Thursday, September 28, 2006
Jesus instead of Lucifer
The quote comes from "Bible Games' instead of 'Grand Theft Auto?" The reading talks about the violent nature of the game grand theft auto and the poor rating system that goes along with the games.
"Consider Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The game originally had an “M” rating for mature, meaning it was suitable for players 17 and older. But when a gamer discovered how to uncover hidden sex scenes buried in the game, the rating was changed to adults only."
They had to change the rating on this horrible game because of hidden sexual encounters that if you played the game you could take part in those encounters. I think that even with the rating system it is ultimately the job of parents to moniter games played and bought. I have a friend, she has a six year old son who love the game san andreas because her brother who is older lets him play it. Since she has found out that her son plays the game she has forbid him to play and took the game away from her brother. While you can't really stop them from playing when they are older you have to explain to them that it is only a game and not real life. It may be fun on screen but its not for the real world and make sure they understand that. I think that bible games can be a much needed relief to all the violence we see everywhere. i myself don't like playing games like san andreas. I would rather play something like super mario, racing games or even a bible game.
make a decision... grab a controller... or grab a bible
i dont get what it is with the media and the way they bad mouth today's video games. video games were made to escape reality so to speak. when people sit down and turn there system on... they want to do things that they cant do in real life. like kill monsters or throw 70 yard touchdown passes. they dont want to be reminded of everyday things like church or the word of god. no offense, i myself am a christian but even i like to sit down and play some grand theft auto once in a while. the game features a character who does hits for mob bosses. during the process of the game, your asked to perform various crimes such as steal cars, shoot people, and blow things up. needless to say, depite the many felonys one can commit in the game it's a toy just like a Barbie doll or a G.I. Joe. “We found there is a need for an alternative, for families to be able to find fun and entertaining games that reinforce positive images.” there was an article in an issue of game informer magazine that spoke about the death of "nintendo-like" games so to speak. you see, there was a time when the whole family could sit down and watch little billy play Super Mario Bros. but the fact of the matter is that, game makers are more focused on making cinematic games. in other words, games that are made to look like a movie while your playing. theres nothing wrong with making a game about jesus... but the problem is that it wont sell. if you want the word of god... why go out and pay 50 bucks for bible trivia, when you can go to church for free. if your going to pay 50 bucks for a game... shouldn't be as exciting? with todays HDTV's and surround, people are trying to get there money's worth. why dont they just build a website were people can access these games online? one just feels that there is a fine line between the virtual and the religous world. but hey... if they can successfully combine it... then maybe were seeing the beginning of a new genre of video games ...
To car theft or not to car theft
The defense of the video gaming is very much implemented in the article Hilary vs. the x-box. Thrill seeking juveniles that love car jacking games such as grand theft auto seem to enjoy the negative aspects of the game. Though these aspects are negative, they still allow these same juveniles to reinact the crime on theri television screen rather than in real life.
The national carjacking rate has dropped substantially since "Grand Theft Auto" came out.
Hillary Vs. X box: Game Over
"On to the issue of aggression, and what causes it in kids, especially teenage boys. Congress should be interested in the facts: The last 10 years have seen the release of many popular violent games, including "Quake" and "Grand Theft Auto"; that period has also seen the most dramatic drop in violent crime in recent memory. According to Duke University's Child Well-Being Index, today's kids are less violent than kids have been at any time since the study began in 1975. Perhaps, Sen. Clinton, your investigation should explore the theory that violent games function as a safety valve, letting children explore their natural aggression without acting it out in the real world. "
I love video games and i will never stop playing. I will definetly let my kids play them too, but i will definetly supervise it. I don't see nothing wrong with video games. Why? Because it is just a game.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Video Games being to Violate
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Bible Vs. Violence?
The violence in video games is believed to cause other children to act violently towards each other thereby making them a bad influence on society. Most video games like Grand Theft Auto are violent and sexually explicit, especially if a “gamer discovers how to uncover hidden sex scenes buried in the game.” Games that are violent tend to be the most popular among children and teenagers. These video games are rated “M” for mature, but these rating are not enough to prevent younger children from playing or being exposed to these games.
A company named Digital Praise has developed a new line of video games that created “an alternative for families … to find fun and entertaining games that reinforce positive images.” They have developed Christian-themed video games that are mostly sold in Christian bookstores. These video games are often played by Victoria Tolin who hates violence. She said that she “play[s] a lot of Christian video games [because] they don’t have fights. You just have to follow Jesus and pick up little crosses for points.”
Even thought their games make up less than one percent of all the video games that are out there, Digital Praise is hoping to become a successful part of the mainstream market.
A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace
We are creating a world that all may enter without privilege or prejudice
accorded by race, economic power, military force, or station of birth.
The cyberspace world is not perfect like my friend Davos seems to speak so passionately about. Though Identity is more private it is also dangerous. There are those individuals who identify themselves with hate groups against race, sex, religion you name it! The vision of a utopian cyperworld maybe a dream this man is living, and the government is the nightmare that's looking to corrupt is perfect society. The same society where young children have fall victim to the perverts and pettifiles of this society.
Your legal concepts of property, expression, identity, movement,
and context
do not apply to us. They are all based on matter, and there is
no matter here.The words of a cyber monarch. Speak for yourself Davos.
Webcams & Sex
"As she immersed herself in the world of cybersex, her computer became an increasingly important part of her life. She was spending the bulk of her leisure time, and eventually even part of her work day, scrolling through adult sites, looking for gratification and potential partners. At her peak, she spent five to six hours a day cruising chat rooms and dating services such as Adult Friend Finder and Lavalife."
