Below is my section from our final paper.
Briefly outlined is as follows:
- Introduction
- Star Wars and Technology
- Prosthetic Robotics
- Virtual Representation
- Conclusion
As I said from the start of my blog, I am a communications major. This means plain and simple I like to communicate. (and I do) I love to tell a story and share with others my experiences. When I first started this blog, I was kind of opposed to the idea. The word "blog" just bothers me to begin with and the fact that it is just connecting two words that are pretty short by themselves; web and log. (Really, who doesn't have the time to say that?) A few weeks went by and I began consistently posting. "This is okay.", I thought. Then I started really getting into it. I noticed myself saying, I could put that in my blog when browsing the web. I realized why I liked it so much. All these thoughts and ideas I had, I could just throw out there like paint to a canvas. I could make them as creative as I wanted adding video and images. They didn't have to be Chaucer, I could write in my own voice for an audience of my choice. It actually helped me to find my voice and I think it improved my writing all around. I would recommend a blog for anyone that likes to communicate. Write it first for yourself, then for everyone else. This is how I approached it. Somebody will listen. This project also helped me to discover the blogging community and I did not realize how much of the internet is composed of blogs. With Google Reader, I am able to check hundreds of posts all on one page with a couple of clicks. 4 or 5 years ago, I would have never been able to get that much information all in one place. I think the idea of feeds is brilliant. I have always been one to try and start my own voice whether it is a radio station or a cable access show or just a website. The blog format, I have found, proves to be a very clear and accessible forum. Give it the power of the PC and the internet, your bounds are limitless.
This is why I love technology. Every few years something comes by that not only makes life easier but it changes it. This role of technology proves to be the most valuable. Cell phones, for example, have created a cultural and technological phenomenon. The internet in the very same way. I've always been interested in technology but I could never pinpoint why. This blog has helped me to figure it out. It's a tool and tools help you create. I think its interesting that inanimate objects change the way people interact and respond to the world we live in. It's a big bright world out there and I am excited to find out what happens next.
This is Chris, signing off one last time! I hope you have enjoyed my postings and I hope to continue this new habit so look out internet here I come!
PS One last video!
Two days ago, a game called Grand Theft Auto 4 came out. Now, I don't usually go insane over video games. I mean I will wait in the occasional line but it takes about a day after its release for me to say, "Oh well, I don't need it." Two days have passed and this feeling still has not kicked in. I now look to my predicament. Two days prior to the release of GTA4, I was watching a movie on my Xbox 360. I finished the movie and turned off my Xbox and went to bed. The next morning I turned on my console and to my delight I found a blinking red light. I look online for its meaning which I already knew because just one year prior the same exact thing happened to me resulting in a brand "new and improved" Xbox360. I tried many different things including the putting a towel over it. So now I sit, sounding spoiled, with no Grand Theft Auto. I read the reviews; "Best video game ever." or "You need to play this one." and then hear the same from my friends. I cry a little bit inside. Deep down though, I feel I am crying for another reason.
I can't really think of a piece of technology that has lasted me successfully for more than years. I have had numerous Gameboys, iPods, and computers. They all seem to hit the magic four year mark and then stop working as they should. Do I blame technology or do I blame the manufacturers? Cheap parts and cheap labor = cheap products. How much of our technology is dictated by the way it is produced? Could we be leaps and bounds ahead of ourselves if CEOs needed 1 less million dollar bonus. It is often interesting to see the cost of parts and then see the markup we have to at the store. If they can make a 100 dollar laptop with wifi and a its own network interface why can't we have 25 dollar iPods?
This is why I hate technology. It is dictated by money. Technology is often created in the spirit of exploration. Whether that is making something we do easier or coming up with a brand new way, technology helps us move forward. It just makes me sad to think that if the dollar sign was gone, where would we be? If these items were distributed in the spirit by which they were created, would the world as a whole be a better place. I may be thinking a bit too idealistically but why not. I am not asking for free everything but just get us out of the rip off zone.
Microsoft sent me its packaging (still under warranty, lucky) and now I wait for it to come back and as I finish this post, I don't think I care if it ever does.
