Tonights class was the last for this semester. As we wrapped up everything we learned, I reflected on the various discussions that took place throughout the course. I must say, I really enjoyed Castells book. I liked his multidisciplined approach, the way he brought ideas from physics, computer science, economics, communication and network theory. It was difficult to follow but I felt a greater sense of accomplishment once I (sometimes I had to read a passage several, uh more like a 8 or 9 times to fully grasp the meaning) understood the material.
I enjoyed the different perspectives that each member of our class shared, it was a diverse group, spread across several generations. Some of us like technology, others tolerated it, nevertheless providing wonderful insight. I learned much in this course and hope to gain greater knowledge in new media.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
I know Thanksgiving was last week and this blog is supposed to be about new media, however, I had an experience I wanted to share. Saturday, two weeks ago, after returning home from running some errands I saw what appeared to be a homeless man rummaging through my apartments recycling bin looking for some soda cans and other bottles he could return for money. I’d seen this fellow before and always wanted to help him, remembering that I had some soda cans of my own in my apartment I quickly ran up to get them in hopes that I could give him the cans. However when I returned 2 minutes later he was gone so I walked out to the street to see if I could find him. I quickly located him at the next apartment building over where he had continued his search for recyclable goods. I approached him with all of the empty soda cans there were in my apartment, a total of nine. I held the cans in front of me as I approached, and once he recognized my intentions he held open a black plastic bag which used to hold as bottles and cans. I poured the cans into his bag and as I did so, he smiled at me and I realized that he did not have any teeth. He then made some unintelligible noise and I realized that he could not speak. Yet, his gratitude was genuine, and I was so touched by it. I mean, I gave him less than a dollar. This experience got me thinking about the things that I am thankful for. I know its cliché but here is a partial list (non prioritized);
1. My family
2. A place to live
3. A place to live that is heated
4. Water
5. My job
6. Food
7. My car
8. My bikes
9. My clothes (this guy had very little and it was so cold outside)
10. The educational opportunities I have
11. Cell phone
12. Freedom
13. My religious beliefs
So, what are you thankful for?
1. My family
2. A place to live
3. A place to live that is heated
4. Water
5. My job
6. Food
7. My car
8. My bikes
9. My clothes (this guy had very little and it was so cold outside)
10. The educational opportunities I have
11. Cell phone
12. Freedom
13. My religious beliefs
So, what are you thankful for?
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Voice Recognition Software
This week I decided to write about my experiences setting up voice recognition software on my laptop. The idea for this week’s blog came from a discussion we had in class last week. Someone said (I’m not sure who, it may have been our professor), keyboards will soon be obsolete on computers. Furthermore I do not type very fast and I thought it might be useful to have this type of software on my computer so that I would be more efficient writing papers.
When I purchased my computer last year I noticed that there was voice recognition software installed. However, I was unsure of the quality of the program; voice recognition software for Windows Vista. So I searched on the Internet for potential voice recognition programs and found that the windows software was rated fairly high. The other software applications and I found cost about 60 to 150 dollars. So I decided to set up the software on my computer instead of paying additional money.
After purchasing a headset with a microphone I went through the setup process for the software. During this process I learned how to use the software and the various commands which cover everything from placing a, or opening Microsoft word. It took me about 90 minutes to go through the process during which time the computer learned how I pronounce words. It was a relatively pain free process.
For my first attempt at using the software I “wrote” this blog entry. The first part of a blog is the corrected version and the second part is a version that came out as I spoke it to the computer. If I caught mistakes while reading I made the necessary corrections. If I did not catch them or if the mistake was a word like it and or misuse of a word I let those errors remain. Overall I enjoyed the experience of setting up the software and am excited about not having to type. Has anyone else had experience with the software? If so what has it been like to use this type of a program? There a lot more things I have to learn and I look forward to experimenting more with the software so that I can become even more efficient “writing” papers.
Results: 15 mistakes out of 380 words = 96% accuracy rating. See uncorrected version below.
This week I decided to write about my experiences setting up voice recognition software on my laptop. The idea for this week’s blog came from a discussion we had in class last week. Someone said (I’m not sure who im and then our professor), keyboards will soon be obsolete on computers. Furthermore I do not type very fast and I thought it might be useful to have this type of software on my computer so that I would be more efficient writing papers.
When I purchased my computer last year I notice that there was voice recognition software installed. However I was unsure of the quality of the program; voice recognition software four windows best to. So I searched on the Internet for potential voice recognition programs and found that the windows software was rated fairly high. The other software applications and I found cost about 60 to 150 dollars. So I decided to set up the software are EMI Computer instead of paying additional money.
After purchasing a headset with a microphone I went through the setup process for the software. During this process I learned how to use the software and the various commands which cover everything from placing a, or opening Microsoft word. It took me about 90 minutes to go through the process during which time the computer learned how I pronounce words. It was a relatively pain free process.