It is quite amazing how something known traditionally as scared and private has been destroyed in the sense where people are actually recording themselves having sex and putting it up on the internet for the world to see.
"Among adults, however, the practice is spreading quietly and rapidly. Beth, RDB and Longing are among a growing number of Canadians who no longer consider sex to be something private."
Whats the difference between webcam sex and porn? Intially i see none. However, the biggest difference that the article portrayed was the fact that these people become full blown sex addicts and they go as far as incorporate this in their daily lives and relationships. A couple having sex is no longer between them. Boyfriends and girlfriends and even husbands and wives are publicizing their most private moments.
"RDB describes a different kind of satisfaction. "I find it exciting that someone's looking at me, or looking at my woman. That's the core of the attraction, knowing that all these other guys want my woman, but they can't have her. That's a big ego boost for me." "
My opinion : GET HELP! THESE PEOPLE JUST DO NOT KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO WITH THEIR TIME!!
New Perspectives
Myspace ruined my life. (c)
I myspace. I myspace everyday, twice a day, at minimum. And i have only been a myspace member for a couple of months. I was hooked almost immediately not only because i am a serious internet addict but also because everyone who is anyone has myspace. It is the most convenient way to keep in touch with friends and meet new friends.
Alex Williams, the author the New York Times article "Do you myspace?" grabbed my attention immediately with the first line: "It seems a hazy memory, but Keith Wilson, a spiky-haired club promoter, can recall what it was like before MySpace - about two years ago. Back then people had normal names like "Joe" or "Keith." because this is so true. There are so many people ive met thru myspace that i actually call them by their myspace names. Funny but true. Its a myspace thing.
Theres so much i can say about myspace that i can run on for days. Ultimately, i feel the most important part of this "myspace era" is that it is really soaring and doing so fast. It is a multi-million dollar creation that allows people to network for FREE.
my space -- http://home.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user&MyToken=b6c7d1bb-bf6e-4b3e-b3eb-9d800381e1f8
Monday, September 25, 2006
The Shibuya Epiphany, key points
The companies of other countries that paid to secure the rights of G3 technology were not nearly as successful as DoCoMo.
DoCoMo allowed a person that was relatively computer illiterate to help design the i-mode device and its services. The result of this was an easy to use phone and service that had vast capabilities. This approach of making it easy for people who are not familiar with the technology was similar to the approach of AOL. Some of the capabilities of i-mode included; banking, buying tickets, getting directions using GPS, getting stock quotes, and hotel/restaurant reservations.
Within two years of the release of i-mode, had twenty eight million users. This number of users took AOL over a decade to achieve.
Finland has the largest amount of cell phone users and internet connections in the world. They have been using the mobile phone the longest, and therefore their culture is most the transformed by its presence. The Nokia company managed to put a cell phone in the hands of 60% of the Finland population by 2002. Their word for cell phone translates into English as, an extension of the hand.
The expression “swarming” in Finland refers to the public grouping of kids as a result of text messaging. Text messaging became such a large part of their society that texting became like a counter culture, with different types of groups.
America is behind in the “Generation text”. This is due to the American phone companies adopting text messaging, but making it more expensive than making a phone call. This results in a lack of enthusiasm, and usage amongst mobile phone customers.
Mass texting has large influence on the culture of its country. The youth is particularly influenced, because they are the group that has adopted the technology the fastest. The difference in socialization can be seen in things like; kids asking for dates, joining texting interest groups (groups with a common interest such as; music or entertainment), and keeping in touch with their boy/girl friends, and family more frequently.
Webcams. Good or Bad?
"Beth describes her exhibitionism as a safe turn-on, a mode of expression that protects her physically and emotionally. If someone laughs or pokes fun at her, she doesn't have to know about it. She can enjoy an image of herself as a taboo temptress.
"There's an excitement to it because you're going against what society dictates as the norm," she says. "I can do whatever I want. If I want to flip my top off and fondle my breast, I can."
She enjoys the power dynamic that comes with being watched, saying that "you know what the man wants and it's your choice whether you want to give it to him or not."
When she said that i felt bad. I felt like she had a very low self esteem, but by her doing this it made her feel important. I feel if you want to do it, and your not hurting anybody go ahead. Alot of people might not agree with it but it doens't matter what other people think. As long as you are happy
Do you Myspace?
Friday, September 22, 2006
Myspace.come-on
"MySpace is a social network site. In structure, MySpace is not particularly unique. The site is a hodgepodge of features previously surfaced by sites like Friendster, Hot or Not, Xanga, Rate My Teacher, etc. At the core are profiles that are connected by links to friends on the system. Profiles are personalized to express an individual's interests and tastes, thoughts of the day and values. Music, photos and video help users make their profile more appealing… Many of you may have heard about MySpace, most likely due to moral panic brought on by the media's coverage of the potential predators and bullying. There is no doubt that the potential is there, but there are more articles on predators on MySpace than there have been reported predators online. Furthermore, bullying is a practice that capitalizes on any available medium. Moral panics are a common reaction to teenagers when they engage in practices not understood by adult culture. There were moral panics over rock&roll, television, jazz and even reading novels in the early 1800s. The media, typically run by the parent generation, capitalizes on and spreads the fear with little regard for data or actual implications. Examples are made out of delinquent youth, showing how the object of fear ruined them in some way or other. The message is clear - if you don't protect your kids from this evil, they too will suffer great harm to their minds, bodies or morals.”
