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Maggie Murphy

The United Nations Declares Internet Access a Basic Human Right - 2 views

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    Another article found in my search for information about the "global digital divide." According to the article, last week, the United Nations released a report that "argued that disconnecting individuals from the Internet is a violation of human rights and goes against international law" and that all States should seek to ensure there is "as little restriction to online content as possible." The Atlantic points out, following Wired's Threat Level blog, that the UN report came "the same day that a monitoring firm found two-thirds of Syria's Internet access has been shut down without notice." While access isn't the only factor in the digital divide on a global or a national scale (disparities in information or new media literacy is also a huge factor, for example), I agree that the availability of unfettered access as a matter of government policy is the bare minimum.
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    This confuses me a bit. Does this mean that the government should be providing everyone with unlimited Internet access? Or does this just mean that the government has no right to shut down ISPs?
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    I'm pretty sure if the focus of the report is that, as a matter of human rights, governments should not be disconnecting people from the internet and should not be censoring or blocking content as per the article, the answer is the latter.
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    Interesting. Seems intuitive if we think of Internet access as a matter of free speech. It's not so much a question of the government granting free speech as it is restricting governments' interference with it. (I.e., we're not talking about giving a population newspapers or other information sources; it's more of a "negative right" - no one shall interfere with your ability to access such information.)
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    It confuses me that it can be considered a basic human right if, for a portion of the population, it's hard to access and at times, can be unreachable. Even though I know it's more what Tom said about it being a negative right, the phrasing just doesn't sit right. Either way, this is a great thing and I'm surprised it didn;t happen sooner.
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    I had come across this article as well in our group project research, Maggie, and I think that the UN is taking steps to bring the conversation on the right to freedom of opinion and expression into the digital age, as Tom mentions. Article 19 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, in place since 1948, states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." So in the context of the recent shutdown of ISPs by Syria, more generally the use of the Internet as a means of civic and political dissidence, and even the debate around net neutrality in this country, I agree with Maggie that the UN's approach seems to clarify and reiterate unfettered access to information.
Rebecca Martin

Marcia Bates: Substrate of Information Science - 0 views

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    Social informatics is not explicitly mentioned in this article. However, I think it gives us direct insight into crafting our own definition of the term and its application. Bates looks at the overall domain of information science, and how we, as members of that discipline, can break free of the idea (which may have changed a bit since its writing in 1999) that there's no content to LIS education and practice, just structure (i.e., the core of our profession is to organize other discipline's information). Most applicable to our discussion, at least in this point of the semester, seems this excerpt: "In comparison to other social and behavioral science fields, we are always looking for the red thread of information in the social texture of people's lives. When we study people we do so with the purpose of understanding information creation, seeking, and use. We do not just study people in general. The rest of the social sciences do various forms of that. Sometimes this can be a very fine distinction; other times it is very easy to see. In communications research, a cousin to our field, the emphasis is on the communication process and its effects on people; in information science we study that process in service of information transfer. For another example, there are social scientists today who are observing people doing collaborative work through new types of networked systems in the field of computer-supported co-operative work (CSCW) . The sociologist or social psychologist identifies and describes the network of relationships and the social hierarchy that develops under these circumstances. They may examine the impact of technology on those social relationships and on the work of the individuals involved. The information scientist, on the other hand, follows the information the way Woodward and Bernstein "followed the money" in their Watergate investigations. That's the red thread in the social tapestry. When we look at that social hierarchy, we ar
Maggie Murphy

