Presentations: Week 4

This has been another fun and very informative presentations week in DTC 475.  I am certainly going to miss this class after this week!  Here are my comments and suggestions for this week's presenters, including myself.

1.  DAN:  "Exploring the Correlation Between Video Games and Virtual Communities"

          I thought Dan explained a good correlation between video games and virtual communities with plenty of support.  By using Gee's Principles of video game learning and the popularity of video game communities, Dan should present a good, well-focused paper.  I, too, believe that online video game communities and environments can enhance Gee's learning principles.  Most people, including children, already learn a lot about real life from certain video games in an offline environment.  When you are online, video games enhance your learning by allowing you to compete and socialize with many others that are playing those same video games against you or with you.  Also, online games tend to be faster, more strategic, and present more competition (which enhances learning) than offline video games.  You can also get more help in online video game communities than you could in your real life offline video games.  You learn better strategy, how to compete more effectively, and build learning skills more efficiently.  I think XBox Live is very good and pertinent support for Dan's argument.  After all, it only took a short time for XBox Live to gather more than 20 million users.  With that many users, you certainly get good statistics.  I believe Dan should expand on the controversial and oppositional gray area of videogames and violence.  Should violence get in the way of learning, or are there ways that we can teach children to not act out (in real life) the violence they see played out in some of the games.  Dan has a good argument and opposition to that argument, and he should stay focused on that argument and support (XBox Live) throughout his paper.


2.  LEE:  "YouTube's Unique Roles: Political Activism and Perpetual Hate"

          Lee has good  information about one of the most popular sites on the web.  However, he needs a strong argument that relates this information to a topic that is not so known.  In other words, create an argument between the information on YouTube's political activism and another aspect of cyberspace or whatever we studied this semester.  You should argue the correlation between the two aspects in a unique way that most people would not think to correlate. 
     YouTube has a tremendous amount of videos that put out political activism.  Much of this activism is negative.  We need to change this political activism so it is more positive and can change the world for the better.  SO WHAT?  Lee needs an argument that is not evident to almost everyone on this issue. While it is true that YouTube has many enjoyable and entertaining videos in it's ever-increasing library, there are those videos that are destructive in nature and not so enjoyable.  Political activism abounds on YouTube.  There's no arguing about that.  Much of this political activism does create hate and racism because of the popularity of YouTube and how it reaches out to the youngest (and most uneducated) of users.  The world of YouTube users (especially the creators on YouTube) do need to become more educated and understanding of races, ethnicities, and religions.  If more creators on YouTube could create more videos of understanding and cooperation with others of the world, cyberactivism would do more to erase racism and other unjust and inhumane actions that we have seen all across the world for many years.  YouTube, being popular among all ages, especially the younger generations, is a very strong and innovative tool to spread information throughout the world.  We need to change this avenue of hatred and political negativity, and create more videos that show cooperation, kindness, and positive world activism throughout the world.  I agree with Lee's statement that "YouTube is becoming a sounding-board for everlasting prejudices that will continue to spread hate on a grander scale, unless users of YouTube" become more rational and intelligent thinkers and "spread that rational-thinking" and kind behavior throughout the world.  We need to use YouTube as well as other popular video and media avenues, including cellphones, for this to happen.  Lee just needs to focus on an original argument that he can support (with at least 4 or 5 very pertinent and focused examples) and talk less about how to start to solve the problem.  Lee's presentation sounded mostly like a report, as he constantly read his paper.  An original and not so evident argument to discuss would certainly make this topic and paper interesting.  I would narrow down to one or a few very specific YouTube videos that portray activism subjects that aren't so known and expand on them.  Perhaps Lee can relate this political activism and hate somehow to something in Nakamura's text on race.  Another idea is to link YouTube's poliitcal activism and the perpetual hate that it creates to why we have a widening of the digital divide.  Just a thought a little bird dropped on me.  Get away from the report on a common thought that is already "out there" and argue on a unique relationship between YouTube's political activism and a subject matter that not many people would have figured out or even known existed.


3.  ME (MICHEAL P.):  "CyberCrimes: Real vs. Virtual"

          I know my presentation was primarily a report on cybercrimes vs. real crimes, and that I had no solid argument presented.  I had a lot of information, but only a small part of that information presented in class is going to actually end up in my final paper.  I picked a topic late in the planning for the paper, and so I didn't have much time to pick an argument.  I am going to come up with a good, solid, original argument (with help from Julie and classmate comments of course!) and build my paper.  I plan to change and add scholarly sources to my final paper.  I also plan to build my paper with lesser known ideas and information, rather than use the much "evident" information I have.  I am most likely going to change my topic slightly.  My thesis will still deal with cybercrimes, but I will argue something stronger and more original.  Basically, I will stay in a similar direction, but travel down a different set of roads with cybercrimes.  I am going to strive to build a very strong, argumentative paper that builds strong support around the "so what" argument.  I have a couple good ideas at this point, but I want to read my classmate comments and suggestions before I venture into those ideas too fast.  Thank you, everyone, for comments and suggestions you have for me!  I definitely could use ideas for my topic of cybercrimes.  Anything would be welcome! =)


4.  ANGEL:  "Bridging the Digital Divide by Using Concepts of Video Games and Education"

          I agree, based on Angel's presented support, that video games and educational concepts can help bridge the digital divide.  Students certainly need to be actively involved in new technology.  There is no denying that!  Technology is evolving so fast, it's hard to keep up with it.  However, technology is changing the way we live in everyday real life.  If students do not learn at least the basics of new technology, how can they be expected to use it to make their lives more efficient and at the pace of the common person.  Students do not necessarily need to learn to keep up with changing and improving technology, however that would help them to be creators of technology.  Many technology creators can be successful in life.   I like Angel's argument that students need to apply concepts of video games to learning new technology.  Some of Gee's principles relate to the learning of new technology, using it effectively, and how it helps most people in this day and age.  I think Angel has a strong support for her argument with discussion of the Digital Youth Network.  I did not know about this network.  It sounds effective in teaching students how new technology can help them beyond their education.  I really like the idea that it presents high school students a chance and reason to serve as mentors for middle school students.  Middle school students, in this time of useful and advanced technology that is changing societies, need to "jump ahead" as much as they can with knowledge of new technology and it's uses.  It is advanced preparation for their post-school life, which all of us in this class know is very important to make our lives easier, more efficient, and more prosperous.  I liked Angel's mention of the FIRST LEGO League.  It sounds very interesting.  I have seen these lego robots in action.  I have always thought they were the product of advanced learning and application.  Those, of course, are very important skills for any student if they are going to be extra successful in their careers.  Math and Science, arguably, are the two most important subjects for any child or teenager.  While not everyone uses calculus and chemistry in their post-school lives, students do need to learn the basics of math and science and be able to apply it in almost everyday situations. Students who participate in the LEGO League do learn the importance of math and science, but in a fun way that makes learning more acceptable and desirable
for students who would otherwise blow off the subjects.  If we can get this program into all schools of the world to give most kids access to the learning skills, we certainly bridge the access component of the digital divide a great degree.  Keep with your original argument and the great, pertinent support, Angel!  You should expand a little more on your examples (DYN and FLL) in your paper.  Your paper will turn out to be very interesting.  Oh, and good to hear your voice!  You should speak more.  You sound very intellectual!  =)


5.  DEREK:  "Bridging the Gap: Mobile Phones and the Digital Divide"

          There is no doubt that mobile technologies help bridge the digital divide.  Phones are good!! Derek had good support to show that.  It would further the bridging of the divide if more adults used the internet access available on some cellphones.  This would bring out the mobility purpose of cellphones more.  I agree that "content is king". This is vital to the show the importance of virtual / hybrid spaces.  I was happy to see that Derek mentioned SMS and it's importance.  Texting had certainly become popular all over the world and should be part of the argument that mobile technologies bridge the digital divide.  More and more people are able to text these days.  The ability to text message is now commonplace in most mobile phones all over the world.  I had never heard of the mobile daisy player on some phones.  This is certainly a good way to teach children.  Many kids don't like to just sit there and read a book.  This is a way for many children to learn that they will be more interested in than only reading a book.  I thought Derek had a thorough conclusion to his topic and argument.  If we had mobile access in more areas, particularly rural areas of the world, more children would be able to learn more than they have.  This would definitely narrow the digital divide.


6.  KRISTIN:  "Program HOPE"

          I believe Program HOPE is a through, effective, and efficient program for the learning of children.  The "Healthy Online Presence Education", as the DARE programs does with children and drugs, seeks to teach children what harm there is out there and educate them on how to deal with the problems.  I think it's a great idea to have field experts explain terms and events such as "cyberbullying" and "sexting" to children when they are young, so there is less chance those kids will be caught up in the events.  I like how Kristin explained the many contexts for HOPE.  The list seemed almost complete.  Kristin should explain each of these and their importances a little in her paper. The CyberAngels is a great database site for parents who desire to protect their children.  I had already heard of that database, and how effective it has been for years.  I am happy to hear that such a great and necessary program such as HOPE had many potential partners, including law enforcement, to enforce and direct the program.  DARE has been very effective and necessary for many years now, given how wide-scale the world's drug problem is, and HOPE seeks to help children all the same and more.  I thought Kristin had a thorough implementation plan for HOPE.  Of course, there are always potential issues that come up with any plan.  We know that there is an access component of the digital divide.  That is one of the problems with the HOPE Program.  Some kids will not be able to have access to this program.  There must, if possible, be a way to spread this program throughout the world.  Kristin's conclusion is complete.  Program HOPE is a great and seemingly-effective program of protection for children that doesn't seem to leave any aspect out.  Children need to be protected in every way offline or online.  This program, as long as the partnerships give their complete support, will be a working program.  Time to share the spotlight, DARE!