Do I myspace....YES and have been doing so religiously like the many other addicts for close to two years now. For those who dont myspace, they havent tried it yet.Thursday, September 21, 2006
A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace
I think that this guy is absolutely crazy.. He is stating to everybody in the cyber world that the rules are totally different in the real world. This guy is saying you can say what you want and it doesnt matter and we dont have to worry about the governments censorship.
We are creating a world that all may enter without privilege or prejudice accorded by race, economic power, military force, or station of birth.
We are creating a world where anyone, anywhere may express his or her beliefs, no matter how singular, without fear of being coerced into silence or conformity.
Cyberspace seems likes its in its own world where nobody is determined by race,color, and economic power.
Do you myspace?
When people ask if I myspace and my answer is yes, I get mixed reactions.. Some people say thats cool and some people say why do you waste your time? I occasionally go onto myspace.com to associate with friends from high school, etc. , but i dont go crazy on decorating my myspace.com page and adding all the pretty decors to go with it. The only time I will leave a comment on one of my friends myspace.com pages is when they leave me one.
I think that myspace.com is not only a place for people to interact and talk and catch up on things but i also think its a place that causes to much drama between friends and can be dangerous at the same time when a man or women pretends to be a 15 year old male/female when they are really 45-50years old. You can pretend to be who you want to be on myspace.com and nobody would know the difference.
Another website that was created recently is called facebook.com. Although facebook.com has some of the same things as myspace.com you cant go as crazy decorating your page as you can on myspace.com. Facebook.com is the type of website that lets you see how your fellow students from high school are doing, and where they are now in life. The website is more conservative looking and doesnt offer as much as myspace.com is..
Do You MySpace???....No I dont...
myspace.com??? more like ourspace.com
"Like MTV, it is starting to create stars that glow brightly within its own universe"...
this was a statement made about myspace... this website has created a world within a world... its like people become a whole other person via myspace... why? ... is it because there lives are boring and they want some fun... or is it because there were known as "nobodys" there whole lives and now they be a "somebody"? ... who knows but the fact of the matter is that this website is not even worth half a billion dollars ... its priceless... its a place of escape ... of fantasy if you will... i was taught that race, color, class, etc. doesnt matter when your on any form of blogging... i for one am not on myspace but i am on facebook... and the hype is true... i dont try to be someone im not ... but its good for chatting... and letting stuff off your chest... it feels good when someone responds to what your saying... when someone can relate to how you feel... nonetheless, these blogging sites whether its myspace or facebook or etc... are bringing everyone together... the question is??? ... is it happening too fast ... can i have a little space to call my own... or is all just gonna be one big space... think about it...
www.myspace.com
www.facebook.com
do you myspace?
myspacearticle
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
The Heart of the WELL-- by Howard Rheingold
"In the summer of 1986, my then-two-year-old daughter picked up a tick. There was this blood-bloated thing sucking on our baby's scalp, and we weren't quite sure how to go about getting it off. My wife, Judy, called the pediatrician. It was eleven o'clock in the evening. I logged onto the WELL. I got my answer online within minutes from a fellow with the improbable but genuine name of Flash Gordon, M.D. I had removed the tick by the time Judy got the callback from the pediatrician's office."
This article speaks about the online community--known by "WELLites" as "the WELL"--was a site created to discuss family issues, specifically pertaining to health. Rheingold talks in depth about his encounters with other members of the WELL--the meaning of which he never mentions in the article. While the article is based soley on his experiences as a member of this social network, the purpose of the article is to describe the advantages of being linked to a network (or networks) on the World Wide Web in contrast to the social networks that we have been accustomed to prior to the evolution of the internet from a military tool to the internet we know today. The WELL was a "place"--as he refers to it--where members created a online coffee house that was available twenty-four/seven for friendly advice and social comforting when the need was there. The members of the WELL became lasting friends, and though they never saw each other in person, the bond was there based only on their common interest and their alliance to the purpose of the WELL's existance.
"One of the few things that enthusiastic members of virtual communities in Japan, England, France, and the United States all agree on is that expanding their circle of friends is one of the most important advantages of computer conferencing. CMC is a way to meet people, whether or not you feel the need to affiliate with them on a community level. It's a way of both making contact with and maintaining a distance from others. The way you meet people in cyberspace puts a different spin on affiliation: in traditional kinds of communities, we are accustomed to meeting people, then getting to know them; in virtual communities, you can get to know people and then choose to meet them. Affiliation also can be far more ephemeral in cyberspace because you can get to know people you might never meet on the physical plane.
How does anybody find friends? In the traditional community, we search through our pool of neighbors and professional colleagues, of acquaintances and acquaintances of acquaintances, in order to find people who share our values and interests. We then exchange information about one another, disclose and discuss our mutual interests, and sometimes we become friends. In a virtual community we can go directly to the place where our favorite subjects are being discussed, then get acquainted with people who share our passions or who use words in a way we find attractive. In this sense, the topic is the address: you can't simply pick up a phone and ask to be connected with someone who wants to talk about Islamic art or California wine, or someone with a three-year-old daughter or a forty-year-old Hudson; you can, however, join a computer conference on any of those topics, then open a public or private correspondence with the previously unknown people you find there. Your chances of making friends are magnified by orders of magnitude over the old methods of finding a peer group."
