I would collect the products to be purchased and help get them home to each person.

Nowadays, this whole process is done online. Not only can you choose your different size, color, or details, but you can see each of the products on the screen in front of you. You can browse all different looks and makes without having to flip through hundreds of pages. With this amazing technology of online shopping, a lot of guessing also comes into play. Because you can't see and touch the products in person, you must rely on trust of what the online resource states about the product. This trust is sometimes very easy because it is a cheaper product or something that can be easily returned. Other times, however, it is very hard to put my trust into the online world. Here are some of the things that I would never buy online.

1- PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION: Personally, I would find it very difficult to receive prescription medication online. I have quite a few allergies to certain medications, so I am very wary about who fills my prescriptions. Not knowing the actual source would make me scared.

2- ANIMALS: I have had so many family pets in my life so far. From dogs to cats to bird and fish. I know that animals require a lot of attention and medical care just like humans do. Without knowing the breeder or current care situations of the pet, it would be very hard for me to purchase a pet online. So many people can scam you about the pets current health, the pets background with other animals or children, and their exact breed. For these reasons, I would want to speak with a person face to face before purchasing a pet.

3- USED ELECTRONICS: The reason I would not buy any used electronics online, is because I am guilty for selling something that had some damage internally that I did not disclose to the buyer. When I was 18 I wanted to sell my camera and I knew that the flash didn't work. I wanted money to buy a new one, so I listed it on EBAY to sell. I set it at a decent price so that nobody would be suspicious of it. The camera sold quickly and I was able to purchase another one. However, I have had a guilty consciousness about it ever since. I could never buy a used electronic without trying it first and knowing that all the components work.