Com. 300

"How Voice..." - Tyson & "Voice-Over..." - Global & "What Makes..." - Cisco (Extra Credit)

2005-05-22T23:00:00.000-07:00

I find it really interesting to finally know what VoIP really is. I feel like I've been out of the loop about this whole technology. I love my com 300 class. It keeps me updated on what's going on with out technological world. VoIP phones converts analog waves from your voice into a digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet. Here's how it works: the sending computer reduces the data into small packets, and inside each packet, there is a payload. It is a file that is being transmitted from a sender to a nearest router. Once this router receives the packet, it gets sent to another nearby router. This keeps on going until the receiving computer gets the packet. Once it does receive the packet, the computer uses instruction, which is contained in the packets and reassemble the data into its original format. I thought this process was really cool. How could anyone come up with this? It's amazing!

I think this VoIP phone will be really useful for me because I make a lot of phone calls internationally, and I have to buy phone cards every time. I think this free phone feature is worth it. I know that right now people are not ready to give up their regular landlines just yet, but I'm sure once people have more knowledge about VoIP phones they like more than the regular phone. Since these calls are made through internet connection, you don't have to disconnect the Internet in order to make a phone call. Plus people can reach you anywhere around the world. I don't think a cell phone can give you free plan for that just yet. Plus I agree that IP network shouldn't have to follow the same regulation as the circuit-switch network because they both operate on a totally different system. So different policy would work better for the sake of technology. We don't want to be responsible for stunting the growth of technology. :)

Honestly, from reading all of these 3 articles, I feel like if I had the right equipment, I don't need any phone company to convert analog in digital data for me. I feel like this whole process doesn't cost as much as we pay for their services. I mean, wouldn't it be awesome if we can conduct our own software and device? We then can put all these phone companies out of business--we simply just don't need them any more.

"Applying..." - Waddell, "Accessibility..." - IA, "The Race..." - Gill :)

2005-05-17T22:10:00.000-07:00

I never really thought about the standard of accessibility of the internet being available to just people with normal vision. It is definitely a discriminating act toward people with disabilities. The public space that's supposed to be available to everyone allows only the majority of people to get to access the graphic-based medium. If it's not accessible to all people, the term "public space" really doesn't live up to its function. Maybe the government can still keep the text-based medium for those whose needs depend on it. I mean it is understand to use visual devices for many services because it's a lot more convenient than to learn to use different kind of devices. I guess audio devices still limits users with hearing problems. I don't know what the best solution for this would be. Maybe someone can find a solution to stop this sensory discrimination. The ADA is making a request for the government to provide effective communicating devices or auxiliary aids that can help people with visual impairment retrieve knowledge. Adobe has become one of the most popular software that people use to read data because it is so simple to acquire data. It's slogan is "what you see is what you get"--definitely true.

Extra Credit
It amazes that the 2 people who are considered to be leaders have website campaigns that don't accommodate people with visual impairment. As stated in Kathy's article, link arrangement in Bush's website is hard to spot because its organization doesn't follow people's expection, but Kerry's arrangement is suitable for Western users because it's position according to Western eye movement--left to right. The color usage of both sites still need works to accommodate elderly people with bad eyesight. Bush's site uses bright red that can have effect on people's psychological eye-movement, which can make them miss important information. As for Kerry, the use of color in his sight can be quite strainful for elderly people. In addition, the consistency of webpages can cause people to feel annoyed because they just can't find what they want. Also, Both sides do not respond to people's comments on their blogs. Why have blogs if they do not want to give people feedbacks? I mean, isnt' that the whole point of having a blog? The government definitely should set a good example of creating "common" website that can accommodate all users. Maybe then, other association might want to followsuit.

Assignment 2

2005-05-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

I. For this final project, I have decided to do a position paper that will argue on how an instant messenger affect humans’ interpersonal communication, and the shift of the social aspect that occurs in our society.

II. The communities or networks that I think will be related to my topic varies from my perspective. I could find many related materials that are related to my search on instant messenger that has an impact on the society, such as age group, cell phone carriers, and new versions of instant messengers. All of them play an important in a network role; it is a way for each individual to stay connected. When I searched for related information that was peer reviewed, the results that came up were purely concentrated on my topic.

