k_rose33's Journal

Extra Credit
VoIP will have a large impact on cable and telephone networks by essentially decreasing their business. How can they compete with a technology that is more affordable and versatile? Of course they will have to lower their rates, but even then, they must bring something new to the table in order to maintain enough business to aquire a profit. I’m not sure how they will handle this change, especially after this article showed how easy this technology is to use and convert to.

Monday blog
I agree with this article in that VoIP should not be burdened with the same regulations as traditional telephone service. This technology is on the brink of potentially changing the telephone system as we know it. Placing a bunch of regulations on it would only hinder its growth! It is encouraging to know that there is a technology on the rise that will make it more affordable to communicate with people around the country and around the world. Once again, the Internet can provide a huge benefit to the public by eliminating the “middle man”. It allows users to have technology at their finger-tips instead of being at the mercy of larger organizations. Even if regulations are placed on this VoIP, I think its only a matter of time before people find a way around them.

Extra credit
This extra credit was posted on May 17th @11pm

I found the information in this article very interesting. During the elections, I had not visited the candidate’s websites myself, so I enjoyed learning about how each was set up using different software. It was surprising that with the amount of national attention and importance that is placed on our presidential election that these websites would not be run better. It would make sense, considering the resources available, that these sites would serve as a prototype for effective sites. I agree that it would be nice to see better usability with the websites for future candidates than we have had in the past four years.

Wednesday blog
This blog was posted May 17th @ 10:17pm

This issue is one that I had never really thought about; however, upon reading these articles, I think it is an important one to address. The ADA has made much advancement towards trying to ensure equal opportunity for Americans with disabilities. The way that technology is virtually changing the way we live, brings to discussion the need for an accessibility standard. I’m not sure how to define the relationship between public space and these accessibility standards because they seem to contradict each other. On one hand, public space should be free space… people should be allowed to create web pages the way they want. On the other hand, this “free space” cannot be used freely by all people and is therefore not accessible to the whole public. It would be great if a compromise could be met… or (this might be impossible) but have some kind of software created that could be downloaded to help a person with disabilities while not placing regulations on everyone.

Monday May 16th blog
This blog was posted on Monday, May 16th @ 8:55am... the curse of my calander continues!

Digital technology has a significant impact on political activity, especially because of the organization tool it can provide for a campaign. Joe Trippi was able to raise over $500,000, in less than a week, through a Howard Dean supporter’s blog that he set up! Even though Dean lost the primary, many took note of the impact the Internet had on his campaign strategy.

I am not convinced, however, that this digital technology will completely take over (they way we are pushing for) because the system is still full of many flaws. The Mother Jones article pointed out that there is concern that people are actually able to edit votes. It’s not very reassuring to know that someone could be sneaking around editing votes and, without a paper trail, there is no way that anyone can prove that they are doing it. For this reason alone, I hope that our nation can be smart enough to look past the razzle-dazzle of doing everything digitally and opt for a more honest voting system.

Extra Credit
In previous readings we have discussed the information overload that we all face in this day in age. Advertising seems to be a huge contributor to the info-stimulus overload. As a society we are so used to be bombarded with commercials, billboards, and pop-ups. Only when you really think about it, do we see just how ridiculous it is that our world is so cluttered! I agree with the article in that communities should have the right to reserve spaces free of commercialism so that everyone has an opportunity to voice their opinions and not just those with the most money. I liked how this article said that those with the most money should not have the loudest voice. It is concerning to think of the many messages that children are being sent, especially in schools. The big bucks companies are the one’s whose voices are being heard the loudest and often times those are not the messages that children should be receiving. Parts of this article made me think of the movie “Supersize Me” and the terrible nutrition that is advertised towards kids. I’m not sure if our nation will ever be able to pass laws that curb television advertising to kids, like in parts of Europe, but it’s nice to see that some are willing to recognize this problem instead of counting dollar signs.

