Jessjahart’s Weblog
It’s Jess’ blog!!Archive for January, 2008
The Man-Machine Relationship
I learned a great deal about the history of technology and can honestly say that I gained a new perspective on the man and machine relationship. Humans are ever-so -evolving and can and will continue to adapt to new lifestyles. And without the development of technology and the internet, it would be extremely difficult to communicate effectively, especially in times of crisis! Not just with the internet, but even post-nuclear America, we humans have always needed a command and control network, a beneficial way to communicate messages amongst one-another. Progressively there have been many different methods and modes of communication, but after reading these two articles, I can see how the internet has made communication much more convenient.
The human and the machine have become ONE over-time. I like how the essay Being Analog describes how humans and the computer are such different systems because it truly makes sense. I believe that this is the way it should be. Humans should be unlike computers. We want technology to enhance what we humans do not already have, what we are lacking! Although many approaches today say that computers should be more sensitive like humans and humans more intelligent like computers, we should just be happy and focus on the two as separate identities and not try to compete, but instead appreciate their own attributes. Humans have emotions and are pretty disorganized and inconsistent, while computers are precise, logical, and factual. Humans are made to make errors and I think that that is what makes us human. When it comes to computers, we do not want errors, we turn to it for support and help. In today’s society we need both, which until reading these articles I did not recognize. I never understood why we rely SO much on the internet to do everything for us, but can now see its benefits, especially since back in the day humans had a difficult time relaying information and protecting information, like the telegraph, which took minutes to deliver a message only a mile away. I feel lucky to have the resources that we have today although there is a lot of information overload, I would rather have more than less.
Questions:
Do you think that it is a good thing that humans are not like computers and computers not like humans? Should we just appreciate these differences instead of trying to combine them?
Do you think that it would be more beneficial for humans to be like computers this way a machine’s intelligence does not surpass that of a human? Is this a bad thing that a computer knows more than a human?
Do you think countries worldwide should all be required to adopt the computer/ internet making it an automatic universal communication tool for everyone, especially leaders and govt. officials?
Group 4 In class discussion
On Wed. in class we discussed many different questions that written by class members from our readings. One that I found interesting and that my group answered in the class discussion was “What is one thing that you would like to not have to deal with on the websites, Why? What would you tell the webmaster?
This was a great question, but also difficult to answer because my group had many examples of what we dislike and what could be improved. A major one for me was banners and pop-ups. They are just there all the time and you cannot get rid of them. Also websites that have too much going on because it distracts you and you never achive what you came to the site for in the first place and it makes you just leave the site.
The webmaster should try and make sure that sites are made clean and clear and simple. Craigslist is a huge resource, I believe it is this way because it is so easy to follow! There needs to be less abnoxious stuff in the way and more direct info. and contact numbers for necessary help.
ProQuest and Google Lab
When I first did a basic search on ProQuest for information and overload, I received 5930 search results. Then when I put in “information overload” I received 3639 search results. Finally without the parentheses on information overload, the search result came out to be the exact same. When I clicked on the scholarly button, and put in “information overload” with and without parentheses there were 391 results with titles that seemed to address the topic more! When I did an advanced search, I was much more impressed. I got 52 documents out of this search and all seemed to address the issue of information overload more than any other search result preciously.
When using Google.com as my research method the results were surprisingly very different. When I researched Information and overload, there was 1,070,000 results. When I searched information overload there were 1,930,000 results. Finally, when I used parentheses I was surprised that my results were different. I received 1,610,000. Much of theseserach resultswere from websites that I had not heard of, many that did not seem scholarly at all.
This is my first time ever using Google Scholar. I was please to know that there is actually a scholar version of google that helps filter out the junk info. (so i think). I search first without parentheses and received 176,000 results. Then with parentheses and received 33,900. Much less and more focused results when I used parentheses. So with ProQuest parentheses do not matter and with Google, parentheses do make a difference.
When using google images, the results came out to be the same when using parentheses and not using parentheses. There were a few images that were found in a different order, but that was the only main difference.
I learned a lot today with ProQuest and Google scholar that I wish I would have known a long time ago when I was writing countless papers!!
Information Overload
My life has been affected by information overload. It is awfully difficult to get on the Internet and try and search for specific and accurate information that can be applied to an area I am researching. I rely on online sources for information for school projects and essays, but my most difficult challenge is spending countless hours searching hundreds of articles and only taking away a small piece of information with me. Mark Nelson makes many great points about how “The tools to support resource identification and use have not increased in effectiveness as rapidly as the quantity of available information has increased” (2). This is why I find it so overwhelming to go on the Internet. I log off feeling more confused than ever and in turn, this creates anxiety which makes it difficult to complete my class projects stress-free.
