What is new media and why is it importnt?
After many hours of classroom conversations, readings and research, I feel that I can say with certainty that new media relates to the computer and all it's many parts. The computer is the housing in which messages are communicated far and wide, from person to person and nation to nation. The introduction of the personal computer into the homes of people everywhere has changed how we relay information. Once knowledge, wisdom and/or information was bound in books, newspapers, magazines and even the minds of individuals, the digital age has begun to eleviate the need for these forms of old media as sole means of communication. The use of chatrooms, webpages, email etc. have changed the way we communicate and do business.
This is the age of the big "WOW." Information is now made available to more people than ever before. You and I can access the same webpage, read the same information at the same time but in two different countries. Companies can now expand their markets. For example, The New York Times isn't just for New Yorkers anymore. Once upon a time, if you were trendy and wanted to be up on the news in Gotham, you would have to wait 3 days to receive your copy of the Times. Today, at the same time that the paper hits the stands, the information hits or maybe has already hit the website. This new digitized world has caused us to rethink how we manipulate information. We are now exploring the option turning books into interactive play, ways of creating digitized works of art. We are actually considering the computer geeks as artist!! What a thought.
While this new world brings us thoughts of ease, simplicity and convenience, it also brings with it fear and doubt. The world may very well be changing too fast. We are already having trouble keeping up with the rapid pace of change. Our categories, truths and established ways of thinking are being challenged daily. New rules are being made, challenged and destroyed just to start all over again. A great divide is coming into being. The division of the literate and the illiterate (computer literacy that is). Unfortunately for every Scarlett O'Hara in turmoil saying "Where shall I go, What shall I do?" there are many more Rhett Butler's saying "Frankly my darling, I don't give a damn!" We must begin to ask ourselves, what will happen to those who have fallen behind. What will become of them in their ignorance. We now must discuss things like access, ethics and privacy in a much more determined fashion. So that our lives might remain somewhat private. We must determine who should have access to computers and how we will make them accessible. Who can have access to certain information and who is the author of that information. What information can be trusted and what information should be censored. Will our fear of the unknown create a generation of Luddites fighting tooth and nail to prevent a computer revolution. Will our lack of awareness and ability to process all information cause us to inadvertently allow mad scientist to create a world that doesn't respect human life anymore. To sum it all up, this new media has created many, many more questions that must be answered. The new media is great and wonderful but it's also awesome and fearful.
Monday, April 07, 2003
Second Attempt at Blog 11
The concept of open source brings many things to my mind. I remember my ethics class where we learned that source code could be compared to the works of a literary author. It is a concept or an idea that is placed in a legible form and eligible to copyright. While I recognize that I am simplifying copyright laws regarding software tremendously, this is what most closely relates to source code. Many people have taken the concept of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and made it their own. No one has been as successful as Shakespeare but they had the right to do that. In the movie "Brother Where Art Thou," the opening credits acknowledge that the concept was taken from the age old story "The Odyssey." Movie directors are notorious for remaking older movies. One that immediately comes to mind is "Sabrina" which was made first with a young Audrey Hepburn and was then remade in the early 1990's featuring Harrison Ford. The remake is just that, an exact replica of the first.
Open Source software is slightly different from a remake. It allows the user or owner to make changes to suit their needs and even resale or give away the new product. This concept is very beneficial to society as a whole because anytime an item is improved upon over and over again, the end product is something much better than the original. So if open source is beneficial, why do some people fight against it? Our society is a very competitive one. We pride ourselves on being a step ahead of the others. We cannot maintain this advantage without a level of exclusivity and secrecy. Open source eliminates that secrecy, it creates new opportunities for anyone willing to try and is beneficial to the user. Companies such as Microsoft seek to maintain their status and fear that open source will threaten their position. This threat encourages companies such as Microsoft to find ways of downplaying the advantages of open source software. This thinking only benefits them and not the end user.
The concept of open source brings many things to my mind. I remember my ethics class where we learned that source code could be compared to the works of a literary author. It is a concept or an idea that is placed in a legible form and eligible to copyright. While I recognize that I am simplifying copyright laws regarding software tremendously, this is what most closely relates to source code. Many people have taken the concept of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and made it their own. No one has been as successful as Shakespeare but they had the right to do that. In the movie "Brother Where Art Thou," the opening credits acknowledge that the concept was taken from the age old story "The Odyssey." Movie directors are notorious for remaking older movies. One that immediately comes to mind is "Sabrina" which was made first with a young Audrey Hepburn and was then remade in the early 1990's featuring Harrison Ford. The remake is just that, an exact replica of the first.
