Understanding New Media: Chapters 50 & 51

Chapter 50 considers smart tag technology and dataspace. Smart tags or barcodes contain information that are extensions of the label of a product. They are made to be easily recognizable by computers to send to a database. Barcodes are definitely essential for sales industries. Now checking out at stores are significantly faster and more efficient. Now even cell phones have the ability to read bar codes through the use of the built on camera. Dataspace is the sum of all information. It is so expansive that it is considered to be a "new frontier". Furthermore it "represents an expansion of cyberspace"- all that is accessible on the web is available and present in the dataspace.

Chapter 51 deals with other enabling technologies not dealt with in UM.  Three notable technologies are Wikipedia, WiFi and Fiber Optics. Wikipedia, although not the most reliable source, has become a cornerstone in online researching. This website features an extensive archive of people, places, and terms with descriptions and information given by the public. WiFi today can be considered the optimal source of Internet connection. It can connect phones, tablets, and computers to the Internet at fast speed and across a wide range. Fiber Optics function by encoding information in a light beam. It improves the the transporting of information and alleviates traffic jams. 

6/25 Electric Writing and Hypertext

 Hypertext has been the focus of discussions for many years. Even though interest in hypertext has died individuals try to pin point exactly what it is. Many say that definitions up until now have been very ambiguous. Many feel that it is time to stop living in the past and create the future with the use of cyberspace and hypertext. individuals have been going to colleges to examine students and their reliance on print ads versus the internet. Print ads have become less and less as the years have gone by and students are spending up to five hours on the internet each night. Hypertext can never exist in printed documents the only space that is capable of holding it is cyberspace. Many parents and other individuals who relate to education are very skeptical of how hypertext will be used in the classroom and what effect it will have on students. Many feel that the sources that are required with the display of hypertext lead students to be able to discover and vast variety of information from the sources that are cited. Others feel that there must be some structural evidence to why we have used a textbook for so long and what impact switching over will have on students. Of course there is no conclusive evidence of where our society will go, but with the trends that are being set now hypertext and other devices will replace what we know now as the printed textbook. Smart tags release radio frequencies that allow information related to the barcode to be found and directed to a database. In order for this information to be sorted and arranged an enabler needs to be put in place so that when the barcode is scanned the information can go directly where it is suppose to go. Smart boxes are used to receive information that may be highly confidential. The military uses drones to scout out their enemy and than this information is relayed to a smart box, which is than examined by the military. obviously this information isn't available to just everyone, but smart boxes can be programmed to work in either a private or public setting. As shown by Professor Strate in class Wikis can be created very easily and can be used in many functions. I was amazed to know that wikipedia was one of thousands of wikis that are being created everday. This enables individuals to create their own future and design exactly how they can go about completing their goals.

Internet and Blogging

6/12-chp. 44-46

In addition to the amazing benefits the computer provides, the book also discuses the disservice of the computers. For an example, students usually bring their laptops to class and rather then taking notes they are visiting social media sites and chatting with friends. As a consequent, people fail at developing healthy social lives. Furthermore, the Internet was originally called the “information super highway (236).” I found it interesting that information scientists working for the American military to provide backup communications in case the U.S. had a nuclear attack by the Russians created the Internet. Furthermore, the chapter also discussed blogging. Blogging is important and useful to both the blogger and viewer. This is because there is a mutual effort being made because, the ability to comment allows the reader to give feedback. Furthermore, the blogs also are a news medium. For an example, the book said that people in Iran would use blogging to get across information that would usually be blocked by the government. It is also important to note the problem with Wikipedia. Wikipedia is the 7^th most popular site on the Internet. The problem is it may provide misinformation since it is an open source that anyone can edit. As a result it is important to be careful when using the information.