Group items tagged

...and on that note, technology and people are getting even cozier these days. I used to think it was impressive how quickly cell phones got smaller and smarter and how quickly internet went wireless and made sharing easier. Now, inventions like this wrist control system and the idea of "smart buildings" seems to shadow earlier technology, and make us wonder if there is anything we won't try to give a technology interface-lift to.

The website of Humanity+ which advocates ethical uses of technology to further humanity.

I found this site for a company that creates products that allow us to mix our real-world and digital experiences at once. One interesting product creates the image of fire or waves on a pool table that chases the pool balls as you hit them. I wonder in what way this is like e-literature.

Eric, some of these technologies reminded me of Hayles's explanation of site-specific installations for interactive literature. I'm not sure how "literary" these things would be considered, but I found there to be an interesting parallel between the two ideas.

This short clip shows some pretty wild concepts of where computer and touch screen technology may be going in the near future, including the magnets and holograms.

Finally (and what will appear first), all this talk about digital technology and web design pulls up an equal impulse in me to talk about other skill sets that get undervalued in an information economy. I read this a bit ago and enjoyed it. There also seems to be a trend currently that is leading us toward a sort of steam punk utopia where we will have a mixture of high and low technology. For more on the philosophical argument being put forward in this article, I highly recommend Shop Class as Soulcraft and The Mind at Work. To see some indications of the trend I'm talking about watch How It's Made (which tends to skew toward human components of the production process and is based in a tactile fetish of understanding modes of production since you do not learn how to make things ... or really how things are made) and check out all the books on craft skills, cooking, and carpentry that are exploding all over Amazon with noticeably nostalgic titles. Speaking of which, did the knitting craze end or am I just not around 50 people that have recently taken up knitting anymore?

Oh! Also add to the "evidence" list farming/gardening and the back to earth books ... and psychologically the zombie and (to a lesser extent) virus craze in movies, books, games, etc.

This is a completely pointless website that kind of made me laugh. I'm one of those people of 50% of the time uses "Google" as a verb ("Just Google it") and who 50% of the time still asks an actual human being the question first but inevitably gets: "Well, did you Google it?" So...this isn't an article. But still kind of funny. Digital technology is certainly changing our language: Just Google it, Wiki it, I friended her the other day, when I was Pinning, I wish I had a "Like" button right now!, and so on...

In our reading this week, there is an emphasis on how the Electronic Literature Organization is working to preserve online narratives that somehow become out of date. Here is a huge reason why that is so important. As we move toward a dependence on mobile technology, Flash is officially out.

Moving closer to the Matrix? A Spanish research center called Barcelona Digital is coordinating a three-year initiative called the BrainAble project to develop technologies that will improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. By developing advanced brain-computer interface (BCI) systems, ambient intelligence (AmI), and virtual reality (VR), researchers enable users to operate a robot, interact in virtual environments, communicate more easily, and remotely control lighting, heating and other devices in their homes. Plus, this technology could also benefit the eldery and people in rehabilitation, as well as allow the remote monitoring of people with neurological disorders.

The author argues that Word has too many workarounds, and especially when it comes to publishing on the web. There's another nice example of the code Word throws in there, too.

Bogost on "the new aesthetic." The focus is the tumblr blog "the new aesthetic" which focuses on "the otherness of computer vision." New or no?

So this isn't directly related to computer technology, but the review is reminiscent of McLuhan and how the medium is the message. The quality and style of the actual film seems to be on par with the ground breaking trilogy that precede it, but the look of the movie on screen is having some negative effects on viewers' reactions. With the move towards HD and now 3-D, it seems higher resolution doesn't always guarantee a better viewing experience.

Another mind-blowing example of technology seeping into every aspect of our lives. I'm not sure whether to say it's cool or creepy, but expect "iPavement" would be wonderful material for a SNL skit. The article suggests some practical and helpful uses intended with this innovation, such as emergency alerts and updates. But it may also quickly slip down the slope to push advertisements and break privacy barriers ever farther.

An article by one of my favorite authors on the "fact-encirclingly huge" Wikipedia.

Another shrouding tactic is to use the search engine DuckDuckGo, which distinguishes itself with a "We do not track or bubble you!" policy. Bubbling is the filtering of search results based on your search history. (Bubbling also means you are less likely to see opposing points of view or be exposed to something fresh and new.) *I don't particularly care about my privacy (nothing to hide and honestly don't care whose watching), but I do care about the information being fed to me through search engines. I pride myself on doing all the research I can before supporting or criticizing a position. If google is simply feeding me what I want to hear, how do I know I have the full story? This seems like a particularly nefarious form of censorship--one that makes sense in an age of "truthiness" and pandering to ignorance. Bad google. No bubbles.

This is the second version of a promotional video made by specialty glass and ceramics company Corning Inc. I interned there in 2008. Seems to fit with a lot of McLuhan's ideas of technology becoming an extension of our bodies. I think my fingers would get sore. Also, if this is the future, would buy stock in Windex...

A brief history of storytelling.

I really need to try out Pinterest. I have heard great things about it! PS. Maybe these people do not lead the lives of grad students? So perhaps they have more time? haha

Martina, I did not understand Pinterest for a long time - had an account and never used it! Then a friend took 2 minutes to show me how it works - and I've been hooked ever since. Regardless of anything any critic or fan says of Pinterest, it's a pretty fantastically brilliant website. (And a lot fun!)

I'm absolutely addicted to Pinterest, much more so than Facebook! Pinterest and Diigo seem to have operate on a similar premises: social bookmarking with an attractive user interface.

"Adopted by the NCTE Executive Committee, February 15, 2008 Literacy has always been a collection of cultural and communicative practices shared among members of particular groups. As society and technology change, so does literacy. Because technology has increased the intensity and complexity of literate environments, the twenty-first century demands that a literate person possess a wide range of abilities and competencies, many literacies."

Kind of an odd connection, I know, but it's really important for social media users to recognize what "sock puppets" are and how they can be used outside of arguments between high school kids.

The McLuhan understanding of technology as an extension of ourselves immediately came to mind when I saw the first image here. Also, if this thing had camera capabilities (the ability to Skype, say) we could reasonably apply ideas of autoamputation.