So until now, I had to rigorously type in www.websitethatigotoeveryday.com and then let that site load and then scroll and read all its belongings. Then to the next site and etc etc. Now, what do I do? iGoogle. The greatest thing to happen to the internet since well the internet. I have it set as my home page. When I open my web-browser. BAM! Everything I ever needed to know. (Even has my favorite helicopter game) I get the weather, the news, my email, my documents, my instant messenger, everything. I now found my self compelled to check my iGoogle as much as I check my Facebook. Except today, now as I am writing this. The amount of time it would have taken me to navigate to those sites, I spend it on iGoogle, actually saving me no time at all. Is this where the internet is going. Pretty soon we are just going to sit at our computer motionless while all of our information we want and need is displayed for us. We will learn to read 200000 things at once. Okay, perhaps it won't go that far....but it could!? I would say if you use Google, just even a little bit, check it out. iGoogle allows you to first customize your start page with either your own goodies or some hilarious pre-made ones. Then you are able to add what is known as a gadget or tiny program. So for instance, I have a world clock, my news, and my mail all in nifty little widgets. You can customize it anyway you want. A real complete Web 2.0 experience. Everything is integrated. I see this is where operating systems of tomorrow will go. Pretty much making a custom user experience based on internet information. No longer will users need to be concerned with programs they need to install and the content they need to access. Everyone will have the opportunity to tailor it to their needs. Microsoft and Apple are already moving this direction. iGoogle did, however, take a few design notes from the Apple Dashboard, but that's okay. After all, good artist's borrow and great artists steal. And who said that?
For my final presentation blog posting, I have post my slideshow as well as links on how science fiction has shaped and influenced technology. Has it predicted current technology? You bet it has. I have picked a few examples from now 30 year old Star Wars (and also one of my favorite movies of all time). Some argue that science fiction works so well because the stories aren't about the technology as much as they are about the people living in a world with that technology. Writers and filmmakers dream up magical pieces of technology without having to worry about the technical know how. This means the sky is the limit as far as coming up with stuff to make day to day life easier. How can this character see this other character galaxies away? Make a machine that does it. How can this character understand that character? Make a robot that translates. Need to take out the garbage in our future world? They've got a robot that will do that. It is this imagination that influences scientist to pursue these endeavors in hopes for the same outcomes that they see in the movies.
Yes - user interfaces are constantly evolving toward the
ultimate goal of 'the wire' (direct brain--machine interface).
There are different goals. Some displays support decisions,
such as heads-up displays for jet pilots. Other displays
may support pattern-recognition, such as immersive
CAVE displays. Check out the Emotive headset:
http://www.wonderlandblog.com/wonderland/2007/03/brainscanning_g.html
Full Interview With IST Professor, Gerry Santoro:
Are there any specific examples of this type of influence [sci-fi predictions] you can think of?
There are Many examples - look at the web site
www.technovelgy.com for zillions of examples
My favorite would be Cyberspace and Cyber-warfare. It
was predicted in sci-fi back in the 70's--90's (Gibson, Stephenson, etc),
well before it existed in reality. Bottom line is that the stories
influences a new generation of scientist/engineer who then set
out to create what they had imagined.
www.technovelgy.com for zillions of examples
My favorite would be Cyberspace and Cyber-warfare. It
was predicted in sci-fi back in the 70's--90's (Gibson, Stephenson, etc),
well before it existed in reality. Bottom line is that the stories
influences a new generation of scientist/engineer who then set
out to create what they had imagined.
Are we using technology that people dreamed up decades if not centuries ago? (Asimov comes to mind.)
Sure - but better than Asimov would be Clarke. He predicted
communications satellites in the 1940's. He also predicted
the space elevator that is now under study by NASA.
communications satellites in the 1940's. He also predicted
the space elevator that is now under study by NASA.
Have you ever noticed any instances where a piece of technology used in sci-fi shows such as Star Trek or Lost in Space is something we actually use now?
Um, the communicator -- (cell phone). When Shatner and pals
beamed down, pulled out the little device, and flipped it open
to talk we would never have imagined that we would be doing that
by the year 2000.
Um, the communicator -- (cell phone). When Shatner and pals
beamed down, pulled out the little device, and flipped it open
to talk we would never have imagined that we would be doing that
by the year 2000.
Do you think any of sci-fi authors accurately predicted the social outcomes of their predicted technology? (I.E. Ways of life,government, etc...)
Thats a bit harder. I don't think the authors set out to predict. These
pieces are rhetorical in nature - they seek to warn, amaze, critique,
etc. That's why the human element. Sometimes they become
predictions in hindsight, but take for example Orwells 1984 -- he
was warning Britons of a possible future, not of the inevitible
future. So to answer oyur question, when this does happen
I think it is by accident, not on purpose.
