Thesis 14

Corporations do not speak in the same voice as these new networked conversations. To their intended online audiences, companies sound hollow, flat, literally inhuman.

I think this is really true. Corporations do not know what people want but they still try to sell it. Therefore they keep talking in this commercial advertisement way that sounds very inhuman. By trying to be funnier than everyone else they lost all the humor. It seems that when you go online you see only adverstisement. You are getting really confused about the overwheliming amount. Or they try to talk to you in a very mechanic way that attracks no one. I do believe that markets are doing a good job with this. They know how to attract their online audience much better than corporations do.

I think that the introduction gave a very good quote:
"But learning to speak in a human voice is not some trick, nor will corporations convince us they are human with lip service about "listening to customers." They will only sound human when they empower real human beings to speak on their behalf."

I think that that is the solution for corporations, if they want to catch up to the markets that do know how to speak in a human voice. It is definitly possible for corporations to catch up again, as long as they make a real change and not a fake change by pretending to be human.

By
Merel van Helden

Funny cultural difference

Hi guys.
I just wanted to tell you guys some cultural differences, even though they are not really related to class. But in the extension of our cultural differences in leisure time I thought I could share this.

The Cannabis College, an advisory body to softdrugs in Amsterdam, has existed for ten years. To celebrate the College holds a festival of ten days, including films and hemp wine. There are awards for people that have praised hemp and cannabis in art and movies and of course there are discussion about the legalisation of softdrugs.

I, for one, think it is ridiculous that my country is doing this, but in the words of Matt: You think why? We think why not?

By
Merel van Helden

gamer theory

Wark makes some cool points, i do find the idea of Gamer Theory interesting, especially the military entertainment complex Professor Dean talked about during class. I enjoyed when the class discussion moved to the topic of boredom. Two points were made (i dont remember who made them) but they both stand out in my mind. The first was "Boredom is what creates designers" and "Boredom is a liberation...a kind of freedom." Boredom as liberation or a kind of freedom is neat concept. What a cool way to consider boredom? I agree with that point. When you're bored you often need something new to do to keep you occupied. At this point you're free to move away from what you are doing and to try or engage yourself in something new. This ties into the point "boredom is what creates designers" because if people weren't bored or looking for a new entertainment outlet, the desire for new things would be non-existent as well as unnecessary. I wouldn't go as far as to say boredom is the basis of our creativity but I do believe that boredom is quite often the baseline for new ideas.

Overall, Gamer Theory definitely was a difficult book for me. The beginning reminded me a of a riddle but then once we got to the chart i began to feel very confused. Both times after the class discussions i went back and re-read sections of the book because i had a better understanding of what was going on. For me, the foreignness of what Wark was talking about made the experience of reading his book feel like a mini game...One where his content became some secret code that i had to decipher or crack in order to get to the next level of understanding.


-adrienne

A Community all about games - created by You, played by everyone

so i found this website - XNA creators club online - where you can actually make your own games and then other members can play the games you created. If i understand it all correctly, if you have windows creating / submitting your games is free, but if you purchase the premium membership you can actually develop games for xbox 360, which is cool.



-Adrienne

Gamer Theory

Gamer Theory has been a book I have struggled with. I have had a very difficult time grasping the concepts the author is talking about. I am not sure I like the format of the book. I know we talked about how the book reads as a game. That bothers me. I do not comprehend material very well if it is not directly stated. I know the points of learning and is dig through information and dissect information. However, sometimes the author just needs to get it out there. I would not mind digging around and figuring out what the author has to say in Gamer Theory, but every time I do or the class does, we get no where I feel. I guess I am disappointed. When i looked at the books for the class that we would throughout the semester, I think I was most looking forward to this one. I guess i did not live up to my expectations. I know I am putting off some strong feelings of dislike towards this book, but I feel like I needed to get it out there. No offense Prof.

