Lecture –
The lecture this week talked about free and open source. Free software was created by Richard M Stallman and he wanted to create totally free operating system. There were 4 Free Software principles. The name free source was not appealing as a marketing point so to break into the business world, the name was changed to Open Source. Open source’s key is to include everybody, anyone can make a contribution. Despite its good points, such as the fact that it is not controlled by a large money hungry company, Open Source has got a few problems. Such as it’s survival is dependent on public participation.
Reading –
There were three readings for the week, but they were too long and interrupted my study for the exam so I chose to concentrate on my essay and my exam instead of doing the readings.
Tutorial –
The tutorial was basically a catch up on previous blogs, finishing your essay or doing the tutorial task for the week which is making a movie for Youtube. I chose to catch up on tasks and finish my essay before sending it off.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Week 11 – Tutorial 11 – Copyright
Lecture –
I wasn’t at the lecture this week, however I read the lecture notes and saw that they watched a Youtube video called Cocain Jesus and another short documentary called Steal this film 2. There was a connection to a site that talked about Napster and his P2P invention. The notes discussed his program as a ‘peer-to-peer’ MP3 player downloading site that was shut down due to copyright. The article continues with discussions about how the video cassette recorder came under scrutiny due to the fact that it recorded a show at a particular time to be viewed at a later date, also an infringement on copyright laws. They said that this point was argued during the Napster case. In the end, Napster closed down. The discussion was interesting because it raises the question of where the fine line is between copyright and legal downloading/copying. Perhaps the public is doing illegal copying on an everyday basis without being aware? Why put a recording device on a video cassette if it’s illegal?
Reading –
I couldn’t access the reading for this week.
Tutorial –
There were no tutorial tasks for this week on the website and I couldn’t make the tutorial so I wasn’t in class to participate in any activity they decided to do.
I wasn’t at the lecture this week, however I read the lecture notes and saw that they watched a Youtube video called Cocain Jesus and another short documentary called Steal this film 2. There was a connection to a site that talked about Napster and his P2P invention. The notes discussed his program as a ‘peer-to-peer’ MP3 player downloading site that was shut down due to copyright. The article continues with discussions about how the video cassette recorder came under scrutiny due to the fact that it recorded a show at a particular time to be viewed at a later date, also an infringement on copyright laws. They said that this point was argued during the Napster case. In the end, Napster closed down. The discussion was interesting because it raises the question of where the fine line is between copyright and legal downloading/copying. Perhaps the public is doing illegal copying on an everyday basis without being aware? Why put a recording device on a video cassette if it’s illegal?
Reading –
I couldn’t access the reading for this week.
Tutorial –
There were no tutorial tasks for this week on the website and I couldn’t make the tutorial so I wasn’t in class to participate in any activity they decided to do.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Week 10 - Topic 10 - Blade Runner
Lecture –
The lecture this week we watched Blade Runner, a movie starring Harrison Ford. The movie raises the issue of how human machines may become in the future. It asks whether or not they can learn to have emotions. It starts with 6 replicas escaping and killing humans. This brings in Harrison Ford as a Blade Runner to catch and kill them before they kill anyone else. He finds a replica that doesn’t realise that she is one and has been modelled to feel emotions and remember a past that never even existed. The movie continues with him killing off the replicas one by one. The movie was interesting as it raised questions about how far technology may take us in the future and whether or not it will ever be possible to invent machines that will feel and think like human beings do. Although a good movie, it wasn’t as effective as eXistenZ in its message. eXistenZ was frightening as there are currently virtual reality games and each day there is a new, improved virtual reality games that one day may become as realistic as the games in the movie.
Tutorial –
The tutorial for this week was to discuss and complete our essay outline. To catch up on any of the activities we missed over the past few weeks.
Reading –
The reading was on the themes in Blade Runner the book. It gives quotes from the book that is relevant to the issues being discussed within the book. It’s just an overview. The title for the piece ‘An exploration of what it is to be human’ sounded more interesting than the reading itself. I’d prefer to have an in-depth piece of writing on the real discussion of what it is to be human rather than a review of a book which just touches on the subject. I think the topic would be extremely interesting if presented in a different way, rather than discussing a fiction book and movie.
