Lecture
In the lecture on Wednesday we delved into the history of the computer, and then went on to learn about the Internet. We started with the birth of the computer. Charles Babbage's 19th century Difference Engine which was designed to calculate and print mathematical tables is regarded as a machine that facilitated the creation of the computer. It was Alan Turing, however, that developed the serious groundwork for the real development of the computer. He created the BOMBE machine that was instrumental in the victory over the Nazi's in World War II. This machine enabled the encoding of the Nazi Enigma machine that they were using to send messages to each other.
There has been a constant fight for supremacy in the world of computers. The main companies in contention have been Xerox, Apple and IBM (Microsoft). There is a long, sordid history of deception and deal making in order to make optimal profits. The fight between IBM and Apple has been historic and continues to this day.
We were informed of how the Internet is different from the world wide web. The world wide web is a part of the internet. It is only one application of the internet. Others include email and file sharing (Napster, Limewire, Kazaa). The internet is simply a collection of interconnected computers that are able to communicate with each other. We watched a visual presentation about how the internet works and basically represented the requesting and sending of information bytes (the giving and taking of information or data).
We went on to discuss the term cyberspace. It essentially lies between reality and imagination in an individual. The debate lies in whether cyberspace represents a 'consensual hallucination' or another form of reality? There are many that argue the point on both sides, but I believe one can create an artificial world for themselves that either entertains or distracts but if everyone lived in these artificial worlds then reality loses its value. In the lecture we went on to talk about early internet applications like email, and file transferring and military use, and then went moved onto recent applications such as instant messaging, peer to peer sharing (p2p), portable audio (podcasting) and voice chat (Skype).
Tutorial
In this week's tutorial we discussed different uses and functions of the internet and the world wide web for a bit. We talked about our assignment and how to research the university journals to help with the gaining of information. At this stage I'm still trying to define the exact topic I want to focus my essay on, and I may be influenced on how much information I can find on a particular subject. I think I am going to focus my argument on the connection between reality and virtual reality and its real world consequences or effects (good and bad). My main thought process has been derived from the studying of the game "Second Life" and the viewing of movies such as eXistenZ, the Matrix and Blade Runner to a certain extent too. My main point is that when an individual begins to limit their interactions to a virtual state, is the real life of the individual and of society deprived of rich relationships that help keep society civil?
Readings
This week our reading consisted of the article/paper What's new about 'new media'?. From the article, I ascertained that although media is often classified as new, in most cases it is just a modified or improved version of a previous product. Its about extending the possibilities of a current technology to better suit the needs of society. Things such as phones, computers and other communication tools have evolved to accommodate the needs of a society to communicate their thoughts, feelings and ideas with each other. New communication technology, or advanced communication technologies are vital to express ideas through new medias. New forms of digital video and digital photography technology allows for more freedom within the discipline and often allows for direct transfer from ideas to application of those ideas, a freedom that has been out of reach because of lack of capacity and usability (ease of use) of of previous technologies.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Topic Five: Why I hate Wikipedia
Lecture
How do we know what we research from Wikpedia is the truth? This was one of the main points in the lecture. We took the example of the Lee Cox entry in Wikipedia. It was created to show that someone can post incorrect and blatant lies in this forum. It then brings into contention the validity of other entries on Wikipedia. Also what we know now can always be monitored when new information is obtained or exposed, which means Wiki could come in handy when the updating of information is necessary.
Virtual truth was also mentioned in the lecture with one of its points of interest being the film "The Matrix". It blends the idea of reality and virtual reality or manufactured reality. The distinction between the reality and virtual reality has become blurred, as virtual reality brings about the same feelings or actions as that of actually experiencing a 'reality'.
Although this reality may be virtual it doesn't make it any less real to the individual experiencing in, and it raises the possibility that mundane reality is no less virtual anyway.
