9-27: Hypercolor...I mean Hyperreading

When I visited the Mozilla site, I noticed that many of the links lead to various articles in online publication (ei: USA Today and Forbes to name a few). However, within these pages it had a link that would direct you back to Mozilla. So, Mozilla seems to be a central point where you start from and can return to at most points, thus confirming the use of a centrality type map. But I also noticed that on the main page there were various links for updates or free software downloads. I would consider this a map of pattern of use. It would make sense to have your updates and the like visible and easy to access for your costumers.

Similarly, Microsoft has map concerning their updates and downloads. However, it Microsoft has more of a flow of information from one link to another. If you want to learn about Windows XP, you click one link which brings you to another page. Continuing down the line, you find more specific information regarding your question. So, they use a conceptual type map helping to sting ideas and information together. But, Microsoft seems to enclose the user inside their realm like a black hole.

Mozilla has forums for the general public to help one another. Since it's open source, any one who knows programming language can help. While at Microsoft, you would have to browse various tech. articles or wait for a response from a Microsoft representative. Also, the level of interaction between users at Mozilla seems much greater than at Microsoft. However, help may be limited at Mozilla because there is no Tech. support unlike Microsoft. So while each has their benefits, they each have various flaws due to the nature of their companies.

9-22: A Tale of Three Differences

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

Or at least when it came to finding some sort of definition from Woolley prior to class discussion. I found that Wikipedia had easier access to definitions while the other two danced around the topic. Woolley wrote in a metaphoric style which was not easy to grasp at first. Heim delved into the technology. Wikipedia lays the information out much like an encyclepedia. This made the information incredibly easy to find though similarities can be found.

Like the Woolley and Heim articles, Wikipedia gives various definition of cyberspace. These include:

Cyberspace As a Metaphor
Cyberspace As an Incomplete Replica
Cyberspace As a 3-D Immersive Environment
Cyberspace As an Augmented Habitat
Cyberspace as an Arena of Artistic Creativity

These examples are similar to the various example used by Woolley and Heim. They (the examples) help to explain cyberspace in other terms in order to gain a deeper understanding of what cyberspace is.

9-20: Escape from Reality

In this reading, Michael Heim describes virtual reality (VR) in the strong sense and weak sense. The strong sense of virtual reality refers to the original concept behind VR while the weak sense is a faint glimmer of what VR is. An example of the weak sense of VR is an ATM where the ATM serves as a virtual bank teller. However, the ATM is weak in the three "I"s of VR.

The three "I"s refer to immersion, interactivity and information intensity. The depth and realism of a VR system determines the immersion of a person into the realm. Without the proper equipment, the user will feel disassiociated with the system. Interactivity deals with how the user is able to navigate and interact (obviously) in the VR environment. Information intensity relates to the computer's ability to handle the data being processed such that the user will not be able to notice the changes in the environment when he changes positions.

Full telepresence happens when the three "I"s create the "interactive feedback loop." A rough translation defines telepresence as "remote presence." The VR system's purpose is to immerse the user into the realm through this concept. Also, VR allows the user or users to share imagination. While reality is bound by laws, VR is only bound by code. However, Heim hints at the problems that VR may cause once the line between reality and VR gets blurred. With knowledge about these issues, we can begin to act "realistic" when dealing with VR.

9-15: Questions on Cyberspace: Part I

Woolley states that "perhaps cyberspace...is-literally-where the money is." While he explains the following quote in terms of economic impact, the quote illuminates Woolley's true definition of cyberspace. Cyberspace contains the money because it is part of a vast, new frontier; it is its own city where millions interact with each other. In terms of cyberspace's defining features, the fronteir metaphor coincides with the rules governing it. Laws and regulations have not been established. Also, cyberspace is fast when compared with other forms of communication and it connects everyone associated with their respective projects. However, it is different from the real world. First, it helps to deconstruct barriers that the physical world may place. Also, while time and space are precious in the real world, they are "annihilated" in cyberspace (when comparing the physical limitations of real world vs. cyberspace). A "new reality" rests in cyberspace.

The idea of the global village is that cyberspace is, in fact, its own city. People connect from all over the world and join one another in this virtual city. Many for business ventures yet others for entertainment purposes. This is like a real city. To illustrate his concept of the global village, he brings real life issues, such as genes and viruses, for use as evidence. He relates computer viruses to biological viruses. Each are "replicators;" that is they reproduce in a host. Just like real viruses, computer viruses evolve and learn to copy "more efficiently." In the global village, these viruses can be harmful like biological ones. The comparison juxtaposes biological and computer viruses calling on the reader to make a statement about cyberspace from his example. Woolley uses those examples to show that cyberspace is a global village with its own economy and problems (ei: viruses).


...to be continued

9-13: The Woolley Report

The beginning of our discussions began with my summary. I barely scratched the surface with this summary. Instead of listing his main points, I had a broader approach to the assignment. However, through class discussion I felt I gained a firmer grasp on what Woolley was insinuating.

The difference between the F2F class discussion and my summary was a more focused attack of the Woolley article. While we examined the many facets of the article, a definition of cyberspace was still elusive. Some classmates had a different vision from what I had in mind. But, these discussions further explored the depths of the Woolley article that I passed over upon my first reading.

After the F2F discussion, the class split into online chat-rooms. Here is where our discussion became clear. With all the information received during our class discussion, it was hard to decide where to start. Our group focus tended to drift away from time to time but at no point did that hinder our progress. While our departure from Woolley did not add much to our understanding of the article, the off-topic tangents from our F2F discussion helped to illuminate the points that were not as obvious from Woolley.

The main differences between the three discussions were the way we attacked the material to find answers. I felt confused when reading Woolley and writing the summary because the way the article was composed. So, my attack felt weak and not very sure of what I wanted to highlight as a main point. The F2F discussion had direction and turned over many stones that I previously had missed. The online discussion was casual yet more focused than my summary. Our group derived a central meaning from the article as to what "cyberspace" is. Although each discussion helped to illuminate certain points, the way the article was attacked helped to explain it in greater detail.