Human vs. Machine

In the argument of humans vs. machines humans are the thesis and machines are the anti-thesis. Humans were the beginning and then machines came afterwords. Humans have feelings and are alive they are organic and nature. Machines are inorganic, they are made out of metals and plastics. They are logical and not alive. Machines are the exact opposite of human beings. In class our professor raised the question of how can humans and machines join together without a problem occurring? He explained how a synthesis starts to occur and that machines start to become human-like. The example given in class was the terminator movie and how a man becomes a machine and how a machine becomes a human. This synthesis of human and machine is referred to as a cyborg. There is a movie that is called Cyborg where a plague takes over and a certain cyborg woman who is half woman half machine contains the cure to the plague. This 1989 action packed movie was in reality introducing the notion that people can become synthesized with a machine. Now we are claiming that humans can become synthesized with their computers and their cell phones. This takes the saying, attached to your cell phone literally.

The World of Video Games

EA Games is currently bringing in the most amount of gross pay compared to any other company. Video games are on the rise. In class we talked about why video games have become so appealing to gamers throughout the years. One of the major reasons that video games have become so popular is because they are like a second life to people. In video games such as Call of Duty and Sims, a gamer is able to go onto the video game and play the role of someone else. This second life aspect becomes appealing to people because they are able to play a different role in society. This is also known as role playing. There are many different kinds of role playing such as gaming, theater, and even historical re-enactments. People enjoy role playing because they are able to become a different person within society. Some really intense gamers even bring their gaming role into the real world and have a hard time separating the two lives. There are many websites where gamers can go and talk to other gamers. They have gamer social networks. Intense gamers will substitute their fantasy life for real life and live through their video games. Video games allow us to explore various types of identities and allow us to work out the displeasure that we may experience with our current identities. Many gamers enjoy this because they feel that video games are very concrete and that they can control how their lives play out.

Healthy Social Networks

Recently in class we were asked to read an article about how social networks can affect a person's health. At first I thought that this meant that if a person is involved in more social networks then they have a good chance of being happy which will ultimately affect their health. This is not what the article was trying to claim. The article discusses how being in a social network can help you to become immune to different viruses. It says that being around people will build your immune system and help you to remain healthy. Then the article describes the different types of social networks. The two types that it talks about are the dyad and the triad. A dyad is a social relationship between two nodes or social units. A triad is a social relationship among three nodes. Although the difference between them seems minor, in reality it is major. A dyad is a strong but unstable relationship. Both partners involved tend to be very intensely and intimately involved. A triad however consists of alliances and is more stable. This is because there is always a mediator that can help to keep the entire group together. I think that this makes sense because I have a brother and a sister and when there is an argument between two of us, usually the third one will try to mediate and fix the problem. I found an article that further studies the effects of social networks on people's health. The article discusses how social networks are both good and bad for a person's health.

Hypertext

Hypertext is changing the way that people obtain knowledge. Hypertext has made it possible for people to be constantly learning new things, even if they do not realize it. Hypertext makes it easy to move from information to information, topic to topic. Hypertext is fluid and has multiple vectors. It contains links which allows people to instantaneously see related information by clicking on them. Hypertext is the new and improved version of print. With print, it took a long time to reproduce information and it took a long time to access related information because a person must find the publication first. Ted Nelson coined the word "hypertext" in 1965 and worked with Andries van Dam to develop the Hypertext Editing System in 1968. Hypertext gives Web surfers the ability to issue many commands on any text on the web, not only pre-written links. Hypertext has really advanced and helped when it comes to retaining knowledge.

Art in the Age of Mechanics

The publication, Art in the Age of Mechanics was discussed in class this week. I have looked further into this essay online to get a better understanding of it. I found a review of the essay saying "In the absence of any traditional, ritualistic value, art in the age of mechanical reproduction would inherently be based on the practice of politics." In the essay he discusses mechanical reproducibility and the development of types if art such as film. In class we talked about how film is like the internet and new media. This meaning that film and montages are changing and moving so fast and so is the internet. With the internet we can change and manipulate the world via YouTube and web pages. This raises the question if the internet and new media will break us out of our old mold or will it further our ways. The internet can help us to change media or it can assist us in keeping media the same. Also, the essay talks about politics and in class we discussed how the internet could just be another form of capitalism. All of these issues are covered in the essay, Art in the Age of Mechanics. The essay which happens to be the most frequently cited of Benjamin's essays.