- Six search queries that are related to communities and networks

v ProQuest Telecommunications
1. Search keywords: LSU({INSTANT MESSAGING})
Search results: 1
2. Search keywords: Instant messaging AND America Online Inc (company/org)
Search results: 10
3. Search keywords: Wireless Communications
Search results: 11

v Lexis Nexis: US News - New York News Sources
1. Search keywords: instant messaging, networks, communities
Search results: 2

v News Wires
1. Search keywords: Instant messenger and networks and communication
Search results: 337
2. Search keywords: instant messenger and communities or interpersonal communication
Search results: 152

v ComAbstract
1. Search keywords: Instant Messaging
Search results: 1

v The New York Times
1. Search keywords: Instant messaging networks
Search results: 1

v Washington State Newsstand
1. Search keywords: instant messenger and networks
Search results: 16

III. Six scholarly resources:
v 1a. Document Name: Internet Currency

1b. Author: Dennis A Pitta. Publisher: The Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing

1c. This article talks about the usefulness of instant messaging in a business world. Many companies are considering using an instant messenger to assist customers rather than using telephone. They believe that implementing an instant messenger will reduce the cost of technical economy, more convenient and offer a real time interaction. They hope the support customers by avoiding telephone delays and provide more services.

1d. I found this article to be a useful source for my project because I search it through scholarly database in the scholarly journal section. Thus, it has been reviewed by creditable people.

1e. This article talks about the variety effects of instant messenger. It directs business companies to take a different path in servicing customers. When this action takes effects, it will cause a social change or perhaps an improvement in our community. People will no longer have to wait on the phone for technical help that could take more than one hour to explain. However, with an instant messenger, the article suggests that it can help improve the phone delay and customers’ frustration of being put on hold.

1f. APA Citation
Pitta, D. (2002). Internet currency. The Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 17(1), 93-94. Retrieved May 15, 2005, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 234507131).

v 2a. Document Name: America Online Inc. And Research in Motion To Deliver AOL Instant Messaging Via BlackBerry

2b. Publisher: Business Wire

2c. This article talks about how Research in Motion (RIM) has joined AOL's Mobile Developer Program (MDP) in order to support the popular mobile AOL(R) Instant Messenger(TM) (AIM(R)) and ICQ(R) services on the BlackBerry(R) wireless platform. RIM has also worked with AOL to give BlackBerry users easy access to the mobile AOL(R) Mail service. AOL Mobile is bringing community, convenience and communication to mobile users with an array of services supported by the top wireless carriers and device manufacturers.

2d. I know that this site is useful because I retrieve this article from a well-known source—ProQuest database. Before I search for this article, I clicked on the scholarly-work box to limit my search down to peer-reviewed articles. I read the abstract version and found that this article is the most relevant to my topic. Also, the published date is in March 2005—very recent.

2e. This information is useful to me because it shows how instant messenger is becoming a critical force in our society. People are expanding/joining forces to improve communication and give easy access to an instant messenger through mobile service.

2f. APA Citation
America Online Inc. and research in motion to deliver AOL instant messaging via BlackBerry (2005, Mar 14). Business Wire, 1. Retrieved May 14, 2005, from ProQuest Newsstand database. (Document ID: 807474721).

v 3a. Document Name: IM products start flooding the market

3b. Author: Brad Smith; Publisher: Wireless Week
3c. This article talks about an instant messenger’s role as a carrier in the U.S. A study has shown that the WAP traffic increases by 90% when it adds wireless instant messenger, which is a double when comparing to the SMS.
3d. I know that this article is creditable because it is a scholarly work, and the study that it shows in the article is conducted by an acceptable analysis. It also provides evidence to back up any claims make in this article. Thus, I believe this article to be reliable.

3e. This site provides useful information for my final project because it shows a relationship between the significance of an instant messenger and how it rapidly expanding in the wireless network, which is effect communal economy.

3f. APA Citation
Brad Smith. (2001, September). IM products start flooding the market. Wireless Week, 7(37), 8. Retrieved May 14, 2005, from ProQuest Telecommunications database. (Document ID: 80638017).

v 4a. Document Name: Don't Shoot the Instant Messengers

4b. Publisher: Business Wire

4c. In this article, it provides a survey of the effect of an instant messenger in workplace: 78 % of Employees believes that instant messaging boosts productivity. It tries to find out why workers at Siemens Services think that use an instant messenger increases their work abilities.
4d. I use this site because it provides a survey results from a liable company—Siemens Business Services. Also, I retrieve this article from Lexis Nexis, so it is scholarly work and a reliable source.