Monday Blog
The concept of public space in cyberspace is to me the very means for what cyberspace represents. The web is a place where people should be able to gather to exchange ideas and information freely. I feel somewhat ignorant, but I had no idea that certain countries had constraints against the sites that its citizens could visit. It makes sense, with their restrictive governments, but I think that it takes away from the world-wide community that the Internet tries to connect. I agreed with the statement made from the first article that said, “governments that attempt to separate and divide the world rather than bring it together are on a collision course with the inevitable”. There always seem to be a way around the rules (especially with the advancements made by hackers). It is encouraging to think that technology could bring new light to these citizens who have always been told how to think and act. An increase in knowledge could lead to an increase in power for the citizens of these oppressed populations.

mid-term report
I also posted this via e-submit (assignment #2)... I'm not sure if I should have put it there so I am also posting it here.

The status of my final project at this half-way point is looking pretty good. My topic is online dating and during my research process I have found more than enough information. I was unsure of how many scholarly sources I would be able to find on this topic, but the UW library catalog and search engines, such as: ProQuest and CSA Illumina have been very beneficial. I think I have used the library resources more in the last few weeks than I have in the entire time I have been at U-Dub! My focus from this point forward is to gather more sources that specifically discuss the pros and cons of online dating as well as sources that examine how personal identity plays out within this social scene.

P.S. It appears that my calender is fixed... yippee!

Wednesday blog
I really enjoyed the way that this article was written with analogies. It put information that has been talked about over and over, into practical terms. In its discussion about the second superpower, in relation to ants, with the first superpower being the eagle was an interesting connection. We may 'admire the eagle in the sky, but we will pay attention to the ants in the kitchen' was a great statement. Many people feel that they do not have much of a voice within our powerful nation. Everything is regulated at the top, and because our nation teaches that money= power, it is likely that they will stay there. The social communities forming through the Internet are giving more of a voice to those “at the bottom” who want their ideas to be heard. I found it interesting how the article discussed how when the structure of our country was formed, many people were not educated and wanted the educated to make decisions for the country. Today, many more people are educated and want to be able to think for themselves. By uniting as individuals to create a stronger unit, the Internet is providing a way for ‘ants’ to join together and make their voices heard. While this second superpower may seem like a long shot to some, I think that as technology continues to change our dependencies, the success of this potential union is inevitable.

Monday May 2nd
I was one of the discussion leaders for class today and somehow was under the impression that the leaders did not need to blog before class. My mistake- but here it is. To me, the coolest think about social software is the way that it connects people. In a sense it has transformed communication. Before, we only had the capability for a medium that would connect one-to-many or one-to-one. Here, we can connect many-to-many. Information and ideas can be passed much quicker and more efficiently. Communication does not have to be immediate, therefore, giving flexibility to those in contact. One of the drawbacks to this open source, social software it how it can be regulated. If there were no barriers in place, anyone could join and the objective of the group could be in jeopardy, therefore, having a negative impact on the overall goals of the group. How far can we stretch the freedom of speech, when it negatively affects the ability for others to accomplish their desired group communication? I think that barriers; such as, memberships and not allowing for any anonymous comments are a good solution.

Wednesday Blog
The main implication for communication scholars in regards to Wi-Fi technology is that, with enough research, it could be revolutionary for bridging the digital divide and creating universal access. I appreciated the “How to Speak Wi-Fi” box because it put the computer vocab into straight-forward terms that were easy to understand. I learned that this wireless fidelity is a radio networking technology that is most often used to connect PC’s to a local network. This technology presents the ability for multiple unlicensed users to operate overlapping wireless networks that all transmit with the same frequency bands. With enough research, it is possible that this new technology could provide universal access that could pay for itself. That would do wonders for bridging the digital divide and making access obtainable for poorer countries. I am excited to learn that there is a possible solution towards using the advancements of our technology to help some of those who need it most.

