week 15 - Reading Assignment 19

what do you think of when you hear "Remix Culture"?

I suppose I think the term 'Remix Culture' refers to the fact that, in our culture, there has been a rising trend in re appropriation. Meaning, we live in a world where we digitally have access to most creative works, legal or not,and with that access we no longer have to start from scratch. We can simply scramble past works and place them in a new context then call them our own.

what do you think is the biggest consequence of remix culture?
how is remix culture affecting innovation?

I think the biggest consequence of our remix culture is the fact that it has now placed a halt and then resulting decreased motivation to produce new forms and coming up with new solutions. I think that coupled with our current climate, recycling has come to play a huge role in current trends. Which plays into why people are not building innovative new pieces of work, they don't have to and isn't what is "in".

ATLAS Speaker Series Response

watch one lecture from the ATLAS Speaker Series and respond in 400-500 words.

Digital Media Design, Gender and Games Yasmin Kafai - November 5, 2012

Being a woman in the field of Computer Science, I have definitely had a lot of first hand experience on the male centric nature of technology. I think it is interesting that she began the talk in speaking to why girls are not brought up to be 'interested' in technology as a malleable tool. In high school I played a lot of sports and spent my time living the typical socially driven high school experience while most of my fellow Computer Science majors were becoming acquainted with computing as an interactive activity. When I talk to my guy friends, computer scientists or not, most have had some sort of exposure to the field be that through video games or classes. Yet girls rarely know anything about the possibilities and access made available through the study of computer science. Its as if men have been given the confidence to pursue and contribute to that educational world while women have been left to play eternal catch up. I would definitely agree with the judgement that a lot of this divide has been developed through the separation of those who play video games and those who don't. I have two brothers who play a lot of video games and when I first decided to declare CS as my major they were the only people in my family who had really any idea what is the purpose and methods used in such a study. However, as she mentions, women have not become more prevalent in the act of computing even in Scratch which is meant to be a more inclusive community. I think it is pretty obvious that the disconnect comes from the social developed archetype of what is meant to be feminine in our society. I think I may take a pretty strong stance against the fact that she is proposing and promoting these “crafty” natures that women have been limited by. To bring women into computing, I would argue that we need to debunk this relationship between computers and 'geeks'. Computers are a tool that can be used in many areas of life to many different ends. Computer science is typically a study tied with engineering, which then inevitably ties it to robotics or mechanics as that is the general interaction it has with its neighboring majors. But the computer, and an understanding of the inner workings of that computers, is a means that can benefit many intellectual studies. Therefore, as maybe some of you hav heard, the college of Arts and Sciences has recently begun the development of a major program for attaining a bachelors of arts in the study of computer science. I predict this idea of breaking the mold of who is creating our computers will inevitably change the computer industry itself. 

week 14 - reading assignment 18

read one article and post a question in response.
What is Intellectual Property? WIPO

1. Do you think a core practice in writing copyright law is semantics? It seems that the wording, in order to not be contested, really needs to be concise and specific.

briefly describe your feelings about intellectual property, relating it to your own life.
I work at the Visual Resources Center in the Art & Art History department here on campus as a visual resources assistant and I do digital imaging for students and professors. So I basically scan in images, perform image corrections on those digital images, then catalog all the images to be incorporated in the University digital image library. Thanks to fair use, with the right legal observances, our collection i able to grow for educational purposes without violating the law. However we come in contact with fuzzy copyright law and have a lot of trouble navigating the minefield. This has spurred a lot of conversations with my bosses regarding the copyright system we use. One major topic we have discussed is whether or not copyrights are doing what they are meant to do, which is encourage exclusive creative work for a defined time period without creating monopolies. 

week 14 - reading assignment 17

when you hear "digital divide," what does this mean to you?

I guess I would say that it is a term used to describe the cultural barrier that exists between communities with access to the benefits of a 'digital revolution' and those who do not. It seems to me to be a very negative repercussion of our evolution into the technological realm. 

watch this video on the digital divide and write a reaction. what did you find interesting? what bothered you? how would you approach the situation?