Open Source software is slightly different from a remake. It allows the user or owner to make changes to suit their needs and even resale or give away the new product. This concept is very beneficial to society as a whole because anytime an item is improved upon over and over again, the end product is something much better than the original. So if open source is beneficial, why do some people fight against it? Our society is a very competitive one. We pride ourselves on being a step ahead of the others. We cannot maintain this advantage without a level of exclusivity and secrecy. Open source eliminates that secrecy, it creates new opportunities for anyone willing to try and is beneficial to the user. Companies such as Microsoft seek to maintain their status and fear that open source will threaten their position. This threat encourages companies such as Microsoft to find ways of downplaying the advantages of open source software. This thinking only benefits them and not the end user.
Blog lost in cyberspace
After spending sometime considering blog 11--open source, I created what I thought was a pretty good journal entry. I edited it, and made sure it had no errors and attempted to post what I thought was a very insiteful entry. However, the great gods of cyberspace have rejected it due to some unknown error and now it's lost. What an argument for not depending solely on virtual information. One minute it's there, the next minute it's gone and who has a clue how to find it again. DAMN. This has really aggrevated me today. Que Sera Sera!! I guess it's time to start all over again. Of course, my memory is very similar to this digital wonderland, the information flowed freely as I typed it but now that it's out, it's gone. I don't know where it went but it's gone. So I guess the computer can be compared to the workings of the human mind after all.
After spending sometime considering blog 11--open source, I created what I thought was a pretty good journal entry. I edited it, and made sure it had no errors and attempted to post what I thought was a very insiteful entry. However, the great gods of cyberspace have rejected it due to some unknown error and now it's lost. What an argument for not depending solely on virtual information. One minute it's there, the next minute it's gone and who has a clue how to find it again. DAMN. This has really aggrevated me today. Que Sera Sera!! I guess it's time to start all over again. Of course, my memory is very similar to this digital wonderland, the information flowed freely as I typed it but now that it's out, it's gone. I don't know where it went but it's gone. So I guess the computer can be compared to the workings of the human mind after all.
The Ease of HTML
After our HTML workshop and our readings in class, I begin to ask myself, what's the big deal about HTML? For years, I have been afraid of considering using this form of software however, the more I think about the more I realize that I had used something very similar to it before. As an older student who has been using computers since roughly 1987, I've had the privilege of learning command prompts for DOS and using programs such as WordPerfect 5.0. I remember the concept of "tags" being introduced in my WordPerfect training. Under the reveal codes option, you could opt to see all the "tags" associated with your documents. I remember the extremely difficult task of merging documents using that software (difficult in comparison to what we have today). You had to insert a field codes before and after entering information. You had to"end" the block of merge information in order to start a new block. Very similar to HTML. In realizing that this style of formatting documents is something that is familiar to me, I wondered, exactly why I had so much fear? Was I the result of FUD marketing? It would appear that the answer is yes.
In any profession, there is a need to protect the validity of the profession. For example, if everybody could cut, style, and maintain their own hair, there would be no need expensive visits to the barber or salon. The profession would suffer tremendously and they would have to learn to be competitive in their prices. A beautician could no longer wash you hair, send you out with the exact same hairstyle everytime you visited and charge $30.00 or more for doing so. How does this apply to web design? Over a year ago, I was employed as the Marketing Director for a small theatre here in Macon. I was given the task of coordinating a website. The company who designed the site charged us $1895.00 to design and maintain the site. At the time, I thought the fees were rather pricey but I had little say in that decision. What struck me strange was that I had to gather all the information to go on the site, offer ideas for the design of the site and translate all data including photos into a digital format to be placed on the site. I also became responsible for updating the information on the site because they would have to charge us extra to do that. All they had to do was copy the information and paste it into the HTML file. Yet we paid them almost $2,000.00 for my--I mean-- their work. The website they designed was extremely straight forward and simple. Knowing what I know now, they probably spent very little time working on the project. Well as they say, when you know better, you do better. After looking up design principles for websites, I found so much information on how create a website that I was amazed. One website actually gave a step by step tutorial on how do to it. Why aren't more of us designing our own sites and eliminating the need for costly web designers? All I can see is fear, uncertainty and doubt.
After our HTML workshop and our readings in class, I begin to ask myself, what's the big deal about HTML? For years, I have been afraid of considering using this form of software however, the more I think about the more I realize that I had used something very similar to it before. As an older student who has been using computers since roughly 1987, I've had the privilege of learning command prompts for DOS and using programs such as WordPerfect 5.0. I remember the concept of "tags" being introduced in my WordPerfect training. Under the reveal codes option, you could opt to see all the "tags" associated with your documents. I remember the extremely difficult task of merging documents using that software (difficult in comparison to what we have today). You had to insert a field codes before and after entering information. You had to"end" the block of merge information in order to start a new block. Very similar to HTML. In realizing that this style of formatting documents is something that is familiar to me, I wondered, exactly why I had so much fear? Was I the result of FUD marketing? It would appear that the answer is yes.