There are many social networks that exist today--i.e. Facebook, AOLIM, MySpace, etc.-- where we meet to discuss issues. And though those of us who are members of the MySpace community appear to talk about topics that are of little value in relation to those outside of one's own social circle, the scoial "place" exists, just like the WELL in the earliest stages of the public internet back in '93 when this article was written. Members of the WELL wrote down the events of their lives, pertaining to the well-being of their families, advice on how to solve health issue for one another, and responses to these topics and stories that would be beneficial to the other members of this online social community. Rheingold describes in depth the events that unfolded in the life of "Elly", one "WELLite":
"...So Elly had decided to become a Buddhist nun in Asia, and therefore threatened to pass into the annals of WELL legend. The topic stayed dormant for six months. In June, former neighbor Averi Dunn, who had been typing Elly's correspondence into the WELL, reported hearing that Elly had some kind of amoeba in her liver. At the end of July 1992, Flash Gordon reported that Elly was in a hospital in New Delhi. In a coma. She had severe hepatitis and reportedly suffered liver failure. If that report turned out to be true, Flash and the other doctors online agreed that the prognosis was not good.
Within hours, people started doing things in half a dozen directions on their own initiative. The raw scope and diversity of the resources available to us by pooling our individual networks was astonishing. People who had medical connections in New Delhi were brought in; airline schedules and rates for medical evacuation were researched; a fund was started and contributions started arriving. Casey used the net to find a possible telecommunications site in New Delhi where they could relay information for Frank, Elly's ex-husband, who had flown to Asia to help with what was looking like a grave situation.
After a tense few days, the news made its way through the network that she did have some liver function left and might need access to special blood-filtering equipment before she could be moved. Within hours, we knew how to get such medical equipment in New Delhi and whose name to mention. We knew whom to call, how to ask, what it cost, and how to transfer funds to get Elly delivered to a hospital in the San Francisco region. "It gives me goosebumps," reported Onezie, as the topic unfolded on the WELL. "This is love in action."
Elly recovered enough strength to travel without medical evacuation. Her next message was direct, via the WELL:
#270: Elly van der Pas (elly) Fri, Sep 11, '92 (16:03)
Thanks to everyone for your generous WELLbeams, good wishes, prayers, advice, and contributions of green energy. The doctor thought the fast recovery was due to Actigall, but in fact it was due to beams, prayers, and pujas. He even said I might be able to go back to India in February or so.$SW-)"
The qoute below summarizes what Rheingold intends to present as a whole in his description of the WELL. Even in 2006, the question he presents still remains to be answered in the years to come, and more than a decade of the internet as we know it has passed...
"Perhaps cyberspace is one of the informal public places where people can rebuild the aspects of community that were lost when the malt shop became a mall. Or perhaps cyberspace is precisely the wrong place to look for the rebirth of community, offering not a tool for conviviality but a life-denying simulacrum of real passion and true commitment to one another. In either case, we need to find out soon."
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Gay Teenager Stirs a Storm
While Zach, as his blog recounted, only recently came out to his parents, many of his friends had known he was gay for more than a year, one classmate said. Zach openly identified himself as gay on his blog, which links to 213 friends' blogs listed in a Friend Space box on the site. Zach is due to leave the program next week. His June 4 message expressed thanks for the more than 1,700 messages on his page, many voicing support. "Don't worry," he wrote. "I'll get through this. They've promised me things will get better, whether this program does anything or not. Let's hope they're not lying."
I don’t think people should be judged on what their orientation is whether it’s gay, lesbian or straight. I don’t think it was right for Zach’s parents to make him sign up for the Love in Action program because they should love him for what’s on the inside not for what’s on the outside and what he decides his sexual orientation should be. No program or group can change what you feel. It can’t just make you gay one day and then the next you automatically turn straight.
The Lonely Girl Hoax
The Myspace Revolution
"They've just come out of nowhere, and they're huge," David Card, a senior analyst with Jupiter Research, said of MySpace. "They've done a number of things that were really smart. One was blogging. People have been doing personal home pages for as long as the Internet's been around, but they were one of the first social networks to jump on that. They've also jumped on music, and there's a lot of traffic surrounding that."
Since last year, Myspace has had a 400% growth rate and has surpassed google.com in the number of hits. Now with over 27 million member, Myspace has become the juggernaut of social interaction. Other possibilities such as facebook.com and friendster.com are still being used but the overwhelming majority are sticking with myspace. The average user of myspace is on the website for 1 hour and 43 minutes while those that use facebook and friendster average only 35 and 25 minutes respectively.
A major aspect of myspace that makes it so popular besides the music are the pictures and video capabilities. Although nudity is unacceptable, there are many pictures of college students and older that are risque. I personally know a couple that met on myspace by doing a search of their area, talking for a while, and finally meeting. They have been together for a year now, but there is a down side to this. This could produce a breeding ground for pedifiles looking to prey on young teens. Although if your age is 14 or younger people are not allowed to view your profile unless you accept an invitation, it is no secret that young boys and girls have lied about their age to seem older for a long time now.
Musicians, comedians, club promoters, and anyone else attempting to get their name or interest out and heard are flocking to myspace and getting an unbelievable response. For example, Dane Cook, a popular comedian for the younger generations, has used myspace to connect with just under 1.5 million friends. This is the best example of getting known with myspace because when Dane first joined he was still working the comic circuit, but Dane is now one of the most well known young comedians today. Myspace has started the development of a record label with the help of an existing major label which only adds to the possibilities of being heard through the website.