Tutorial and Tutorial Tasks
I believe that Wikipedia does have its place when researching topics, however it needs to be monitored by certified researchers in order to verify the information that is being posted. How can individuals be trusted to regulate and the entries when they may have found the information from an unreliable source. We were assigned ten questions to research using an internet search resource other than Google or Wikipedia. The answers to the questions are listed below and stated as fact. In order to be as certain as one can be about the correctness of a question that is being answered one must check a number of sites and sources to check their validity, but I have only listed the first source used for each question. But who knows, many sites in succession maybe reporting incorrect information by gaining the information initially from an incorrect source.
1) Onel De Guzman is supposedly the person that created the “lovebug” computer virus.
Source: http://www.computerbytesman.com/lovebug/index.htm
2) William D Middlebrook invented the paperclip. He also invented the machine used to produce it.
Source: http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/paperclip.htm
3) The Ebola virus received its name from the river located in the Congo where the virus was first observed.
Source: http://www.mc.edu/campus/users/mcgowan/jaredgregg.htm
4) Chile is the country that has had the largest/ strongest recorded earthquake.
Source: http://www.extremescience.com/GreatestEarthquake.htm
5) There are 1,000,000,000 kilobytes in a terabyte.
Source: http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid5_gci213118,00.html
6) The creator of email is believed to be Ray Tomlinson who developed a local program in the 1970’s, and in 1971 developed the first APRANET email application.
Source: http://www.livinginternet.com/e/ei.htm
7) A storm worm is used to blast out millions of junk emails for advertising web links that when clicked or accessed become a host for the latest copy of the worm for download.
Source: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2007/10/the_storm_worm_maelstrom_or_te.html?nav=rss_blog
8) The most efficient way of contacting the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is by calling Parliament House located in Canberra or by visiting his official ministerial website www.pm.gov.au/
Source: http://www.alp.org.au/people/qld/rudd_kevin.php
9) Stephen Stockwell plays in the Brisbane-based punk band Black Assassins in which he plays the keyboards.
Source: http://live-wirez.gu.edu.au/Staff/Stephen/default.html
10) The term Web 2.0 is a new and more disciplined way of using the internet. The hype is removed and the goal is complete and easy access and transfer of information. It will hopefully make it easier for individuals and businesses interact and transact in our fast paced and technology based world.
Source: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html
I found that Internet search engines generally rank the searched websites on how popular they are (how many times they have been accessed) therefore if there is some obscure information or view you are seeking, the pursuit may take a bit longer. You have to wade through generic sites in order to gain the specific information you require in many cases. In saying that, this popularity ranking does help when looking for simple information like many of the questions listed above. My favourite search engine would have to be Google as it accesses websites quickly and more precisely than any other engine that I've tried such as "Ask" or "Yahoo". It has helped to refine my searches when researching for assignment topics. It does help when you are able to search for sites a more efficient way by utilising key words related to your chosen topic.
In relation to virtual truths mentioned earlier, i believe an artificial reality can feel just as real as 'reality'. Films like The Matrix and Dark City put forward the idea that a society could living in a false state of consciousness. If an individual thinks that they are feeling a certain emotion or are experiencing and event that feels real, I think it then becomes that persons reality, whether or not it has been manufactured or not.
There is another Wikipedia related task that was set for us. We were required to research two topics that we have some understanding of. I chose the topic film and the dance music group Sash!. I went to Wikipedia to check if their articles were correct and informative. I found in both examples that the information was exact and their sources allowed for more education on the topics which in turn allows for greater grasps on the topics at hand. Their was no argument involved in both topics so there was no way of checking for bias, but other Wiki experience has resulted in a lack of bias. Only when you start getting into topical arguments that you may find discrepancies at the hands of Wikipedia. From my experience though, their guidelines in their content criteria, in theory, does not allow for bias of any sort. Articles are supposed to be deemed neutral and be factual, notable and sited from reliable sources (verifiable). This is done so that the information is hopefully truthful and does not exhibit any bias towards a subject or argument therefore creating a safe environment for those that which to use Wikipedia as a reliable learning or research tool.
