I thought this was a fairly interesting article about Comcast overstepping their authority as an Internet provider.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21818555/
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Final Paper Proposal
The 1952 Presidential election between General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Illinois Governor Adlai Stephenson was the first time television was used in campaigning for a presidential election. At the time it wasn't actually thought of as tasteful. In 1956 Stevenson is quoted saying "The idea that you can merchandise candidates for high office like breakfast cereal is the ultimate indignity to the democratic process." http://livingroomcandidate.movingimage.us/index.php Needless to say, the public opinion and the opinion of the candidates have changed. They now harness the television as a key tool for campaigning.
Recent reports estimate that the candidates will spend $1Billion for the 2008 campaigning. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070318/26money.htm and according to Center for Responsive Politic, as of October 26, 2007, $35,718,526 has already been spent by the nominees on “media” which covers “payments for advertising and media production, including TV and radio air time, print advertising, blast faxes, phone banks, Internet ads and media consultants.” http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/exp_defs.asp
Just the way television changed the political campaigning process, so too has the internet. But just how has it changed it? Has the internet’s low overhead cost leveled the playing field for non-federally funded and third party candidates? Has it constrained the politician from making “off-the-cuff” comments? Has is increased the involvement of the average user in the political process?
In my research I would like to (1). Review just how politicians have harnessed the internet to their advantage, and determine if there is a matrix for knowing which party is using it most effectively. (2). Review how the internet can be a politician’s worst enemy and how it might be stifling politicians, and (3). Understand how the internet has changed the average voter’s perspective and contribution to the political campaigning process.
Outline:
I. Introduction
II. The Internet is your friend.
a. Websites, Facebook, and Blogs
b. Howard Dean and Ron Paul
c. Democrats v. Republicans v. The Rest – Who’s winning?
III. The Internet is your worst nightmare
a. What built you can destroy you: Howard Dean
b. Policing: The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 / Translating to the Internet
c. Blogs: Anyone can be a political commentator
d. Calculated Responses and Memes
IV. The Voters
a. First Amendment and Commentary
b. Info at a Click
c. The public opinion
Recent reports estimate that the candidates will spend $1Billion for the 2008 campaigning. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070318/26money.htm and according to Center for Responsive Politic, as of October 26, 2007, $35,718,526 has already been spent by the nominees on “media” which covers “payments for advertising and media production, including TV and radio air time, print advertising, blast faxes, phone banks, Internet ads and media consultants.” http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/exp_defs.asp
Just the way television changed the political campaigning process, so too has the internet. But just how has it changed it? Has the internet’s low overhead cost leveled the playing field for non-federally funded and third party candidates? Has it constrained the politician from making “off-the-cuff” comments? Has is increased the involvement of the average user in the political process?
In my research I would like to (1). Review just how politicians have harnessed the internet to their advantage, and determine if there is a matrix for knowing which party is using it most effectively. (2). Review how the internet can be a politician’s worst enemy and how it might be stifling politicians, and (3). Understand how the internet has changed the average voter’s perspective and contribution to the political campaigning process.
Outline:
I. Introduction
II. The Internet is your friend.
a. Websites, Facebook, and Blogs
b. Howard Dean and Ron Paul
c. Democrats v. Republicans v. The Rest – Who’s winning?
III. The Internet is your worst nightmare
a. What built you can destroy you: Howard Dean
b. Policing: The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 / Translating to the Internet
c. Blogs: Anyone can be a political commentator
d. Calculated Responses and Memes
IV. The Voters
a. First Amendment and Commentary
b. Info at a Click
c. The public opinion
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Finals Stress
So I was starting to really stress out about this final project. I have a very hard time trying to focus my attention on one topic. I feel like the Internet is a vast sea of information and I haven't quite figured out how to manage it or harness it.
It is very necessary for me to feel that I have a grasp on the whole part before I can pick apart the little pieces.... w/o this I tend not to find order and tend not to be able to focus.
Anyway...when I started this program I really wanted to tap into my creative side and try and explore what else there is to me that I have to offer. I was lying in bed stressing about this project when a fun idea occurred to me. I personally believe that I created what I call word fusion (though Comcast might claim to be the inventors with their televisaphonernetting, etc). And I thought it would be fun to create a Word Fusion Wiki-ictionary. Anyway...my adventurous fun side is always curtailed by my serious "I don't think I can do that" side.
So I have focused my attention on something else of interest....politics. For my final I would like to discuss how the internet has changed political campaigning. So more to come on that topic later this week.
It is very necessary for me to feel that I have a grasp on the whole part before I can pick apart the little pieces.... w/o this I tend not to find order and tend not to be able to focus.