4e. This goes along with my topic because workers use instant messaging a way to connect with coworkers and while being stuck in a 4 by 4 cubicles. It improves impersonal communication and brings community closer together through computer screen.

4f. APA Citation
Don't shoot the instant messengers; 78 Percent of employees say instant messaging boosts productivity according to latest Siemens Business Services survey. (2004). Business Wire. Retrieved November 16, 2004, from Lexis Nexis Database.

v 5a. Document Name: Getting the message; Having 3 different systems is no barrier to real-time talk.

5b. Publisher: Seattle Times
5c. This article talks about the expansion of popular instant messaging services on mobile phones. Companies like Verizon Wireless and Nextel have recently recruited this version into their cell phones. Instant Messaging is becoming a complement solution to the current short message service (SMS). This allows more access for people to communicate; not only just text messaging but also seeing connected people on Buddy lists.
5d. This is a creditable source because Seattle Time is a newspaper and each article must be examined before they publish. If not then the newspaper can risk getting a negative reputation. Thus, I trust this source of information.

5e. This is related to my topic because the growing technologies namely instant messenger is expanding into many different branch. We no longer need to have a computer to be able to chat online with friends because mobiles carriers like Cingular and Verizon are making it possible for users to communicate with each other using text-messaging method. This makes interaction easier and more convenient because these days almost everyone has a mobile phone.

5f. APA Citation
Bermant, C. (2002). Getting the message; Having 3 different systems is no barrier to real-time talk. Seattle Times (Fourth Edition), p. C6. Retrieved May 14, 2005, from ProQuest Database.

v 6a. Document Name: Slouching toward the ordinary: Current trends in computer-mediated communication.

6b. Publisher: New Media & Society

6c. This article talks about the relationship between computer-mediated communication system and previous technologies. It improves the cost and access rate. Growing technologies like instant messengers are dominating the society. Many new inventions like web blogs, Short instant messaging are all giving rise to new social practice.

6d. This is a professional literature article of communication fields, so the author is well educated and the database reviews every piece of article before publishing it. Thus, it is safe to say that this article is creditable.

6e. This site will be useful to me because it talks about the shift in technological differences in our society and the forward move that it will be happen in the future. It also talks about how different instant messengers of various companies come about in the community and how it affects each individual. So it fits into inter personal communication and social change.

6f. APA Citation
Herring, S. (2004). Slouching toward the ordinary: Current trends in computer-mediated communication. New Media and Society, 6(1), 26-36. Retrieved May 15, 2005 from ComAbstracts Database.

v 7a. Document Name: Instant messaging as a scale-free network

7b: Publisher: University of Virginia

7c. This article talks about the statistical measures of the network and how the scale-free character of the network is examined in the social network and instant messenger security.

7d. This site is resourceful because I used Google scholar database, which means that it is peer-reviewed. Also, the article is published at the University of Virginia. Since being analyzed by the school, it is assured by the school’s reliability of its factual value. Thus, it is a reliable source.

7e. It is related to my research topic because as instant messenger keeps getting updated by various companies like Microsoft, security measures must be taken to ensure consumer’s satisfaction with the product. Every time when a technology is out there making progress, there are always people who try to sabotage it, which can greatly affect the social communication in many ways.

7f. APA Citation
Smith, R. (2004). Instant messaging as a scale-free network. University of Virginia, 1-4. Retrieved May 15, 2005, from Google Scholar Database.

IV. The materials from the readings that I find to be related to my research area are regarding the wireless technologies, and how they influence our lives. In one of the readings, it talks about wireless revolution. In countries, like India, they lack high technology, which greatly limits their ability to communicate with people across the countries. Not many people in such developed countries have solid home phone, let along talking about computer and instant messaging via cell phone. It can also be related to superpower because of the strength of our ability to communicate these days put much force on the media and government because if their action prove to be dissatisfied to the citizens, they can use this fast and convenient communicating tool to launch many opinions, which can definitely put a stop to government’ actions.
Another information that is most definitely related to my research topic is the role of internet. People have become reliant on computer to search for information via internet because it is easier and more convenient. Along with doing research, people have used internet for many more various reasons: games, chatting, and dating. People make friends and form virtual connection over the internet. It compresses time and space. People from across the world, without having to meet, can be friends or even arrange a meeting online. Social interaction in today’s society has become much more convenient and impersonal because everything just happens with a click of a button. The progress continues nonstop, we now have an instant messaging version that allows people to see one another via video camera. No matter where you are, you are still able to keep in touch with friends and family members.

