Communications and Cyberspace: Chapter 22

In Chapter 22, Professor Strate proposes the concept of cybertime and virtual time. His main argument goes, "the computer functions both as a clock- keeping, measuring, and producing time both for the outside world and its own internal microworld-and as a medium- generating "virtual time" through stories, games and audiovisual presentation". I find this statement interesting because I find that while the computer keeps track of time, I also find myself losing track of time easily when I'm on the Internet. The creation of terms cybertime and "virtual time" exhibit the immense impact the digital world has on our reality. It was even able to infiltrate one of the most objective parts of the real world. The chapter is introduced by paralleling the computer with the clock and their similar functions. Both technologies manufacture pure information. While the computer also serves as clock, it is unlike any other timepiece because "the central processor generates time for the computer's internal world". This is a fascinating idea because time is often thought as an element that cannot be created nor molded. Another interesting point made was that the computer functions as a medium of time but not in the traditional sense. The computer and communicate a sense of time that is not exactly the time but rather "virtual time". Virtual time refers to the sense of time propagated in the virtual reality and computer generated worlds. VR has become so involved and powerful that it even has its own separate sense of time. (that's kind of scary)

Communication and Cyberspace Chapter 22

Chapter 22, Professor Strate's chapter, is titled "Cybertime." He states that the invention of the computer can be traced back to the invention of the clock; it was one of the first automated machines, and it produced information. He writes that, "Cybertime is absolute time, digital time, and it is quicktime." Today, people mark time down to the second, and even the nanosecond, changing the way people relate to time. Not only do computers display time, they also "communicate a sense of time that is not necessarily the time." He refers to this sense of time as "virtual time." As he said in class, no other medium allows users to lose track of real time so easily.

Chapters 8-15

The first line that caught my attention in chapter eight was in the first paragraph—“The spoken word therefore extends the mind.”  The Internet has many different forms of language, including email, instant messaging, IRC, Usenet news groups, the World Wide Web, etc.  Media will have a numerous amount of effects on the spoken language.  Before writing and mass printing, each village had their own language and after the emergence of these two steppingstones, language has changed in a different way.  New media has a huge impact on spoken language as well as text-based language.  Chapter nine discusses the written word and how new media has impacted it.  “The written word, an extension of the spoken word, is ultimately an extension of the mind.”  New media encourages the use of written word, however, there are so many different types of written language based on different generations, in my opinion.  E-mail, instant messaging, and text messaging cause an instantaneous form of written language as opposed to older forms.  I was rather nervous when I read that William Crossman stated that writing be wiped out by the year 2050.  Chapter ten states a website that I am very comfortable with, Mapquest.com.  I love the fact that technologies in new media can possibly have automated tolling booths.  I am not sure if McLuhan writes this before any knowledge of the EZ Pass, but it has made driving long distances extremely easier and it was an unbelievable invention.  Chapter eleven talks about binary codes, which are used for almost everything nowadays.    Digitization has made the world a much easier place.  New media plays a large role in design, distribution, marketing, and sale of clothes, as stated in chapter twelve.  Everything can be done through the Internet in present day, including one of my favorite past times, online shopping.  I can buy an unlimited amount of clothing online without having to leave my house.  As said in chapter thirteen, new media is everywhere in houses today.  It can regulate lighting, heating, cooling, humidity, and security.  It has made living much easier.  Ecommerce is a huge invention today.  I can get money out of an ATM or charge a purchase to a small piece of plastic called a credit card.  Special cards have been invented for those who are loyal customers and want to know about sales and items of interest, like that of Stop and Shop.  Websites like Amazon and Ebay make it easier for people with less money to find items that have the lowest prices.  Chapters fifteen and sixteen talk about clocks and the print.  Every electronic machine today has a clock, including microwave, TV, cell phones and cars.  The last part of the assignment is about how print is becoming obsolete with the new emergence of “digital images, computer graphics, and the hard copy output of printers connected to computers.”

