MY FINAL PROJECT!

Enjoy!

When it was brought up that Second Life-type communication would be the future, there was an interesting question asked. What about those who don't have access to those types of resources or just choose not to participate in that kind of mediated mass communication? Do they just get left behind or will we have to make changes to ensure that it's more accessible to the common person?

I'll admit that I brought up the point that it could be the next level of social Darwinism -- the survival of the fittest. When I brought that point up in our discussion, I think it was off-putting to some, since a person who sits in front of his or her computer and, while he or she might be a social butterfly in the metaverse, gets little to no interaction with the outside world doesn't seem like the most "fit" type of person to survive. But perhaps as our world and civilizations change, our definition of the word "fit" would have to change, as well. Maybe someone who's brilliant in the metaverse but only so-so in person-to-person interaction and other physical activity is the future ... While it sounds ridiculous and actually a little scary, there could be some degree of truth in it.

Damn Kurzweil and his damn Singularity.

My computer is the same one my mom so generously got me right when I went away to college. It was absolutely amazing when I first got it, but it's gotten cranky in its old age. Needless to say, there's no way in hell that a huge program like Second Life would even think about running on my computer. This is really just a side note and a source of personal frustration .. Then again, I suppose I can ask the parents for another new laptop after I graduate. Believe me, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

At any rate, I haven't had as many issues in Second Life as I thought I would. I bought a pair of jeans in class the other day, and they came in a box. For the LIFE of me, I couldn't figure out how to get the damn jeans OUT of the box so I could wear them. It just kept making me wear the box, which I don't think would be quite as fashionable as an actual pair of pants. The next time I logged in, however, I saw the pair of jeans sitting in my inventory. I did something at some point to get the jeans out of the box, and I still don't really remember how .. But hey, I have pants now! Hooray!

For ideas of places to visit, I headed to New World Notes. I knew that Ben Folds (whom I absolutely love) did a concert recently in Second Life, so I looked on NWN and Google, and found the name of the place where he "performed" (And by "performed" I mean drank Duff beer, walk around shirtless and challenge people to light saber fights. That's my Ben for you!). The place was the Aloft Hotel (209,48,24), which was actually a really nice place. It was pretty much empty, so I think it will be a lot more fun if/when there are actually other people there. It was set up just like an actual swanky hotel -- there's a beach, nice gardens & boardwalks, a swimming pool and so on and so forth. It was really well designed! I'd like to go back and see the place with people actually in it, but I've got a good impression of it so far.

The second place I went to was Amsterdam. No, seriously. There's a SL Amsterdam (137,232,25) and the minute I saw it, I knew I had to go. There were plenty of racy clothing stores, which are to be expected, but I found myself spending the most time at the carnival. There was a ferris wheel and a carousel, which would have been more fun had I not been hanging out there by myself. But still! A ferris wheel! I found what I'm assuming was a strip club called "BabyDollz" and hung out there for awhile, as well. I think someone asked me if I wanted to dance, but I politely declined. I don't think I'm ready for Second Life exotic dancing yet.

Being the humongous geek that I am, I used to search feature for something Harry Potter related. Yes yes, go ahead and laugh all you want. Hey, it's worth a shot, right? I actually found a really cool place called Hogwarts Reborn (20,44,78) that is a SL replica of the Hogwarts Castle. How freaking COOL is that? I explored there for awhile ... Seriously, it has everything. The Great Hall, common rooms, classrooms, dungeons. PLUS you can buy wizards robes .. I have to admit that I bought a Slytherin scarf. Yessss, I win at life!

So I have the exploration thing down ... My next hurdle is actually communicating with people.

If I am owned by Google one day, I will most definitely be okay with that. Not only do they have these sweet new online based spreadsheets that save my life when Excel decides to be a lazy ho (like now), but the glorious search engine tells me whatever I need to know. Say I needed information about some term known as "military-industrial complex" (you know, since it's completely hypthothetical and all. Yes, that's sarcasm.) ... Well, here's all I need. I'm making a concious effort to not look at the Wikipedia article. I love Wikipeda almost as much as I love Google, but I know that it's not the best place to credit and it's seriously taking the easy way out. I did find the transcript of the "Military-Industrial Complex Speech" made by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1961, though.

"Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades."
After reading what Eisenhower had to say just before the inauguration of the next president after him, the term makes so much sense. Eisenhower was president during a very vital time in American History -- when the military and the manufacturing of associated goods became an industry that kept running after the wars (World War II and Korean, specifically) were over. The tone of the speech is a somber one ... He's warning the country about the dangers of staying armed in peacetime and of continuing down the path of rapid technological advancements. It almost reminds me of the speech George Washington gave after his presidency ended. He warned the new nation about the dangers of political parties and whatnot, and his words fell onto deaf ears, clearly. I feel that the same thing happened here.

"Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing imperative. Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose."
Eisenhower says that disarming in peacetime is imperative ... Nowadays disarming is the sillest, most stupid thing a country could do. How different would the world be today if it was normal and acceptable to completely disarm during times of peace?

My Rheingold mind map is still coming, so stay tuned for that.

As far as the Virilio reading goes, the entire thing took me awhile to comprehend. Until someone pointed out to me that the article was a sort of dialogue between Paul Virilio and Sylvere Lotringer, I was completely lost. Once I got past that initial hurdle, however, Virilio's argument began to slowly (but surely) fall into place. All in all, Virilio's outlook on the future is very bleak, making it an extremely depressing read. When juxtaposed with Kurzweil's "YAYYYY THE FUTURE!!" tone in his article about the Singularity, we're able to see the two ends of the spectrum when it comes to opinions of the future of technology and human existance in general. Once I started thinking about it that way, I felt better about what Virilio was saying.

The common theme throughout all these readings about the influx of new technologies is that human existance as we know is going to have to change. At this point, no one really knows if the outcome is going to be good or bad .. My guess is that it will be somewhere in the middle, and that we'll know what to do when the time comes.

Aaaand here's my site. I focused on one of Friedman's 10 forces that are flattening the world -- Uploading.

http://www.resnet.trinity.edu/kfoster/minisite2/uploading.html

Enjoy!

http://www.resnet.trinity.edu/kfoster/Kristin%20Foster%20-%20The%20Information%20Bomb.pdf

My mind map! Hell yes, I got it to work.

Oh, apparently some deity is on my side today -- I managed to upload the site. So here it is:

http://www.resnet.trinity.edu/kfoster/mycoke.html

The topics I came up with that I would like to explore for my final project aren't ones that we've exactly covered in class yet, but, at the same time, they are a major part of the internet as a whole. That being said, I'll get on with the rest of my blog.

The first possible idea I've got for my final project is the one I'm most likely going to go with. I'm taking the Capstone class this semester, and I'm focusing my project on online fan cultures, with a focus on the role of fan fiction. However, for this particular project, I might just keep my attention on internet fandoms in general and have the little sub-sections of the website focus on particular parts, like fan fiction, fan interaction, fandom drama, fan art, and other small things that make fandom what it is. Since I'm started doing research for my capstone project, I know there are sources out there for me to look at. I also know of several helpful websites (one being a Fan History wiki, which is pretty effing amazing), and people I can talk to. I know I can get a lot of information on this topic, and, plus, I think it's pretty interesting. And by 'pretty interesting,' I mean very interesting. But hey, that's just me.

The other two topics I've been toying with also have to do with online communities of sorts. One possible topic would examine the current booming blogosphere. In the past several years, blogging has become an integral part of the internet -- you pretty much can't go to a website without it having a frequently update blog portion. In fact, I read somewhere sometime last year that the main differences between weblogs and regular web pages is that weblogs get both read and updated more frequently. There's no doubt in my mind that I can find literature and research done on blogs and their role internet goings-on. If I start to become murderously hateful towards my first topic, I might end up choosing this one.

