Cekrit

[patrickhawes-defrias]

Google Glass is a stepping stone in the world of technology. It will change the way we see the world (literally) and what we do in it. It is coming- there’s no stopping that. We will be able to use this technology in many ways, and better the world in the process.

Imaginative Networked

Pamela...

[tgoyette]

Rebuttal.

“The Internet and the broader digital revolution are not inexorably determined by technology; they are shaped by how society elects to develop them.” (McChesney, 216)

Though Google, and its new product, Google Glass, is a stepping stone of human technology- I don’t share your opinion that it is ultimately inevitable and will come without our ability to stop it.

With every decision, we all have the ability to put something into motion, or stop its momentum entirely.  All that is needed is the use of a collective boycott, a collective effort to tell Google “NO!”

Eventually, enough needs to be enough.

The problem with people today is that we don’t understand that we actually have some form of power when it comes to the things that come out in our public sphere. We simply assume that what will be, will be and that we can’t control the outcome. We are so disconnected from ourselves that we fail to realize this truth.

Spam:

The problem already exist. Most of our devices have pop-up blockers, however, they do not block the plethora of useless information about any given topic.

Working off of your example about an artistic display there is bound to be a large number of useless comments left in this virtual realm floating around not just art, but everything that we see. Clay Shirky of Cognitive Surplus, dubs this “the button marked ‘publish’.”

Elaborating on this idea, “Publishing used to be something we had to ask permission to do; the people whose permission we has to ask were publishers. Not anymore.” (Shirky, 46)

The sad fact is that no one has to ask permission to post much of anything. Using your example once more I see this function working something like a relentless overlay of sticky notes placed all around not only pieces of artwork, but movie theaters, restaurants, parks, and really anything.  None of these notes will be reviewed by a publisher or editor, and given the nature of AR, will not be restricted to textual content.

Excuse my language, but I fear that even the Mona Lisa could be surrounded by virtual post-it notes of dick picks, and virtual vandalism.

If the possibilities are there, people can and will be able to create something like virtual graffiti- which in the virtual realm will be much harder to prevent and enforce considering the person could, in theory, vandalize the subject through his own device, publish, and walk away immediately after.

Furthermore, we can not regulate what is “junk” and what is actual factual evidence about any given subject. We will be overrun with comments and opinions of people who are not experts in the field, which will influence our own view.

A better world

You state that we will be able to use this tech to better our world.

Now, I ask you, wasn’t that what computers and cell phones were supposed to do? Yet, here we are in a world that is more screwed up than ever before.

Perhaps we don’t need to create more advanced technology, and try to alter the world in which we live. We live with the idea that our world is flawed, and not fit for us to live in, yet every other species on this planet does just fine. Perhaps we need to CUT BACK on our reliance on technology and get back to our roots.

  Shirky, Clay. Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age. New York: Penguin, 2010. Print

McChesney, Robert. Digital Disconnect: How Capitalism Is Turning the Internet Against Democracy. The New Press. Print.

[tgoyette]

Google Glass to change the world

What dreams may come?

With the recent Beta release of Google Glass, a headset, worn like a pair of glasses, that creates a level of augmented reality, or AR for short.

AR, “places a layer of virtual information over a physical setting.”( Lund, 24) The capabilities of this virtual information are boundless, able to run facial recognition scans, aid with directions, and even help you pick out a place to eat at without once lifting a finger.

Josh Lownesohn of The Verge says, “some of the most interesting have been services that offer augmented reality like golf helpers, and real-time translation tools.“

Pamela Lund, author of Massively Networked, shares her insight on the advantages of this tech, saying that a user will now be able to pull up, say, a furniture catalog while in their home, select a couch that is to their liking, and be able to virtually see that product in their home.

The advanced tech within Google Glass will offer a greater level of interaction with the cybernetic world. We will become more integrated with the matrix, so to speak, and will be able to access anything we would normally be able to on a laptop, but placed over our normal sight.

While passing a historic site, Google Glass could pull up information on why this location is important- which could lead to a better educated population, while passing a restaurant on the street, it would be possible to pull up their menu and decide whether or not to eat there without once stepping foot into the building.

The dark side of the moon.

We have the natural potential to perceive everything that is going on in the world at this very moment in time. However, through our own evolutionary process we have shut ourselves off to the majority of that input solely for survivals sake. If all of that information was perceived and understood we would have an exponentially more difficult time picking out what was, and was not, essential to our survival in the now.

Robert McChesney, author of Digital Disconnect, shares a view of this very fact that relates to the digital era, “ If one digitally recorded all extant human cultural artifact and information created from the dawn of time until 2003, one would need 5 billion gigabytes of storage space. By 2010 people created that much data every two days.”

Evolution and spiritual dilution have limited the amount of natural information that we can perceive for survivals sake. However, mankind has a tendency to bend the rules.

AR tech will be able to tap into the entirety of human knowledge, including the all of the pointless memes, videos, and faux new stories that are on the web. This great influx of new visual information could overload our brains and alter our state of living forever if not used correctly.

Clay Shirky of Cognitive Surplus expands upon this by quoting the late Edgar Allan Poe, “ The enormous multiplication of books in every branch of knowledge is one of the greatest evils of this age; since it presents one of the most serious obstacles to the acquisition of correct information by throwing in the reader’s way piles of lumber in which he must painfully grips for the scraps of useful lumber.” (Shirky, 47)

There is a fine line that is needed to be walked here; a line that teeters between technological comfort and tech induced insanity.

