COM 300

Extra Credit Post for Monday 5/23

2005-05-21T01:21:00.000-07:00

This article really clarifies how the accustomed separation of voice and data would be impacted by the widespread implementation of VoIP. I think the main message is that hte large, dominant companies would be forced to perhaps downsize as they ultimately combine the two areas of voice and data. This has the potential to give smaller companies a better chance out on the market because the monopoly that some communications companies hold may be weakened, due to either failure to adapt the new technology, inefficiency at adopting the new technology, or underestimating the new technology if it happens to take off and become more popular and widely used than expected.

Post for Monday 5/23

2005-05-21T01:18:00.000-07:00

I think that VoIP has the potential to impact cable and telephone networks in a very big way. As this technology becomes more well known and better developed it could either pose a threat or serve to increase their business. Cable and Telephone networks could very well be forced to adopt new or alter current systems to be a part of the VoIP market. Although it is very new to me, every piece of technology was once new and many have become staples in our everyday lives to the point where we can’t imagine how life was before their advent. Who knows? Perhaps VoIP will become that way too.

Extra Credit Post for Wednesday 5/18

2005-05-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

Once again the relationship between cyberspace as public space and accessibility standards is all about availability. It sounds like both candidates do not have the most tech savvy staff working on their sites, and the result is many mistakes or ill planning that hinders availability to site visitors. What I took away from this article is much the same as what I learned from the first two, it is not truly a "public space" unless everyone can get to it, it has to meet the accessibility standards necessary for all users.

Post for Wednesday 5/18

2005-05-16T23:50:00.000-07:00

After reading the ADA and evolt.org articles, I think that the relationship between cyberspace as public space and accessibility standards is that a site does not qualify as a “public space” until it meets the accessibility standards. If a website is for any reason not accessible to everyone, then it cannot be designated as a public space because it is not available to all. This is especially apparent in the evolt.org article “Accessibility: The Politics of Design.” If there are any websites that should measure up to the accessibility standards, including under the ADA standards, it should be the sites with content that is specifically there to inform and serve the people- such as state and local government sites. “The People” refers to all citizens, and if it is for any reason not accessible/understandable to everyone then I don’t think it qualifies as a “public space.”

Post for Monday 5/16

2005-05-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

The impact of internet technology on political activity is undeniable. The internet enables anyone with a connection to access an enormous amount of information about just about any aspect of a campaign, candidate, issue, voting process, or commentary. Up to the minute, nearly live, postings as practiced by supporters of Grassroots Journalism have proven to be powerful factors in the coverage of elections. The consequences of this information have the potential to be either positive or negative, because credible informative resources can help people make more educated decisions and choices, or encourage them to become more active and find their voice. However on the opposite spectrum it may provide faulty information, or only serve to further enrage or alienate certain people.

Extra Credit Post for Monday 5/9

2005-05-08T00:41:00.000-07:00

This article showed me an entirely different viewpoint on the concept of “public space.” I must confess that I am a bit of a commercial junkie, I have a ridiculous appreciation for a clever ad, but even I have my limits. I do believe there is a line that many advertisers have crossed, when enough is enough. When entire towns are painted with a single company’s ads (as in the Coca-Cola example for the Olympics) or simply cluttered with many different advertisements, it reaches a point where it is overkill and just plain littering. I definitely agree with the four states that have enacted billboard bans, and I think they have the right idea since they are known for their scenic beauty. However I don’t think that all ads should be banned, perhaps limited, but not banned.

Revised Citations

2005-05-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

Gillmor, D. (2005). About Me. Retrieved May 4, 2005 from http://dangillmor.typepad.com/about.html

Pew Internet and American Life Project (2002, September 5). One Year Later: September 11 and the Internet. Retrieved May 4, 2005 from http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_9-11_Report.pdf

Madden, M. (2003, December 22). America’s Online Pursuits. Retrieved May 4, 2005 from http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Online_Pursuits.Final.PDF

Bender, W., Chesnais, P., Elo, S., Shaw, A., Shaw, M. (1996). Enriching Communities: harbingers of news in the future. IBM Systems Journal, v 35, pp. 369-380.
Retrieved May 4, 2005 from http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/sj/mit/sectionb/chesnais.pdf