In my mind, there's a distinct difference between blogs and online journals/diaries. Blogs are informative and have a set topic in mind, such as my personal favorites: Go Fug Yourself, Pink is the New Blog and Post Secret. The author's identity and daily life doesn't matter -- he or she is writing about something completely disconnected to him or her. Online journals/diaries are those types of weblogs that get updated frequently with personal information. You know, "Today, I did this and this and saw so and so and OMG LIFE SO HARD!" What I would want to look at for the third possibility for my final project is the role that these online diaries play both on the internet and in the lives of those that choose to use them. I know there have been studies done on this, so finding references wouldn't be difficult at all.

I like all of my possible topics, which I suppose is a good thing, since choosing a topic that I absolutely detest would just be silly. However, as I said before, I really think I'm going to lean toward the first topic. It would overlap with my Capstone project, and I'd be able to really go in-depth with the topic and provide a lot of interesting information, links, interviews, etc. etc.

Every time I've come across the topic of outsourcing, whether it was in other classes or in general conversation, it's always met with a collective groan and many, many pessimistic opinions. I always wondered why that way ... What, exactly, is so bad about it?

I took and step back and looked at the entire situation from more of a participant-observer point of view, not as an American college student who will soon be looking for work. It's a given fact that the United States is essentially the center of the world's attention, regardless of whether that attention is positive, negative or neutral. There's not a country on the planet that doesn't know that the USA is #1 in all senses of the phrase. There's definitely an ego that goes along with being at the top of the totem pole, and I think it's also common knowledge that the country as a whole has this egotistical attitude. We expect people in other countries and cultures to recognize us, speak our language, have our favorite foods, etc. etc. We also expect to always be on top and always be the #1 superpower in the world ... My opinion is that the pessimistic attitude about outsourcing and the way it will affect us comes from having, to some extent, this attitude.

"He meant that countries like India are now able to compete for global knowledge work as never before -- and that America had better get ready for this. America was going to be challenged, but, he insisted, the challenge would be good for America because we are always at our best when we are being challenged" (p. 7). It's easy to see Nandan Nilekani's comment to Thomas Friedman and take it as some sort of hostile challenge. You know, sort of a "We hate you, America! We'll take you dooowwwnnn!" .. I mean, with our government's tendency to meddle in other country's internal affairs, perhaps many of us are feeling this inherent guilt of some sort. However, I genuinely agree with the last part of Nilekani's sentiment: It will definitely be a challenge, but not one we can't handle. Perhaps America has gotten too comfortable and stagnant up on its pedestal; we needed something to come along and shake things up a bit just to keep us on our toes. More global competition doesn't mean all of us will be unemployed, homeless and living in underpasses and subway stations. it just means that the system as we know it is changing, and we're going to have to change with it if we want to stay in the game.

While reading something that makes outlandish predictions about the future is always pretty entertaining, I think the best examples of these future-predictions lie in the movies. After seeing what lakers85 wrote about Back to the Future (basically one of the best movies EVER), I racked my brain for other movies I'd seen that were set in the future. The Sylvester Stallone/Wesley Snipes movie Demolition Man immediately came to mind, but that one was made in 1993, so it's just a tiny bit over the mark. However, the way the world is portrayed in the 21st century is so hilarious that I think I can break the rules just a little bit to talk about this movie.

The basic premise of the film is that Simon Phoenix (played brilliantly by a bleach blonde Wesley Snipes) is a convicted killer and crime lord who was cryogenically frozen and kept in a "cryoprison" in 1996. He's unfrozen in the 21st century (the year 2032 -- not that far off, when you think about it) and is being considered for parole. He escapes and starts wreaking havoc in the new utopian version of Southern California, and the nice, mild-tempered people of San Angeles have to un-freeze a dangerous cop, John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone's best role ever. Yes, ever better than Rambo and Rocky.), to take care of this ultraviolent crazy man. In the end, as it turns out, the government planned the escape of Simon Phoenix and something or another ... I don't really remember what happens, and it's not actually that important to what I'm trying to talk about, anyway. So I'll just skip it!