Knowledge is Power

Is knowledge power? Can knowledge change a person, society, the world? Knowledge does impact all of the above because knowledge can change or prevent change in one's life. What exactly is knowledge? In class we spoke about what we think knowledge is. I proposed the idea that knowledge is experience. I believe that knowledge is what a person gains from different experiences throughout their life. Knowledge is often confused with information which is given to a person. Facts and information are things that are imbedded into a person's brain to remember not something that they are knowledgeable about but something that they remember. If knowledge is based on experiences, knowledge can cause a person to change or prevent change. For example, the saying, "we learn from the past" means the same thing as changing or not changing something because of what we have experienced before. Many companies and organizations have started to use their knowledge (experiences) to change the way that they work. For example, Recall North America, a global leader in information management, announced it has teamed up with the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), a national network of 82 free, open-enrollment, public charter schools. KIPP has a track record of preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life. If students have more knowledge and experience more they will be able to direct their lives so that they can succeed. Also, by helping students realize that they can change themselves, they are able to then realize that they can also change the world. Students are the future of our country and if they are being involved and using their knowledge, they will be able to make the world a better and more functioning society.

http://www.lostremote.com/2010/03/29/embracing-a-new-media-paradigm/

Who Writes Wikis!?

On MSNBC.com I found an article that talks about who writes Wikipedia articles. I found this interesting because for our New Media class has us make our own Wikipedias. Wikipedias can be altered by anybody that would like to add their own knowledge on a certain topic. Researchers have found that there are many different types of people that post to the Wikis. They found that usually a person that posts to one Wiki, will then post to others, but they will not play the same "role" in both articles. The researchers found that there were six types of contributors. They were categorized by their level of contribution. "Entries largely built by "all-round editors," who are active in all angles of writing, editing and linking, garnered the most top-quality ratings." This means that articles that have been edited numerous times by those who have contributed to many articles have more credibility. One point that they researchers want to make is that just because an article only has editors that are one-time editors, doesn't mean that they are not worthy. They stress that in order to make Wikipedia more credible, there must be more contributors. I think that by having different types of people in our groups in class we are all making our Wikipedia more credible by editing it multiple times with different types of opinions.

Government Tweets

White house and administration officials are increasingly communicating through the social networking site Twitter. Twitter is operating as a Web-based clearinghouse for public statements on weighty subjects and the mundane. Twitter is similar to a bulletin board where anyone can post short notes and you can choose to see other people's notes by choosing to "follow" their account. White house pres secretary Robert Gibbs and his deputy Bill Burton are both now sharing news in Twitter messages. U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice tweets about diplomacy, Assistant Secretary of State Arturo Valenzuela tweets about the Western Hemisphere and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke tweets about trade. Twitter has proved to be a powerful tool for mobilizing causes and protest movements by allowing people to use common phrases to link subjects by theme. In Washington, that translates into hashtags — key words preceded by the symbol for a pound sign — such as (pound sign)whitehouse or (pound sign)gop that users key in to find connected nuggets.
This Twitter craze is just another example of how the Obama Administration has used the internet during their campaign and first years in the office. I think that Obama was smart to start using social networking sites to deliver news. I personally follow President Obama on Twitter and on Facebook. By using social networking sites Obama is able to reach the younger crowd. I never seem to find the time to read the newspaper but when I am on the computer and a message pops up from President Obama that is explaining what is going on in the White House I feel that it is more relative to my life. By using the media (social networking sites) Obama has been able to reach out to those who may not usually follow the news (well he got me at least.)