For my first attempt at using the software I “wrote” this blog entry. The first part of a blog is the corrected version and the second part is a version that came out as I spoke it to the computer. If I caught mistakes while reading I made the necessary corrections. If I did not catch them or if the mistake was words like it and or misuse of a word I let those errors remain. Overall enjoyed the experience of setting up the software and an excited about not having to type. Has anyone else had experience with the software? If so what has it been like to use this type of a program? There a lot more things I have to learn I look forward to experimenting more with the software so they can become even more efficient “writing” papers.
When I purchased my computer last year I noticed that there was voice recognition software installed. However, I was unsure of the quality of the program; voice recognition software for Windows Vista. So I searched on the Internet for potential voice recognition programs and found that the windows software was rated fairly high. The other software applications and I found cost about 60 to 150 dollars. So I decided to set up the software on my computer instead of paying additional money.
After purchasing a headset with a microphone I went through the setup process for the software. During this process I learned how to use the software and the various commands which cover everything from placing a, or opening Microsoft word. It took me about 90 minutes to go through the process during which time the computer learned how I pronounce words. It was a relatively pain free process.
For my first attempt at using the software I “wrote” this blog entry. The first part of a blog is the corrected version and the second part is a version that came out as I spoke it to the computer. If I caught mistakes while reading I made the necessary corrections. If I did not catch them or if the mistake was a word like it and or misuse of a word I let those errors remain. Overall I enjoyed the experience of setting up the software and am excited about not having to type. Has anyone else had experience with the software? If so what has it been like to use this type of a program? There a lot more things I have to learn and I look forward to experimenting more with the software so that I can become even more efficient “writing” papers.
Results: 15 mistakes out of 380 words = 96% accuracy rating. See uncorrected version below.
This week I decided to write about my experiences setting up voice recognition software on my laptop. The idea for this week’s blog came from a discussion we had in class last week. Someone said (I’m not sure who im and then our professor), keyboards will soon be obsolete on computers. Furthermore I do not type very fast and I thought it might be useful to have this type of software on my computer so that I would be more efficient writing papers.
When I purchased my computer last year I notice that there was voice recognition software installed. However I was unsure of the quality of the program; voice recognition software four windows best to. So I searched on the Internet for potential voice recognition programs and found that the windows software was rated fairly high. The other software applications and I found cost about 60 to 150 dollars. So I decided to set up the software are EMI Computer instead of paying additional money.
After purchasing a headset with a microphone I went through the setup process for the software. During this process I learned how to use the software and the various commands which cover everything from placing a, or opening Microsoft word. It took me about 90 minutes to go through the process during which time the computer learned how I pronounce words. It was a relatively pain free process.
For my first attempt at using the software I “wrote” this blog entry. The first part of a blog is the corrected version and the second part is a version that came out as I spoke it to the computer. If I caught mistakes while reading I made the necessary corrections. If I did not catch them or if the mistake was words like it and or misuse of a word I let those errors remain. Overall enjoyed the experience of setting up the software and an excited about not having to type. Has anyone else had experience with the software? If so what has it been like to use this type of a program? There a lot more things I have to learn I look forward to experimenting more with the software so they can become even more efficient “writing” papers.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Teleportation would be ridiculously expensive
I wanted to continue my discussion about teleportation this week by examining the costs (as in money) associated with this technology. Assuming for a moment we could build a device powerful enough to teleport a person, (Theoretically teleportation is possible, for proof read about EPR correlation) it would be ridiculously expensive. Let me explain. For illustration purposes, lets compare teleportation of human to sending a fax. Looking at the process, a fax is converted from atoms (ink on a paper), to bits (digital reproduction), sent (teleported), converted back to atoms (ink on paper) once the fax arrives. Additionally, from a bandwidth/processing perspective, sending a 2 or 3 page fax is not very data intensive.
So lets examine the process of teleporting a human. The first step would be to scan (digitize)every molecule in the human body and the human body has as many molecules as the sands of the sea, or so it seems. To be exact, 10^28, that is, 10 followed by 28 zeros of molecules! If this scan could be performed, we would send the digital information to some receiver, most likely via the internet or some other type of connection. If this were possible, then the digital information would have to be reconstructed, each molecule would have to be placed within 1 nanometer of its original location! There is not enough computing power in all of the computers in the world, combined, that would allow for this type of 3-D scan.
But, if it were possible, it would require the most powerful computers. Thus, teleportation would be a very expensive process. Which leads to a recurring theme of my blogs and our new media class. The digital divide, the gap between the haves and the have nots. I wonder how big the digital divide would be if we get to this point of human teleportation? I wonder how this (teleportation and the resulting increase in the digital divide) would change society?
So lets examine the process of teleporting a human. The first step would be to scan (digitize)every molecule in the human body and the human body has as many molecules as the sands of the sea, or so it seems. To be exact, 10^28, that is, 10 followed by 28 zeros of molecules! If this scan could be performed, we would send the digital information to some receiver, most likely via the internet or some other type of connection. If this were possible, then the digital information would have to be reconstructed, each molecule would have to be placed within 1 nanometer of its original location! There is not enough computing power in all of the computers in the world, combined, that would allow for this type of 3-D scan.