Peer governance & Wikipedia - 2 views

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    In one of the videos we watched last week, Wesch mentioned how students can look at the discussion page for any article on Wikipedia to get a sense of how information is being interactively constructed and contested. This article discusses the issue of self-governance in online communities with a focus on how Wikipedia is edited and the community politics behind it. I think this article makes a really useful contribution to a discussion about authority and knowledge production on the Internet. There is also a related article about the relationship between Wikipedia contributions and identity construction here.
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    I've always tended to cringe at the sight of Wikipedia, mainly because of the danger that community participation without expert editorial would diminish the truthfulness of posts. After reviewing some of this material, I'm now thinking that our skepticism should source from the editorial experts - or site administrators - at Wikipedia themselves. They seem like governors of a new system of direct representation who come to fear their constituents, policing their activities in a "tyranny of structurelessness." It's difficult to determine the right balance between administrators and participants.
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    First of all, I don't think entries for 500 Pokemon characters all that trivial - that's exactly the reason I would use Wikipedia, if I needed a refresher in Wiggly Puff or another character. in terms of self-governance I get the idea of a more formal or established social contract, seems to make a lot of sense and sets a standard. I can't say I'm convinced that going for inclusion vs. deletion leads to stronger self-governance. Doesn't there have to be some for of consensus/compromise to establish a system that everyone can live with?
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    The article reflects that Wikipedia relies on the "wisdom of the crowds for its quality control processes". I agree that knowing there is some sort of governance or policing occurring on the site increases confidence in the content, but I am going to agree with Wesch that our tendency to be skeptical of collaborative work in an educational setting is in part due to our comfort level with a hierarchical model that places authority at the top.
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    I read (part of) an ethnography of Wikipedia last semester that was really interesting. http://reagle.org/joseph/2010/gfc/ Good Faith Collaboration by Joseph Reagle "Wikipedia's style of collaborative production has been lauded, lambasted, and satirized. Despite unease over its implications for the character (and quality) of knowledge, Wikipedia has brought us closer than ever to a realization of the century-old pursuit of a universal encyclopedia. Good Faith Collaboration: The Culture of Wikipedia is a rich ethnographic portrayal of Wikipedia's historical roots, collaborative culture, and much debated legacy. "
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    Without accusing certain authors in the field of elitism, I think that Wikipedia works as it should, by serving the needs of people in the way they want it. If someone needs to look up the habits of Pokemon or William Shatner's favorite food, who are we to question their information needs?
Cynthia Tavlin

The Shallows/What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains - 4 views

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    Has anyone read this book? I started it a few days ago. Noticed that reviews, like the one I linked to, were skeptical. Basically, Carr, who is a journalist, not a scientist, cites studies on brain plasticity and research that the brain changes in response to actions to conclude that the way we read and synthesize information online has changed the way we think (for the worse). I like how the NYT review puts new technology in a historical perspective.
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    I was browsing through some new books at the library today and stumbled on Brooke Gladstone's "The Influencing Machine." It's an illustrated (graphic novel style) approach to how media has developed and our interactions with it, but she includes some commentary on Carr's ideas when she discusses technology. It's a good book to browse through, and from what I read quickly, she gives some positives and negatives of technology's impact.
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    Mary - a graphic novel, you say? I love graphic novels -- I wonder why she chose that format, though?
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    Well, if I had to take a guess, I think she did it since one of her main points is that media isn't an external force outside of our control -- we can shape it, caring about it enough to respond and filter it. With a graphic novel, the images draw you in because they're abstract; the reader plays an active role by seeing themselves in the images and connecting all the images/words together to make it make sense. It engages so many of our senses at once. I love what Scott McCloud has to say about this, and the following talk that he gave actually relates more to how comics have been impacted by technology: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXYckRgsdjI
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    The idea that media has the potential to shape how we reason reminds me of Neil Postman and Marshall McLuhan. As an undergrad, I was basically obsessed with Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death" and the idea that some forms of media -Postman was especially thinking about TV- are inherently shallower than other forms and that the predominant medium tends to set the standard of what makes a good argument. Anyway, I wanted to find a YouTube video of Postman but instead found a really good video of Mike Wesch talking about Postman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09gR6VPVrpw&feature=related
amanda brennan