Regarding the model we have been so intrigued about the past few class meetings. I don't get it. I don't get what we are supposed to get out of it. I think the only step in the direction of understanding the chart was from the help of David. I was lucky to have Dave in my group when we first went over the chart. He really helped me understand the book for one, and the chart as well. The idea of the lines connecting made sense to me. The idea of progression was intriguing. Yanina also had a interesting thought about connecting the chart with digital enclosure. Overall, I think Dave and Yanina explanations have made the most sense, but I still am having trouble with Gamer Theory as a whole.

After reading over what I just wrote, I realized that i was rather negative in me feelings towards Gamer Theory. I just have had a hard time comprehending the material and understand what the author wants me to learn. On another note, I have really enjoyed our class discussion and what we have been doing. I like hearing Prof. Dean lecture and tell us what she thinks. It is pretty helpful. Talking about our final projects yesterday got me excited to hear what people may be doing. It is approaching soon!

Sam

Youtube to sell advertising on Pages of Search Results

the title says it all. Check this article out in the Ny Times.





adrienne

Internet in space.

Hi Guys,
Another fun message from the Dutch News:

"AMSTERDAM - NASA has successfully tested a network that allows distant satellites and space vehicles communicate with Earth as computers with internet.

The software for the network, disruptions-tolerant Network (DTN), was developed by Vincent Cerf, the grandfather of the Internet. He is the inventor of the TCP / IP protocol that is the basis for the terrestrial Internet.
There is the risk that communication will be interrupted in space, because a spacecraft is behind a celestial body or because there is a solar storm. The distance between earth and the space objects make it difficult to send information too. A message from Mars for example, takes 3.5 to 20 minutes to reach the earth - depending on how far the two planets are from each other. On this moment people on earth must determine when the circumstances are most favorable for a transmission to planetary explorers. With DTN that work fully automated.
For the test with the DTN, which was held last month, photographs were sent back and forth between a network with nine points on earth and the Epoxi, a satellite that is on course for a rendezvous with the comet Hartley, in 2010. Next summer there will be a test with DTN on board the international space station ISS."

As you can read the internet is advancing fast. Soon we will not only be able to facebook with people in space but also with aliens :P.

By
Merel van Helden

work now play later?

Work. Work. Work.
That's what America is all about. The more we can get done the better. work work work...it's ingrained in us. BG mentioned in his blog: "The concept of productivity is highly Americanized in our culture." I completely agree with that statement. It's as though we are trying to find the quickest, most efficient ways to accomplish tasks, and then instead of using the time we gain to relax , we instead take on more tasks. Why have we become a nation of workaholics? Why is relaxation time not guaranteed on a daily basis?...something's got to give...if you want to have one, you can't have the other. I'm not saying everyone is like this but for the most part i feel like America's an uptight nation. To kick back and relax isn't as easy as it used to be. I for one try to balance my work with play. I think it's essential to kick back and relax but I also recognize the importance of getting my work done. I prioritize and with that said, sometimes work isn't my first priority...Play often is, and I'm still successful. To me success isn't just about accomplishing a ton of stuff,... success is getting things done but still having 'me' time. Me time -however you may spend it- is crucial. What good is success if you can't even enjoy it because you are too stressed out or uptight? The way i see it...Life's all about moderation and balance..if you can maintain a balance between work and play and still accomplish everyday tasks then i consider that successful.



-adrienne

Leisure time: BIG SURPRISE and 1 BIG question

I thought that last class was pretty interesting. Often if you read the book discussion seem pointless because everyone reads the book so what is there to discuss about? But this time we had a good discussion I think. I especially liked the ending. To most people it might seem normal by I am actually still amazed by the way people here spend their leisure time. Now that it is mentioned I see it everywhere.

This weekend I was looking for people to hang out with and everyone was busy, doing something useful. I would actually have to say "useful" because the fact that we can justify it with "it looks good on a CV" does not necessarily mean it is usefull. But still, everyone was busy. It hits me every time: people are WORKING!