The lecture this week we watched Blade Runner, a movie starring Harrison Ford. The movie raises the issue of how human machines may become in the future. It asks whether or not they can learn to have emotions. It starts with 6 replicas escaping and killing humans. This brings in Harrison Ford as a Blade Runner to catch and kill them before they kill anyone else. He finds a replica that doesn’t realise that she is one and has been modelled to feel emotions and remember a past that never even existed. The movie continues with him killing off the replicas one by one. The movie was interesting as it raised questions about how far technology may take us in the future and whether or not it will ever be possible to invent machines that will feel and think like human beings do. Although a good movie, it wasn’t as effective as eXistenZ in its message. eXistenZ was frightening as there are currently virtual reality games and each day there is a new, improved virtual reality games that one day may become as realistic as the games in the movie.
Tutorial –
The tutorial for this week was to discuss and complete our essay outline. To catch up on any of the activities we missed over the past few weeks.
Reading –
The reading was on the themes in Blade Runner the book. It gives quotes from the book that is relevant to the issues being discussed within the book. It’s just an overview. The title for the piece ‘An exploration of what it is to be human’ sounded more interesting than the reading itself. I’d prefer to have an in-depth piece of writing on the real discussion of what it is to be human rather than a review of a book which just touches on the subject. I think the topic would be extremely interesting if presented in a different way, rather than discussing a fiction book and movie.
Week 9 - Topic 9 - Cyberpunk
Lecture –
This week we discussed Cyberpunk and Burning Chrome, a book. We went into a discussion about Cyberpunk and reality. The Lecture discussed how technology has been viewed as a Utopia but nothing is really real in modern society, everything we do involves technology like SMS, television, Facebook, Email and virtual reality games. The concept of physical activity games (except for Wii) is becoming a thing of the past. The idea of playing Tennis or Football or games that would in reality require physical exhaustion are now available from the comfort of your living room. No physical activity required anymore. It’s a frightening concept. Off topic a bit there. After the discussion of Cyberpunk and the Matrix we watched another French Film.
Tutorial –
The tutorial activity this week was to discuss the difference between MSN and 3D programs. Without ever having used the programs I can only discuss what I know but as far I can tell MSN is a simple chat site where users are only able to write comments and use ‘smiley faces’ as an indicator of emotions. That is the only pictures available. However the 3D chat site involves choosing a character to represent you and choose a room or space to stand in. As far as I can tell it is more active and involves the use of a virtual universe where you can meet and chat with other users. The 3D environment doesn’t really make a difference on the outcome, it’s still a fake reality, and you don’t see the person that you are talking too. It’s only benefit is that it’s more exciting to use visually.
Reading –
The reading for this week was either a review of Burning Chrome or the actual book itself. I found it extremely hard to get into so I can’t really give much information as I didn’t understand it. When you first click on the reading ‘Allegory of Plato’s cave’ you are taken to a page with a drawing of the cave discussing prisons of reality. I then clicked on the second link taking me to Burning Chrome website. Without getting into a long discussion about a book I didn’t understand, I can tell you what the website says about Chrome and who she is. Burning chrome is a collection of short stories about a number of topics regarding technological advances – as far as I can tell. I’m not really sure…..
This week we discussed Cyberpunk and Burning Chrome, a book. We went into a discussion about Cyberpunk and reality. The Lecture discussed how technology has been viewed as a Utopia but nothing is really real in modern society, everything we do involves technology like SMS, television, Facebook, Email and virtual reality games. The concept of physical activity games (except for Wii) is becoming a thing of the past. The idea of playing Tennis or Football or games that would in reality require physical exhaustion are now available from the comfort of your living room. No physical activity required anymore. It’s a frightening concept. Off topic a bit there. After the discussion of Cyberpunk and the Matrix we watched another French Film.