I agree that there is too much volume of information out on the Internet and not enough that is accurate or can be easily located. There needs to be a way to better sort out the junk or a filter control on the Internet that filters out ALL junk being published on the net in the first place.
My life is affected by this overwhelming amount of content because I find myself believing a lot of what is out there and then further looking into these findings. It is a vicious cycle of constantly clicking on more and more info. that I may not even need to know about or is of any importance to me but I make it an importance. I do not like the useless info. that myself and many others get caught up in; therefore wish that any false content would be removed ever so easily.
1. How do we truly move past this information overload riddle? Do you have any suggestions on how to slow down the unnecessary publications that get published each and every day?
2. Do you think there will ever be a solution to just strictly having only accurate information on the net? Or who’s to say it is or is not accurate? Who should be the judge of this?
3. Do you agree with both authors in that it is difficult to sort through and choose information; therefore we need a system of steps to accurately figure out the content of a site?
Digital media in my life #2
Aside from what I have already mentioned, I found it interesting in class that most people mentioned their cell phones and Ipods as a device that they most often use. Personally, I do not have an IPOD, but I do talk and text often on my cell phone. I am guilty of using a ton of digital media everyday, and unfortunately find myself doing meaningless stuff on the internet that is unproductive and wasting my precious time and it’s because now there is so many options of things to do on the internet that it makes me so curious.
I learned a lot in class the other night about how much people rely on the internet and technology in general. I was surprised that people feel so positive about the advancement in technology and the possibility of our future younger generations using it for just about everything, like educating themselves from home. I do not agree with this and personally believe that digital media is important to an extent, solving future health issues and for research, but the amount of time we spend on the web when we could be personally interacting with people or exploring hobbies, it seems to be taking over people’s lives. Hopefully as this class progresses, I will see more benefits of future technology growing!
The Evolution of Digital Communication
Digital language has led the world to its current development and has transformed the media. I was wowed by the century ago prediction that electric media would provide a future ”Global Village”. Electricity has had the most direct influence on the interpersonal media domain? I am shocked, but I can see how this is. Through the development of the telegraph and telephone, no longer did barriers of time and distance exist allowing people to better maintain relationships with one-another. Today these relationships are even stronger and more easily reachable through cell phones and the Internet. This whole concept of a Global village, where people are becoming more and more blended together is genius. Through the use of technology and its immediacy, we have all become “neighbors”, more involved in one-another’s lives. It makes sense as to why more and more cultures are changing and people and/or their traditions that used to be authentic before are no longer seen as authentic today.
Furthermore, I was amazed at this idea of a hyper-mediated environment, when it is no longer just about receiving information immediately, but accurately. Today, its content is socially constructed or enhanced; therefore, being received much differently. This is typical in today’s society, having a content that is familiar to us, but then re-mediated in many different ways and over-poured in as many different markets as possible.
Bush’s 1945 description of “memex” compares to the Internet and computer in that publication is being extended beyond our present day ability. There are many technological and mechanical aids that are helping with today’s human experience. The Internet is a perfect example in that it can do an immense amount for us. Bush’s prediction of photography is almost exact. Could his explanation of the walnut photography be that of today’s digital camera and how small it is and how quickly we can receive its image results? I feel that the Internet of 2045 will be readily available anywhere we go: in our cars, planes, in a booth in the street, and on our wristwatch. It will be small and compact and hold one hundred times the information that it does today!
Do you think that technological devices will continue to get smaller and smaller as we progress into the future and if so, why do scientist think that this is the most beneficial way to receive our info.? Is smaller truly better or will this ever change?
Do you think that the internet will eventually get out of hand in that people may only resort to the internet for all their answers? Is this a healthy direction we are headed or will this eventually crash and people turn their heads for a new change?
Digital media in my everyday life!
Digital media is something that I find almost impossible to avoid in this ever so popular technological world. Like many Americans, I use digital media in my everyday life: at work, school and even a little in between. I am a pre-school and kindergarten teacher and while I am working, I am constantly using the internet to find information and images to use for class instructions! Also in between work and school, I use my cell phone to text friends and sometimes talk to friends or family. Lastly, while at UW, I use the library to view my e-mail account and to look up info. to write papers for classes. When I am not in school, I often times catch myself on the internet browsing google looking up foreign countires that I fantasize about traveling to or browsing pandora or myspace (I hate to admit it). Digital media keeps me up to date with the constant flow of information going on in the world, without it I feel that I may be left behind.
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