Steven Thomas
Week 1-1: Name as many members of your class as you can remember.
-Mike, Mango, Sami Said, James, Colin, Jordan, Drew
Week 1-2: Write a paragraph on what you see as communicating on the Internet.
-I see communicating on the internet as interacting with others that use the internet in search of the same things as you. Whether it be through an instant message, E-mail, or even viewing the same website as another person communicating on the internet is the act of social interaction without the use of voice of sight. You communicate with written text.
Week 1-2
1. What is your 'blogger' address?
http://ThaSdotMan.blogspot.com
2. Write a couple of sentences on each of these new tensions that technology brings to society.
Centralization vs. Fragmentation
Technology brings tensions to society because of the ideas of centralization and fragmentation. The internet hinders centralization because people do not have to be close in proximity to each other in order to communicate. You can communicate with someone in china on the internet just as fast as you can communicate with someone sitting next to you.
A holistic perspective vs. specialized knowledge
With so much new information and technology growing it is increasingly hard to understand all that needs to be known in the internet. Because of that people are starting to learn specialized information instead of the greater holistic perspective. Only few people have the knowledge that runs all the systems.
Too much information vs. too little information
There is sometimes a problem today with too little information because sometimes you cannot take the information given to you as fact. There is so much opinion floating around its hard to decipher. There is also the problem of too much information. Any person can post information so you need to be able to tell what a credible source is and what isn’t.
Leadership vs. Fellowship
In today’s internet people seem to be put on the same platform in topics. It doesn’t seem to matter if someone is young or old, black or white, or any of those other topics because the idea of fellowship is at an all time high on the internet.
Worker isoliation/alientation vs. Community connections
There are less community connections today and more isolation because people can stay in there houses and goes on the web. They isolate themselves to their computer and their community connections therefore seem to flop.
Sharing vs. Withholding access to information
Sharing is at a high right now because people don’t mind sharing information. They aren’t really giving anything up and they still can let other people see what they see. The internet tries to withhold information to youngsters but that has not really been too successful.
Information "filters" vs. Disintermediation
This is important because sometimes we need to filter information so certain people can’t access to. For example children shouldn’t be able to view pornographic materials.
Public intervention vs. Private decision-making
We can accomplish both of these using the internet and technology. Public intervention can help people who need help so they can reach out to others. Private decision making is important in business and making deals.
3. Which cities are America's Most Wired Cities?
San Francisco, San Diego, Washington D.C., Seattle, Portland
4. Which cities are the world's Most Wired Cities?
Singapore, Tokyo, London, Moscow, San Francisco
5. What are the next three largest users of the Internet after English speaking people?
Chinese, Japanese, Spanish
6. What Arab country uses the Internet the most?
United Arab Emirates
7. 'Future City' what does the author say will be the affect the future city will have on the individual? What do you think the affect the future city will have on the individual?
The author thinks that the future will affect the individual in the fact that there will be no such thing as freedom. He says that it is like a machine in which every part as its purpose. It needs to be like this in order for the machine to work. I think that the future city will be like the author says except i think it will be alot more chaotics and underground chaos will rule the world.
Week 1-3
1. What are some of the global impacts of being able to create a homepage on the Internet?
Some of the global impacts include being able to have your information seen by many people across the world. People can visually view your likes, dislikes and any pertinent information you feel is necessary for the viewer.
2. Where is the technological city state and why is it refereed to as the 21st century fortress city?
The technological city state is Singapore. It is referred to as the 21st century fortress city because everything can work within itself. Every part of the city is enclosed and the rules are very strict.
3. What is right or wrong about machines influence on our lives?
I think machines are a good influence in our live because it lets us be lazy . I enjoy being lazy and machines such as robots help to let me be lazy.
4. When you have received three other student's websites write a few paragraphs on what the person is telling us with their website.
I read about this kid named mike manganiello who loves beavers. Apparently he loves drunken beavers that listen to hip hop. The next person was Noelle. She likes weezer, is a junior at suny Albany, and likes snowboarding. John likes to call himself moofa and enjoys hunting, fishing, pumping iron, and his family.