The movie takes place in San Angeles, which is a moxture of LA, Santa Barbara and San Diego in the year 2032. In this new society, crime and violence are rare, every restaurant is Taco Bell (because it won something they call "The Franchise Wars" ... Interesting.), the use of profanity is punishable by a fine, and toilet paper is replaced by "three sea shells." I don't ever want to think about that last one ... There's a great scene where the newly-unfrozen John Spartan keeps purposely saying curse words and getting tickets just so he can use something other than those shells when he goes to the bathroom. The film ultimately doesn't take itself too seriously, but does end up making some sort of statement about society in the time that it was made. San Angeles in 2032 is supposed to be a direct foil of Los Angeles in the early '90s. Its literary and cultural references are too many to name, but you can read the entire list on the wikipedia article.

The Woody Allen movie Sleeper is another example of the person-from-today-in-the-future theme that exists in many futuristic books and movies. Another recurring theme in this books and movies that predict the future is the existance of a totalitarian state ... Think of Brave New World, 1984, V for Vendetta, and, of course, both Sleeper and Demolition Man. What are they trying to say?

As a side note, I kind of wonder just how much money Taco Bell payed to get Sandra Bullock to say the line, "All restaurants are Taco Bell!" Quite possibly the biggest product placement ploy of its time. Also, another side note that I just noticed (thanks to IMDB) is that Sandra Bullock's character's name is Lt. Lenina Huxley. HELLO, blatant Brave New World (one of my favorite books, which I know I've stated before) reference! Lenina, being the main female in the novel, and Huxley being the last name of the author that wrote the book. And also Stallone's character is supposed to represent John the Savage. Very, very clever, Warner Brothers!

After reading Kurzweil's Singularity article, I wrote a short reaction in this blog that, looking back on it, is kind of funny. It sums up what I was thinking after reading that article perfectly; essentially, "WTF!?" After finding out we really didn't have to blog after reading that first article, I actually was really grateful I did that. These days, technology is something we both take advantage of and take for granted. It's become such an integral part of our daily lives that when we're forced to part with it, it can be pretty heart-wrenching. I mean, how is one supposed to survive now without the ease of e-mail, instant messages, cell phones, text messages (and so on) these days? However, I find that we also take for granted those essential qualities that make each of us what we were. You know, the things that make us human. Emotions. Feelings. Complex and creative thought. The tiny facets of our personalities that make us unique from every single other human on the face of the planet. Whether we know it or not, I think everyone thrives on those little things. And upon reading Kurzweil's article, I immediately felt threatened. With his eager language about nanobots being injected into our brains and bloodstreams, making us more machine than flesh-and-blood, I was afraid that there were hundreds of thousands of other humans who shared his sentiments. Are there other people who can't wait for the day that our brains can be synced with computers the same way our iPods and Palm Pilots can now?

Once I read Joy's article, I realized I wasn't alone. Here's a man who has been at the forefront of computer technology for decades, and even he is weirded out by it. First of all, computer glitches and crashes are as prevalent as a sneeze, something Joy brings up, so perhaps the transition won't be as smooth and pain-free as Kurzweil would hope. The most important point, I think, that Joy brought up is contained in this quote: "Unfortunately, as with nuclear technology, it is far easier to create destructive uses for nanotechnology than constructive ones." In a time where our country is beating proverbially beat over the head with the threat of terrorist attacks, the onslaught of new technology is completely terrifying. I've seen enough James Bond movies in my time -- all it takes is a crazed villain with a plan for world domination and very large sums of money to screw things up for everyone. Okay, so perhaps that wasn't the best example ... What I'm trying to say is that I didn't feel that Kurzweil seemed very aware of the Pandora's box that would be (and most likely WILL be) opened by having these readily accessable technological advances. The number of dangers seems to be double that of the number of benefits .. At least to me.

