Digilantes and Silicon Crack

This is probably the most disturbing line I’ve read in a very long time:

Documentary filmmaker Pete Jones recently declared that, “TiVo has changed my life more than children. It’s the only thing in my life that I can count on week after week.”

I found both articles very interesting but the “Age of Egocasting” article provided me with insight into something that apparently many of my peers enjoy. My wife and I tossed out our television four years ago and have enjoyed all the free time since. To read how children are being raised with hours upon hours of television in their lives leads me to wonder the amount of mental health issues that will affect that generation. I grew watching television from time to time in my household and I found that my attention span is considerably shorter than those who I know had no contact with TV while they were growing up.

The following lines are also worrisome,

We can consciously avoid ideas, sounds, and images that we don’t agree with or don’t enjoy. As sociologists Walker and Bellamy have noted, “media audiences are seen as frequently selecting material that confirms their beliefs, values, and attitudes, while rejecting media content that conflicts with these cognitions.”

This is yet another way that people will choose to view only what they believe to be true instead of watching any type of programming that challenges their mindset. While many may simply filter what they watch out based solely out of what pleasures them to watch or not, this also poses a risk for mass group think (depending on what they’re watching of course), and a lack of sharing ideas amongst those whom they spend their lives living around.

The “Digilante Justice” article elaborated on a subject that I thought I knew about. Some of the sites seem to be a great way for stressed out individuals to release their anger but its also possible that these sites could simply become slander machines. Another issue that wasn’t raise concerned how the identities of undercover police were being posted online by those who had encounters with them as a heads up to all those who need to avoid cops.

What a strange new world.

Reflection on the Wireless Revolution

Of all the readings assigned thus far, I admit that the technological terminology used throughout most of the article “CHAPTER 7: The Wireless Revolution and Universal Access” from Michael L. Best’s book Trends in Telecommunications Reform 2003 was very difficult for me to comprehend at times and required various rereads in order to gain confidence in the meaning of what was read.

Overall, the concept of having wireless internet spread to rural and underdeveloped communities around the world is ambitious and worth working on in order to help improve the living standards of those communities. The only problem is that many of the communities in question lack all other basic infrastructures that would allow them to function in what we in the developed world consider to be adequate living conditions. For me, the premise of the entire article is flawed. More should be done to feed the millions that are starving and suffering other various afflictions. The whole wireless internet for the developing world should be put on hold until the things that matter are actually taken into account. In my opinion, Kofi Annan should have had a different set of priorities, perhaps looking into his son’s handling of the oil-for food program?

The other ideas in the article such as the village area network are still very interesting to read about. Although the internet would provide unmatched influences on peoples lives and probably change many of their outlooks on life, items such as food and running water would also have a similar impact. The costs of funding this technology and the internet should be spent on necessities.

Q1. What would modify from the reading to create what you believe to be the best way to spread wireless internet to rural and underdevoloped communities?

Q2. What criticisms do you have of Michael Best’s outline?

Q3. What was the most important piece of information you obtained from today’s reading?

Reading Response on the way

The below entry sums up my experiences with electronic commerce:

Tealeaf found that 37 per cent of those who experienced problems when trying to complete an online transaction said they tend to give up on a sale entirely if they run into difficulties rather than try again.

from Phil Muncaster‘s article, How to Strengthen Customer Bonds. Amazon.com was the first e-commerce website to give me any trouble while making a purchase or setting up a shipping plan. I had originally ordered a book for my brother in law and the expected delivery time was four days. When the book still hadn’t shipped after four days of me trying to clarify just when exactly it would ship, I canceled the order and I haven’t returned to Amazon.com since. Thankfully, almost all my online purchases have been successful with my only other problem coming from a purchase I made on Ebay, but when I purchase from that site I almost treat it as a give in that if something goes wrong it most likely will take time to sort it out – which it did after a week of waiting for a response from the Ebay seller.

The article about Circuit City going social was interesting and revealed the common sentiments of online shoppers – at least for me. It was mentioned that the discussion board on the forum, where shoppers post questions about certain items, had slow response times because the board was short staffed and that the users actually didn’t slam circuit for this but instead posted suggestions on how to improve the site reveals that if you let people have a little say or influence on how things are run than they generally are supportive of the overall experience. In today’s busy world I think a lot of people just want to be heard and giving them the opportunity to do that through your online business is sure to draw in a lot of customers.

Q1. What do you feel are the greatest drawbacks to online shopping?

Q2. How would you improve the e-commerce process for the sites you purchase from?

Q3. What draws you to purchase from certain site rather than others?

Politcs, the Internet, and Beyond

In terms of organizing, fund-raising, and getting a candidates’ message out to the masses, the internet has had an impact on politics unmatched since the creation printing press. With out straying to far from the assigned reading, it’s clear to almost everyone that the internet has made the world much smaller and the messages or mistakes of politicians known in a heartbeat. What immediately comes to mind is the macaca gaff of former Senator George Allen, who said,

This fellow here over here with the yellow shirt, Macaca, or whatever his name is. He’s with my opponent… Let’s give a welcome to Macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia.

This statement was video taped and because of the internet the news spread like wild fire. Allen ended his campaign. Besides the quote provided, it goes without questioning that the internet impacts politics in a big way. The advancement of technology that gives people the ability to record everything they see and hear and software that allows users to post these recordings on the web in a matter of seconds has far reaching impacts. This advancement means an even less private life for those who campaign and hold office.