Thats a bit harder. I don't think the authors set out to predict. These
pieces are rhetorical in nature - they seek to warn, amaze, critique,
etc. That's why the human element. Sometimes they become
predictions in hindsight, but take for example Orwells 1984 -- he
was warning Britons of a possible future, not of the inevitible
future. So to answer oyur question, when this does happen
I think it is by accident, not on purpose.
In Star Trek, there are characters known as the Borg or cybernetic organism. Do you think we are slowly approaching this point? As science becomes greater at making more realistic and functional prosthetic body parts, could this possibly be something we have to look out for? Will we be able to attach a hand as easily as Luke Skywalker did?
Yep - and why not? Check out the writings of Hans Moravec
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Moravec
I do believe (if we do not destroy ourselves first) that our
technology will reach a point where we can alter our
own design. We do it now with glasses, I have hearing
aids, we are vaccinated, etc. Why not artificial organs and
limbs as needed. Why not nanite robots that will repair us
from within?
The issue is NOT will we be able to do this. The issue is
wether we will do this in a way that benefits society or
harms society. All technology is a 2-edged sword.
Yep - and why not? Check out the writings of Hans Moravec
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Moravec
I do believe (if we do not destroy ourselves first) that our
technology will reach a point where we can alter our
own design. We do it now with glasses, I have hearing
aids, we are vaccinated, etc. Why not artificial organs and
limbs as needed. Why not nanite robots that will repair us
from within?
The issue is NOT will we be able to do this. The issue is
wether we will do this in a way that benefits society or
harms society. All technology is a 2-edged sword.
A big theme in a lot of sci-fi is the user interfaces they use in their fictionalized computer systems (I am thinking of Minority Report). Do you feel that some of these ideas translate into the user interfaces we use today? Are they always practical?
Yes - user interfaces are constantly evolving toward the
ultimate goal of 'the wire' (direct brain--machine interface).
There are different goals. Some displays support decisions,
such as heads-up displays for jet pilots. Other displays
may support pattern-recognition, such as immersive
CAVE displays. Check out the Emotive headset:
http://www.wonderlandblog.com/wonderland/2007/03/brainscanning_g.html
Other Links:
I spent 18 glorious years discovering computers, the internet, and all the treasures they held. Those early years were on a PC; personal computer or better yet, a Windows machine. I had an internetless 3.1 and then the more sophisticating chiming 95. It was here that I first had access to the internet. What a glorious age this was. Free information from anywhere at the tips of my fingers in an instant. I soon found out how to make websites and contribute to this new land. A few years went by (now using Windows 98) and I noticed a change on the internet. Website were becoming more interactive than I wanted them to be. Pop-up adds and banners plagued websites. Oh well, a few clicks and they where gone. I was slow to adopt 2000 so my next upgrade was XP. How wonderful? (Half of my programs didn't work on installation!) Wait? What is this? A pop up? But I didn't click internet explorer. I will just close it. Gone. No worries! WAIT! It's back again?! It's sending it to everyone in my email? What am I sending? Pull the plug! After I restart my computer, I find the problem. Culprit? A worm digging its way through my computer to my email client. Causing strange pop-ups and errors every which way I turn! After a few years with XP, I finally figured out how to contain my computer but it was just something I didn't want to be bothered with.
My solution? I got a Mac. Now, here I am, virus free happy computing for about 4 years. Worms or viruses are not anything I have to think about. Penn State offers an anti-virus on it's website for Mac. I laugh. I know Apple makes up only a small portion of the computer world but I feel that Mac owners are enjoying their experience too much to make malware even though there have been some incidences. It was never quite anything like the troubles I had on my PC. I think to my old computer and what I had to do to make it work again. The countless hours. Never again for me! Knock on wood!
When talking about the threat of cyber terrorism, I think that of course it can be potentially dangerous but the odds of someone actually executing something with our nations heightened state of awareness is going to be extremely difficult. I saw this now after watching Live Free or Die Hard. The plot of the movie is that a group of terrorist do what is called a fire sale. This means they use an all out cyber attack to shut down the nation's digital infrastructure. The stock market crashes, traffic lights fail, etc... By the end of the movie John McClane and company defeat the bad guys and the world is put back into normal working order. If this is this the plot of a mainstream Hollywood movie then I think that cyberterrorism is an old threat. The country has gone so far to understand that it is incorporating it in pop culture. It is no longer scary or unexplainable. If Hollywood writers can come up with a way to foil their plan then surely, the United States government can.