In any profession, there is a need to protect the validity of the profession. For example, if everybody could cut, style, and maintain their own hair, there would be no need expensive visits to the barber or salon. The profession would suffer tremendously and they would have to learn to be competitive in their prices. A beautician could no longer wash you hair, send you out with the exact same hairstyle everytime you visited and charge $30.00 or more for doing so. How does this apply to web design? Over a year ago, I was employed as the Marketing Director for a small theatre here in Macon. I was given the task of coordinating a website. The company who designed the site charged us $1895.00 to design and maintain the site. At the time, I thought the fees were rather pricey but I had little say in that decision. What struck me strange was that I had to gather all the information to go on the site, offer ideas for the design of the site and translate all data including photos into a digital format to be placed on the site. I also became responsible for updating the information on the site because they would have to charge us extra to do that. All they had to do was copy the information and paste it into the HTML file. Yet we paid them almost $2,000.00 for my--I mean-- their work. The website they designed was extremely straight forward and simple. Knowing what I know now, they probably spent very little time working on the project. Well as they say, when you know better, you do better. After looking up design principles for websites, I found so much information on how create a website that I was amazed. One website actually gave a step by step tutorial on how do to it. Why aren't more of us designing our own sites and eliminating the need for costly web designers? All I can see is fear, uncertainty and doubt.
Wednesday, March 19, 2003
Opinion of Litmuse MOO
When we visited the Litmuse MOO in class, my initial response was one of disappointment. "Where's the pictures?" I thought. I want to see the living room and the hot tub. I want a visual avatar so that I can see it relate to the others. However, just in the few moments we were visiting, I begin to enjoy it and realize the potential that an environment such as this might have. The most intriguing element of this MOO was its encyclopedic value. Because each visitor of this MOO brings along with them different levels of education and intelligence, the MOO becomes a wealth of information. The potential to communicate with scholars in literary studies, historians and other professionals makes it better than any reference material currently found in the library. Also the different cultural resources that each individual brings to the MOO is exceptional. As we were on the MOO, we had people from several different ethnic backgrounds and different perspectives on life. The exchange of information regarding just that has the capability to impact and maybe even change some of our stereotypical thinking. MOO's allow us the opportunity to broaden our definative categories as we learn more about people. The spatial aspect in MOO's is well addressed. Individuals participating in this environment have the ability to visit rooms on top of rooms, finding different things in each. The space is unlimited except by the creator's imagination. I can imagine that the Litmuse environment is probably not the most elaborate MOO available and it was difficult to explore all of its different rooms. The participatory element in the MOO is that the visitor has the ability to move from room to room at will. There are few limitations to how you move. I say few because one thing I found was that if I was in a room in the North, I might only be able to travel North or South. On several occassions I was told that I could not go in the direction I was attempting to go in. However, by simply using the "go to" command, I could go easily get around this problem. The MOO is procedural as it very well has to be. In order to protect the integrity of the site and the experience of the users, the inventor creates environments with specific characteristics. These environmental characteristics tend to manipulate the user into behaving in a particular way. For example, the hot tub encouraged us to be more playful, the library encourage us to be more serious. Overall, I found the MOO to be a fascinating place with endless possibilities, as long as its powers are used for good. :> The MOO inevitably has the potential for some not so pleasurable or intellectual experiences to take place.
When we visited the Litmuse MOO in class, my initial response was one of disappointment. "Where's the pictures?" I thought. I want to see the living room and the hot tub. I want a visual avatar so that I can see it relate to the others. However, just in the few moments we were visiting, I begin to enjoy it and realize the potential that an environment such as this might have. The most intriguing element of this MOO was its encyclopedic value. Because each visitor of this MOO brings along with them different levels of education and intelligence, the MOO becomes a wealth of information. The potential to communicate with scholars in literary studies, historians and other professionals makes it better than any reference material currently found in the library. Also the different cultural resources that each individual brings to the MOO is exceptional. As we were on the MOO, we had people from several different ethnic backgrounds and different perspectives on life. The exchange of information regarding just that has the capability to impact and maybe even change some of our stereotypical thinking. MOO's allow us the opportunity to broaden our definative categories as we learn more about people. The spatial aspect in MOO's is well addressed. Individuals participating in this environment have the ability to visit rooms on top of rooms, finding different things in each. The space is unlimited except by the creator's imagination. I can imagine that the Litmuse environment is probably not the most elaborate MOO available and it was difficult to explore all of its different rooms. The participatory element in the MOO is that the visitor has the ability to move from room to room at will. There are few limitations to how you move. I say few because one thing I found was that if I was in a room in the North, I might only be able to travel North or South. On several occassions I was told that I could not go in the direction I was attempting to go in. However, by simply using the "go to" command, I could go easily get around this problem. The MOO is procedural as it very well has to be. In order to protect the integrity of the site and the experience of the users, the inventor creates environments with specific characteristics. These environmental characteristics tend to manipulate the user into behaving in a particular way. For example, the hot tub encouraged us to be more playful, the library encourage us to be more serious. Overall, I found the MOO to be a fascinating place with endless possibilities, as long as its powers are used for good. :> The MOO inevitably has the potential for some not so pleasurable or intellectual experiences to take place.