I think the comparison of learning how to use a computer, more specifically how to utilize the computer as a tool for learning, with the idea of learning to ride a bike is pretty powerful. I have a 5 year old cousin, Walker, who I have had the pleasure to watch grow up. One of the hands down most fascinating things I have found in that process is his aptitude for technology. Growing up immersed in the era of the internet and mobilized information, I think Walker has an engrained understanding of how technology has come to work, which allows him to adapt towards new forms of that technology very quickly. His common sense now incorporates the conceptual mind computers have been built with. This always shocks me and at times worries me as it is a direct example of the exclusivity of technology. That exclusivity not only holds from first world to third world clefts, but even generationally. Fascinating stuff, very telling of the trajectory of our world as we know it.

week 13 - source-listing/bibliography (Group 10)

The following are some websites we found helpful in our research.

Album sales Down in 2012

Downloading Music: The Real Deal

Fight Builds Over Online Royalties

The Powerful Role of Music In Society

Music and Digital Media; Making Sound Creative

History of Music Players

The Greatest Change in the History of Media

A Brief History of Digital Media

Digital Music Creation

The Pros and Cons of Using Digital Technology

Does Bitrate Really Make a Difference?

Perspectives on Digitization of Music

week 13 - reading assignment 16

In general, describe the relationship between I.T. and war as it has existed throughout history and into the present.

I guess I would just say that they exist in a symbiotic relationship as they both support the advancement of the other. I feel that because our country's economic model seems to favor our military, it is only natural that that industry is where research and development occurs most heavily. Not only does the military support I.T. development but medical as well, which has proven very beneficial. 

watch one video and read one article, then respond by incorporating three extracted quotes into a concluding thought to the statement above.

War and Technology Alex Roland 2009
Waging War: A New Generation [video] Frontline: PBS

"Technology is wrapped up in the story of war, its wrapped up in the story of human history" (Frontline).

"These technologies aren't being built in some secret desert lab that we don't know about. They're here, they're surrounding us. We better deal with them" (Frontline).

"Technology is a possibility, not an imperative" (Roland).

As an extension to my initial statement on the relationship between war and IT I would like to emphasize the point made in both the video and the article. That point is that human beings are the creators of this technology. Those human beings exist in a heavily contextualized mindset as is inherent in our nature, which then informs the possibility of what technology may become. In our world, as it exists today, the military is a primary responsibility that has evolved into a priority. As a priority, it requires a great deal of money and time. This money and time (a finite resource) is also needed for the development of technology. Therefore it stands to reason that we may kill two birds with one stone and efficiently develop our drive to proliferate our technological position whilst protecting that drive's hometown. 

week 12 - reading assignment 15 +

write about your initial understanding of virtual reality and how you may interact within them.
I suppose I would define a virtual reality as an environment that has been digitally recreated to reflect some form of reality. I think these environments often are created to supply possibilities not available in our own physical world. 

I suppose I may consider First Person Video Games and Avatar-based Video Games as virtual realities, though this may be incorrect. I play Mario games and Donkey Kong and Halo every now and again. When I was a kid I played Disney's Toontown which is a MMORPG and really fun. I have also dabbled in Second Life as well as WoW.


read one article and respond with three questions.

A Brief History of Virtual Reality and its Social Applications Ebersole 1997

1. I find it really interesting that the concept of Virtual Reality be so tied with the study of Communications. Do they teach much on the subject in formal Communications practice?
2. Do many people who study the effects of Virtual Reality connect it with the concept of Hyperreality?
3. Does Virtual Reality only include environments that support the interactivity tools of googles and gloves?

week 12 - reading assignment 14

read two articles and respond with three questions.

Device Identification in online banking is privacy threat, expert says 2009
The Transparency Grenade 2012

1. It would seem logical and likely that within the user agreement bankers 'accept' when beginning their online banking experience there is already a system that restricts the use of personal information?
2. Don't banks seem like a place where clients inherently invest a large amount of trust within the realms of personal privacy? This explains that a bank's fundamental business dynamic would restrict breaches in privacy before the specific amendments within the online service are even considered.
3. I think to question our banking system in general is valid and acceptable, but to separate that traditional banking structure from its online counterpart with an effort to only question this new technology is pointless. We imbue a sense of stability upon the banking system that much of the modern world relies on and to question one, is to question the other. If you can't trust the manner in which a bank handles personal information online then how can you trust the way it handles everything else which is arguably just as sensitive? 

week 11 - reading assignment 13

read an article and respond with three questions.