I am growing increasingly fearful of the seemingly inevitable day when mankind has disconnected themselves so far from nature for the sake of societal comfort that we become something even less than human. I fear that a tech meant to aid our lives, and increase social interaction, will do just the opposite.

History Repeats Itself.

Cellphones and laptops were meant to connect the world with each other and create a better educated population through the vast amount of knowledge provided on the internet.

However, despite the majority of human knowledge stored online we spend our days scrolling through a news feed created by bogus virtual friends, watching admittedly humorous videos, and laughing at cat memes.

We have not grown closer, but further apart.

Google glass will essentially shut us off even more, making it possible to leave our phones in our pockets while still ignoring everyone and everything around us. We will become completely self sufficient and lose the need to interact with other human beings aside from the basic need and/or want for sexual satisfaction, which, I’m sure we will one day ruin for ourselves as well.

Silver Lining

Shirky’s Cognitive Surplus, focuses on the idea that the vast majority of the worlds population now has the ability to educate themselves on line, and, not only educate- but to publish their own opinions into the public sphere.

The idea is simple, rather than wasting our time chasing the immediately pleasurable impulse brought by funny videos, memes, and so forth- we can focus on growing the knowledge base of our people through cooperation on the internet.

We can create forums that discuss the sciences, history, engineering, health and a whole plethora of other topics and thus create progress rather than a stuporous standstill chasing pleasure impulse through meaningless forms of entertainment.

With the increase of public knowledge and availability to voice their opinions and concerns, it is growing increasingly more difficult for governments to keep their secrets, well, secrets.

Rebecca MacKinnon, in Consent of the Networked, tells of a young waitress in China named Deng Yujiao who has been working at a multi service establishment. During her shift a political official requested sexual services, which had been known to be available here. Deng refused, and in her struggle to fight off his advancements, killed the man.

She was later placed in a mental institution, and in most cases, nothing would have been heard from this woman again. However, news spread online like a wildfire and it wasn’t long until the local government was presented with a large number of letters criticizing their officials abuse of power, and the failure of the government in allowing woman to work in such conditions.

Rather than being forgotten, Deng was instead released on lesser charges.

How this all relates.

So, what dreams may come?

Google Glass is both a gift and a curse. If used correctly, with its intent, the device has the ability to correct social injustice worldwide. It can be used as an active field guide, and an honest documenter of the world the user is experiencing. The tech can be used to study the behaviors of people within a major city, and even to explore through forgotten mountain paths. It can work as a check to the power of government officials and local law enforcement, seeing as they may not be so brazen when presented with the possibility of being recorded.

However, I fear that the tech will be abused, and treated much the same as cellphones and laptops are today. We will find distractions for distractions sake and cease to move forward because standing still seems much safer.

We are now presented with a glorious second chance at doing things right through the use of tech. Google Glass is a double edged sword, both able to liberate us as a species or to stunt our growth entirely.

Works Cited

"Google Glass Now on Sale to All in US, but Still in Beta." The Verge. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.

Lund, Pamela. Massively Networked: How the Convergence of Social Media and Technology Is Changing Your Life. San Francisco: PLI Media, 2012. Print.

MacKinnon, Rebecca. Consent of the Networked: The World-wide Struggle for Internet Freedom. New York: Basic, 2012. Print.

McChesney, Robert Waterman. Digital Disconnect: How Capitalism Is Turning the Internet against Democracy. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Shirky, Clay. Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age. New York: Penguin, 2010. Print.

[tgoyette]

Power to the people

The premise:

"Guo Baofeng, a young entrepreneur who lives in the city of Mawei in southern coastal province of Fujian, posted two short messages in English onto Twitter from his Blackberry:

Pls help me, I grasp the phone during police sleep

I have been arrested by Mawei police, SOS"( McKinnon 40)

The thought is chilling, but the  message was clear- he needed to be saved, and if it were not for this Tweet it is likely that Baofeng may never have seen freedom for the crime of deformation after posting online information about an alleged gang rape by local officials in a case involving a young woman named Yan Xiao-ling.

Now, in America this would not be a major problem, but here, we can clearly see that freedom of speech is not a concept that is practiced in the least bit.

Through China, there is a major level of censorship that limits what citizens can view, or say, online. A violation of this code is punishable.

Great Firewall of China

Historically, this would leave the vast majority of it's citizens in the dark about what is going on politically both outside, and even inside their own country. The governmental control forces its citizens to follow a certain path, and remain ignorant.

"Freedom of speech has little sway in these countries. China is alright with freedom of speech on the internet but only if it operates in their laws. Sounds like a twisted idea of freedom. There are little patches of freedom with iron bars hidden in the distance."(generationdigital)

This reminds me of the walled garden example, where there is an image of freedom and beauty, something worthwhile- but once inside it is inescapable and ultimately a sentence of impending doom and destruction of consciousness.

Breakthrough:

In  Baofeng's case, advances in technology and the availability of even limited versions of social networks, ultimately saved him. The masses are becoming more informed, and thus, more powerful. 

The voice of one person is often overlooked or silenced, even in America, despite the claim that we as individuals actually do have a say. With the forever increasing popularity of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, the voice of one is now the voice of many and that is often powerful voice. 

How did Twitter help?

The Twitter troops were rallied, and it wasn't long before a massive influx of online resistance began. Perhaps even more impressive was the fact that hundreds of postcards were mailed to the local authorities petitioning for Baofeng's release, and shaming the officials originally in question.

At the same time, other bloggers organized a fund raising drive in order to pay for Baofeng's defense. .