Sunday, March 09, 2003
Spring Break, a spiritual experience?
This week I have had the fortunate experience of spending a week in Clearwater, FL. The sun was shining, the weather great and the beaches beautiful. So, I took advantage of it and visited Clearwater beach, it was lovely. I have always felt a deep connectedness with the Ocean--amazing considering that I grew up in the desert--so almost everytime I visit the Ocean I always get a feeling a peace and serenity. This time, not only did I leave feeling peaceful but I left feeling inspired. What inspired me was simply walking along the beach and watching the waves come in. As I watched them, I thought "how boring, the repetition of the Ocean. Waves come in, then go out, they come in, then go out, Booorrring." Then it hit me, every wave is different. Although the action is the same, the effect is always different. This epiphany lead me to compare waves to our college experience. I've been told on many occassions that some of us will graduate and go on to be extremely wealthy and do things that we never dared to dream about. I've often wondered which one of us would that be. What makes the difference. Why is it that some people get jobs immediately after college while some never find the job they wanted. How is it that some English majors find interesting work and others end up working at jobs that they could've done without the extra "learning" they received at college.
I realized this week that although all of us are performing the same action (attending college) we will all have different results. Just like the waves in the Ocean, some of us will be tidal waves while others will just be ripples. The difference between a tidal wave and a ripple is the force behind it. Some of us have this force, the drive, the ambition, and the support to be tidal waves while others of us are only counting on the piece of paper we get on graduation day.
As a woman who was raised by a southern born mother, I was taught that to look out for self and be overly ambitious were undesirable characteristics. Ha! I wish everyone had been told that because I have noticed that the people who are willing to step out there, toot their own horns, and make it known that they are worthy of attention are always rewarded. If you don't believe me, just take a look at the show "Driven". I believe it's on MTV or VH-1. They always talk about the drive, ambition and sometimes not so subtle things that entertainers have done to get to where they are today. Not to say that I ever want to go after life with no regard to others but I've got to regard myself and determine that I am ambitious and not ashamed of it. I don't want to be just another ripple in the Ocean, I want to be a Tidal Wave.
This week I have had the fortunate experience of spending a week in Clearwater, FL. The sun was shining, the weather great and the beaches beautiful. So, I took advantage of it and visited Clearwater beach, it was lovely. I have always felt a deep connectedness with the Ocean--amazing considering that I grew up in the desert--so almost everytime I visit the Ocean I always get a feeling a peace and serenity. This time, not only did I leave feeling peaceful but I left feeling inspired. What inspired me was simply walking along the beach and watching the waves come in. As I watched them, I thought "how boring, the repetition of the Ocean. Waves come in, then go out, they come in, then go out, Booorrring." Then it hit me, every wave is different. Although the action is the same, the effect is always different. This epiphany lead me to compare waves to our college experience. I've been told on many occassions that some of us will graduate and go on to be extremely wealthy and do things that we never dared to dream about. I've often wondered which one of us would that be. What makes the difference. Why is it that some people get jobs immediately after college while some never find the job they wanted. How is it that some English majors find interesting work and others end up working at jobs that they could've done without the extra "learning" they received at college.
I realized this week that although all of us are performing the same action (attending college) we will all have different results. Just like the waves in the Ocean, some of us will be tidal waves while others will just be ripples. The difference between a tidal wave and a ripple is the force behind it. Some of us have this force, the drive, the ambition, and the support to be tidal waves while others of us are only counting on the piece of paper we get on graduation day.
As a woman who was raised by a southern born mother, I was taught that to look out for self and be overly ambitious were undesirable characteristics. Ha! I wish everyone had been told that because I have noticed that the people who are willing to step out there, toot their own horns, and make it known that they are worthy of attention are always rewarded. If you don't believe me, just take a look at the show "Driven". I believe it's on MTV or VH-1. They always talk about the drive, ambition and sometimes not so subtle things that entertainers have done to get to where they are today. Not to say that I ever want to go after life with no regard to others but I've got to regard myself and determine that I am ambitious and not ashamed of it. I don't want to be just another ripple in the Ocean, I want to be a Tidal Wave.
