PWR 2 Blogging

Blogging as a form of communication

2004-11-08T13:06:00.000-08:00

I think the way we blog now is great. The response to artciles is great because, although it does force us to read articles, that is great! The informal nature of the blog really appeals to me. I don't think a disucussion blog would work though - that just feels too forced.

I do think, as you suggest, that increasing the required comments would be good. Although it is a bit forced, and perhaps responding to someone in person would work just as well (if not better, because you can actually start up a live discussion), it does get us thinking about other people's writing and ideas.

I think that is all I have to say. Blogs as research-logs would not be cool.

Response to "Obsessive Internet Use..." CNN.com, June 13, 2000

2004-10-30T13:41:00.000-07:00

As I read this article I found myself almost constantly agreeing with its content. The fact that Internet use carries with it risks of “isolation, depression and failure at work or school” is obvious to me. Meeting and interacting with people online has never been, and will never be, like meeting with someone face to face; seeing their excitement or sadness, hearing their speech or laughter, and feeling their tension or joy. We all need friends and a community to which we belong to, and the Internet will never fully satisfy that desire. This ultimately will lead to isolation and depression, which then seeps, in unhealthy ways, into the rest of our lives (work, school, family and other friends).

Pornography addiction, I agree, is an awful problem for many men (because they are so visually stimulated), but increasingly for women nowadays (as they leave their natural form of stimulation, touch, and stoop down to men’s primitive level). Like a real affair, I believe that pornography destroys marriages, and healthy relationships in general, because it takes away from the amount of love we can give to real people. It allows us to create a sense of false intimacy with the people on a screen (or as the article says, pornography “seduce[s] and “mesmerize[s]”), which ultimately leaves us empty, but for the short term allows us to isolate ourselves from real people, including even wife and children.

Finally, I agree that people often use the Internet to create a new identity for themselves, especially if they are ostracized, in one way or another, from people in their real culture and surroundings. This leaves many with a false sense of who they really are, because they lead two differing lifestyles, one online and one in reality. Again, this is a natural response of people, which the Internet allows us to accomplish. When we are excluded from communities because of any defects we have (physical, emotional, mental), we try to cover these weaknesses up, and run away from the people that isolate us. The Internet provides a safe heaven. Unfortunately, this only leads to temporary satisfaction because we do not work on our weaknesses but only feed them, which means that when we return to reality we are all the more discarded, or we just never return to reality.

Resonse to Hypertext NOW:Electronic Reading article

2004-10-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

I disagree with this article, and its claim that books and all other forms of tangible literature will fall victim to electronic reading and writing. Before I explain myself, I want to make clear that I do agree that electronic literature has a much larger place in our digital culture than in the past, but this it will never overthrow traditional forms of writing.

At first, although I never actually do it, books can be read before going to sleep, or in the bathtub, and electronic literature, on a computer, cannot. Although the author claims a computer can be taken into the bathtub I seriously doubt he would ever do so. The same applies to snuggling up with your laptop for some bedtime reading, and falling asleep with it by your side. It’s just not the same and never will be!

The author admits that reading information on the screen is more difficult than reading it on paper, and this is what might drive many people, especially the elderly, away from computers. No one wants bad eye-sight, and looking at a computer screen more and more will definitely quicken this degenerations.

Electronic sources will never be the same as a worn out, personalized (with highlights, notes and smiley faces) book. Right now I am collecting a lot of Christian books (and not just collecting, but also reading) and there is nothing like having those books on the shelf an being able to open them up anytime I choose and mull over their contents.

However the availability and comfort of electronic sources is advantageous, and therefore, as I said before, electronic literature has a much larger place in our digital culture than in the past, but this it will never overthrow traditional forms of writing.

Peace out...