7.  BRENT:  "Online Activities Change Us"

          Brent has a good argument on a topic we have discussed in class to some extent.  I like how Brent brings to light how online activities and the effect that those activities have on us create a cultural shift.  Facebook and other social networks allow us to portray ourselves as we are, or hide aspects of our life and be "transparent".  This is very common all over the web, including in communities, forums, and the such.  I liked how Brent explained how mobile advertising is a trade-off.  Cellphone users get good deals on places they are close by, but they have to become marketing "guinea pigs" in the process.  I also thought Brent's discussion of how people do many more formerly-manual activities more with cellphones, such as breaking up and firing employees, was very interesting and tied in very well with his argument.  And, yes, it certainly is true that the younger generations are the users that are creating the cultural shift.  The younger generations are the people who fire employees, sext, and break up with their boyfriend/girlfriend.....with the touch of a cellphone.  I believe this cultural shift will continue well into the future in touch with the changing technology.
Good presentation of argument and support, Brent!


8.  CYNTHIA:  "Race and Ethnicity Online: Representations in Cyberspace"

          I believe Cynthia has one of the more important issues at hand.  There is so much hatred and ignorance in cyberspace that is directed to all the different races and ethnicities. This hatred and ignorance arrives from all races and ethnicities.  There is no one target and no one source.  Cynthia's argument that cyberspace gives underrepresented groups more choices about representations that are not available through traditional media is absolutely true.  These underrepresented groups involve all different races, ethnicities, and genders.  As almost all of us know, women and minorities have surely been "under the bed" with traditional media for many almost all of history.  Cyberspace allows for those women, gays, and minorities to have a voice in the world.  I agree that Cynthia, for a good argument's sake, should focus on the two most controversial areas of racism and ethnicity.  We know that the most influential and listened to group is white males in traditional media.  That is changing with cyberspace.  More and more people of various races and ethnicities are now able to express their cultures and roots to the world.  There are many ethnic groups now found on the web.  From FotoDiaria and Latina magazine to Italy's Vogue Black and communities that discuss racism issues (Racism 101), minorities and women can speak out what they feel and help change the world.  There is that problem, however, than hinders all of this.  Racism is evident when minorities try to use freedom of speech.  Sure, the white man can say what he wants, but there are usually problems when a woman or minority (incuding gays) say or claim anything.  If we can only bridge the digital divide more by allowing more access to the Internet, perhaps more minorities would speak out.  They could make more of a difference to help combat racism and discrimination that is evident throughout the world.  People around the world of various races and ethnicities need to be heard for complete change in the world.  Cyberspace must be open to all.  All must be heard.

9.  NEIL:  "Advantage of Smart Phones: Narrowing the Digital Divide"

          Smart phones, without a doubt, do have many "bells and whistles" available on them.  I believe that the support and examples Neil uses does back up his argument that smart phones perform a good part in helping to narrow the access portion of the digital divide around the world.  That's a good thing!  Mobile phones are heavily used in developing countries. More of these "underprivileged" people are now able to use the mobile phones and carry out the activities that can performed on them.  Neil's tie-in with Silva's discussion of hybrid / mobile spaces in the CR is critical for a good paper and support of his argument.  If Neil can bring Silva largely into his argument and support, then that smoothes out much of his bumpy road ahead in his paper.  I knew Malaysia was a poor country, but I didn't know they had many cellphone users already.  I also didn't know that cellphone growth is larger in developing countries than in developed countries.  The Malaysia source that Neil listed should be a very heavy support for his argument.  I thought Neil's conclusion was explanative and complete.  Many of us rely heavily on mobile phones and technology.  These days, the people of developing countries are able to rely on them as well. Cell phones help to narrow the digital divide.  This digital divide continues to narrow as developing countries around the world get in touch with each other, thanks in large part to smartphones and regular cellphones. 


10.  JOSH C.:  "Internet Activism Is a Necessary Tool"

          Josh argues that internet activism is a "necessary tool for physical activism in the real world".  He uses good example to support that argument.  Through meetup.com and Obama's 2008 campaign, Josh has showed that use of the Internet has helped people stand on more solid ground in the real space.  Through the use of email, the web, and podcasts, politicians have been able to lobby support, support groups can raise funds for various efforts and catastrophes, and the true light of protests ("Battle of Seattle" of 1999) can be witnessed.  Josh uses several fitting examples to support his argument.  I think his opposition is worth the mention.  Internet activism can increase extremism in physical activism.  There is also a disproportionate access that widens the digital divide.  Josh's conclusion is forward, but a little vague.  Yes, activism is becoming necessary to bring about world change.  Expand, using the given examples and a couple more, and the product will be a thought-provoking and scholastic final paper.

Presentations: Week 3

First of all, I want to say that all of these presentations are interesting and original.  At least half of them I would have a lot of fun with presentations of my own.  Now let's begin with week #3.......

1. MARK:  "Online-Enabled Environmental Activism"

          I thought Mark did great on talking about cyberspace and online communities and how they are important tools in helping to save the environment.  It's something I had never thought of, even though I have visited greenpeace.com a few times.  I never thought how important these tools are to get more people involved in the cause.  I had never heard of the Love Canal Incident.  That is terrible how all those tons of waste were just dumped there, only to have schools and housing built right on top of it all.  One might not think about it, but there would eventually be disease, birth defects and filth eminating from the ground from all that buried waste.  I thought the CMC involvement with email networks, internet sites, virtual communities, and the RCRA sounded very helpful to the cause of environmental restoration.  Ecosnoop is the most interesting aspect of the entire presentation and topic.  How better to report anti-environmental issues than in real time by real people who care.  More and more people are buying and using iphones, so hopefully most of these people will download the Ecosnoop application and use it.  I believe that single application, if those who work for it take action, will really make a difference worldwide in our real space communities.  Basically speaking, Ecosnoop creates a virtual community of iphone users that have that application to save real communities.  I have heard the acronym NIMBY and knew what it stood for, but I was unsure exactly the meaning behind it until now.  More and more people need to take action to protect their neighborhoods from filth and hazardous materials.  It's a community action that is needed in every community on this planet.  I believe Mark should argue how the Internet and online communities make environmental differences at almost a real-time pace.  There are more efficient actions taken in saving the environment.  I agree that Mark should not really touch much, if at all, on the history of environmental issues.  I would focus on Ecosnoop and the impact that it has had and could potentially have given what it does and what that could lead to in helping the environment.

2. SARA:  "Presenting Yourself Different in Cyberspace"

          I thought Sara had a great topic.  We touched on some of her material in class this semester a great deal.  We know Facebook allows for a variety of connections between peers and strangers.  I don't think everyone realizes how we act differently in various types of communities.  Much of this, as mentioned, is due to the anonymity factor.  As Sara discussed, users of Facebook and other similar social networks know that their information is in their profile and that people can look them up.  People know where others live.  There is not much anonymity.  Therefore, Facebook and other similar social network users will tend to act and speak with more caution.  On the other hand, with anonymous sites such as "ChatRoulette.com", where you cannot tell where someone is from or anything else but see them, users will dress weird, get naked, act drunk or stoned, play with themselves, and all other kinds of strangeness, because they know they won't be found.  There is not much, if any, caution thrown to the wind in anonymous sites.  I like the argument of "people display themselves differently in various virtual networks"  Sara had great examples to support her argument with Facebook and ChatRoulette as to anonymity vs. non-anonymity sites and user behavior.  I really thought that the suveys were beneficial support to her argument as well.  Surveys work for a variety of topics in support of the argument at hand, and this is one of those topics. 

3.  CASSIE:  "Social Networking Sites in the Classroom"

          I liked Cassie's argument that claims social network sites should be used by teachers and students in the classroom to enhance learning of various content areas.  I truly believe this as well.  Children, with uneducating types of video games, being bored, friends around, and other distractions at home and in the classroom, truly need to be engaged in the school lecture if they are to learn efficiently and thoroughly.  I believe WoogiWorld.com is a great and valuable site to teach to children.  Parents and teachers have to teach their children that they just can't run wild on the internet.  Kids, as mentioned, need to have challenges in their life, so it teaches them to strive for success in the face of adversity throughout their younger and older lives.  These challenges on WoogiWorld prepare children to face real life and its challenges more effectively.  We all know how many challenges life puts out to us sometimes!  I laughed about how children can earn  watts, then I realized something really significant.  The WoogiWorld site is about teaching children and presenting them with challenges.  A child has to come up with ideas to overcome challenges.  Therefore, if you have a brilliant or good idea, you get the "light bulb above your head".  How is the output in light bulbs measured?  The output is measured in watts!  So, if a child gets an idea, out pops the light bulb, and they earn watts when they overcome the challenges.  I thought I would put out a little humor for all of you that read this (Julie).  Cassie did great in her focus on elementary students.  You have to start to teach them when they are very young, so they get stay out of worse troubles when they get older and start to make decisions on their own.  Also, if you teach them when they are young, their creativity, perseverance, and learning-engagement starts early, and they can become smarter and more successful in life at an earlier age.  As Julie mentioned the previous week, a good benefit of social networks sites is that they tend to make more of us "creators" and less of us watchers.  Children that visit and participate in sites such as "WoogiWorld" can learn to overcome challenges, learn efficiently, and become "creators" with their own ideas for challenges instead of sitting back to watch others create ideas.  Cassie has great support for her argument in "WoogiWorld.com" alone. 