Tutorial –
The tutorial activity this week was to discuss the difference between MSN and 3D programs. Without ever having used the programs I can only discuss what I know but as far I can tell MSN is a simple chat site where users are only able to write comments and use ‘smiley faces’ as an indicator of emotions. That is the only pictures available. However the 3D chat site involves choosing a character to represent you and choose a room or space to stand in. As far as I can tell it is more active and involves the use of a virtual universe where you can meet and chat with other users. The 3D environment doesn’t really make a difference on the outcome, it’s still a fake reality, and you don’t see the person that you are talking too. It’s only benefit is that it’s more exciting to use visually.
Reading –
The reading for this week was either a review of Burning Chrome or the actual book itself. I found it extremely hard to get into so I can’t really give much information as I didn’t understand it. When you first click on the reading ‘Allegory of Plato’s cave’ you are taken to a page with a drawing of the cave discussing prisons of reality. I then clicked on the second link taking me to Burning Chrome website. Without getting into a long discussion about a book I didn’t understand, I can tell you what the website says about Chrome and who she is. Burning chrome is a collection of short stories about a number of topics regarding technological advances – as far as I can tell. I’m not really sure…..
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Week 8 - Topic 8 - Video Games
Lecture –
The lecture this week discussed the effect of video games and their popularity between genders. The lecturer began with a lengthy discussion with the students, asking for their opinions on video games. He began with a generalised view that guys believe video games to be educational and girls don’t see a use for them. However when the discussion was opened up to the audience, he discovered that this was not the case. Many of the women agreed that video games do have a purpose in training the mind and helping with hand and eye co-ordination. People did admit to becoming addicted to video games, which can become quite dangerous as they then began to test the boundaries of virtual reality and actual reality, which seems to be becoming a popular theme in this class. It’s a social problem. The lecture introduced the concept of narratology, the new study of video games. It’s the belief that video games can be viewed like a text, like a book. That they have some academic properties.
Tutorial –
The tutorial tasks for this week included using Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. Since I already know how to use Microsoft word, I just attempted the tasks on Excel instead and I found it harder. I don’t claim to be particularly clever when it comes to computers; it’s why I’m doing this course nor am I very good with formulas which is apparently what Excel helps you do, but apparently I’m also not very good with figuring out how to put equations into computers for them to figure out. I had a lot of trouble with the task, I tried and failed. But I do know more about Excel now – I shouldn’t use it.
Reading –
The reading for this week is from a book called ‘Trigger Happy’, chapter 3. It’s an interesting way to prove just how unrealistic games really are. As real as they may be perceived by the person playing it, the adrenalin rush of the chase and fire, the game, in reality, is extremely impossible. Not to mention the fact that the game is fighting aliens in space (unrealistic in itself) the book goes on to discuss how unrealistic the firing of a laser is represented in the game. An interesting example given by the author was the idea of putting a race car driver in-front of a race car computer game and he will still crash the car because the dynamics of control are different within the game. This is therefore saying that no matter how close to reality games can be, they are still games, not reality. An example I can think of, is if a kid playing a race car game thinks he can drive because he didn’t crash in the game doesn’t mean if he took out his parents car and drove as fast as he did in that game he wouldn’t crash. The realities are different. Real life has certain obstacles not represented in a game, including other drivers who also have an unpredictable mind of their own, whereas game characters don’t.
The lecture this week discussed the effect of video games and their popularity between genders. The lecturer began with a lengthy discussion with the students, asking for their opinions on video games. He began with a generalised view that guys believe video games to be educational and girls don’t see a use for them. However when the discussion was opened up to the audience, he discovered that this was not the case. Many of the women agreed that video games do have a purpose in training the mind and helping with hand and eye co-ordination. People did admit to becoming addicted to video games, which can become quite dangerous as they then began to test the boundaries of virtual reality and actual reality, which seems to be becoming a popular theme in this class. It’s a social problem. The lecture introduced the concept of narratology, the new study of video games. It’s the belief that video games can be viewed like a text, like a book. That they have some academic properties.
Tutorial –
The tutorial tasks for this week included using Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. Since I already know how to use Microsoft word, I just attempted the tasks on Excel instead and I found it harder. I don’t claim to be particularly clever when it comes to computers; it’s why I’m doing this course nor am I very good with formulas which is apparently what Excel helps you do, but apparently I’m also not very good with figuring out how to put equations into computers for them to figure out. I had a lot of trouble with the task, I tried and failed. But I do know more about Excel now – I shouldn’t use it.