Response to PowerPoint articles

2004-10-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

Before I read instruction number two for this assignment (Choose one and respond), I unfortunately (or rather very fortunately right, Christine?) read all of the articles on this topic. All of them dealt with the pros and cons of PowerPoint.
There were many convincing arguments in the articles that PowerPoint makes us stupid because of the way it stifles creativity, encourages simplicity and "squeezes ideas into a preconceived format."
But I stand on the side of PowerPoint supporters. I think Byrne is right when he says that PowerPoint can be used as an artistic agent. Although PowerPoint is limited in creative scope, we can give our presentations personal touches, evading, if we try, standard layouts, headings, bullet points and other unspoken PowerPoint laws. This applies to normal essay writing as well. I can churn out the standard 5 paragraph essay in 30 minutes, but a more thought out, rhetorically rich piece demands more time and creativity. The same concepts apply to a PowerPoint presentation.
The suggestion that PowerPoint distracts the audience from the speaker’s words carries weight, but that is part of the beauty of PowerPoint. Whether the audience listen to my words, or read the shorter version that is on the screen in front of them leaves them with the same message (unless your slides don’t agree with your verbal arguments). I think PowerPoint helps us to streamline our thoughts into golden nuggets, which the audience, can if they wish, soak in through the slides.
It is annoying that the majority of the business world is using PowerPoint and by virtue of going into this profession you have to conform to its standards, but this, again, applies to other career options. If you want to be a politician you have to lie (well, at least tell only half the truth). If you want be an engineer you have to know calculus. If you want to be a surgeon you have to b accustomed to blood. It’s part of life!
Despite my support of PowerPoint, I do feel that kids should stick to free writing. PowerPoint helps us to streamline ideas, but children should be free to wander with their ideas, and just write what comes to mind. Stifling a young child’s creativity is irreconcilable with the basic idea of education I think, and therefore kids should never be encouraged to use PowerPoint as opposed to writing their own story or something of that creative nature.

Response to articles on blogging

2004-10-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

"Blogging interrupted:"
This might be off the technology theme, but I think it is extremely sad that sex has become simply "a sport," and that both men and women view it as something to be done simply for sheer pleasure. I think that is sick, and I reckon that people are always hurt in this casual-sex atmosphere that we have created.

But, on a more technical note, I think this article attempts to push the idea that blogging is an important form of writing. This article tells us that people look at blogs, and we have to be careful what we reveal in our journals. It gives me an uneasy feeling that everything I write in my blog could be used against me, like with any other form of writing. I think this is what this article might be touching upon - blogging is like any other form of writing.

"Emerging Alternative: Blogworld:"
This article is similar to one we read last week, in that it views blogging as a means of letting every writer out there be heard. Everyone can now write on the internet, respond to other people's electronic journals and use blogs as sources of information.

Is that scary? Will blogging take over newspapers and writing books manually? We already discussed these questions and concluded, I think, that real books and real newspapers will never become outdated by the electronic format. There is something special about holding a written-by-ink book.

"Blogging as a Form of Journalism:"
Again, an article touching upon the journalistic nature of blogs. With blogs, I was informed, writers can circumvent big media, thus emerging, hopefully, with something less bias because less people have had the opportunity to mess with your thoughts and words. Furthermore, blogs allow people, even amateurs, to write freely on topics that they find really interesting and have a passion for, without having to go through the usual painful, time-consuming process of writing a published article.

I think that this article touches upon an important issue. Clearly blogging gives more people access to writing for an audience, but does the quality of this writing suffer? Is it true that blogs are less bias than journalism that has gone through big media screens? These are issues that will only get tougher to answer as blogging popularity rises.

"Blah, Blah, Blah, and Blog:"
Are blogs empty of content - boring and lacking writing creativity? This is the next article to address the same question. Some argue that yes, blogging has taught people how to write about what they ate today - great job. That is not writing and nobody cares about what you ate today. Others, however, claim the any sort of writing expands the mind and improves writing. A discussion that is endless I think. People write what they want to write. By expanding access to blogging you will encounter more and more bland writing, but also stumble across great writers. Fortunately, you don't have to ready everything that's on the web.

Exciting research topics (cont.)

2004-10-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about my research paper a little more, and have decided that I will write either on gaming (the social impacts of violent games) or internet subcultures (hackers and their society). Still broad, but I think I will go with one of these two. The stem cell research paper would have been lacking in technology, defeating the point of this class.
Take care.

Blog 1 - Exciting Research Topics

2004-10-02T13:37:00.000-07:00

HEY! What's up everyone?
This weekend I have been thinking a bit about my research topic and have come up with three ideas.
The first one pertains to stem cells. Christine was not too happy with this topic because it is not as directly related to technology as she would like it to be, and I agree with her, but it is something that I immediately likened to. I know very little about the subject, yet have heard great controversy surrounding it, especially from religiously affiliated groups, including Christians. Being a Christian I am interested in what this stem cell research is all about, why is it said to be the future and why do many Christians oppose it.
I also more broadly interested in viruses, and their logic. I mean why would people create viruses and try to ruin the technological world – simply for attention? I don’t know, and think it would be interesting to find out. In this process I would also hope to learn how some sorts of viruses work.
Finally, I was thinking of internet pornography (and not THINKING in that sense). I was wondering how did pornography start out – who started it, in what form did it start out (I hope it was not with the raunchiness that accompanies it today), how was it allowed to start out. I thought of including some pictures as preliminary evidence here, but decided hastily against it.
Hope y’all have a good weekend, and party safe.