Be a Pirate, Rock Star or Doctor!

I wasn’t a big reader as a child, and that certainly didn’t change as I grew older. I read when I had to, but preferred to spend my time outside playing. However, when I did want to read as a child the books that I really enjoyed where the "choose your own adventure books offered multiple plot directions. These stories really struck a chord with me because they allowed me control of where the story was going. And after I was done reading one choice of storyline, you could go back and read the other one.
The internet provides the ultimate grounds for the “choose your own adventure” stories because of hypertext. The ability to link multiple pages and text together could virtually create a story that never ends. I think taking this form of literature to mass distribution on the internet would be well received. I found an example of hypertext stories for educational use on the internet in which students are split into groups and create their own websites with the different parts of the story hyperlinked to each other.
I think one of the great benefits of this exercise is the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of storytelling and how to put a story together. This is also a great opportunity to cultivate young creative minds and let them run free with their ideas. When you’re dealing with a story that can take multiple turns there really is no wrong or right direction.

Does A.I. Have All the Answers?

Why do we go to the movies? A simple question that would yield 100 different responses from 100 different people. We go to the movies for many different reasons – to laugh, to cry, to be entertained and to be amused to name a few. We also go to the movies to be transported to different times and places.
Steven Spielberg’s 2001 production of Artifical Intelligence takes us to a time where humans and machines live side-by-side. Spielberg uses amazing special effects and superb storytelling to make you feel like you are a part of this future world. He also utilizes traditional movie techniques like the use of shadows, framing and matching shots to present a truly entertaining work.
The story is told through the eyes of a little boy who was created to show unconditional love for his mother. He is adopted by a family who had a younger boy of similar age but had to put him in cryogenics due to an un-curable disease. Still suffering from the grief of losing her only child, Monica Swinton and Henry Swinton (Frances O’Connor and Sam Robards) decided to take David into their home. Monica is skeptical about this new boy and takes a while to warm up to him while he instantly takes to her. Just as Monica is starting to appreciate David she learns that Martin will be able to be brought back to life and he soon returns home. Martin then consumes all of Monica’s attention and David is left to wonder why is mother doesn’t love him. David then spends the rest of the movie trying to gain his mother’s love.
Although we are introduced to David as a A.I. you quickly begin to view him as another human as the movie progresses due to his ability to show emotions. It is David’s ability to show emotions which engage the emotions of the viewers and draw you into his character and it makes you wonder if A.I. could ever advance to the point where they could understand and perform emotional responses.

Future of Gaming

Every time I log onto the internet I am greeted by a pop-up trying to sell me something. The majority of the time I just close them out. Thanks, but no thanks, I’m not interested. But once in a while I come across a pop-up that peaks my interest and I’ll actually read it – or play it.
Today I was logging onto the internet and a pop-up come on my screen and it had a mini-golf game. Of course I played a little bit and thought what a clever way to get people to actually look at your pop up instead of instantly closing it out.
As the first generation of Americans that grew up with video games are now reaching their late 20’s and early 30’s and gradually accumulate more disposable income, I think we’ll see more companies finding creative ways to reach this prime demographic. And one way to do this is to use video games.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing insurance companies, investment firms, and auto makers incorporating video games into part of the marketing campaigns for younger Americans. It only makes sense that these companies find a common ground to meet their consumers at. Whether it’s a basic pop-up or a more advanced game kiosk at your local auto dealer or a direct mailing of a game for your home computer, I can see companies turning to games to help reach this age group.
Who knows for sure what the future for gaming
holds, but one thing is for sure, the first company to figure out how to effectively incorporate gaming into their marketing plan will have a direct path at the 19-34 key demographic.