Stepp, Carl S. (2004). When Everyones A Journalist: A Seismic Shift Thanks to the Internet [Review of We the Media: Grassroots Journalism By the People, For the People]. American Journalism Review, v. 26, i6, p62 (1). Retrieved May 4, 2005 from Research Library database. (Document ID: 764978491).
http://proquest.umi.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/pqdweb?index=29&did=7 64978491&SrchMode=3&sid=1&Fmt=6&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=3 09&VName=PQD&TS=1115258853&clientId=8991&aid=1

Post for Monday 5/9

2005-05-06T12:14:00.000-07:00

I think the concept of cyber space as public space was originally based on very valid and beneficial intentions. This is best summed up in the “Hacktivist” article, in which Oxblood Ruffian points out that the internet was originally created for the purpose of “fast, cheap, and unfettered communication.” However many concepts and creations begin with the best of intentions and can easily be manipulated into something else, as in the surfacing of pornography, viruses, and other harmful content. The idea of censorship was likely meant to keep from hurting or offending people, but this idea has also undergone transformation. As in Iran, India and China, the government is censoring content it feels could be detrimental to its dominance and rule. Therefore, by censoring its citizens protests (i.e. communication), it is restricting expression in a public place. I believe it is wrong to take away the people’s right to express themselves, and the internet that would provide the public forum for that kind of expression is being repressed. I think the concept of cyber space as public space is a good one, and that governments should not be allowed to filter political sites or personal bloggers.

Midterm Report

2005-05-05T18:08:00.000-07:00

I must admit I am still feeling a little overwhelmed about my final project. This entire quarter it seems that all technology has attempted to form a united front to try to disrupt any and all progress I have been trying to make. Although I have so far managed to overcome the challenges and unexpected snags, it is still frustrating and disheartening all the same. I do however feel that I have a better understanding of the project, and that I am for the most part on the right track. The progress I am making seems to be on schedule, and barring any monumental disasters, I think it will all work out just fine in the end.

Post for Wednesday 5/4

2005-05-03T23:27:00.000-07:00

I think there is a definite connection between these readings and the concept of open source software. As open source software like Wikipedia are created by people coming together to help each other, this is precisely the idea behind the “A Little Help From My Friends” and “Second Superpower” articles. The social and business networks created in the “Friends” article have a tremendous amount of potential, if all goes according to plan, to construct the kind of network where someone can find help, information, or connect with new friends-for business or pleasure. Similarly, in the “Second Superpower” article the goal of peace and the creation of a new world/US watchdog would accomplished through the cooperation and collaboration of a large network of people who want to help the people of the world by working together toward a common mission.

Post for Monday 5/2

2005-05-01T23:47:00.000-07:00

Blogging software facilitates community by allowing uninhibited disclosure. Since it serves as an online diary, it has a very personal and detailed tone and feeling. While people read each other’s diary entries, they can in turn respond and react to other posts, encouraging and facilitating interaction, which in turn may create a greater sense of community. However, some challenges to this, as Shirky pointed out, is the lack of censorship. This sense of community could be disrupted or shattered by offensive comments/blogs, or encounter controversy that serves more to divide and polarize the bloggers.

Post for Wednesday 4/27

2005-04-27T00:19:00.000-07:00

The implications of wi-fi technology for communication scholars is comparable to opening a floodgate of new information. Making internet access available in so many new and different locations, to so many more people, will have a tremendous impact in more ways than one. In addition to making great progress towards diminishing the digital divide, it will enable the already rapid, mind-blowing pace at which the information on the internet is currently amassing, to increase to an even more unimaginable rate. Communication scholars will have a great deal more information to try to study, but also to attempt to wade through. The increased communication/interaction via technological devices will greatly improve the rate at which many types of news and information travels but at the same time may also increase the amount of problems, conflicts, and mistakes made as a result of computer mediated communication. Needless to say, there is a rich and bountiful supply of topics and subjects to be further investigated and analyzed by communication scholars as a result of the development, implementation, and utilization of wi-fi.

