"I realized that media are not tools or modes of communication, but that media mediates relationships," States Anthropologist Michael Wesch, a professor at Kansas State University in a blog by Amy Kaufman.
Which is an interesting thought. He argues that watching YouTube (and other such media sites' ) videos is less isolating than perceived by society.
According to him internet videos allow us to recreate ourselves and tell the world about the new person we have created. They can allow us to have an impact on the world while sitting at a computer.
He did an experiment that I found very interesting. He had students who didn't know each other communicate through Youtube videos, having conversations with each other and all of YouTube. Despite the awkwardness of talking to a web cam they opened up. They were allowed to become whoever they wanted to be and lines blurred. They communicated with each other in ways they never would have face too face.
I found this blog refreshing considering the "bad rap" that the internet gets for ruining our communication skill.
For once there is a study that isn't bashing internet communication and for once I can agree with the statements.
I too believe that the internet is a mediator. It allows us to become new people, form relationships we wouldn't have, and meet people we can't even begin to imagine. If it can do all that it can't be all that bad in my opinion, and maybe other studies will begin to see this too.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Interweb Class Part Deux
I definitely believe that the second internet class was much more successful in discussion than the first. Considering it allowed more time for thought and planned writing, but I think I enjoyed the first more.
It felt more like you were communicating.
There was more of a give and take in the information than there was on the boards. If someone made a comment on the chat the responses exploded, but individual posts on the boards may have been read but they were rarely replied to.
The board, although easier to use and grade, was not the better of the two classes in my opinion. I liked the flow of the first one, the rapid fire responses and the fun YouTube tie ins found throughout. Their was a better sense of joining in the chat. We were all there at the same time reading the same things.
Although comments were less thought out, and it was harder to comprehend the flow of conversation. The overall feel was, in my opinion, better.
Sure, some comments were negative and hurtful, but I feel the chat was a more honest expression than the board. It didn't give one time to deeply ponder their responses, censor themselves, or decide not to say things they want to. People talked freely and often, which was nice considering a class atmosphere lends itself to quiet and shyness and a board creates the option for everyone to make themselves completely politically correct. And to be honest, being PC doesn't lend itself to honesty and openness.
In short I don't think the sequel lived up to the original
It felt more like you were communicating.
There was more of a give and take in the information than there was on the boards. If someone made a comment on the chat the responses exploded, but individual posts on the boards may have been read but they were rarely replied to.
The board, although easier to use and grade, was not the better of the two classes in my opinion. I liked the flow of the first one, the rapid fire responses and the fun YouTube tie ins found throughout. Their was a better sense of joining in the chat. We were all there at the same time reading the same things.
Although comments were less thought out, and it was harder to comprehend the flow of conversation. The overall feel was, in my opinion, better.
Sure, some comments were negative and hurtful, but I feel the chat was a more honest expression than the board. It didn't give one time to deeply ponder their responses, censor themselves, or decide not to say things they want to. People talked freely and often, which was nice considering a class atmosphere lends itself to quiet and shyness and a board creates the option for everyone to make themselves completely politically correct. And to be honest, being PC doesn't lend itself to honesty and openness.
In short I don't think the sequel lived up to the original
An Explanation and a Goodbye.
Sorry about the lack of posts the last two weeks. Things got a bit crazy for me. Life and all that.
Although, the saddest thing that happened is actually relatable to what these blogs are supposed to be about.
Two weeks ago, a friend of mine passed away after a year long battle with Leukemia. Last time I had talked to him, he was for all intents and purposes in remission. I hadn't talked to him since graduation though.
A FaceBook chat here, a MySpace message there. It is crazy how distant your high school friends become once you move onto college.
About a month ago, I went on his FaceBook and saw many well wishing messages and notes that they were praying for him. His leukemia had come out of remission. I was saddened for him, but I assummed he had time. I thought that I would talk to him next time he was online. Send him a message to see what was up and how he was feeling.