"DOOM"-ed

I think in recent years video games have become a scapegoat for the lack of parental involvement with their children, especially dealing with issues of violence and anger management. The easy solution is to blame video games and the desensitizing effect they have on young, developing minds. But the real problem is the lack of parental involvment and supervision.
I understand the addicting power of video games and how the effects of constant exposure to violence and death, but in the end these games are only just games – a fantasy, fictional playground. Unfortunately, constant exposure to this fantasy wonderland can start to blur the line between fiction and reality. This is where the parents need to step in.
Parents need to be more involved in their children’s activities and teach their kids what is acceptable behavior and what isn’t. Just because you see violence in a game or a movie doesn’t mean that it is acceptable behavior. But when kids are spending hours a day entranced in video games, they are reinforcing these ideas that violence is acceptable.
I don’t see anything wrong with playing video games as long as kids can differentiate fiction and reality. And the compass guiding their decision making process is the parents.

Can Open Source Technology Aid Democracy?

Open Source Technology is democracy at its roots. I think the open source technology only aids democracy because it provides a more convenient forum for all citizens to gather and express their views on politics.
Just as the advent of television changed politics, I think the open source technology will have a similar impact. Maybe not as impressive as television, but the power of open source technology is definitely a force to be recognized.
The 2004 presidential election saw press credentials disturbed to bloggers covering the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. And both candidates acknowledged the influence of the internet on their campaigns as both parties had official blogs. Enid Burns reports in the story “Political Blogs A Presidential Election Force” posted on May 16, 2005 that, “The Republican side generated 955 messages between blogs and press materials, while Kerry's campaign issued 835 messages. Media coverage across 16 major media Web sites was also monitored.”
Open source politics offers a level of interaction in the political process that we’ve never had before. Instead of waiting for the nightly news report or the morning paper, citizens can blog about their views or visit blogs of the candidates. Citizens can also meet in open sources with other citizens to discuss views and share opinions. I will be very curious to see the influence of open source politics in the next presidential election.

Pitfall and Asteroids

I clearly remember playing our first Atari and thinking it was the greatest thing ever invented. Although the graphics are a fare cry from the games today, the concept of playing video games in your own house instead of traveling to the arcade with a pocket full of quarters was a novel idea. I also remember being dumbfounded on the fact that my parents seemed so clueless on how to play the simple games like Asteroids and Pitfall. The games were easy for me to pick up and navigate, so why couldn’t they do the same?
The answer was the generation gap and the evolution of technology and culture. When my parents were kids they didn’t have video games, heck, they definitely didn’t have a television in their room. Just as people change over time, so does technology and it seems the rate at which change happens has increased over the past few years.
Take the internet for example. In the short time span it has existed, the internet has continually evolved and expanded its capabilities. We have seen the evolution from the Web 1.0 concept to the Web 2.0 concept.
I think the Web 2.0 concept is simply a result of the evolution of the internet and is merely a plateau in time and space as we continue to evolve to new and better capabilities. Taking a look at some of the changes from the Web 1.0 concept to Web 2.0 are pretty interesting.
Take the personal use of the internet in the Web 1.0 model. Personal websites were the rage in the Web 1.0 model. This was the first time people could carve out their very own plot in cyberspace where they could list their interests, possibly include photos and links to their favorite sites. As the Web 1.0 concept evolved to Web 2.0 we see that personal websites gained a more interactive perspective. Instead of users simply stating their interests, they now participate in blogging and have a hand in the flow and distribution of information on the internet. The “blogoshpere” was born.
I think the concept of Web 2.0 is a legitimate claim, and not just a corporate buzzword. There are visible difference between the Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 that justify this, such as the change in the personal use of the internet. I think the concepts of Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 will become more evident as we move forward to Web 3.0 and start to realize all the advances that we have made. Web 3.0 will further push the envelope of interaction as the users roll evolves from passive to participatory in terms of the producing and distributing news and information on the internet.