Open Source Content
Open Source vs. Proprietary Software
Richard Stallman: Free Software
What is Open Source?

1. How much does the market for software development change from proprietary to open source?
2. Why has open source become such a beacon for some people?
3. Do people fear that open source will provide us with too much freedom?

week 11 - reading assignment 12

read an article and respond with three questions.

Howard Rheingold readings
Life on the Electronic Frontier
Howard Rheingold's Virtual Communities

1. As I did not read Howard Rheingold's book, the review was very very hard to follow. Why were we asked to read an article that spends its time discussing points that it expects its reader to be familiar with when, odds are, none of us are familiar with it?
2. In the earlier days of The Well, did you (Rheingold) ever find out that those who you were interacting with were presenting themselves as a falsified identity? Or did this not evolve until later?
3. What is your (Rheingold's) opinion on the loss of patience some say is being developed in younger generations because of the internet? Do you believe that an online community forum is to blame for the trend of short term and distracted attention?

week 10 - reading assignment 11

read an article and respond with three questions.

A Deep Dive into Facebook and Datalogix: What's actually being shared and how you can opt out.  2012

1. Is is that much of an invasion of my privacy that I shop for certain foods at a grocery store? I feel like a grocery store is a public place...
2. How much of the ads shown on my Facebook are generated by this 'knowledge'?
3. Is it true that you can never 'delete' your profile from Facebook?

week 10 - reading assignment 10

read an article and respond with three questions.

Has Viral Gone Viral?  Bilton 2010

1. This idea of a viral influx of people is fascinating. Did Twitter and AOL have to update their supporting infrastructure in reaction?
• In one of my Comp Sci classes a professor was explaining to us how Amazon has a warehouse of servers they make use of in times of great demand as they previously encountered a Christmas time bombardment of use that essentially crashed their system. This must be the result of a virally spread interest in order in advance and online. 
2. Could this newly developed issue of the over abundance of second hand relaying of information that has zero to no validity be blamed on the viral nature of the internet?
3. In what other aspects of our life, if there are any, does this exponential growth in popularity occur?

week 8 - reading assignment 09

read an article and respond with three questions.

The Emerging Role of Social Media in Political and Regime Change  2012

1. If the 845 million "active users" means only activated accounts, how many accounts have been made ever (even those now deactivated)? Because the rumor is that Facebook never actually allows you to remove all of your content permanently.
2. How much of U.S. population is under 25? What are the consequences of that?
3. Do you think there will be a developing need for a communications major that focuses entirely on the communication via the web? Or does this exist already?

week 8 - reading post 09

read four pages and respond with a total of three questions.
  netart 2004 - Ping Melody
  netart 2007 - Feraltrade
  netart 2008 - Conch
  netart 2009 - VisitorsStudio
    John Hopkins

1. Within the Ping Melody post the author mentions a divide between the 'Art World' and 'Net Art', is this because the two should not belong together, or just that the 'Art World' has not yet accepted 'Net Art'?
2. How did the artist Isabelle Jenniches create 'the Call'? I got lost in the description.
3. Can someone elaborate on what the statement 'Operational Term is Stimulate' please?

week 7 - reading assignment 08

read two articles and respond with three questions for each.
Timeline: The Future of Videogames 2012

1. Who wrote this piece? What is there background?
2. Did anyone else find his statement that "a few instances of augmented gaming related injuries as people forget they are still out in the real world" to be relatively hilarious? It really contrasts the amount of daring that comes with the consumption of video games with the real life consequences of that daring.
3. What does this contrast say about the nature of a human being and how that will be affected by the gaming industry?

