In a news article I found titled "Blogger Gets Four-Year Jail Term for Insulting Islam", a 22-year old was sentenced to a four-year jail term for "using his Web postings to criticize the Islamic religion, the Prophet Muhammad and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak."
I think that 1.) being Americans and 2.) our using the internet with no real fear of getting arrested makes us forget that in other countries, free speech still does not exist. It makes me sad that people can't even post their own thoughts on a personal blog. If you can't do it on the internet, where can you? For all the technological advancements that have been made, it's surprising that some cultures seem stuck in a rut. 3 of the 4 years on the sentence were for insulting Islam, and the last year was for insulting the President of Egypt.
How sad.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Snow Crash Chapters 20-42
The first third of Snow Crash seemed dominated by the new developments, technologies, society, culture, and way of life in general. Alternatively, the second third instead seems focused on the past--the far past. I read through the first third fairly quickly, but the conversations between Hiro and the Librarian have so much information crammed into every sentence that it takes a lot longer to get through a chapter with a full understanding of what just happened. About halfway through, I realized I had forgotten who L. Bob Rife was! There's so many secondary characters and names that it's difficult to keep them all straight. It's odd to read a book of this magnitude with only two real central characters. I do find the feds extremely amusing, however, as they seem stuck in a world that is much more like ours than the one that Hiro and Y.T. live in. Paperwork and B.S.
Alright, so this whole nam-shub thing is pretty confusing. It seems to me that you can't become infected by the virus through hearing, it must be visual (Da5id's bitmap, Sumerian cuneiform). I wonder why Da5id can only speak in babble, but the girl that Y.T. found in the Falabala camp can speak English and communicate, albeit in a fairly childish way? Why does Rife want to infect everyone, and what is the blood used for? (I'm to page 320, btw). Hiro seems to think that it's used to infect other programmers, but I haven't seen anything like that. I think this is a book I'm going to have to re-read.
And just a few random questions: Can you tell who someone is in the Metaverse even if their avatar looks nothing like them (i.e. a walking penis)? Also, are you committed to the avatar you originally chose until "avatar death", or is there a way to update/change them?
Alright, so this whole nam-shub thing is pretty confusing. It seems to me that you can't become infected by the virus through hearing, it must be visual (Da5id's bitmap, Sumerian cuneiform). I wonder why Da5id can only speak in babble, but the girl that Y.T. found in the Falabala camp can speak English and communicate, albeit in a fairly childish way? Why does Rife want to infect everyone, and what is the blood used for? (I'm to page 320, btw). Hiro seems to think that it's used to infect other programmers, but I haven't seen anything like that. I think this is a book I'm going to have to re-read.
And just a few random questions: Can you tell who someone is in the Metaverse even if their avatar looks nothing like them (i.e. a walking penis)? Also, are you committed to the avatar you originally chose until "avatar death", or is there a way to update/change them?
Friday, February 16, 2007
MySpace Mourners
I found an article at CNN titled "Mourning on MySpace". The article discusses how social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook are used to 'send messages' to those who have recently passed away.
This article really hits home with me, as in a little over a year my graduating class of 64 was dropped to 62. My best friend from highschool, Nicole, passed away on December 21, 2005. Another friend and classmate, Nathan, was killed in Iraq on January 26, 2007. Both of them had MySpace profiles, and shortly after their deaths many friends, classmates, and family members logged on to leave them messages. It almost feels like we are actually communicating with them and I feel it's a good place to go to mourn them, as it is filled with things they liked -- a personalized space with pictures, blogs, and music that was important to them. Whenever I get depressed it helps me to go onto their MySpaces and remember them.
I may use this as a topic for my Neovox article.
This article really hits home with me, as in a little over a year my graduating class of 64 was dropped to 62. My best friend from highschool, Nicole, passed away on December 21, 2005. Another friend and classmate, Nathan, was killed in Iraq on January 26, 2007. Both of them had MySpace profiles, and shortly after their deaths many friends, classmates, and family members logged on to leave them messages. It almost feels like we are actually communicating with them and I feel it's a good place to go to mourn them, as it is filled with things they liked -- a personalized space with pictures, blogs, and music that was important to them. Whenever I get depressed it helps me to go onto their MySpaces and remember them.