“What it’s Like to be an Astronaut”

Space Camp was one of my favorite movies growing up because it touched upon all the elements of what makes childhood so innocent. The movie had the fantasy aspect of kids traveling to space as well as the happy ending. After watching Space Camp, myself, probably like many other kids, also wanted to go to Space Camp. But, without the aid of the internet the only way I could get more information about Space Camp was to write a letter and wait for a response.
Well, a lot has changed since then and now when kids, adults, anyone, wants answers they turn to the aid of the internet and the many users to help them remedy their questions through online collaboration.
One of the sites I stumbled upon while researching online collaboration is a great education website that helps students answer questions they have related to school projects. The first question proposed on the website
asked, “What it’s Like to be an Astronaut?”
I think education is one of the great benefactors of online collaboration. Just look at me, I’m taking an online class at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT where we are studying the Introduction to Interactive Communications. The class is run through an online blackboard that hosts a discussion board where the students and professor discuss the topics of the week. This discussion board allows us a forum to express our opinions on course material and also to learn from other student’s experiences and views. Since many graduate students like me also have a full-time job, taking an online class is very convenient since we can complete the work on our own schedule.
In addition to the convenience factor of an online class, students who participate in online learning are also constantly being exposed to the latest technology and trends. I believe this is the greatest byproduct of taking an online class is the fact that you are not only learning the material of the class but you are also keeping up with new technology and maintaining your “media literacy” at the same time.

License, Registration and Blood Count

I guess it’s only ironic that the same week we are reading about surveillance for our class there is a front page story on the Hartford Courant involving a high-tech form of surveillance that many people don’t even know exists – of, course, until you read this article.
Courant Staff Writer Tracy Gordon Fox reports that a 45-year-old Suffield, CT woman was pulled over by inspectors from the state Department of Motor Vehicles because she had set off a nuclear radioactive alarm. The alarm that the woman had set off is only the size of a pager and is designed to detect hazardous materials that are being transported inside large trucks. The woman set off the alarm because she had a radioactive substance in her bloodstream from a common medical test.
After reading this story I couldn’t help but think what type of other devices are law enforcement using to keep surveillance on the general public. We’re all aware of the video cameras at stores, restaurants, banks and ATM’s, but what else is out there? And how much privacy do we really have?
I understand that the devices are meant to help protect the public by stopping large trucks that are transporting radioactive material, but it just makes you wonder what other devices are being used. I guess it’s just a reflection of the times that we live in and the fact that we have to give up a little bit of our privacy to secure our safety and I think most people are ok with this. However, I can see where someone could feel slightly violated because they were pulled over due to something in their bloodstream.

MySpace, Our Problem

The internet is a wonderful communication tool that can bring people from different ages, races and locations together. This is the positive feature of the internet, but it is also the negative.
As much as we as a society have taken a step forward with all the advancements of technology, we have also taken a step back as information sharing sites like myspace.com bring light to problems that have existed for many years.
The Hartford Courant reported on Friday, March 3 that Federal law enforcement officials arrested two out-of-state men who allegedly had sexual contact with two young girls from Connecticut that they met on myspace.com. The Courant reports the two men were considerably older than their targets. One man who is 39, is accused of traveling all the way from Elrama, Pa to have sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl. The other man, 22, from Queens, NY is reported to have had sexual contact with an 11-year-old girl.
These cases of older men preying on younger children – not just girls – seem to be popping up more and more in the media. I remember an investigative piece by one of the major national networks last year that did an undercover operation to nab sexual predators in their track. The piece repeatedly showed numerous men appearing at this same house to meet a juvenile and were quite shocked when they found out they had been set up.
These recent stories shed light on the problem of sexual predators and how the internet is making it easier for them to target their victims. Authorities are trying to counter this problem by running undercover operations and monitoring sites like myspace.com, but they can’t be everywhere.
I think this is a problem that will only continue to get worse until parents take a more active role in monitoring and educating their children about the dangers of the internet.