Does game violence make teens aggressive? - Kristin Kalning 2006

1. Does the fact that certain areas of the brain are active while playing a videogame than when not a playing a videogame means that that brain has long term and lasting affects within personality?
2. Couldn't you argue that Need For Speed utilizes a similar sense of violence that causes a lowering of control and inhibitions as that is an extreme take on an everyday activity?
3. To me, “Let’s quit using various Xboxes as babysitters instead of doing healthful activities” is a pointlessly harsh statement as the reality of our new times is that the majority of the activities this generation is wanting to join in are technologically driven. Does anyone else agree?

week 7 - Personal Network

Within the last few years, particularly because I am pursuing a major in Computer Science, I have cultivated a central concern that is constantly being brought back to my thoughts. In this class, as we are attempting to critically look at technology as a socially driving force, that concern is pretty prominent and is always at the back of my mind. What it essentially boils down to is the idea that our generation's ability to remain in touch with a large number of people through such short lived interactions has severely shortened our attention spans as well as our patience. While doing this assignment, this topic was unfortunately all I could really think about.

My own personal network consists mostly of the people who I happen to be seeing a lot during any given season of the year. For instance a typical day for me would include interactions with my peers and professors within the classroom, interactions with one of my bosses at one of my jobs, a phone call or two with my dad, and brief in passing conversations with my roommates. As far as my online presence, I will passively skim through Facebook probably two or three times a day, I will check emails and on a rare occasion send emails, and I will probably carry a few short conversations over text messaging. Overall, my personal network is maintained through direct contact. I am all about quality time and I am inclined to value the people and situations that fit easiest into my routine. Therefore, my attention is given out to those major priorities like schoolwork and work work frist, then whatever time and attention I have left to give out must come with some ease for me. 

week 6 - reading assignment 07

read one article and respond with three questions.
The Attention Economy and the Net - Michael H. Goldhaber 1997

1. Is this idea of a new economy to accompany the new age viewpoint commonly accepted?
2. Did anyone else find is method of presenting this idea much more effective than our past readings? I especially appreciate how he acknowledges the potential doubt a viewer may have in his argument.
3. I wonder what the authors views on ADD are and how the 'disorder' has been controversially tied to our societies move toward brevity?

week 6 - reading assignment 06

read one article and respond with three questions.
The Net and the Web - Hakim Bey 1991

1. Couldn't you argue that there are no "transactions" of the net that are truly open to all? I find that being a human in the human race is inherently subject to continuous hierarchy and comparison, I feel as if it is slightly naive to say otherwise - but I could totally be missing something.
2. Do you think the age of this article is an important thing to consider when really analyzing the truth of its contents?
3. Does anyone else read this as being an extreme romanticization on the community of the "Web" and how it can help this so-called 'Temporary Autonomous Zone"?

week 5 - reading assignment 05

read three articles and respond with three questions for each.
Ethics of Digital Direct Action - Gabriella Coleman September 2011
I felt like this article was one of the first articles we have read that really sparked a contemporary view on the ways in which technology affects our world in a very informative manner.

1. Does anyone else in the class know much about the idea, culture and methods of a DDoS?
2. Do the FBI fear another Egypt?
3. Does the FBI's lack of differentiation between hacking and DDoSing reflect their lack of progressive growth with the times?

Our Weirdness is Free - Gabriella Coleman May 2012

1. Are people (her audience), particularly the ones in this class, aware of the extent of the stigma associated with 4chan? I think, at least for me, it really taints my view on this group.
2. What do they mean by trolling the Church of Scientology? What did this entail?
3. Do you think the group "Anonymous" was really egged on into existence by those participants of 4chan who have a very strong tendency towards mischief?

Cyberdeterrence and Cyberwar - Martin Libicki 2009

1. It is pretty striking how much we rely on the infrastructure of the internet and how much we (literally America as a collective) entrust to the idea that "no one has cracked our defenses yet". (Sorry not a question)
2. Going off of the above, doesn't this just emphasize the separation between those who control technology and those who don't?
3. And now going off of the above that is going off of the above, doesn't it seem as if those able to wage war of this kind excludes the already less fortunate? Its as if they will soon not even belong to the same race - how terrifying!

week 4 - Questions Answered 02

respond with answers to Patrick Vargas's questions.

From O’Regan, G., Chapter 6 - The Internet Revolution. In A Brief History of Computing.
Will there ever be another Dot Com Crash like before with another piece of technology? It seems people knew too little about the internet and attacked it with practices that aren't appropriate for the technology.
I think it is something that just comes with the cycling of technology. I think that the shortcuts that a technology creates will inevitably catch up to its actual development and hit a kind of plateau. That seems to be the general trend. 

