PWR2

Nov. 8 Blogger for this course

2004-11-08T10:13:00.000-08:00

Next quarter has to get more work than we did. grrrr. nah... so I think it'll be more effective if they had to blog post as a class. this quarter, i posted quite a lot, i'm sure others have, but we never read each others... I know there's a 2 response thing... but honestly, i'll do that the day before it's due... but if you have a blog discussion as a class, then it's more effective. One person makes the main topic each week, and the rest have to respond. It's also alot easier because you don't start from scratch. and this quarter, alot of the blogs were summaries or questions regarding the material we read. But blogging as a class discussion investigates/debates those questions and finds answers. I think that's much more useful than posting open-ended questions and not getting feedback.

oh, and cuz it's a class blog discussion, everyone is reading it, so people will take it more seriously, will put extra effort~

Nov. 7 WhatIsAWiki

2004-11-07T21:33:00.000-08:00

After reading this, I still don’t understand what is a Wiki… my best guess would be a collaborative website service… but I think I’m wrong… no, seriously. I don’t know why they can’t just say “This is a Wiki-“ and then show a wiki… what’s wrong with that? Why do they have to make it so confusing… maybe that’s their goal… to confuse people… “Wiki is a piece of server software that allows users to freely create and edit Web page content using any Web browser. Wiki supports hyperlinks and has a simple text syntax for creating new pages and crosslinks between internal pages on the fly.”

The part I don’t get is, what’s so special about this? Why isn’t it called web editing program. Why didn’t they give me an example- FrontPage??? Dreamweaver? Or is that not a Wiki? So instead of commenting on the content, let me comment on the rhetoric of this page.

The rhetoric is absolutely horrible. Let me mention the very few attempts this blog takes at presenting material as scannable.
1.) Indentation for definition of Wiki- although each definition is different
2.) Line breaks to separate each blog- though each blog is rarely coherent…
3.) Bold lettering is extremely readable, contrasted- but I don’t get why it’s emphasized…. Like “... the post-it note of the web”, what is this?
4.) OpenWiki is colored red… why? I don’t know…

As you can feel, I’m trashing this website. I don’t’ even know why people post these kind of things… Does everyone have that much free time? I don’t… I actually feel bad for posting this… so I’ll post 1 more for gaming… my 6th…

Oct. 31 Online dating Blog

2004-11-01T01:00:00.000-08:00

Internet dating ‘empowers women’ by Tom Geoghegan on BBC News Online

I have never tried online dating on purpose. I will explain the term “on purpose” later, but for now, let me give my view on online dating and my commentary on the article. I think online dating is a way to meet friends, not to find a sole partner. As long as you have that in mind, everything will go by fine. And the same cliché goes “it’ll come at the right time”.

Nonetheless, I agree with the article. Online dating does give, not only women, but also men, power. People are much more open with what they say- like “I want to have 5 children”, or “I don’t want to have sex” or “I think you’re too shallow”. It allows people to know about each other before meeting. It allows people to know if they share same interests before they meet. But all of this is providing, the other person is serious. If the other person is not, online dating is only a way to attack people.
But I think a true example is needed to truly show a point or convince someone. My girlfriend and I basically did “online dating”. We met each other literally 3x, only saw each other- never talked in person. However, I asked her out on MSN and we started talking on MSN. It was only after talking for 3 months did we meet up in December and started dating. This rules out the 2 dangers of online dating. 1.) the other person’s looks and 2.) the other person’s credibility/not being serious. MSN was a way for us to know about each other given we appreciated each other’s looks. We chatted for even up to 6 hours straight. It is true, she talks more online, and she is able to articulate herself better. But I think all that will change when she’s more comfortable with me. Because, for me, she’s the only one. Even now, we chat online, a hour a day, sometimes even more. We’re both tired from school, but it’s because of that even if we’re tired, we still make the effort to talk to each other, share feelings, that is the feeling of loving someone, I’d say.

Oct. 25 Electronic Reading vs. Traditional Reading

2004-10-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

HYPERTEXT NOW
Electronic Reading vs. Traditional Reading

It is not fair for me to read this piece of writing- I am bias. I have already established in my mind that electronic reading is far more convenient than reading a book. Both in a micro and macro scale, electronic reading is more useful. This author uses a list of arguments against electronic reading and questions them to convey his point that e-reading is better than reading a book. The first reason against e-reading that he fights against is- paper books are lighter than computers and that “putting us to sleep is not the highest aspiration of literature”. It is entirely possible to build a “superb computer for use in bed”, I think, even in the showers. Moreover, when books are not water-proof, we can make computers that are water proof. What more is there to compare? The texture of the book? I think it’s pretty ridiculous to go into that detail and I feel that’s the explanation of the sarcastic tone in- “if readers truly want the smell of leather bindings” haha.

The second reason is that book resolution is better than PC resolution and hence, people read faster. I personally don’t see the link in this argument. The difference in resolution is too minute to cause a difference in reading speed, though the difference in speed is true. People are just not used to it. This just takes time.

