INSTRUCTIONS ON THE DEBATE NEXT WEEK

HI, all, here are the instructions:
PLEASE! Post on the blog your role in the debate so I could keep track on that.

Side 1: Our Educational systems are falling behind the tech trend, we should improve it
SIde 2: Students are not making enough efforts in studying, they should not blame the educational system but improve their own learning skills.

FOr the 10-11am session
Those with 1(2 munites) on your paper is the first debator of Side 1,
Those with 1 and a sun on the right corner is the first debator of Side 2
2 minutes illustrating key arguments, prelude for the free debate time

Those with 2 are free debators for side 1
Those with 2 and a sun are free debators for side 2
15 minutes, arguing against each other, attacking the invadility of the arguements and examples of the other side

Those with 4 are the last debator for side 1
Those with 4 and a sun are the last debator for side 2
3 minutes, conclusion and final chance to attack weak points of the other side

Those with J are judges, your have two tasks, right comments on those debators' arguements, jump in during the free debate time to help whichever side you favor. Then make final decision on which side wins.

For the 11am-12pm Session:
Please choose your role from the above, post it on the blog, I'll adjust your preference afterwards and post the final list on the blog.

THIS WIll be part of your credits for assignment 2

Look forward to your brilliant performances!

Best
Fan

Debate

"2 (15 minutes) free debate"

The Video

I feel that the video offers a viable argument against the contemporary educational system. More importantly, I feel like the video touches base with the frightening reality of the postmodern age: individuals (especially students) participating in the demise of intellectual endeavors through their lack of desire to learn and ascertain the knowledge of generations before. However, I do feel that there is hope for such a mindset and the video does not represent a ubiquitous theme for all schools.

Unprepared Part II

Another important thing that the video touched on was the cost of education. Now-a-days that cost of education continuously rises, but the quality does not rise with it. As we pay more and more for classes, they should consider using that money to bring some helpful new technology to the classroom. Considering that many kids facebook through most of their classes, I'm not just referring to new computers. They need to find a way to make lectures more engaging and useful.

Thoughts on eduation video

This video about the current university education system is thought-provoking. While I agree with much of the issues touch upon and relate to them, I think ultimately it comes down to students taking individual responsibilty for their educational experience. We have the world at our fingertips and I think a majority of the time, we, as students, do not tap into the many resources that have been made available to us. So, while I think this video is accurate in its portrayal of the life of a student in the classroom, I do not think we stuck or in a hopeless situation, in fact we are in a rich environment here at USC.

Unprepared

Major flaws in the education system are exposed in this video. Our education system does not parallel the real world working life, and the way that classrooms are run today only prepares us for standardized testing. Advances in technology can be seen in many aspects of life, except the classroom. As others have already said, the biggest leap we have made in the classroom comes from those little clickers that only some teachers use. It is very unfortunate that we are not learning life long skills in many of our lecture halls.

vision of college students

This video was very thought-provoking. I think all students who watch this video completely understand the lifestyle it is talking about. However, I believe that whether or not it truly inhibits our learning experience is up the the student (especially if statistics like this are coming out of the woodwork). I don't think the situation is a bleak as the video suggests.

YouTube video clip

I think that his video is really powerful. At first I didn't really know what to think of it, but then I started seeing myself in the facts and statements that kids were posting. It is unfortunate that children now-a-days go to school and do not learn anything. For example there was a girl that help up a sign saying that she would be in $20,000 debt due to school loans when she's done graduating. To imagine that people go through college goofing on off on their laptops and buying books but never reading them and then on top of that spending thousands and thousands of dollars on tuition is rediculous. Maybe it is our educators' fault for not teaching us how to learn or correctly use our technological devices (that are supposed to help us progress). However, I think that it is also our fault for not acting or listening to our eductors.

College and Technology (video)

I think the video raises some good points, especially about the disconnect between the expectations of professors and the performance of students. It is difficult for students to stay focused, especially in large lectures, when there are so many distractions available at the click of the mouse. Though it might be difficult in some circumstances, I think professors would connect better with their students and students would be more interested in course material if more of a personal relationship was established between them. A decrease in class size or a requirement of attending a specific number of office hours could help bring students and teachers closer together, and increase a student's dedication to his or her coursework. While we cannot stop technological distractions from entering the classroom, we can change current teaching techniques to minimize the temptation to multitask during classes.

I facebook in Class

I'm a bit late to the party here, but I really agree with Stephanie Hawkins.
The typical college model has not changed enough to keep up with technology. the closest I've seen is clickers in some classes, but other than that, the only difference is professors use powerpoint instead of writing on the chalkboard. most of us don't give our complete and undivided attention in class, and with powerpoint as standard lecture format, who could blame us?
the way some teachers use technology to teach is to prepare a lecture and go through it. the lecture has a direction that is pre-planned, so its not exactly conducive to relevant tangents. the way we use technology is more interactive. facebook, myspace, email etc. are all forms of disseminating information that is relevant as well as interactive. therein lies the clash.

YouTube Video

I found the video very provoking, and I liked this comment:

stormbreezemidnight: Are they blaming anyone? I think the point of the video is to look for ways to better the education system. What is the next step forward for education and how can we evolve through technology? I think the video is very insightful on the student point-of-view. This has nothing to do with entitlement or whining, it was made by a teacher that understood his students.