Post for Monday 4/25

2005-04-25T02:40:00.000-07:00

After reading "The GNU Manifesto," and "Markets Are Conversations," I must say I completely understand why the Open Source Software Movement is a controversial topic/concept. On the one hand, it is a no-brainer. Why not continue to create and share new developments and advances with everyone, free of charge so as not dictate who will or will not receive it because of cost? However the potential objections addressed by Stallman are also valid-the credit, recognition, and pay for programmers developing the software. I think overall the shift will be towards Open Source Software though, and that scholars should study this movement because it does have a great deal of potential and appeal because of affordability (free!) and convenience (opportunity to share with your neighbor, friend, etc.)

Extra Credit Post for Wednesday 4/20

2005-04-19T23:47:00.000-07:00

Upon reading "A Brief Illustrated History of Voting," I came to a conclusion of my opinion of the voting process. I do not believe that the most recent developments of electronic voting methods should be considered progress or better methods of voting. Every single development has had its faults, disasters, and successes. I think this article simply shows the many different options for voting that have been invented over the years, not the progress of the voting process that has developed from oral, to print/manual, to electronic. There really seems to be no single or ultimately better method, just many different choices.

Post for Wednesday, 4/20

2005-04-19T23:40:00.000-07:00

After reading the 3 articles on electronic voting, I would definitely have to say that it has increased my apprehension of the growing reliance on technology. I have always believed that it is not the answer to everything, and the "Bombay Ballot" article emphasized this point with its message that less is more, like in the case of the space pen vs. the pencil. Electronic voting may work in some cases, some of the time, for some people. But on the other hand so do many of the other methods that have been used in the past. Nothing is 100% error proof, or for that matter 100% human proof. It is for this reason that I have ambivalent feelings toward electronic voting, and I am just not sure that there is one right answer or solution to the many problems of voting.

Extra Credit Post for Monday 4/18

2005-04-18T00:19:00.000-07:00

This reading also brought up new and interesting ways of thinking about the man-machine relationship. In all honesty though I am not all that comfortable with the development of machines that mirror the behavior and thinking of humans. In some aspects it does seem that it may be beneficial in improving/reducing certain stresses and problems of technology, but overall I think it would be creepy. I wouls rather keep people and machines separate than blur the lines by incorporating human emotions and feeling into machine design.

Post for Monday 4/18

2005-04-17T23:42:00.000-07:00

"Being Analog" brought up many interesting aspects of the human and mechanical world that have never crossed my mind. Many of the simple differences between man and machine, such as the fact that people learn/improve through experience, and machines have to be fixed/rebuilt to change may seem obvious, but are viewpoints that I had never before considered. This reading honestly gave me a new way of looking at the relationship between people and technology, in the sense that technology is rigid but people are flexible, and that is why we have so many conflicts that result in "technostress!"

Extra Credit Post, 4/13

2005-04-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

In "A Beginner's Guide to Media Reform," I was a little shocked to learn that our media is "the direct result of conscious government policy making." It is a little disturbing to me to think that government officials have had the most influence in cultivating and creating the media that is all around us today.

This ties into another point made in this article, that the public is hte most affected, and has the least amount of voice about the media. This is in reference to the messages received/portrayed and what we are exposed to, but also refers to something I had not ever thought of before. Media also permeates into our lives through the wires, cables and other transmitters that traverse the land that we own. I thought it was an interesting way of illustrating how media is all around us and affects us in ways we hardly ever think about.

Post for Wednesday 4/13

2005-04-13T08:32:00.000-07:00

In the reading entitled, "The Role of the Internet in National and Local News Media," I found it incredibly interesting that although people perceive television as their primary source for information, research actually shows that newspapers are. I think it is very strange that there would be such differences between perception and actual usage of the news mediums.

I find it hard to believe, however, that the authors predict that the internet will surpass newspapers as a source for political information in the future. I agree that it will most likely become a great deal more popular, but I think the newspaper is too much engrained into our culture as a staple in our daily routine to be completely replaced.

Posting for Monday 4/11

2005-04-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

First Aha: In the reading "We Have the Information You Want, But Getting it Will Cost You," I was shocked to learn that more new information has been produced within the last three decades than in the last five millennia. I would have to agree with general tone of the reading on how this progress and abundance of information is also terribly problematic. In terms of relevance and credibility of information, such a multitude of information can be a nightmare for searches that are pressed for time or very specific. This point is illustrated in a point made by Nelson that scientists claim it takes less time to actually do an experiment than to find out whether or not its been done before.