Another reason is that paper books never change, while electronic page transforms. I don’t get this. When a book is left untouched, it changes! It becomes old, the book deteriorates, and you can’t read the words anymore. But an electronic book is there forever! Digital information can be maintained forever. There are several other reasons that I think, by this point is meaningless to bring up.

The two final arguments he makes are: 1.) Inconvenience, go across a country to get the book? And 2.) Save trees. He ends with the rhetorical question- “don’t have better uses for trees?” and has a hyper text link with “better uses for trees”, I thought would be an explanation of what trees are good for. But to my disappointment, it is a convoluted website entitled- “The Limits of Structure”.

I think there are stronger arguments against e-reading. Such as an expense of a laptop. Too expensive. Some people don’t know how to use a laptop. Research shows that only 10% of the worlds population own a PC (I heard from a friend while discussing about Intel’s market potential). Also, the radiation digital screen causes, deterioration of eye sight. And finally, an appeal to mothers, when reading a bed-time story, such as 3 little pigs. Imagine holding a picture book, cute, and showing the child, versus holding a tablet PC and showing 3 little pigs here. I think holding the book is more cozy.

Oct. 11 Blogging

2004-10-11T03:16:00.000-07:00

"Everyone should have a blog," Jessica says. "It's the most democratic thing ever." I find it ironic that she is saying this. Does she mean it? Jessica has only been blogging for two weeks and because of her topic, X-rated, now she is spotted by Playboy and will pose this fall. I really wonder if she meant it. Why did she panic in the beginning and try to erease the blog? She said:

"I think people are -- and this isn't something I came up with, I heard it somewhere -- people are as faithful as their options," she says. "If you think there's no chance of getting caught or something, you'll do it. I'm sure not everyone is like that. I know that I'm that way."

So, the option she has now is to pose for Playboy? I think she is a respectable person. First, she never said any of the guys name. After all, if there were no demand, there would be no supply (i.e. her actions). Second, her virginity was lost to a guy who flew across the country to have sex with her and disappeared right after. This makes her insecure with relationships. Perhaps, why she said that if one doesn’t work out, there’s still another. Last but not the least, she is brave. Many girls in her position would have committed suicide- lost her job, lost her boyfriend and it’s her birthday. Indeed, her 26th birthday gave her a “new” life. Yes, she is brave, but that’s, as she says it, a self-defense mechanism. She should remove her self-defense and give it another shot.

My ideology stems from a simple reason. When I’m 80 years old, I want to have a big family, ton’s of grandchildren, and I can tell them stories with my wife. Isn’t that the best thing you can do when you’re 80? No matter how much money, how much of anything, when you’re old, it’s reflection time. Do you really want to be alone?

I think she can try moving. Moving to a place where no one knows her, starting over from there. Being honest to everyone, and searching for more true friends (she has! Ones in the club, “her friends and the deejay”, who sat with her). But this time, a guy who will walk with her for the rest of her life. But, again, that requires her to give him everything she has in her heart, which is harder, perhaps something she has tried but never achieved. Good luck Jessica.

PS: I know I’m not qualified to say anything. I didn’t go through that much traumas. But if there’s any wisdom in my blog, I hope its wisdom for you.

Oct. 4 Research Ideas

2004-10-06T06:43:00.000-07:00

** I had dificulty signing up for a blog. I posted on the courseForum on time. thanks~

Research ideas. In this blog entry, you should reflect on between 2 and 3 ideas you have for a research project for this course. Remember that it is advised that you choose a topic related to digital culture or technology; see the research project page for ideas. Include links for at to least one website related to each topic.

The topics I have are very interesting, though, I don’t know if any writers already touched the topic. First, is the difference between printing an essay and hand-writing an essay. I had some friends in high school, fuzzy friends, who never wrote their essays on the computer. I couldn’t understand. Microsoft Word has spell check, alignment, grammar check, and most importantly, it looks neat! Is there any evidence that typing essays up on a computer is de-humanizing? The second topic is virtual reality. Graphics cards, computers, and even networking is getting faster and faster. Soon, everyone would be able to put on a headset and even attend classes in a virtual reality room where the lecturer not only talks, but also wrights on a board. Maybe, discussions can be held on a virtual reality world, where you talk into a microphone to the whole classroom. Won’t that idea be bizarre? The main reasons against distance learning is its removal from a classroom setting. But what if the exact classroom settings were modeled by transistors? Where both the lecturer and the students logon with a headset and participate in a classroom. We don’t have to fight for seats, don’t have to be shy, and you can take the class even when your in the beach! Now, the third idea, I can’t think of an original one anymore, I used too much brain cells on the last one. So why not, talk about texting on a cellphone. When I was in the Philippines, everyone texted. It was the cheapest way to communicate and everyone could type 100 words in a minute. But in the states, everyone calls, no one uses the texting service. In fact, for Sprint PCS, if you want to add texting service, you have to bay an extra $10 per month; oh, and no body will text you back because most people don’t have that option. Is the Philippines more efficient in it’s use of technology? Or do people in the states like to hear voices more than read text?