It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year....Part II (Final Paper)

Hello dear followers, once last time! So another semester is almost over and I have yet another paper written. I enjoyed writing this paper since it was on a topic I enjoyed researching. Will our country move into "going green" or will we continue on the path to being a disposable society? Unfortunately, not being much of an optimist at times, I feel as though we will continue on this path of being a throw away country. While looking online at e-waste I couldn't believe the amount of e-waste that sits in developing countries. There are workers in these countries such as Nigeria and Ghana that take this waste and burn it everyday, sending horrific toxins into the air to pollute their cities and townspeople. More regulation on the dumping of e-waste needs to be looked at for fear of future problems to the people of these countries.

I had a great time in Professor Ferguson's class. I really learned a lot when people brought in different technology events that were happening all over the world: from cars that can park themselves, to cell phone trackers and 3D televisions. I especially liked when we all presented our Wikipedia articles to the class; it was nice to see different perspectives from people as to how they perceive Wikipedia. In regards to the books we read for class my two favorites were: "Made To Break" and "The Facebook Effect". It's amusing that we learned about Mark Zuckerberg and he has recently been named by Time Magazine for "Person of the Year, 2010". With all this said I hope to take away a lot of information from this class with me. I will now be much more alert when it comes to new technologies and I will try my best to understand how they will benefit or hurt our society and its future.

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year....Part I (Final Paper)

Well to some, "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" as in the rush to buy all those holiday gifts, get them wrapped and delivered. For me on the other hand I have to somehow begin to focus on my final paper for my Technology & Culture In America class, and pause the holiday rush. Ok, let's get to it! I have decided after reading both proposed paper topics (thank you Professor Ferguson-I love choices), to focus on Giles Slade's book, "Made To Break". The question at hand is, "With the recent rise of the environmental movement in this country, will America continue on a path of a disposable society described in Slade's work or finally turn to the path of going green?"

I can tell you this dear followers I am not sure the angle that I will take on this. I feel as we are trying to move into the "green revolution" yet on the other hand as we move just a step or inch for that matter closer to going green I hear nothing about us actually doing it. Well as the librarian in me comes out, I must now go ahead and do some research on this topic to support my answer, assuming I have one. Until soon.

Reading Assignment #12 Kirkpatrick's "The Facebook Effect" pg. 215-end

Hello dear followers. So I finally finished the long, exhausting book, "The Facebook Effect". In conclusion, The Facebook Effect, is really a story of delirious success, both financial and world changing. Even for those not so keen on geekery and computers, the political wrangling of the company supplies plenty of drama. I loved the irony when the "newsfeed" was added it allowed users easy access to groups they might want to join, which promptly lead to mass numbers joining anti-newsfeed groups.

Love it or leave it, Facebook has done what Zuckerberg intended it to, it has changed the way we conduct our social relationships and thus changed society itself. Employees, employers and public figures are re-evaluating how they manage their very public profiles on Facebook, with some pundits predicting that rather than people tending towards circumspect and professional Facebook profiles, society will just come to accept that Facebook will reveal certain aspects of our lives that we don't necessarily want public, and not judge too harshly. Even if you don't have a profile yourself, there is no way you can prevent others from posting photos of you, or revealing personal information about yourself (although one might question why said acquaintance is doing so) so perhaps a society that doesn't judge our drunken photos too harshly is more preferable to trying desperately to keep such things from the internet.

My only real criticism of this book is it left me wishing that I had a friend on the verge of creating a billion dollar company who just needed a small amount of investment to get started and that I got to be one of those lucky fools who gave thousands only to have the investment return in the millions.

How the heck did we socialize before Facebook? My God, it must have been a horrible way to live our lives. Can you imagine that a person would have to actual pick up a phone or even worse pick up a pen and write a letter? Now I admit, I have not written a letter by hand in years and years. Let’s face it e-mail has made it easier. How on earth did we stalk our exes, remember our co-workers' birthdays, bug our friends, build and maintain farms (Farmville) and cafes (Café World), before Facebook?

Reading Assignment #11 Kirkpatrick's "The Facebook Effect" pgs. 107-214

Good evening dear followers. This week we were asked to read the second section of Kirkpatrick's book, "The Facebook Effect". Kirkpatrick starts this section off by speaking of the investors who were willing to invest in thefacebook.com. At this end of this chapter I found it quite interesting as to what happened to Mark Zuckerberg the day he had signed the papers with Accel as the investor. While on his way in the wee hours of the morning to visit his girlfriend who was a Berkeley student, Zuckerberg was gettting gas when a man approached him with gun in hand ready to shoot Mark. Luckily, the man was so drunk or high that Zuckerberg took a chance and was able to jump into his shiny new Infiniti "the Warthog" (p. 127) and get away. He took a calculated risk by doing this, just as he did when he created thefacebook.com.

In 2005, the company dropped The from its name after purchasing the domain name facebook.com for $200,000. On September 20, 2005 the company officially became just, Facebook. What to do next? Zuckerberg and his cohorts wanted to broaden the membership of Facebook but which demographic should they turn to next. Facebook launched a high school version in September 2005, which Zuckerberg called the next logical step. At that time, high school networks required an invitation to join. Facebook later expanded membership eligibility to employees of several companies, including Apple Inc. and Microsoft. Facebook was then opened on September 26, 2006 to everyone of ages 13 and older with a valid email address.