Happy endings.

Ultimately, sixteen days after his arrest Baofeng, and two other bloggers were released from police custody.

"I used twitter to save myself." Baofeng later wrote on his blog after his release. (McKinnon 41)

What does this prove?

This proves that the people do have a powerful voice, and the means to rally around each other in order to bring social justice, and social change to an otherwise corrupt world. It is the publics duty to keep the government and law enforcement officials in check, despite the governments tendency to pull power from its citizens.

Remember, we are powerful, and others share our own voice. In order to instill change in the world in which we live we can no longer be afraid to speak up. Maybe that is all it takes, for one person to speak up in order to create an avalanche of supporters storming cyberspace in order to create positive change in our every day lives. 

What dreams may come?

The answer is simple; whatever we allow ourselves to create. don't be afraid, speak up and create a better future.

  MacKinnon, Rebecca. Consent of the Networked: The World-wide Struggle for Internet Freedom. New York: Basic, 2012. Print.

Perez, Megan. "Take back the Internet: Stop Censorship Now!" generation digital​. Tumblr. 5, May, 2014. Web 6, May, 2014

Reading Score, 61.3

Words: 637

[jess14ferreira]

Study says that, "Nearly 60 percent of American families with children own two or more computers. More than 60 percent of those have either a wired or wireless network to connect to the Internet." (Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project)

Digital Age changes the relationship…

[tgoyette]

“Digital Age changes the relationship of parents and their children. Family conversations happen less often. The talks are rare, short and simple, and straight to the point. What happened to sitting at the dinner table talking for hours about how our day went? What about good old family Sundays?” We see it every day in our own lives. Now, at dinner my families conversation has become diluted and underplayed. My six year old sister stares blankly at the television, and even I am guilty of finding distractions on my phone that is often right beside my placemat. 

Though I grew up with nice family dinners every single night, full of conversation- I also grew up in a world where family dynamics were constantly changing. 

Technology replaced social interaction, replaced the need or want to go outside and play, and forever changed child-parent relationships. 

Truthfully, technology and a child’s devices, television programs, and games now influence and shape a child to the same degree, or even more so, than the parents do.

This is wrong.

Technology can’t become a substitute for good parenting. We can’t allow parents to simply sit their child in front of the television or iPad and go off to do their own things simply because it is convenient for them to do so. 

I believe that we need to put our foots down, and frankly, when I envision my future household and family I don’t see very much technology existing. We need our children to be children, to go outside and play, to interact socially with other children and adults. 

What we are creating, at a very young age, is a population that has been trained to prefer seclusion, to avoid interaction and become a slave to their technology.

There is no freedom in that.

Score: 61.6

Words: 303

[jess14ferreira]

Study says that, "Nearly 60 percent of American families with children own two or more computers. More than 60 percent of those have either a wired or wireless network to connect to the Internet." (Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project)

Digital Age changes the relationship...

[tgoyette]

"Digital Age changes the relationship of parents and their children. Family conversations happen less often. The talks are rare, short and simple, and straight to the point. What happened to sitting at the dinner table talking for hours about how our day went? What about good old family Sundays?" We see it every day in our own lives. Now, at dinner my families conversation has become diluted and underplayed. My six year old sister stares blankly at the television, and even I am guilty of finding distractions on my phone that is often right beside my placemat. 

Though I grew up with nice family dinners every single night, full of conversation- I also grew up in a world where family dynamics were constantly changing. 

Technology replaced social interaction, replaced the need or want to go outside and play, and forever changed child-parent relationships. 

Truthfully, technology and a child's devices, television programs, and games now influence and shape a child to the same degree, or even more so, than the parents do.

This is wrong.

Technology can't become a substitute for good parenting. We can't allow parents to simply sit their child in front of the television or iPad and go off to do their own things simply because it is convenient for them to do so. 

I believe that we need to put our foots down, and frankly, when I envision my future household and family I don't see very much technology existing. We need our children to be children, to go outside and play, to interact socially with other children and adults. 

What we are creating, at a very young age, is a population that has been trained to prefer seclusion, to avoid interaction and become a slave to their technology.

There is no freedom in that.

Score: 61.6

Words: 303

[tgoyette]

Alternate Energy

The world would be a much better place if only we didn't pollute to much of it with toxic gas and energy produced waste. 

We have become gluttonous consumers of a finite resource with a need for infinite power. This has set the state for national wars, monetary greed, and political corruption- all the while polluting the only known planet to harbor life in the universe. 

We need to rethink, reinvent, we need to push forward to create a renewable, and pollution free, energy for the future.

The solution:

Stanford researcher Mark Z. Jacobson and UC-Davis researcher Mark A. Delucchi say that the world can make the major shift into using alternative energy sources within the next 20-40 years.

"If someone told you there was a way you could save 2.5 million to 3 million lives a year and simultaneously halt global warming, reduce air and water pollution and develop secure, reliable energy sources – nearly all with existing technology and at costs comparable with what we spend on energy today – why wouldn't you do it?" (BERGERON)

This is our future, and its time to not only build for the betterment of our own lives, but for the lives of our children. We need to treat the planet with respect, and work with it- rather than against it.

How?

The plan is to have the future rely mostly on electricity, which would be produced by water, wind, and solar energy sources to generate a whopping 90% of the estimated power supply.

But what about our vehicles?

Easy, 

Jacobson and Delucchi state that our vehicles would be powered by a combination of electricity and hydrogen fuel cells, which burns clean without harming the environment. 