I think this comment really gets at the heart of the video. The fact is that the educational system has remained largely the same in format while technology has evolved and changed the modern student. Technology has strongly influenced the minds of students, from how they learn to how they spend their time, etc. and it would be beneficial for the educational system to try and adapt to that. It is not a whiny bunch of students complaining about their situation, but rather someone taking the time to examine the situation, point out discrepancies, and using this media to probe for solutions. However, I do not blame the education system for the failure of students to learn. At some point, the student must take the initiative to fill the gap. We have so many more resources available to us now, thanks to technology, and it comes down to the student to make use of them if the educational system does not.

What I think is the message of the video

I thought this comment did a good job on summing up the meaning of the video:

So many people are missing the point of this video. It is not about whining and complaining. It is about how the world of a student has changed. It's not that they are being lazy, they do TONS. That's what the video was emphasizing. We, as educators, have to meet them. We can't expect them to come to us. It's easy to sit back and say, "If they don't learn it's their fault," but if we don't try to stay on their plane then we have failed them. We've asked them to stay in the past, with us.

I agree with this comment on the meaning of the video. Yes student do other things like email, facebooking, and talking on cell phones but I don't think that makes them lazy. You can still learn and succeed in your life without giving up having fun. People who cut themselves off from the world and retreat only into books are not necessarily the ones that succeed in life. Having people skills and socializing are important skills, but we have to make sure we learn as well. The students in the video also acknowledge that there are poor people out there that have harder lives so I don't think the movie is about complaining but about reaching a middle line with teachers. I definitely have some professors who think that their class is the only one that matters and give out insane amount of work that no student ever fully completes cause they have other work to do.

Youtube Video Clip

There is a lot of truth in the video clip. Although technology in a lot of respects has made our lives more luxurious, it has made it much more impersonal at the same time. The average class size is 115 people and 18% of teachers don't actually know their students first and last names. I find this to be a huge failure in our educational system. Classes should be more personalized and more tailored to the individual. America's educational institutions are producing students that behave like machines. In this case technology has failed to serve the educational system.

Video clip

I found this comment interesting:

Yes there are problems with education systems all around the world, yes learners can be disenfranchised by what is on offer to them but on the whole the western world has it easy. The so called 'problems' made me choke on my super sized egg Mc Muffin. If the students in the video put the same amount of effort into learning that they do into socialising they might leave college and become better teachers for the next generation.

because I understand what they mean, but I also think they're missing the point a little bit. I think there's even an acknowledgment that these problems can't compare to the problems of poverty and education in other parts of the world, but that doesn't mean the problems are insignificant. I think the larger point is that technology has changed the way students interact with each and spend their time, and that the educational system needs to acknowledge that and work with it in some way.

Video

I think this partly reflects upon how some students may be emotionally unprepared for college; they dont have the motivation to learn. That we graduate high school and immediately go to college has become such a cultural law. I think that most of us would feel mildly like a 'failure' if we didnt go straight to college. So when the students say that they dont go to class, open a textbook, or pay attention in lectures, it shows a lack of motivation to learn. is this technology's fault or today's culture?

video clip

ok, so i understood everything i read, but all in all, what was the point? i mean, was it just to show how technology has made students lazy? professors lazy? that we're not learning anymore because of technology? i dunno. i mean, all the little notes they held up made sense, and i think they're real issues we can address, but yea... ok, it was just weirdness for me as whole.

YouTube: "A Vision of Students Today"

I enjoyed watching the video clip and found myself identifying with many of the points illustrated by the students in the video.

I liked the comment from afireinside13t, which states:

"Was this video meant to comment on the quality of a university education? To me it was just a reflection of the laziness of the students involved. Once you've made it to university, it is not the job of the teacher to motivate you. That responsibility lies firmly on one's own shoulders."

It brings up an interesting point that I agree with.

I would like to know what the overall message of the video was meant to be

For next Friday

Hi, all, for next week, please watch the video on youtube

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o

students today

and read at least one page of those comments, come up with some ideas, this will be your second assignment, I'll talk more about it in class

Best
Fan

review questions?

Do technological features guarantee success in terms of widespread acceptance? Why or why not?

When was this covered in lecture?
What other impact does printing have on society and psychology?

What are the key organizing principles of new media technology?

How do these organizing principles affect individuals subjected to them?

yeaaa teamwork.

Readings......

Let me know if i am wrong, but I am making sure I've got the main points of the readings:

Pacy: technical, cultural and organizational aspects are not always complementry when the technology is placed outside its orginal enviroment. ie. snow mobil, water pump

Joys: technology will take over, though this can happen several different ways: gradually, mergeing with the technology, submission, dependency. some efforts have been made to digress technology, but not nearly enough, and not quickly enough.

Winner: the workplace technology creates (postoffices dont actually recive the real letters), social separation, interaction of humans and technology - utopian and dystopian.


ok. well if someone can elaborate on the Winner reading, and perhaps a bit more on the the Joy reading, as those were both very long. Just main points, and a few examples wouldn't hurt anyone.

Thank you!

Not Receiving Emails

Fan,
I haven't been receiving any e-mails from you for the past few weeks.
My e-mail is: lemarcha@usc.edu
Thanks,
Morgane

Where is the Winner article

I have read the other two reading but I can't find the Winner article in the book we bought from the university village. Is this reading online?

XO laptop Competition

This is Intel version of the OLPC called the classmate for $250 http://www.classmatepc.com/

the Winner article

after about page 2, I read through it without really understanding it. I think we've all done the same thing with books required for English class.
I'm not sure exactly what points from the article are most significant.