Readings
This week we were required to read the short story "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius". It is a brief but succinct fictitious piece of work, a that deals with a conspiracy by intellectuals that imagine, thereby create an idealistic world. It is essentially a detective story told from the perspective of a fictitious version of the writer, Jorge Luis Borges that is set in a world going mad under the pressures of society. It is a fictional work but has real world connections in that his environments are modeled from potentially real locations and the moral and intellectual standpoints in the dialogue derive from the standpoints of that era. (It was written in 1940, though it is set in the near future of 1947) Through the narrative he aimed to dissect, speculate and challenge certain ideals in society such as materialism and totalitarianism.
How do we know what we research from Wikpedia is the truth? This was one of the main points in the lecture. We took the example of the Lee Cox entry in Wikipedia. It was created to show that someone can post incorrect and blatant lies in this forum. It then brings into contention the validity of other entries on Wikipedia. Also what we know now can always be monitored when new information is obtained or exposed, which means Wiki could come in handy when the updating of information is necessary.
Virtual truth was also mentioned in the lecture with one of its points of interest being the film "The Matrix". It blends the idea of reality and virtual reality or manufactured reality. The distinction between the reality and virtual reality has become blurred, as virtual reality brings about the same feelings or actions as that of actually experiencing a 'reality'.
Although this reality may be virtual it doesn't make it any less real to the individual experiencing in, and it raises the possibility that mundane reality is no less virtual anyway.
Tutorial and Tutorial Tasks
I believe that Wikipedia does have its place when researching topics, however it needs to be monitored by certified researchers in order to verify the information that is being posted. How can individuals be trusted to regulate and the entries when they may have found the information from an unreliable source. We were assigned ten questions to research using an internet search resource other than Google or Wikipedia. The answers to the questions are listed below and stated as fact. In order to be as certain as one can be about the correctness of a question that is being answered one must check a number of sites and sources to check their validity, but I have only listed the first source used for each question. But who knows, many sites in succession maybe reporting incorrect information by gaining the information initially from an incorrect source.
1) Onel De Guzman is supposedly the person that created the “lovebug” computer virus.
Source: http://www.computerbytesman.com/lovebug/index.htm
2) William D Middlebrook invented the paperclip. He also invented the machine used to produce it.
Source: http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/paperclip.htm
3) The Ebola virus received its name from the river located in the Congo where the virus was first observed.
Source: http://www.mc.edu/campus/users/mcgowan/jaredgregg.htm
4) Chile is the country that has had the largest/ strongest recorded earthquake.
Source: http://www.extremescience.com/GreatestEarthquake.htm
5) There are 1,000,000,000 kilobytes in a terabyte.
Source: http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid5_gci213118,00.html
6) The creator of email is believed to be Ray Tomlinson who developed a local program in the 1970’s, and in 1971 developed the first APRANET email application.
Source: http://www.livinginternet.com/e/ei.htm
7) A storm worm is used to blast out millions of junk emails for advertising web links that when clicked or accessed become a host for the latest copy of the worm for download.
Source: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2007/10/the_storm_worm_maelstrom_or_te.html?nav=rss_blog
8) The most efficient way of contacting the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is by calling Parliament House located in Canberra or by visiting his official ministerial website www.pm.gov.au/
Source: http://www.alp.org.au/people/qld/rudd_kevin.php
9) Stephen Stockwell plays in the Brisbane-based punk band Black Assassins in which he plays the keyboards.
Source: http://live-wirez.gu.edu.au/Staff/Stephen/default.html
10) The term Web 2.0 is a new and more disciplined way of using the internet. The hype is removed and the goal is complete and easy access and transfer of information. It will hopefully make it easier for individuals and businesses interact and transact in our fast paced and technology based world.
Source: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html
I found that Internet search engines generally rank the searched websites on how popular they are (how many times they have been accessed) therefore if there is some obscure information or view you are seeking, the pursuit may take a bit longer. You have to wade through generic sites in order to gain the specific information you require in many cases. In saying that, this popularity ranking does help when looking for simple information like many of the questions listed above. My favourite search engine would have to be Google as it accesses websites quickly and more precisely than any other engine that I've tried such as "Ask" or "Yahoo". It has helped to refine my searches when researching for assignment topics. It does help when you are able to search for sites a more efficient way by utilising key words related to your chosen topic.