4.  DENA:  "Social Media"

          I thought Dena was thorough in her presentation about social media and how it creates more and more legal issues.  This is very true, but not many people think about it.  People post whatever they want, steal coprighted media off the internet, and break rules of all sorts.  The problem, of course, comes in what is free speech and what is not for what is posted.  I believe that complete regulation and enforcement of internet rules is impossible.  As mentioned in Dena's presentation, there is not, and really cannot be, one single agency that can regulate and enforce copyright acts, cyberbullying, slander, theft of intellectual property, and the such.  Perhaps, if we had one agency to handle all this, they would always be extremely busy, but could probably take care of everything.  There is too much goings-on, however, on the internet, for one agency to keep track of everything and decide court cases.  I am happy with the Good Samaritan Clause, which protects social network creators and those who control it, because it does help decide many court cases.  However, the clause at times does protect those social networks and other sites too much for what users get away with in those networks.  I believe the creators and operators of some or most social networks need to place more rules in effect that keep potentially-deadly situations at bay.  They need to have more moderators or those online that can monitor activities more.  It would be a very hard job keeping millions of negative users at bay though.  There are also gray areas with the Megan Meier Cyberbullying Act.  It will be hard to enforce what you cannot completely define, that being cyberbullying.  What all does "cyberbullying" entail?  There might always be new ways of bullying someone online that the Act cannot keep up and contain until its too late as has already been the case in some suicides that we have heard of.  We hear almost everyday about copyright media being stolen from online to someone's own music or movies collection, More and more copyrighted and intellectual material thieves are being found and prosecuted through use of the DMCA, but they cannot keep up with the growing numbers of donwloaders who are stealing the material.  In a perfect world, one agency would curtail all of this, but it may never happen.  I thought Dena did a great job, and her argument was solid.  She seems to have enough support for her argument.

5.  MICHELLE:  "Human Computer Interaction"

          I want to start off by saying that Michelle has a VERY INTERESTING topic and her presentation was undoubtedly spectacular!  I am somewhat partial and favorable to her topic, so I enjoyed it a lot. 
I like Michelle's argument of  how interfaces and computer designs are helping to create the transition from real to virtual space and vice versa.  The argument hits the nail on the head, and Michelle has ample support for that argument through programs and projects she showed and explained.  HCI is certainly very important as more and more people use computers.  No person that is new to computers wants to struggle with how to even perform the basics of the computer on the screen.  We definitely need user-friendly GUI's.  I thought Michelle's mention of how lots of computer users "humanize" their computers by naming them and putting them into commercials was interesting.  It is the truth.  Most of us, I believe, come up with a name for certain computers that we own, depending on what the computer is going to be used for.  The name is listed in the "system" tab of the control panel.  Other people actually have a name for their entire computer setup.  Also, how many of us have seen ads and commercials with humanlike computers in one form or another in them.
I am happy that Michelle opened my eyes a little to something.  I really haven't stopped much to realize that most computer users these days do gaze their eyes on their monitor much more than they do their own significant other.  That is pretty sad.  I liked the idea of Project Looking Glass.  That is a great idea to mimic user actions in computers to create a more friendly GUI.  Finally, I really enjoyed hearing about the "Madotate" program.  I am going to buy that program when I get around it.  It looks very fascinating!  I am personally one who likes doing things in 3D on my computer, and that program seems to be right up my alley.  I know that many other users who like 3D activities and 3D organization would get a kick out of this program.  Will we ever truly ever have "second life".  That is, will humans ever live completely in virtual reality space?  It's very exciting to think about, but most likely will never happen.  It sure is, in my honest opinion, something to act upon and try to create.  You have a thorough, fun, and very thought-provoking topic, Michelle!  Great work!

6.  BRITTANY:  "Mobile Location-Based Advertising"

          I like the idea of New Media Direct Marketing.  Mobile advertising sounds like it will be more effective and efficient than current advertising (snail mail, emails, etc.).  It sends more relevant ads that people will respond to instead on deleting.  People will get these ads on their cellphones for shops and companies they are located close to.  Users don't have to go out of their way to buy items on sale.  The coupons that are given to frequent shoppers of certain stores is a brilliant idea.  People, in the moment, and with coupons or other worthy incentives, will be much more likely to visit stores and buy up these sales than people that are at home, relaxed, and not wanting to leave their house.  Yes, there is the tracking and spam issues that scare many people.  However, given great values for their money and time cut off their travels, I believe more people would take advantage of mobile location-based ads than those with ads in their email inboxes.  I, too, would narrow down her argument to mobile devices and how people market through them.  There were just too many ideas in Brittany's presentation.  Mobile device ads with all that support for them should produce a thorough and argumentative paper. 

7.  MARK:  "World of WarCraft - The Cost of Access"

          I have played WOW, but I didn't know it was the 3rd best-selling game of all time.  I believe Mark's argument is right on the mark (pardon the pun!).  Mark has lots of meaningful support for his argument of how Blizzard basically ruined the game for most players by fracturing the community within the game and pushed the learning curve out.  The New Quest System worsened the game by eliminating the community of practice.  As I know, the guild is a very important part of any game like this.  It is vital!   Gamers want a challenge, and Blizzard took it out.  They took the use out of guilds.   I am glad that Blizzard has seen the errors of their ways, and is incorporating the challenges and guilds back into W.O.W. .  I mean, what challenge is it to wipe away your earned reputation just because you messed up and have a few dollars in your wallet to save yourself.   When a company removes challenges, there is less need to learn.  Most gamers want to learn what to do and how to do it on later levels.  They want that skill gap.  They don't want to go to 3rd party sites to learn how to play.  Let's keep it challenging, fun, and more what the players want.  Hey, Blizzard challenging games bring more players.  You know what more players bring!

8.  CHRIS:  "The Growing Digital Divide"

          I believe Chris has a good argument about how community fragmentation will continue to spread the digital divide even further.  A lack of community interaction among communities with similar interests unbridge the digital divide.  Fragmented communities, due to their inconsistencies, create a larger divide.  Is this useful and safe?  I believe it is alright to do, because the digital divide needs to have some spread in it.  Think about it.  If we close the digital divide altogether, we, in effect, create more and higher-level problems than we have now in cyberspace and elsewhere.  As newer and fast-emerging technology comes out to the public, the digital divide is digitally dividing more.  The "who has" and "who has not" gap becomes even larger.  If you think about the flip side of this, things become a little out of control.  I never thought about what would happen if there was no digital divide, but Chris' topic and support opened my eyes a little.  Chris should tie everything in a little more towards his argument and he should have a great paper. 