Free Internet

Globescan performed a recent study that asked 27,000 adults if they believe that they have the right to free internet. Of the 1,035 Americans that were polled, 51% strongly agreed that they have the right to free internet, and 25% somewhat agreed that they should have free internet. The study also asked respondents if the Internet should be subject to regulation "by any level of government anywhere." In the U.S., 32 percent of respondents strongly agreed and 25 percent somewhat agreed that it should not be regulated.
The report found that Americans are more likely than others to say that the Internet has given them greater freedom (85% of Americans rather than 78% worldwide). Internet users in the U.S. are more likely to express this freedom through speech. The only concerns that Americans have expressed are fraud and loss of privacy.
If the internet was free, more people would be able to access the knowledge that is on the internet. The internet is truly an advantage to those who want to continue to learn. The right to knowledge should not have a price, so neither should the internet. In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission is expected to deliver a plan for nationwide broadband access to Congress later this month.

Computer Knowledge

Something that really got my attention in class was when the professor was talking about knowledge and the computer. Each computer has a specific architecture. The architecture of a computer is it's software and hardware. The computer only contains so much knowledge but it is knowledge that the user wants it to contain. There are three computer-human interactions. The first one is the model of "you". The second interaction is the model of the computer and "your" model of it. And the third interaction is the computer's model of "you're" model of it's model of "you". These interactions are important because they are what make up the knowledge of the computer and that the computer possesses. These interactions are implicit knowledge because it is knowledge that is already known. The computer holds the knowledge that you want it to and so it is ultimately a model of you. One funny comic strip that I found shows the knowledge of a student and how the computer comes to help.

Technology and Society

Williams raised the question "Did we form technology or did it form us?" This question raises many other questions about technology and society. I think that society is constantly demanding more from technology. For example, it is not necessary to have a cell phone that also can be substituted as a camera or a computer. The issue is that society wants a cell phone that can do multiple things so they develop and change technology so that they can get what they want. Technology wouldn't continue to develop if there wasn't someone to try to develop it.
Society has the urge to continue growing and developing. There is a high demand for technology to do more and more for us. Referring to a previous post of mine, the new I-Pad is a prime example of how there is a demand for technology to do more and more. The good thing is that with the technology that we have today, we can do way more than we every thought that we could. I think this is a good thing but some people believe that it is a bad thing. I think that being able to multi-task by using technology has helped people more than it has hurt them.
A recent article that I found on MSNBC.com has stated that technology is pulling people away from their real world and having them live in a fantasy and internet-centered world. There are multiple examples of people being in a public place or with a loved one and completely zoned out on their smartphones. Experts say that many divorce counselors keep hearing the same complaint, "My loved one is never here mentally just physically." This complaint is because of the overuse of the smartphones. I think that problem isn't the phones but it is the people that are using them. Many people have these phones but don't feel as if they have to be on it at all times. The phones are meant for making life easier, people just have to make sure that they use them correctly.

Ashton Kutcher Tweets to Fans While in Russia

Ashton Kutcher who is an actor and now a new web-savvy activist reported that he will be "crowd sourcing" questions about the Kremlin's push to develop a Russian Silicon Valley to his Twitter fans. Ashton is part of a U.S. delegation of technology and social media group. He arrived in Moscow as part of the White House's efforts to improve ties with Russia. Ashton said that he will translate the Russian voice to the American audience. Ashton wants to help the Kremlin to advance their technology by building their own high-tech center. The Kremlin announced that it would develop its own Silicon Valley to hep modernize Russia's economy, which is highly dependent on energy exports. During this visit the delegation will try to urge Russian government, students, and businessmen to utilize social media and innovative technologies to overcome problems such as human trafficking and corruption.
This article is relevant to our New Media class because actor Ashton Kutcher is using Twitter (a social networking site) to share the progress on this project in Russia. In my Education class we were talking about how young adults today do not read the newspaper daily to catch up on happenings around the world. Most young adults rely on the Internet or the television to tell them what is happening. Sites such as Twitter have become a way that these young adults get their information. Ashton Kutcher is playing to this theory by helping more people know and understand what is going on with the progress in Russia.