I may use this as a topic for my Neovox article.
Snow Crash: A New Beginning
So far, Snow Crash is so much more appealing than Smart Mobs ever dreamed of being. I love novels! One thing I'm confused about, though, is the difference between Cosa Nostra and Nova Sicilia, if any. They're both mafia run -- are they the same company or two separate ones?
Y.T. is fairly unrealistic for me at the moment. She's 15, yet is pretty knowledgable and responsible. She has a fulltime job and has physical relations with her boyfriend. There hasn't been any mention of schooling. Is Y.T. a social commentary herself? Does Stephenson think that the age of maturity will drop to the mid-teens?
Probably one of the coolest technologies so far is the Library and Librarian. This kind of efficiency really allows someone to have the most access to, well, just about everything. It's at once wonderful and incredibly dangerous -- information is a very powerful tool.
"Ignorance is bliss" as they say, however Snow Crash and Smart Mobs both show us that this is becoming less and less of an option. Each new technology draws us more and more into the realm of communication and knowledge. Harnessed properly, and this could prove an invaluable source of information. Let loose, and it could potentially create the downfall of the world as we know it. Ooooooh!
Y.T. is fairly unrealistic for me at the moment. She's 15, yet is pretty knowledgable and responsible. She has a fulltime job and has physical relations with her boyfriend. There hasn't been any mention of schooling. Is Y.T. a social commentary herself? Does Stephenson think that the age of maturity will drop to the mid-teens?
Probably one of the coolest technologies so far is the Library and Librarian. This kind of efficiency really allows someone to have the most access to, well, just about everything. It's at once wonderful and incredibly dangerous -- information is a very powerful tool.
"Ignorance is bliss" as they say, however Snow Crash and Smart Mobs both show us that this is becoming less and less of an option. Each new technology draws us more and more into the realm of communication and knowledge. Harnessed properly, and this could prove an invaluable source of information. Let loose, and it could potentially create the downfall of the world as we know it. Ooooooh!
Friday, February 9, 2007
Elderly Couple Can't Handle Pogo Relationship!
I'm rather fond of the card game, Euchre. As you need 4 people to play it, however, I often find myself resorting to www.pogo.com or similar sites to sate my card-playing needs. Today, after finishing up an assignment for my World Literature course, I decided to take a nice Euchre break. On the "table" there is a little chat on the side which allows the players to talk to one another. Normally it is regular card chat with encouragement for your partner, but on some occaisions an actual conversation will break forth. This happened today, when my partner, "MtDewKid1955" started talking with one of the opponents, "Sheilla11061955". First, MtDewKid says he needs to talk with Sheilla after the game -- this gave me the indication that they already know each other. Sheilla says he can just talk now, and MtDewKid says that he'll know on 2-15. Sheilla then asks "Know what?" giving me the impression that MtDewKid was much more into their correspondance than Sheilla was. MtDewKid replies "about the surgery" and Sheilla says "Is that all you had to tell me?" MtDewKid then says he has a few more questions, and Sheilla begins to chat with me and her own partner, who are just trying to play the game. A little bit later, MtDewKid asks if Sheilla feels that he is stalking her, to which she replies "Yes". I'm a little weirded out at this point and wondering how old these people are -- they were acting like children however the '1955' in both of their names threw me off. Awesomely enough, Pogo provides players with profiles, and upon closer examination, I discovered that MtDewKid is 51 while Sheilla is 50. Both were from Michigan, but I have no idea if they know each other in real life or just through Pogo. Sheilla did mention that MtDewKid was having his sister call her and place "guilt trips" on her, and MtDewKid also asked if Sheilla was in a relationship with a pogo player who entered later to watch the game.
I'm still just shocked that I witnessed 50-year olds have this teenage-like discussion online.
On the plus side, MtDewKid and I won.
I'm still just shocked that I witnessed 50-year olds have this teenage-like discussion online.
On the plus side, MtDewKid and I won.