Presentations: Week 2

     I was entertained by week #2 DTC presentations as I was with week #1.  I learned a lot about video games and their affects on communities, real life combat training, and future inventions that will help mankind. 
     Katie's presentation on how low-income schools are receiving technology assistance to help bridge the digital divide was unique in the sense she has a varied template.  The template, along with help from a few classmates, seemed to me enough to help her build a very strong, supported argument and write a good paper for her topic.  We all know that the digital divide is starting to bridge together with newer technology and social aspects such as social networks and cellphones.  Those who give help to low-income schools certainly do their part in bridging the digital divide.  I feel Katie will have enough information to tie in with the digital divide to make this a great example of the digital divide.  I did not know that there was a Microsoft Community that helped low-income students and schools with newer technology such as computers and the related.  I think this is great and has been needed for many years.  Microsoft is doing their part to help bridge the digital divide.  I am very interested in seeing where all of this "divide bridging" leads to in regards to the before and after results in decades to come.  It seems like we, as a world and a pleathera of inventors, are bridging the digital divide faster with each new year.  We shall never close the digital divide completely, but we are rapidly turning a "Grand Canyon" divide into a "molehill" divide.  Low-income help with computers and technology is certainly a great and important leap to our future.
     Beau, in his "Gaming: The Final Frontier" presentation, brought up quite a few ideas I would probably have never thought of.  First of all, I did not realize in how many ways we are truly gamers.  When I have ever thought about gaming to this point, I only thought of video games on portable (PSP, Nintendo DS) and full-size (XBox, PS3, etc.) consoles and on computers.  I didn't realize it is still gaming if done on cellphones and other newer technology.  Also, I didn't know about the "Life or Death" video game.  That video was a good tie-in to his argument (as Julie suggested) and topic, because it shows how technology (surgery, etc.) is being put into video games.  Much new technology, such as the Da Vinci 3DHD, I believe, is created in part by gamers that really know computers and know how to manipulate ideas and movements with computers in video games.  These video game players project their skills into ideas for useful and often life-saving technology.   The "Life or Death" game also defends video games as being good, useful activities in themselves. I thought a key element of Beau's argument is how internet speeds become faster partly due to the popularity of online video games and the need for more speed and less lag time.  I, too, have read most of "Growing Up Digital" and believe it is a very good source for this topic, Beau!  There are very good sections about the influence of video games and how some very useful and popular technology has been influenced by video games and gaming communities.  That book would be very supportive of your well-defined and original argument of how technology feeds off the gaming community.
     James has a very interesting and informative topic and argument.  I believe possibly all teachers, child tutors, and parents of small children can benefit greatly from his information.  I believe, as James does, that parents should really get involved in playing video games with their young children.  They should, while playing the games with their children, teach them the various learning principles (thanks to Gee) so as to make sure their child picks most or all of those principles up while they are growing up.  Parents and the like need to see exactly what and how their children are learning from video games.  This does help parents to accept  the many hours of playing time that some of their kids use instead of playing outside or working on school work.  Most parents would accept video games more and realize that their child is not just "wasting time".  I really liked James' discussion about the symbolism in games.  This is truly important that children pick up these symbols in games.  His argument about symbolism in games and how it creates a better understanding of learning really sums up his information.  This symbolism can include, but should not be limited to, an understanding of what the mind undergoes while playing video games and 2D versus 3D space.  His argument and the discussion of how children pick up symbols in video games and how it becomes culture is a good backbone to a good, informative paper that can teach parents and teachers alike how to teach their children to grow up with a strong academic sense.
     I thought Hans' presentation on "Social Networks Bridging the Chasm" really hit the nail on the head about social networks and their connection of the gaps of the digital divide.  His strong point is certainly about simple access to social networks and the 3 C's; connection, content, and create.  Hans explained each of the 3 C's very thoroughly and how they relate to social networks and their impact to bring people all over the world together.  I thought his explanation of how poor kids and adults all over the world are becoming more technology literate just by connecting to Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks.  This information on social networks, as Hans mentions, helps create more technology literate people to help, albeit not in a very major way, bridge the digital divide.  As for Hans' argument, I believe he should go with the Creator-Commentors-Ingestors pyramid (as Julie demonstrated very clearly and poignantly).  The pyramid works very well to support what Hans discusses.  The pyramid will allow Hans to explain how social network users are becoming more literate and confident on these social networks due to all the fun you can have on them and connections you can make.  This allows them the ability to get involved more in the social networks and the Internet and not just sit back and "ingest" information.  Users from around the world, as they develop more confidence and computer literacy, are inventing apps for the social networks, or at least leaving comments and emails for others.  The days of the "sit-back-and-watch-because-I-don't-know-computers" mentality is coming to an end with much thanks to social networks and their popularity around the world. 
     Spencer's topic is one that I would have never thought of.  In his "Do Video Games Generate Better Soldiers?" presentation, Spencer surprised me by siding on the negative issues of video game combat training.  I possibly would have thought of this topic, but I would have discussed the positive aspects of video game training for soldiers.  His argument about the negative effects of video game combat training is original and welcomed.  I thought Spencer had a very effective argument in that video game training for combat missions fails in comparison to actual combat training.  He has plenty of support for his argument.  He did list pros to video game combat training over real life training, which he might not want to focus on much at all, since this is about the negative side of video game training.  I thought the most important negative of using video games for training is that soldiers miss out on the physical aspect and true mind set that real soldiers in combat face.  That aspect is very good support for his argument being made.  He should expand on that con a little more if possible.  I really liked his before and after combat reasons against video game combat training.  Spencer's explanation of how soldiers who have seen real action tend to have nightmares if performing combat training after real fighting was, at the very least, eye-opening and also very supportive of his argument.  One thought I had throughout the entire presentation was how this is a great topic for the real vs. virtual space link.  Their are some similarities in real vs. virtual combat training, but primarily vast differences.  The results of the real vs. virtual space training here can yield very distinct results in the way of effect on the soldier, his future, and how successful he is in true combat.  Spencer was able to successfully separate the real and virtual space combat training aspects, as well as tie them together.  Spencer needs to keep his argument strong and expand on his argument's support throughout his entire paper, and provide a great conclusion that basically leaves no doubts about how real combat training is more effective and safer than video game combat.

Caprica City!! (EXT CR #4)

I looked over analyzed Syfy's "The Caprican" (http://www.syfy.com/caprican) in respect to its rhetorical triangle (ethos, pathos, and logos) and found this "online newspaper" to be very believable.  This site really makes you believe that there is a Caprica City.  Through the use of the rhetorical triangle, the Caprican site creator explains articles and Caprica city in a professional and convincing manner, as well as adding elements (the various columns listed on the left side of the webpage) to inform his readers about this very realistic city of Caprica.
     In regards to the ethos of the newspaper, the website creator uses very realistic and professional language when he refers to the city of Caprica, its people, and it's lifestyle.  For example, he describes Tomas Vergis, a prominent inventor and engineer, leaving Tauron and becoming a Caprican.  This is discussed in a professional manner that leaves the readers with a sense that this is a real man with real talents that is about to undergo a lifestyle change in a new city.  The Caprican writer sounds like a real, unbiased writer in this and many of the other articles.  There is even a comments section that has comments about the Caprican citizenship of Tomas Vergis from real-sounding people.  Some of these people are Capricans and defend their city.  Others, whether Capricans or Taurons, have their realistic opinions about Mr. Vergis and his pending citizenship in Caprica.  These are believable comments made by believable and concerned people.  Almost any visitor to this website would believe, at least for some time, that these comments discuss or are aimed at an existing, real-life man named Tomas Vergis, who is moving to a real-life city named Caprica somewhere on this planet.  Readers are even able to "report" an offensive comment on any of the comments on any column page report.  Of course, when you "report" a comment, it says that the comment will be "sent to an administrator".  Many legitimate and true-life websites and communities include this "report" feature in their boards.  In those communities, however, the report feature actually works.  However, on The Caprican, how is a visitor/reader to know that this reporting doesn't work?  In the articles throughout "The Caprican", the writers seem fair and objective with their topics.  They have several people that give their opinions about events and goings-on in Caprica in the articles. Opinions are certainly commonplace in articles in most newspaper articles throughout at least the United States.  In most of the articles, too, the writers explain events and lifestyles of the Caprica City people in an understandable and common dialogue often seen in real newspapers across the world.  The writers try to and succeed in establishing a common ground with the readers of this mock online newspaper. 
     In accordance with the pathos of the site, "The Caprican" makes the readers feel like they live in Caprica City or somewhere like it.  The readers may feel like this is a different kind of city, but they can still associate with the city environment and lifestyles of the people.  Each writer makes the readers of his articles feel like they have a voice or at least a feeling about what is being discussed.  For example, in the article, "Dr. Amanda Graystone Apparently Jumps from Pantheon Bridge" in the News column, a tragedy is reported about a woman, Amanda Graystone, that apprently has committed suicide.  This was no ordinary woman, but one that many Capricans have put partial blame on for large-scale attack called the MAGLEV bombing that has put many Capricans on edge.  The articles says that Dr. Graystone might have killed herself because of the "intense scrutiny and pressure by the people of Caprica" against her and her family.  This makes the readers, as some of those Capricans that commented, feel anguish and sadness over this woman.  Many readers would feel she deserved it after what her daughter Zoe did, but they also realize that she was a person like you and I.  The articles grabs the heart of the readers as most of the readers can relate this to someone in their real life that has gone through the same sort of suicide or troubles after a troubled life.  Another example of a writer's emotional grab of the readers is the article, "RUMORS AND WHISPERINGS: Is Tomas Vergis Buying the C-Bucs?" in the Sports column.  As Matthew Riley explains, the C-Bucs are perhaps the most popular "home" sports team in Caprica City.  Their team is about to be bought by Tomas Vergis, a Tauron, as Daniel Graystone and his dynasty is collapsing and needing money.  The Caprica City people do not want this to happen.  The reader has no choice but to feel sad and angry at the same time for the Caprica sports fans who love to watch the C-Bucs.  It is the same as a huge Seattle Seahawks fan finding out the Seahawks are moving out of Seattle and somewhere east such as New York.  The reader is filled with despair and grief for these Capricans who have lost hope in keeping their beloved team as they possibly might be moved to Tauron.  Each article brings the reader to be happy with or sympathize with the people of Caprica City.  The readers have real feelings about people they believe are real persons in a real city over supposed real issues.  The emotional factors convince the reader that Caprica City HAS to be real and that this is the paper of that real city somewhere on Earth.
     In regards to the logos of the site, the site creator does much to support his ideas and uses effective arguments.  His ideas and arguments about Caprica City and its representations sound very real and believable.  He uses a professional and mature tone throughout his online mock newspaper.  The articles are written and the paper is structured very similar to most major newspapers in the United States if not the rest of the world as well.  The "writers" of the articles are very convincing in the issues they write about.  The Caprican site creator, such as in the articles about the C-Bucs Pyramid team, follows up on articles.  For example, in "Whither the C-Bucs?", the readers see a struggling C-Bucs team as well as owner Daniel Graystone, and they know something big is about to happen.  We see the date of that article as "MARTIUS 23, YR42", meaning March 23, 42.  The date of the followup article, which shows the C-Bucs in a possible sale to Vergis due to the financial downfall of Dan Graystone, their owner, is shown as "APRILIS 5, YR42".  This translates to April 5, 42.  The second article is only 13 days after the first.  This is a very realistic time frame in real life sports for a struggling owner to reportedly be selling his team to another owner.  The readers of "The Caprican" would rightfully be convinced that this is a real sports team with a financially-troubled owner that is going to sell his team.  This has happened at least a few times in sports in the real world.  Another example of effective arguments for a real city of Caprica is found all throughout the "Caprica City Visitors Guide".  Realistic-sounding places, including the Ambrosia Distillery, Caprica Art Museum, Holo Cafe, and the Pantheon Bridge are discussed as exciting places for visitors of Caprica City.  Each tourist spot is discussed in a realistic, warm and inviting way.  The Holo Cafe would excite people with its "easy access to cyber land".  There are actual cybercafes in the U.S..  The Ambrosia Distillery wants visitors to "schedule a tour and a tasting", such as many real distilleries in the U.S. allow to their visitors  Finally, the Pantheon Bridge allows visitors and residents to take "leisurely strolls" across it, such as some major bridges of major cities of the world allow.  These uses of tourist spots and their commonplace characteristics and descriptions help create the imagined environment of a real city for readers that aren't sure if Caprica City is real or not. 
     I wanted to mention, too, that "The Caprican" has a stock watch section similar to that of many real newspapers, although only the Vergis Corporation and Graystone Industries stocks are listed as Caprica City is not a large city. 
     All in all, with several columns, each with their own related articles, convincing writers, realistic people with realistic concerns, a home sports team, real matters that real cities face, realistic pictures and descriptions of tourist hot spots that mimic real world tourist spots, and a professional tone throughout, "The Caprican" carries the feel and impact of any real  online or real life newspaper.  The ethos, pathos, and logos rhetorical triangle is abundant throughout "The Caprican" site.  The ethos, or etchical appeal, of the mock newspaper is felt by fair, understandable and objective articles and real-sounding information about Caprica City.  The pathos, or emotional appeal, of this newspaper is put out to the readers in several articles that the readers can relate something from their real life to. Whether it makes the reader sad, angry, happy, or depressed, most of the articles discuss something that the reader has a positive or negative feeling for, and the articles grab that emotion from the readers as they read about Caprica City and its events.  The logos, or logical appeal, of the newspaper is evident in the way the site creator creates a very realistic and true-to-life visitors guide that describes many realistic places with realistic descriptions.  The site creator, at least in the visitor's guide, uses effective arguments that would persuade the reader that Caprica City is a very entertaining and educational place to visit.  In other articles, he indirectly intimidates the readers, through comments by "others" and his own "writers'" articles, to stay away from Caprica City because it is full of financial trouble, violence, and corruption.  "The Caprican" mimics an online newspaper very well and complete.  If the newspaper had more sports scores, articles, pictures, stocks, and pictures, it would be only more convincing to those site visitors that believe Caprica City is in existence and that it is the most influential of the "12 colonies". However, the average visitor to this site, I believe, will be searching out Caprica City in a real life atlas and planning a vacation soon after their rustle through the pages of "The Caprican".