Saturday, March 01, 2003
After reading the article "A Rape in Cyberspace," a quote from the author stuck in my head. Dr. Bombay stated that "Since rape can occur without any physical pain or damage........ then it must be classed as a crime against the mind---more intimately and deepfully hurtfull to be sure than cross burning, wolf whistles, and virtual rape, but undeniably located on the same conceptual continuum." This statement prompted me to do some more research into exactly what is rape. I found many different websites that dealt with rape prevention, rape counseling, etc. but none defined exactly what rape was. At questia.com, I was able to read limited passages (for free) from a book titled Defining Rape by Linda Bourque. In her preface she stated that "Scholars, clinicians, community members, jurors and legislators disagree on what constitutes a rape and what may be the line between assertive persuasion and impermissible force or assault." When I read this I immediately thought "Women who have been raped don't have trouble defining it." Then I came across some amazing statistics. According to a government sponsored rape prevention website (www.rapeprevention.us) an estimated 1,000,000 (one million) sexual assaults occur in the US every year but only 1/3 (300,000) actually get reported. This lead me to believe that even for the victim, there is some difficulty in knowing exactly when you are raped.
I can imagine that it is easy to know that you are raped when you are attacked by and unknown, armed assaillant as you walk through the park one night, but it is a little harder to determine when the assaillant is your husband or the guy you were so eager to get to know. Can a woman actually be raped by her husband? According to many websites, yes. The rape prevention website went on to further say that "Rape and 'having sex' are not the same. Rape is an act of hostility, power, control, degredation and violence." This means that rape is not just the act of intercourse, it is the mental power that one asserts over another during the act of violence. It is a "crime against the mind."
This is why rape recovery is so difficult for many women. It is not just that someone had sex with them when they didn't want too. Many women have laid in bed and had sex when they didn't want to, hence the proverbial joke of the faked orgasm. However, the real problem comes when the victim is made to feel as though they are worthless, pieces of flesh to be taken and used at will. They feel helpless, out of control and violated. There is no physical way to prove this. There are no visible bruises, not cuts or blackened eyes but the scars rest in the mind and hearts of the victims for the rest of their lives.
For spelling accuracy, I decided to look up the word victim, what I found amazed me. I found that among the definitions one stood out more than the other, it stated that a victim is "a living creature which is slain and offered as a sacrifice." Why is this definition relevant, it is relevant because the victim of rape is made to be a sacrifice giving tribute to desires of the perpetrator. All that the victim imagines his or herself to be is destroyed for the sake of the animalistic urges of the perpetrator. Rape is not just an act of sex because in the United States and other places, sex is available everywhere you turn. There are people who have sex as a profession and others who just give it away. Rapist are not interested in just "getting their rocks off", they are after the control, and degredation of the victim.
Understanding rape in this way helps me to better understand how someone who is sexually assaulted in VR can experience the same feelings as someone who is raped if RL.
I can imagine that it is easy to know that you are raped when you are attacked by and unknown, armed assaillant as you walk through the park one night, but it is a little harder to determine when the assaillant is your husband or the guy you were so eager to get to know. Can a woman actually be raped by her husband? According to many websites, yes. The rape prevention website went on to further say that "Rape and 'having sex' are not the same. Rape is an act of hostility, power, control, degredation and violence." This means that rape is not just the act of intercourse, it is the mental power that one asserts over another during the act of violence. It is a "crime against the mind."
This is why rape recovery is so difficult for many women. It is not just that someone had sex with them when they didn't want too. Many women have laid in bed and had sex when they didn't want to, hence the proverbial joke of the faked orgasm. However, the real problem comes when the victim is made to feel as though they are worthless, pieces of flesh to be taken and used at will. They feel helpless, out of control and violated. There is no physical way to prove this. There are no visible bruises, not cuts or blackened eyes but the scars rest in the mind and hearts of the victims for the rest of their lives.
For spelling accuracy, I decided to look up the word victim, what I found amazed me. I found that among the definitions one stood out more than the other, it stated that a victim is "a living creature which is slain and offered as a sacrifice." Why is this definition relevant, it is relevant because the victim of rape is made to be a sacrifice giving tribute to desires of the perpetrator. All that the victim imagines his or herself to be is destroyed for the sake of the animalistic urges of the perpetrator. Rape is not just an act of sex because in the United States and other places, sex is available everywhere you turn. There are people who have sex as a profession and others who just give it away. Rapist are not interested in just "getting their rocks off", they are after the control, and degredation of the victim.
Understanding rape in this way helps me to better understand how someone who is sexually assaulted in VR can experience the same feelings as someone who is raped if RL.
"Immersion"
I decided to deal with the concept of immersion only after I had spent hours (almost a whole afternoon) entrenched in the computer game Collapse. As I forced myself to turn the game off and do some work, I began to deal with what it will truly mean to be immersed into a game world. Can you imagine a game more intriguing than the ones we already have available? A game where not only is your mind fully engaged but all five of your senses. The thought reminds me of a Calgon commercial where a woman stressed and irritated with her current life shouts "Calgon, take me away" and she's whisked off into a tropical oasis. What would someone like me be like if the games I played allowed me to totally escape reality and participate in my own personal fantasy. Wow! It's kind of sick to think about how pleasurable the experience would be. However, in light of the fact that I can spend an afternoon sitting at a computer bombing colored bricks for no reason at all, I don't think a game like that would be healthy for me. I can see myself ignoring my responsibilities and procrastinating more than I am already inclined to do. I can hear me saying, " Just give me a few more minutes, I am almost at the next level." or "I promise I'll do it as soon as I get through this scene."
