I want a TRON Legacy Light Cycle!

Tags

alternate dimension, asian, biracial, editing, games, gamification, internet, iPhoto, old-school, photoshop, TRON, TRON Legacy, video games, VisualAssignments, VisualAssignments102

From Normal...

...To Extraordinary!

The Assignment:

Transform someone from normal to extraordinary.

The Process:

The original prompt says to use someone else, but I decided to just use myself. So, I took a picture of myself wearing a wig to edit in Photoshop. I enlarged the eyes using the liquify tool. Then, I went to the filter gallery and used 3 filters (I forget 2 of them, but 1 was the water paper affect). Additionally, I went into lens correction and messed with the vignette setting. Afterwards, I opened it in iPhoto to adjust the contrast, definition, and sharpness a bit more to enhance the graininess.

The Story:

Gamification. A key concept in one of Dr. Alexander’s predictions of the future. When hearing about the term, I immediately thought about TRON. So, I decided to do this TRON-inspired photo. I decided on old-school TRON rather than the newer version simply because I find the visual more humorous.

The internet is becoming more of a necessity in everyday life. People have a second- self online; this is how I imagine my online self might look like in old-school TRON form. Maybe one day we’ll actually have a tangible online dimension, similar to a TRON world-hopefully the new TRON world…old-school TRON world looked kinda clunky. : P

…This ‘after’ photo looks HILARIOUS!

~NOMNOMreeses~

A Vision for the Future of Higher Education

Tags

classroom, college, curriculum, cyberspace, Gardner Campbell, higher education, internet, Lynda.com, online, school, social networking, technology, university

I am a first year university student. As my first year soon draws to a close, I look back and reflect on some of my experiences. As it turns out, University isn’t quite what I thought it would be. One surprising thing is that some of my classes have a lot more new media-driven curricula. While shocking to see Tumblr and Twitter used in a classroom setting, it is logical to acknowledge the power of the internet; it is a growing extension of our lives.

After reading Gardner Campbell’s article A Personal Cyberinfrastructure, I wondered if higher education will truly incorporate the internet as he proposes. I honestly feel it would be an awesome idea; as corporations grow and we welcome a global economy, companies turn towards the internet to advertise and sell their products. With the rise of social networking, people jump online to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. The internet has become a vital source of shared information, so why isn’t understanding its’ processes an integral part of education?

I would love for University to teach me HTML, CSS, Flash, and components of the internet, but I doubt it will do so as Campbell suggests. It is a pity, considering how important prospective employers see this knowledge. I will just have to teach myself in my spare time with resources like Lynda.com.

Still…I totally agree that college is WAY better than high school. : P

~NOMNOMreeses~

US Politics on the Internet

Tags

citizens, comments, facebook, GOP, government, internet, online, politics, propaganda, Ryan McDougle, slutwalk, social networking, US politics, war on women, YouTube

 

A growing trend in US politics is the utilization of the internet as another platform for propaganda. Seen above is an interesting example of this trend on YouTube. This trend was also reflected in 2007, when YouTube worked with CNN to host its first presidential debate using citizen-submitted videos. A year later, in 2008, seven of the sixteen candidates announced their election through YouTube.

US politics have reached further than YouTube. Politicians also use social networking sites, such as Facebook. Ever heard of Virginia State Senator Ryan McDougle? Well, Senator McDougle has a Facebook page. As an act to better reach the people, he invites his constituents to comment on this Facebook page. Well… that plan backfired. Why? Well, Senator McDougle is a strong supporter of the state’s mandatory transvaginal ultrasound bill. This bill would allow transvaginal ultrasounds to be performed on women without their consent. Because he’s decided to make such healthcare decisions for women, both female and male constituents visited his Facebook page and left comments:

Of course these comments have since been deleted, but this is exemplifies how US politicians utilize social networking sites and how useful it is at reaching the people (although, negative for the Senator in this case : P).

Though, politicians aren’t the only ones using social networking sites to further their cause. The people are, too! Facebook page SlutWalk works to bring awareness to rape culture and victim blaming. The cause also has various sub–pages according to locations around the world. The SlutWalk pages share links of current political issues pertaining to their cause in order to bring awareness. Then, they organize events and promote signing online petitions to politicians to further their goals, as well.

These are just two examples of this growing phenomenon of utilizing the internet for political means in the US. This strategy serves a variety of purposes. For example, it reaches many people very quickly. Also, it reaches a younger audience more effectively. The internet is a very effective tool that is now used not only as a form of entertainment, but also as platform for the propaganda of political purposes.