Our Future

We are at a point now where we need to avert our lustrous eyes from monetary gain and power to focus on sustaining our future and our world. If we follow along this same path we will ultimately bring our own destruction, and though the earth will ultimately survive and recover, we will not. 

_______

Jacobson and Delucchi article:

Louis Bergerson. Standford News: "The World can be Powered by Alternitive Energy." Jan- 2013. Web. 06 May 2014.

Reading Score 61.2

Word Count: 345

[patrickhawes-defrias]

The Oculus Rift is a virtual reality platform, invented mostly for video gaming that was founded via Kickstarter. However, Facebook now owns this platform. The obvious question many have right now is “What’s a social media company going to do with virtual reality?” As journalist Vincent...

[tgoyette]

I touched upon this a few weeks ago in an earlier article regarding the an idea that paired Google with Facebook to create worldwide games.

Now, I'm not sure if anyone had remembered, but starting april 1'st, Google Maps had placed Poke'mon all over the world to be found. 

Trainers were meant to go out and collect as many of these playful, digital friends as they could as a promotion contest.

Imagine the possibilities:

"We are swimming in a sea of stories-many of which we are barley conscious" (Lund, 11)

We live every day with the knowledge of stories we have read in the past, or games that we have played. In many ways we are influenced by the lessons learned along the way. Now, we have the opportunity to fully realize those stories, those realities, and interact with them in real time as if we were in them.

Google Maps could team up with Facebook, and Oculus Rift, to create a fully realized Poke'mon world. 

The Oculus Rift visor could be uploaded with a real-life version of the popular Poke'mon games, only here, rather than a turn based system the little monsters would be behaving just like regular animals. 

This would get the target audience back outside, and off of the couch, which would help combat the growing obesity problem in this country.

Through the Oculus visor, Google could record everything a user sees, and upload the pictures to Google Maps. 

In this way Google could Map nearly the entire world, depending on how adventurous the users are, for free.

Fantasy"Fantasy brings something new into the world by twisting everyday reality into unexpected shapes that allow you to see the familiar from an alternate perspective. World of Warcraft is a fully imagined fantasy gaming world where multiple players are embodied in familiar yet strange rules virtual avatars." (Lund, 15)

It doesn't have to stop there, with new AR technology users could go out into the real world and enjoy the same games that they do online.

Facebook

Facebook could use their new gaming platform to create an entirely new social network, designed, and built for Poke'mon trainers. 

Items like potions, TM/HM's, and poke'balls could be purchased with real money, much like system many apps use today, as well as with in game money that could be earned through battles. 

All the while, Facebook would be able to collect the information of trainers in the same way they do with their existing customers. 

Advertising could be displayed as well, playing small clips of upcoming movies, or directions to local restaurants.

Product:

With the millions of potential trainers, Google would have a willing client base to record even the most untouched pathways of our world. The Map system will be taken beyond the streets, and into the forest, oceans, and mountains that are currently not able to be viewed through their existing system

Facebook would double their power, and offer a game that could change the video game industry for good. 

With this success, Xbox and Playstation will have to come out with their own Oculus-like systems, but by then it will be too late

Score: 63.3

Words: 383

Lund, Pamela. Massively Networked: How the Convergence of Social Media and Technology Is Changing Your Life. San Francisco: PLI Media, 2012. Print

[tgoyette]

World's Apart

"Fundamental, imagination is an act of creation. such creation may be as simple as a thought or short story, or as complex as an entirely novel framework for understanding the world. Whether that creation becomes tangible or remains imaginary depends on a complex variety of factors including timing, resources, known physics, resonance with others, and level of commitment." (Lund, 11)

Look familiar?

This is New Orleans, or, what a recent "Mega Engineering" project is setting  out to transform the historic city into. 

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, worry over a similar incident has been at the forefront of the victims minds.

New ideas on how to protect the city are spreading.

[ see video] http://goo.gl/Klq4ZT

A new plan aims to link hundreds of floating islands together in order to create one, giant, supercity in the ocean. These sections would be detachable, and able to form side clusters off of the city/islands main formation.

Pros

A city at sea must be sustainable, being cut off from most major resources, and the idea could create a cultural boom of self-sustaining mentality.

The cities will be forced to find their energy from the ocean, while creating a food source that can be easily made within the cluster. 

I think this is a step further, and in the right direction- we will be moving off of land, which will give our earth an opportunity to grow and recover from out relentless abuse. 

We have the chance now to make up for the damage we have caused, and create a mode of life that will be better for not only ourselves, but the environment as well.

Cons.

My fear is that the  cities would become traveling hotspots where the only easy source of food would come from fishing. This could lead to overfishing, and the further endangerment of previously untouched species. 

Furthermore, there is already a real problem regarding pollution in our oceans, and I feel as though a city would only add to that problem.

From what I understand the sections of the city will be able to be moved from one place to the other, forming interchangeable blocks that can fit into the puzzle as needed. 

Already, on land, there is enough trouble with gangs and criminal activity. I feel as though if a land mass is able to isolate itself in this way, that it could potentially fall under its own government, or become a lawless state with the means to become a Mecca for illegal activity.

However,

With proper laws, and the right mind set, this has the potential to be the city of the future and a city where the situation at hand will force innovations in self sustainment, and better living habits.

The city will also provide a solution to the ever growing problem of population overgrowth, and allow for land based cities to thin out in population as more and more floating cities are built. 