Anyway...when I started this program I really wanted to tap into my creative side and try and explore what else there is to me that I have to offer. I was lying in bed stressing about this project when a fun idea occurred to me. I personally believe that I created what I call word fusion (though Comcast might claim to be the inventors with their televisaphonernetting, etc). And I thought it would be fun to create a Word Fusion Wiki-ictionary. Anyway...my adventurous fun side is always curtailed by my serious "I don't think I can do that" side.
So I have focused my attention on something else of interest....politics. For my final I would like to discuss how the internet has changed political campaigning. So more to come on that topic later this week.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Second Life: “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
My experiences on Second Life in the context of Howard Rheingold’s book The Virtual Community
Intro
My experience on Second Life was fairly simple. I got a brief introduction into the world and interacted with a couple of people. I can now say “I tried Second Life” but I doubt I will ever return to that world. I find it more interesting to understand why people interact with virtual communities and why I don’t enjoy them. And Howard Rheingold’s book, dated it may be, helped me further my understanding of the human psychology behind virtual worlds.
There are many aspects of these worlds / communities that are based on natural desires that make us human. The biggest one is the sense of community and I believe that is why people are drawn to them.
So, if communities are natural, why was I scared and not interested in interacting in the virtual community of Second Life?
Community
One of the base instincts of humans, like most animals, is the desire for a
sense of community.
Some of the other members of the class mentioned encountering and exploring more of the sub-communities of Second Life. For example, one student mentioned a UN summit taking place and non-profit agencies setting up shop in Second Life. Some others mentioned the sex islands. These sub-communities can bring you together with hundreds of people stretching many countries and continents and it gave these students a community to belong to and probably a better feeling for Second Life.
While others found some tame sub-communities from what I understand about virtual communities like Second Life, they tend to be more a collection of perverts and less of a “multibrained organism of collective expertise” like the WELL community that Rheingold describes (Chapter 4, page 1). I don’t share the same intent or (from what I could tell) shared interests with anyone I encountered in Second Life. In retrospect, I would have enjoyed figuring out what I wanted to see when I was in Second Life before I logged in and then perhaps sought out a community in which to interact.
Rheingold writes that he was “hungry for intellectual companionship as well as raw information” when he became active in the WELL community (Chapter 2 p.17).” So what brings the Second Life community together? What is the intent of the collective Second Life community?
It appears that while there are other things going on in Second Life and some interesting sub-communities being formed, the largest community in Second Life is the sex community.
Sex
Yes, sex is natural….figuring out how to manipulate your avatar to have virtual sex…..not so natural. Sex is a billion dollar industry and of course the Internet is a natural place to find it. I, however, have no desire to pretend to be a bunny and explore sex islands on Second Life (or any other virtual community). But it is also understandable that other people enjoy exploring their sexuality and fantasies in virtual worlds. In class we joked about the sex aspect of Second Life but for some people it is the real deal. But again, I don’t share this intent with this sub-community of Second Life.
Anonymity
Beyond the feeling that I don’t want to be a part of a sex community, I think my fear of Second Life and other virtual communities lies in the anonymity of the participants. So when I began reading Rheingold’s first chapter about the WELL community, I remember thinking, “This sounds like a nice community of interesting people. Why was I so intimidated by virtual life?” I realized later that my comfort with the idea of WELL was only because the individuals, whether they were lifers or occasional posters, were not anonymous.
It appears to me that one of the perks to the users of today’s virtual communities is anonymity. You can become a pink rabbit and explore your wildest fantasies. I don’t want to be a part of this world, even if my activities in there are completely innocent. I dislike the anonymity of Second Life and a lot of the Internet in general. I find it intimidating and very unnatural. Additionally, as Rheingold discusses the dark side issues of MUD and gender and writes “The possibility of an electronic imposter invading people’s most intimate lives is inherent in the technology (Chapter 5, page 18).” Even if I had the desire to explore fantasies in Second Life I would have this fear ever present in my mind. In addition to questioning who I am talking to I would have to wonder what their intent is, could it be malicious?
Whether the community was based on the discussion of sex or the health of their children the feeling that you know them brings a sense of security and a closer sense of community, in my opinion. You, whether it’s the real you or a new identity you have created, put yourself out there to the many faceless judges.
My avatar didn’t really resemble me (way too skinny and much longer hair) and my name was not my own but I did interact in Second Life as me. I went to places I wanted to go (and would have gone in real life) and I spoke to people about my life and what I was doing in Second Life. I didn’t invent a new character with a different personality than my own. But as Rheingold states, virtual worlds “seem to dissolve boundaries of identity.” You get to play with your own identity and create “new identities, false identities, multiple identities, exploratory identities (Chapter 5, page 3).” This is largely unappealing to me. I have a hard enough time identifying who I am as an individual I don’t want to spend time creating someone else.