History of Technology According to McClulen

In class today the professor covered the history of technology according to McClulen. This lecture was interesting because it covered the different types of technology and media that were present throughout time. The invention of the printing press was the first thing that really started to make the printing faster and more efficient. It helped to cut down on labor time and it was able to be altered and changed so that it could print more than one book. The one thing that I found extremely interesting in the lecture was the talk of how technology and media change the way that one thinks and sees the world. This idea is holds true because of the way that my parents think and see the world vs. the way that I do for example. My parents are not very computer savvy and they would never think to use the computer for some things that I would jump right on the computer for. I taught my mom how to use the computer for looking up directions, recipes, etc. She said that she thought the internet was only good for e-mails and facebook. I laughed because I knew that there were so many things that would be helpful to my mother that she could find on the internet.

Happenings

In class the professor decided to do an activity with us by having everyone pick a word. This word could be anything as long as the person next to you didn't have a word that started with that same letter. Then the class was told to go one-by-one and say our word aloud. The class was really confused but followed directions. Then the directions were to say the words louder and faster and even louder and even faster. It was fun to watch the expressions and reactions of the students in the class because it was easy to see that they were uncomfortable and confused but continued to take part in the activity. It wasn't until after that the professor told us that what we had taken part in was considered a happening. A happening is a type of art form that is socially and theoretically associated. The activity was fun because it was a different way to teach the class what a happening is. In the lecture following the students were told about the art form. The most interesting thing that I found in the lecture that directly was demonstrated in our activity was the idea of mastery. The idea that people are afraid to share their art in case they were rejected. This was demonstrated when students in the class were nervous to say their word aloud. Some students felt that they hadn't chosen a good word. It is funny because there weren't any words that were better than others, all the students were told was to pick any word. I really liked this lesson because I think that it was explained well and the activity helped to further the student's understand of a happening.

I found an example of Happening art on the internet.

Last week Apple released the new I-Pad. The I-Pad according to Kyle Aevermann in a CNN Tech interview is an oversized I-Phone or I-Touch. The new device does do all of the same things that the I-Touch does but it is said to be bigger and better. The argument that has been brought up is that the I-Pad is unnecessary. Some argue however that the I-Pad can be the improvement that the web is looking for. The I-Pad is capable of doing many things that a normal computer may not do but there are some flaws in the device. The I-Pad does not support Adobe Flashdrive. Adobe is something that makes websites with pop-ups, movement, and such to work. Without this function it is hard to claim that the I-Pad can improve the web. The convenience of the device definitely makes the web more accessible at times but overall it has taken multiple devices and put them into one with a higher price tag. Is the I-Pad really something that is a necessity?

memex

In 1945 scientist Vannevar Bush published an article As We May Think, which proposed the idea of the Memex. The Memex is a technological machine that would be able to organize and sort physical documents. The Memex would be able to find actual documents when needed and then through association would be able to call upon other documents that relate. This idea that Bush proposed is very similar to the modern day internet but in all actuality it is better, smarter. The computer/internet works through identification which is actually not as affective as the Memex which would've worked my association. Association is the way that the human's brain works which would make more sense for the internet to work that way. The Memex sounds like it would be such a good idea for somebody in technology to build upon. If the internet was reworked so it worked through association then technology would be so advanced. The irony of this is that Vannevar Bush came up with this very sophisticated idea in 1945 and today in the year 2010 we are still trying to reach this level of technology.

Week 1

In class we were shown the video, A Vision of Student's Today. This video showed a breakdown of how a college student spends their day. The average college student lives more than a 24 hour day. The video shows examples of things that students do throughout the day that take up a significant amount of their day. Some examples of what the students spend time doing during the day were the computer, eating, sleeping, watching television, and school work. The students admit to doing these things simultaneously.
People today try to do so many things at once that they spread themselves thin. They have to do multiple things at one time so that everything they need to do gets done on time. Some say that technology can fix these problems but then again technology can cause these problems as well. I enjoyed this video because I think that all of the things that the students say in the video are true and I can relate to them. I showed my friends in my dorm this video because I thought that it was important for them to see the truth too.