In relation to virtual truths mentioned earlier, i believe an artificial reality can feel just as real as 'reality'. Films like The Matrix and Dark City put forward the idea that a society could living in a false state of consciousness. If an individual thinks that they are feeling a certain emotion or are experiencing and event that feels real, I think it then becomes that persons reality, whether or not it has been manufactured or not.
There is another Wikipedia related task that was set for us. We were required to research two topics that we have some understanding of. I chose the topic film and the dance music group Sash!. I went to Wikipedia to check if their articles were correct and informative. I found in both examples that the information was exact and their sources allowed for more education on the topics which in turn allows for greater grasps on the topics at hand. Their was no argument involved in both topics so there was no way of checking for bias, but other Wiki experience has resulted in a lack of bias. Only when you start getting into topical arguments that you may find discrepancies at the hands of Wikipedia. From my experience though, their guidelines in their content criteria, in theory, does not allow for bias of any sort. Articles are supposed to be deemed neutral and be factual, notable and sited from reliable sources (verifiable). This is done so that the information is hopefully truthful and does not exhibit any bias towards a subject or argument therefore creating a safe environment for those that which to use Wikipedia as a reliable learning or research tool.
Readings
This week we were required to read the short story "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius". It is a brief but succinct fictitious piece of work, a that deals with a conspiracy by intellectuals that imagine, thereby create an idealistic world. It is essentially a detective story told from the perspective of a fictitious version of the writer, Jorge Luis Borges that is set in a world going mad under the pressures of society. It is a fictional work but has real world connections in that his environments are modeled from potentially real locations and the moral and intellectual standpoints in the dialogue derive from the standpoints of that era. (It was written in 1940, though it is set in the near future of 1947) Through the narrative he aimed to dissect, speculate and challenge certain ideals in society such as materialism and totalitarianism.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Topic Four: Old Communication Technologies
Lecture
In our lecture Stephen discussed communication technologies that have been used in the past and that have paved the way for new and more efficient ways of communicating information and expressing ideas in a modern setting. There was a discussion of Walter Benjamin's work in the field of analysing communication technologies.
Tutorial
Our tutorial started with a discussion regarding the work of Walter Benjamin and then moved onto more specific topics within his area of expertise. We talked about old ways of communication from tribes using different markings to decipher clan from clan to ancient Egyptians communicating information by the use of hieroglyphics. We also talked moved on to discussing telegraphs, telephones and finished with semiotics. After our discussion which only touched on subjects contained in the course readings I moved onto completing the tutorial task for week four.
Our task for the week was concerned with delving into the connections Walter Benjamin's work has to do with modern society, in particular the artistic world and 'new' media. I believe their is a direct connection as his work illustrates how art is not affected by the elite. They may have created to avenues for expressing art but they do not have monopoly on how it is expressed, especially in today's terms. Contemporary digital media allows for the majority to create forms of artistic expression. There seem to be no boundaries, except in terms of decency and perverseness, but even those lines continue to be blurred. Art is no longer bound by education and most likely never was, it was only that access to these artistic expressions were either not shown to the public or their expression took another form, possibly that of perfecting a profession or hobby. Art derives from creativity, and its motivations lie solely in the need for expression of ones identity. We are asked the question, is a photoshopped image "authentic". I believe that is in indeed authentic in that by modifying the original image, you thereby create something that becomes its own entity. By becoming its own identity it therefore has an authenticity to it, that then can be modified to an even greater extent. We were also asked do digital "things" have an aura? Digital things do have an aura because there is a certain mystery or mystique that attaches itself to the process or object. However when a society becomes accustomed to a digital process or thing, there is less mystery and more understanding. It therefore loses its strangeness or foreignness and becomes part of the social consciousness instead (A social norm or requirement).