But, if it were possible, it would require the most powerful computers. Thus, teleportation would be a very expensive process. Which leads to a recurring theme of my blogs and our new media class. The digital divide, the gap between the haves and the have nots. I wonder how big the digital divide would be if we get to this point of human teleportation? I wonder how this (teleportation and the resulting increase in the digital divide) would change society?
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Wouldn't it be nice if we could teleport
I am having difficulty scheduling time to return home this Christmas, with work, school, writing my thesis, and other papers I am submitting for conferences and trying to stay in decent shape for next summers triathlon season. I may end up flying home for a weekend during Christmas, if I can find a flight.
Consequently, I began reflecting on teleportation and how simple this would make travel. (For a movie based example of teleportation see Jumper, not such a great movie, but the idea of teleporting is wonderfully portrayed) Think about it, if you could teleport, you could live anywhere. I could go home during the hoiliday season every night leading up to Christmas, and any other night. I could live on the Gold Coast of Australia and attend school/work in CT. This ability would instantly negate the need for any type of transportation, planes, cars, trains, buses, bikes, etc. Imagine the money saved from purchasing transportation in all its forms. Roads would become obsolete, as would airports, and train stations.
I will talk more about the science aspect of this next week, but would this ability be something beneficial to society? What would be some long term effects?
Consequently, I began reflecting on teleportation and how simple this would make travel. (For a movie based example of teleportation see Jumper, not such a great movie, but the idea of teleporting is wonderfully portrayed) Think about it, if you could teleport, you could live anywhere. I could go home during the hoiliday season every night leading up to Christmas, and any other night. I could live on the Gold Coast of Australia and attend school/work in CT. This ability would instantly negate the need for any type of transportation, planes, cars, trains, buses, bikes, etc. Imagine the money saved from purchasing transportation in all its forms. Roads would become obsolete, as would airports, and train stations.
I will talk more about the science aspect of this next week, but would this ability be something beneficial to society? What would be some long term effects?
Thursday, October 30, 2008
It is 10 pm Thursday night. I just got out of class and wanted to talk about a documentary we watched called; hate.com. In a nutshell, it discussed how hate groups have utilized the internet to perpetuate their doctrine. The internet allows them free speech and more importantly, global access to impressionable people. The documentary presented several examples of hate crimes that were inspired by this internet based propaganda. It also had interviews with those who set up these sites, often proclaiming they had done so in the name of God
My initial reaction was laughter, not at the crimes, but at the rhetoric spouted be these hate site creators. My thought was surely, people don't believe this stuff. Anyone with minimal intelligence would see through the lies. When I heard one of the "pastors" of these churches calling for a global purification, I thought of the crusades of the middle ages-people committing crimes in the name of God. These "pastors" don't understand the bible, or the teachings of Christ, who they claim to be committing these crimes for. It is difficult for me to believe there are people out there who would fall for these charlatans.
So my question(s) is, what is our responsibility when it comes to preventing these types of crimes? Should we shut down these websites? Should we prosecute the leaders? What responsibility do we have to prevent this type of hate? What can you or I as one person do?
My initial reaction was laughter, not at the crimes, but at the rhetoric spouted be these hate site creators. My thought was surely, people don't believe this stuff. Anyone with minimal intelligence would see through the lies. When I heard one of the "pastors" of these churches calling for a global purification, I thought of the crusades of the middle ages-people committing crimes in the name of God. These "pastors" don't understand the bible, or the teachings of Christ, who they claim to be committing these crimes for. It is difficult for me to believe there are people out there who would fall for these charlatans.
So my question(s) is, what is our responsibility when it comes to preventing these types of crimes? Should we shut down these websites? Should we prosecute the leaders? What responsibility do we have to prevent this type of hate? What can you or I as one person do?
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Digital Divide/Nanotech
I wanted to relate an issue that we have discussed several times in class and one that always seems to be prominent in our textbooks and other technology related writings. The issue of digital divide always lurks in the background during any discussion of new media. Essentially this issue relates to the haves and the have not’s, which is nothing new, Marx addressed this idea in his theories. And as the name suggests, digital technology in the hands of the powerful/rich allows the gap/divide to grow between these two groups. The rich get richer is another way of looking at this, and digital technology is a tool that can perpetuate this issue.
So my question is (perhaps more so for those of you who are not in my class that read this) do new technologies make rich people richer? Or is it a case of having the technology and knowing how to use it as opposed to just having the technology. I tend to think it is more of the former. What do you think? If the next revolution begins with the diffusion of nanotechnology (please see last week’s post) will the digital divide increase? Will the rich get even richer?
So my question is (perhaps more so for those of you who are not in my class that read this) do new technologies make rich people richer? Or is it a case of having the technology and knowing how to use it as opposed to just having the technology. I tend to think it is more of the former. What do you think? If the next revolution begins with the diffusion of nanotechnology (please see last week’s post) will the digital divide increase? Will the rich get even richer?
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