Blog Roll

www.badjocks.com

http://mostlymets.golddave.com/

http://celticsblog.net/blog/

Environmentally Friendly Blogs: The Cons

Earlier in the day I wrote about the pros of a blog and now it is time to talk about the other side – the cons. One of the biggest downsides of blogs is the chance that you can see the same information and links on many different sites. As a result you can see a lot of recycled information. Recycling is good for the environment but not for blogging.
A successful blog thrives on new information that is constantly updated, not on information that is old and recycled from another blogger’s post. One of the greatest advantages of blogging is the opportunity to express fresh, unique ideas, and not taking advantage of that is only detrimental to your blog.
The credibility of blogs is also another question that can bring doubt to the legitimacy of blogs.
There was much discussion this week between classmates that questioned the credibility of blogs, mainly pointing at the fact that there isn’t a system of checks-and-balances for blogs.
In many cases blogs are produced by citizen journalists with little or no formal journalism training so fact checking and reliable sources aren’t a topic of discussion. The downside of this is that bloggers will rant on about certain topics with no factually or credible basis for their opinions. But is that really such a bad thing? Take a look at mainstream media and you’ll see that majority of news shows are talk based and as a result the line between fact and fiction is severely blurred. So how is that different from a blogger going off about a topic? There really isn’t a difference except the professionals are already in position of authority while citizen journalists are just regular people.
I think the raw, agenda-less writing of citizen journalists can be seen as a negative, but can also be a positive because they are speaking what they really feel and not speaking to please a segment of the population or to build ratings. Citizen journalists don’t have to worry about ratings or playing politics – they just play it real.

A Blank Canvass: The Pro’s of Blog

Before I started this class I had very limited knowledge of blogs. I had heard about them before but never had read one and certainly never had a blog of my own. As I began to study blogs through my class work for Introduction to Interactive Communications at Quinnipiac University, I realized that I do visit blogs, but just never realized what I was reading.
I also never realized the popularity of blogs. After hearing much talk in the news about myspace.com I decided to check it out and was amazed at what I found.
The biggest pro about a blog is that it can be anything the writer wants it to be. A blog is your own space for free expression and to talk about and share anything and everything that is on your mind.
After searching through random blogs I was really amazed at the production value of the blogs. Every blog I read was unique in its own way. Whether it was the element of video or graphics I definitely felt that I better sense of the author’s personality by reading their blog. And that, I believe, is the biggest pro of a blog. The ultimate form of new aged self-expression.
In addition to blogs creating a rich environment for self-expression they are also serve a dual purpose as a great educational tool about new technology as the authors of the blogs must figure out how to integrate various forms of media in their blog. I think this is a great opportunity for all generations to have a hands-on roll in emerging technologies. The power to integrate video and audio on blogs gives the author the position of producer of their own ideas and causes.
Since I don’t have any experience in web design, html or blogs before I began the class, I have been able to learn a lot just from our class discussion board and reading the blog posts from other students. This is where the power of education comes into play especially since new media is constantly evolving.
Discussion boards and blogs allow people a gathering place to learn and share ideas which will only help advance the overall understanding of the full capabilities of technology and in turn advance our society.

The Pocket Shopper

The Associated Press reports that Toshiba Corporation has developed a way for your cell phone to assist you in your shopping journeys. I saw a similar story to this a few months back on the local news where a personal electronic device simply read the barcode of a product a consumer was interested in and then responded with a list of the prices at competing retailers and the directions of how to get there.
Yuri Kageyama, an AP Business Writer, reports that
Toshiba's technology will search through nearly 100 blogs for product reviews on the item of interest. The results will be available in 10 seconds. The technology is able to determine if the blog is posting a positive or negative review on the product and then tallies up the results.
Kageyama reports that Toshiba plans to test this device in Japan and then hopes to offer it domestically before April 2007.

Access Denied

The fact that China and other countries control the information that their people can view is something that really stuck with me throughout this week and got me thinking about the topic of information control. I don’t think it is right that information is with held from people, especially on the internet. This is just the government’s way to keep the power of the collective people in check. But it got me thinking about information control in our own society. There is no question that it exists, but I guess Americans are just more crafty and subtle in the way they control information.
As media conglomerates continue to gain power and the number of corporations controlling our news and information slowly dwindle the opportunity for information control in our society will grow. The Media Reform Information Center reports that in 1993 there were 50 major corporations in the United States that controlled the media. In 2004 that number was down to 4. Media Reform Information Center
With so much emphasis on the bottom line, I think it is only a natural progression that we will see more information control by the major corporations that control our media especially as our options for news and information gathering increase. And the fact that these major corporations have their hands in the kitchens of all avenues of media, they will do what it takes to make sure their business succeed. This means heavy cross-promotion of their brand across all platforms through content. Take CBS for example. Say as a hypothetically example that there is a new episode of CSI coming out that deals with a killer who finds their targets through internet chat rooms. In addition to running promos for the show in national spots, the local CBS news outlets might run pieces in their local news either the night before the show or after it airs, dealing with crime on the internet. The online content team at CBS might run stories detailing the most popular internet crimes and run promos within CSI and other CBS shows to logon to the internet to get clips from the show that can only be seen on the internet.
As technology continues to advance and our options for news and information continue to grow, the competition for media companies to maintain ratings and viewers will only increase and that is why they will use all their resources to hold onto every viewer and consumer they have. As a result, the information which we are receiving and will receive in the future will be controlled in the fact that it is produced in the best interests of the company. This means editorial decisions will be made based not on what is a good story, but what will help the bottom line.