What is the dystopian view of dominance of corporations? How does surveillance take its form?

questions

What is characteristic of one principle about the economics of information?
What are the characteristics of the cyberpunk genre of science fiction?
(i know he went over in class, but could we go over it again?)

Exam questions

What is the dominance of economic logic and its consequences in relationship with dystopian ideas?

Midterm Questions

First of all thank god that Ben put the study guide in PDF format!!! :)
1. What is a switch and why is it important for digital technology?
2. what are the two problesm that empires must deal with per innis???
3. Gray Goo scenario

Exam question

What are the three aspects of technology shown in the article written by Pacey 

“Technology: Culture and Practice” beyond simply what was elaborated on in lecture? Is that important?

Question

What is GIGO? What are its advantages and limitations?

Exam Question........

How do the characteristics of technology affect the experience (when the content stays the same)?

Utopian/Dystopian Revision

Here is the article I used for my presentation:

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/diet.fitness/01/13/biotech.food.one.wmd/index.html

The article discusses the pros and possible cons of genetically modified crops. In a utopic sense, genetic engineering has the ability to increase the nutritional value and the taste of certain foods and use less toxic chemicals in farming techniques. Dystopically, adding certain substances to food may increase the risk of allergic reactions. Furthermore, these new "superfoods" may overtake farmland, providing a case where humans lose control of the technology they created. Personally, I think the decrease in toxic chemicals is wonderful, but tampering with the nutritional content of foods that have provided adequate nourishment for millenia is a risky endeavor.

Uto-Dysto-pia: Equilirbrium & Robot Technology: PART 2

This is the article i used for my presentation:

A San Francisco Chronicle article offers insights into discussions among roboticists and computer experts at Stanford's Technology in Wartime conference. The researches have gathered to "consider the ethical implications of wartime technologies and how these technologies are likely to affect civilization in years to come". Among the topics discussed was whether scientists can create war robots that behave more ethically in battle than human soldiers. One scientist recommended that roboticists who are asked to work on a military project make sure they support the goals of the organization and that they will be able to publish their research. Ronald Arkin noted that the Pentagon is determined to create war-fighting robots, so it's up to socially responsible scientist to make sure the robots are given ethical self-control. Peter Asaro countered that "scientists should not dignify what he considers the naive notion that robots can be programmed to kill, but only in an ethical fashion." He believe robots should not be allowed to make autonomous "killing decisions".

Utopia & Dystopia

I just read up on this new technology that the FBI will use in order to better identify criminals and terrorists. I would think that this new database is an example of a utopian step into the future.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/02/04/fbi.biometrics/index.html

My dystopian technology advancement is genetic engineering. I found an article that was published in WIRED magazine titled "Will Genetic Engineering Kill Us?" It think that this question is an important one that we should concern ourselves with, because it just might...
http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2003/04/58467

Utopia - Dystopia

Utopia:
Technology has the potential to alleviate suffering worldwide. One such technology is a machine that can make water out of air. It was created to "ensure sustainable water supplies for U.S. combat troops deployed in arid regions like Iraq." This machine would reduce the cost of transporting water to troops from $30 a gallon to 30 cents a gallon. The potential uses for this technology are limitless! It could be used for relief following natural disasters, not to mention that it could easily provide clean drinking water to those who do not have access to it, like in parts of Africa.
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2006/10/71898


Dystopia:
How far will people go when designing online communities? One can understand the pros of networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, but what are the benefits of a online suicide blog? The creator of an online community sharing tips on how to commit suicide was arrested "for allegedly killing a woman who paid him to do so". It cannot be good for society that sites such as these are readily accessible to anyone, including children, who have access to the internet.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2007-10-11-2236019483_x.htm

Technolgy to Create a Utopian World

I found this website and thought it was a very interesting website to say the least. The website http://www.bltc.com/index.html is for this company BLTC Research whose mission is to use technology to abolish the biological substrates of suffering. Not just in humans, but in all sentient life. They state that the blueprint for a Post-Darwinian Transition to a cruelty-free world is conceptually simple, technically feasible and morally urgent. At present, life on earth is controlled by self-replicating DNA. Selfish genes ensure that pain and malaise are endemic to the living world. For BLTC Research to create this lifelong superhealth and a cruelty-free world they state that the third-millennium bioscience allows them to:
rewrite the vertebrate genome
redesign the global ecosystem
deliver genetically pre-programmed well-being

They then go on in other pages to talk about Utopian surgery, Superhappiness, Future Opioids, and so forth. This is a world I dont think is particularly possible or ethical. Say that our technology eventually does lead us to a time where it is possible to rewrite the vertebrate genome or deliver genetically pre-programmed well-beings. First off this company is not only planning to manipulate Human DNA but all Vertebrate animals in life. So we are not only messing our lifes but those of other animals (PTA would have a field day on this one). Then there is the deliver genetically pre-programmed well-being. Has anyone seem GATTACA? I think people really have to decided sooner or later if the power to play god with technology is a responsibility they want and if they are ready for the consequences. I am a bio major and do research so I am for technology but not if it goes to this level that this company wants to take it.

Utopian & Dysutopian

"Challenge Authority, If You Dare"

http://www.latimes.com/business/careers/work/la-fi-workrules5feb05,1,5866405.story

This article is about encouraging employers to question their superiors about the business and push back if they don't like the answer, which will earn you respect. Being able to question authority in the work place is consistent with uptopian. However, if you get punished for speaking up in the workplace, than that is consistent with dysutopian. This article discusses both situations.