Needless to say, I'm generally pessimistic, which surprises me. I'm one of those people I referred to earlier that absolutely can't live without technology -- I check my e-mail constantly, text message faster than I talk, etc., and here I am doubting the future of this fancy-schmancy, new fangled technology. It must be one of those I-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it type of things. Putting my personal feelings on the matter aside, I do think that some form of Kurzweil's theory will come to pass. And an important point that both he and Joy brought up in their respective articles is that our societies and existence as we know it is going to have to change drastically to accommodate these new technologies. Kurzweil says, "As the Singularity approaches, we will have to reconsider our ideas about the nature of human life and redesign our human institutions." Joy also says, "If we could agree, as a species, what we wanted, where we were headed, and why, then we would make our future much less dangerous -- then we might understand what we can and should relinquish." I definitely agree with both of those statements. We have to change with the world ... I just hope we're ready for it.

Personally, I don't think the knee curve is quite as close as Kurzweil claims. Perhaps I'm just in denial, but I can't believe that when I'm 40 and 50, we'll all be some sort of cyborg. Interestingly enough, this is the exact same thing people were saying about personal computers being in every home 30 years ago. My mom even told me she laughed out loud when someone told her that when she was younger. That being said ... I've got no clue where we'll be in ten years. At the rate technology is going (what with cell phones being mp3 players and planners and cameras and everything else, for example), I think everything will continue to merge and become more similar. Media outlets, like TV and internet and magazines, I think, at some point, will all just become the same thing. I don't really know if I can elaborate on that or even if I'm making any sense here. And, as I said before, I do think that nanotechnology and robotics are going to be huge in the future. As far as when, well ... I'm just as clueless as you.

"The implementation of artificial intelligence in our biological systems will mark an evolutionary leap forward for humanity, but it also implies we will indeed become more 'machine' than 'human.'" -- Ray Kurzweil, "Reinventing Humanity: The Future of Machine - Human Intelligence."

Upon reading that particular passage in this article, I stared down at the page, wide-eyed. Is this guy serious? He seems to be genuinely enthusiastic about the fact that we, as humans, will one day be not-so human. In fact, biological human intelligence will become obsolete, since, as Kurzweil states, "artificial intelligence will necessarily exceed human intelligence." While it's nice that he's so passionate about such a topic (someone has to be, right?), I generally felt uneasy about the future of humankind after reading this. Has he not seen The Matrix? Or read anything by Huxley and Orwell? Machines replacing humans = Not good! (Admittedly, I'm a fan of the dystopia genre of books and movies -- anything where a seemingly "perfect society" is exposed is fascinating to me, for some reason. But that's neither here nor there ...)

At this point, I don't think the societies of the world are ready for this kind of transition. If the debates about stem cell research continue to be as heated as they are, will anyone be in favor of having trillions of tiny nanobots in their bloodstream and brain? I mean, as much as I love technology, I'd rather not be more machine than human.

Then again, that's only me.

Somehow I've managed to make it to my senior year of college ... And, in all honesty, I have no idea where all the time went. I can honestly remember moving into my dorm on the third floor of Herndon and meeting my freshman year roommate like it was yesterday. I'm living off campus now, and it was so weird to actually drive to class this morning instead of rolling out of bed in Lightner or South and walking up campus.

At any rate, I'm getting way ahead of myself. Here's all the basic info you need on me: Kristin Foster, 21 years old, born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. I'm a History/Communication double major and hope to go into some sort of Journalism after I graduate ... So we'll see how that goes. I worked at Texas Construction magazine this past summer in Austin, and it was an absolutely amazing experience. I went into the entire thing with an open mind, figuring that if I could write about construction (something that I pretty much knew nothing about), then I could write about anything. I ended up being able to actually write an article for the September issue, which everyone in my family wants a copy of. Even though I'm sure they won't know a single thing it's referencing. But hey, that's family, right? All in all, I met some amazing people (my favorite being Eileen Schwartz, my editor), and hopefully made some great connections. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed all of this year!

That's all I've got for you right now. 'Till next time ...