Apr 02

The Internet of Things

Personally, I feel like connecting objects to the internet will be beneficial then become a detriment to society. Think about it, if you were able to connect objects to the internet for some creative purpose then you’d eventually see the rise of people trying to use objects on the internet for the wrong purposes. It personally feels as if this may be a crossroads between innovation and boredom. This seems like a waste of time when there are real things going on in the world that can actually be beneficial to those in need but in this day and age, it’s all about the new and cool trend to arise. But after reading these articles, my perspective has changed on the importance this may contribute to society.

First of all, if you’re using inanimate/animate objects to help you gather statistical data on what is affected and how we can improve it dramatically because otherwise we’d have a moment in time where we will be just missing out on data that can help earth. Some of the beauty behind this is the technology will be able to eco-friendlier in aiding the world as a whole to be more aware of what can be done to change everything.

In the article “Why Things Matter” it states, “Blogjects are slowly creeping out of the primordial soup of passive, low-impact thing-ness. Blogjects aspire to relevance, and assert themselves because of new perspectives or additional insights they can offer on a semantically meaningful topics. Take the Pigeon that Blogs, for example — an early protozoa on the the Blogject species evolutionary chain. The Pigeon that Blogs is a project by Beatriz da Costa. It’s a pigeon, or more precisely, a flock of pigeons that are equipped with some telematics to communicate on the Internet wirelessly, a GPS device for tracing where its been flying, and an environmental sensor that records the levels of toxins and pollutants in the air through which they fly. These are the bits of data that the flocks “blog.” They disseminate their flight paths, probably viewable on a Google Map, together with information about the current toxic state of the local atmosphere. The Pigeon that Blogs is a mash-up of GPS, GSM communications technology and pollution sensors represents a full-order species evolution. It’s a pigeon pollution Google Maps mash-up.” The beauty of just taking a pigeon and gather this level on data to help preserve this earth is insane.

The beauty behind this type of resourceful and constructive practice is that with the proper funding and direction, this can be a game changing for the world. Of course, with anything that’s great being created there will be an issue with power and the division of it, but we can handle that when the time comes. I believe this is something people should invest in immediately, it’s definitely necessary to have less of an impact on the environment and no more carbon footprints on this beautiful earth. Being introduced to this allowed for me to gain a different perspective and this will be something that helps us, not harm us.

Apr 01

The Medium

The medium is important to how we ingest digital media.  The Medium can be looked at as the electric light or illumination as stated in ” The medium is the message”.    Mediums are used to reach people, they are used to draw people in and help them form connections in whatever piece of digital media they are reading, watching and or listening to.  There are many different forms of digital media so this means that these mediums are not all presented in the same way.  They have to have all different unique ways of presenting themselves and have different outlets that they appear through.  All of us today even create our own mediums and our own digital media.  In many instances we find ourselves glancing at all the types of different social media that we use reading the mediums from others and even creating our own.  It states in the reading ” The medium is the message” that ” Any medium has the power of imposing its own assumption on the unwary. Prediction and control consists in avoiding the subliminal state of the narcissus trance”.  Now, this is important because in using our social media for ourselves it is essentially more times than not you posting or sharing about yourself.  It creates an indirect narcissistic view of yourself through a medium that you yourself are creating.  You may not be able to make that connection but others reading into what you post about will make that connection with the medium leading them to believe you are narcissistic.  Through it all in whatever digital media you consume the medium is  important because it helps the consumer draw the connections and helps the consumers understand and create their own opinion on what digital media they are taking in based on the medium they were given.

Apr 01

Class Activity

Hi Everyone!

Karey and I will be presenting  on Thursday (April 4th) on the topic of media theory based on the reading by Marshal McLuhan.

For the first activity we will we ask that you get into four groups ( about 4 people in each). We will play the first music video that was ever on MTV and ask that you answer three questions relating to it. (10 minutes)

For activity 2 the same groups will come up with a concept for a new media device and choose one person from the group to present a sales pitch for the device. (keep in mind you are not designing an app but a whole device). If we have time the class may vote on which concept was the best.(20 minutes)

Mar 31

Media Theory

Melanie Beltran

MCS 244

March 23, 2019

 