Even though Facebook kept growing and growing Mark never for a second thought like a CEO of a million dollar company. He didn't think if profit or advertising venues in the least. He also didn't dress like a CEO as he was still wearing his college garb of a t-shirt, shorts and of course his trademark Adidas flip-flops. As time went on Facebook started seeing problems getting the "adult" demographic to join Facebook. People lead and start a bandwagon once someone else has, so adults didn't want to join until other adults were already there (p. 173). Perhaps facebook was all about students and the adult population didn't need to concern themselves with such a website; yeah right! Many advertisers started getting onboard and used Facebook to get college and high school students interested in their products; for example Chase, Apple and P&G.

In 2006, Facebook saw that its users wanted to know what was happening with their friends, what happened last night at a party, was "so and so" still single; but the clicks were endless for users to find out this information. Facebook became the page that one can turn to find out, "How are the people doing that I care about?" (p. 181) By the end of 2006, "Facebook had 12 million active users" (p. 198). It had come so far; from a dorm room at Harvard to a billion dollar business.

Until next time my dear followers when I conclude my thoughts and insight on, "The Facebook Effect".

What Did Wikipedia Teach Me?

1. Should Wikipedia be used as a scholarly source? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this source?

Wikipedia is one of the most controversial information sources on the web today. It serves as a socially edited database source for information on virtually any topic. Wikipedia is gaining an increasingly bad reputation in schools all over the world. Teachers will argue that Wikipedia is not a reliable source with credibility to be cited in a formal essay or term paper. Teachers believe that due to the multitude of anonymous updates, there is not enough reliable information to base ideas upon. Even if Wikipedia can detect obvious errors there is no way that it can monitor every single error. Wikipedia is easy to use and therefore any normal person can make anonymous edits. Many college professors believe that Wikipedia should not be used as a scholarly source due to the fact that students have been taught extensive research skills up to that point and should use them to their advantage. Students should have the ability, by the time they reach university, to research more reliably published information and develop a coherent argument. Younger children, however, may need extra encouragement to develop their arguments; but not necessarily their researching skills. The fact that articles on Wikipedia are not written in a complicated manner certainly may encourage its use among younger children. In my opinion Wikipedia should be used as a learning tool and not a research tool.

2. What so these strengths and weaknesses tell us about the impact and potential effects of technology on American culture?

Wikipedia to me is the future that anyone can edit. It's funny how we all seem to "knock it" yet still seem to flock to the website daily.The impact of technological change on culture, learning, and morality has long been the subject of intense debate, and every technological revolution brings out a fresh crop of both pessimists and pollyannas. Embracing new technology people fear, will result in the overthrow of traditions, beliefs, values, institutions, business models, and much else they hold sacred. Our current Information Revolution has had its share of techno-pessimists and techno-optimists. Indeed, before most of us had even heard of the Internet, people were already fighting about it, or at least debating what the rise of the Information Age meant for our culture, society, and economy. The world we occupy today is a world of unprecedented media abundance and unlimited communications and connectivity opportunities. I believe that the Internet and digital technologies are reshaping our culture, economy, and society in most ways for the better, but not without some serious aversion along the way. 

3. What did you learn? What will you take away from this project?

I've enjoyed working on this project. I learned that Wikipedia is an amazing example of intelligence at work, but I also understand it is not without flaws and limitations. I believe Wikipedia is a wonderful complement, but not a complete substitute, for other media and information sources and inputs.  

Reading Assignment #10 Kirkpatrick's "The Facebook Effect" pgs. 1-106

Good evening dear followers. This week we were asked by Professor Ferguson to start reading the book titled, "The Facebook Effect" by David Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick begins by telling us background information on a sophomore at Harvard University named Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg never thought sleep was a priority as he scribbled daily on his life-size "eight-foot-long whiteboard"; while also innocently creating an internet software which he called Course Match (p.19). Course Match which I found rather interesting was a software that allowed students to see if their friends had enrolled in classes so then also knew if they wanted to sign up for them as well. Zuckerberg had created a program that students wanted to use. Zuckerberg was full of confidence, blunt, brutally honest and often meticulous. Mark became close friends with his hall roommates Moskovitz and Hughes; they later became known as "three eggheads that loved to talk about ideas" with their extreme confidence that they would rule the world (p.22).

Zuckerberg started another project by October of his sophomore year at Harvard, known as "Facemash". This website invited users to rate another as, "hot" or "not". The photos for the Facemash website came from "facebooks" from each of the different Harvard houses. The "facebooks" were "pictures taken the day students arrived for orientation" (p.23); the facebooks were not just handed over to Zuckerberg he went and did some illicit things in order to get them. After many complains of sexism and racism Zuckerberg was accused of violating the college's code of conduct--security, copyright and privacy were all issues that Marc broke. Luckily Marc was not expelled from Harvard as he claimed Facemash was a "computer science experiment and had no idea it would spread so quickly"(p.25). Zuckerberg continued through his college years making little Web programs that attracted students to use them.