I agree with the premise of the authors because the numbers simply show that the internet has certainly changed many aspects of politics today. The numbers from the Dean campaign are simply amazing and the fact that you can get people to do almost all of the organizing and campaigning for free is a new reality. It’s so much easier for the average citizen to donate what little they have via a computer. Unless a candidate in insanely rich, he or she will have no choice but to also run a dynamic internet campaign in every election here on out.

Q1. How has the internet changed the way you think about politics?

Q2. What’s your ideal campaign website (design, features, etc.)?

Q3. Where do you see the recent technological innovations leading the future of politics?

The Citizen Journalist and the Future of Established Media

In my opinion, blogging technology will have wide ranging effects on the established media. With a blog, users have the potential to become citizen journalists and and in many instances – news breakers. Having the ability to pass along interesting and/or insightful articles to friends reminds me of the times when Paine’s pamphlet were circulated amongst the public. Every time I log into my wordpress account I’m immediately presented with the top stories that are circulating the wordpress blogosphere at the moment. Having the ability to not only create media but to be immediately presented other bloggers work is mind boggling and astounding in that all this information created by other users is being sent to every corner of the earth.

It seems that blogging technology will eventually force the media to work harder. I write eventually because there still is a technology divide that exists even in America, and much of the new media that’s produced requires up to date internet connections. I believe that once more people are connected to high speed internet(which is basic speed now), the more that the influence of the media establishment will wain. Having the ability to post everything that you witness via mp3 or mpeg files creates an open door into reality that many people have had shut for some time. Propaganda will still exist but the propagandists who create it will have a much harder time to make their stories appear to be authentic. Now when major events happen, cell phone cameras are there to record it and many times they expose the truths put out by the media. Images of protest in rural China be suppressed and the brutal tactics of the Mubarak regime in Egypt always flash to my mind when this topic comes up because now the rumors of torture or uprisings are no longer rumors but recorded facts. To me, it seems that the power of the every day person to influence his society and the entire world is unmatched in history.

Q1. What new developments in technology do foresee having a major impact on the blogging experience?

Q2. In your opinion, what are the greatest advantages and disadvantages of open source media and why?

Q3. In what way has sharing of information by your peers on blogs affected your life or outlook?

A digital reflection from an analog mind

Don Norman’s article provided readers with interesting dichotomies of the relationships between human and machines that helped to organized just exactly what our differences, strengths, and weaknesses are. If I had only read that article I would have viewed the relationship between man and machine as bleak with a possible backlash against technology as a whole. I’ve noticed and been frustrated with the inflexibility of computers for a while but I never had compared the work of a computer to that of a human before. For instance, computers more so in the late 1990′s than today, would constantly freeze-up. This would occur when you’ve ordered the computer to do to many tasks and it simply begins to “hiccup”. If it were a human being being ordered around a whole list of possibilities would be produced by that little person in order that they’re able to complete the requested tasks while maintaining their well being.

I believe as Norman does, that machines and human beings compliment each other. We both can perform certain tasks better than the other. Sterling’s Short History of the internet also allowed me to think over the possibility that machines and humans may have a closer relationship in the future in that the internet is allowing the common man to utilize this new technology in a creative and ever changing way. The fact that the internet is anarchic allows us to experiment and essentially create new and better online technologies through an evolutionary process. The more programs being designed by those not tied to corporate power the more I feel that he relationship between humans and machines will draw nearer.

Q1. How have you adopted to the necessity of your employer’s desire for machine like behaviour from you?

Q2. Norman laments that “Alas, most of today’s machines, especially the computer, force people to use them on their terms, terms that are antithetical to the way people work and think”. What exactly would using a computer be like if the machine adapted itself to human requirments?

Q3. What are your views on the anarchic nature of the internet and do you think it’s still possible that a government or organization will be able to reign in on the online freedom that it provides?

Info Overload!

I sometimes believe that I suffer from information overload because it’s become common for one to search for something and then be drawn into searching for another semi-related topic. This quote from the Nelson reading helps explain why I feel that I am overwhelmed with information. Nelson states that:

Information overload is the inability to extract needed knowledge from an immense quantity of information for one of many reasons. Wurman [20] explains that information overload can occur when a person:

• does not understand available information.
• feels overwhelmed by the amount of information to be understood.
• does not know if certain information exists.
• does not know where to find information.
• knows where to find information, but does not have the key to access it.

I often am unaware of many different avenues in gaining information, I’m aware of the existence of many pieces of info that may be beneficial to me and from time to time I also feel overwhelmed by how much information is available to me. Nelson also commented on the accuracy of a lot of information available may lack credibility which is very true, this is why I usually rely on mainstream U.S. media for reference points when discussing politics. In terms of gaining more knowledge for accurate sources I simply already know more sources and the level of honesty they bring for so I haven’t had any problems with finding accurate information on the web.

My life has been affected positively as well. Having at the world feed of news at my disposal has helped me formulate opinions on issues that I wouldn’t have been able to a few years earlier. The mainstream news media and it’s bias is waning in the wake of this hyper information and I’m excited that with each person having the capability of reporting news that we may uncover many more important news stories and perspectives that would otherwise be lost.

Question 1: In what was do you utilize the increased amounts of information available to the average person with an internet connection?

Question 2: Explain how the increased amount of information has changed your opinion on a topic relevant to your life.

Question 3: If you feel like you’ve been overloaded with information, explain how you’ve been able to recover from this and what your methods are in preventing this from reoccurring.