From Wiener, N., 1954. Cybernetics in History. In Theorizing Communication: Readings Across Traditions. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Why does the author believe "that society can only be understood through a study of the messages and the communication facilities which belong to it"? Are there no other facilities?
I had this same basic question when I read this. That statement seems to color the article a bit naive. I would argue that in the study of sociology, simply disregarding all the of the many layers of interaction that exist in the social world is probably pretty taboo. Once I began to notice this very distinct oversight, it made me question the author for the rest of the piece. I understand that the analysis of all the complexity of human beings is obviously much to expansive, however he needed to provide an explanation of the why he chose to put all the focus on interpersonal communication.

From Watzlawick, P., Beavin, J.H. & Jackson, D.D., 1967. Some Tentative Axioms of Communication. In Theorizing Communication: Readings Across Traditions. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
What would the author think of communication now a days with the use of text messaging, multimedia messaging, email, and social media?
I think she would acknowledge the detriment that most of these forms of limited communication cause. The need to distill and condense is only going to decrease understanding and shorten patience. 

week 4 - reading assignment 04

read three articles and respond with three questions for each.

Tools For Thought: the history and future of mind-expanding technology - Howard Rheingold April 2000

1. Are computer's now inherently corrupt due to there association with weaponry?
2. Or are computers simply machines  developed with one basal function that has now expanded and evolved to something with seemingly endless possibilities and has lost any direct corruption from the early influences?
3. Do you believe the computer would have been established without the military aspect sooner or later?

Engineering a New Order: Military Institutions, Technical Education, and the Rise of the Industrial State - Barton C. Hacker January 1993

1. Was everyone a little baffled with the way so much of our lives has been modeled off of military proceedures?
2. And don't you find it interesting that the fundamental reasoning into the necessity of a military stems from fear, it seems only too natural for humans to allow fear to dictate their every functioning, always precautionary. 
3. Although not a question, I think it is totally worth it to mention that in my engineering experience I have come across many people (incidentally mostly men) who have come back to school as it is being funded by their military career. 

The Internet Revolution [chapter 6]: A Brief History of Computing - Gerard O'Regan

1. Did the origin of ARPANET as a tool primarily used in academia and the military taint the extension of the World Wide Web?
2. In what ways did Lee's background predispose him to invent the World Wide Web?
3. I wonder if their is a correlation between the development of credit cards and the commercialization of the Web into a buyer's market?

week 3 - Questions Answered 01

respond with answers to three of Sammie Elvove's questions.

From Resisting Technology: Regaining a personal ecology - Ravi Agarwal 2003
1.) How has technology negatively impacted people? Why do we continue to use technology that puts certain groups at risk or at a lower level of living? 

In my opinion, one of the worst aspects of technological advancement is the idea that the society has now become entirely dependent on it. What this does is drive a large gap between the classes. It becomes "those who have the money to endure our technologically oriented society", and "those who do not". In more rural places less touched by the age of the computer, the poor may still build a living as their basic skills are likely the same as the wealthier. Whereas in places like America, basic skills are heavily made up of proficiencies with various aspects of technology. But if the less privileged population has no access to this technology in the first places, they will not be likely to have the same chances in advancing their economic status and hereby promoting elitism. But regardless I would argue to a certain point human beings are elitist by nature. We make thoughts through connection and comparison so it seems only natural to be driven to make ourselves the better of the two, we are inherently competitive.

From The Political Power of Social Media - Clay Shirky 2004
1.) I see how social media has amazing benefits of connecting us to one another, but isn't it also bringing us further apart? Are text messages and emails replacing everyday conversations? If so, this is  big concern socially since everything we do in life relies on the ability to communicate with others successfully

I would definitely agree that our obsession with social media is ultimately bringing us further apart. I think that the brevity of the texting and emailing conversations that dominates our day to day lives is the most dangerous part. Our attention spans and by extension, patience, has been so shortened by this habitual cultural that I think we are hesitant to place the same level of care and devotion to our personal pursuits and relationships both private and public. This in turn changes our perspective entirely as the emphasis on depth and complexity is switched to speed and perpetual motion.