One scary factor, for those who know of Rupert Murdoch, is that the Myspace website has been sold to the Owner of the News Corporation, including Fox. This has the possibilities of disaster because for those who follow Fox News know that their slogan "Fair and Balanced" doesn't exactly ring the bell of truth. Many of their stories and angles are predetermined by Murdoch and high executives to convey a certain aspect of conservatism. The Upside of this whole deal is that myspace has practically unlimited resources at this point, selling the site for 580 million. Anderson also states the site will not lose it's youthfulness and integrity; it is suppose to remain the same site with more possibilities... I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
"Down with Blogs"
"that blogging is akin to Gutenberg’s invention of the printing
press— except this time everybody gets his own press, almost free. Centralization and control due to cost—which led to things like editors who could prioritize material for limited space—is with blogs a free-for-all in which everybody joins the same giant, borderless chat room to type whatever they “know” or want people to think they “know” for all the world to see. "Heresniak states the blogging news phenomenon can be directly related to a collapse of reliable news sources worthy of our time.
"established media outlets are doing serious damage to themselves. And the Web has helped create a very real threat to even those news sources that still have credibility"
LonelyGirl15
"A nearly four-month-old Internet drama in which the cryptic video musings of a fresh-faced teenager became the obsession of millions of devotees — themselves divided over the very authenticity of the videos, or who was behind them or why — appears to be in its final act.
The woman who plays Lonelygirl15 on the video-sharing site YouTube.com has been identified as Jessica Rose, a 20-ish resident of New Zealand and Los Angeles and a graduate of the New York Film Academy. And the whole project appears to be the early serialized version of what eventually will become a movie."Why is this so important? I have a difficult time understanding the relevance of this story. Perhaps the truth about the identity of this girl was revealed at this time intentionally. While the world is plagued by war, famine, disease, Mid-East tensions, etc., the identity of this girl makes front page on news websites in America and I am on the internet blogging about this. How sad.
Lonely Girl
What i didn't understand was why? Why fool everyone into thinking that there was this "LONELY GIRL"? But in a way it was a good way of thinking to create her fan base.
Lonely Girl not so Lonely?
Call me crazy or even call me a con-artist too, but i think it was pretty smart of these producers and directors and even the actress to create this on going youtube soap opera of video blogs. It is a great way to form a fan base and to figure out who really is interested in something like "Lonelygirl15."
Besides, who cares if this was only for advertisement for an upcoming movie. If you're a fan, why wouldnt you become a bigger one? Why wouldn't you be happy that your favorite character "Bree" is going to be a movie star?
"The series, which Mr. Flinders and Mr. Beckett plan to continue on a site
overseen by them, may play differently with fans now that they know for sure
that Bree is an actress. Part of the appeal of the series was that the
serious-minded, literate Bree offered an unbeatable fantasy: a beautiful girl
who techy guys had something in common with."
Its pretty interesting. I guess the only way i would have sympathy for those fans and followers who felt betrayed is for something like this:
"On learning that Ms. Rose was an actress whose interests, unlike the
scientific and religious issues that fascinated Bree, ran to parties and posing,
one fan wrote, “Very cute, but she’s really not into Feynmann and Jared Diamond!
(I’m heart-broken ...But a wonderful actress, had me fooled into thinking she
was a geek like me.)”
just when i thought i found miss right...
one thing i've come to figure out is that blogging is like a person if you will... people come to this person to vent out ... or to just talk a little about whatever... just conversate... but like people, if you decieve them... they will find out... and it will backfire in your face... the story of lonelygirl15 is one for the books...lol... here you have this girl who clearly poses as this semi-tech kind of girl on the web and she has thousands of people tuned in all the time... you have to keep in mind that to some blogging is some what serious... and i think its F'd up that all these people were fooled... actors, producers, and even scriptwriters were involved... just when you think that people couldnt go any lower... it baffles me when i try to think of why they would even do this... who knows??? but one thing is for sure... her 15 minutes of fame is definitely over!!!
http://www.youtube.com/
Lonely Girl???????
'The masterminds of the Lonelygirl15 videos are Ramesh Flinders, a screenwriter and filmmaker from Marin County, Calif., and Miles Beckett, a doctor turned filmmaker. The high quality of the videos caused many users to suspect a script and production crew, but Bree’s bedroom scenes were shot in Mr. Flinders’s home, in his actual bedroom, typically using nothing more than a Logitech QuickCam, a Web camera that retails for about $150.''
These guys had a perfect scheme going on until they got caught. I really don't blame them, they thought the idea out and new they would get an audience by using this whole lonely girl idea. They knew there would be alot of people relating to this. I would never look at this stuff.I personally find all this stuff stupid. If you need this girl on some webcam to make u feel special you have a problem.
Lonely Gay Teen Seeking Same
"I'm not very good-looking in the real world, so why can't I lie a little in the virtual world?" asked Fred. "In real life, I'm very shy and afraid to really say what I'm thinking, but online, I'm bold, and I'm also a bit more ... I guess the word is 'slutty.' "
"If it works for you, it has all the reality it needs."
This article was quite disturbing to me for many reasons. I had no idea that so many young teenager, just hitting puberty, are “out” and using the internet to feed their homosexual curiosity. It seems that if in fact it wasn’t for the internet many of these teens would be out doing normal teenage things such as hanging out at the mall or go to the arcade. The internet is exposing them to things they wouldn’t see on a day to day basis, causing them to grow up way too fast. Online they can become who ever they want, weather they it taller, shorter, smarter, prettier, wealthier, and in most cases OLDER. They are experiencing and experimenting with adult things at ages they shouldn’t be, making them prey to pedophiles and putting themselves at risk. The internet, for many of these teens is an escape form reality, no one knows who they really are so they can become who or whatever they want.
Monday, September 18, 2006
LONELY???...right!!
