responses

I will be posting my responses to English 303 readings here.

From Mdietrich Tue Jan 24 00:02:42 -0500 2006
From: Mdietrich
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 00:02:42 -0500
Subject: Response: January 24, 2006
Message-ID: <�-0500@www.as.wvu.edu:8000>

Roomology
1. How does the author compare a place such as his room to an online identity? How can the idea of taking a room elsewhere compare to personal the idea of one's personal identity?

2. Does the author believe that by allowing someone to see inside one's room, they are revealing personal details into one's life?

3. Does the author really believe in taxonomy of a room in the form of one's expression?

Answer: Question 1
A room is personal. It is one place in which one can call their own. Whether it be a dorm room in college, an unlivable space crowded with clutter, or a spacious bedroom with which to share a passion, it is a continuation of oneself. As the author notes, he believes that an online identity or blog of sorts is also a continuation of oneself. Even though you may be at work, out of town, or elsewhere, your identity remains online. Anyone can page through the vulnerability at which you have placed yourself,for others to view. There is no physical location involved as it certainly allows others to make judgements for themselves.
For a room, it is quite the same. Imagine if you were able to put an electronic version of your room online for others to view. Would they be able to make their own judgements about the person you are without ever physically stepping into your room? Certainly. But this could be a good thing. If you were able to glimpse into another's personal space, and note even the tiniest details, it would allow for a magnified look into that person's life. Like it or not, you can find out a lot about a person by viewing the contents of one's room. Each object has a story to tell, each artifact has a meaning. The author makes it seem like the feeling of home is just a click away. This however, is hard for me to imagine. The author notes, "we could party while we seem to be working," as he comments on entering a friend's room online. While this concept makes sense, it seems likely to be a bit far fetched. This idea does not seem like something that could be present in the near future.


From sbaldwin Tue Jan 24 15:59:57 -0500 2006
From: sbaldwin
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 15:59:57 -0500
Subject: Response: January 24, 2006
Message-ID: <�-0500@www.as.wvu.edu:8000>
In-Reply-To: <�-0500@www.as.wvu.edu:8000>

Megan: Yes it's an interesting and productive parallel. We refer to home pages, we feel that the web site expresses us, and so on; similarly, we decorate a room, we view it as a space for design and adaptation. I like your sentence "Each object has a story to tell, each artifact has a meaning." I think this is very much Perec's point - and these stories are part of our interaction these things in space. Do write three questions next time!

From Mdietrich Mon Jan 30 18:39:42 -0500 2006
From: Mdietrich
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 18:39:42 -0500
Subject: Response : January 31, 2006
Message-ID: <�-0500@www.as.wvu.edu:8000>

I did write three questions in the entry above, they are simply numbered wrong.

I am having a hard time understanding today's reading. Can you explain during class?

From Mdietrich Tue Feb 7 10:47:14 -0500 2006
From: Mdietrich
Date: Tue, 07 Feb 2006 10:47:14 -0500
Subject: Response: Feb. 7, 2006
Message-ID: <�-0500@www.as.wvu.edu:8000>


1.) In The Desktop Environment, the author makes a good point. What good is having different windows, if you can still only view one window at a time? Do the minimized ones just make it easier for us to access?

2.)The reading talks about the coming of desktop icons and the mouse. How did the public ever live without these necessities at their fingertips? I can't imagine going back in time.

3.)Why are such standard programs still as functional now as they were in the past?

Response, Question 2: Today, society is obsessed with instant gratification. Everything we do, must be instantly gratified with a response. Whether it be some form of self-improvement or the things we buy or the things we choose not to do, we want satisfaction immediately. Computers are no exception.

Think about the last time you surfed on the web. How long would you let the computer search for the page before you got frusturated? Well, I guess I am no exception then either. I would give the page approximately 30 seconds, before I would close the browser to try again. It seems like a waste of time to sit and wait on the screen to load doesn't it? Sadly, we have become so used to necessities that make our lives easier, and faster, such as shortcuts and icons. Without them it would be impossible to get so much use out of a computer. But, this is crazy! Think about it- 10 years ago, one would be thrilled if their program took several minutes to load. With internet too, if we even had a dial up connection, it was the greatest thing in the world. Even though it was slow.

So, with the development of newer, faster computers and programs, it makes life a lot easier, and a lot easier to gratify. We have wireless internet which instantly connects to a network, we have ways to talk and share, and so many other countless options which are put right at our fingertips. What on earth would we do without such capabilities?