Zuckerberg ended up going online and paying $35 to register the web address, thefacebook.com, for the time frame of one year. Thefacebook.com was a blended site with ideas taken from Course Match and Facemash; as well as Friendster which was a social networking site which allowed individuals to create a profile of themselves, complete personal data such as hobbies and interests, and then allowed their profiles to be linked to those of their friends. This same time, MySpace had come onto the social networking scene but did not make such a huge impact at Harvard University. Thefacebook.com was strictly open to Harvard University students who had a harvard.edu email address; it was growing bigger and bigger everyday' so big that Zuckerberg paid a private computer server to hold the website so it had no linking to the harvard.edu network. Thefacebook.com had grown so huge that students from other universities all over the country were sending emails, texts, and calling to add their school to thefacebook.com roster.

Thefacebook.com needed investors; so Reid Hoffman the founder of LinkedIn being impressed by the site wanted to invest but not be its sole investor. Reid pulled in Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal, as well to invest in thefacebook.com. Thefacebook met a need among students at Harvard and other colleges; "paper facebooks were handed out freshman year at most schools and typically showed photos of every student along with just their name and high school" (p.90); yet these had limitations. The online version allowed you to closely examine a future date, or acquaintance; while even searching your new acquaintances friends. Thefacebook.com became an obsession with the endless clicking and viewing of profiles set you into a trance. I can't wait to see how the rest of this book turns out. 

Apple computer for sale: only $160K!

An original Apple1 computer is going on auction. Estimated price? $161,600 to $242,000. An auctioneer is selling its distant ancestor and one of the world's first personal computers, the Apple1, for an estimated $161,600 to $242,400.In 1976, Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built the computer out of Jobs' family garage and sold it for $666.66. The Apple1 will be auctioned by Christie's in London, England, on November 23, with a simultaneous auction held online. The Apple-1 that's up for sale is believed to be one of about 200 of those computers that Jobs and Wozniak created in 1976 and 1977. It comes in an original box  with the return address pointing back to the California garage where Apple Corp. began and features the original Apple logo, which showed Isaac Newton getting hit on the head with an Apple. The Apple1 does not have a disk drive, nor a monitor or keyboard; not very impressive. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak have stated that just 200 were made, and only about 50 are thought to survive. Labeled system number 82, this kit includes the motherboard, cassette adapter, manuals, the original shipping box in good condition, and a signed letter from Steve Jobs to the original owner! This is the forerunner of the iPod, iPad and iPhone as it worked straight out of the box.

 

What are your thoughts on this? If you could afford to, would you bid on something like this? Do you think this is just an old artifact that needs to be thrown out? 

Midterm Assignment-Group Presentation 11/10/10

Good evening dear followers. So this past Wednesday evening my group (which consisted of Janet, Kristen and myself) presented our Wikipedia article to the class. I was surprised by the lack of information found on Wikipedia on our topic of Euthanasia. I mean on one hand Wikipedia did do its job in giving a brief overview of the topic for one to have some general knowledge of the subject but that was it. I was quite surprised that no one on the Wikipedia article of Euthanasia ever mentioned any recent cases; for example the case of Terri Schiavo. The Terri Schiavo case drew such huge media attention that it is absurd they left it out of their entries. For those that don't know the Terri Schiavo case was a legal battle between the parents and husband of Terri Schiavo that lasted several years from 1998-2005. The issue at hand was whether the equipment that had been used to sustain Terri's life since 1990 should be disconnected (specifically a feeding tube), thereby allowing her to die in March of 2005.

Doing some research on our own, my group had come to find some very interesting facts about euthanasia. The term Euthanasia originated from the Greek word for "good death." It is the act or practice of ending the life of a person either by lethal injection or the suspension of medical treatment.  Because of this, many view euthanasia as simply bringing relief by alleviating pain and suffering. The word has also been applied to situations when a decision is made to refrain from exercising "heroic" measures in an end-of-life situation.


I was also surprised that Wikipedia didn't mention all the types of Euthanasia, except for PAD and Assisted Euthanasia. Ones that they missed mentioning are:Voluntary Euthanasia - When a competent person makes a voluntary and enduring request to be helped to die. Involuntary Euthanasia - To end a person's life without their knowledge or consent. Active Euthanasia - To end a person's life by use of drugs, whether by oneself or with the aid of a physician. Passive Euthanasia - To end a person life by not taking the necessary and ordinary action to maintain life. This can be done by withdrawing water, food, drugs, medical or surgical procedures.
Physician-Assisted Suicide - Suicide accomplished with the aid of a medical doctor intentionally providing a person with an overdose of prescription medication. Assisted Suicide - Suicide accomplished with the aid of another person.

Overall as a group we came to the conclusion that Wikipedia is a good source when you want a bit of information on a topic or can be used as a starting point for research, but that it is. It is not detailed enough to be used to write a high-school or college-level research paper. It seems to have missing information, sometimes dead links, and sometimes sends you on a wild goose chase in search of information. Because most anyone can edit most Wikipedia articles, mistakes can and do happen. In conclusion, more information is being shared like never before. Whether it's new technology delivered on cell phones, or Wikipedia, the promise of a whole new world of information is at our fingertips. 