Works Cited:

THE CAPRICAN.  5 Apr. 2010. 12 Apr. 2010 http://showblogs.syfy.com/caprican/index.php.

Presentations : Week 1

I thought all five presentations for this week were unique and the content/argument interesting.  All five papers sound like they will be intriguing.
     Lorena discussed an interesting subject that has been in the news a little while back.  I didn't realize how much was truly censored on Google in China.  When Lorena discussed the hits comparison for U.S. and China, China was far less seeing the rest of the world.  China couldn't see much that the the U.S. could see.  I had always wondered, since this news broke out about China and Google, how it was being enforced.  Lorena said there were about 40,000 internet police.  This astounded me.  It sounds like they really want to keep violence, sex, and the whole area out of China.  I didn't find it a surprise that China blocks all social networks, including Facebook and Twitter.  China does not want any U.S. influence there, and that's exactly what most if not all of these social networks would bring to China.  I didn't know about tudou.com in China.  I thought Lorena was more thorough in her argument by tying the video from tudou.com (China's YouTube) in with her presentation.  It showed how China promotes themselves heavily while demoting some of the rest of the world at the same time.  It showed that China doesn't allow the sex and violence in their country any longer.  I was interesting that Lorena said that Google is standing on moral ground and defending themselves in this issue with China.
     Sheila's "Let's Talk About Gender Roles" was a very interesting presentation.  It shows that not everyone in any social network is gender specific.  As Sheila discussed, some people do not want to play that gender role, although most do.  This is shown by their non-gender avatar, such as an animal or other symbol of nature.  I really thought Club Penguin was a close-to-perfect example of this.  Kids in Club Penguin don't show any gender role, and what is said is not very gender-specific.  They do, however, have blue and pink penguins that gives it away if they are a boy or girl.  But, this may not always be the case.  I hope Sheila uses at least a couple of the CR sources in her paper, as they tie in very well with her presentation.
     Maruice's topic is something I would have never thought of in a million years!  Cell phones are being used to water and harvest crops?  If someone would have told me that before this class, I would have thought they belonged in a mental institution.  However, Maurice , through Silva and Benedikt in the CR, explains that mobile phones are changing cyberspace and RL society at a fast pace.  Cellphones are being used to do more and more things to make them more efficient.  One of these new age activities is taking care of crops and helping small farmers make a few extra bucks.  It seems to level the playing field between small-scale and large-scale farmers to a minor degree.  His example. African farmers, shows that the middleman can now be cut out with the aid of cellphones and their applications.  This leads to more money for crops, better crops, and faster sales.  The farmers know what the weather is going to be like and many other data, and can therefore adjust watering and harvesting.  I know Maurice's paper is going to be full of information and much support for his argument.  I find his argument very intriguing.  Who would have thought crops would be made better and a small farmer's life easier with cellphones?  Wow.
     Corrinda's "Educating Through Gaming" presentation had a great and worthwhile argument as well.  As parents and teachers alike, we want to educate our children.  They are our future and will eventually be in control of this planet.  Too many people say that children are wasting their valuable learning time with video games.  This might be true with bloody, violent games such as shoot-em-up games, but not all games.  As Corrinda showed us with Dena playing "Match" with dinosaurs on Funbrain.com, children pick up on every little aspect of most children's games such as matching.  The examples Corrinda used were perfect.  A child that plays this certain game will see what dinosaurs are, they will see a certain size grid, learn the differences and names between dinosaurs, learn about locations of things, and learn patience.  Children, as our friend James Gee has shown in his 36 principles of how games teach learning and literacy, learn much more from video games than parents would believe.  I liked how Corrinda "invited" Howard Gardner, and his learning principles, into the argument.  I believe it is a very good idea, although going to be very difficult, to contrast and assimilate Gardner's principles with those of James Gee on childrens' learning through video games.  I am sure Corrinda will figure it out and provide a great argument and support (much relied on Gardner's and Gee's principles) for this interesting topic that parents and educators alike need to consider in the education of the future owners of this planet.
     Kathy also had a topic I would have never thought of.  I think her argument needs to be defined to a higher degree.  I believe she has plenty of information to go on for her argument about the use of the Internet in campaigns.  I had never thought about it before, but the Internet, with blogging, forums, communities, and other groups of educated people, is the perfect place to hold conversations and campaigns for a would-be President of any company and group.  Obama, through blogging and reaching out to college students, educated and non-educated people, poor and rich people, and all groups that use the Internet (which is most of the population at least in the United States) can reach far more people for support in a faster time than can a candidate without the Internet.  Kathy does a great job in relaying this message in her presentation.  She mentioned how Howard Dean and his campaign advisor wanted to forego the use of the Internet.  This refusal of Internet campaigning possibly cost Dean his campaign win.  I really thought Kathy's contrast between Dean's and Obama's campaign hit her point (and possibly her argument) on the head.   I really think Kathy has a good idea with discussion about Obama's migration into new technology in his campaign.  After all, Kathy's paper is about how the Internet should be used as a campaign platform because so many people are using it.  We need to know how Obama chose to use the Internet, and the steps he took to campaign on the Internet.  Did he visit blogs and blog himself first?  Did he first go to communities?  Did he discuss use of the Internet with his many constituents before or after he started to use the Internet?  Which age groups did he primarily talk with?  As we discussed earlier this semester in Nakamura's text, race always plays an important role in most of society.  Did Obama talk to many races in different forums?  All these questions need to be addressed by Kathy in her discussion about Obama's migration into the Internet world for his campaign.  I was really interested about Obama being able to reach out to college students, as I am one myself, and my future, in part, depends on who the President is going to be and his/her plans for the country and my way of life.  All college students should be concerned and take part in the election of a new U.S. President.  Finally, I really thought Kat's statement about Obama's reach to those who could trust the media most was very interesting and of vital importance.  If you're going to campaign through use of the Internet, you know you need to be voted in by media-hungry voters.  Media use and coverage of the President is huge in campaigns and throughout Presidency.  If you don't trust media, then can you really trust the President?  Kathy should have a great paper if the argument becomes more guided and original.
    