The medium is important to how we consume digital media by connection through a media source like a newspaper, television, radio and other forms delivering messages to people. In the article, “The Medium is the Message, by Marshall McLuhan” it states, “‘…the medium is the message’ because it is the medium that shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action.”  Mediums have enough impact to pull people through the media based off of the displayed messages. Because media forms in many different platforms, mediums travel through various outlets and reaches many people. The content of these mediums has to be easy to understand and informational for people. When information or “electric light” is formed, mediums help spread that information through newspapers, radios, television, etc. This is very useful when delivering messages and communicating on a deeper level with people. William Shakespeare’s work is used as an example of displaying mediums and how they are depicted. Through Shakespeare’s plays, he used social and political awareness in his writing, created content for a public. Depending on how one interprets the message, it can have a controlling impact on an individual. Medium is the message delivered from media platforms, not limited to television but through literature, poetry, art that essentially helps one receive messages and draw connections to. Media has only continued to evolutionize, reaching to people from farther distances. In our modern time, not only can we receive messages through literature from the books we read but on social media platforms in the apps we have on our devices. Social and political awareness is spread through diverse and various media platforms and shared all around the world. The messages from displayed content reach many people from different areas. Humans have become so dependent on media that it is difficult for one to think for themselves. People who feel they can’t live without their devices have become enslaved to media. “Because living constantly in the atmosphere of slaves, he became infected through the unconscious with their psychology.” Essentially, questioning content on a screen isn’t a concern or something worth being aware to do because it’s a habit that’s been created and hard to break. People have become very lazy to what’s been put out in the universe, checking sources is that last thing to do when verifying if the information is valid or not.

Mar 28

In Class Activity Evaluation(March 28)by Sadia Sylla and Jaritza Flores

1. What was your activity? Please be specific on what you asked the class to do and what you hoped it would accomplish.

Our first activity was the game of Jeoprady. Our 2nd activity was the making of an app that is related to Bitcoin and uses blockchain. Me and Jaritza hoped to have the class engaged and understand our topics more.

2.Did you think it was successful?

Yes I think it was successful.

3. Did it achieve your implied goals?

Yes it did.

4. What did you learn from the experience?

That I should be better prepared for the Jeoprady game. Also I should have put more links and pictures pn the slides.

5. How would you take this project further as a research tool and what results would you hope to achieve?

I will research more about the use of blockchain and how it is incorpated into technology. Also I will check which industries and companies use blockchain.

Mar 27

Online Communities & Groups

Social software can be considered a blessing in disguise because as mentioned in the article “Abundance in Scarcity”, the internet is nearly boundless, having millions of pages devoted to numerous topics, where anyone can join in to discuss. Websites like Bumplist show how we take software and sites for granted, as the internet has no limit to spread knowledge. Bumplist on the other hand, has a 6 person mailing subscriber limit, “bumping” individuals off the mailing list after the 6 person limit is reached. Similarly in the article “
Social Network Sites: Public, Private, or What?”, explains that people join the sites for the same reasons, to interact with their friends and use the different messaging tools to interact, share and communicate with one another. Social media is a form of public space which, “Allow’s people to make sense of the social norms that regulate society, they let people learn to express themselves and learn from the reactions of others, and they let people make certain acts or expressions ‘real’ by having witnesses acknowledge them (Arendt 1998)”. All in all, social software allows for the communication of others throughout the world, through multiple platforms. It spreads ideas and knowledge, all which can be found online, and easily accessible on smart devices.

Mar 27

Media Theory

Medium is important to how we consume digital media because as the article states “The medium is the message because it is the medium that shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action”.  Author Marshall McCluhan uses the example of the electric light. “Whether the light is being used for brain surgery or night baseball is a matter of indifference. It could be argued that these activities are in some way the “content” of the electric light, since they could not exist without the electric light”, explains McCluhan. The electric light is not a noticeable medium until it physically spells out a brands name in neon letters. In this case, it is not the light that is noticed, but the content (medium), is noticed.  In the world of digital media today, we can clearly see this in social media, essentially a blank canvas was given to users to create, which we create content through human action. The text states “Any medium has the power of imposing its own assumption on the unwary. Prediction and control consist in avoiding this subliminal state of Narcissus trance”. This is a prime example of what social media does, as it constantly controls people, and leaves individuals in this narcissus trance. Individuals all have the need to share their best moments on these apps, giving them a confidence boost when they get more likes or views. The text uses an example of how our human senses configure the awareness and experience of each one of us and can be perceived in another connection. Psychologist C. G. Jung explains “Every Roman was surrounded by slaves. The slave and his psychology flooded ancient Italy, and every Roman became inwardly, and of course unwittingly, a slave. Because living constantly in the atmosphere of slaves, he became infected through the unconscious with their psychology. No one can shield himself from such an influence (Contributions to Analytical Psychology, London, 1928)”. In this, we can the clear connection to the digital world today, as the more we stay plugged into our phones and digital media, the more we begin to act and adopt lifestyles of the people we follow. Not only this, but we begin to critically analyze every little thing about ourselves, and end up with the conclusion that we are still not good enough, or we want more than what we already have. 