Reading Assignment #9--Slade's Made To Break pgs.186-330

Good evening dear followers. So this week I finally finished reading, "Made To Break" by Giles Slade. So in the end of this book I have learned for consumers, having the latest shiny, new gadget has become a way to "either feed one's pride or reduce one's shame," creating a self consciousness about being out of fashion and a tendency to evaluate others based on their possessions that has continued to this day. The book's final chapter, "Cell Phones and E-Waste," is perhaps the most disturbing to me. "Among its revelations: By 2002, more than 130 million still-working cell phones had been "retired" in the U.S." (p.263) "Today, about 250,000 tons of discarded but still usable cell phones sit in stockpiles in America, awaiting disposal" (p.264). Cell phones, Slade suggests, "have become the avant-garde of a fast-growing trend toward throwaway electronic products." And their lifespan is still declining. In Japan, where cell phone penetration is especially high, cell phones are discarded within a year in favor of newer models.

The increasingly short lifespan of digital devices; from computers to televisions and cell phones, is creating an avalanche of electronic consumer waste that threatens to overwhelm the world's landfills with a toxic soup of permanent biological toxins such as arsenic, lead, nickel and zinc. "When e-waste is burned anywhere in the world, dioxins, furans and other pollutants are released into the air, with potentially disastrous health consequences around the globe. When e-waste is buried in landfills, PBTs eventually seep into the groundwater, poisoning it," Slade writes.  

Slade also examines the ways consumers use consumer electronics to shape their identities. For adolescents, cell phones are a way young people create communities outside of their family, Slade writes, citing research by sociologist Rich Ling. Ling's eye-opening study of adolescents describes in vivid detail teens' comparisons of cell phones to clothing; that certain brands of cell phones imply "coolness" while others are considered dated and conformist.

But it is cell phones' small size that makes them a toxic hazard to be reckoned with, Slade continues in Made to Break's brief ending about what can be done to resolve the problem of discarded consumer electronics. Taking apart tiny components to recover their parts isn't worth the effort, and so most cell phones are simply thrown away, ultimately finding their way into incinerators and landfills. Slade says in one interview about Made to Break, "A lot of really sophisticated people devoted a lot of time and thought to developing this system" of constant consumption. "We need to look at the problem creatively and rethink it. Our whole economy is based on buying, trashing and buying again. We need to rethink industrial design."

Made to Break, though a very interesting read, seems to end suddenly with no solutions proposed for everyday Americans to deal with a huge problem that has taken a century to create and that shows no signs of abating. But Slade also strikes a note of optimism. Soon enough, he says, the sheer volume of waste of all kinds will compel a change. "This is the industrial challenge of the new century. We must welcome it." (p.281)

College Football Player Suspended For Tweeting.....

Good evening dear followers. While doing some research for a paper I have to write on football safety for my Occupational Health & Safety class I came across an interesting topic that I wanted your thoughts on. Last week Andre Kates, a junior at The University Of Indiana, who up until recently played for the football team has been suspended from it indefinitely. Kates questioned publicly on Twitter as to "why he wasn't playing more". In his first tweet on October 27th, he wrote that IU's coaches were "playing with my [expletive] career" and vowed to bust his [expletive] on special teams.

The next day, Kates tweeted: "People Say Dre You Actin Like OchoCinco I Say No Bro Im Getting My Point Across That My Coach Don't Want Me 2 Play!Then on Friday night, October 29th, hours before Indiana's home game with Northwestern, Kates tweeted: "I'm Suspended For The Game 2morrow For My Tweets, and Facebook Being Media Attention, and Also A Distraction Toward Him!"Kates didn't specify who "Him" is, although it's believed to be Hoosiers head coach Bill Lynch. At first he was suspended just for the one game, yet that did not stop Kates from continuing to rant and rave in his tweets.

Surprisingly so, on Sunday, October 31st, The University of Indiana, ended up suspending Kates indefinitely. A lot of coaches have cracked down on players use of social media lately and they are not taking criticism like Bill Lynch. What are your thoughts on this? Does what one tweet about constitute a suspension or dismissal from a collegiate sport?

Reading Assignment #8--Slade's Made To Break pgs. 83-185

Good afternoon dear followers. This week we were asked to read pages 83-185 in Slade's book entitled, "Made To Break". Chapter 4, "Radio, Radio", is a dramatic retelling of the struggle between two influential men in the broadcasting industry. Advances in broadcast technology and the invention of miniaturization result in the first disposable pocket radios. Slade notes that at this point in history, “product life spans were no longer left to chance but were created by plan” (113). The invention of nylon, electronic calculators, the atomic bomb, and the resulting public backlash dominate chapters 5, "The War And Postwar Progress" and 6, "The Fifties And Sixties". To illustrate the sense of how public intellectuals were raising awareness of these issues, Slade draws upon the seminal works of Norman Cousins, Vance Packard, and Marshall McLuhan to provide additional context to the increasingly widespread cultural understanding of advertising and media use in planned obsolescence.

In my opinion Slade uses this book to deliver some jarring environmental statistics, which have the desired effect on the reader. What are we going to do with the ever increasing products of consumer technology waste? How did we get ourselves into this mess in the first place? Why is it that the typical individual is unaware of this looming global catastrophe? What is the corporate, consumer, and government responsibility in all of this? Slade does not provide concrete answers for all of the questions he raises, but he does provide an effective historical summary of planned obsolescence and relates it to a series of suggestions and inevitabilities that he sees technological consumer culture affecting. Slade seems to recognize that blame and finger pointing will be ineffectual in galvanizing people into action. He asserts that only through equal awareness and action from consumers, corporations, and the government will we be able to address this issue effectively. We shall see how the conclusion of Slade's book pans out.