To be completely honest, when I chose this article, I thought it was going to be a whole lot juicier. Unfortunately to my dismay it was very very disappointing. She is just an actress making up video diaries of her "fake" life. According to the internet, Bree (Jessica's web persona), is a home schooled girl with very religious parents who studies the arts and lives on an more educated level. And according to Jessica, (the real girl), she lives a life of parties and fun. Bree connects to the more intellectual community, attracting dweebs, nerds, and geeks of all kinds. That site caught the interest of "novelists, journalists, academics, day traders, lawyers, bloggers, filmmakers, video game designers, students, housewives, bored youngsters and experts on religion and botany." She offered a fantasy that most men like "Bree" would never have: "A beautiful girl who techy guys had something in common with".
One faithful viewer says, " Very cute, but she's really not into Fenymann and Jared Diamond! (I'm heart-broken... But a wonderful actress, had me fooled into thinking she was a geek like me.)"
The lonely girl who really wasn't ended up being very good company for people just like her.
Gay Teenagers Blogging to Express Their Feeling's
The Good, Bad, and Ugly Effects of the Internet
According to the article entitled, “The Future of Technology: The Power of Us,” the Internet is a popular tool that continues to thrive. However, its impact has been helpful and hurtful to some businesses.
Zach’s Punishment For Being a Homosexual
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Lonely Girl!!!???
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Independence of Cyberspace
"Your legal concepts of property, expression, identity, movement, and context do not apply to us. They are all based on matter, and there is no matter here.Our identities have no bodies, so, unlike you, we cannot obtain order by physical coercion. We believe that from ethics, enlightened self-interest, and the commonweal, our governance will emerge."
I didn't disagree with everything in the reading, i do believe cyberspace is a way everybody can communicate no matter race, gender, beliefs, etc. The internet is a great thing as long as it doesn't fall into the wrong hands.
A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace
"We are creating a world that all may enter without privilege or prejudice accorded by race, economic power, military force, or station of birth."
To me it seems that this article is letting everyone in the cyber world know that the rules are completely different from the real world. It's stating that we don’t have to worry about the government’s censorship; we're free to say and write what ever we want. In this world you don’t have to be a celebrity to get people to pay attention to what you feel or what you think about certain situations. You don’t have to come from a certain class or race for people to listen to you. It's screaming NO REQUIRMENTS TO BE ACCEPTED!!
Development of the internet...good or bad
I argree with Mr. Barlow, the internet is a wonderful tool to have because information is available to you with the click of a mouse and a url address. I personally don't know how i survived wothout the internet. You can find anything about anything. For example you can see a bird's eye veiw of real estate without even leaving your home, shopping is faster with no lines and also you can talk to your friends in other countries without making an 800 dollear phone bill.
Barlow feels that there is very little ecomomic room in the physical world and the Internet helps businesses and others make the money by allowing fast trades, easy lookups, quick e-mails and speedy conference/web calls. I agree with this also in that there is more room for economic growth on or with the internet because there are more people that your product of information are reaching so more of a chance of ecomomic payout.
Cyberspace- A Declaration of Independence?
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Independence of Cyberspace
"We are creating a world that all may enter
without privilege or prejudice
accorded by race, economic power, military
force, or station of birth.....We will create a civilization of the Mind in
Cyberspace. May it be more humane and fair than the world your governments have
made before."It makes everyone want to jump on the opportunity of joining cyberspace!
A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace
"Cyberspace consists of transactions, realtionships, and thought itself, arrayed like a standing wave in the web of our communications, Ours is a world that is both everywhere and nowhere, but it is not where bodies live"
It seems that cyberspace is a world where everyone is equall and not based on race, economic power. That people can be open and express their feelings without fear. "Your legal concepts of property, expression, identity, movement, and context do to us apply, they are based on matter, and there is no matter here"(Olen).
This article states that cyberspace is a totally different world then our world.
A Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace
"You claim there are problems among us that you need to solve. You use this claim as an excuse to invade our precincts. Many of these problems don't exist. Where there are real conflicts, where there are wrongs, we will identify them and address them by our means. We are forming our own Social Contract . This governance will arise according to the conditions of our world, not yours. Our world is different." --John Perry Barlow
Is it true that we don't want any governing body in Cyberspace? Who will play watchdog in a world without borders? Many of the sites that we visit are considered taboo by typical societal standards, and we assume that much of our online activity remains private. But can we trust the watchdog, whether that be a government like that of the United States, a government of Cyberspace--an online police/peacekeeping force, or users of the internet --as suggested in the document--to keep the peace and respect our privacy at the same time?
The people of this democracy of the "real" world would seem to be in confliction when choosing between our liberty and our security. On one hand, if we allow the government to wiretap our phones--the legitimacy of which as has been recently debated--what else must we then allow our government to do in times of "necessity"? Shall we allow this government to read our mail before we receive it? If they can wiretap our phones, what says that they haven't already read our emails, or checked our history of viewed websites? Should we feel threatened by our own government to avoid educating ourselves in subjects that are considered taboo?
During the Red Scare, reading books on Communism would have seemed dangerous. Perhaps during World War II, attempting to learn some Japanese would have been risky. but what is wrong with knowing thy enemy? And if we are the watchdog, then we must keep watch on the government, while also watching one another. Overall, it would appear that for an online community to exist so freely as Barlow suggests, we will sacrifice our privacy to a certain degree. How is that absolute freedom?
Is technology our way out of it?