V. For the remaining weeks before the due date of this final project, I will summarize all of my articles and pick only the information that is truly related to my topic. The articles that I have picked out so far will be used as an evidence to back up my opinions and statements in this position paper. I still have several more articles that I am still wondering about whether I can include them in my paper. I will explore the opposite side of my topic (instant messenger do not affect society or interpersonal communication), and I will use evidence that I have gather to counter the opposition’s arguments.
After I finished completely gather all of the necessary information, I will use Dreamweaver as a tool to present my final project. I am not quite sure how I want to create my website yet: should I put all my information all in one page or should I separate each section and put them in different window? These are some questions that I have been thinking about the design for my final project. During this time, I am practicing creating my personal website, so that I will be able to complete this project efficiently. I have worked out the problems that I had earlier about html coding and naming URL. Thus, allowing me to become more knowledgeable about web creator. When it is time for me to start putting everything together on the website, I will be able to do it without a problem.

"Organization..." - Scheiber & "Keeping..." - Jones & "Digital..." - Mother Jones

2005-05-10T21:04:00.000-07:00

How does Internet technology affect the political activity?

Even just a lemonade stand can effect the outcome of an election, imagine what a high-technology like internet can do in today' society. Also the information technology can predict the likelihood of voting results. Now we have a wave community? wow... what's next?Well... In the 2nd article, it talks about elections and how the security of the ballots is being question whether or not it's safe to use electronic voting. It, then, talks further about the antivirus software, which supposedly will help reduce the chance of fraud. However, this software detects files that can be read, but will this interfere in some ways with the ballots? It's true what Dan Wallach said about the purpose of election is to ease the loser's mind that nothing the process is executed legitimately because they tend to demand a recount, which is perfectly understandable because high-technology is pushing the limits of human capability. Solid paper trail is definitely more assuring.

Wow... I think the 3rd article is kind of shocking--I can't beleive a high-school student is able to forge a card, which is used to identify voters. This person has intermediate internet skills; can you imagine what experts could do to electronic voting? The outcome of the next election is definitely unpredictable because anyone with enough knowledge about internet can tamper with the voting results. The government must do something to raise the security bar of voting process. If citizens can't trust this electronic voting system 100%, we should definitely question the government's ability of upholding the laws and protecting our individual rights.

"Hacking..." - Sprigman & "Webblog..." - Glaser & "Curbing..." - Extra Credit

2005-05-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

Before I read these 3 articles, I had no idea what what a firewall was! I always thought of hackers as groups of people who had too much free time on their hands and tried to stir up trouble in our society. However, little did I know these people are making much effort for people like me to gain back our rights. I think it's terrible that the government in Saudi Arabia are keeping records of web surfing of their own citizens. Whatever happens to privacy and individual rights in that country? I guess, this developing country doesn't have a democratic government that allows their own people to voice their opinions freely. Their citizens are blinded by the lack of global information, since the Saudi government only allows the people to view merely "approved" websites. This is seriously oppressive! I think people in countries like China or Saudi Arabia should try to take an initiative to fight back the government by starting their own "hacktivist" groups. I know the punishment may result in death, but changes will never happen until someone is will to stand up for what they believe in. Otherwise, they will just have to live with their controlling government who keeps shrinking the human rights of their own citizens.

Also in the article by Glaser, How crazy is it that Iranian journalists are put into jails when they try to fast-check their government! Are they supposed to remain silent and let the government takes over? Justice is definitely out the window for the people in Iran. I think it's great that some people are taking the initiative to fight back and not remain silent any more. I'm sure things will gradually change for the better. Maybe some time in the future, we might even see Iranian citizens organize protests against their own government without being put into jail.

In the extra credit article, I'm not sure I understand the purpose of banning commercials in school. I just don't see the harm that could come from it. It's not like these advertising banner are showing sexual explicit materials. Also televisions, if parents feel that the commercial are not appropriate, why would a lot of parents buy violent video games for their children to play? I don't it make much sense to blame the commercial world. In addition, when these commercials are censored out, is it really fair to the people that find them to be enjoyable? Banning advertisement is definitely not fair.