Reading Assignment #7--Slade's Made To Break pgs. 1-81

Hello dear followers. This week Professor Ferguson asked us to read a book by Giles Slade entitled, "Made To Break". After reading the first 3 chapters, I have decided that we as a people highly contribute to technological waste. In our world every day people throw away lots of valuable technology waste. We create a lot of waste and turn our world into a dirty place. According to Slade, we are always in search of the latest model; we in turn participate in what he calls, "the annual model change" (29). In 2004, 315 million working PCs were thrown out in North America alone, and in the following year over 100 million cell phones joined them on the trashheap. That's tons of electronic equipment with non-biogradable components and toxic waste-filling up garbage dumps around the world.

What drives this rush to trash? According to Slade, it obsolescence, rather than failure. Your last computer likely didn't wear out-you junked it because a faster, lighter, and spiffier one came out. We don’t repair things, we throw things away. It appears that a throw-away society. We throw away household appliances, cell phones, computers and yes, even cars rather than repair the broken item. Even when we want to repair or recycle an item we learn we can’t do it.

While American history is often portrayed as the history of innovation, it is also the history of waste. Made to Break is the history of an industrial strategy that has come to define this country; a strategy that has taught us to buy, throw away and buy again, and that now must change because we have run out of room to safely dump all our unwanted, used-up or obsolete possessions. This book examines the issue of "planned obsolescence" and its role in causing Americans to buy more products than what they could have done if companies were more committed to quality. Planned obsolescence leads to a product having a "death date." Slade's book also looks at how such developments as annual models of cars led to consumers getting rid of good vehicles for more trendy replacements. Both company advertising and consumer's love of the new have helped lead to an explosion in both sales of new products and also the amount of garbage that is disposed of every year. 

Reading Assignment #6--Dalby's The World And Wikipedia pgs. 114-225

Good evening dear followers. So this week's assignment for my Technology & Culture In America class was to finish reading Andrew Dalby's book: The World And Wikipedia: How We Are Editing Reality. While I was finishing reading this rather dull book I must say I began to become focused on the main title more and more; "how we are editing reality". In my opinion we edit reality everyday; whether it be websites such as Wikipedia, magazine cover shots such as Elle or Cosmo, or reality tv program footage such as The Jersey Shore or The Housewives Of New Jersey.

In regards to website editing like Wikipedia I found an interesting article online. Back in August of 2006 Stephen Colbert on an episode of The Colbert Report, "praised Wikipedia for "wikiality," the reality that exists if you make something up and enough people agree with you - it becomes reality" (newsvine.com). Colbert's subsequent examples to prove "wikiality" would cause chaos on the site, and lead an administrator to subsequently block his account. In his segment Colbert goes on to declare that he doesn't believe George Washington had slaves. "If I want to say he didn't that's my right, and now, thanks to Wikipedia *taps keyboard* it's also a fact"--says Stephen Colbert. By Colbert addressing this on his show I agree with him in the sense that he is saying people are too lazy to take the time to verify things, they just go with the first search engine hit that pops up. The point is that uncritical minds believe everything they read.

In regards to magazine advertising, it’s no surprise that advertisers, and marketers use the “art” of airbrushing photographs to alter what reality looks like and to convey a certain type of image. Covers of magazines show flawless actors, actresses, singers, and models. We’re all aware of this as consumers. We know these models don’t really look the way they are portrayed on the glossy pages, but for some reason we’re okay with it. We still go ahead and buy the products being advertised or the clothes being modeled. Then we get upset when the bathroom cabinet piles up with a collection of face washes that never really worked, cover –ups that advertise miracles and provide none and mascara that claims to never clump and does so after the first use. Still surprised that Vanessa Hudgens appears to have no zits as she advertises for Neutrogena’s skin clearing cleansers? Don’t be. Two words: Adobe Photoshop. This is how magazines edit reality.

One of the attractions of reality television is the supposed "reality" of it; unscripted and unplanned situations and reactions. One of the ethical problems of reality television is the fact that it isn't nearly as "real" as it pretends to be. At least in dramatic shows one can expect the audience to understand that what they see on the screen doesn't necessarily reflect the reality of the actors' lives; the same, however, cannot be said for heavily edited and contrived scenes on sees on reality shows. Why are we so intrigued by it; why do we have to watch? I suspect that people's ability and willingness to take pleasure in the suffering and humilitation of others may stem from the increasing separation we experience from others around us. The more distant we are from each other as individuals, the more readily we can objectify each other and fail to experience sympathy and empathy when others around us suffer. The fact that we are witnessing events not in front of us but rather on television, where everything is has an unreal and fictional air about it, probably aids in this process as well.

Whether it's Wikipedia, magazine covers, or reality tv shows--we edit reality everyday. Editing reality is a lot easier then you have been led to believe, anyone can do it, and that's the problem.