One of the images which Kevin Kelly describes in the article is how revolutionized the economy has become with technology. “There has been a cheap tiny enough to slip into every thing we make, he says.” That meaning that technology has taken a big change in the past centuries.
“The grand irony of our times is that the era of computers is over. All the major consequences of stand-alone computers have already taken place. Computers have speeded up our lives a bit, and that's it.”
I believe that computers have really speeded up our live in a tremendous way that now we practically can’t be without them. The generation of today relies more on computers rather than to try to memorize everything on their own. It has as well become the best way of keeping in touch with close friends and relatives. As technology advances, computers become faster and more powerful.
As the years go by technology will become faster and people will want to use it to their best advantage and practically to make their lives easier. But as you know like to any good side there is a bad side. It might end up that humans might depend on technology so much that they will allow them to control their lives.
The selling of the Blogosphere
http://www.advancedbusinessblogging.com/archives/169
When War Breaks Out, The Blogs Are There!
Where do you limit the context of what soldiers blog and email about? Who would monitor and regulate these venues that are part of an international internet?
These blogs also offer a venue where the soldiers describe events that haven't been released to the public press yet and also the gruesome aspects of the war with the horrors of patients in the hospitals. With people all over the world being able to read what these soldiers write about could be a public relations disaster for the US government. It provides a venue where the untold truth can be told without censorship of the government...for now.
Help.... my world is broken... and it needs fixing...
Cyberspace and its Road to Independence
He doesnt want Big Brother interferance to fix problems, what John Barlow wants is self-determination. He claims that they, "declare the global social space we are building to be naturally independent of the tyrannies you seek to impose on us. You have no moral right to rule us nor do you possess any methods of enforcement we have true reason to fear."
.....If the Government has their why and they are trying, censorship and control will rule. Cyberspace must "declare our virtual selves immune to your sovereignty, even as we continue to consent to your rule over our bodies. We will spread ourselves across the Planet so that no one can arrest our thoughts....We will create a civilization of the Mind in Cyberspace. May it be more humane and fair than the world your governments have made before."
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Ways blogg can help your business!
There are many different ways to getting your business up on its feet. Business Blogging would be a great solution. As the years have gone by, technology has become the center of everyday live. The internet has been one of the biggest sources for business advertising. Most companies have posted most of their products online as a way of getting people to notice their stores. Some companies mostly post sales and discounts online, as a way of getting more customers to shop on their website.
"Look past the yakkers, hobbyists, and political mobs. Your customers and rivals are figuring blogs out. Our advice: Catch up...or catch you later"
Did You Know: Your Being Watched
This is an article about a taxi driver who was molested by a woman passenger. Because he had a camera phone, he was able to video tape the entire incident and post the tape on the internet. The video tape had received much excitement in Seoul. Most people who witness a crime or incident would call news stations and explain the situation, now majority of people carry a camera phone around with them and can now tape the entire scene. It is expected that by the end of 2007, almost 100% of people who carry cell phones will have a camera attached. Is this a good thing? Most people today have this feature and don't use it. I can understand for security reasons to have this feature but seriously, when your getting attacked or witness an incident what's going to happen, "excuse me can you hold on one second so I can video tape this" I think everyone is taking things too seriously now and its all because of MONEY and Law Suits. When a violent crime happens news reporters are everywhere, and now they are going to be LITERALLY everywhere. For these instances, cell phone makers are trying to make cell phones available to everyone and enough memory to send and receive STRAIGHT TO news reporters. Be careful when your out of your house that you don't pick your nose, it might be on the next news at 5.
A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace
The begining lines of Barlow's declaration were the most compelling to me:
"Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, I come
from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind. On behalf of the future, I ask you of the
past to leave us alone. You are not welcome among us. You have no sovereignty
where we gather."
Right from the begining of the article, he is making his point that cyberspace is the technology of the future and that it will more than possibly take over those of the "past."
Barlow goes on to say that the future of cyberspace will continue to progress and in addition, as it does no regulations from the government are needed nor wanted. Part of this declaration gave me the idea that not only is Barlow trying to "declare independence" for cyberspace but also trying to break away from the way the government runs society.
Basically what i got from most of the article, was the warning that cyberspace is creating or at least offering this "new world" to people.
declaration
Monday, September 11, 2006
"A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace"
Governments from the physical world require people to conform their behaviors according to the government's laws. Laws are created in this world to place our society under the government's control. The people have no choice but to follow them to avoid any confrontations with government officials. For instance, the freedom of speech is granted to Americans but it is limited in many ways. State officials can punish people who violate their freedom of speech if they "involve danger to the public peace and to the security of the state" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/free_speech). Because of these restrictions, people are forced to monitor their actions because of the risks that are involved.
Political activists can exercise their right of free speech in reserved public places which are known as free speech zones.
"Free speech zones are set up by ... Secret Service [officials] who scout locations near which the president is to pass or speak. Officials may target those displaying signs and escort them to the free speech zones prior to and during the event. Reporters may be barred from displaying protesters on camera or speaking to them within the zone" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/free_speech).It is a crime to enter a restricted area around the President of the United States which is why "protesters who refuse to go to free speech zones could be arrested and charged with trespassing, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/free_speech).
In cyberspace, however, there is no authority. This world is manipulated by the minds of the people who make up society. John Perry Barlow writes about this world as though he were its representative. He states,
"We have no elected government, nor are we likely to have one, so I address you with no greater authority than that with which liberty itself always speaks. I declare the global social space we are building to be naturally independent of the tyrannies you seek to impose on us. You have no moral right to rule us nor do you possess any methods of enforcement we have the reason to fear."This excerpt suggests that cyberspace wants to remain independent from any government control. This world does not welcome authority and never will because of its endless freedoms that are granted to its members. Fear, discrimination, conformity, and coercion do not exist in this world. People are free to write whatever thoughts are on their minds without the fear of getting caught by government officials.
