Surveillance

I'm neutral when it comes to the topic of surveillance. I think it has the potential to be both good and bad depending on the situation. The bottom line is that it is inevitable that it will always be a part of our lives. I thought I'd post a few links to people who are both outraged and glad for the surveillance we have today:
http://www.notbored.org/the-scp.html --> opposed (heavily)

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0311/feature1/index.html---> explores both sides

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/cdnr/cdnr_winter0205.htm_---> surveillance used for health reasons

Human Calculator

http://www.humancalculator.com/ I thought this website was an interesting addition to our topic of thinking through the computer. This man amazingly can compute faster than an accountant using a calculator, and has invented The Human Calculator - a 13 month alternative to the Gregorian calculator. It's obvious this man could still think without the use of a computer or technological device.

Is IM making us dumb?

http://encarta.msn.com/column_imshorthandmain_marthahome/Does_IM_Make_U_Dum.html This is an article about the short hand writing people use while chatting online called "internetisms". The gist of the article says that short hand is vital to communicating online for reasons of saving time and clarity. I chose to post this article because I think it follows along the lines of our discussion about the technology alienating or empowering us. One could make the argument that these "internetisms" could be teaching generations poor grammar and writing skills. But this article seems to have the point that the abbreviations seem to be staying limited to internet chats, but to make sure not to use that type of language outside of it.

What's in a URL?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6448213/did/9164927/ Here is an article I found on MSNBC about a business owner who advertised her computer services on a URL: katrina.com. In efforts to aid those involved with the hurricane tragedy, she turned the site into an info central point for people looking to help. "Since Sunday, the Web site has received about 350,000 hits from places all over the world. And Blankenship, who is working on a dial-up Internet connection, has expanded her bandwidth to accommodate all the traffic." She has a forum where thousands of people have posted for lost relatives or friends, pictures, offered shelter, and supplies. An offer to buy the domain was even thrown out, "The site even has garnered the attention of people wanting to buy it, "The site even has garnered the attention of people wanting to buy it — one man offered $500,000 for the domain.." She declined and said she'd keep it up as long as it is needed and then go back to using it for it's previous purpose. It's amazingthe numberr of people the name of a URL can bring. As you can see just from this article that a business choosing a URL should do so carefully, but this also shows how the internet has aided the globe in times of need.

New media works alongside old

I came across an interesting article at http://edition.cnn.com/2005/TECH/08/26/cathleen.black.transcript/ where the concept of new media pushing out the old is discussed. Cathleen Black, a publishing chief for Hearst Magazines, discusses the impact of the internet and the effect it has on old media (i.e. newspapers, magazines etc.). She says, "All people would talking about a few years ago -- when the words "Internet" and the "Web" were new -- was that it was going to kill off traditional media. But it doesn't seem to happen like that. I think people readjust how they use their media." I think this is true about all old mediums..we still use magazines, news paper, radio and television, they have not been "killed" and still prove to be profitable- as much or even more than the internet. Another good point Black brings up is, "I think most people aged 17-20 go to the Web generally -- especially women --for something specific. That's not why generally they read a magazine. They don't go to a magazine because they have one specific question in mind. They go to a magazine to be entertained, to be informed, to have fun, to be inspired, to see really good writing. " When someone reads print, I think there is a feeling of being entertained as a whole. You get pictures, different stories, and an abundance of information - more for pleasure as opposed to looking for something on the web, or even browsing a magazine on the web. It's a much different experience. A magazine or paper is familiar to all ages, portable, and can be subscribed to. Someone may spend an hour with a magazine as opposed to browsing for a half an hour and getting bored with it. Overall this is an interesting interview coming from someone who is on the paper publishing side, as well as publishing on the web.