Monday Blog
Communication scholars should study the open source software movement because it is changing the way that people communicate with one another. I am always tempted to compare to back in the day when there were no phones and people had to walk miles down a dirt road to talk to their neighbor. This, however, is far from any reality I have ever known. Yet, growing up in the age when cell phones started to boom, I have been witness to the effects that these mobile leashes have had on the way that people communicate with one another. Scholars have to keep up with the changing times because the way the we communicated ten years ago is different from the methods used today and the ones that will be used ten years from now. Our ability to communicate keeps getting faster and open source software will only further increase our immediacy. By studying the pros and cons and analyzing this movement, scholars can stay updated and help to explain the effects that this open source software is having within our communication networks.

Wednesday Blog
I thought that these reading were really interesting and the group leaders did a great job! It is crazy to me just how faulty our voting system is in the first place. I really had no idea that the ballots differed from county to county. When we are all voting for the same president for example, it makes sense that we should all be using the same ballot and method. The past few years have brought a lot of attention to this issue and I do not think it is going to go away until we can find something that works. I was especially interested in the system that India uses… it seems that we should put our pride aside and look for the best solution. It was also interesting to me that the whole online voting deal really would not be very cost efficient and, since it is networked, could also lead to massive corruption. What are we thinking??

Extra Credit
This was a very interesting read and one that I’m sure we will be hearing more about in the future. It took a look at the way we process information, highlighting affect and cognition. These two processes were applied to a three level theory of human behavior. The three levels are broken down into: reaction, routine and reflection in which each level serves two different functions: evaluation of the world and what is happening in it and interpretation of what is happening in the world. Understanding this concept further could be the link to creating computers that have complete artificial intelligence. A.I. would allow computers to be aware of their environments and behavior and act accordingly. It would be able to process through the process of affect, similar to the way humans do. In turn, it is proposed that, “by continually sensing its own state and that of its environment, the system would essentially be controlling its level of satisfaction or anxiety”. It would be nice to have a computer tell us how its feeling; such as, when it’s anxious about a virus or possible disk failure. The computer would be able to warn us before it has an accident! This process would be like graduating from diapers to training pants, and eventually big-kid underwear!! I wonder if future generations will laugh at the limitations of our non-potty-trained computers?

Monday Blog
The points made in this reading are what I was trying to verbalize in my blog from last weeks reading; however, this was more straight-forward. I agree that it can seem as though humans created computers that has in hind-sight forced us to think and act more like computers. This reading explains that, “The dilemma facing us is the horrible mismatch between requirements of these human-built machines and human capabilities. Machines are mechanical, we are biological”. I agree, in part, with what is being said here; however, I think that it is important to remember that we essentially created these machines and therefore they are an extension of our human capabilities. Bill Gates and other computer pioneers were able to create software that has made technology what it is today. I think that this reading was a bit of an exaggeration and underestimates the power and complexity of the human brain. I think what it comes down to is that people think and understand things in different ways. For those of us who find computer technology to be outside of our comfort zones, there are ways to become more proficient that are within our learning style.

April 13th Blog
Role of the Internet-
I think it is very interesting to think about where it is that people are getting their information. Always check the source right? Well, it’s a little scary that surveys have shown that many people consider television to be their primary source for political information. This same evidence suggests that, although television has surpassed print media in recent years, the print media is more effective toward political learning. It seems to me, that so often, we look for the easiest way of doing things. Sometimes, it is much easier to just turn on the TV and watch one of the many news programs than to pick up the paper. Television and Internet also have an advantage because they can get the news out faster… newspapers have to wait until the next morning. There is always a race to “get the story first” that the probability for getting the most complete story is diminished. Technology keeps us moving at such a pace that we rarely slow down to process and ask ourselves if the info we are receiving is accurate.
Beginners Guide to Media Reform-
It is especially evident that the media play a huge role in our lives. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are affected by the media in one way or another, because we are constantly bombarded by it. While searching through all the little factoids, I focused by attention on children’s programming and found some interesting info. One fact stated that children who spend most time with media are more likely to be overweight [because] exposure to ads for junk food is believed to be the key mechanism. Also, in 1983, only $100 million in TV advertising was aimed at children, but by 1997 the figure climbed to $1 billion, with the total amount of ads and marketing in all media reaching $12.7 billion. As this article explained, one of the primary goals of the media is gaining a profit. It is incredible to me to see the increase in ads aimed towards children in those fourteen years alone… especially since I would bet that they have continued to rise drastically in the last eight years. It is sad that the activity level of many children has been decreasing. Maybe, I am just being old school, but I think all kids need to spend more time outdoors, being active, and eating healthy, rather than playing video games, surfing the net and watching TV.