The Netherlands is so completely different. There were days last year where I just spend my entire day doing nothing, even spending several days doing nothing. Days where you would spend 6 hours of the day watching movies. Many friends of mine go out 5 times a week until 4am and sleep until 12pm, week in, week out. The only things I can put on my CV are working for 3 weeks during 1 summer at a company that distributes books and a vacation with friends to South Africa where we happened to build an Aids Centre. I would not say that we do not work at all in the Netherlands. I study a lot, but every time I call friends to have lunch they say yes because they can put aside their work for a few moments to do nothing.

This post is not meant to be negative at all. There are so many good things about the system here. I am amazed by the level of discipline people have here. It is hard to find students that study in the weekend in the Netherlands (unless there is an exam the Monday after). In this country you become someone because you worked for it. But still, I couldn't imagine how my life would look if I grew up in the US. I value my "useless" time so much. Just doing stuff with no reason at all. No justification. I would never want to stop doing that. To me, this is the first BIG difference that I encounter between the US en the Netherlands. It only took me 3 months :P.

Another example is vacation. I consider my parents to workaholics. But when I think about it, they have vacation about 7 weeks a year and they still has free days left. I think this is not much at all but apparently it is here.

I can tell you: of all the differences that I expected to find when I would come here for the first time, I never expected leisure time to be one. So I have one BIG question. This is not to be stupid, mean or trying to change anything, I just really want an answer. I really hope someone can explain this to me.

How can people be happy if they are working all the time?

By
Merel van Helden

Useless

I just realized that I did not yet post my "useless" picture flying trick. So what you do is you go to the website you want to look at. Then you put the following code into the url:

javascript:R=0; x1=.1; y1=.05; x2=.25; y2=.24; x3=1.6; y3=.24; x4=300; y4=200; x5=300; y5=200; DI=document.getElementsByTagName("img"); DIL=DI.length; function A(){for(i=0; i-DIL; i++){DIS=DI[ i ].style; DIS.position='absolute'; DIS.left=(Math.sin(R*x1+i*x2+x3)*x4+x5)+ "px"; DIS.top=(Math.cos(R*y1+i*y2+y3)*y4+y5)+" px"}R++}setInterval( 'A()',5); void(0);

And then the pictures are flying. To stop it just exit the website. I must say that I would have never thought that this would actually start a discussion.

By
Merel van Helden

Rory Kennedy

Yesterday there was a speech by Rory Kennedy. She makes documentaries about social aspects of life. I found it very interesting, especial when she talked about the film she made about Helen Thomas at the White House. She told us that (I believe) Helen said that journalism (whether online or not) really is the fourth brange of government in the checks and balance system. Since it is the task of journalism to ask the difficult questions about policy. I think that was a very interesting view and I sort of agree with her. But this does pose the question that was asked in class as well: Who should be the journalists? Should there only be journalism from professionals, journalism that is censored by editors? Or should everybody be allowed to be a journalist? The danger with that is however that it might become (as Brandon said) a wikipedia, where anybody could say anything.

By
Merel van Helden

Gaming v Real life

"Uncritical gamers do not win what they desire; they desire what they win. The score is the thing." This is often true. A friend of Merel always plays online games, which are easy and there is no real goal. The games are ususally puzzle like games. However, he plays these games because you can win points and if you have enough points you can "buy" a key chain or a mug with those points. In the end this friend is spending a few hours every day playing, not because he likes the game, but because he wants to "buy" something. Even though a key chain or a mug is not really special. He is desiring what he can win, he is not winning what he desires.

The book also talks about knowing the game. The Sims is an allegorithm. As a player you learn the code of the game, you can win if you understand the system, any value can be discovered through trial and error. You can win if you understand that expensive objects make your sim happy and cheap ojects do not. You can win if you understand that you need 4 points in charisma, 6 points in creativity and have 4 friends. But then it just becomes a routine you go thourgh to get more expenive stuff.

Games take images from other media. So its not the content that is special to games, but it is the form. The more the game starts to look like real life, the more we discover how it is not like real life. In its simplest form we do not expect a representation of real life. But when the game becomes more complex we expect a better representation of real life than it can give us. In addition, the game is everything the gamerspace is not. The game seems utopian and therefore we see how the gamerspace is not.