Readings
This week we were required to read The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. He talks at length on his views of what shapes the particular aesthetics of creating art, whether it be Film, Theatre, Photography, Painting, Music or any pursuit of expression. I believe he is extremely passionate in his views regarding such subjects and is even able to find poetry in the horrors of war, which is no mean feat. Benjamin states that the arts were created by people in society that held the supreme power in a time much earlier than ours, however the pursuit of beauty, or the Beautiful, is not limited to a time, space or position of power. It instead relies on knowledge and in gaining knowledge we ultimately change the techniques, ideas and habits of those that wish to attain beauty through the arts.
In our lecture Stephen discussed communication technologies that have been used in the past and that have paved the way for new and more efficient ways of communicating information and expressing ideas in a modern setting. There was a discussion of Walter Benjamin's work in the field of analysing communication technologies.
Tutorial
Our tutorial started with a discussion regarding the work of Walter Benjamin and then moved onto more specific topics within his area of expertise. We talked about old ways of communication from tribes using different markings to decipher clan from clan to ancient Egyptians communicating information by the use of hieroglyphics. We also talked moved on to discussing telegraphs, telephones and finished with semiotics. After our discussion which only touched on subjects contained in the course readings I moved onto completing the tutorial task for week four.
Our task for the week was concerned with delving into the connections Walter Benjamin's work has to do with modern society, in particular the artistic world and 'new' media. I believe their is a direct connection as his work illustrates how art is not affected by the elite. They may have created to avenues for expressing art but they do not have monopoly on how it is expressed, especially in today's terms. Contemporary digital media allows for the majority to create forms of artistic expression. There seem to be no boundaries, except in terms of decency and perverseness, but even those lines continue to be blurred. Art is no longer bound by education and most likely never was, it was only that access to these artistic expressions were either not shown to the public or their expression took another form, possibly that of perfecting a profession or hobby. Art derives from creativity, and its motivations lie solely in the need for expression of ones identity. We are asked the question, is a photoshopped image "authentic". I believe that is in indeed authentic in that by modifying the original image, you thereby create something that becomes its own entity. By becoming its own identity it therefore has an authenticity to it, that then can be modified to an even greater extent. We were also asked do digital "things" have an aura? Digital things do have an aura because there is a certain mystery or mystique that attaches itself to the process or object. However when a society becomes accustomed to a digital process or thing, there is less mystery and more understanding. It therefore loses its strangeness or foreignness and becomes part of the social consciousness instead (A social norm or requirement).
Readings
This week we were required to read The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. He talks at length on his views of what shapes the particular aesthetics of creating art, whether it be Film, Theatre, Photography, Painting, Music or any pursuit of expression. I believe he is extremely passionate in his views regarding such subjects and is even able to find poetry in the horrors of war, which is no mean feat. Benjamin states that the arts were created by people in society that held the supreme power in a time much earlier than ours, however the pursuit of beauty, or the Beautiful, is not limited to a time, space or position of power. It instead relies on knowledge and in gaining knowledge we ultimately change the techniques, ideas and habits of those that wish to attain beauty through the arts.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Topic Three: Alphaville
Lecture
We started our lecture with a short discussion about We were shown a DVD of the film "Alphaville" which was made in 1965. I felt a real connection to the film, as it is a genre I am interested in. It introduced topics such as mind control and the repression of feelings and impulses. The film was difficult to watch for many, and some started to annoy me as they were being rude and obnoxious while the film was playing because they didn't like it. I discovered that many of the films i have watched in the past had obviously been influenced by this film. Even the other films that we will be watching for the rest of the semester, Blade Runner and Existenz.
Tutorial
Our tutorial for this week started with a discussion about Alphaville. We talked about its themes of control and repression. The film depicted a world governed by computers, much like our own. We do not however live in a Utilitarian society like the one shown in the movie, but it can be seen as a scary potential forecast of future. After our discussion we moved onto our blogs and updating them for the week. We networked our blogs with each other in order for people to see each others blogs an comment them. From there we moved onto our reading for the week. The reading for the week posed the question of how we used new communication technology to communicate with friends an family. It made me think about how much i rely on myspace and other new technologies such as mobile phones.