Midterm Report

2005-05-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

My focus on this paper is on how an instant messenger affects humans’ interpersonal communication, and the shift of the social aspect that occurs in our society. Currently, I am taking Communication 202 with Crispin Thurlow, and this class course material helps me focus on my topic and enables to see in broader of how I want to organize my position paper. An article by Professor Thurlow, Theorizing CMC: Technology and Social Interaction, is related to my topic. It talks about the development of technology and how certain technologies are becoming invisible, so I want to use this article as one of my resources. In addition, another source that I want to use is also by Professor Thurlow. This is the article you suggested that would relevant to my topic—Computer mediated communication: social interaction and the Internet. More electronic resources that I am considering using are those that I included in the assignment 1 (ProQuest, Lexis Nexis, etc.) Overall, I am focusing on doing research and collecting data as much as possible, which will benefit the completion of my final project.

My main concern is to put all my collected information together on a Dreamweaver, which I am not comfortable with yet. However, I am trying to publish my personal website to gain more practices, which will help perfect the web page design for my final project. I am not sure how I want to organize this website. Am I supposed to arrange it in an essay style? Should I include pictures to make it more useful? What are the limits on this?

APA Revision

2005-05-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

Works Cited

Ajayi, L (2005). No IMs. No text messaging. Just get together. Daily Illini. Retrieved April 24, 2005, from http://www.dailyillini.com/news/2005/02/16/Features/No.Ims.No.Text.

Messaging.Just.Get.Together865603.shtml

AOL instant messenger now available on U.S. cellular. (2005, Mar 16). Telecomworldwire. Retrieved April 24, 2005, from ProQuest database.

Hu, Y (2004). Friendships through IM: Examining the relationship between instant messaging and intimacy. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication. Retrieved April 24, 2005, from http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc /vol10/ issue1/hu.html

Instant messaging, degree of privacy, and efficient communication (2002). Soundbreeze Enterprises. Retrieved April 24, 2005, from http://www.soundbreeze.com/efficientim.htm

Purdy, M. (2000). Don’t know online talk? Cu latr, B.1. New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2005, from ProQuest database.

"The Second..." - Moore & "I Get By..." - Kirkpatrick

2005-05-04T01:59:00.000-07:00

The superpower movement is on the rise in our society where the democracy of the US is being question of its effective. This new movement occurs through participation in online web-communication. Individual is allowed to voice their opinions on matter like politics, and these ideas do not go unnoticed because each opinion comes together and evolve into the voice of community. This is an effective solution to building a strong government because everyone has a say on every issue that occurs in our political world, results in the strong foundation of government. Democracy in our society where citizens elect officials to represent them in the body of government; however, these representatives can't be the voice of everyone. Thus the superpower movement is a great way for people to be actively involved in political issues. Plus it's also a great way to check the power of government. Because if members of the goverment do not exercise their power properly, post comments that can be heard nationally and even globally can put some pressure on them. So they will have to carefully gauge their decisions before taking actions.

In another article that's related to the dating site, Ito's network has become so popular that many other companies have taken on after his idea. New companies like Spoke Software are using web to bring people closer together through the compression of time and space. Friendship and romantic relationship are established globally by using the mediums: blogging software, email, instant messenger, etc. These social network is introducing us to new ways of forming relationship with other human being, which in a sense, a connection with other people can be formed virtually online.

"From Tom Paine..." - Gillmore & "Social Software..." - Shirky

2005-04-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

Before the invention of personal computer, people stayed connected to the global news through newspaper, and even before that--telegraph. The news were much slower in the old. Now everyone has their own desktop/laptop, which allow them to be connected through the internet. The world has gotten smaller through the mediums like email and blogging. People can check messages with just a click of a button. Blogging allows people to voice their opinions and concerns on various topics without having to go through a bunch of legal process in newspapers.

A Blogging software has been around since the late 1990s. Winer wrote an application, Frontier. One of its features, Manila, was the first program for beginners to create their own blogs. Compression of time and space really do benefits people's lives. However, not everyone is ready to accept some of these new technologies. Some people are concerned with how these technological inventions will effect social interaction, society, and individual's psychology. I think it will be awhile before all these emerging technology become widely used and invisible overtime.

