The "Uncanny Droid" video about the "actroid" was a little scary, yet extremely fascinating. This is the side of technology that I fear. Soon these robots will be walking down the street amongst humans and we will not have any ability to tell the difference between humans and robots. We will have to change our schema of what a human is because these robots possess so much of what a human is in our minds, yet they are not human or anything close. Hopefully whenever robots begin to walk among us, I will already be dead because this notion gives me goosebumps. But who knows? Maybe they are already walking among us and we don't even know it! What makes it scary isn't the robot itself, it's the fact that we cannot tell the difference between ourselves and them.
The video about the pencil sharpener, on the other hand, made me laugh. How low tech can you get and still need to make a YouTube how-to video about it? But obviously whoever created the sharpener feels that an instructional video is necessary. What's funny about this video is that at one point in time, pencils themselves, as well as their sharpeners, were considered high tech. There was a time period where people didn't know what a pencil was or what it was used for, nevertheless how to sharpen it. We laugh now because we have assimilated pencils and pencil sharpeners into our minds as an everyday object that everyone uses. But how about in 50 years? or a hundred? Will people be laughing at our how-to videos on how to use an iPod? or our iPad for Dummies books? Well, of course they are. And we may or may not be around to hear their laughter. Technology moves so quickly that things quickly become outdated. This cycle doesn't stop with us, it will always continue to evolve.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Artifact 3: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains
In the video Nicholas Carr talks about the book he wrote about what the internet is doing to our brains. I personally found the parts that he discussed in the video to be extremely interesting. He writes the book from his personal perspective and includes some of his life events involving technology. He says that the start of it all was when he realized that he could no longer concentrate when reading books or doing other activities that require attentiveness. I think that many people in today's society feel this same symptom of over internet use that he felt, but we may or may not attribute it to internet usage.
How do technological tools influence the way our brains work? Well Carr explains that we are constantly being distracted throughout the day. For instance, he talks about office people checking their emails up to 40 times per hour. He says that these distractions are an issue because they prevent us from being able to think deeply or to transfer information from our short term memories into our long term ones.
What I found most interesting was his recount of moving into the mountains of Colorado being almost completely disconnected. He has to become accustomed to living this way even though his brain still desires the internet. He compares being without the internet to going through drug withdrawal. This is interesting because it really demonstrates that the internet is, in fact, doing something to our brains. Eventually though, his internet cravings subsided and he was able to cope with being disconnected.
I would love to try going even just a weekend without internet technology. However, I have a feeling that it wouldn't go so well! I just know that I would feel out of the loop and I feel like I would miss something important if people were not able to get in contact with me for a long period of time. Anyway, this video kind of got me thinking about how unhealthy it probably is for people to sit in front of and stare at computers all day long. I do believe that more people should try going without it so that they can really see how dependent they are on the internet.
How do technological tools influence the way our brains work? Well Carr explains that we are constantly being distracted throughout the day. For instance, he talks about office people checking their emails up to 40 times per hour. He says that these distractions are an issue because they prevent us from being able to think deeply or to transfer information from our short term memories into our long term ones.
What I found most interesting was his recount of moving into the mountains of Colorado being almost completely disconnected. He has to become accustomed to living this way even though his brain still desires the internet. He compares being without the internet to going through drug withdrawal. This is interesting because it really demonstrates that the internet is, in fact, doing something to our brains. Eventually though, his internet cravings subsided and he was able to cope with being disconnected.
I would love to try going even just a weekend without internet technology. However, I have a feeling that it wouldn't go so well! I just know that I would feel out of the loop and I feel like I would miss something important if people were not able to get in contact with me for a long period of time. Anyway, this video kind of got me thinking about how unhealthy it probably is for people to sit in front of and stare at computers all day long. I do believe that more people should try going without it so that they can really see how dependent they are on the internet.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Strand 2: Units 1 & 2
Unit 1 - Online Ethics and International Inequities
Unit 1 begins by talking about international inequities. Surprisingly, most people around the world are not online for many reasons
Online ethics is the next important topic that the book covers. It pertains to how we communicate online, and the rules and morals we should use online. For instance, the Association for Computing Machinery has developed an internet code of conduct. Also, the Computer Ethics Institute has a list of Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics.
Inequality online is a very big deal. As well as in person, people are being discriminated against because of language differences, gender, age, physical ability, race, and ethnicity online. One reason for these problems is that most people who use the internet are white and economically well off. For example, only 5 percent of US internet users are African American, the statistics for Latino Americans are even lower. Economic power equals the ability to communicate online.
People now are trying to get internet available to more people around the world. Some ideas for doing this include:
Unit 2: Online Identity: Real or Virtual
In Unit 2, we begin by reading about symbolic markers which is a concrete way in which people communicate their identities to others. Identity is what we are portraying through symbolic markers. For instance, clothing is a symbolic marker. It's how you associate yourself with a particular group of people. The people you identify with.
Online the issue is multiple identities. We can experiment with different ways to express ourselves online since we are not limited by being judged by our appearances.
People were excited about the anonymity of the internet. The popular saying "on the internet, nobody knows you're a dog" illustrates the mystery and curiosity of online identities. The computer was considered a 'second self'.
Another important issue is what to tell about yourself and what to hide online. The Johari window does a wonderful job illustrating how and what we disclose to others on the internet.