Reading –
The reading for this week is from a book called ‘Trigger Happy’, chapter 3. It’s an interesting way to prove just how unrealistic games really are. As real as they may be perceived by the person playing it, the adrenalin rush of the chase and fire, the game, in reality, is extremely impossible. Not to mention the fact that the game is fighting aliens in space (unrealistic in itself) the book goes on to discuss how unrealistic the firing of a laser is represented in the game. An interesting example given by the author was the idea of putting a race car driver in-front of a race car computer game and he will still crash the car because the dynamics of control are different within the game. This is therefore saying that no matter how close to reality games can be, they are still games, not reality. An example I can think of, is if a kid playing a race car game thinks he can drive because he didn’t crash in the game doesn’t mean if he took out his parents car and drove as fast as he did in that game he wouldn’t crash. The realities are different. Real life has certain obstacles not represented in a game, including other drivers who also have an unpredictable mind of their own, whereas game characters don’t.
Week 7 - Topic 7 - eXistenZ
Lecture –
We watched eXistenZ that goes into detail about the ability for video games to become too close to reality, creating a virtual reality that is hard to distinguish a difference between actual realities. The movie was about a video game that allowed its players to become immersed in the actual game, feeling the emotions of the characters and thinking as their character would. It sounds very similar to normal current video games; however within this particular game in the film, the people are transported in their minds into the game in their own bodies. The film ends with a question of whether or not they were still in the game, questioning how close virtual reality is to actual reality. It’s futuristic but shows how society could be heading if gradual progression leads us there.
Tutorial –
We had not tutorial this week, just to catch up on anything we haven’t done yet.
Reading –
The reading for this week discusses the idea of war as entertainment, stating at one point that viewers should sit down and wait to see what comes next. It discusses the introduction of military songs to enhance entertainment. It then goes on to talk about war games and how useful they are as training tactics, as well as for entertainment value. The introduction of flight simulators allowed pilots to learn without endangering their expensive aircrafts. This is therefore a very expensive and effective form of virtual reality, which requires it’s users to believe that the ‘game’ they are playing is in actual fact, reality. Discussions took place between the military and Hollywood movie executives to find out how they could use television to assist in the war against terror. It was mentioned that the war needed a narrative.
We watched eXistenZ that goes into detail about the ability for video games to become too close to reality, creating a virtual reality that is hard to distinguish a difference between actual realities. The movie was about a video game that allowed its players to become immersed in the actual game, feeling the emotions of the characters and thinking as their character would. It sounds very similar to normal current video games; however within this particular game in the film, the people are transported in their minds into the game in their own bodies. The film ends with a question of whether or not they were still in the game, questioning how close virtual reality is to actual reality. It’s futuristic but shows how society could be heading if gradual progression leads us there.
Tutorial –
We had not tutorial this week, just to catch up on anything we haven’t done yet.
Reading –
The reading for this week discusses the idea of war as entertainment, stating at one point that viewers should sit down and wait to see what comes next. It discusses the introduction of military songs to enhance entertainment. It then goes on to talk about war games and how useful they are as training tactics, as well as for entertainment value. The introduction of flight simulators allowed pilots to learn without endangering their expensive aircrafts. This is therefore a very expensive and effective form of virtual reality, which requires it’s users to believe that the ‘game’ they are playing is in actual fact, reality. Discussions took place between the military and Hollywood movie executives to find out how they could use television to assist in the war against terror. It was mentioned that the war needed a narrative.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Week 6 - History of the Internet
Lecture Notes –
In the lecture this week, the lecturer gave the history of the internet as well as the invention of communication techniques during the war. I found the discussion about the German code forms and how their enemies cracked them interesting. According to the lecturer Alan Turing in 1936 invented a machine to rival the German Code form “Crib”. Turing also invented the Turing Bomb. We were then shown a short film on communication during the war. The lecture then moved on to the ‘home brew’ meetings in which many of the highly regarded IBM and Apple inventors began. There was then a discussion about Xerox Parc (my notes include the following) – in the 1970’s a group of mathematicians etc got together to form a ‘think tank’ to find better ways to use a computer – pull down menus and a mouse were a few of the results from this ‘think tank’. The internet – interconnecting computers. Web is only one part of the internet.