Second Aha: In "Information Overload, Retrieval Strategies and Internet User Empowerment," I thought it was interesting how Dr. Carlson pointed out that the information overload is the logical result of a free information market coupled with technological progress. Although this may seem obvious, I think it is one of those things that goes unnoticed or no one thinks about until it is pointed out. Change and progress are inevitable, and that is something I believe most people believe/realize, but no one really thinks about how progress and advancement could result in a problem. Has anyone ever thought about how to try to manage the excessive amount of information created to sift through when the World Wide Web expands by 17 pages a second?

Third Reading Post

2005-04-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

In "Principles of New Media," by Manovich, I was very intrigued, and a bit surprised to learn modern media has discrete levels because it emerged during the Industrial Revolution. The key example given is that in 1913 Henry Ford began the first Assembly line in his factory, which implemented the two key features of 1) Standardization of Parts, and 2) Separation of Production. I knew that Henry Ford was a major Pioneer in many ways for the impact and developments set in motion by his entrepeneurship, but I had no idea he had such an effect on media communication!

In the reading "The Medium is the Message," by McLuhan I was very surprised by the overall tone of the article. It was an approach to communication media that surprised me because it was such a deep and philosophical approach that cited historical figures such as Alexis De Tocqueville and Nietzche. I found one of the most interesting parts of this piece was the explanation of De Tocqueville on the nature of the English Culture. He cited the disconinuity of the English as a result of their rejection of typography and print culture, and said that it was these two principles that had worked to create the uniformity and unity seen among the people of France.

1st Extra Credit Post

2005-04-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

In the article "As We May Think," by Vannevar Bush, there were many concepts and examples covered. I would have to say that one of the major things that really stood out to me in reading this was just how much more complex and varied the history and development of communication technology has been, and continues to be today. I did enjoy the interesting little piece of information though that the first calculating machine was made two centuries ago by a man named Leibnitz. It is a bit strange to try to think about how primitive and simple communication technology used to be, I definitely think we take a lot of it for granted because we use it everyday.

I was quite surprised though about the many different uses and accomplishments made through the utilization of electricity. The most compelling example that I found was that through the process of bone conduction, sounds may be introduced into the nerve channels of the deaf, which allows them to hear! I think that is amazing, and truly shows the power and potential of electricity and potential extension/progress of communication technology.

Second Reading Response/Blog

2005-04-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

In the first reading, "Introduction to Internet Architecture and Institutions," nearly every piece of information was new to me. I knew that I was in the dark as far as the inner workings of the internet, but I had no idea just how much I didn't know! It is incredible how many networks come together, and just how fast they manage to do so in the transaction of one simple e-mail message. However what I felt was one of the most interesting parts of the reading was the statement that the heart of the internet is actually a principle, and that principle is cooperation.

In the second reading, the Introduction from "Media, Technology, and Society," I thought it was very interesting that devices can be for the most part categorized into four prototypes: rejected, accepted, parallel, and partial. What was most intriguing about this though is how even the slightest difference can effect the success of the prototype, and essentially its survival in one of these four categories. In his explanation of the effects and development of the prototypes and inventions, Winston also made a very striking and intriguing statement about the involvement of society within the development of these devices. To paraphrase, society accepts the inevitability of progress, but controls the advancements that are made so that they conform to pre-existing social patterns. I found this to be an incredibly interesting observation about the nature of society.

Week 1 Readings

2005-03-30T15:41:00.000-08:00

In regards to the first reading, "Social Aspects of New Media Technologies," I found the concept of Critical Mass to be the most interesting. The biggest thing that I took away was the influence/interaction between new media technologies and society. I had already been aware that developments of new media have different and varying impacts on society, but I did not realize how societal factors can in turn influence the new technologies.

In the second reading, "Technologies of the Third Metamorphosis," I learned a great deal about the progression and development of new media. Over the past two centuries new media has developed at an incredible rate that has only been increasing over time. The most interesting aspect that I found was how the application of electricity t0 communication has so completely revolutionized human culture and perceptions within society.

Testing!

2005-03-30T15:34:00.000-08:00

This better work!