Monday, February 5, 2007
Smart Mobs Reflection, Chapters 7-8
"It's not just how we use the technology that concerns us. We're also concerned about what kind of people we become when we use it" (185). These words, spoken to Howard Rheingold from some Amish "gentlemen", fairly reflect the growing concerns of people who are fearful of the technological advances they see in day-to-day life. Rheingold and many others that he quotes discuss "interacting with devices", however, I see that people are rather interacting THROUGH the devices. These technologies allow us to connect to the world and to other people in ways previously unthought of. Unless we were a technology guru or had one break on us, we would most likely not care about the intricacies of the device itself. What we would care about is how it would better enable us to get ahold of our friends or obtain the information we want. It amazes me still that many of my friends in my age range, let's say 18-24, refuse to get cell-phones. "I don't want people to be able to get ahold of me at all times of the day" quips one, to which I say "So just don't answer the phone". Still, she absolutely appalls the idea of constant communication. These people, I have found, are being left out of the loop more and more. As it is so difficult to get ahold of them, they are not invited out to parties or even just to dinner gatherings. People consistently ask if these technologies are making us lose our touch with other people, however I see that those who do not utilize these devices are the ones unable to connect with others.
Sometimes, however, these technologies just should not be used. For example, in chapter 7 we see an example of people texting at a funeral. Is this socially acceptable? Should it be? It seems appalling to me that people cannot put their lives on hold for long enough to mourn for the loss of another.
Surveillance is another issue brought up often in regards to new technology. An interesting thought is that people will behave better if they think they are under surveillance. If people thought that whatever they did or said could come back and be used against them, they may start being careful of how they behave. Also, Rheingold shows us that most of the privacy intrusions being made into our personal devices are from merchants trying to sell us everything from sex to paper clips rather than "secret police". People should find a middle ground of paranoia so that they behave properly and yet don't go into major conspiracy theories.
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Although I picked up Smart Mobs with hesitancy that continued into the first three chapters, I grew to appreciate Rheingold's perspective. Although it is difficult for me to remember the time without computers (however I can remember my undying excitement at getting our first one), Rheingold is able to connect that gap and show the people of the younger generation how quickly the technological world is advancing around us.
Sometimes, however, these technologies just should not be used. For example, in chapter 7 we see an example of people texting at a funeral. Is this socially acceptable? Should it be? It seems appalling to me that people cannot put their lives on hold for long enough to mourn for the loss of another.
Surveillance is another issue brought up often in regards to new technology. An interesting thought is that people will behave better if they think they are under surveillance. If people thought that whatever they did or said could come back and be used against them, they may start being careful of how they behave. Also, Rheingold shows us that most of the privacy intrusions being made into our personal devices are from merchants trying to sell us everything from sex to paper clips rather than "secret police". People should find a middle ground of paranoia so that they behave properly and yet don't go into major conspiracy theories.
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Although I picked up Smart Mobs with hesitancy that continued into the first three chapters, I grew to appreciate Rheingold's perspective. Although it is difficult for me to remember the time without computers (however I can remember my undying excitement at getting our first one), Rheingold is able to connect that gap and show the people of the younger generation how quickly the technological world is advancing around us.
Podcast #1
Podcast #1 has been going alright so far. It's not due until Friday, but Diana and I got a head start and set up a 'lunch date' for last Friday so we could brainstorm about it. We started recording and using GarageBand today, and though it's extremely fun it is fairly time consuming so I'd advise any students who haven't started to get going. We spent an hour on it today and only got 2 minutes down, and part of that we need to go back over. Part of the reason for this is that although we both watched the tutorials we still had to go back and rewatch them, also, we got way caught up in the fun things GarageBand can do! We're meeting again tomorrow to hopefully finish recording, and then Wednesday we'll polish it up. Be sure and keep a look out for RaDcast (Rachel and Diana-cast) #1, hitting iTunes this Friday! We promise excitement for all!
In other news, I finally finished Smart Mobs. Yay!
In other news, I finally finished Smart Mobs. Yay!
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Smart Mobs Reflection, Chapters 4-6
Some of the more insightful passages in chapters 4-6 of Smart Mobs I found were from sources outside of Rheingold's own words. For example, a passage by Steve Mann in 2001 caught my eye.