The other side of the coin

While this will be a large and expensive project, it is making leaps towards a better state of living for the already poverty stricken, then devastated, communities.

However, more can be done with less economic effort. Pamela Lund tells of a Hawaiian state park that had taken an estimated USD$4 million in damage, and would take two years to recover. However, the people of the state came together and completed the repairs in just eight days for little cost. ( Lund, 96)

Did the people put in half-effort to complete the work? No, and they didn't jump into high gear either. Rather, "residents whose livlihoods were affected by the damage volunteered their time and donated supplies to get the job done" (Lund, 96)

Now, this is one extreme, but it is possible the people of new Orleans could have recovered in the same way.

Lund, Pamela. Massively Networked: How the Convergence of Social Media and Technology Is Changing Your Life. San Francisco: PLI Media, 2012. Print.

Score: 61

Word Count429

[cwebber99]

Social Media Improves Society

There have been many complaints about what social media sites do to our younger generations. Many people argue that social media is simply for people to complain about life to others, post silly memes and tell the world what they are doing when nobody cares. Though...

[bmcleodumd]

Knowledge is everywhere. The Internet houses tons of false information. Average people cause this. The publish button many have access to causes this.

It’s not all inaccurate

It’s impossible to say that all information spread by “nobodies” can be considered false. There are even websites,...

[pesephone-blog]

Reddit Redefines Our Expecations for Web Interaction

Web Rules Can Make or Break a Social Platform

Reddit exists as an example of what organized and constructive Internet communication could be. Established Tumblr blogger, katyiskelly defines Reddit “as a forum with threads on all kinds of issues. Some threads are personal, some are more serious.” (Kelly, 5) But it is in its organization that Reddit becomes a tool for communal web interaction. While it’s predecessor 4chan is damning itself to be nothing more than more gin.

4chan the Wild West of the Web

4chan is an internet analog to the wild west. No one knows or cares what part of the web you blew in from and you’re welcome to say what you’d like at  your own risk. The Sheriffs too busy drowning in a saloon somewhere to really moderate any user interaction so when tempers fly things have a tendency to spiral out of control.

4chan is the birthplace of many web memes that are usually chucked at and scrolled passed with the same amount of interest as one would have reading a newspaper comic. While these creations are hardly influential and largely individual Clay Shirky, author of Cognitive Surplus would argue;

“The stupidest creative act is still a creative act… On the spectrum of creative work, the difference between the mediocre and the good is vast. Mediocrity is, however, still on the spectrum; you can move from mediocre to good in increments. The real gap is between doing nothing and doing something” (Shirky)

Shirkey doesn’t dismiss the achievement of those who have done very little in the grand scheme of things. But it is in the software itself where the quality of creative endeavors is limited.

 User Input is Essential

Unlike Reddit, it is a lot harder to organize people and collaborate because everyone on 4chan is reduced to a constantly changing number dictated by the time they had posted. Also unlike Reddit, which has a user based post review system, 4chan’s content is presented based on what was posted last. Meaning you’re just as likely to run into someone spouting nonsense as you are to stumble into a discussion of ethics.

This makes it increasingly difficult for anything to get done or produced and reduces 4chan to just another form of Gin. Thousands of voices are screaming out and none are really being heard.

Shirky remarks, “… what matters now is not the new capabilities we have, but how we turn those capabilities, both technical and social, into opportunities.” (Shirky, 191-192) Hw speaks in the defense of 4chans less than influential creations. Given the constraints of the software it is producing the best quality content it can.

Reddit took the idea of an open forum and with it’s own brand of government and structure found a way to take individuals and group them together to create something larger and more worthwhile.

While this isn’t true for all interactions on the website, but the rare instances of constructive conversation are eventually drowned out by the senseless clattering of keys and re-posting of captioned cat photos.

World War Web: Reddit vs 4chan

I view Reddit as a refined version of 4chan. It has curbed the anarchy and come up with a peer identification system that is just private enough to be identifiable among other users. But these two forums tend to come to virtual blows over which did what first and which community has a larger effect on the web at large.

While competition between the two platforms is good, it promotes innovation between the two competitors,  the people clinging on to 4chan’s limited structure are putting a cap on their possible achievements. Shirky states:

“Bias in favor of existing systems is good, at least in times of technological stability…. However, that intellectual asset turns into a liability in times of revolution…. those deeply committed to old solutions cannot see how society would benefit from an approach incompatible with older models” (Shirky, 209-210).         

4chan is a great tool for spontaneous expression but that is about the end of it. It is a forum for a time when the coming together of experts and ideas wasn’t on our radar and therefore isn’t built to accommodation a need for quality web contributions. Those who cannot see how society can benefit from the structure Reddit offers will be able to produce anything beyond what Shirky describes as Gin.

Read More

[shannonenl368]

Tons of web devices are being used to get students actively engaged in scholarly pursuits. Whether it’s online talks or smart blogging, high schools and colleges alike are latching onto these methods to get students involved.

But what effect does this process have on schooling and the web as a...

[tgoyette]

Cognitive Vortex

We live in an age where the entire body of human knowledge is placed within the pockets of millions of people worldwide.

The internet, and its mass of knowledge, was meant to bring about a cultural, and intellectual, boom that would bring mankind to knew heights.

There is a surplus of intelligent minds working on the internet every day, however, rather than working together to help our species advance, we spend the majority of our time looking at LOLCats and watching funny videos on Youtube. 

The cultural revolution never came. We are, in fact, dumbing ourselves down rather than utilizing the sources at hand.

