Teaching Day II

I wanted to take a moment to reflect back upon the last teaching day we had. I found the format to be effective in that more people had the opportunity to go up in front of class and share what they had researched. Through this method I picked up on many new technologies that I was not aware of before. All of the presentations were very impressive.

I chose to introduce how the built in sensors in a laptop can be used to detect seismic activity. Most laptops are equipped with a sudden motion sensor or active protection system. These sensors were originally designed to protect the internal hardware of the computer from getting damaged in the event they are dropped or shaken. Seismologists have been able to capitalize on this technology by using the sensor system to detect for seismic activity. The Quake-Catcher Network is responsible for providing the digital link between participating laptops to record the activity. It is as simple as the laptop user installing a program for no charge which will run in the background. Measurements and signals are only transferred if they are strong because there is a lot of normal activity that the sensor system will pick up. With your IP address and server location, your location can be determined.

This technology has proven to be cost efficient because seismic technology and equipment by itself is very expensive. The alternative method of detection via laptops saves a lot of money and time.

Listed below are guidelines for you to determine if your laptop has the capability:

If you have a Macintosh laptop manufactured after January 1, 2005 then you probably do.

If you have a Thinkpad manufactured after 2003, then you probably do.

If you have a HP laptop was produced since January 2007, you may have a 3D Motion Data Protection System.

If you have an Acer laptop produced since January 2007, you may have a Gravisense accelerometer on board.

President's Forum 11/18/08

This week's President Forum Series speaker was journalist Susan Page from USA Today. As an experienced journalist, she closely followed the election. She gave her opinion and analysis of what worked best for Obama and ultimately led to his success. A lot of the key points she was addressing were topics of discussion in our class. Two winning factors for Barack Obama were reaching out to the youth vote and Hispanics. The youth vote is nothing new to our discussions, however I did not realize the great affect of the Hispanic vote. Obama's campaign reached across racial boundaries that have never been breached before among blacks. These racial boundaries would not dare be crossed by past presidents. I question where we will be going in the future and what it means for race? The forum was very much interactive as Susan invited a lot of questions from the audience. One particular question drew attention to Obama's representation as some sort of celebrity rock star. Throughout the campaigning period Obama's face was pictured on several different mediums. Clothing such as t-shirts, pins, stickers, banners, etc. Specifically t-shirts were wide spread among the youth and portrayed Obama as some sort of global celebrity. This face value image proved to be very successful in his ultimate clinching of the presidency.

Vice City

Wark's chapter "Atopia (on Vice City)" can be related to by many of us. I personally am not a gamer, but I do have a little experience playing the Grand Theft Auto games. With now the latest version, San Andreas, the GTA series has morphed into one of the most popular games for youths. As Wark describes it, "a world in which you can do whatever you want." The more acts of crime and violence committed, the more money you get and further advance in the game. As long as you are not arrested or shot dead, you have free roam to go wherever you choose. Fortunately there is a mature rating that comes with the game. What type of message is this suppose to send to the younger generations? Is it wise to be promoting this amount of violence in the video game world? I know video game advocates would claim that it is your choice to voluntarily play the game so you can not hold the producers accountable. However this claim is not strong enough and I feel games of this caliber need to be reexamined before being released.

What Do You Do With Your Time?

The big question... What do you do with your time? We ended class yesterday with the discussion of leisure time. Some how Americans feel the need to crunch their time and use every minute effectively. God for bid we relaxed for a few minutes or did nothing. The concept of productivity is highly Americanized in our culture. Granted not everyone uses their time like this, however this appears to be the general trend. Based on the class discussion, a majority seem to have a regimented schedule outside of the classroom. A few appear to have the time to spare for leisure. This does not suggest necessarily that people do not know how to have fun, but rather the fun must be scheduled in. Specifically Merel had mentioned that the general trend is the complete opposite in the Netherlands. There is not nearly the same amount of pressure and time constraint in Europe. One may wonder how our culture has gotten so money hungry and time driven. Doesn't everyone want to accomplish the American Dream? Some may regard everyone as having the innate right to be successful and happy in life. What can we draw from this?