5. Refresh your page and link to someone with your similar interests, which are linked from your profile.
I researched the results of marijuana and observed that a guy named gonzo had the same interest as me. This guy also like a clockwork orange, porn, the doors and Jim Morrison. This guy also seems to like the movie fear and loathing in las vegas.
6. Read the article about the Baghdad blogger and write a couple of paragraphs on how Salam Pax saw his blog and how others, especially in the Western Media saw his blog. What would you see as the similairty or differences between a blog and an 'embedded reporter' with a United States organisation such as CNN news and which would you believe would be giving a true report of fact or which would be giving a reportage that was politcally or motivated by the writer's worldview? You may want to compare what Salam Pax says with what this reporter who was an "embedded reporter" with NBC has to say.
Salam Pax was surprised by the amount of traffic his blog was getting. He was also surprised by the fact that the people visiting his site looked at it as if he was speaking for all the Iraqi people. An embedded reporter might have a more realistic view of what is going on, but they might have their stories looked at by their bosses before they are published, it may hold back information. The embedded reporter would have too many things/people influencing/motivating his writings.
Week 1 -4
1. Find three sites on the Internet which addresses political issues of Internet usage and in two-three sentences discuss the site's rhetoric saying saying what it's view points are and what issues are being discussed. Provide the link.
a) http://www.mevic.org/papers/inet-mena.html
While the MENA region is the least “wired” region of the world, it offers at the same time the greatest potential for growth. The rapid diffusion of new technologies, the growth of Internet use at astounding rates, the recent and expected future changes in leadership, all offer a cautious degree of hope and optimism for the region.
b) http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/01/14/geek.study.reut/
The findings of the first World Internet Project report present an image of the average Netizen that contrasts with the stereotype of the loner "geek" who spends hours of his free time on the Internet and rarely engages with the real world.
c) http://dawn.thot.net/e-govt-survey.html
The Canadian government has aggressively pursued the adoption and expansion of e-government and associated e-forms and e-services providing individuals with a variety of electronic options for participating in the political process.
2. Using an on-line translator (such as altavista's Babel) put in your journal what the English translation for this is and what do you think it is saying?
Dans Les Ruines D'Une Abbaye
Souls both, delighted, singing! How one s'aime! How one picking spring that God seme!Quels laughter etincelants Dansces shades Full formerly with white faces, Of hearts sombres!On is any expenses marry One s'envoie the charming cries vary joie.Purs ebats meles with the wind Which frissone! Gaite that the black brood Assaisonne!On thins out the leaves of of the jasmines On the stone Or l abbess joint hands In priere.(Les tombs, of cross marks, Font part Of these plays, a little spades By l'ortie.)
I think this is a prayer or something religious.
3. Write a five line poem or a short paragraph on anything. Have it translated into French, German, Korean and Russian then translate it back and put in your journal what you got.
English to French- Sarclez l'amour de I, mauvaise herbe que j'ai besoin, quand vous obtenez soulevé, vous volent, pourquoi boisson et commande, quand vous pouvez fumer et voler.
French to English- Weed I coils, Weed I need, When you get lifted, You fly, Why drink and drive, When you edge smoke and fly.
English to German- Säubern Sie I Liebe, Unkraut, das ich benötige, wenn Sie angehoben erhalten, Sie fliegen, warum Getränk und Antrieb, wenn Sie rauchen und fliegen können.
German to English- Weed I love, Weed I need, When you GET lifted, You fly, Why drink and drive, When you CAN smoke and fly.
English to Korean-너가 연기가 나고, 날l 수 있을 때, 너가 들어 얻을 때 위드i사랑, 위드 나가 필요로 하는, 너는, 왜 음료와 드라이브 날n다.
Korean to English- Weed I love and Weed I need and When you get lifted and You fly and Why drink and drive and When you can smoke and fly.
English to Russian- Выполите влюбленность I, засоритель, котор я, когда вы получаете поднятыми, вы летите, почему питье и привод, когда вы можете курить и летать.
Russian to English- Weed I Love, Weed I need, When you get lifted, You fly, Why drink and drive, When you can smoke and fly.