2.) Is it fair that social media has such an impact on politics? Shouldn't politics be about cold, hard facts instead of who has a better Twitter manager or more creative internet ads?

I am in complete agreement with these arguments. It is something that I actually have really been putting a lot of thought into during this election. I think that four years ago I was not as immersed in the real world as I believe I am now through the college experience and didn't have much exposure to the political world as I do now. But now as my participation has grown, I have been stricken by how much Obama has relied on these networks that social media has built. It seems as if this may be a negative thing. People should be basing their decision on researched fact and speculation and not on one-liners from a poster or internet ad. Politics are incredibly complicated and tough to ever really grasp, how could any of that information be portrayed accurately through assorted and strategically placed slogans.

week 3 - reading assignment 03

read two articles and respond with three questions for each.

Cybernetics in History - Norbert Weiner 1954

1. From my opinion, the grouping of communication and control into one "classing" implies a large oversight in what is included in a simple act of communication (body language, shared history, lasting/first impressions). Did he consider these aspects before making the bold statement of "When I control the actions of another person, I communicate a message to him"?
2. Is he aware that he began the previously quoted section in a gender impartial way by using "person" and finished off with a declaration that that person must be a him? I find it interesting when this is not edited out before publication, you find it everywhere.
3. Fairly early on, he makes the statement "To me, personally, the fact that the signal in its intermediate stages has gone through a machine rather than through a person is irrelevant and does not in any case greatly change my relation through the signal." This really struck me as a very bold statement that continues his theme of an extremely literal definition of the methods of society. Would he still feel the same way if the signal happened to be some great declaration of love? There is an inherent difference in the fact that we know the human will have a conscious retrieval while the machine will have an impartial encoding. To me this is a very stark difference.

Some Tentative Axioms of Communication - Watzlawick, Beavin, Jackson 1967

1. Was this piece written with a differing view of schizophrenia than what is commonly accepted now? As far as I know and as far as those with schizophrenia whom I know, the disorder simply eliminates a persons consistent ability to communicate effectively. The disorder does not eliminate a schizophrenics participation in the realm of communication as a human being. 
2. When he says, " it seems that the more spontaneous and 'healthy' a relationship, the more the relationship aspect of communication recedes into the background" why does he choose to group spontaneous with healthy as being of one type?
3. Who was the intended audience of this piece?

week 2 - reading assignment 02

read three articles and respond with three questions for each.

Resisting Technology: Regaining a personal ecology - Ravi Agarwal 2003

1. What would be this author's definition of technology?
2. Is this work meant to persuade, motivate or tear down?
3. Would the author argue that technology has come to exist for technology's sake, to the detriment of the people for whom that technology was procured?

Architectures of Participation - John Hopkins 2007

1. Does the reference to "Selves and Others" stem from another dialogue on this subject?
2. In the seventh paragraph, are we being told that through the personal pursuit of intentional isolation, the spirit triumphs?
3. Is it fair to separate the effect your physical presence can have on your spirit?

The Political Power of Social Media - Clay Shirky 2004

1. Would you suspect that soon, our social media sites will begin to be bombarded with propaganda type nonsense as it is the "final frontier" so to speak?
2. Is the conservative dilemma focusing on the idea that we are not meant to be heard?
3. Does anyone else love the part regarding the U.S. plans as needing to "increase its support for local public speech and assembly" as this is a great tone to set for the future? We need to utilize the technology in a very conscious manner in order to enact a change for the better.

week 1 - reading assignment 01

read two articles and respond with three questions for each. 

As We May Think - Vannevar Bush July 1945

1. What would be his impression of the idea of open-source programs and widespread, forum based knowledge acquisition?
2. What is his education level? Does he come from a technical background?
3. Who was his intended audience for this article? Did he mean to overwhelm them?

Tools For Thought: the history and future of mind-expanding technology - Howard Rheingold April 2000

1. I wonder what his take on the origins of such conglomerates as Facebook would be?
2. Once again, where does his expertise come from? From what perspective is this piece being written?
3. I wonder how many people recognize the names mentioned in this article?