However, it is known that the United States government has attempted to regulate certain acts and speech on the Internet by establishing the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). The EFF is a legal organization that is
"dedicated to preserving free speech rights such as those protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution in the context of today's digital age. [Its purpose] is to educate the press, policymakers and the general public about civil liberties issues related to technology; and to act as a defender of those liberties" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/free_speech).Even though it may seem impossible for the government to control cyberspace, it is obvious that they are seeking ways to exercise its power. This government control may threaten the freedoms that are currently existing in cyberspace. No matter how 'free' this world may be from government authority, its efforts to remain 'free' will diminish in time.
Resources:
Wikipedia. Freedom of speech. Retrieved September 10, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/free_speech
Wikipedia. Electronic Frontier Foundation. Retrieved September 10, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Frontier_Foundation
Thursday, September 07, 2006
"Reader, I Dated Him"
Stephanie Rosenbloom, of the NY Times wrote an article about a young women named Ms. Klein who has been blogging about the intimate details of her life, from affinity for rainy days and grilled cheese sandwiches to her sexual escapades, including one that involved a stranger and a can of Pam cooking spray.. She relates Ms.Klein to being just like Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City.
As I read this article I came to understand why so many people around the world became so interested in reading Ms. Klein's blogs. She not only blogged about her personal life but she also wrote a memoir of her life from her childhood days at fat camp, to the husband she said cheated on her while she was pregnant, to her subsequent abortion and her ongoing quest for love. Nothing, it seems, is too private not to share with readers.
I definitely thought that this article was easy to read and very easy to understand.
blogging... good or bad for the war???
Celebrity Blogger
Stephanie Rosenbloom, of the NY Times, writes about a "celebrity blogger," Stephanie Tara Klein, also characterized as the Carrie Bradshaw ( of the well known HBO series "Sex & the City") of blogging.
According to Technorati, which ranks blogs based on "net attention," or the
number of people who are linking to them, Ms. Klein's blog has a rank of 2,132,
meaning that of the world's more than 13 million blogs, there are only 2,000 or
so with more inbound links than hers.I found it quite intriguing how one blogger could keep the attention of so many readers by just accounting the times in her every day life. So, i decided to take a look for myself. Reading Ms. Klien's blogs myself it was easy to udnerstand why she has so many followers. I was most impressed that off of blogging her life, Klein has published a memoir about her life. And she definately gained another fan.
Klein's entrys are so easy to read and easy to relate to, you can not help but get hooked. I would recommend her blog site to any woman, especially the single NYC woman.
Internet Stokes Anti- War Movement
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Who's Watching?
Who's Watching?Surveillance to 'Sousveillance'
Taipei Times
AFP , WASHINGTON Monday, Jul 25, 2005
"Had the terror suspects in London's Tube bombings chosen instead to wreak havoc in the US, it might have been weeks before the world knew what they looked like.
That is because the all-seeing network of 24-hour-a-day security cameras which blankets Britain, and which allowed police to quickly beam pictures of the suspects across the globe, simply doesn't exist in the US."
Many in the US would be willing to forfeit privacy for security. In a century where terrorism is the new Red Scare, the citizens of this country are prepared to sacrifice the rights that were the basis of the nation's existance. Though the rights of US citizens have been suspended in the past for the security interests of the nation, these are times when voyeurism is the newest vice made possible by the internet more so than ever before.
Can we trust our government to respect our privacy rights if cameras are installed in public places? If the government promises to respect our privacy, who can we trust on an individual basis to uphold this right and only spy when necessary? If the governmentcan spy, doesn't this also mean that others can use the internet to spy using the same cameras? In the furture, will there be no privacy in public places? If so, how can we be so sure that there would still be privacy around our homes? The goverment already claims the first three feet of your property. Should we allow the government to place cameras in these areas?
Almost everyone has a cellphone presently--many of which are equipped with cameras that can be linked to a computer to upload pictues. How do we prevent ourselves from being photographed, watched, when technology is quickly making it easier with each innovation? Is this not more or less what George Orwell was implying in his novel, "1984"?
Picture provided by http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.notbored.org/london-metro.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.notbored.org/england-history.html&h=486&w=369&sz=59&hl=en&start=24&tbnid=D4aA8n4MLiLcWM:&tbnh=129&tbnw=98&prev=/images%3Fq%3DLondon%2Bsurveillance%26start%3D20%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN
A Blog Revolution? Get a Grip.
Nick Denton, the publisher of Gawker Media, talked nonchalantly about his network blogging company. Gawker Media is an interesting company because the editors that make up this online news source reside in different areas throughout the country. For example, only half of them live in New York. There is no office where the business takes place so the only contact Denton has with his workers is through instant messenging. The editors work from home and write a minimum of 12 current event postings a day. It is recommended that they have 8 postings up by noon to keep the readers interested in the site.
Denton denies that Internet blogging is transforming the way people recieve news and chooses to believe that this is an ordinary way to make a living. However, blogging is a new trend that many Internet companies are catching on to. Nick Denton has definitely seen the effects of blogging and the revolution it has caused, even though he denies it, because why else would he expand his company and recruit new editors to join his network? He obviously knows about the rapid interests in blogging and is expanding his network to keep his readers interested in his postings.