In order to have access to a game with such power, a person would have to exercise extreme discipline or either the game must be created in a manner in which the user could only spend a certain amount of time using it before the game automatically shut off. That would probably make some people mad. Imagine playing the role of a fierce knight, you've fought your way through all kinds of obstacles just to come face to face with the dragon. He is the one who holds the key to your adventure (or maybe even the princess), just as you're about to deliver the blow that will render him helpless, the computers interrupts with a polite voice saying, "Sorry but your time in this module has expired. Please exit this holodek." (!!@##@@##@!@#$%%)
On a more positive side though, games that are able to create this type of atmosphere can introduce you to worlds you might never experience otherwise. This brings to mind the movie "Total Recall" where with just the swallow of a pill, participants are taken on the vacation of their dreams for "a fraction of the cost" of an actual visit. The absence of real danger might lead us to challenge our fears and take adventures that we would never do in real life. For example, I know that I would be more likely to go mountain climbing if I knew that I really won't die if I fall off a cliff or something.
As for now, we don't know what these things would be like, but if somehow a "holodek with time restrictions" could be invented, it might actually be very interesting.
I decided to deal with the concept of immersion only after I had spent hours (almost a whole afternoon) entrenched in the computer game Collapse. As I forced myself to turn the game off and do some work, I began to deal with what it will truly mean to be immersed into a game world. Can you imagine a game more intriguing than the ones we already have available? A game where not only is your mind fully engaged but all five of your senses. The thought reminds me of a Calgon commercial where a woman stressed and irritated with her current life shouts "Calgon, take me away" and she's whisked off into a tropical oasis. What would someone like me be like if the games I played allowed me to totally escape reality and participate in my own personal fantasy. Wow! It's kind of sick to think about how pleasurable the experience would be. However, in light of the fact that I can spend an afternoon sitting at a computer bombing colored bricks for no reason at all, I don't think a game like that would be healthy for me. I can see myself ignoring my responsibilities and procrastinating more than I am already inclined to do. I can hear me saying, " Just give me a few more minutes, I am almost at the next level." or "I promise I'll do it as soon as I get through this scene."
In order to have access to a game with such power, a person would have to exercise extreme discipline or either the game must be created in a manner in which the user could only spend a certain amount of time using it before the game automatically shut off. That would probably make some people mad. Imagine playing the role of a fierce knight, you've fought your way through all kinds of obstacles just to come face to face with the dragon. He is the one who holds the key to your adventure (or maybe even the princess), just as you're about to deliver the blow that will render him helpless, the computers interrupts with a polite voice saying, "Sorry but your time in this module has expired. Please exit this holodek." (!!@##@@##@!@#$%%)
On a more positive side though, games that are able to create this type of atmosphere can introduce you to worlds you might never experience otherwise. This brings to mind the movie "Total Recall" where with just the swallow of a pill, participants are taken on the vacation of their dreams for "a fraction of the cost" of an actual visit. The absence of real danger might lead us to challenge our fears and take adventures that we would never do in real life. For example, I know that I would be more likely to go mountain climbing if I knew that I really won't die if I fall off a cliff or something.
As for now, we don't know what these things would be like, but if somehow a "holodek with time restrictions" could be invented, it might actually be very interesting.
Monday, February 10, 2003
The idea of multiform stories introduced to us in chapter 2 of the Hamlet on Holodek is a very interesting concept to me. I have always felt the importance of a single decision and the effects that can come as a result of that decision. Murray looks at several interesting scenes from different movies that explore the importance on one single mistake or decision. These movies that she listed tended to fantasize the possibilities of what might happen as a result of decisions but there are many decisions that we make everyday that change our paths in lives tremendously.
As a woman, I recognize this more that I think males would. As I pondered my career path and options in life, I have had to make decisions (sacrifices) to try and control what my future might look like. Deciding to quit working and go back to school full-time is always a clencher. I often wonder what life would be like had I decided to continue working and go to school part-time. I know I wouldn't be as broke as I am now but other than that who knows. One thing that is more specific to being female is the choice to have children. (Uh Oh, I'm showing just how pro-choice I am.) I made the decision only 1 year ago to never have another child. My decision was made for medical reasons and a surgery accompanied but, I had already consciously decided that a career was more important for me. I am fortunate enough to have one child and as much as I love him, I knew I didn't want to have another. However, for many women, the decision to say that I don't want to raise 3, 4 or even 5 children but instead I want a career is very troubling. Many women have been accused of being selfish, self-centered and even heartless for the paths that they have chosen. They are constantly plagued with the what if's. I can imagine that in their minds a reel of different scenarios constantly play just as a multiform story.