New HIV Vaccine CNN Article

Utopian example:
This HIV vaccine sounds amazing and really gives me hope for the future of HIV/AIDS research!

New HIV vaccine concept may extend hope to those already infected

BALTIMORE (CNN) -- Creating a vaccine against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has proven to be a tricky task. But a group of researchers is expressing excitement about a new approach that may also offer help to those already infected with the virus.
Shortly after someone is infected with HIV, the virus produces a protein called TAT, which binds to healthy immune cells and uses them to reproduce HIV. Without this protein, HIV can't reproduce in the body.
Now, scientists hope to use this information to create a vaccine that could not only prevent infection but also possibly help control HIV in those already infected.
"By vaccinating against TAT, you would inactivate TAT. You would block it so the immune system wouldn't be so impaired, and you would be better able to fight the virus," says Dr. Robert Gallo of the Institute of Human Virology, one of the researchers working on the study.
Other scientists say while the approach sounds promising, the research is still in the early stages.
"Theoretically, it makes sense," says Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health. "But there are a lot of things that make sense theoretically that when you practically try them, they just don't work."
Dr. Daniel Zagury, of the University Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris, has done several clinical trials with a vaccine called TAT toxoid.
"The experiments in animals showed that the TAT toxoid was fully safe, well tolerated and induced antibodies in very high levels to antagonize, to neutralize the TAT that is reduced by infected cells," he says.
Last year, the first large scale HIV vaccine trial was launched, which is still ongoing. It could be years before the TAT vaccine is tested in large numbers of people.

Pros and Cons of a Technological World

Utopian aspect: This article was written for the Economist, and it talks about virtual reality and the new applications being developed for this technology. While widely used in video games, companies, academic institutions, and others are considering new, serious uses for virtual technology. Virtual worlds could be used in training, management, and collaboration. However, before these new applications develop, the legal problems that have plagued virtual technology used in video games must be considered and addressed.

http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10202591

Dystopian aspect: Since we discussed the evil corporation that is Wal-mart in class, I found this article from Time magazine particularly relevant. Wal-mart has created its own brand of in-store medical clinics, which means a whole new set of local businesses for it to close. Personally, I'm not inclined to go to Wal-mart for my medical check-ups.

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1710749,00.html

Dan Rather reports: Toxic Trailers for Hurricane Katrina Survivors

The paragraphs below are from an online transcript of Dan Rather's show on HDnet. The show is an investigative report about how temporary trailers that FEMA gave to Katrina and Rita victims were made with formaldehyde, a chemical that is toxic if you're exposed to it too long. The part I pasted on here is just the lead for the news broadcast. Sorry it is in all capital letters, it came that way (and the middle paragraph is about John McCain, sorry the broadcast covers two different stories). If you'd like to read the entire transcript, here's the link:

http://www.hd.net/transcript.html?air_master_id=A4558

Dan Rather Reports
Episode Number: 216
Episode Title: Toxic Trailers
Description: Some of the thousands of people along the Gulf Coast still living in travel trailers say formaldehyde used to build the campers is making them sick. Also, take a ride on the straight talk express as Dan Rather sits down with Republican presidential hopeful John Mc Cain.

Transcript:TONIGHT NO PLACE TO CALL HOME I'VE NEVER BEEN WOKEN UP BY A SMELL BEFORE IN MY LIFE. AND I WOKE UP GASPING FOR AIR. THERE WAS A WINDOW RIGHT NEXT TO THE BED CAUSE IT'S SO SMALL. AND I WAS LITERALLY- LITERALLY TRYING TO BREATHE OUT OF THAT WINDOW. SOME OF THE GOVERNMENT PROVIDED CAMPERS FOR GULF COAST HURRICANE VICTIMS ARE CONTAMINATED WITH A TOXIC CHEMICAL. WHAT WAS INSIDE THAT CAMPER IS DEADLY. I CAN'T PUT IT ANY PLAINER THAN THAT.

ALSO ON THE ROAD AGAIN SENATOR STRAIGHT TALK. YOUR CAMPAIGN IS OFF TO A SLOW START - IS THIS THE START OF A COMEBACK IS THAT THE WAY YOU VIEW IT? WILL THE LAST STOP FOR THE STRAIGHT TALK EXPRESS BE THE WHITE HOUSE? THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR AMERICA, AND WHEN I'M PRESIDENT IT WONT BE GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME. (APPLAUSE) A LOOK AT JOHN MC CAIN'S CAMPAIGN AND ARE THE VOTERS BUYING IT. IN JOHN MCCAIN'S PHRASE, "STRAIGHT TALK," IS YOUR VOTE GETTABLE FOR MCCAIN? IT'S ABSOLUTELY GETTABLE, YES.

TONIGHT ON DAN RATHER REPORTS GOOD EVENING. TONIGHT WE TAKE YOU BACK TO THE GULF COAST, WHERE THE DEVASTATING HURRICANES OF 2005, KATRINA AND RITA, ARE ANYTHING BUT A DISTANT MEMORY. NEARLY 90,000 FAMILIES WHO LOST THEIR HOMES IN THESE STORMS STILL LIVE IN WHAT WERE MEANT TO BE TEMPORARY SHELTERS- TRAILERS PROVIDED BY FEMA, THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY. IT'S BEEN HARD FOR THE PEOPLE DISPLACED BY THE HURRICANES- PEOPLE FOR WHOM THE TRAILERS WERE SUPPOSED TO PROVIDE A SAFE PLACE TO STAY WHILE THEY REBUILT THEIR LIVES. BUT NOW WE'RE LEARNING THAT SOME OF THESE TRAILERS APPEAR TO BE TOXIC. AND SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO MOVED INTO THESE TEMPORARY SHELTERS SAY THE TRAILERS HAVE BEEN MAKING THEM SICK- AND THAT FEMA HASN'T BEEN LISTENING.