I didn't have that time. Two weeks ago, I traveled to his myspace, intent on sending him a message, only to see his comment box completely flooded.
"Goodbye. We will miss you."
"It will be weird not having you around."
"R.I.P."
" I'm not going to say goodbye because I know I will see you again."
He had lost the battle that we had thought he would beat, the battle we thought he had beaten....and I learned through MySpace.
It is amazing how information travels these days. Not through phone. Not from person to person. But through the internet.
I'm glad I found out, but I will always be wishing that I had sent that message sooner. Two weeks can make all the difference.
Goodbye Korey. I hope they have facebook up there so that I can send you a line sometime.
Although, the saddest thing that happened is actually relatable to what these blogs are supposed to be about.
Two weeks ago, a friend of mine passed away after a year long battle with Leukemia. Last time I had talked to him, he was for all intents and purposes in remission. I hadn't talked to him since graduation though.
A FaceBook chat here, a MySpace message there. It is crazy how distant your high school friends become once you move onto college.
About a month ago, I went on his FaceBook and saw many well wishing messages and notes that they were praying for him. His leukemia had come out of remission. I was saddened for him, but I assummed he had time. I thought that I would talk to him next time he was online. Send him a message to see what was up and how he was feeling.
I didn't have that time. Two weeks ago, I traveled to his myspace, intent on sending him a message, only to see his comment box completely flooded.
"Goodbye. We will miss you."
"It will be weird not having you around."
"R.I.P."
" I'm not going to say goodbye because I know I will see you again."
He had lost the battle that we had thought he would beat, the battle we thought he had beaten....and I learned through MySpace.
It is amazing how information travels these days. Not through phone. Not from person to person. But through the internet.
I'm glad I found out, but I will always be wishing that I had sent that message sooner. Two weeks can make all the difference.
Goodbye Korey. I hope they have facebook up there so that I can send you a line sometime.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Commandeer...It's a nautical term
In class on Friday, we talked a lot about copyright infringement, fair use, and pirating...and here are my thoughts on the issue
People are going to pirate things as long as the technology exists. We may not be as eccentric as Captain Jack, but we are going to "plunder our weasly black hearts out". As long as society is able, there will be pirating taking place. Nothing the goverment can do will stop it. The harder they crack down, the longer the metaphoracle guns stay trained on us, the more we are going to pirate. The harder they try to stop us, the harder we will try to defeat them.
Arresting owners of sites, suing downloaders, and tracking files can potentially scare away downloaders...but there will always be those who refuse to stop. The "weak at heart" will waiver, but the avid pirates will not be deterred by scare tactics.
They will continue to find ways to trick the goverment; learn how they think as Captain Jack does. Products such as PeerGuardian will hide IP adresses, making the smart Pirate almost impossible to find. Downloaders will look out for each other, when a file is tracked they tell others; downloading sites often have comment areas which allow users to comment and rate files. There is not much that the goverment can do to stop "infringments of copyright".
For instance, a friend of my brother has gotten 3 warnings from his ISP, 3 letters telling him to "cease and desist" his downloading. Has he stopped.
No.
He was blacklisted by his provider, but he just found another service that would serve him. He downloads thousands of movies yearly, is caught occassionally, and he doesn't see it as a reason to stop. Most pirates see things the same way.
If they can get away with it 999 times out of 1000 it is worth it. So many downloaders aren't caught despite the goverments efforts that stopping just because "they might catch you" seems silly. The goverment goes after the big-wigs, taking out the providers, those who download and seed constantly, but it is a losing battle; more will constantly pop up. Less constant downloaders aren't caught, and those who are smart about it have little to worry about.
The goverment's efforts aren't working, they obviously need to come up with a new plan. They can't generate enough fear to make people stop, so something else must be done if they really wish pirating to cease.
Copyright law needs to be re-evaluated. In the internet age, the old catchings of copyright are no longer applicable. Things are copied, shared, and taken because the technology is there. One can do so practically annonymously.