Solo Current Event Presentation-October 13, 2010

I presented a very interesting article for discussion for my solo current event presentation. I discussed the topic of "Should students, teachers be Facebook friends"? Facebook and other social networking sites are more popular than ever. Whether students and teachers should be "friends" on these sites has become a controversial topic. As Facebook, Twitter and others have grown in popularity, more and more U.S. teachers have reportedly being disciplined--even fired--for sharing photos and messages deemed inappropriate by their school system. I've been reading several cases of teachers having to resign or being suspended for writing inappropriate things on Facebook. A Massachusetts teacher was asked in August to resign after posting comments on her Facebook wall describing students as "germ bags" and parents as "snobby" and "arrogant". Although the teacher said she intended the comments for her close friends only, her privacy settings were open enough that others in her town could see what she had to say.

Where does the line between professional and personal life lie? In my opinion if you wouldn't say it in the classroom don't use it in some other media that may get out to students and parents. You can say those things privately all you want, but if it gets out to the wrong people or students and parents, then it becomes the school's business. Facebook can be a valuable tool for classrooms...but remember if teachers extend the classroom to cyberspace, the rules go with them. Having a school or class-related Facebook page (for clubs, sports, fundraising) could be a way for teachers to use the site professionally to cancel practice or send out reminders. It seems as if younger teachers in particular seem to have a hard time limiting Facebook correspondence. For teachers fresh out of college, social networking is a natural part of their world. In the end Facebook is not going away and it is a great way to communicate, teachers just need to know how to use it appropriately.

Reading Assignment #5--Dalby's The World And Wikipedia pgs. 7-113

Good evening dear followers. This week we were asked to start reading the book, "The World And Wikipedia: How We Are Editing Reality". Dalby begins Chapter 1 by giving us some insight to wikipedia by showing us the "wikipedians" at work. I did not know that an internet guru named Jimmy Wales co-founded Wikipedia. Jimmy seems to take an everyday interest in Wikipedia by actively deleting pages, banning users and unfortunately receiving tons of email of people writing to him. Moving on, I especially liked the wiki-article that Dalby addressed on "Bacon Mania"; bacon seems like a huge American staple to me. I mean afterall who doesn't like a nice bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich in the morning; or a nice bacon and eggs breakfast platter.

In Chapter 2, Dalby explains to us exactly were Wikipedia came from; he mentions three types books that helped them to come up with the Wikipedia idea. The encyclopedia, the dictionary and finally the sourcebook. Starting us out Dalby talks to us about "Pliny the Elder". Pliny was a Roman author, personal friend of the Emperor, and an obsessive collector of knowledge. I was interested to learn that Wikipedia has a "three-revert-rule, which does allow someone to revert the same page three times in a 24 hour period" (p.20). It also looks like that Pliny was the first known author to use the word encyclopaedia; which we spell encyclopedia in this day and age. In describing the dictionary he tells us that a dictionary is just a list of alphabetical words; whereas an encyclopedia enhances that list of words adding facts and ideas. The last item is the sourcebook. A sourcebook according to Dalby is a collection of books or articles all bound together.

In Chapter 3, "Nicholas Carr, a critic of excessive claims regarding the benefits of IT" (p.54), states that Wikipedia is basically useful for a quick search or response but is indeed "factually unreliable and shoddily written" (p. 55). This chapter seemed to go over alot of people and there distaste for Wikipedia. in my opinion people seem to "hate" Wikipedia because they assume anyone can edit it or that it is just hearsay and not factual information.

In Chapter 4, Dalby talks about "why we use Wikipedia"? I personally use Wikipedia all the time and I love it. Do I use it to write papers, NO. Do I use to to find out facts about a subject I knew nothing about? YES. I can't remember the last time it failed to quickly and correctly answer my question. So who should I trust? The academics who tell me not to trust Wikipedia, or my positive personal experiences with it? I guess as I read further into this book I may come up with an answer to my question. Until next time.

Cyber Bullying

Since our discussion in class last Wednesday (October 6th) I have been giving this cyberbullying topic alot of thought. I wanted to take some time and share it here on my blog. It's difficult to find a student in 2010 who doesn't text, tweet or go on Facebook every day. The basic definition of cyberbullying is this: willfull and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones and other electronic devices. In this day and age everyone gets involved in everything but it's not face-to-face. It use to be that if you were being bullied once you got home you escaped it; nowadays kids seems to be experiencing it 24/7. When bullying is happening to your face you can confront them, but in this case you can't really stop a bully if you don't even know who that bully is. I wonder this, does cyberbullying start because the bully feels he or she wouldn't be able to take on their victim in a physical fight? In my opinion parents need to monitor what's going on with their kids; parents talk to their kids about sex, drugs, and drinking but what they need to do is stay active in their child's life. By staying active and listening to your kids you make them feel like they can talk to you about anything that is happening with them.

Reading Assignment #4--Postman's Technopoly pgs. 92-199

Good evening dear followers. Now that I have finished reading this book, "Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology", I feel as though Postman made some very good points. Unfortunately getting to those points seemed a bit of a chore; it was sometimes so much information to read that it would take every bit of motivation I had to just finish a page. In Chapter 6, he roasts the medical industry's infatuation with new technology while the doctors neglect their patients. Patients invariably are reduced to slabs of meat on a assembly line. He makes the salient point that information is not understanding, which is usually ignored by most promoters of technopoly. I especially found this quote surprising, "Although the U.S. and England have equivalent life-expectancy rates, American doctors perform six times as many cardiac bypass operations per capita as English doctors do".