Chapters 34-43

     I must say that I was very excited when my book Understanding New Media by Robert K Logan came in the mail.  Although there is much to catch up on (around 30 chapters), it has been pretty entertaining.  I have not yet finished catching up, but I skipped to chapters 34-43 for this blog.
     Everything I have read in these chapters has been extremely insightful to think about.  Chapter 43 started with convergent technologies, giving a list of some examples of hybrid technologies.  Ones that were obvious that we have talked about in class thus far include clocks (embedded in almost all "new media" devices), radio (the convergence of radio and the Web through Web radio or a satellite through satellite radio), and television (the convergence of television and computing with DVR's and television and the cell phone with mobisodes).
     Chapter 35 was interesting to read about because it discussed the malfunction printer, photocopier, scanner, and fax... all in one.  This type of new media shows how technology has become so advance throughout so many years.
     Of course chapter 36 was interesting to read about because it was all about how cell phones have boomed since they were first invented.  It is interesting to note that 3.3 billion people worldwide use cell phones today.  It was fun reading about the Iphone and its definition dated back in 2007 as well because I own one myself.  The one sentence that stuck out at me was on page 220 when Logan states that a cell phone is a telephone, "but it is also a text messaging receiver and sender, a still camera, a video camera, it displays still shots and video, it's a radio, a TV, a juke box, a message center, a video game player, a destination finder, a bank for credit card holders, an Internet terminal, a hand-held computer with a hard drive, and a collaboration too."  I am aware that my phone is capable of doing all of these things and it is hard to believe that people did not have this type of technology before I was born in the beginning of the 1990's.  Cell phones have made life easier who are always on the go, but as Logan describes, it can also cause problems.  For example, "at diner at a fine restaurant is the invasion of privacy when one is forced to participate in the phone conversation of a rude individual at another table who speaks at a high decibel level, destroying the intimacy of the dining experience."  This chapter also talked about the social impact of the camera cell phone.  I used to own a "real" camera when camera cell phones did not come out yet, but with an Iphone, nowadays, it is not necessary to own a camera at all.  Iphone cameras in particular have great quality.  Like Logan describes in this chapter, it is extremely easy to snap a photo in any situation, whether it be for entertainment, journalism, or for a crime scene.
     Reading about the personal computer in chapter 37 and learning about it in class was riveting.  Looking at pictures in class of the first computer was shocking.  It was so larger I would have no idea how to work it if it was in front of me.  The first sentence that made my smile in this chapter was the first page of the chapter when Ken Olsen in 1977 said, "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."  He was so wrong.  At first computers were meant for the defense department of the government and universities teaching statistics for the use of mathematics, scientific data, and print.  Oh, how times have changed.  In recent years, the microcomputer has come into view with new computer software as well.  I loved the fact that a woman names Ada Lovelace invented the first computer programs.
     PDA's are personal digital assistants used for more of a business-oriented person, as described in chapter 38.  They now have a miniature keyboard and mouse, with a scroll device instead of arrows.  Palm pilots are an example of this, which I believe have fallen off in more recent years.  I love technology and I do not ever remember asking my mother for a palm polite.  I feel like cell phones can do this just as well.  A cool invention was the pen computing, where a the computers userface is a pen or stylus.
     The Internet in chapter 40 was a huge chapter in this assignment.  There is so much to say about the Internet.  For one, I do not think I could live without it.  It is so helpful and I use it so many more times than I can remember in one day.  Like Logan says, "it is an integral part of modern life."  The Internet can do so many things that people are not even aware of.  One important aspect is that it shares information both synchronous and asynchronous in formats such as text, graphics, video, and audio.  The Internet was first used for the military as back up incase communications failed due to nuclear attacks by the Russians.  It was amusing to me how there can be electronic crime and punishment on the Internet, as no one can take advantage of this medium.  When someone violates the rules and protocols of Internet usage, a warning is first issued.  But if this continues, that person would be banned from participation or removed from a group.  This is essential to keep groups functioning and fair.  With the Internet, information can be made instantaneously.  For example, the most common things that I google end up becoming ads on my Facebook and Twitter, two websites that I am on everyday, trying to make me aware of their products and what they have to offer.
     Chapter 41 has to do with the Internet, but with different forms of communication.  Insant Messaging is something that I no longer rely on or use nowadays, but email and SMS (short message service) is something that I use daily.  Back in the day, all three of these would be considered one-to-one communication, but as it continues to grow, it can be considered one-to-many, many-to-many, or even many-to-one.  People in my generation are huge on SMS messaging on their cell phones.  If someone wants to ask a quick question but does not feel like talking on the phone, SMS can be an alternative way to communicate by typing the question to that person.  Email and Gmail are very popular within the last 15 years and will continue to be popular for many more years to come.
     The World Wide Web discussed in chapter 43 is also one of the most important chapters in this assignment.  The World Wide Web are websites such as Google that give instantaneous information to anyone who is available to it.  The "WWW" was formed only after the Internet.  It creates an information environment which the world has never seen.  One negative of the WWW is that there is much misinformation and disinformation that can fool millions.  This is where many rumors start about celebrities, for example, that Justin Beiber was trampled to death by his fans.  The WWW is where social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Friendster, and many others started.  The World Wide Web shapes the lives of many people today.