The good and the bad...

Our world is obviously far from being a utopian reality, and as we move farther along in technology, it seems that our environment gets neglected more and more. So i decided to look up ways that people are making crosses between technology and environmental health.

I found a video on CNN (they don't have a direct url, but it's easy to find) about a man who invented a way of using algae as a substitute for fuel.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/tech
"Fuel for Scum"

I like to think of this as a utopian example, because even with all our fancy technology we can't exist without the actual world to live in. It's more of a step towards fixing the mistakes we've already made and trying to prevent others from happening.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2008/01/17/delacruz.internet.survey.cnn


On the dystopia side...
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2008/01/17/delacruz.internet.survey.cnn

The first part of this report talks about the concerns people have with online privacy. As technology becomes more advanced crime advances with it. People are feeling anxiety because of fears of identity theft and other internet crimes. It's a good thing we're coming up with technology like botox because there are more wrinkles to fix now :)

Uto-Dysto-pia: Equilirbrium & Robot Technology

When talking about a technological Utopia and Dystopia and class there was one thing that immediately came to mind: the movie Equilibrium. If any of you have seen it please comment. It is a movie about a future society that has the developed the technology to eliminate all human emotion. Everyone takes it because they believe that it will bring peace and end all wars. Though it is successful in bringing peace and extinguishing hate, people forget that they are left without any creativity or love. i believe that the movie shows good examples of both a utopia and a dystopia. Although its not exactly about robots taking over or anything, it shows us what can happen if we develop technologies that go too far. I am posting a link to the youtube movie trailer:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5rCA5Ed1390

I am also posting a link to a website that updates people on the latest news in robot technology. Its weird that society is trying to constantly develop robots that are more and more human like. We want to make robots that can learn. But what will happen when we do?? I know things like ASIMO are far from being human but why do we want to make them so smart?

http://robots.net/

Utopian and Dystopian Technology

Utopian technology: Advertisers are likely to rely on YouTube as an affordable and easily accessible outlet.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/business/media/05adco.html?ref=technology


Dystopian technology: Ebay is rewarding big sellers and forgetting about the little guys, turning themselves into the Wal-mart of the internet.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/the-end-of-ebays-egalitarianism/index.html?ref=technology

Sorry!  It didn't attach the article, but here it is: 

http://www.cio.com/article/166153/IBM_Expects_Billion_in_India_Revenue_This_Year

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/02/06/microsoft.ads.ap/index.html

This article discusses the new ways in which advertisers are going to place ads specific to personal searches. They use keywords to personalize the advertisment seen on individual's computers. Also, they are developing voice recognition for videos online so the advertiser can put ads relevant to what a person is watching on the screen next to the video. Microsoft is also introducing techonology that has the ability to time the ad so that it is placed at the time it would least interfere with the video being watched. In some ways this is useful because the only ads a person will see will be relevant to their perferences. However, it is also a little scary how much information advertisers are getting from a person unwillingly by knowing what a person is searching for or watching online.

Technology Dystopia... Outsourcing.

I found a really great article in Business week about outsourcing and company that is working to use outsourcing, while also create jobs in the U.S., but it was REALLY long.  So I decided to use this one instead..

The article discusses IBM's profits from outsourcing in India, which, obviously IBM views as a good thing.  However, it doesn't mention the fact that because of outsourcing, many workers are losing their jobs.

The bad side of technology... internet stalkers :(

Please go to this website to view article: http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080111/OPINION
/801110340/1015

You always have to take the bad with the good. As use grows of the Internet and other technologies, such as cell phones, fax, computer spy ware and even GPS systems, they have been appropriated by stalkers. The more and more technically advanced we become, the more opportunity there is for the rejects of society to leek through.

The good side of Techology... Check free deposits!

People can now scan their checks from home instead of waiting in long bank lines!!! This is a clear technological utopia. Fiserv's CheckFree invention is similar to online banking. Instead of waiting on long bank lines to deposit checks, this technology allows the customer to scan and deposite their checks from the comfort of their own home! This technology is catching the eye of more and more banks. Soon check free deposits will become common.

Please go to this website to view article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/wire/chi-ap-wi-scanningchecks
,0,1777982.story

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/the-sun-powered-hydrogen-toy-car-is-here/index.html?ref=technology

In my mind a part of a Utopian society includes the introduction of new technologies as well as the ability to conserve resources. This article discusses both. The release of this solar powered and hydrogen fueled "toy" car is just a taste for what is to come in the near, yet most likely distant future. However, with new technologies like this we are not only conserving energy, but are well on our way to creating a possible utopian technological world.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A04E0DE113EF93AA35752C0A9659C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2

This article examines a new virtual-reality game called There in which people can create avatars and live in a highly-realistic virtual world through the use of a computer.  The utopian side of this cutting-edge technology is that allows people with similar intersests to interact within the game and meet new people.  The game also provides a window of oppertunity for the disabled to experience things such as physical exercise and other activities that they would not have the chance to do in real life.  The dystopian side of this game is the fact that it draws people in-doors and discourages actual physical activity, replacing real-world interaction with a key-board and a computer screen.  Furthermore, the development of this game raises questions of how much virtual reality is too much and at what point does it create the danger of replacing the real world with an artificial one.