Wireless Revolution and Universal Access - Michael L. Best

2005-04-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

Communication scholars should look into the developing areas in countries like India or Bhutan. India only 40 millions people have fixed telephone line--how can we expect them to have desire for state of the art technology? The lack of technology affects our daily lives, com scholars can study the way people in India live with technology that are not as high-class as in America. I think Com. scholars can remain objective about this and can easily spot problems that prevent the progress of technology to develop further in those countries. This makes me realize how privileged I am to be living in the US where the birthing of technologies is so fast-paced, and help make my life so much easier in more ways than I can imagine.

"GNU Manifesto" - Stallman & "Markets Are Conversation" - Levine

2005-04-23T13:23:00.000-07:00

After I read the GNU article, I still have no idea what the function of GNU. The ah-ha that I got from this article is that it's related to software program, but it doesn't really quite explain how it relates to the computer realm. It asks users for donations and stuff, but honestly, I have no idea what they want. :( If anyone has any idea about this, please let me know.

I find the article "Markets Are Conversation" hilarious. I found myself numerous times talking to phone technicians people only to hear them asking the same questions over and over again. They're like robots being programmed to handle customers. They don't really care about the frustration that users experience, and in the end they ask you "Is there anything else that I can help you with." and "Thank you for choosing blah blah blah, have a nice day." Their voices are so monotone. No wonder people prefer to deal with automated voice system than people because they are no difference, plus you know you can't get upset talking to a machine; it's just pointless.

Voting... - Quesenbery, Scanlon, Weiner

2005-04-20T00:59:00.000-07:00

I totally agree with this article by Quesenbery. I came across a website that told you all these instructions, but I remembered complaining about how hard it was to understand the instruction. It told me click on "mode," but I couldn't find it. That just frustrated me. At first I thought the instruction was unclear, but after reading this article, I realized that the design of the webpage wasn't user-friendly. So as for the electronic voting, if the design of the ballot and other sign in page was confusing to users, they will have a hard time understanding the voting instruction. It doesn't matter how well the instruction explains because if voters can't find it on the site, then it's not efficient.

As for the Scanlon's article, the smaller spaces that are crammed with people's names appeared to be really confusing to most people. They had a hard time reading through each name. This is a problem for elderly people who don't have the best eyesight to read unclear information. This can be fixed by using color modes, bold and bigger fonts. The organization in the ballot design also plays a significant role in easing the voting process.

I found the article by Weiner to be kind of amusing. I just can't imagine using those machines in America because we have more population, and our society is moving at a much faster pace. We have internet and other advanced technologies, so using this machine like India is not a wise solution. If we did adopt this gadget, we'd be complaining about a different issue other than the ballot design. I do agree that simplicity can be more helpful in certain situation, but not for voting. As I mentioned before, the US is a big country with a great deal of population. We can't just count each vote by hands. It will take a long time to complete an election.

I really this extra credit article. I found it to be quite interesting to see that the first voting method used black & white balls. Then it progressed to paper ballot. Back then, I found the design really easy to understand. Just a few names and then voting section, but it progressed? to the punched cards. I never liked this method. I see all these numbers on the paper, and I just felt discouraged to vote. Maybe simplicity really is the way to go, but I think with where we are in the technological world, creating a simple design for the voting ballot shouldn't be that difficult.

Affect and Machine Design - Norman (Extra Credit)

2005-04-17T01:03:00.000-07:00

This article says that computers should be subordinated to human beings. It is true in a sense that human beings who have gone through many evolutionary changes and have gathered together their knowledge and create this amazing tool that helps make our lives easier. Although computers can perform certain tasks better than human can, man and machine have a great relationship that exist to help each one another. Let's suppose that if computers don't exist in human world, our lives will be in a much slower pace and it will still take about a week or more to receive a letter from the adjacent town, and computers can't exist with human to help them function right. Computer's general nature is very similar to how humans operate in normal everyday activities: reaction, routine, and reflection. Computers do learn to think like humans or do their creators make them that way?

Being Analog - Donald Norman

2005-04-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

When I read this article, the concept of man-machine relationship is relevant to the movie, The Matrix. Human beings are flexible and adaptable to environment, which is to say that we are an analog; machines are fixed and can only deal with information that suit their functions. Therefore, they are digital. I understand the meaning of analog and digital more after I read this article. An analog is adaptable to the physical structure and can change its function according to the external force, but digital is pretty much fixed when it comes to performing a different task. It's designed to deal with accuracy and precision of data, and that's all it can do. It's almost like a lie-detector. When I said earlier that this article is related to the Matrix because the agents and people are still "plugged" to their surroundings. These people are all digital because they lead their lives in a conventional way--fixed daily schedule, etc. Those who are on the same side as "the one" or Keanue Reeves are analog. They can run faster than normal, fly, and not controlled by the external forces because they are "unplugged."