Unit 1 begins by talking about international inequities. Surprisingly, most people around the world are not online for many reasons
- 1.5 billion people in the world live on less than a dollar a day
- the national average monthly income in Africa is approximately 50 US dollars
- 4 billion people around the world will probably never get online
Online ethics is the next important topic that the book covers. It pertains to how we communicate online, and the rules and morals we should use online. For instance, the Association for Computing Machinery has developed an internet code of conduct. Also, the Computer Ethics Institute has a list of Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics.
Inequality online is a very big deal. As well as in person, people are being discriminated against because of language differences, gender, age, physical ability, race, and ethnicity online. One reason for these problems is that most people who use the internet are white and economically well off. For example, only 5 percent of US internet users are African American, the statistics for Latino Americans are even lower. Economic power equals the ability to communicate online.
People now are trying to get internet available to more people around the world. Some ideas for doing this include:
- community technology centers
- sending computers to under priviledged countries
- public internet terminals
Unit 2: Online Identity: Real or Virtual
In Unit 2, we begin by reading about symbolic markers which is a concrete way in which people communicate their identities to others. Identity is what we are portraying through symbolic markers. For instance, clothing is a symbolic marker. It's how you associate yourself with a particular group of people. The people you identify with.
Online the issue is multiple identities. We can experiment with different ways to express ourselves online since we are not limited by being judged by our appearances.
People were excited about the anonymity of the internet. The popular saying "on the internet, nobody knows you're a dog" illustrates the mystery and curiosity of online identities. The computer was considered a 'second self'.
Another important issue is what to tell about yourself and what to hide online. The Johari window does a wonderful job illustrating how and what we disclose to others on the internet.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Artifact 2: William Powers: Hamlet's Blackberry
William Powers is a wonderful speaker as well as an effective, new-aged philosopher. After reading the article about his book, I was super excited to watch the video where he talks about the book and what went into making it. I love the way he used the words "connected" and "disconnected" and was astonished at the realization that there really aren't many people who are "disconnected" these days. In the video, Powers talks about being in the park and seeing some people talking on the phone, others texting or doing something else on their phones, and then there were people who were just holding their phones, "waiting for the summons beyond." This was interesting to me because more often than not, I find myself doing the exact same thing. I just hold my phone and wait for the next text message or phone call or email. I don't realize how silly I probably look doing that, but it seems second nature to me.
Anyway, what I liked about Powers' philosophy was his agreement that technology or "connectedness" is good and helpful, as well as his argument that like all things, "connectedness" has to be balanced. We have to learn to balance our time with technology with some time without it. And, although it may be difficult, I agree with him that everyone should try to set some time aside where they put down their smartphones, unplug the internet, and use that time to build and maintain relationships with their families. Powers and his family, started a ritual where they unplug their computers and modems on Friday nights and spend the weekend without internet. He admits that before his family began to do this, they weren't as connected with each other because they were always "running for the screens."
I would like to see more people adopt this philosophy. If more people did this, I'm sure their would be some major societal changes. Powers got his family back, so we can do it too!
Anyway, what I liked about Powers' philosophy was his agreement that technology or "connectedness" is good and helpful, as well as his argument that like all things, "connectedness" has to be balanced. We have to learn to balance our time with technology with some time without it. And, although it may be difficult, I agree with him that everyone should try to set some time aside where they put down their smartphones, unplug the internet, and use that time to build and maintain relationships with their families. Powers and his family, started a ritual where they unplug their computers and modems on Friday nights and spend the weekend without internet. He admits that before his family began to do this, they weren't as connected with each other because they were always "running for the screens."
I would like to see more people adopt this philosophy. If more people did this, I'm sure their would be some major societal changes. Powers got his family back, so we can do it too!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Artifact 1: Internet Surpasses Television as Main News Source for Young Adults
After reading this article, I can't say that I'm completely surprised. I totally agree with the reasons the article gave as for why people turn to the net rather than television. Personally, I would much rather read the news than watch it on tv. This way I can read only the news that I want to read, and I can look back over it if I want to. When watching the news on television, it's really easy to miss important information that you can't look at again. Also, I would much rather be able to look at the news at a time that's convenient for me rather than whenever the news comes on tv.
Something about the article that I found particularly interesting was the fact that the older the surveyed adults were, the less they got their information from the internet. While the number of older people who look to the internet for their news increased as time progressed, those numbers were still considerably lower than those of the younger people. I guess the generational gaps account for these differences. While the younger people were probably raised with some exposure to the internet, the older generation grew up without the internet and became accustomed to receiving their news through other means.
I can't see why anyone wouldn't want to use the internet to get information since it's fast, and you only get the information you're looking for. With tv, for instance, you have to watch all of the news you're not looking for in order to see the news you're interested in. And, on top of that, you have to watch all of the commercials too! My vote is for internet news!
Something about the article that I found particularly interesting was the fact that the older the surveyed adults were, the less they got their information from the internet. While the number of older people who look to the internet for their news increased as time progressed, those numbers were still considerably lower than those of the younger people. I guess the generational gaps account for these differences. While the younger people were probably raised with some exposure to the internet, the older generation grew up without the internet and became accustomed to receiving their news through other means.
I can't see why anyone wouldn't want to use the internet to get information since it's fast, and you only get the information you're looking for. With tv, for instance, you have to watch all of the news you're not looking for in order to see the news you're interested in. And, on top of that, you have to watch all of the commercials too! My vote is for internet news!
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