Dystopia-- Is the FBI going too far?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/02/04/fbi.biometrics/index.html

This article brings to light the controversy of a new technology or even panopticon that the FBI is attempting to employ. Instead of just taking into account a criminal’s fingerprints, they now want to look at scars, tattoos, palm prints, and even the iris of the eye. The FBI says that this will greatly help narrow down those who are guilty of crimes, while, opponents say that this is an invasion of privacy. Critics also say that while the technology may be accurate, there is too big a possibility for human error when using the technology.

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/02/secretive-surve.html

This article discusses a technology that the FBI uses in order to retrieve a persons personal data from their computer. It is not only scary that one is able to hack into your computer and steal your identity, but it is flat out wrong.

Utopia

Wow, talk about taking a pill to save your life! Except, this pill is only pill sized and is in reality a camera. Reading this article kind of reminded me the matrix picture that Lee had in his last lecture with the red and green pills in that dude's hand up on the powerpoint. Nevertheless, this new technology demonstrates some of the advances in health and science that can lead to a longer and improved quality of life-- check it out!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/02/07/camera.pill.ap/index.html

The limits of leapfrogging

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10650775

the article talks about technologies and the developing world. in a utopian sense, its great because it allows people to get connected and communicate more easily. in a dystopian sense, it doesn't matter how great technology is if the people can't use it. a lot of developing countries lack the basic infrastructure they need to get new technologies going. many new technologies that come out rarely make it to the market, only reaching about 5% of the population if the techologies do make it out to the people. looking at the new techologies and what they can do often takes one's attetion away from getting the basic infrastructure first.

Utoptia/Dystopia in our society today

Facebook fraudster 'stole prince's ID'

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/02/06/morocco.identiity.ap/index.html

I felt that this article exemplifies how a utopian side of technology, Facebook(as described in class) can actually fall into the category of a dystopian side as well. Facebook connects people through messaging, interests, and even photgraphs; this site is somewhat private with individual email addresses and passwords to login, and the ability to send private messages to others without evidence of that accessable to others viewing ones page. This seems like a utopian side of technology, but what if someone tapped into anothers private page? This is exactly what happened with Prince Moulay Rachid, when someone hacked into his private page. This exemplifies how a utopian side of technology can also prove to be a dystopian side. In a dystopia there is a sense of survellience, similar to what the hacker was aiming to achieve.

Utopia/Dystopia

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=leapfrog-toys-teach
Toys that Teach, but Turn Parents into Big Brother

Basicaly the situation is that Leapfrog created a handheld device that allows kids to placy educational programs disguised as games to promote development and encourage the learning in younger generations. The Utopia of the situation is basically parents utilizing technology to teach kids. Although kids think they're merely playing games they could be building skills which are used in maths, sciences, and the development of geometric logic. At the same time the article addresses the potential Dystopia of the situation - big brother. With parents able to check up on their childrens progress and actions while using the toy, parents begin to assume the big brother position. In this case technology serves as a tool for parents to moniter kids, and later on for individuals to moniter the masses - a reference to George Orwell's 1984. Although the toy and its similiar technology remain neutral, they have the potential to lead to technologic Utopia or Dystopia depending on how they are used.

If you can build it, we can blow it up.

Sometimes I feel like we try too hard.

We keep building bigger and better guns, pouring thousands and millions and billions of dollars into the war machine while the world as we know it begins to collapse upon itself. I don't understand how we can justify wasting money on destruction when we've already destroyed half the planet. Do we really need to kill that extra army? Do we really need to get that bigger gun?

What scares me the most is the quote from the Chief of Naval Operations : ""I never ever want to see a Sailor or Marine in a fair fight. I always want them to have the advantage".

It's war, not a Saturday morning soccer match. How can we even begin to classify destruction as progress?

Obviously I don't have any answers to these questions, but it's food for thought.

Utopian/Dystopian Articles

Google Software Makes It Easier to Share:

Utopia: This article discusses how Google just upgraded their software program to make applications cheaper and more readily available for businesses.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iX5FCYMVDPPaLfHwr-9Y68EbpbHAD8UL93I03

An Impassioned Roar Against Online Excess:

Dystopia: This article discusses how the internet has become a convenient means of technology that centers around trivial matters and recycles, rather than creates, information.

http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-ca-webscout3feb03,1,4780807.story?ctrack=2&cset=true

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech100.shtml

This article discusses the positive influence the technology revolution, specifically the web camera has had on education. Web cameras have brought a whole new aspect or realm into the "classroom" by simply being able to connect to a computer source and view something completely removed from the present environment. Physically being able to see an event unfold or occur in "real" time as opposed to reading about the event, allows for a whole new learning experience, one that this article suggests expands the learning experience on the whole. 