Mar 27

MCS 224: Sadia and Jaritza

We made a powerpoint explaning Apps,Bitcoin, Blockchain, and Digital Currency. After telling the class what these are, we made a jeoprady game to make the activity a little bit fun. The winning group would get a pack of candy. After this, their is a second activity design your own digital currency. What would you want it to do? Who would use it?

Mar 26

Apps, Blockchain, and Digital Currency

The introduction of apps has dramatically changed the way in which the public interacts with companies selling products and services. When it comes to chat apps such as WhatsApp, Kik, and Line, the users themselves, as well as their data, are often the price of such forms of digital communication. In Ewan Spence’s article “The Mobile Browser is Dead, Long Live the App”, Spence postulates about how apps are changing the landscape of web development. He writes, “If you follow the principle that you need to be where users are, then you need to be building and distributing apps, which leaves you no choice but to accept that Google and Apple will always be the third party in any relationship with your customers.” Rather than searching for information or products through the website of a company in-browser, people are more inclined to download the corresponding app and find what it is they are looking for through there. This holds true in my experience, because oftentimes page loading time is longer when trying to reach a website through a browser via smartphone, than through an app. In order for a company to make an app and distribute it, they must rely on app stores such as Google Play or the Apple App Store.

The rise of digital currency has served to illuminate the ways in which cash and credit cards are no longer meeting the needs of most people. While banks are government-regulated, and paper currency is tracked and controlled, Bitcoin provides an alternative that reflects the globalization of media and the need for a global currency that is not restrained by a single nation’s borders or trade regulations. In the article “How Bitcoin Ends: Is the cryptocurrency just going to end up reinforcing the financial system it was supposed to disrupt?”, Douglas Rushkoff explores some of the ways Bitcoin is failing, and suggests that this is due to its reliance on some of the same financial restraints that banks suffer from. For example, a wealthy individual can invest more money into Bitcoin, and therefore make a greater profit than someone who cannot invest as large an amount. This only serves to reinforce the same wealth differences that were present in other forms of currency. Additionally, the added risk of losing your Bitcoin makes it an unappealing option, because Bitcoin is not insured.

Mar 26

Apps, Blockchain, and Digital Currency

According to Forbes article The Mobile Browser Is Dead, Long Live The App Ewan Spence claims “While users are spending more time on their devices (an average of 2 hours and 42 minutes per day, up four minutes on the same period last year), how they use that time has changed as well. Only 22 minutes per day are spent in the browser, with the balance of time focused on applications.” This shows how people are more likely to use apps instead of web browsers. Young people today get most of their information from the apps they use. We get our news from articles we find on Facebook or Twitter and not directly from news stations. Mat Honan from Wired wrote in his article The Rise of Chat Apps “Most prosaically, these apps are saving their customers money by reducing text-message fees.” Apps like Whatsapp allow you to talk with people from other countries like the Dominican Republic. If we used texting from our service providers, we would have to pay for the service but since we’re more likely to have internet is makes more sense to have an app that lets us text, call and even video chat without paying for both internet and the service itself.

In Vala Afshar article Blockchain Will Disrupt Every Industry he says “The answer isn’t in the technology, but in how the technology can improve inefficient business processes.” This is referring to us making the most of the things we have. The people who started working with Bitcoin understood there could be a way to make transactions more widespread and reach people in numerous locations without fees or conversion charges. In this, they copied the model of communication used by apps and made it about money for easier access. Also from wired, in the article THE FIERCE BATTLE FOR THE SOUL OF BITCOIN Robert McMillan stated “If you gave some company access to your bitcoins, you were essentially trusting it as you would a bank. It could lose them to hackers or, worse, steal them outright. ” Although there are risks, it’s the same risks you’d be making with a bank anyway, except now you can send your money anywhere. It does seem a bit more complicated than banks because it’s a new system without the government backing it up, but it’s still an option worth thinking about. Some people feel that Bitcoin may not be the best option because of these risks. Douglass Rushkoff added in his article How Bitcoin Ends “The money itself is worthless. Less than worthless, in fact. We are spending massive amounts of machine cycles and electricity, burning fossils fuels for no reason other than to prove our commitment to the coin.” People feel this way because Bitcoin itself is not backed by value the same way currency is usually backed by something like gold. It seems like a waste of energy because there’s nothing that really shows Bitcoin could really be effective in the future when we already have money that works, it just takes managing. I’m not sure if Bitcoin would take over because people are too used to our regular money. Plus, we’re using our money to make Bitcoin worth anything, but money is the thing backed with value. It seems like Bitcoin is just adding an extra step to our transactions.