Although computers could perform tasks that involved details better than human beings can, it was us who created them. So all of our evolutional knowledge are put together in this machine. It is safe to say that computers are the symbolic creation of our intelligence.

Beginner's Guide - Extra Credit

2005-04-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

I agree that these days media has constantly promoted news that grab audience's attention (not necessary informative). Crimes that involve sex and violence seem to get more public attention than news that are about tax or educational related. Murder stories always pop up in the front page of the newspaper with big bold fonts whereas the articles that are about senior citizens or local news get small sections with tiny fonts that doesn't seem to get much of the readers' attention. The amount of money that these famous broadcasting companies make each year was one of my ah-ha moments. No wonder just keep showing what they think we want to see because they get a lot of benefits from this. Another one of my ah-ha moments was when the article talked about the media policy and who had the right to decide on it. For instance, the Federal Communications Commission is one of the groups that has a say in the media policy. It made more sense why the government would side with the private companies. I really agree that if we want to see a difference in how the media functions in our society, we must take an initiative by support noncommercial public broadcasting and etc.

The Role of the Internet ...Media Use - Eric Riedel

2005-04-12T01:33:00.000-07:00

These days the media has become an important aspect in our everyday lives. Interestingly enough people rely on TV for many things like a source of news, entertainment, knowledge, etc. The number of people using the print media as a source of information like in the old day, have gradually decreased because you absorb more information faster. However, a study was shown that print media is a much better source to find reliable information, even though it takes longer to retrieve information. Internet is becoming an important source to get information because it offers various mode to finding the data you want in a much more efficient manner. The statistics--60% of people go online to obtain information and this number has increased since the 9-11 event by 27%. This surprises me because this event really has impacted all our lives, but I didn't think about how the media is affected by this. I also agree that even though the internet has become popular among all of us, it still doesn't substitute the traditional media. Mainly because not all information that date back in the past centuries are recorded online. Efforts must be made to retrieve those information by using print media. I think sometimes the internet robs us the experience of actually doing our own work.

Information Overload...Empowerment - Christopher Carlson

2005-04-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

This article is very much similar to the another article by Mark Nelson. We have so much information around us that we just don't know what to do with them all. The number of internet websites have increased enornamously in last 5 decades. This is outrageous, however there is nothing anyone can do to stop this because everyone is entitled to the 1st amendment--freedom of speech. The best way to get around this problem is for users to learn how to navigate websites and use search engine wisely by doing finding out as much information as possible about the subject, so that you can use the significant keywords in the search engine, which will give more effective results that will benefit users.

We Have the Information... Information Overload - Mark R. Nelson

2005-04-09T14:02:00.000-07:00

I could definitely relate to this article because when I tried to search for something on Google and they gave me over a thousand of results. Only a few of the results were what I was searching for, and the rest were false drops. This was the new term that I learned from reading this article. False drops are documents that fit your search criteria, but are irrelevant to users' needs.

Information overload is the term that I've heard from time to time, but never paid attention to it. The number of prints that are published each year are countless! I've always wondered that people who write all these books and publish prints, do they have enough interested readers to read all of their works? I work in a library and there are tons of documents that are stored away in a storage room. It becomes useless because it will take much effort to try to find the needed information. I guess the information anxiety is term that you use to explain this situation.

Principles of New Media - Lev Manovich

2005-04-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

wow... I didn't realize that even media has principles and rules. I'm also learning new media and computer term, such as digitization. I've heard it before, but I never really knew what it meant. It converts continuous data into a numerical, which has 2 steps to convert data: sampling and quantization. I didn't realize before that communication requires discrete units and that without it, we would not have language. I guess I underestimated the importance of communication, and how we exist everyday because of IT. Communication has discrete levels, which breaks down from sentence to words to morphemes and so on.

Cool fact: Henry Ford installed the first assembly line in his factory in 1913.

I find the concept of modularity and structure in which it relates to Microsoft Office & Media program, really interesting. Because I never understood how they all come to work when an object is inserted, which lets you edit independently. Ah ha! Media ties to many things even the software programs that we use in our everyday's lives.