Conclusion
While I understand that people desire a sense of community and the freedom of anonymity, no matter what the intent of the community, I still have trepidations about virtual worlds. Even if I mastered Second Life and became a part of a community I am doubtful that I would ever truly be relieved of my fears and lack of interest in virtual communities. I don’t like the feeling that I don’t know who I am talking to. I don’t want to create a new identity for myself. I don’t want to explore sexual fantasies. I don’t see how I fit into the Second Life world or other worlds like it but I understand why others do find it appealing and addictive.
So this goes to the title of this essay. My experience in second life can be summed up in the tag line from the episode of Seinfeld where George and Jerry are accused of being gay. Every time Jerry is accused of being gay he exclaims. “I’m not GAY!” which is then followed by the episode tag line “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” Second Life isn’t for me but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t the right place for someone else to explore their identity and their place within virtual community.
Intro
My experience on Second Life was fairly simple. I got a brief introduction into the world and interacted with a couple of people. I can now say “I tried Second Life” but I doubt I will ever return to that world. I find it more interesting to understand why people interact with virtual communities and why I don’t enjoy them. And Howard Rheingold’s book, dated it may be, helped me further my understanding of the human psychology behind virtual worlds.
There are many aspects of these worlds / communities that are based on natural desires that make us human. The biggest one is the sense of community and I believe that is why people are drawn to them.
So, if communities are natural, why was I scared and not interested in interacting in the virtual community of Second Life?
Community
One of the base instincts of humans, like most animals, is the desire for a
sense of community.
Like religion, family, professional groups, charity groups, etc., humans desire the feeling of being part of a community. Second Life is just another example of a community whos arms can stretch further than a community set in the physical world. Even though I didn’t interact with a specific sub-community of Second Life, you could say that I interacted with the Second Life community. I talked with two other people about their experiences and where they liked to go and what they like to do in Second Life. We shared the common interest of exploring Second Life. Even though the fact remained that I was mainly there because I was forced to do this for a school project, I still found I did have a desire to explore the world (a little) and figure out why people go there.A community is a social group of organisms sharing an environment, normally
with shared interests. In human communities, intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, risks and a number of other
conditions may be present and common, affecting the identity
of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness (http://www.wikipedia.org/).
Some of the other members of the class mentioned encountering and exploring more of the sub-communities of Second Life. For example, one student mentioned a UN summit taking place and non-profit agencies setting up shop in Second Life. Some others mentioned the sex islands. These sub-communities can bring you together with hundreds of people stretching many countries and continents and it gave these students a community to belong to and probably a better feeling for Second Life.
While others found some tame sub-communities from what I understand about virtual communities like Second Life, they tend to be more a collection of perverts and less of a “multibrained organism of collective expertise” like the WELL community that Rheingold describes (Chapter 4, page 1). I don’t share the same intent or (from what I could tell) shared interests with anyone I encountered in Second Life. In retrospect, I would have enjoyed figuring out what I wanted to see when I was in Second Life before I logged in and then perhaps sought out a community in which to interact.
Rheingold writes that he was “hungry for intellectual companionship as well as raw information” when he became active in the WELL community (Chapter 2 p.17).” So what brings the Second Life community together? What is the intent of the collective Second Life community?
It appears that while there are other things going on in Second Life and some interesting sub-communities being formed, the largest community in Second Life is the sex community.
Sex
Yes, sex is natural….figuring out how to manipulate your avatar to have virtual sex…..not so natural. Sex is a billion dollar industry and of course the Internet is a natural place to find it. I, however, have no desire to pretend to be a bunny and explore sex islands on Second Life (or any other virtual community). But it is also understandable that other people enjoy exploring their sexuality and fantasies in virtual worlds. In class we joked about the sex aspect of Second Life but for some people it is the real deal. But again, I don’t share this intent with this sub-community of Second Life.
Anonymity
Beyond the feeling that I don’t want to be a part of a sex community, I think my fear of Second Life and other virtual communities lies in the anonymity of the participants. So when I began reading Rheingold’s first chapter about the WELL community, I remember thinking, “This sounds like a nice community of interesting people. Why was I so intimidated by virtual life?” I realized later that my comfort with the idea of WELL was only because the individuals, whether they were lifers or occasional posters, were not anonymous.