Clay Shirky, in Cognitive Surplus, states that social networks are crippling our intelligence.

“Knowledge is everywhere. The Internet houses tons of false information. Average people cause this. The publish button many have access to causes this,” Says Brett McLeod, a student of Internet Culture at Umass Dartmouth.

The sad fact is that most of the information available on the internet today is user generated, and created by users voicing their own opinions without backing their knowledge up with scholarly evidence. 

There is a trickle down effect and, much like the “telephone” game played in many school systems to stress how an idea can be changed over time, the true information out there has been diluted in the ignorance of those who have passed it on.

“Publishing used to be something we had to ask permission to do.” (Shirky)

Now, the internet is flooded with useless information from people who think they can stand as a professional source. 

“Before Gutenburg,” Shirky says, about the creator of the printing press, “ the average book was a masterpiece.”

This is because there were higher standards to release the printed word to the world in the past than there are now. 

Today, there is little need to del with a publisher, when an individual can simply post their work online. 

Choosing our feed.

Now, more than ever, we are able to customize our social view. While it is true that ones friends can reflect ones own character in real life, this is even more so the case in regards to online interactions. 

A user can simply delete, block, or customize their settings to avoid friends that do not share the same view or interest as they do. 

The “wall”, or feed of info becomes catered to the user. Rather than being introduced to new media, new ideas, and new information— the user becomes stuck in the rut of things that they have already seen or can readily agree with.

Worse still, these sources of information often are not from credible sources, and are, rather, created by bloggers or independent journalist. 

Even I can testify to this truth, as my Facebook wall currently consist mostly of scientific articles on metaphysics, spirituality, and nature. Though I agree with, or am interested in, the majority of these articles, nothing is so far beyond my personal scope that I ever feel threatened or introduced to something that I do not agree with.

There is no learning curve, users, at first, love the influx of like-minded individuals along with their own body of knowledge. However, over time that knowledge becomes ignored, and scrolled over.

This leaves the user with little to no new information, and no hope for learning. 

What is this doing to us?

If we are not challenged with new ideas that we will never move forward. We become stagnant versions of ourself with no growth as an individual.

With intel that is often not supported by resources validating their truth, we become like a dog chasing its tail.

Always working towards a solution, but never achieving it. We run around in circles, and from an outside perspective, look incredibly stupid. 

An ideal situation?

We need to open up more forums, like Reddit, that will fully immerses its users in the possibilities and wealth of knowledge that exist online. 

However, this community can not thrive unchecked. There is a need for professional sources to make sure that the group is heading in the right direction. 

Perhaps there could be forum admin who oversees the progress of the group.

There needs to be an online community where the majority of users actually have the ambition to learn from each other, pool their resources, and use the internet’s capabilities as a world wide think tank.

With the spreading of ideas and wisdom, the world can become a much better place as scientific progress will be made by the general public, working together, rather than large corporations that are only aiming to profit from such advances. 

We are standing on the edge of glory, but ones of man kinds most impressive attributes; its endless capacity to create distractions, is holding us back.

The Vortex

It is much easier to probe a social network, waiting for the next notification saying that you have one, or five, new “likes” on a post. This system works much like a reward system while training any other animal. There is an action, then a positive stimuli after a reaction is found. 

We become addicted to the chemicals released in our brain after this positive stimuli is given. “Likes” become a drug to us, and rather than moving forward, we instead, sit still and refuse to advice for the sake of our own pitiful enjoyment.

Reading score: 60.3

Words: 943

Shirky, Clay. Cognitive Surplus: How Technology Makes Consumers into Collaborators. Penguin Books, n.d.

McLeod, Brett. “Dangerous Publishers: The Risk of The Common Publishers” Tumblr, March 27, 2014. http://bmcleodumd.tumblr.com/post/83001251703/dangerous-publishers-the-risk-of-the-common-publishers

[katyiskelly]

Reddit Offers Public Space for Interaction

The ad on the sidebar of the website, Reddit, caught my eye this morning. Unlike typical websites, Reddit’s ads primarily consist of promoting the website itself; Reddit gifts, Radio Reddit, things of that nature. The one that caught my eye reads, “Tell the government to get a warrant- the fourth ammendment applies online too.”

Using the Web for Social Interaction

There’s a picture of a man dressed brightly behind a computer screen, with the shrouded black figures behind him, all with a bright blue back drop. The quote above is at the top of the image. It’s eye-catching. Maybe even provocative. It grabs attention on it’s site from it’s continuously scrolling reader.

This one ad poses a statement while highlighting a controversial question about the government and privacy concerns. It poses the question, “why do we let the government search and seize our information?” Seemingly alluding to the NSA and the scandal after Edward Snowden spoke out about surveillance issues in the U.S.  It makes a statement: we’re being watched.

What does the ad do about it? It’s not merely offering a statement against the NSA. It goes beyond the personal sphere of reflection and provides a public sphere for redditors to discuss the issue (not to say that the conversation on threads are always golden). But the provision is there nonetheless.

Bridging to Community

The potential to create a community and generate a real conversation is there. Reddit provides that as a forum with threads on all kinds of issues. Some threads are personal, some are more serious. As an open website of information it has an agenda to post an ad like that: keep the internet free and open for information. Just by having an ad that poses this statement portrays the desire to move it to communal, and maybe even into something more. 

The name of the thread is “Protect your Rights,” ( http://www.reddit.com/r/ads/comments/1z36qg/protect_your_rights/?already_submitted=true ). Although not much conversation may be occurring right now, it has the potential to. A community board such as this also has the potential to move from community conversations to social changes. 