Most internet pirates would not go out a steal a boat like Jack. They won't rob a convenience store or steal a woman's purse, but they will download a movie. They will torrent albums and seed television seasons because the likelyhood of getting caught is slim, and they feel that only big business is adversly affected.
The goverment needs to reevaluate its policies and get things together otherwise they will never "defeat" pirating. We will mutiny.
We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
Sunday, May 10, 2009
IRClass
I thought the online class was truly fascinating. It was interesting how differently people acted during class when they were no longer face to face with their peers. People spoke up more, fought more, and were less likely to notice the professor.
I didn’t realize how much we would change once we were online, but it does portray the difference in people’s personalities and the freedom the internet allows.
I, myself, felt that I spoke up more in class. It is rare for me to speak while actually in a room with people than online because I feel like less attention is focused on me. I am not as nervous because those I am talking to seem far away and anonymous even if I know them.
So, I do see the advantages on online classes and communication.
Although one downfall I do see is that there is almost no way to see inflection in text. Unless someone is very obviously sarcastic, it is hard to tell when someone is being serious, which can cause misunderstanding and hurt feelings.
This I feel will always be the downside to text. Many sayings can be used positively and negatively, seriously and mockingly, depending on the tone used. In writing you can’t hear tone, there is no indication unless the author puts one, and most don’t realize it is necessary because they are use to speech.
What do you guys think, what do you think the biggest downfall of internet communication is?
I didn’t realize how much we would change once we were online, but it does portray the difference in people’s personalities and the freedom the internet allows.
I, myself, felt that I spoke up more in class. It is rare for me to speak while actually in a room with people than online because I feel like less attention is focused on me. I am not as nervous because those I am talking to seem far away and anonymous even if I know them.
So, I do see the advantages on online classes and communication.
Although one downfall I do see is that there is almost no way to see inflection in text. Unless someone is very obviously sarcastic, it is hard to tell when someone is being serious, which can cause misunderstanding and hurt feelings.
This I feel will always be the downside to text. Many sayings can be used positively and negatively, seriously and mockingly, depending on the tone used. In writing you can’t hear tone, there is no indication unless the author puts one, and most don’t realize it is necessary because they are use to speech.
What do you guys think, what do you think the biggest downfall of internet communication is?
Dammit, man! I'm a Doctor not a Physicist
This weekend, I went and saw Star Trek like millions of other people, but I believe I may have gotten something more from it than 7.33333333456 percent of them.
The movie made me realize just how far technology has come in the last 40 years and how much it will continue to evolve.
Watching the amazing graphics, intense explosions, and green skinned alien women, I remembered the original series. You used to be able to see the string piloting the model ship when they flew through space, explosions were tiny if there at all and where mostly sparks, and let’s just say the green skin was less than believable. Although at the time, the graphics didn't seem that poor, even if they were still ridiculous sometimes. They became a part of the show. The fact that all of the alien races were just humans with a couple of prosthetics was something people came to love.
Graphics now are so much more advanced than they use to be. We can create things beyond our wildest imagination and put them onto the screen. This allowed the new Star Trek movie to create a world you could really believe in; an earth that could be our foreseeable future. It isn't so hard to believe when the green skinned aliens actually look like their skin is meant to be as such.
Thinking about our future and Star Trek brings up all sorts of ideas. Will we be able to time travel? Will we explore the far reaches of the universe in manned spaceships? Will we ever learn to 'warp' or 'beam' ourselves?
I don't know if technology will ever go that far, but one aspect of the movie's technology did make sense to me. In one scene, the Vulcans are seen learning in half sphere like areas, comprised of screens and 3D displays. They are taught via computer in a separate area from their peers, sectioned off so as to promote faster, better, and more specialized learning.
Will we one day learn like that? Will we sit in a circle and learn from a computer while our peers do the same far from us. As we talked about in class, Phoenix University is the most popular college in the US, and that is essentially what its students do. In the future will all schools functions as such. Would it even be a good thing for such a thing to happen? Who Knows...all I know is that I'm not a physicist and neither is McCoy.