Gamer Theory

McKenzie Wark introduces the ABC theory for gamers; "A primer, rather, in thinking about a world made over as a gamespace, made over as an imperfect copy of the game. The game might not be utopia, but it might be the only thing left with which to play against gamespace" (24). Wark is taking us into the gaming world, starting with level one. I am a little confused as I begin to read because none of Gamer Theory is dedicated or contributed to science or theory. Rather Wark is embarking in an untapped realm of gamespace. The behind the scenes world of gamespace and virtual reality is explored. The writing style and format is not traditional in the sense that there are no page numbers. Instead there are numbered paragraphs and chapters. The second chapter Allegory, analyzes the computer generated game The Sims. From the perspective of the gamer, you are immersed into a virtual world of controlling a family. This family simulation consists of the parents, managing the children, jobs, money, and all the other necessities. Designed to mimic the operations of a typical family in real life. Somehow you are playing in the game world and running a family at the same time.

Do we live in a gamespace? One must consider the passage of time in the game world and real life. When behind the computer screen or TV, a certain amount of control is in your hand. You have the ability to pause, stop, and or restart. Granted you must successfully complete the campaign or level to move on, however, the degree of difficulty can be adjusted at times. Now consider real life... There is no pause button or way to just magically put a hold on everything. Time cannot be rewound or fast forwarded. The passage of time is key here and the difference must be distinguished between reality and gamespace. Last time I checked there is one chance in life and very difficult to try and start over.

Does the game world keep on going or extend in some manner beyond the levels? I would like to readdress that Wark's work should be taken with a grain of salt. As previously mentioned, there is no firm science or theory that supports his claims. Take it for how you interpret it.

"Mobile, Mutable, Mixed, and Mashed"

I found the discussion today to be very helpful in the way Professor Dean presented it. By way of power point, the class had something to visually stimulate them and the usage of student work in combination with lecture was great. The discussion and lecture helped to further my understanding of the Boler articles. From this point, I think it is a good segway into Gamer Theory.

Axel Bruns addresses many key points in how digital media works. The issue of debate and deliberation over the internet and in a face to face setting must be explored. What is more effective... Having a discussion, deliberation, or argument through computer screens or in person? Transmissions via the internet may be delayed and the responder generally has time to think about how to respond. Does this allow for a fair system? I personally feel there needs to be a sense of accountability and who is to say what gets published on the internet actually bears any credibility. This is obviously nothing new for us as we are well immersed in the blogosphere, we scrutinize and evaluate blogs on a daily basis. Granted our classmates and professor's blogs can all be considered with a certain level of credibility. However the "other" or the World Wide Web must be taken with a grain of salt.

The need for the useless or pointless is becoming more and more evident throughout the internet. The useless and pointless referring to the type of application Merel had presented to class. This is rather a jump from where I started this post however there is a direct correlation here. The specific example she presented is just a snipet of what is beginning to dominate the internet. With this fear turning into reality, what will happen to the sense of validity and credibility? How will one be able to decipher between the truth and what is false? I am afraid the web is on track to turn into a giant wikipedia resource unless there is some sort of government intervention.

In class we talked about different platforms of social networking and the roles they play in debate. Specifically facebook does not have any real standing in an argument or formal debate. We all agreed that facebook is solely used as a social utility amongst friends. There are of course the occasions that people will use facebook for more of a structured communication. However most utilize it for the social perks, pictures, and gossip.

Election Night in Geneva!

I had the opportunity to see the local elections of Geneva come in to the democratic head quarters Tuesday night. Having devoted a good chunk of time to volunteer and help local politicians, it was nice to see the efforts pay off. I have never before witnessed a local election's results come in the way they do it here. In addition to the presidential race, there were about 10 local races. Ranging from state assembly to judge. People were assigned to go out a retrieve the paper results from the polling sites and then report back to HQ. Geneva is divided into six different wards and each ward has two sections. As the results were coming in, the numbers were posted up on the wall coordinating with the appropriate ward and candidate. This was a live feed which gave the committee members an idea of which direction the races were going into. An exciting and suspenseful activity to sit through! In the end, the democrats made out well with about seven winning positions and three losses.