BLOG #10: Chile Earthquake

     There are several events each year in the world that gain immediate worldwide attention.  Most of those events are covered by the mainstream news.  Social media and internet activism take a large role in covering the who, what, where, when, and how of the events.  Activists soon come out to show their support or declare their opposition to the events either during or after the events.  I would like to discuss the Chile earthquake that hit on February 27, 2010.  Many mainstream news media were either on the spot or reported on the earthquake and the state of the country from here in the United States seconds after the tragedy.  You could find Youtube videos, CNN around-the-clock news, updated videos and other media in newsgroups and communities all over the web that covered the latest in Chile days after the quake.
     The numerous web sites and television stations all around the world took over with news of the quake just seconds after it happened.  Youtube videos that showed the devastation appeared within a few minutes, thanks to cellphones belonging to Haitians that sent the media.  NBC, ABC, and CBS had their stations and web sites cluttered with updated news about the 8.8 quake.  The BBC had continuing coverage for many days after the earthquake, both online and on BBC television.  You could not flip channels on TV (even if you have cable television) without having seen pictures and video of devastated Chile.  I heard at least 4 radio stations discussing the tragedy.  Social media giants such as yahoo, Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter were overwhelmed and flooded with news of the quake.  They helped convey the desperate needs of the Chileans such as they had done earlier in Haiti.  People around the world could see the devastation with their own eyes.  Yet we could not readily be physically there to help them.  Activists showed their hundreds of faces by setting up donation and support sites for those victims and out-of-Chile families and friends of the Chilean victims.  This is exactly what I had discussed with the 9/11 WTC attack in my last post.  The Internet enabled the world to give immediate monetary and spiritual help to the Chilean people.  The world became activists in the plight of one of our world's countries and to people just like us.  Without the Internet, many more Chileans would have certainly died before anyone landed in Chile to help. 
     There was, of course, opposition to the aid to Chile.  Their own President, Michelle Bachelet, opposed aid to her country for several hours, claiming that they were not hurt bad and didn't need international aid.  Yet, the activists used media and technology of many sorts to help the country, despite Bachelet's call for no aid.  This is similar to Iran's government saying there was no problem but their people knew there was trouble.
      An argument can be made that some world events that create Internet activism get more attention from the activists than other similar events.  For example, the earthquake in Haiti received far more aid and attention than did the Chile quake.  This, in part, is due to Chile's more advanced recovery systems put into place and less need for financial help from people on the Internet.  However, as listed in many blogs and communities in Chile, they have felt cheated by those that gave tremendous aid and support to Haiti.  This shows that Internet-enabled activism can have it's pitfalls.  People tend to focus more on certain events and less on those of the same nature that happens shortly thereafter.
     No matter what event happens in the world, people will always have their views on whether to get involved or not.  If they do get involved, they have plenty of media and technology to use to voice their opinions on the matter at hand.  With the advent of the Internet, people from all across the globe can get involved in any matter and help make a difference in that matter.

Internet After WTC Attack (EX CR)

     The authors in "The Internet In The Aftermath Of The World Trade Center Attack" make the argument that the Internet has always had its positives and negatives, but those positives and negatives were boosted and accentuated after the the WTC attack. Internet positives such as how one in one country can communicate with one in another country in many ways through the Internet, and negatives, including terrorist planning from one to another country, were heightened after 9/11. The authors explain how, where, and why these positives and negatives existed.
     The Internet has it's positive aspects, which really showed after the 9/11 tragedy. People from around the world could always communicate with each other through blogs, communities, forums, chat rooms, and the such, before the attack. After the WTC attack, web sites, web blogs, forums, donation sites, communities, and more were set up to help those victims and the families and friends of the victims locate the victims, memorialize the people killed, and search for those they had not heard from. People could pay homage to the firefighters, police, and those people that gave their help in the tragedy. Millions of people from around the world went on any one or more of the hundreds of web sites to donate for the cause. This was not the first tragedy to happen that involved positive Internet use, but it became the fastest and busiest use of the Internet to date. People did not rely on their landline phones or television. They went to the Internet in very large numbers. They acted quicker than they could have by phone or other media. Messages of love and support between the survivors and their loved ones could be transmitted much faster through the Internet. Anyone that needed support were able to reach one of many web sites to find answers, friends, family members, shelter, or whatever they needed, in an instant. Due to the tremendous number of donation sites that were set up, and the ease of donating to the cause, the tragedy was dealt with and the survivors sheltered almost immediately. Memorials, emails, cyber candles, and the such were immediately set up on the Internet to pay homage and respect to those that were involved in the least in the WTC tragedy. The chain of events on the Internet following the WTC attack was certainly fast and on a very large scale, but many people survived and were comforted because of this Internet world gathering.
     Just as the Internet had negative uses before 9/11, these negatives became more put out to the public after the attack. Hoaxes, rumors, web site defacing, and hate speech were among the most seen negative uses after 9/11. Before the attack, some web sites were already prone to defacement, and many forums and communities contained hate speech about something or someone. Much more of this went on after September 11, 2001. Arabs were seen as devils that all needed to be killed and slaughtered, jokes were made about the attack, and web sites, even American support sites, were mistakenly overtaken by hate speech. Bad and sometimes undeniable rumors spread like wildfire through the Internet, creating much more havoc and worry than the 9/11 tragedy had even made by itself. Scams became abundant as hundreds of people created web sites that pretended to be donation websites for the attack victims. None of this money went to anything to support the relief, yet many Americans and those throughout the world fell for it. Due to the tremendous amount of discontent and worry about the use of public information in terrorist plots, large amounts of important public data have been removed by federal and state agencies, including the EPA and USGS. These data have long been used by the public, but now cannot be readily found if at all. This has created a worldly recognized issue of security vs. privacy on the Internet. This is an issue that continues to see worldwide debate.
     The authors discuss terrorism on the internet in their article. They discuss that terrorists around the world communicate via secret messages in picture and music files on the Internet. While some these days argue that the U.S. Government knew about the WTC attack beforehand and that they are at fault, others argue that this tragedy is the fault of the terrorist networks. The Internet, with its vast openness of web sites and other channels, and cryptology, used to "hide" messages and maps inside everyday pictures and music files to be deciphered and read by other terrorists around the world, aid these terrorist networks tremendously. The terrorists post seemingly harmless pictures, videos, and music, that are not watched and monitored by the U.S. intelligence. These "harmless" media files do actually help the terrorist networks in their goals around the world.
     Another event that brought out the positives and negatives of the Internet on a grand scale was the Haiti earthquake. The country was devastated. Haitians and those visiting from other countries had become literally trapped on the island of wreckage. While U.S. and other relief planes had troubles getting into Haiti due to distance, the Internet provided a way to get in touch with loved ones and others down in Haiti. We were able to see pictures and video that were sent to see the trauma and tragedy that the large quake had caused and what needed to be done right away. The world had an immediate way of helping in the cause just as they did on 9/11. Numerous web sites took donations from around the world, raising millions of dollars in no time at all. Blogs, forums, and communities were established immediately to help the survivors and uplift and encourage those who were there to help. We brought Haiti up a little from complete hell in little time; much less time that it would have taken with only phones or no technology at all. Of course, scammers and hate speech were abundant once again. Some scammers would set up phony donation sites as a get-rich-quick scheme. Other scammers would tell the loved ones in the U.S. that they could talk to their Haitian survivor friends or families for a small fee or other information, and then not deliver. There was plenty of hate speech around the web. Some blogs and forums I visited right after the Haiti tragedy depicted Americans and those other countries that helped Haiti as "scoundrels" and worthless "self-described heroes". Others claimed Americans were only in it to take attention away from our terrorism and economic problems. Still one blog I visited claimed that God would basically unearth the United States from His creation because we helped devil-worshipping and voodoo-wielding Haitians. Hate speech was everywhere. I couldn't believe it. To tie terrorism into this, I have seen on web sites and communities that Al-Qaida was happy about this gift from Jihad that financially weakened the United States. As you can see, the Internet was a popular and helpful tool once again in the wake of tragedy, but indecent liberties were taken as well.
     In summary, the Internet has been and will continue to be a very positive tool for future tragedies, but with some pitfalls. With the ease and speed of financial, spiritual, and emotional support to any country or location that needs the rest of the world in times of tragedy and unrest, the Internet can connect the world in an instant. We all become 1 mega-superhero to save that country or region. However, care must be taken by everyone not to be plunged into the downward spiral that is the rumors, scams, unethical persuasion, and terrorism benefit, as we help those people in tragedy. We must cut off the hate and increase the love and care for our world. The Internet can only thrive and become even stronger in a positive way if the hearts of the world would let it be that way. As Bakelaar and Holcomb state in "Postscript, September 2006" in the article, "(The Internet) brings us closer, faster to distant people, but is also a tool of terrorists and others who would sabotage human solidarity."(Bakelaar and Holcomb 648). If used properly and with kind hearts that understand the tragedy and why help is needed, no tragedy would be too large or grand to overcome with the people and the Internet as the main catalysts to recovery.


Bibliography


Holcomb, Briavel, Philip B. Bakelaar, and Mark Zizzamia. "The Internet In The Aftermath Of The World Trade Center Attack." The Cybercultures Reader. 2nd ed. Eds. David Bell and Barbara M. Kennedy. London and New York: Routledge, 2007. 638-650.