One of the multiform stories that wasn't mentioned in this essay was the movie "The Family Man." This is one of my favorite movies. However, I'm not sure that I would have chosen the life he chose. To go from being a rich, powerful, sought after man to the family guy is a very difficult decision to make but he actually got the opportunity to see both sides. The downfall to real life is that we will never know what our lives would be like if we had chosen other options. However, maybe it's for the best.
As a woman, I recognize this more that I think males would. As I pondered my career path and options in life, I have had to make decisions (sacrifices) to try and control what my future might look like. Deciding to quit working and go back to school full-time is always a clencher. I often wonder what life would be like had I decided to continue working and go to school part-time. I know I wouldn't be as broke as I am now but other than that who knows. One thing that is more specific to being female is the choice to have children. (Uh Oh, I'm showing just how pro-choice I am.) I made the decision only 1 year ago to never have another child. My decision was made for medical reasons and a surgery accompanied but, I had already consciously decided that a career was more important for me. I am fortunate enough to have one child and as much as I love him, I knew I didn't want to have another. However, for many women, the decision to say that I don't want to raise 3, 4 or even 5 children but instead I want a career is very troubling. Many women have been accused of being selfish, self-centered and even heartless for the paths that they have chosen. They are constantly plagued with the what if's. I can imagine that in their minds a reel of different scenarios constantly play just as a multiform story.
One of the multiform stories that wasn't mentioned in this essay was the movie "The Family Man." This is one of my favorite movies. However, I'm not sure that I would have chosen the life he chose. To go from being a rich, powerful, sought after man to the family guy is a very difficult decision to make but he actually got the opportunity to see both sides. The downfall to real life is that we will never know what our lives would be like if we had chosen other options. However, maybe it's for the best.
Over the past couple weeks, I have been extremely stressed out. I've been trying to keep up with the pace of my current life along with the many hurdles that are inadvertently thrown at me at the absolute worse time. I've learned to accept the fact that hurdles will come and that sometimes they will trip me up but my biggest problem comes as a result of the pace that our new computer generated lives has created.
Most of my classes this semester integrate the computer with the regular scheduled class period and other materials. This means for me that along with attending classes, reading necessary materials, I also have to consistently check the computer. Emails, discussion groups, posting, etc. are all about to drive me up the wall. I have so many places to check for class that it seems that I spend a large percentage of time sitting in front of a monitor. I hate it!! I always spoke out against the ideas of our social lives or how we relate to each other being limited to mear interactions between CPU's. Yet, I find myself more and more in the solitude of my room, sitting at my desk and hacking things away at the computer.
I must admit though, that there is a level of convenience to doing things this way. I can access needed information at anytime, assignments are no longer due during the class period; now, as long as they are postmarked by the computer for the specified date, they are considered to be on time. : ) The downfall to all this is that I probably spend more time on my classes than I have in my whole entire college career and I'm a senior. I've heard of a theory that suggest that the rate of information produced is growing at exponential rates. This means more websites to visit, more emails to be read and sent and more discussion groups to join. How will we keep up with things at this pace. Will the hurdles that come into the lives of each and every one of us knock us completely out of the game? How will we catch up?
Most of my classes this semester integrate the computer with the regular scheduled class period and other materials. This means for me that along with attending classes, reading necessary materials, I also have to consistently check the computer. Emails, discussion groups, posting, etc. are all about to drive me up the wall. I have so many places to check for class that it seems that I spend a large percentage of time sitting in front of a monitor. I hate it!! I always spoke out against the ideas of our social lives or how we relate to each other being limited to mear interactions between CPU's. Yet, I find myself more and more in the solitude of my room, sitting at my desk and hacking things away at the computer.
I must admit though, that there is a level of convenience to doing things this way. I can access needed information at anytime, assignments are no longer due during the class period; now, as long as they are postmarked by the computer for the specified date, they are considered to be on time. : ) The downfall to all this is that I probably spend more time on my classes than I have in my whole entire college career and I'm a senior. I've heard of a theory that suggest that the rate of information produced is growing at exponential rates. This means more websites to visit, more emails to be read and sent and more discussion groups to join. How will we keep up with things at this pace. Will the hurdles that come into the lives of each and every one of us knock us completely out of the game? How will we catch up?
Sunday, January 26, 2003
Do we have a soul? What is consciousness and is it eternal? Is the brain the control center of our thoughts, emotions, etc. If so, once the brain begins to decompose, is it possible to still function? These are the questions I ask myself as we deal with the issue of cyborgs. If it becomes possible to download me, (my consciousness) into superhuman machine will I still be me? I always felt that what made me who I am is not just the way that I think but how I look, and walk or style my hair. The twinkle in my eyes and the smile on my face and even the color of my skin are all a part of who I am. Who will I be if I am given another body to live in? These questions are mind-boggling to me. Even more so when I consider my grandmother.