In Chapter 9, he discusses "scientism". Scientism claims that science alone can render truth about the world and reality. To me this chapter is the most humorous as he disects scientists, or in his meaning the "masters of the obvious". These scientists think they have discovered something new and unique meanwhile it is what most people on the street already know. He basically asks the question as to whether or not social science is really a science.

In Chapter 11, the last chapter, Postman talks about the "resistance fighter". Resistance fighters are those that "understand technology must never be accepted as part of the natural order of things" (p.184). Resistance fighters believe that every piece of technology carries with it some sort of plot or agenda which may ultimately end up being life-enhancing or life-threatening.

In the end, Neil Postman leaves no stone unturned in his attack on how technology's ideology is undermining our own values and our very way of life. This is not an inspirational book but rather a book filled with the knowledge as to how technology manipulates us and uses us. So in conclusion this book doesn't ask us if technology is good or bad but rather what role technology should be confined to.

Reading Assignment #3--Postman's Technopoly pgs. 1-91

Good evening dear followers. In my Technology & Culture In America class this week we were asked to read the following book: "Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology" by Neil Postman. After reading the first half of this book I began to realize that even though I love technology I am not blind to its problems. To those who say technology has no faults, I ask you when was the last time your computer crashed or whatever happened to that grand notion of a "paperless office"?

First, the argument. Postman describes what he calls the three stages of how a culture deals with technology: 1) tool-using, 2) technocracy, 3) technopoly. In a tool-using culture, technical improvements are limited to the uses at hand. This differs from the technocracy, where the tools "play a central role in the thought world of the culture." In the technopoly, tools become the culture. Postman's argument is along similar lines as suggested in the subtitle of this book, "the surrender of culture to technology." Postman's main thesis is that America has become a technopoly, which means that culture has lost its moral authority to technology. Technology has become the solution to whatever questions are asked, ushering in the reign of experts. Whatever else, there's a lot to agree with here.

As I finished with Chapter 5 for the time being, I have come away with this; Postman argues that as the development of technology has progressed, our society has lost the ambiguities and subtleties; the so-called "shades of gray" that make us human. Although Postman doesn't advocate the abandonment of technology, he does encourage us to be aware that technology is indeed running our lives. The trouble is, most of us are not even aware of the extent that it is, and we need to use technology responsibly. I can't wait to explore the second half of Postman's book to see what he describes next to us.

Reading Assignment #2--Swedin/Ferro's Computers pgs. 84-149

Hello dear followers. After reading the second half of Computers: The Life Story Of A Technology by Swedin and Ferro I was quite surprised to learn as to how personal computers have changed over time. Computers and microprocessors such as Altair, Intel and Apple,have come a long way. The Altair 8800 was a microcomputer design from 1975 based on the Intel 8080 CPU and sold by mail order through advertisements in Popular Electronics, Radio-Electronics and other hobbyist magazines. The designers hoped to sell only a few hundred build-it-yourself kits to hobbyists, and were surprised when they sold thousands in the first month. The Altair also appealed to individuals and businesses who just wanted a computer and purchased the assembled version. Altair was shipping microcomputers out to cumstomers as fast as they could make them, and by the end of 1976, other companies began creating and selling microcomputers as well (p.89).

On April Fool's Day, 1976, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs released the Apple I computer and started Apple Computers. The Apple I was the first with a single circuit board used in a computer. Wozniak and Jobs started out as young students who had an interest in electronic devices and technology. The first home computer with a GUI or graphical user interface was the Apple Lisa. The very first graphical user interface was developed by the Xerox Corporation at their Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in the 1970s. Steve Jobs, visited PARC in 1979 (after buying Xerox stock) and was impressed and influenced by the Xerox Alto, the first computer ever with a graphical user interface. Jobs designed the new Apple Lisa based on the technology he saw at Xerox. With the 1984 Apple Macintosh Steve Jobs made sure developers created software for the new Macintosh Computer. Jobs figured that software was the way to win the consumer over. American computer executive, Steve Jobs co-founded Apple Computer, one of the first manufacturers of personal home computers. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak made a natural team inventing the first ready-made personal computer.

In conclusion, computers have entered almost every arena of human society. They operate in our homes, our workplaces, and our schools. They come in so many shapes and sizes that it is sometimes difficult to recognize them: while laptop and desktop computers are commonplace, computers can also be found in home electronics, automobiles, airplanes, automatic teller machines (ATM's), security systems, and many other devices and situations. Many of the world's societies depend heavily on computers in the operation of their transportation systems, commerce, utilites, law enforcement, goverance, and more. The operation of computers in human society is so widespread that computers are often said to be ubiquitous. Moreover, the growth of of computer network access has happened at such a rate and to such an extent that the phrase "anytime, anywhere computing" has become a commonplace.

Texts From Last Night--September 17th, 2010--Rutgers Livingston Campus

Hello dear followers. On Friday evening I attended an awesome lecture on Livingston Campus put on by the creators of the website Texts From Last Night (www.textsfromlastnight.com). Texts From Last Night (TFLN) was founded in February 2009 by two friends (Ben Lator and Lauren Leto) for reasons that may or may not include: the tendency to press send more easily as the night turns to morning, friends' social habits, disgraced government officials, exes, law school, closing down bars and leaving tabs open, general debauchery and/or a common disgust for all the negativity surrounding the 'sexting' phenomenon. Their goal was to create a site that was revealing in nature yet still had the ability to conceal the identity of everyone involved; that is why it is so fun!