This passage may help quell the fears of those who think we're heading down a path foreseen in The Terminator. Technology should be an assistance to life, not a way of life. For example, translation devices. Rheingold talked about a device that could read a sign in a foreign language and translate it into English. Could this technology possibly be auditory? Could people in foriegn countries begin wearing ear pieces that translated the language they heard into their own language? Imagine the cultural barriers that could be overcome by being able to understand each other in such an easy way. Another crazy thought I had was when Rheingold was discussing some sort of Virtual Reality system that allowed one to interact with the real world, using a system of glasses and cameras. This made me think -- could blind people see? Could we place a chip inside a person's head that could receive information from a camera located on a pair of glasses? I'm not really sure if that's possible with the human anatomy, but it is an interesting idea.
Rheingold also discussed the Cornucopia of the Commons to a larger extent. An example I have of such a group is Stumble! Located at http://www.stumbleupon.com/ Stumble is a fun and easy way to find new and interesting pages on the internet. Simply download the free toolbar, hit "Stumble!" and you're off. Users are allowed to "Share" pages on a variety of topics, including literature, games, current events, car parts, sewing, countries, religion, and dozens of others. Once you have your selected list, you can hit the Stumble! button and, based on your selection, it will either take you to a random page on any topic within your preferences or a page about a selected preference. Once at that page, you can see what other Stumblers have thought about it, and also give your own rating. The higher the rating, the more likely other people are to Stumble upon it. On the Stumble page, it states: Rating just a few sites a day will further refine your preferences, matching you to more similar people and more interesting sites. This is an awesome example of the Cornucopia of the Commons as well as the reputation system. Not to mention it's incredibly fun, an awesome way to explore the internet, and a great time waster! I think it's a great device because previously, outside of Google and my regularly visited pages, I never really knew how to explore the internet to find things that really interest me. Check it out!
Rather than smart rooms, smart cars, smart toilets, etc., I would like to put forward the notion of smart people.
In an HI [humanistic intelligence] framework, the goal is to enhance the intelligence of the race, not just its tools. Smart people means, simply, that we should rely on human intelligence in our development of technological infrastructure rather than attempt to take the human being out of the equation. An important goal of HI is to take a first step toward a foremost principle of the Enlightenment, that of the dignity of the individual. This is accomplished, metaphorically and actually, through a prosthetic transformation of the body into a sovereign space, in effect allowing each and every one of us to control the environment that surrounds us. . . . One of the founding principles of developing technology under the HI system is that the user must be an integral part of the discourse loop. The wearable computer allows for new ways to be, not just do. (Smart Mobs, 107).
This passage may help quell the fears of those who think we're heading down a path foreseen in The Terminator. Technology should be an assistance to life, not a way of life. For example, translation devices. Rheingold talked about a device that could read a sign in a foreign language and translate it into English. Could this technology possibly be auditory? Could people in foriegn countries begin wearing ear pieces that translated the language they heard into their own language? Imagine the cultural barriers that could be overcome by being able to understand each other in such an easy way. Another crazy thought I had was when Rheingold was discussing some sort of Virtual Reality system that allowed one to interact with the real world, using a system of glasses and cameras. This made me think -- could blind people see? Could we place a chip inside a person's head that could receive information from a camera located on a pair of glasses? I'm not really sure if that's possible with the human anatomy, but it is an interesting idea.
Rheingold also discussed the Cornucopia of the Commons to a larger extent. An example I have of such a group is Stumble! Located at http://www.stumbleupon.com/ Stumble is a fun and easy way to find new and interesting pages on the internet. Simply download the free toolbar, hit "Stumble!" and you're off. Users are allowed to "Share" pages on a variety of topics, including literature, games, current events, car parts, sewing, countries, religion, and dozens of others. Once you have your selected list, you can hit the Stumble! button and, based on your selection, it will either take you to a random page on any topic within your preferences or a page about a selected preference. Once at that page, you can see what other Stumblers have thought about it, and also give your own rating. The higher the rating, the more likely other people are to Stumble upon it. On the Stumble page, it states: Rating just a few sites a day will further refine your preferences, matching you to more similar people and more interesting sites. This is an awesome example of the Cornucopia of the Commons as well as the reputation system. Not to mention it's incredibly fun, an awesome way to explore the internet, and a great time waster! I think it's a great device because previously, outside of Google and my regularly visited pages, I never really knew how to explore the internet to find things that really interest me. Check it out!
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