The game and the gamespace have one very important diference. In the game you can quit, you can go back to a previously saved moment in the game, you can start new. In gamespace we however do not have that option. We cannot control time and therefore we cannot always tie the loose ends. In the Sims, when things go bad the Sim looks at the gamer to ask for help. However, in real life the gamer has no where to turn to when things go wrong.

Class and Bruns

I learned a lot from Prof. Dean's powerpoint yesterday. It brought a different aspect to class. Just a few weeks ago, all the students put together power points and Prof. Dean gave us feedback. I liked the fact that she took the time to put together a power point to kind of show everyone what a good presentation looks like.I thought the power point presentation was helpful because Prof. Dean brought in the student's views and also her own. So it helped looking at the Bruns concpets from different angles. Also, keeping the class format different is helpful. We did something different from a lecture or group work. As many people know, students learn differently, whether it is hands or or visually. So it was helpful in that regard by learning from looking and reading from a power point.

As for the reading, I find myself agreeing with Axel Bruns for the most part. I feel that news and media practices have dramatically shifted towards the online world and has changed the culture of american news and most importantly politics. THe digital world has allowed people to conveniently receive news without picking up a paper. The opposition of citizen journalism like blogs and chat rooms, have left some people with a sour taste in their mouth. Can you have a meaningful and critical discussion on a blog or in a chat forum? Digital media has allowed people to generate their thoughts into an online template and gives other people the opportunity to leave a comment. I believe this characteristic of most online forums and blogs has made it easier for people to discuss, deliberate and disagree with other people, which definitely has people scrutinizing the digital media world. The use of digital media depends on that person. They choose and decide if they would like to be on the most interactive and individual network when they choose to add their comments and views on a subject. To compare this to mainstream media would not be far off. I think they coincide with one another.


Sam

What Palin has to say...

Palin signals interest in presidential run and talks about what went wrong this time around.


-adrienne

post election South Park episode

here's the link to the post election south park episode.

-adrienne

E-Waste Revisited

In connection with Yanina's teaching day presentation (round 1) of E-Waste, I saw a great segment on 60 minutes last night. The segment was on this new concept of E-Waste in China. The focus is on an American recycling company that talks about the seriousness of shipping American waste to undeveloped countries. They actually traced a shipment from the American recycling company to Hong Kong, and inevitably to a dump-site filled with acres upon acres of wasted computer and television cathode-ray tubes (CRT's) which are the most toxic is addition to the dozens of toxins within computer towers and hard drives.
The dump-sites were actually guarded by gangs, who upon discovery of the reporters attacked and mugged the reporters stealing soil samples and camera equipment. The diseases and repercussions of these toxins being released on the community were widespread and awful. It's very interesting how a month ago, no-one new relatively anything about E-Waste, and now it is of great national concern. It will be very interesting to see the role that the media will play now that this concern has entered the mainstream media cycle.

Here's the link to the video from 60 minutes:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/06/60minutes/main4579229.shtml

???

So I went to publish the medddiiiaa post this morning and it didn't post so here it is. I don't know what the deal was.

becky

meeeeeeeeeeeeddddddiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Deliberation and debate can occur via the internet and other web sources however this type of debate is not as substantial as face to face debate. Face to face debate allows for credibility and people to own up to what they have said. On the internet people can make up anything they want to just to back up their point. On the internet, there is more of the time sensative issue as well. If people are debating via blogging the topic has a chance to settle down if both people are not at their computers right at the same time typing to each other. So i n person debating adds another element of emotions and being active. It is harder to clarify points when they are typed and not in person because you can't ask the other person right away if you understand their arguement correctly. Deliberation and debate can occur in both settings but it is used better when it is done away from the internet.

It is not a opposition to mainstream media it is just another outlet. It is just another way for people to get information and incorporate participation more than mainstream media. It also supports mainstream media because you can access the shows on mainstream, online too. If you miss an episode you can watch it online and catch up. It is also a more individual level because each person can look up whatever they want and are not limited to what is being offered to them like on a news program. For example they may say something like "today we are going to talk about....." and then list their top stories but the viewer doesn't have a choice of what is being shown. Online they can look for whatever stories they want to hear about. The internet is just complementing mainstream media and is not opposing it.