~NOMNOMreeses~

Pioneers: Alan Turing

Tags

AlanTuring, cis, ds106, internet, pioneers, VisualAssignments, VisualAssignments324

Photography by Ryan Lobo

DS106 Assignment:

Image With a Message: Enhance a famous quotation by superimposing it on a “Creative Commons” image and give it proper credit.

The Process:

This assignment is quite simple, actually. I started with searching for a quote-which I decided HAD to be Star Wars. After deciding on a Yoda classic, I searched Creative Commons on Flickr for a suitable picture. Once I found one, it took a matter of seconds in Photoshop to add the text (Although, all that is ESSENTIALLY needed for this project is MS Paint, or something equivalent).

The Story:

I chose this quote because of how accurate I feel it is. The mind of a child is not burdened by the trivial hassles an adult mind may possess. Its potential is limitless, as is that of the internet.

I believe this quote is also reflective of a technology pioneer: Alan Turing. The father of computer science and artificial intelligence, Turing was talented in mathematics and sciences from childhood. His talents and intelligence were utilized in World War II to break German ciphers at Bletchley Park. He concentrated on Cryptanalysis of the Enigma with Dilly Knox, and was awarded the OBE in 1945.

Alan Turing worked on designs for the ACE (Automatic Computing Engine), and presented the first detailed blueprints of a stored-program computer. He also worked on software for the Manchester Mark 1, an early stored-program computer.

Though, one thing Turing is most well known for is the Turing Test. This test addresses the issues on artificial intelligence. The test is supposed to assess a machine’s ability to exhibit human-like intelligence. A judge converses with a human and a machine via text-media. If the judge cannot tell which is the machine, then the machine has won.

Alan Turing’s visions set the foundation for the modern computer. He honed the potential he had as a child, and used it to conceptualize and create; characteristics of a pioneer.

~NOMNOMreeses~

Pioneers: Ted Nelson

Tags

cis, dailycreate, internet, pioneers, tednelson

Daily Create Prompt: Take an extreme close-up of an easily recognizable, common object.

For this Daily Create Prompt, I took pictures of my Macbook Pro keyboard. Though, how does this relate to Ted Nelson?

Well, who is Ted Nelson?

Ted Nelson happens to be a pioneer of information technology. Born in 1937, he attended Swarthmore college for his bachelor’s, Harvard for his master’s, and Keio for his Doctorate.

Ted Nelson co-founded Itty bitty machine company, which operated from 1977-1980. This store was one of the few stores to sell the original Apple I computer. Later, he shared with IBM executives the potential of the PC and an idea of connected computers and shared information. This concept deeply influenced IBM, who produced the IBM PC three years later.

Though, Nelson is most well known for being the founder project Xanadu in 1960. Nelson disliked the World Wide Web and stated Xanadu is an improvement upon it:

HTML is precisely what we we’re trying to PREVENT— ever-breaking links, links going outward only, quotes you can’t follow to their origins, no version management, no rights management. – Ted Nelson

Unfortunately, Xanadu failed to achieve recognition. Now, Nelson’s current project is called ZigZag, a multidimensional information structure.

Ted Nelson was a visionary, and his creative mind helped shape the way we use computers.

~NOMNOMreeses~

My Affair…with the Internet!

Tags

cis, cyberspace, internet, interwebz, media platforms, NOMNOMreeses, opinion

Internet.

Interwebz.

Cyberspace.

What is it? Such a simple question doesn’t have quite as simple an answer, in my opinion. It’s a source of information, networking, entertainment. Relatively young in comparison to other media platforms, yet revolutionizing how society interacts. Videos of civilian uprisings and government oppression can be posted for millions of people around the globe to see within seconds of the occurrence. Families and friends on opposite sides of the Earth can chat face to face. People can get high school diplomas and college degrees without stepping a foot into a brick and mortar educational institute. 

Pretty impressive, right? Yet, we haven’t even scratched the surface of it.

Saying that, I can’t tell you everything about the internet. I use the internet as most do; as a form of communication, entertainment, education, and expression. Though, I have been exposed to the internet since I was very young, and went to a cyber school for high school. Thus, it has been, and probably always will be, deeply interconnected with all aspects of my life. Some may not understand this relationship, and that’s fine. Though, the fact remains that the internet is alive and thriving, and I want to understand and explore its tangled web of fragmented information.

Curiosity killed the cat, but who cares? It still has eight more lives.

~NOMNOMreeses~