The movie made me realize just how far technology has come in the last 40 years and how much it will continue to evolve.
Watching the amazing graphics, intense explosions, and green skinned alien women, I remembered the original series. You used to be able to see the string piloting the model ship when they flew through space, explosions were tiny if there at all and where mostly sparks, and let’s just say the green skin was less than believable. Although at the time, the graphics didn't seem that poor, even if they were still ridiculous sometimes. They became a part of the show. The fact that all of the alien races were just humans with a couple of prosthetics was something people came to love.
Graphics now are so much more advanced than they use to be. We can create things beyond our wildest imagination and put them onto the screen. This allowed the new Star Trek movie to create a world you could really believe in; an earth that could be our foreseeable future. It isn't so hard to believe when the green skinned aliens actually look like their skin is meant to be as such.
Thinking about our future and Star Trek brings up all sorts of ideas. Will we be able to time travel? Will we explore the far reaches of the universe in manned spaceships? Will we ever learn to 'warp' or 'beam' ourselves?
I don't know if technology will ever go that far, but one aspect of the movie's technology did make sense to me. In one scene, the Vulcans are seen learning in half sphere like areas, comprised of screens and 3D displays. They are taught via computer in a separate area from their peers, sectioned off so as to promote faster, better, and more specialized learning.
Will we one day learn like that? Will we sit in a circle and learn from a computer while our peers do the same far from us. As we talked about in class, Phoenix University is the most popular college in the US, and that is essentially what its students do. In the future will all schools functions as such. Would it even be a good thing for such a thing to happen? Who Knows...all I know is that I'm not a physicist and neither is McCoy.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
A world within a closet.
While venturing around LambdaMOO, I realized that it reminded me of Narnia. It was a magical world where anything could happen. There were fairies, witches, talking animals, evil-doers, and humans all thrown into one metaphorical space. Sometimes waging epic battles, other times just hanging out and talking about the weather. What really reminded me of Narnia was the fact that you appeared in a closet. To get to LambdaMOO one had to magically appear in a closet, one in which many more people than physically could fit in it would be residing until they decided to leave.
Like the children in the Chronicles of Narnia, those who chose to venture to LambdaMOO are journeying into a land of magic, albeit virtual, and companionship. As shown in Julian Dibbel's A Rape in Cyberspace,there are those who wish to cause harm. Mr. Bungle is comparative to the White Witch in Narnia.
He caused havoc, disrupting the people, destroying what they loved, and taking advantage of them in ways no one had ever experienced. He was the villain. Opposite of him were those who chose to stand up for what was right. They acted as the Pevensie children and the army's of Narnia. Forming their own governments and punishments so as to discourage such action, and in the end defeat Bungle. Their White Witch.
But what does this mean in the scheme of things? What am I trying to say? What does Narnia and LambdaMOO being similar have anything to do with my usual blog posts
The significance is that Narnia and the real world lived side by side. They complimented each other, creating an escape for Pevensie's. It allowed them a place to thrive and lead as they never could have in their own world. LambdaMOO is the same for its users. It is a world in which they can be whoever they want to be. A king, an elf, a goblin warlock intent on taking over the world; all while still being themselves at home.
Many people view internet "worlds" as unsafe; detrimental to user's health and relationships, but it doesn't have to be. The internet, LambdaMOO, and internet communities everywhere can be a nice escape. When handled properly they can give users opportunities they would have never had. One just has to take advantage of them and not get too lost within the solace it provides.
Just like in Narnia, bad things can happen. The children could have died and never came back. They could have become lost, or refused to return. Users of LambdaMOO and other communities also have this to fear. They cannot sacrifice their real life, so to speak, relationships for those of the MOOers, nor can they sacrifice those of the MOOers for real life. All are important and help them grow.
For those who chose to experience online worlds, both can exist in harmony. If only everyone had a wardrobe they could escape into.
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