I am currently helping my mother care for my grandmother who currently has Alzheimer's disease. Her mind is no longer her own. She no longer functions as she used to. Most of her adult life, no longer exists to her. She has forgotten that her mother is no longer alive, she doesn't know that my mother, her daughter is not her sister who died over 30 years ago. She thinks she's 20 years old most of the time and believes that we are holding her hostage and she will get in trouble for not returning to her mother's house before dark. She's also tried to escape a time or two. She's even pulled a knife on my cousin because she thought she was a stranger who had managed to break in. I hate that my grandmother is like this. Every now and then, she seems to have a sense of who she is and what is going on. She then apologizes for her behavior and says things like "I guess I'm just crazy." Imagine if my grandmother had the ability at my age to chose to be recreated into a cyborg and live another 200 or 300 years. There would have been no forewarning that her mind would leave her at the age of 74 and because of her decision, she would spend a long life in a daze. Not understanding everything around her, fearing the people who are caring for her and being generally discontent. These type things must be considered when we discuss creating superhuman cyborgs. Is this a life worth living? One where your body never expires but the mind longs for sweet rest. I personally don't believe so.
I am currently helping my mother care for my grandmother who currently has Alzheimer's disease. Her mind is no longer her own. She no longer functions as she used to. Most of her adult life, no longer exists to her. She has forgotten that her mother is no longer alive, she doesn't know that my mother, her daughter is not her sister who died over 30 years ago. She thinks she's 20 years old most of the time and believes that we are holding her hostage and she will get in trouble for not returning to her mother's house before dark. She's also tried to escape a time or two. She's even pulled a knife on my cousin because she thought she was a stranger who had managed to break in. I hate that my grandmother is like this. Every now and then, she seems to have a sense of who she is and what is going on. She then apologizes for her behavior and says things like "I guess I'm just crazy." Imagine if my grandmother had the ability at my age to chose to be recreated into a cyborg and live another 200 or 300 years. There would have been no forewarning that her mind would leave her at the age of 74 and because of her decision, she would spend a long life in a daze. Not understanding everything around her, fearing the people who are caring for her and being generally discontent. These type things must be considered when we discuss creating superhuman cyborgs. Is this a life worth living? One where your body never expires but the mind longs for sweet rest. I personally don't believe so.
The article entitled "Why the Future doesn't need us" is one that I found most interesting. Bill Joy did an excellent job of relating information about the needs for the future. It is amazing that as I read his articles, the comparisons that I made in my mind regarding these issues he also addressed. It was almost as if we were thinking along the same lines. In his article, he stated that in the future "people will let machines make more of their decisions for them, simply because machine-made decisions will bring better results than man-made one." This statement of how the future will be is a current reality in my opinion. For example, I recently had an argument with the business office at Macon State regarding my refund check. (Unfortunately for me, I live off the money left from scholarships and loan checks so it is of major importance since I'm not working.) The story went like this, the financial aid office made a mistake in the amount of award that I was getting so they had to have the business office void the check they cut on Tuesday and recut another check in a different amount. This should not have been a problem except, the computer did not reflect the changes. I wanted to double check to make sure my funds were mailed to me so I called the business office on Wednesday. The conversation went like this, "When was my check mailed". "The computer says it was mailed on Tuesday, if you don't receive it today, it should be there tomorrow." "Thank you." Thursday was a repeat of the conversation except that I informed them of the voided check issue and asked them if that was part of the problem. They again informed me that "The computer verifies it was mailed on Tuesday." On Friday, I paid a visit to the Business office because my check still had not arrived. I asked to see the carbons of the two checks. That's when they informed me that the computer was wrong. The second check had been cut that very day but the computer didn't reflect that. I was angry and frustrated because if the young lady who answered the phone had not been so dependant on the computer's accuracy, she might have investigated further and found the truth.
Why is all this important? Well it's important because, the more we become dependent on computer made decisions, the less we try to explore alternative explanations. When your phone bill, or electricity bill or mortgage payment is computerized and the computer makes a mistake (which unless you are meticulous with keeping up with previous bills and payments, you won't be able to prove.) you have very little hope of finding a customer service representative that will help to find the error because "the computer is always right." I see a lot of chaos and confusion in the future where the world depends on the decisions of the computer. It's not that I believe that computers are capable of giving inaccurate information but the humans creating the computers are capable of inputting inaccurate information, that's the problem.
Why is all this important? Well it's important because, the more we become dependent on computer made decisions, the less we try to explore alternative explanations. When your phone bill, or electricity bill or mortgage payment is computerized and the computer makes a mistake (which unless you are meticulous with keeping up with previous bills and payments, you won't be able to prove.) you have very little hope of finding a customer service representative that will help to find the error because "the computer is always right." I see a lot of chaos and confusion in the future where the world depends on the decisions of the computer. It's not that I believe that computers are capable of giving inaccurate information but the humans creating the computers are capable of inputting inaccurate information, that's the problem.