This article shows a dystopian view of technology by describing the (extreme) downside of internet communication. People are crazy!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20080207/tc_pcworld/142237;_ylt=AlgF2D7ScsgTAi_bheJb.QlFr7sF

This article shows how technological opponents are learning to work with the ever-evolving field. The music industry, which has recently been overshadowed by advancements in musical technology is finding ways to continue their trade. Maybe we are moving towards a society in which all industries benefit from technology...how very Utopian
http://pcin.net/update/2008/01/08/is-technology-once-the-music-industrys-enemy-now-a-lifeline/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4187956.stm

Talkin' About a Revolution

This article addresses the issue of the quality of Google's search engine in terms of the reliability of search results available to users. The author calls into question the authenticity of sources and information supplied for 'commercial' usage. The author states, "We should never forget that Google's relation to search is the same as ITV's relation to television programmes; the shows, however good or bad they are, are a way to provide an audience for advertisers or sponsors. While many of the people working in commercial TV care deeply about the programmes they make, at a senior level the only concern is how many people of what type are watching, because that determines the rate charged for ads." From both a positive and critical standpoint, the array of information available on the internet specifically google's search engine is unbelievably vast. While at the same token, due to the large quantities of information readily available, one must not forget the google is a business with an end goal and must view all information with critical eye. 

Assignment one structure

Hi, everyone, I'm uploading the ppt content on how to structure your assignment.Please take a look

Basic logic
Try to structure your paper by demonstrating how technical, cultural and organizational perspectives of technology impact the success or failure of the one hundred dollar project
Then, touch on these questions
What is the initiative?
What is the strategy?
Three perspectives of technology
To what extent this project works?
What might be potential problems
Anything similar to this?
Overview

Yours
Fan

Self-checkout...we've all used it...but will it create a utopia or dystopia?

This first article discusses the benefits of the self-checkout machines (i.e. privacy, fast service, less impulse buying, etc.)

http://www.homehomedepot.com/articles/458/1/Self-checkout-lanes-becoming-more-popular/Self-checkout-lanes-becoming-more-popular.html

This second article covers the downside to our increasingly self-service world (i.e. no jobs for millions of workers, less communication/interaction between people, etc.)

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/01/21/self_serve_city/

Utopia and Dystopia

This first article is about all the new online sources that much like youtube. These new websites allow ANYONE to post live videos and ANYONE can view them. This has created an environment that allows people to be control of the content that they are making and viewing. Websites like these are making it very easy for people to produce their own work, and therefore, it is not required that we use as many resources. These technologies are allowing people to participate and become more interactive. http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/06/22/will-live-video-catch-on-like-youtube/

These next two articles are about Myspace and are concerned with the issue of privacy. One problem that we discussed in detail in class about technology is that it is easy to lose privacy and especially on social networking sights it is hard to trust what others say. Now, most people have their settings on private so that their profiles and photos are only seen by a selected group of people (their friends). Although many people think that their profiles can't be seen by others, people have figured out ways to get around this. This can be very taunting knowing that strangers can find out all about you, even when you THINK you are being safe and making restrictions on your profiles. http://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2008/01/myspace_torrent
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/01/more-charges-in.html

Microsoft Demos Next-Gen Web Advertising Concepts

This article talks about Microsoft's new advertising methods, which include contextual video ads and multi-touch interactive advertising to image categorization and advanced advertising analytics to name a few. This would be an example of utopian- based technology because these programs will change the face of advertising and enhance the online user/customer experience.

can cities be annihilated from the air?/blast a home in the moon?

its amazing how so many mid-century views of life in the year 2000 are incredibly wrong. no time-travel, no flying cars and no moon bases. this article from 1962 shows a hypothetical way to build houses on the moon. never mind the fact that we're not even remotely close to making widespread lunar colonization a reality.

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/01/28/blast-a-home-in-the-moon/

what is disheartening is the fact that technology fears are more often closer to the mark than triumphs. the fear that an entire city could be obliterated by planes was proven correct in Dresden, within 10 years of this articles publication.

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/02/02/can-cities-be-annihilated-from-the-air/

Announcement for this week's blog

Hi, Since this week's topic is the utopian and dystopian view of technology, please upload one example of each on this blog. We will go around the room and ask each of you to introduce your examples to us. And we would do some anlyses based on lecture contents
BTW, the deadline for assignment 1 is Feb 13th, next Wednesday, if you have any concerns about this,please come to my office hour 2pm to 4pm this Tuesday at the Ph.D. office
Good luck!

Yours
Fan

Underwater Marriage Proposal

I have a scuba diving internship at the Aquarium of the Pacific and I go in on Thursdays and Fridays. Last Friday I had to propose to someone. They had me dive down in the tropical reef tank holding a 7 foot sign asking a girl to marry a guy. When the girl saw me the guy got down on his knees and gave her a ring. I have seen marriage proposals in a movie or even on the big screen at a baseball game, but this is the first time I saw one in person and I had an interesting view point at that (being in a tank and underwater). This made me think of all the interesting ways people chose to communicate what is possible the most important message of their life. You would think that proposing via a scuba diver is a very original idea but in fact last year this was request a 100 times acording to my supervisor. But how you ask those four words can tell a person how much you love them, how much you know them (because if they are scared of fish going to an aquarium is probably not the best idea), how shy or personal they like things (a romantic one on one proposal or declaring your love in front of an entire stadium full of people). One of my best friends brother proposed to his wife through geocaching (GPS treasure hunt basically) and at the end she found her ring and he proposed. So I guess post your thought and any good proposal stories you might have if you want. Here is a video of an aquarium proposal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFfTjZuwulM, but this is not the one I did and I must say I was way more graceful and wearing a clown fish hood.

Facebook can get you suspended.

Facebook photos land Eden Prairie kids in trouble
More than 100 were suspended from activities or reprimanded after being shown drinking at parties.