Not so far out.

I think Adrienne is right and that it is not so far out. (Read her post first) I also think that Juicy Campus is just something useless we look at to entertain us, which it actually never does. And since we realize that it is useless we also do not regard the information on it as valuable. When I look at sites like Juicy Campus I don't think any of it is true. To me it is just a "what if it was true" website.

By
Merel van Helden

this might be a little far out..

so this idea just popped into my head...

a few classes ago, when we shared our skills to one another, Merel taught the class how to make items on the screen hover and whatnot. This led to a discussion and i forget who said it but someone said something along the lines of how our generation likes meaningless things (Such as the hover tool)...it serves no purpose except to look cool. So now i wonder could we argue that part of our interest in Juicy campus goes back to this idea that we just like meaningless things? If it's used to bash people it's a pointless site, i don't see any purpose in it...do we actually get anything out of it? I certainly don't think so.


-Adrienne

hws students at their finest...

Kids need places to vent. It’s a shame they attack certain kids online, but I think JD made this point..that you could just as easily be sitting in the café saying stuff about a person with them in earshot. I know people that disagree with me will be like, “what if you were the person being made fun of?...you wouldnt like it…blah blah etc”. My response would be well that sucks, and I might be a little upset, I might be a little embarrased, but I wouldn’t take it to heart. Obviously, no one likes to be made fun of, but it happens, that’s life. You need to have a thick skin…there are always going to be people that don’t like you or criticize you, but at the end of the day, it’s your choice as to whether or not you are going to let what other people say affect you.

Going back to that idea of exposure…I know people talk about me, the thing is, I’m not about to subject myself to it. If I cant control what people orally say about me, why should I expect to control what they post about me?

In response to the question:
--does the fact that people's feelings and reputations are damaged make juicy campus a disciplinary issue? an ethical issue?

Esentially the stuff we see on juicy campus are just rumors /gossip in the digital form. Remove the digital from the equation and we are left with rumors / gossip. What action would be taken if these messages were written on bathroom walls? Probably not much. You can't punish someone for their thoughts. Ethically, i think juicy campus does push the limits a bit, but again, what does it say about the person's character who is posting the hurtful comments?

You cant stop gossip. You have to be above it. Are people’s reputations really damaged?..perhaps on a personal level, but I can’t imagine most people take half the stuff written on the site seriously. It’s a gossip site, people should recognize that as an invalid tool to judge a person. I highly doubt companies or people of great importance are going to check out juicy campus as a way to evalaute the characteristics / qualifications of a person. The more slanderous / vicious the post is, the more it dequalifies juicycampus and the validy of it.

In response to the question: does the fact that we are very small campus amplify the impact of juicy campus?

Yes and no. Yes, if we were a big school it would be much easier for those discussed on juicy campus to blend in and hide. But with or without juicy campus word still gets around at our school because it’s a small campus.
At the end of the day I look at juicy campus and consider it unecessary slander. I find it a little messed up that there’s a site out there encouraging kids to bad mouth one another. But most unsettling is how quick kids on our campus are to do so and the overall popularity of the site in general. I think the anonymity factor draws kids into the site, because they feel less acountable for posting stuff. But atleast for me, if a person isn't willing to sign their name next to their claim, then their post doesn't mean much to me.

-Adrienne

HWS supplies the juice?

My question is, what is the difference between Juicy Campus and the bathroom stall wall? Gossip is everywhere, but as we all can imagine in college it is nothing like it was in high school. Sure it will spread like wildfire, and for a short time everyone who hears about it will go to Juicy Campus to check it out. But thats where it stops. It is all just stupid gossip.

Since we are such a small campus, Juicy Campus is blown out of proportion. But this doesn't make it a disciplinary issue, it is definitely more of an ethical issue. The school cannot stop kids from posting on this site, but at the same time they cannot punish us for posting on the site. There is no question it is completely irresponsible of students to post such information especially derogatory or hurtful and even threatening.