While listening to the lecture I was surprised to learn that it only cost Ben & Lauren $200 to start up this website. For little money these past-law students ended up creating a texting empire. They now have a book, which was raffled off during the lecture. I was not lucky enough to receive one of the book copies but was certainly close each time to the called number. Ben and Lauren also explained how this phenomenon that they have created will soon be a sitcom tv show, possibly on the FOX channel. TFLN also now has an app for one's cell such as the iPhone or Android. They also mentioned that they have not submitted about 4 million texts to their website that they received either due to the content being boring, down right crude or hate texts sent to them. In the end I had a great time attending this lecture. I thought it was inspiring to hear how two college kids in Law School came up with a simple plan and how they made it into a million dollar business overnight. I believe it's all in how you reach your audience.

Reading Assignment #1--Swedin/Ferro's Computers pgs. 1-83

Good evening dear followers. For my Tech & Culture In America class we were asked this time to read the beginning of a book entitled, "Computers: The Story Of Technology" by Swedin & Ferro pgs.1-83. I was surprised to learn about how the creation of the first digital computer relied heavily on the first calculating machine. While continuing on reading I noticed that during the time of World War II the term "computer" did not at all refer to a machine but did refer to a person. "Human computers" as Charles Babbage puts it use devices like slide rules, abacus, and pens and paper (pg.19). Moving on past the portion of how we dealt with things before computers we come to the section entitled, "The First Computer". In this chapter I got a better understanding of some of the types of new computers: ABC computers, Zuse Computers, Harvard Mark I, Eniac, Manchester Mark I and finally the UNIVAC. The one I found most interesting is the UNIVAC is which engineers and technicians had to work near it in "shorts" as it gave off so much heat and was a large piece of machinery.

After reading about the "first computers" I learned about the second generation of computers in which engineers moved from computers with vacuum tubes to ones which had transistors. Scientists and engineers moved to develop more advanced computers and computer networks. I was surprised to learn that after having to deal with the excessively large vacuum tubes engineers moved to transistors in which the first one was designed and invented right here in New Jersey by John Bardeen from Bell Labs. Many companies tried to jump on the computer bandwagon bringing their own models to light such as: Honeywell, RCA, GE and Philco. IBM ended coming out on top since they were the company that maintained the most highly motivated sales force. IBM began producing software in the 1950's for banks, insurance firms and manufacturing companies.

Finally, I read about the "third generation" of computers. The third generation of computers consisted of minicomputers, supercomputers and microprocessors. The IBM 360 Mainframe computer as well as the birth of software made its way into the industry. I was surprised by the following numbers: in 1960 only 7,000 digital computers had been built worldwide. In 1970 that number increased to 130,000 machines (pg.83). With that being said computers during this time still remained expensive and were only found in the workplace not even a thought that someday they would be put in people's homes.

So to sum this all up, why do we care? What does all this mean? Computers were the stuff of science fiction and wide-eyed articles about "electric brains." Few people had actually seen one. Computer technology is so much a part of our lives, that we cannot imagine a life without it. Computers serve as efficient data storage systems and excellent information processors. They can store, organize and manage huge amounts of data. Moreover, they operate on incomparable speeds, thus saving human time and effort to a large extent. True, they are an integral part of our lives. It is said that inventions change the way we live. Computer technology is a classic example of this adage. It has indeed changed our way of living.

Internet/Technology Usage

So to begin with my dear followers, I was asked by my Professor in my Tech & Culture In America class to jot down my internet/technology usage for one week. The week I will be discussing started on September 2nd and ended on September 8th. To begin with I should let you know that I am a Media Buyer for the Monmouth County Library system in Manalapan, NJ. I work 35 hours per week, 5 days a week. As part of my daily routine I surf the internet approximately 7 hours per day at my desk. Each day I went on the internet looking up DVD reviews as well as using DVD ordering websites. I regularly used amazon.com, imdb.com, and rottentomatoes.com. I also regularly checked my email using Outlook Express. Each day I also used our internal Circulation/Automation system known as Sirsi-Dynix. The Sirsi-Dynix system is dedicated to helping every library maximize it's potential.

Once I got home from work, believe it or not I once again went online each and every week night to check my personal email (Optimum Online), posted on Facebook (played Cafe World of course), and on Friday, September 3rd I burnt music onto my IPOD as well as my husband's MP3 player. While at home I also text-messaged my friends to see what they were going to do for the upcoming weekend.

On the weekend I spent less time online since I had errands to run and it was the Labor Day holiday weekend. On Saturday night the 4th, I did have an old high school friend over in which we went on to Facebook and checked out new pictures and posts made by our friends. On Sunday the 5th, I went online to check my Optimum email as well as I used Google.com to check out some information about "blogs" and how to create one. I also went on Sakai, and Ecollege to check on any new information in regards to my courses this semester. Monday, the 6th of September was Labor Day so I hit the beach and did some text-messaging to my friends and family to see what they were up to. I went back to work on Tuesday the 7th and followed the same routine I mentioned above for both Tuesday and Wednesday. So with all this said, I have come to the conclusion that I am somewhat tech-savvy. I have an intellectual curiosity about technology and I also pay attention to new developments and trends.