This happened alot at my school. Kids were constantly suspended from school, or kicked out (it was a private school), because of reveling things on facebook. Of course, the student body though it was morally wrong, that the dean had no right to use facebook for these means, but people did see her surfing facebook in her office...looking for evidence. For the past two years a guest speaker come and talked to us about the danger of facebook and myspace - how practically both where destined to ruin your life. Do you think using such extreme mesaures were effective? Or even necessary?

http://www.startribune.com/local/west/13549646.html

COMM 202

These hacker guys got ahead of themselves in pointing their fingers at the wrong guy (whom they thought was slandering the church of scientology)



Anonymous Hackers Track Saboteur, Find and Punish the Wrong Guy - UPDATED
By Ryan Singel January 29, 2008 7:59:26 PMCategories: Hacks and Cracks
Anti-Scientology agitators have repeatedly harassed and threatened violence against a 59-year-old PG&E worker and his wife, who were mistakenly flagged as pro-Scientology hackers.
John Lawson, who lives in Stockton, California with his wife Julia, began receiving threatening phone calls around 2 a.m. Saturday morning. He didn't know why until THREAT LEVEL explained that a hacking group calling itself the g00ns (goons spelled with zeros, not goons with the letter o) posted his home address, phone number and cell numbers, as well as Julia's Social Security number, online. The obscene and threatening calls have continued through Tuesday, according to Lawson.
SEE UPDATE AT BOTTOM FOR G00N's RESPONSE
The calls are just one small offshoot of an ongoing, larger attack on the Church of Scientology by a ragtag group of internet troublemakers who call themselves Anonymous. The group says it is targeting Scientology in part for its use of litigation to suppress unflattering documents on the internet.
Over the weekend, the g00ns thought they had caught a hacker who had busted into a server being used to help coordinate the online attacks and real world protests against Scientology. But Lawson says the callers have the wrong guy.
"I don't even really know how to use a computer," Lawson said.
His phone just keeps ringing, Lawson said, and when he answers, callers spout vulgarities and threats and then hang up. On Monday, he got a call that seemed to originate from the Virgin Islands. The caller threatened to kill him.
"They have got the wife really scared because they have my address," Lawson said. "I think I am going to buy me a gun today just in case."
The Stockton police came out on Sunday to take a report, and Lawson has put fraud protection alerts on his and his wife's credit reports.
Lawson wants his personal information off the internet but doesn't know who to talk to to get it down.
The address of the site with their personal information was shared in online chat rooms where members of a group called Anonymous congregate to plan attacks on the Church of Scientology. The site's URL was also submitted to Digg, where it made it to the front page.
Planning for those attacks was disrupted in the last four days by a counter-hack group calling itself the Regime. That group hacked and severely disrupted 711chan.org, one of the central planning facilities for the Anonymous attack.
According to an e-mail from the hacker to THREAT LEVEL, the Regime's "main objective was to obtain logs and various data including user names and passwords" and "to take down our targets in the best way possible to bring as much embarrassment/shame as we could to the offending organization."
The hacker said his group turned over the purloined data to the Church of Scientology.
Soon after, the g00ns claimed to have found out where the Regime was hacking from, and managed to obtain personal information about the Lawsons. John Lawson believes that information came from Comcast, his ISP.
A Digg commenter suggested that the g00ns tracked down an IP address used in the attack on 711chan and traced it to Lawson. If that's the case, the group overlooked the possibility that Lawson's computer or router had been compromised and was used by the real attacker as a proxy that would hide the attacker's real location.
For his part, Lawson doesn't care about the how or why, he just wants the calls to stop.
"I called three news places in Stockton just to get something out there to let them know they have the wrong guy," Lawson said.
This isn't the first time that the anti-Scientologists have hit the wrong target.
Last week, participants downloaded hacking software that accidentally targeted a school in the Netherlands, rather than a Scientology site. That misfire lasted only a few minutes, but its lesson seems not to have been learned by online vigilantes who think their righteous ends justify illegal means.
UPDATE: 10:50 PST Members of g00n tell THREAT LEVEL that they immediately took down the Lawsons' contact info after seeing this story, but emphasize that they had nothing to do with the harassing phone calls and that they have not been involved at all in the Anonymous attacks on Scientology.
They say their motivation for posting the info was to send a warning to the Regime hacker in order to help their friend at 711chan.org, whose website was repeatedly hacked by the Regime.
They also said that the IP address associated with the Lawsons' had been used in attacks on 711chan for four days, and then later was used to access and probe the site where the Lawsons' info was posted. They say they called the Lawsons before posting the info to verify it, and swear that the person they spoke with sounded much younger than a 59 year-old man.
They further contend that 711chan's server logs showed that the IP address was associated with a computer running the Debian flavor of Linux, which casts doubt on the theory that the attacker remotely taken over the Lawson's computer. If that were the case the OS would have been a flavor of Windows. Another possibility is that the Lawsons have a compromised wireless router.
The g00ns say its clear something isn't right in Stockton and vow to figure out who the Regime is, but blame him for leaving a trail that led to the Lawsons, rather than using some sort of proxy or anonymizing tool such as TOR.
They forwarded THREAT LEVEL a transcript of a chat between 711chan's operator and the Regime hacker, which showed the Regime hacker trying to blackmail the 711chan operator into turning over information about the g00ns, by implying that not doing so would make him turn over more information to the Church of Scientology. THREAT LEVEL has no way of verifying that transcript.