Marie Curie - Radioactivity Queen! (ExCred - DTC475)

I really admire one of the most famous and awarded female physicists/chemists, Marie Curie. She performed much research, including being the pioneer of the field of radioactivity. For her accomplishments, she was awarded 2 Nobel Prizes. One of these was for Physics and the other for Chemistry. 2 Nobel Prizes, at that time, was unheard of for a man. Marie was a woman that was the first person to receive 2 Nobels. Despite losing her mother and sister at an early age, Marie (born Maria Sklodowska) struggled to make something of herself throughout her young life.
Marie Curie accomplished in her lifetime what most scientists could only dream or imagine, despite a rocky upbringing. I remember our study of Marie Curie in my high school physics class. I remember how very active and award-winning she was in her time. No other woman at that time had even close the success in the science or technology field as Curie had achieved. All this after she overcame much toil and trouble. Marie's oldest sister died when Marie was only 10 years old, and her mother died when she was a mere 12 years old. She struggled with this, even to the point of giving up her Catholic faith and becoming agnostic.
After more struggles with family misfortunes and a depressing split from would-be husband, Kazimierz Zorawski, she headed to Paris, France. She would proceed with her studies of Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry at the University of Paris. While she was attending the University of Paris, she studied and also tutored. She has to earn her stay at the college. Success started to come her way in 1893, when Marie earned a Physics degree. In 1894, only a year later after her first degree, Marie had earned her Mathematics degree. Both of these degrees came from her attendance and hard studies at the University of Paris. Her soon to be husband, Pierre Curie, had now met Marie just shortly after Marie earned her degrees. Both Pierre and Marie had shown an exuberant interest in the science of magnetism. This common interest drew them together. In 1895, Pierre and Marie married. There was now a loving couple that knew much of the workings of Chemistry and Physics.
Almost everyone that knows the name Marie Curie knows it for the 2 Nobel Prizes awarded to her. Her first Nobel Prize was for Physics and was awarded to her, husband Pierre, and Professor Henri Becquerel in 1903. This Nobel Prize soon made Marie and her husband very famous throughout the world. If being the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize was not enough, she would win her second Nobel Prize in 1911. This time it was for her work in Chemistry; she discovered radium and polonium, and performed tremendous research on radium and radioactivity. Marie Curie would become the very first person in history to win 2 Nobel Prizes for her stunning research and achievement.
Pierre Curie had been killed in 1906 by a horse-drawn carriage. Marie became very depressed over her husband's death. After the death of Pierre, the University of Paris held on to Pierre's position as professor and awarded it to Marie. Marie would now have complete control and say over the labaratory at the University. This new position was also the first of its kind for a woman at the University of Paris. The second Nobel Prize came 5 years later after Marie's new appointment at the Sorbonne.
WWI saw Curie help soldiers with injuries with radium. She knew large amount of information about radium, and came up with radiographic units called "Little Curies". These units contained radium emanation, a gas emitting from radium that helped the wounded soldiers feel better.
Marie Curie died in July 1934, after leaving behind a true legacy in the science world. She had aplastic anemia, which most likely came from prolonged and unguarded exposure to radiation. It is truly ironic that she died from doing something she loved so much and that brought so much to the world. Not only did she develop new ideas in the realms of Chemistry and Physics, but she overcame barriers to women that prevented publication of her very important findings. Marie Curie is a true science icon in history, and the many tributes to her (schools and museums in her name just to mention a couple) show how important a person, a female person, she had become and a woman that would never be forgotten in the history of female achievers.

Hacking into a Final Paper (DTC 475) - REVISED

Here is a new topic I was thinking of tackling for my final paper and presentation. Please let me know what you think and how my proposed thesis can be changed for the better.

I want to explain how various communities (both RL and VR), companies (RL and VR) including Microsoft and Google, video games (RPG and otherwise), and the such both reinforce and refute racism and stereotypes in the RL and VR lives of the people of the world. I will examine various regions of the world and how their interactions in communities (RL and VR) reinforce or refute racism and stereotypes. My argument is going to be that the WWW (not real life events) is responsible for most of the racism and stereotypes we see today in the world.
I plan to use many sources. Some of these sources include many websites, Nakamura's text (as it is chalk full of race issues), newsgroups, at least 4 chapters in the CR text, and from my own accounts of racism and stereotypes I have witnessed online, in my real life, in video games, and in other media. I will show, by linking the digital divide, race, internet activism, RL and VR communities, and gender representation, that the creation of and the present and future of the World Wide Web is responsible for most of the racism and stereotypes we see today.
I want to pursue this topic because I believe the WWW can possibly be blamed for much of the racism and stereotypes that still happen all over the world these days. I have experienced a little racism in my life, as well as people in my past sterotyping me as a plain white man that doesn't care about other races. Some of the latter stereotypes involve my past blogs and community involvement on the web.

**** Please tell me if you think I am on the right road to this final project. I am running out of time and my mind is blank other than this. What can I change about this proposed topic to put it more in the realm of what is expected on this final project. I have read and re-read the Final Paper Assignment Sheet many times. I keep getting mind block. Thank you all.

Julie: Am I on a more correct line here with this? What can I change, slightly or largely, to narrow to what you want. Thank you much!

Blog #7: Violation in the living room!

In Dibbell's "A Rape In Cyberspace", we see a group of people (including the author as "Dr. Bombay") from all around the world in text chat with each other in LambdaMOO. They are scattered throughout different rooms of a "mansion", where groups meet to socialize. There are newbies and the more advanced, longer users of the LambdaMOO chat. The community has no set-down rules to follow, but they are a civilized group. Enter Mr. Bungle! Determined to be a sociopath by the group, Mr. Bungle used a subprogram, his "voodoo doll", to send an unwanted message to the character (and of course, RL person) exu that stated to shove something up somewhere that didn't go there. Exu, of course, was not happy about this and wanted Mr. Bungle gone from any existence, RL or VR. Discussions, including a final very long one between 30 group members in the living room, eventually saw it that, since there were no rules, and the wizards could only act on a unanimous group decision to oust Bungle, the violator could not be punished by toading. That's when one of the wizards, Tom Traceback, acted on his own, and toaded the VR criminal.

A main argument made by Dibbell in this article asks how we are to punish someone in an online community if there are no fore-made rules present and not everyone agrees that would be the option to use. We don't always know the intent of the perpetrator; if what was said was a joke or some act-in-the-future threat. It might have been some child at his brother's computer. It might possibly have been someone very normal, such as an attorney or policeman, that was feeling suicidal or was very drunk and happened to type the first angry thoughts that came to mind. Traceback certainly had the power in his grip to rid the living room (and the other rooms for that matter) of Bungle. Was there enough evidence in the group of minds, and not just in Traceback's mind, to rid LambdaMOO of this awful one-time offender? Dibbell seems to argue a point that Mr. Bungle needed to be talked to more to find out why he said what he did. Dibbell (Dr. Bombay) kept trying to locate him to talk, but to no avail. He came back as Dr. Jest, but soon disappeared. Dr. Bombay knew Dr. Jest had come back as a calmer, less troublesome Bungle, but had the group was cautious.

What the group had to deal with was how to punish something like this, with no group rules assigned. A New Direction was going to be formed that put the group, not the wizards, in charge of toaded members. But, without the rules, what could they do? The group did go into the New Direction, only after laws were made, and petitions and ballots formed into existence. There was now a chain of command, that gave the group power to control another occurrence of a bad situation.

This article shows us that we do need online community rules (as we have RL community rules), as well as a set of punishments, that all can agree on. It's easier said than done. We must protect everyone in the various communities (RL or VR) by whatever means necessary. But we cannot judge, by one offense, if someone if a sicko or just a jokester. It could very well be, in this case, a group of college kids at a computer telling one what to type. Eventually someone has to answer in some way for the crime, as the one student did by himself. However, if there are no rules present at the time, what crime did Mr. Bungle really perform. I would say a crime of ignorance. Be it that or some other definition of the crime, we really cannot punish if there is not set of bylaws and punishment. If there are rules and regulations set forth in a VR community, and they are broken by someone, then a first offense (especially if very bad and immoral) should and will most likely be deemed punishable by banning the member. This is something almost all, if not all, the group members will agree on. Then there shall be no question.