However when older people began throwing around buzz words and cyber terrorism was formed, PBS's Frontline ran a documentary about hackers and how quickly they could disable a power plant. This was aired shortly after the New York power outages a few years ago. A government "hacker" said that within a week he could have the whole power grid shut off. A unidentified "hacker" said that within 20 minutes he could have the grid shut down. This was a very scary thought but that was a few years ago. There's always going to be risks or threats with anything but if we let that inhibit our use of it then the terrorists have already won!
It was my freshman year in college. I had just gotten a credit card and my very own bank account. Oh, boy! The world of things I can now do; shop online, make an eBay account, subscribe to video games. The world was my oyster. It was all good and fun. I was riding high then I got an email. "Your ebay.com membership needs updating. Please click here to continue and enter your information."
So I clicked the link and it took me to what I thought was the eBay.com login screen. I entered my user name and password. (Just lost that.) Then it came to updating my credit information. (Bam! Just lost that.) and then I clicked saved. I closed out the window and I forgot to add something so I went to eBay.com without using the link in the email. I noticed none of my information had changed nor had it needed updated. I hovered over the link in my email. It was a ton of numbers and then eBay.com like this 201.801.212.ebay.com. They got me! Up to that point I never thought it was that easy. I was always very cautious. I traced the IP and saw it went to Korea so I called up my bank, changed my numbers, and my ebay information. They made the site look and function exactly as eBay does. It even had a link to its privacy policy. I was phished! The image above shows a similar scam.
If this happened to me that easily, I thought to my parents and people not from my generation. They don't stand a chance! All thy have to go by is what the directions say and if someone is giving them false directions, they are toast. I think that making a standardized system of purchasing information is a great idea. That way you know exactly where your information is and you don't have the added risk of it being all over the web. What is safer? Having one key to your house or having 400?
As we played around with Second Life. I realized that this will never be a viable option to me as I cannot take it seriously. I am sure they are going to have a place in the future but for right now. It all seems a little ridiculous. The shear fact that when we were all in the "sandbox" and people kept making objects as big as the sandbox inhibiting other players from creating stuff is how I imagined most activities go in the game. After using it further, I really do not see a use for it. It may be good for architecture firms to virtually demo new buildings and concepts but where does that leave the rest of the riffraff that is just interested in getting the special sex parts so they can fool around in game. I feel there is a very distinct reason why their membership went down so quickly. 1. It was free so why not try it.
2. What makes this world so great?
Giving someone the ability in a virtual world actually gives them the ability to do nothing. With some many options and no goals, people get bored very fast. It becomes an instant novelty. The fact that people are putting real money into this game with the current economic state is in many respects irresponsible by the users and the game developers. I think this may be the wave of the future but we have a long ways to go before the avatar is the way we browse the web.
When I first got the computer game, The Sims, I thought how cool is this. I can take these people and control every aspect of their lives. I can make them eat. I can make them drink. I can make them have fun, decorate their homes, and even force them to go to the bathroom. I was playing the game just as it was intended to be and it was such a good time. Pretty soon, about a week later, I figured out that making these actions take place in game time was actually just as time consuming as doing them in real time. Since there was no real goal to the game, I got bored when I figured out that these actions weren't fun, they were just time consuming. So I did what any other Sims player would do and make a family, lock them in a room with no doors, windows, or
bathrooms, and just watched what happened! The results were pretty much as I expected. Soon after I just stopped playing.
bathrooms, and just watched what happened! The results were pretty much as I expected. Soon after I just stopped playing. A few months later, The Sims Online! Oh wow! I can now share this experience in a huge world full of other people?! My virtual neighbors are now controlled by real people and they speak real english!? (Not that Sim's gibberish.) A whole society of people living virtually with virtual real estate. This is wonderful. Wait. No, it's not. Why? First, it wasn't as seamless a world as they made it out to be. People couldn't just stroll to your neighbor hood. You were stopped by long load times and glitchy gameplay. Again, the goalless gameplay made it rather boring very quickly. Instead of just me killing time by myself, there were hundreds of other people. This time, I had to pay for it monthly though!
So what's my point? There is a huge buzz about these virtual worlds. The only they are going to be found useful is if the user experience isn't hindered an instant by technological issues. These worlds needs to be just as reliable as the real one we live in if we are expected to trust them!
PS The Sims Online is actually now free! They renamed it to EA-Land. Take a look?
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