April 11th Blog
Being Held Hostage by Information Overload-
Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I could really relate to this article. The internet is undoubtedly a useful tool, but I cannot help but feel overloaded by all of the info that is thrown my way. The piece of this article that really left an impression on me was when Wurman stated that, ``a weekday edition of The New York Times contains more information than the average person was likely to come across in a lifetime in seventeenth-century England.'' Wow- it’s no wonder we can feel lost sometimes! It is ironic that the technologies that we have developed are in fact, developing us. In order to keep up with these machines, we have to become machines ourselves… and that is realistically impossible.
The Good, the Bad, and the Irrelevant-
This article did a good job of illustrating through facts, just how prominent the issue of information overload is. I was surprised to see how much research and how many articles have been written that discusses this issue… case in point, I guess. I appreciated Carlson’s theory that the focus for the solution to this problem should not be technology-based. He placed the responsibility upon users to educate themselves to Internet retrieval-relevant skills. I feel fortunate that we will be learning many of these important skills throughout this course.

oops
Hey guys, I ran out of time to do this one, but you can comment on my blog from yesterday or the extra credit.

Extra Credit
The extra credit reading by Vannevar Bush entitled, “As We May Think”, was especially interesting to me because it discussed how science has influenced our modern world, primarily how scientist have developed new technologies that affect the way we communicate and understand the society in which we live. I think he said it best when he stated, “Science has provided the swiftest communication between individuals; it has provided a record of ideas and has enabled man to manipulate and to make extracts from that record so that knowledge evolves and endures throughout the life of a race rather than that of an individual.”
I also found it interesting how Bush explained how technologies have been created which have interchangeable parts and this has lead to many advancements. These same parts are used to construct various different technologies and can be mass produced through machines. Our world is changed by new technology because they can be built and then manufactured for the masses at a cheap cost. He explained that, “The world has arrived at an age of cheap complex devices of great reliability; and something is bound to come of it.” What is bound to come is the way our society keeps producing and consuming more of the latest technology. Today our society is so dependant on technology that it has such a large affect on how we relate to one another and function as a community.

Blog #2
In the first reading, “Introduction to Internet Architecture and Institutions” made me realize just how complex the internet really is. I liked how Zuckerman and McLuaghlin tried to make it sound simple, the post card analogy helped, but it was although I was reading a computer language I had never seen before. It was interesting to me to see the whole breakdown of how everything works. I was most influenced by the section on the issues surrounding internet connection in developing countries. I had no idea that, these developing countries had to pay 100% of the international transit costs for all packet traffic. That seems ridiculous! The U.S and Europe are some of the wealthiest countries and we get to send and receive email, web pages, file transfers, etc for free. However, developing countries such as Africa and Nigeria have to pay to send or receive anything from us do to their dependence on international satellite links.

In second reading, the Introduction from, “Media, Technology and Society” was another interesting piece because it tied the advancements of new media and technology to the impacts it has on the reality of our everyday lives. The four prototypes for categorizing the impact of new devices: rejected, accepted, parallel and partial was very interesting. Winston used these prototypes to discuss his analysis for the societal impact of the technological progress. He suggested that as a society, we understand that advancements are going to be made; however, we regulate and form them to fit into our pre-existing social patterns. I would agree with his thoughts. We seem to have so many new devices coming out all the time. It seems that instead of just releasing this crazy new technology, that might get denied, we are slowly warmed-up the idea until it catches on. For example, the new technologies with cell phones are brought to the public’s awareness in stages… within months a new model and “new technology” is marketed. Once the old model has been accepted by society, the doors are opened to introduce new ideas.

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