It appears to me that one of the perks to the users of today’s virtual communities is anonymity. You can become a pink rabbit and explore your wildest fantasies. I don’t want to be a part of this world, even if my activities in there are completely innocent. I dislike the anonymity of Second Life and a lot of the Internet in general. I find it intimidating and very unnatural. Additionally, as Rheingold discusses the dark side issues of MUD and gender and writes “The possibility of an electronic imposter invading people’s most intimate lives is inherent in the technology (Chapter 5, page 18).” Even if I had the desire to explore fantasies in Second Life I would have this fear ever present in my mind. In addition to questioning who I am talking to I would have to wonder what their intent is, could it be malicious?
Whether the community was based on the discussion of sex or the health of their children the feeling that you know them brings a sense of security and a closer sense of community, in my opinion. You, whether it’s the real you or a new identity you have created, put yourself out there to the many faceless judges.
My avatar didn’t really resemble me (way too skinny and much longer hair) and my name was not my own but I did interact in Second Life as me. I went to places I wanted to go (and would have gone in real life) and I spoke to people about my life and what I was doing in Second Life. I didn’t invent a new character with a different personality than my own. But as Rheingold states, virtual worlds “seem to dissolve boundaries of identity.” You get to play with your own identity and create “new identities, false identities, multiple identities, exploratory identities (Chapter 5, page 3).” This is largely unappealing to me. I have a hard enough time identifying who I am as an individual I don’t want to spend time creating someone else.
Conclusion
While I understand that people desire a sense of community and the freedom of anonymity, no matter what the intent of the community, I still have trepidations about virtual worlds. Even if I mastered Second Life and became a part of a community I am doubtful that I would ever truly be relieved of my fears and lack of interest in virtual communities. I don’t like the feeling that I don’t know who I am talking to. I don’t want to create a new identity for myself. I don’t want to explore sexual fantasies. I don’t see how I fit into the Second Life world or other worlds like it but I understand why others do find it appealing and addictive.
So this goes to the title of this essay. My experience in second life can be summed up in the tag line from the episode of Seinfeld where George and Jerry are accused of being gay. Every time Jerry is accused of being gay he exclaims. “I’m not GAY!” which is then followed by the episode tag line “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” Second Life isn’t for me but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t the right place for someone else to explore their identity and their place within virtual community.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Second Life Log
So this was my first adventure into virtual communities and I have to say that I feel the same way about it as I did before my adventure. It's not for me.
Anyway.... this is my Second Life log, thus far (I might try and go back now that some members of the class have set up groups. I might feel more comfortable knowing who I am talking to).
As a SL first timer I had to create an account and I entered through the Ben and Jerry's factory. I had no idea where to start but I thought B&J would be fun (I was just in Vermont and missed out on the tour of the factory).
This is an account of my 2 hour intro visit in SL:
At the B&J orientation they wanted me to buy a t-shirt (10 or 20 L$).
I wondered around BEN and Jerry's Island and started to fly because walking was very time consuming.
I went on the factory tour.
(Flying tour of B&J Factory)
I wanted to read the wall of the tour building but I couldn't really maneuver. It was annoying!
Walked around on tour. (Thermoaccoustic freezers- "Uses soundwaves to keep ice cream cool. Not quite playing Greatful Dead records to keep 'Cherry Garcia' cold but still cool.") I thought that was kind of cool.
Tried talking to two other avatars... it just feels creepy and strange.
I asked what they do here and what's fun. One person responded "I'm a cheerleader" the other said "YEEAAHHH"
(My two friends. Anna from China and Chicken Crazy from Germany)
I asked them if they long on every day and one said "yep" the other "mostly"
One was German the other was Chinese. I talked to the German girl for a bit. She told me that I should go somewhere else. When I told her I was doing this for class and needed to spend 2 hours in SL she said that not even a month would be enough to get to know SL.
One was German the other was Chinese. I talked to the German girl for a bit. She told me that I should go somewhere else. When I told her I was doing this for class and needed to spend 2 hours in SL she said that not even a month would be enough to get to know SL.
Chinese girl teleported me to a mall and I walked around there for a little while.
(Teleporting to the mall.)
S0 that was about all I did in my first 2 hours.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Google Shipwreck
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21204678/
This article made me think of an idea.....Google Shipwreck. A map of shipwrecks. Of course, not an easy endeavour.....
This article made me think of an idea.....Google Shipwreck. A map of shipwrecks. Of course, not an easy endeavour.....
Monday, October 8, 2007
Final Paper Thoughts
I wanted to use this space as a place to collect my thoughts / ideas on our final paper.
1. How has the Internet changed us? What has been lost?
Privacy
Relationships
Environment
2. How successful are participatory sites? Is there a standard for understanding success.
3. The internet and ethics.
1. How has the Internet changed us? What has been lost?
Privacy
Relationships
Environment
2. How successful are participatory sites? Is there a standard for understanding success.
3. The internet and ethics.
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