I have been part of an online Pro Wrestling community since 2001, about 3 months after the group formed. The group, by the time I joined, had recently came up with a group of rules to be adhered to by all group members. If anyone came along and broke rules, s(he) was given a warning (depending on the severity of the offense). The second time that member broke ANY rule, they were immediately banned permanently from the group (until they got a new internet account). One such member (cannot remember his avatar or screenname) that had used profanity in the group (F**K so and so wrestlers) for a week was then given a warning. He deserved the warning. He didn't break any listed rules after that. However, he started posting non-wrestling pictures (such as movie stars and the such) and got completely banned. He was given no warning at all. He was gone that day! I had chatted with this guy off and on through a couple months after his warning. He was a good guy that made sure he didn't piss off the moderators any longer. When he posted the non-wrestling pictures, there was, at that time, no rule posted in the group against it. I had his email, so I emailed him after the permanent ban, and asked him what he thought. He felt, like most of the group, that he was treated unfairly. There was no rule against posting non-wrestling pictures. He felt he was just a target for the moderators from when he cursed alot of the wrestlers. I honestly have to feel the same way about it. He was a target. The moderator wanted him banned and was waiting for any little thing he did to ban him. I feel this relates to Tom Traceback, as Tom was lingering in the room and felt he heard what he needed to know, albeit not as a group consensus. Tom Traceback wanted to ban (toad) Bungle for good, somewhat based on his own bias towards Bungle. Back to the wrestling group and the no-rules time of LambdaMOO. Most of us in the wrestling community felt, like those that argued a little favorably for Mr. Bungle to stay, that since there was not the listed rule, the wrestling group member should never have been banned. Should Mr. Bungle and the wrestling group member have been warned, oh definitely. Without doubt. You don't send out messages about someone sticking a knife in their posterior to people, nor do you post anything but wrestling pictures in a wrestling community. However, if a group does not condone these actions, and for the better agreement by the entire community on punishment if one digresses from the rules, a list of rules and bylaws needs to be put into place. Do not punish until one knowingly breaks an established set of rules that (s)he knows about.

Works Cited

Dibbell, Julian. "A Rape In Cyberspace." The Village Voice. 21 December 1993.

Turkle - "From Powerful Ideas to PowerPoint" (DTC 475)

I read Sherry Turkle's article, "From Powerful Ideas to PowerPoint" http://www.mit.edu/~sturkle/pdfsforstwebpage/ST_From%20powerful%20ideas%20to%20powerpoint.pdf .

In her article, Turkle explains how people playing simulation (and other) games and not knowing the structure and programming behind them and those using powerpoint aren't experiencing all that they ought to be.
First of all, Turkle believes that people, especially children and teenagers, should know more about what happens beyond the screen in simulation and learning games. The "real stuff" is in the algorithms and programming code used in making these games. It's alright if a child or adult just "plays" the game for the heck of it, but it would be better if they knew why certain actions of the game occue and about how algorithms control aspects of each game. Children are not being taught this in the standard classrooms these days. As Turkle believes; children should be taught about the "depth and mechanism" of games, rather than just the exploration of the "world of shifting surfaces".
Turkle doesn't completely agree with PowerPoint as well. She likes the idea that children use PowerPoint at school as their parents use it at work. She states that children like the idea of using an "adult" computer tool. Turkle also states that PowerPoint helps students "organise their thoughts more effectively" in schoolwork. However, Turkle believes that PowerPoint has its flaws as well. It does not encourage arguments in material by children, which is very important for most adults to grasp onto. Also, PowerPoint lessens conversation with their presentations, because everything is already laid out on slides. Students make points that are told right there with "absolute authority" in the presentation(s) for the others to read and take notes on. Rarely does a child question what is in the PowerPoint presentation, so arguments and debates, whether pro or con about the material, are lacking.
I found Turkle's argument about children and how they should understand games and other software beyond the screen the most interesting in this article. I personally agree with Sherry Turkle on this. Children get too much into "just playing" games and not understanding why the games and their characters operate or act like they do. Children need to know more about the computer models and how things work with computers. Computers are more than looking at a monitor. There is much "beneath the surface".

Social Optics of Race - DTC 475

I saw "The Matrix" a long time ago (didn't see the sequels) and I haven't seen "Minority Report", so I found Nakamura's chapter 3 very interesting when she talked about the details of the movies. I couldn't remember "The Matrix" very much. I am going to rent "Minority Report" soon! I was deciding between 3 arguments for a while. I decided I was most interested and compelled about the passage that starts with the first paragraph on page 112 and ends after the first paragraph of page 113. Nakamura describes blackness (the dancing, dreadlocks, etc.) as cool. She describes whites as not being able to feel the "visual vibes" that blacks can feel when it comes to their dancing, styles, and "fashion flair". An example of this is how Apple's IPod uses the black silhouette to represent the "cool" black man (or woman) to show their product is "in" or "cool" for marketing purposes. This definitely has worked for the Apple company in sales of their IPods. They have "capitalized on cool". Some movies are capitalizing on cool as well. Nakamura explains how "The Matrix", with the cool black guy, became popular partly because of the "cool" black guy in it. There is a scene (rave) in the movie that shows how black bodies (forms) are cool because they are "sexually-driven" and the blacks move to the rhythm and beat of the music being played.
As (Donnell) Alexander states in his essay, "Cool Like Me (Are Black People Cooler than White People?)," blacks possess a cool style that whites and everyone in the world could learn from. Blacks, as Alexander says, remain in the "American cultural mix" because of their cool ways.
I have seen a few movies (that I can think of) where the black character is in control of things and very cool, and the white actor sort of follows along and doesn't seem as cool. "Pulp Fiction", "Half-Baked", and "Beverly Hills Cop" are movies that come to mind to support this certain Nakamura argument. Each of these movies has a very cool black guy (Samuel Jackson, Dave Chappelle, and Eddie Murphy, respectively with the listed movies) and one or more less-cool white guys that "follow" the black guy along on different missions. In "Pulp Fiction", Jackson is a very cool and tough black guy that gets things taken care of. He has the cool afro, style, and stereotype that Nakamura discusses of cool blacks. Travolta, the white guy, is very active too, but Jackson seems to be more in control. "Half-Baked" follows a few guys that try to get their buddy out of jail. Dave Chappelle seems to be the one that has the best ideas and takes most control (despite smoking weed here and there). The white guys (Jim Breuer and others) smoke more weed and are lazier than Chappelle. Chappelle is the guy, basically, that steals the show and makes it more "cool" to the younger crowd. Finally, Eddie Murphy steals the show from his white counterparts in "Beverly Hills Cop". He is very tough and aggressive, besides being cool, funny, fashionable, and suave. I honestly don't think there's a white actor out there that could have performed Murphy's role as well. That black style that Nakamura (as well as Alexander) discusses is clarified well by Murphy.
In each of these movies, in summary, the black guy is the main actor (most would think so in the mentioned titles), he is stylish, strong, full of determination, and just outright cool. The main white actors in these movies just don't quite have the style, sexuality, and "fashion flair" that the black actors have. The white actors goof around and are not as focused on their certain missions in the movies as the "cool" black actors. In short, the blacks are "in" with the movie-watchers more than their white counterparts.

Manovich: "Friendly Alien"

I read Lev Manovich's article, "Friendly Alien: Object and Interface" [1]. I found it somewhat interesting. In the article, Manovich describes how objects and interfaces do not always complement one another, yet we need to continue that trend. The interface is usually thought of as an "alien" but it can be a "friendly alien" if the interface is more "together" with the right object. He describes paintings by Miltos Manetas that have changed over the years. Lev describes the Manetas paintings, in the 1990s, as reflecting a more foreign and unknown "alien", with the computer cables and such running around with no control. Since 1996, however, the paintings now portray more contemporary life and what this newer life has to offer in more familiar settings. The human-computer interface is not so gray and scary anymore.
I believe what Manovich is stating in this article is that interfaces are a fun and inviting "party", but should not be fashioned and designed like they are currently being done. These interfaces of computers (i.e., PSP, cellphones, etc.) should maintain the same design as to what is being seen on the computer interface. That is, the design right around the interface should have something to do with what is going on "in" the interface itself. Otherwise, the user of the interface loses the continuity of the going-on's inside the interface. Manovich states that the physical form on which the interface appears should and must be able to fit together and "accomodate" one another. We are used to interfaces being flat, so the surfaces or objects that the interface is placed on should be flat. Manovich agrees that it is not easy to find an interface-object that could unify perfectly. We, as users and creators, need to be very imaginative to come up with these better-fitting object-interface devices and apparel.
I found a couple descriptions of object-interface creations in Manovich's article to be very interesting. First, he describes his visit to a famous Collette store in Paris in 2005. In this store, he sees the "latest cell phones, PDSs and a portable SONY Playstation" at the entrance, instead of the usual perfumes, albums, and such. Those had been moved to around the perimeter of that store. The reason that these technological "jewels" had been placed in the most important spot in the store (the entrance) was because they are now "fashionable objects" to have and use in this day and age just like perfume and purses that formerly occupied the front entrance. The other part of this article that interested me greatly involved Lev's visit to a student technology show in the Netherlands in 2005. The show featured many "smart objects" which I personally had no idea existed. These solid and "smart" objects with interfaces included a special mirror that had a built-in block in the frame. You take the block out to record a video message, then you put the block back in the mirror frame. The recorded video is then "loaded" up. You then click on a picture that shows up on the mirror, and the video message plays on (inside) the mirror! I thought that was way cool! Another object-interface invention that I thought was very unique from the technology show was a vertical column that had lights in it. This column had a unique interface: a net. All aspects (position, tint, and quality) of the lights change depending on just how you touch this net interface. You never know how the light will change, and this creates a "festive party" in itself. What fun that would be to have in your house as an icebreaker, eh?
Manovich concludes that, with these "smart objects" as examples of what the future holds in the object-interface world, the object surface can present itself as an input or output form of information that will continue to surprise people. This tells us that the new object-interface creations that come along will still be "aliens" but should be "friendly aliens" compared to the pre-technology era.


[1] Lev Manovich, "Friendly Alien: Object and Interface". 2006. http://www.manovich.net/DOCS/friendly_alien.doc .