We started our lecture with a short discussion about We were shown a DVD of the film "Alphaville" which was made in 1965. I felt a real connection to the film, as it is a genre I am interested in. It introduced topics such as mind control and the repression of feelings and impulses. The film was difficult to watch for many, and some started to annoy me as they were being rude and obnoxious while the film was playing because they didn't like it. I discovered that many of the films i have watched in the past had obviously been influenced by this film. Even the other films that we will be watching for the rest of the semester, Blade Runner and Existenz.
Tutorial
Our tutorial for this week started with a discussion about Alphaville. We talked about its themes of control and repression. The film depicted a world governed by computers, much like our own. We do not however live in a Utilitarian society like the one shown in the movie, but it can be seen as a scary potential forecast of future. After our discussion we moved onto our blogs and updating them for the week. We networked our blogs with each other in order for people to see each others blogs an comment them. From there we moved onto our reading for the week. The reading for the week posed the question of how we used new communication technology to communicate with friends an family. It made me think about how much i rely on myspace and other new technologies such as mobile phones.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Topic Two: Is email dead?
Lecture
Is email dead? This is the question we delved into during our second lecture. The main focus of the class was to firstly answer this question but to also consider other forms of communication technologies that we come into contact on a constant basis. Last week we completed a survey that included questions ranging from what kinds of technologies we use and how frequently we use them, to our reliance on technology over human contact as a way of communicating with each other. The survey showed us that email certainly is not dead and in fact it plays a vital part in communicating with friends and colleagues.
We were shown that one of the downsides of using email is the constant attack from internet savvy companies or individuals that focus on infiltrating our personal email accounts in order to make profits. They send as many emails as possible to as many people as possible in order to gain optimal exposure. These unwanted emails, or spam, are widely considered a major inconvenience. These emails are designed to either market a product or are a skillfully created scam that is designed to trick consumers into investing their money by enticing people using monetary incentives or by using scare tactics. Phishing is the technique used by ‘spammers’ to gain a person’s email details in order to send the recipient the desired information.
Weblogging, or ‘blogging’ as it is commonly referred to, is another topic that was discussed in the lecture. Blogging is an increasingly more frequently used communication technology tool in today’s society. It allows people that have access to the internet to post their views on the world or current information or personal information that interested parties may view and leave comments about. It has become a tool of concerned citizens to broadcast their views on establishments and governments however as there are no codes of ethics when they publish this information for the viewing public, the credibility and validity of these posts are constantly in contention.
Tutorial
We set up our own blog towards the end of the class by visiting the ‘blogspot’ website. The blog is linked to my email account and allows me to post information at any time and as mentioned before allows for comments back about the information or views I have posted. I believe blogging is relevant as it allows information that might have otherwise been hidden or destroyed by governing bodies to reach the public. One must be aware though that the information presented in a blog may not be of truth in all cases, so diligence is required.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Topic One: Overview & Second Life
Lecture
Steven Stockwell introduced us to the subject in the first lecture. He covered the course outline and other information important to the course. The start of the class was very basic but the second half of the class was the most entertaining and thought provoking. There was a screening of a
Tutorial
Our first tutorial allowed us to discuss the impacts from a game such as “Second Life”. It was very interested to see how many people escape into this artificial world. There were a few major points raised about the reason behind so many people being interested in escaping into this artificial world created in “Second Life”. I believe that the main selling point behind the game is that one can escape their reality and live an idealistic life controlled by their desires instead of their responsibilities towards society. Their animated character, or Avatar, as they are known enables the gamer to represent themselves in a glamorised or idealised version of themselves which in turn allows the gamer to not be restricted by the confines of reality. The gamer is able to live a ‘life’ that they wouldn’t necessarily be able to live in the real world. Their actions are uninhibited and their actions have no real world consequences. This technology is seen by some as being able to connect people but in my opinion it disconnects people from the outside world. The gamer doesn’t understand accountability and loses touch with reality by living a simulated life instead of a personal and interactive life in the real world.
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