From sbaldwin Tue Feb 14 12:05:29 -0500 2006
From: sbaldwin
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2006 12:05:29 -0500
Subject: Response: Feb. 7, 2006
Message-ID: <�-0500@www.as.wvu.edu:8000>
In-Reply-To: <�-0500@www.as.wvu.edu:8000>

Megan: Part of question two is understanding the limitations of the WIMP model, which aren't clear to us all the time, since we think it is the only model. The older model was often faster because it didn't rely on graphics - I'm thinking here of before the WIMP interface. When you talk about 10 years ago and slower computers, this is still within the model of the desktop, icon, etc. The graphical interface of the web is wonderful in many ways, but it is very slow comparatively - really, only now, with dsl and cable and so on, is web surfing similar in speed to the old internet. So, to some degree instant gratification is a kind of current delusion (in part, an addiction to images).

From Mdietrich Tue Feb 21 11:03:58 -0500 2006
From: Mdietrich
Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 11:03:58 -0500
Subject: Response: Feb. 21, 2006
Message-ID: <�-0500@www.as.wvu.edu:8000>


1.) How does the author continuously refer to the surpassing of virtual reality (like dot coms and cell phones) in relation to specific physical spaces (in the car etc.)?

2.)In what ways are surveillance, cellspace and electronic displays related to each other? How do they feed off of one another as they are linked together?

3.)How do the 15 research paradigms the author mentioned, convey a sense of "overlaying" in regards to physical space?

Response, Question 2:
All of these characteristics or attributes contribute to getting or transmitting information, data to or from a physical space. Our physical spaces are now filled with technologies, like cell phones and personal computers, which makes this process easier. Video Surveillance, for example, transmits data from a specific space, in regards to what is taking place there- to another space for someone else to view. These images, give a person a sense of physical space within a physical space. You can be in one place while witnessing another. The participants there then become a form of "data" as they are being recorded for some specific purpose.
Cell space technologies takes this concept one step further. Such technologies actually deliver the data to "space dwellers." Anywhere the person is, as long as they have access to a media outlet, they can receive such information. They could have the information delivered to their e-mail address, or happen to catch a glimpse of the TV as they walk through the room, however, the information is continuously flowing through the cell space. It is customized to an individual user-in regards to the ways in which they receive the information.
Just as mentioned above, when a person walks by a T.V.- the images are in the form of computer/video displays. This aspect has more control over the content rather than the way in which the content is received. Such displays connect the content with visual images which can be changed at any point in time. An example of this would be a tv monitor. You extract the data and augment it with the data which has been provided (from surveillence etc.) The way that data now flows through this process has become a key player in a society where technology has become the main focus.
From sbaldwin Fri Mar 3 14:09:38 -0500 2006 From: sbaldwin Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2006 14:09:38 -0500 Subject: response from Sandy to your Feb 21 post Message-ID: <�-0500@www.as.wvu.edu:8000> Megan: Good response. There's a sense that every new technological possiblity brings new ways of control and constraining freedom, as much as it extends and transforms our freedoms. So, there's a continual re-structuring. Could we imagine moving to a society where surveillance was completely ubiquitous? We may be heading this way already... but if surveillance is everywhere, perhaps it no longer makes a difference? Question #1 is also interesting - I suppose Manovich means virtual reality in the sense of a model or way of thinking about technology, i.e. virtual reality has been our (society's) dreamed of model of the way computers should work in the long run.

 From Mdietrich Thu Mar 23 14:07:36 -0500 2006 From: Mdietrich Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 14:07:36 -0500 Subject: Old and New Message-ID: �-0500@www.as.wvu.edu:8000

1.) What did companies do for advertising when years ago there was no such thing as "mass media?"

2.)How does the formation of individual media environments shape the way society interacts with one another?

3.) How has tactical media helped bridge the gap between societies and power?

Answer: In every country or region there lies cultural differences. From a small African village to New York city where blackberries and palm pilots have become a necessity, the cultural differences seem to be slightly unified through the media. Take any impovrished area for example; they do not own t.v's. Even those living in rural areas may not be adjusted to mainstream media. However, the ways in which they find power in media, as mentioned in the reading, thrives on these differences. The author used a camcorder as an example: they may find entertainment and satisfaction in creating their own media through stories etc. You can find power almost anywhere in the media. Power to persuade through advertising, power to entertain etc. It has become the very ground that every society is shaped around, while all in different ways from the next. Another example is a minority group; they can broadcast ideas to get messages out to a targeted audience and create groups in support of their ideas. This is power through internet as a mass medium, and power through broadcast. Keep in mind this is effective for any group who wishes to get an idea across. This connects people with eachother in ways that would not be possible if our societies weren't centered around mass media. It shapes and forms societies to take on any role in which they can create themselves.