Reading –
The reading for this week is about what is considered to be new media and how it is considered new. What we may consider to be new media may actually be old. An example given is the introduction of downloading. The items downloaded (television shows, music etc) are not new media, however the option to download them is new media as it changes the way in which we are able to get hold of the programs or listen to the music. According to the reading, new media is described as being the remaking of old forms of technology to adapt to the new media of today. The internet is described as being the best example of a form of new media.
Tutorial –
The article I found in Wikipedia was about the play I am currently performing in called Maskerade. The play is an adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s novel by the same name. The article gives a basic overview of the novel and mentions Stephen Briggs as the person who adapted the novel to a play. However when I clicked on Stephen Briggs on the Maskerade page, his site didn’t mention Maskerade at all. It mentioned every other Terry Pratchett novel that Briggs had adapted to stage, but didn’t include Maskerade.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Briggs
Is this an accurate article? – I’m not sure about the other plays mentioned in the article but the exclusion of Maskerade from his list of adaptations suggests that it is not an accurate account of his career.
Does it cover all the basic facts that you’d need to understand this topic? – No, it cover not basic facts about any of his plays, and completely disregards Maskerade from the list.
Does this article follow the Wikipedia guidelines for useful articles? – not sure.
Is this article fair and balanced, or is it biased towards a particular side or argument? – There is no side or argument, however I suppose you could say it is biased in favour of his other plays.
What changes would you make to this article to improve it and make it useful for the wider Wikipedia community? – I would add a segment on Stephen Briggs’ adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s play Maskerade, giving details about what the play is about.
In the lecture this week, the lecturer gave the history of the internet as well as the invention of communication techniques during the war. I found the discussion about the German code forms and how their enemies cracked them interesting. According to the lecturer Alan Turing in 1936 invented a machine to rival the German Code form “Crib”. Turing also invented the Turing Bomb. We were then shown a short film on communication during the war. The lecture then moved on to the ‘home brew’ meetings in which many of the highly regarded IBM and Apple inventors began. There was then a discussion about Xerox Parc (my notes include the following) – in the 1970’s a group of mathematicians etc got together to form a ‘think tank’ to find better ways to use a computer – pull down menus and a mouse were a few of the results from this ‘think tank’. The internet – interconnecting computers. Web is only one part of the internet.
Reading –
The reading for this week is about what is considered to be new media and how it is considered new. What we may consider to be new media may actually be old. An example given is the introduction of downloading. The items downloaded (television shows, music etc) are not new media, however the option to download them is new media as it changes the way in which we are able to get hold of the programs or listen to the music. According to the reading, new media is described as being the remaking of old forms of technology to adapt to the new media of today. The internet is described as being the best example of a form of new media.
Tutorial –
The article I found in Wikipedia was about the play I am currently performing in called Maskerade. The play is an adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s novel by the same name. The article gives a basic overview of the novel and mentions Stephen Briggs as the person who adapted the novel to a play. However when I clicked on Stephen Briggs on the Maskerade page, his site didn’t mention Maskerade at all. It mentioned every other Terry Pratchett novel that Briggs had adapted to stage, but didn’t include Maskerade.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Briggs
Is this an accurate article? – I’m not sure about the other plays mentioned in the article but the exclusion of Maskerade from his list of adaptations suggests that it is not an accurate account of his career.
Does it cover all the basic facts that you’d need to understand this topic? – No, it cover not basic facts about any of his plays, and completely disregards Maskerade from the list.
Does this article follow the Wikipedia guidelines for useful articles? – not sure.
Is this article fair and balanced, or is it biased towards a particular side or argument? – There is no side or argument, however I suppose you could say it is biased in favour of his other plays.
What changes would you make to this article to improve it and make it useful for the wider Wikipedia community? – I would add a segment on Stephen Briggs’ adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s play Maskerade, giving details about what the play is about.
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