If the postings develop into threats against students or faculty, then no question the school should intervene to prevent anything serious from happening. For the people who are emotionally hurt by these postings, its tough to say but it is too bad; but they have to move past it. Do their actions prompt such postings, if so then it is a bit of a reality check. And for those who actually post, their deeds will not go unrecognized. If their conscience isn't affected then they are the lesser person.

Chapter 15.

The amount of internet activity through cites such as myspace, facebook, and other blogging cites has undoubtedly risen and the creation of other factfinders and protest cites has increased too but I don't think they have the potential that Scholz says. Or at least I don't think it has that much potential for everyone. I really think that only certain kinds of people invest alot of time into blogging and social networking online. Some cites are great like the Katrinapeople finder that helped people find their loved ones. Some have great potential but I don't think everyone is so supportive of using the internet to socially network and to make change. I don't think alot of people have enough time to do that. People with families and jobs. I would rather send time being with my family and friends than being on the computer and socially networking. I think he overemphasizes the willingness of people to become really involved online.

becky

Juicy News

After I left class today, I felt frustrated and I couldn't really collect my thoughts. I didn't know how to feel feel towards Juicycampus.com. The first time I saw this website was last week after Asa's presentation and someone mentioned something about Juicycampus.com. I did not think anything of it and I did not bother to look at it. I simply did not have any interest. However, over the weekend, I read about Juicycampus.com and heard people talking about it. So I decided to look at it on Monday. My first reaction was: "wow this is pretty stupid."

I think the website is pretty immature. It is rather lame of people who young adults to go on a website and discuss the topics they do. It's stupid. I began to wonder why HWS did not take any action or this was not a bigger deal in the media. I am pretty positive other college students are aware of this website.

Since I have looked at the website that one time, I probably will not go back on it again. I just rather not see what is being discussed and see what persons names are on it. It is an immature way to make fun of someone, to get under someone's skin and bad mouth a classmate. I think Juicycampus.com is a place where only trouble can arise from. Some students may have stuff on the website that may get them in trouble with work, school or a relationship. Is the information credible though? Who will take it seriously. Regardless, the website is just a stupid and rather pathetic way to voice your opinion.

The class discussion was rather interesting today. I did not know how to say what I wanted at the time, partly because i was toeing the line of what is moral and ethical. Professor Dean stated that if you expose yourself to the site you shouldn't let the posts affect you. I mean I cannot argue against that. That is true. That is why I have decided not to look at it again. I can see the counter-argument too. I just have not articulated the words for it. I guess I am in the middle of that argument. Ah! I really think the cyberbullying is just so immature and sometimes has gone to far, and the best example going is Juicycampus.com.

All in all, I like the direction the class is heading. There should be some interesting class coming up. I feel like this topic is not dead by any means!

Sam

"i will never truly forget who this victory belongs to. It belongs to you...."

"the true genius of America is that America can change..."

"if our children should leave to see the next century...what change will they see, what progress will be made...?

"..Out of many, we are one"



I enjoyed Obama's speech...i found it inspiring and I am excited to see what lies ahead.

-adrienne

Media Coverage and the 2008 Election

Something that I have been following for the past 2 weeks that I think is interesting and might interest other people is the amount of news coverage Sarah Palin is getting in comparison to Joe Biden. In one of my other classes we focus alot on the media and have read several books on media coverage. We have looked at how the media only covers bad things or new things. A woman as a VP choice is a new thing. Violence and scandal often get the top air time because these stories get the most viewers. Sarah Palin has been covered on every major news station and has been very present on SNL but Joe Biden has really taken a backseat to the amount of coverage received. However the most coverage is given to her based on stupid things like how much she spends on clothes for the campaign and her pregnant daughter. The majority of coverage is not spent talking about anything important. There is not alot of policy coverage. It is really our own fault that the news has come to this. These are the stories that gain the most viewers and make the most money. I think it was said best by "Bad news sells best. Cause good news is no news." (Schudson)

Becky