Internet Information: A Giant Garden of Knowledge or Sieve of Lies?

As I sit down in front of the computer and log on to the internet I have just opened a door of unlimited search possibilities. Whatever my question of the day is or the breaking news story that I need to get the latest information on, I can find my answers on the internet. But have we reached a point where we totally rely on the internet for our information and is the information even reliable?
Personally, I’m about 50/50 in terms of relying on tradition media and the internet to get my information. I would say I get most of my everyday news from the newspaper, television and radio. I turn to the internet to get the latest breaking story or to read further about a topic that I saw on the nightly news. I would say most of my classmates approach the internet as an information resource the same way I do. But as our daily lives change and become more dependent on technology I believe the internet and portable electronic devices like cell phones will become the primary source for news and information. With that being said, can we trust the electronic media as a credible source?
When obtaining news and information from electronic devices I think you first must consider the source before you read the message. I think you have to read information from electronic sources with a skeptical eye as the message you are reading my not be totally factual. One of my classmates, Rafal Kowalczyk, has run into this problem.
“There were many times that I checked information online and then re-checked again few hours later and noticed the story was either changed or taken off the site,” stated Kowalczyk.
Since the internet is such a speed driven environment, news gathering organizations are constantly pushing to break stories as they happen and update old ones as new information is available. However, this information may not be also accurate. It is one thing to be the first to have the story out there, but if the facts aren’t correct then there is no prize for being first. But it begs the question then, in this environment where news is constantly changing and mistakes happen, is it then an acceptable element of the operation that not all facts will be correct and if they’re not they will be updated when better information comes along? Electronic media has a huge advantage over print in the fact that they can make corrections instantaneously, while papers have to wait till the next day to rectify any mistakes. Has this power been taken advantage of? I hope not.
With that said, I do believe there are plenty of sites that are credible and do uphold the highest journalistic standards. Nobody is perfect and mistakes will happen, I just don’t think mistakes should become an acceptable part of the culture.

In China It's Called Gogle

The internet, a.k.a “the information superhighway” offers a ton of information at the click of a mouse. Whether you log on for research, work or personal use, the internet offers answers to every questions. However, not everyone is riding in the left lane of the information superhighway. Take China and other countries that regulate information access for example. The Chinese government filters any information that they deem sensitive to their cause and thus are keeping their users in the right lane of the information super highway. In doing this, the government is limiting their people’s access to information and thus restraining the search power of Google and other search engines.
The fact that China and other countries control what information their people can see just makes me further appreciate the many freedoms that we as Americans enjoy. I can not imagine living in a society where avenues for knowledge are limited. By restricting people’s access to information you are controlling their ability to learn and nourish their education and develop their own personalities. Instead, I believe information control just creates a more uniformed, robotic society and this is only detrimental to the advancement of human civilization. If people aren’t allowed access to information to grow and develop their intellectual capabilities then they will never reach their full potential. Who is to say that somewhere in China there isn’t the person that will find the cure for cancer walking around with the quest to quench their thirst for information?
China’s decision to regulate information on the internet is a true testament to the old notion that knowledge is power, because it truly is. A mobilized, informed group of citizens can be a very powerful force to deal with and can prove a threat to any government. It happened in France, it happened here in America and it can happen anywhere.
To deny people access to information is to deny them life. Knowledge breeds power which only benefits society as a whole.