A free and open forum that provides a community with ongoing conversation allows for people to interact and plan, maybe even cause social change.

Works Cited

“Protecting Your Rights.” Reddit. User: Snowboi. 27 February 2014. Web. 10 March 2014.

[tgoyette]

This brings me back to a conversation I was having last night with a small group of friends.

It seems as though most Americans are ignorant of their rights, online, or otherwise. We live under the assumption that we have them, but behave as if we don't. 

One of my friends made the bold statement, saying that, " American's don't truly have rights in the everyday lives. They only have rights once they can afford a lawyer to tell the court system these rights actually do exist."

Bold, yes, but it's a statement I can readily relate to. When I was 15 I was jumped by three kids around my age in an alleyway, and having been trained to fight, emerged victorious with little more than a shortness of breath. 

The legal battle that followed landed me with a felony charge of Assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, despite the presentation of online message logs from the 3 other individuals saying that there was a target on my back. 

The fact boiled down to something extremely simple, despite the fact that I was the one assaulted- my right to defend myself was ignored simply because the others had managed to hire better lawyers. 

How this relates:

It is seen nearly every single day in real life law enforcement. 

A few months ago, sometime in December, I was in a friends car that was pulled over by a state trouper. The officer neglected to ask us why we thought we had been pulled over, and instead, was verbally aggressive in getting us out of the car and onto the side of the highway to sit with our hands on our head while, without consent, and even after consent was verbally denied,  he searched through all of our backpacks and personal belongings, as well as the car itself, even taking the time to lift seat cushions and check the spare tire compartment. 

After coming up empty with any incriminating evidence, the officer politely told us we could be on our way, and that if we wanted to, that we could report him. He gave off a careless chuckle, saying that this happens all of the time, and the reports meant little. 

Shocked by this disregard for the officers public duty we did report him, and once connected to his station to complete a report were told that nothing could be done regarding the incident. The person on the other line treated the incident like a joke, and hung up.

Further Support

Rebecca MacKinnon, in consent of the Networked, explains how a twenty one year old waitress in the Hubei province, China, actually was released from custody after killing a man while trying to protect herself from his sexual advances. The waitress, named Deng Yujiao, was later sentenced to lesser charges after there was a public uproar regarding her detainment. (MacKinnon, 31)

Her rights up to that point had been largely ignored, and, because she was a woman there was little to no thought on the morality of the officials decision to lock her away in a mental institution where she lively would have spent the remainder of her years

We need to remember that as a society we are powerful, and can defend ourselves legally. The voice of one can now raise the voice of many, and those voices can instil change and highlight the errors int he ways of public officials that abuse their power.

My point:

We need to better educate the population on what laws can and will protect them when it comes to law enforcement, including surveillance by the NSA. A better educated population becomes a safer population.

Law enforcement has grown to synonymous with many gangs, however, here, the officers hold a legal badge that gives them permission to abuse the laws meant to protect the very people they themselves are sworn to serve.

Reddit should open up a sub forum, if they haven't already, that will emphasize on educating the internet community on both online, and real life, laws when it comes to law enforcement.

We all have rights, but the sad fact is that if you don't readily know what those rights are, and how they protect you, then you effectively have no rights at all. Officers behave as if they are above the law, and if you do not verbally state that your rights are being violated, or that you do not consent to a search, or ask if you are being detained, they will violate your rights to their own will.

MacKinnon, Rebecca. Consent of the Networked: The World-wide Struggle for Internet Freedom. New York: Basic, 2012. Print.

Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease

60

Word Count607

[tgoyette]

Move aside Google Glass-- AR contacts are here

The Pentagon has ordered the production of prototype AR contacts lenses that will rival the upcoming Google Glass, GG, craze. Not only are these contacts easier to conceal, as opposed to the obvious hardware that GG operates on, but they will be able to do so much more.

Think of the possibilities

As opposed to GG, which only takes up a small portion of ones vision, contact lenses cover the entire eye, and the tech could even be pushed further to operate on both eyes.

The lenses "provide a wide field of vision while also allowing individuals to focus both on a specific image and on their environment at the same time." (RedOrbit, 1)

Ones own vision is fully optimized to a point where the operator will be able to focus on numerous things at once without decreasing the quality of that focus.

Furthermore, images can be displayed on the inside of the lens itself, offering everything its opposer GG can, and more.

For the military, the contacts can display intel in real time, creating a better communication network amongst soldiers and generals on the battlefield.

"The iOptik lenses have a pair of filters, which allow both nearby and far-off light sources to be in focus. The central part of each lens sends light from a head’s-up display (HUD) to the middle portion of the pupil, while the outer part sends light from the surrounding environment to the pupil’s rim. Thus... the eye receives both images in focus and at the exact same time." (RedOrbit, 4)

Threats:

With a commercial version of the lenses set to come out some time in 2014, we are faced with the threat of the every growing body of information readily available to the masses.

Now, more than ever, criminals will have the means to tap into online sources, or security systems, to break into houses, stalk individuals, or steal.

If there is a connection to the internet, than there is a way to exploit the new device.

With an internet connection, and hack ware that is bound to come into existence shortly after, the public grows less safe as they can be easily monitored by other common citizens without any clue towards what is going on.

I fear that this is a tech that should be left to the military, if used at all, and once in the hands of the public will be exploited to the point where cyber-crime, and physical crime, runs rampant due to the newfound ease of tracking and locating data on potential targets.

