Chapter 22 the final blog

There have been many inventions that have lead up to what we now call the internet. of course the invention that makes viewing the internet possible is the computer. The computer has many inventions that have have come before it and lead up to its creation. These inventions consist of the abacus, steam engine, the loom, and many more. All of the inventions play a huge role in creating the computer, a functional interface and the internet. Another invention that does not create material objects, but information is the clock. As stated in our classroom lectures "Clocks are the ancestors of the computer"(Strate). Clocks have been existence to perform many functions and one of those main functions is a form of control to synchronize every individuals actions through out the world. Even though we are in different time zones we are all based on a system that allows everyone to operate and function together. Many of the financial markets in Asia and other countries open and close at different times than that of the United States. In order to keep track and be punctual in these markets we figure out the time difference and relate it to our own time. This is a universal sense of synchronization and has enabled our society's to live and work in conjunction with each other. To prevent crashes in one lane rail road tracks railroad companies configured different time zones within the United States to aid those traveling from places like Philadelphia, which there time is five minutes later than our time. This also created the ability for interstate transportation and travel. As time goes on Professor Strate believes that time will become more and more universal through out the world. Even though this transition will take time and be difficult it is a very large step into synchronizing individual society's into one and making trade, transport and many other things much more simple and logical. This class has been very influential in the teachings and history of New Media. The lectures and constant blogging have proved to be essential in mastering the beginnings of New Media. Thank you for the opportunity to par take in a class like this and I hope everyone has a great summer.

Alan Kay

Alan Curtis Kay is a very influential character in the history of New Media. When he came to speak to our class of under ten students I was surprised that he actually had the time to take out of his busy schedule to meet and preach to us his history in the computer science world. After listening to his lecture I was astonished to learn how many intricate inventions one individual can be entwined in creating in a single lifetime. Anyone would assume that Mr. Kay was a very wealthy man, but in fact he lived a moderate life. He went on to explain this in terms of percentages and in comparison to the population as a whole. He exclaimed that about one percent of the population invent for the pure purpose of bettering human kind and the way we live and he was one of those individuals. His professional career stretched back from Xerox PARC all the way up to Apple and working closely with Steve Jobs. It is not only interesting to hear one speak of their past, but to have such genuine pride in what he has helped to create was very pleasing to me. He described Jobs as a "nuts", but had the utmost respect for him as an individual. Not only was Alan an influential speaker, but he also taught me a life lesson that I will never forget and that is to never to do it for the money. This wasn't his intention to give advice, but he was very pleased to hear that is what I took from his lecture. Alan Kay was one of the most intellectual speakers that I have ever encountered and would love a chance to experience something like that again. An individual who puts others before himself as an ordinary practice is one to  be admired. I only hope that we can experience more speakers like this in the last weeks of our semester. Thank you professor Strate and Alan for being a great influence on us. The thing that I found most interesting in his lecture was when he spoke of separating an object that was joined together and placing a computer in between them. He claimed that this ideology lead to the laser printer, which in the long run profited billions of dollars and lead to the strong structure of present day Xerox Corporation. This process is also how scanning and many other mechanisms that we regularly use today were created. His lifelong interest in Jazz intrigued me and really showed that an individual can do what he or she loves and still make a difference for the whole.

Chapters 1-4

Chapter two summarizes each of the elements in McLuhan’s methodology, which were extremely well thought out. McLuhan’s approach to media studies and media ecology was categorized into three basic communication eras—the oral, the literate, and the electric eras.  The oral tradition starts from the time that speech was first acquired by humans to the beginning of literacy about 5,000 years ago.    The age of literacy ranges from when writing was invented 5,000 years ago to the discovery of electricity and the invention of the telegraph.  The last tradition ranges from the use of the telegraph in 1844 to the present.  I thought it was interesting that two more ages were added in because I agree that there was language before speech was acquired (through paintings and other methods).  The mimetic age was added and defined as the time of preverbal communication before the age of oral tradition.  It was also important to add an age that consists of the present of new media because times today are completely different from a few decades ago.    The electric communication era ranges from the middle of the nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century.  The fifth era added is called the digital communication era that ranges from the invention of the computer around 55 years ago to the present.  This division of the last era into two was inevitable according to the later work of McLuhan.  Both of the new additions to the methodology of media studies were necessary to best explain media ecology.  One fact that I noted that was interesting was that in 2005 youngsters are exposed to media about 6.5 hours per day, but are actually exposed to 8.5 hours because of the use of different mediums (pgs 37-38). McLuhan’s evolution of technology was a good visual as to how technology has changed completely.  It is especially noteworthy for me to read because my generation is used to the digital communication era and I could not imagine growing up any other way.  The only problems that my generation had to deal with was the slowness of the Internet and the World Wide Web compared to the speed of the Internet we have today.  The instantaneous flow of information  is at an all time high.

Logan Chapters 8-15

Chapters 8-15 of Understanding New Media are in Part II of the book, which lists all of the old media and how they have been affected by New Media. Chapter 8 is about the spoken word. One possible effect of New Media that the author discusses is that there could be a reduction in languages spoken across the world because most of the internet is in English. Although he says that the fear is “misplaced,” he does believe English will be more widely used. Chapter 9 discusses the written word. New Media encourages its use, through email, instant messenger, etc. Some, however, claim that reading and writing are doomed. Chapter 10 discusses roads; New Media has helped drivers find their destinations through online maps. Numbers, as discussed in Chapter 11, have been influenced by New Media due to the use of binary. Clothing has been influenced by New Media by wearable devices. New Media has influenced housing by way online real estate and the proliferation of internet connections in houses. New Media has influenced money by way of the ATM, E-commerce, and eBay. New Media has also influenced clocks, because most electronic devices (smartphones, computers, etc.) contain digital clocks.

The Chaotic Whole

Knowledge has taken upon several interpretations. In the 1960's Peter Drucker discussed how knowledge can be described as a commodity. Later on there were many discussions on systems and how they operate. Individuals came up with several related definitions such as closed systems, open systems, and the system theory. The system theory explains that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This is because of several extra factors that aren't incorporated in the parts such as structure, interaction, and relationship. These outside factors from the parts make the whole that much more important and of greater importance. Many theories exclaim how order is the only way to obtain information, but with out a dab of chaos in any situation there would be no information available. Many views of this error lead to the enforcement of modern day atheism and the enlightenment of how christian faith may be faulted. Some intellectuals believe they have proved that life couldn't have been created without life itself, which is referred to as autopoiesis. As we progress through the course we have also come to the realization that many views conflict and with these views our evaluation of new media changes as well. Professor Strate has so far been able to direct us in the path of what is the best outlook on New Media with the information we have learned thus far, but we still have so much more to learn.

History of Communication

In wednesday nights' lecture we learned of an array of things from different types of participation in new media to the impacts of the industrial revolution on communication. Many things have evolved such as the printing press and locomotive, but one fact still remains and that is that we have always been in need of more efficient ways to communicate. Professor Strate illustrated that to us through a descriptive display of past events that have lead up to modern day communication and new media. It is interesting to know that to comprehend and actually communicate a language an individual has to think in the way of that language. The creation of symbols to count cows, the creation of an alphabet, and the creation of the mechanical clock all illustrate the level of necessity that our society holds on communication. I am looking forward to all that I am going to learn this semester and know that it will aid in the advancement of my future studies.