I didn't know before that new media has a connection with AI (Artificial Intelligence), which is used in computer games. Technologies really have evolutionalized our world. Everything turns into computer-based world. I've heard of the term hypermedia before, but I didn't know what it means till I read this article. According to this article, multimedia elements making a document are connected through hyperlinks, so the elements and structures are independent of each other. I find it amazing that no matter how fast we progress in the technology aspect, media and art are working together to balance the harmony.

The Medium is the Message - Marshall Mcluhan

2005-04-05T22:35:00.000-07:00

I was really interested in the section that talked about how Cubism is a medium, which sends out messages in an abstract manner. The content or meaning of this form of art lies within the canvas. Cubism are not the same the representional (real) paintings, rather artists distort the objects by flattening out to show the dimensions of the object all in one plane. The message that we receive from the medium occurs at the first moment when we come into contact with (sight, smell, sound, touch, or taste). At that moment, the information is being sent from the sender and then to us, receiver.

As We May Think - Vannevar Bush

2005-04-04T00:12:00.000-07:00

I really like this article because it talks about the progress of communicational devices like television, recording tool both visual and print. The world has changed so much and humans have thought of possibilities to advance tools to make our lives more convenient. People have constantly updated devices with better reliability and efficiency. For instant, photography that we have seen today have progressed from the past when the plate has to be wet at the time of exposure to just wet during the photograph development. So it definitely saves a lot of time to take a picture. Also looking at the progression of recording device, starting from using a pencil to write stuff down, progressing to a typewriter and then to printing. And just recently, a new device came out which is a machine that can type when you talk to it. We have come so far from the old days when technologies were still developing. All these tools that make our lives easier happen because of the dedicated scientists and mathematicians who use logic and their good observing skills of the world around them to come up with ways to keep advancing technologies.
Can you imagine where the technologies will be 10 years from now?

Media Technology and Society by Brian Winston

2005-04-03T21:17:00.000-07:00

I found this article to be quite interesting. I had no idea that communications are related to Science! Before I read this article, I thought I knew what prototype and invention were, but after finish reading it, I realized that what I knew before were just the area on the surface. By reading this article I got to explore in-dept that there are 4 kinds of prototypes: rejected, accepted, parallel, and partial.

Also Winston used an analogy to compare competence to the idea in our mind/brain. In order to make use of what's inside our brain, we have to think and be creative, which is to use ideation to reach the performance level. I think the diagram that Winston used to explain his points were helpful. It definitely helped clarify some of the stuff that seemed confusing to me at the time.

Fun fact: Bell and Gray <<Bell's rival>> invented a speaking electric telephone on the same day on February 1876. This was during the social necessity of the rise of modern communication and office.

Introduction to Internet Architecture and Institutions

2005-03-31T21:12:00.000-08:00

Wow... I had no idea about how the whole internet connection comes to work. I just figured that I used it and it worked, so it was good enough. After I read this article, I learned many new things and open myself to many new questions and possibilities of how other technologies operate. I didn't know that IP stood for Internet Protocol, and that it was invented in 1974 by Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn. Before, when I saw this 2 letters I pretty much just ignored it because I didn't know its function. IP defines how data is sent across networks, which is how people from all over the world email each other. Since IP is not efficient enough, TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is used with IP to make sure that all packets sent from one machine to another are received and put together in the right order. I thought this was so amazing. I can't believe human invented this!

Also in the article, it compared email to telephone. I had no idea before that talking on the phone used an open circuit. I always wondered about how it works but never did find out. Emailing people works through the process which converting data from the sender into packets. From this point, the packets get sent to the recipient, and the packets get converted into their original formats for the recipient to view information on the monitor. This also works with VOIP (Voice Over IP). In addition, I never knew that every time I receive an email from someone, this mail has to go through so many machines from all over the place before I get to read it. I couldn't believe it because I can receive the email in less than a few seconds, which is amazing considering the journey that an email has to travel.

Before I used DSL connection, I was using dial up modern, which was very slow. I got so annoyed when I tried to surf online. Now I know why it so slow, and people in developing countries also have the same problem, but they don't have a choice but to continue to use it because their government are not willing to improve the internet connection for a higher speed connection.

"1, 2, 3..." - K, I guess it works

2005-03-31T19:37:00.000-08:00

I wasn't here on the first day, so I'm kind of lost on this whole blog thing. This class seems interesting enough, and I think I will enjoy it. What do you think? :)