Words: 430

Readability Score: 60.5

RedOrbit Staff. DARPA Orders Prototype AR Contact Lenses, RedOrbit.com

[tgoyette]

Free will a lie?

Does Free Will Even Exist?

http://goo.gl/ZG7ngh

Life Predetermined:

Free will is one of the only things that humans think they possess that makes them special, makes them different from another person beside them, or, even, better than any other animal here on earth.

But is free will really free?

No

On the most basic level of understanding- we are a product of our environment. Meaning, that if our environment behaves a certain way, or creates a constant situation that needs to be adapted to in order to survive, then already our free will as a person is gone. Now, we are not doing as we please, but rather, we are doing as we can in order to exist within the social construct in which we live.

The environment might give us a small handful of options to choose from, a decision we believe is our own will- but ultimately our actions are being chosen by said environment.

Think Deeper:

From a genealogical standpoint we are predetermined to behave a certain way, predetermined to find certain tastes appealing, certain sights pleasurable, and certain jokes funny. On the most basic human level, our entire view of the world since birth if formed by means inside our genetic makeup- but outside our readily available means of understanding.

While the decision is still yours to make whether or not to buy the banana or the mango, internally, your body is already leaning one way or the other. The choice is no longer due to your own consciousness, or personal decision, your choice is due to something beyond your control, your genes.

How else can it effect us?

From birth we are told what is, and is not, acceptable. We are told what foods to eat, and when. We are told were to go, and how to behave.

There is a saying that goes, " Get them while they are young and the possibilities are endless." Well, from birth we are trained to be the types of human beings that can exist within the societal standards of that present day.

Our personal will means nothing, zip, nadda. What we may grow to do in the natural world, or through natural influences is meaningless, because we are trained to conform to the human mold that has been cast for us before we are even born.

The sad truth

While it is true that we can decide whether or not to go to a movie or dinner,  to do one thing or the other- these decisions are influenced by powers outside of ourselves. Free will is a lie, and forces around us in our every day lives have us set on a predetermined track of existence.

Free yourselves.

It is only after a man loses everything, that he is free to do anything.

These great words were spoken by Tyler Durden, from the novel Fight Club.

It is only after we detach ourselves from our environment, and the powers outside ourselves that influence us inside of them, that we are finally free.

However, we are taught our entire lives to not be an outlier, to conform, for safety, for the sake of society- to be normal.

The one decision that we do have, the lone instance of truly free will is our decision to change our environment.

Still, once within a new environment we are influenced by entirely new powers and sacrifice our free will once more. 

The solution.

It's simple, really, find an environment where the powers that be will influence you to make the choices you truly want to make. Only then will you be free.

Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease       69.7

Work count : 604

[katyiskelly]

Too pudgy. Too blonde. Just look at that unibrow. Is that a chipped tooth? I don’t know why but I just don’t like the way that one looks.

Swiping for Love or Lust?

This. This is what “dating” has become. The app Tinder allows for people to breeze easily through hoards of...

[tgoyette]

The sad fact of dating in this day in age is that it is something that is swiftly fading away as if it were some high school fad. 

Whats wrong?

With apps such as Tinder, Hot or Not, PlentyofFish, and even Facebook there has never been an easier way to meet new people. However, with this new ease in finding someone that may be deemed worthy--nearly everyone's standards have gone up ten fold. 

No longer do you need to spend some quality time with someone to get to know them, or figure out if they are attractive or not. Everything that could be known can be determined by simply "creeping" through past status' and a solid reference of physical appearance can be figured out through doing the same with a person's profile pictures. 

Shallow?

Hell yeah it's shallow. The fact that we no longer need to build an actual interpersonal relationship with someone is a shame. We generally stick to ourselves, or our close group of friends, and only meet up with new people that we met on social media for the basic need for a hook up every now and then.

We live in a society built on the individual, sex appeal is marketed, and a person will choose whether or not they feel like hitting on someone based on their profile picture. 

Social media is ruining dating.

Facebook, oddly enough, "started our in Mark zuckerberg's Harvard dorm room as a platform for college students to flirt with one another." (MacKinnon 151)

Now, Facebook has blown up in popularity and people flood the site for ore than just flirting, posting their likes, interest, and day to day activities.

There aren't any secrets anymore, and dating has lost its fun. All it takes is a quick run through of the average girls profile pictures to find dozens of shots from every angle--often shots in bikini's or provocative poses, because, lets face it-- if she's single then she's trying to make herself look as attractive as possible.

On a gross instinctual level there is no need to find someone attractive in person, get to know them, and then finally have the chance to see them undressed. No, nearly everything can be seen through their existing photos- which leaves very little to the imagination.

This also creates a system where the only communication is generally driven towards having said person in front of you, rather than in your mind, with little interest in their views or beliefs. 

The decline of dating.

I see less and less couples walking around today, mostly because there is no need. Any sexual need can be found more easily now than ever as love became harder, and sex got easier to find. Social media, and our devices, have detached us from the interpersonal social construct that once existed. We no longer need to talk to each other in class, or in the elevator, or anywhere because we are so drawn into our own worlds. 

Dating is nearly dead, and soon I fear that we will live in a world much like Aldous Huxley imagined in A Brave New World, we are becoming individuals with no need for emotional connection to another-- only taking note of another's existence when it comes to sexual needs

MacKinnon, Rebecca. Consent of the Networked: The World-wide Struggle for Internet Freedom. New York: Basic, 2012. Print.

Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease

60.9

Words:  506