'Bed Intruder' Rant Earns Family a New Home - NYTimes.com - 0 views

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    Last summer, a news report appeared on local tv in Huntsville Alabama that was so over the top, someone thought to put it up on YouTube.  Someone thought they could autotune it and turn it into a song.  a few weeks later, Antoine Dodson had the #3 song on the iTunes R&B chart.  There are dozens of covers of the song, which the Gregory Brothers (the autotuners) encourage at the end of the video.  How has social media changed what we think about fame? Antoine, like Rebecca Black, ended up doing national TV appearances, and eventually made enough money from selling his song to buy his family a house.  
Gina Wegschaidler

The Trip to the Cloud - 1 views

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    The article is kind of long, but it talks about some interesting issues that might arise for companies thinking about moving to cloud storage. The price is right, but the risk is high. Introduces possible solution of a hybrid cloud, where sensitive data is still stored internally.
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    I attended a virtual presentation a few days ago through SJSU on Cloud Computing. The speaker, who works as State Archivist for Oregon, was speaking of the cost savings for using a cloud for storage of government records. It was interesting to hear her points on the benefits she found in using the cloud...The session will be archived and posted for later view soon if anyone is interested. Her presentation will be available to the public at: http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/slis/colloquia/2011/colloquia11su.htm I liked the related article linked at the bottom of the site you posted about the Dallas-based iCloud company suing the new Apple iCloud for using their name. You would've thought Apple would've done some research there...
Melissa Mijares

7 Reasons the 21st Century is Making You Miserable | Cracked.com - 5 views

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    So while this *is* a humor article and not necessarily safe for work, I thought it would be good to share because it specifically talks about how social media and consumer computer technology affects people's sense of well-being.
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    Awesome!
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    :) In so many ways, so true!
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    great find! This falls into the social/psychological category of technology that we will soon address.
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    Love this. It made me think about this interview with Kurt Vonnegut: http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcriptNOW140_full.html Starts connecting with this toward the end of the interview, specifically this part: DAVID BRANCACCIO: There's a little sweet moment, I've got to say, in a very intense book-- your latest-- in which you're heading out the door and your wife says what are you doing? I think you say-- I'm getting-- I'm going to buy an envelope. KURT VONNEGUT: Yeah. DAVID BRANCACCIO: What happens then? KURT VONNEGUT: Oh, she says well, you're not a poor man. You know, why don't you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet? And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I'm going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope. I meet a lot of people. And, see some great looking babes. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up. And, and ask a woman what kind of dog that is. And, and I don't know. The moral of the story is, is we're here on Earth to fart around. And, of course, the computers will do us out of that. And, what the computer people don't realize, or they don't care, is we're dancing animals. You know, we love to move around. And, we're not supposed to dance at all anymore.
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    Now I know why the 21st century was making me miserable! I sure could use some more annoying people in my life. This article really points out the downside of technology-enhanced socialization!
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    I would have called it "7 reasons the 21st century is making us more xenophobic and intolerant."
Melissa Mijares

The Extinction of Mass Media - 0 views

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    I swear I just posted this to the group but it didn't show up, so apologies for a potential duplicate. This blogger observes the fact that a traditional mass media (think Nightly News with Walter Cronkite) doesn't really exist anymore, thanks to social news sites, YouTube, and the explosion of TV channels.
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    i always wonder about this...if the nightly news will ever "die out." i think about how older people (like my parents and grandparents) still turn the tv on to watch the news every single night, no matter what. personally i hope the nightly news sticks around. i find myself overwhelmed by online content. the news program gives me a summary of some issues...and if i want to do addition research on my own online, i can (don't have to trust them as the only 'authority'). maybe it's lazy that i want them to choose for me. but i like watching regular news programs...especially because i know those stories will come up on the daily show/colbert report :)
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    I took a class called "Internet and Democracy" at the UT school of journalism last year. It was fascinating to see how the journalism folks are getting used to social media. A lot of the same questions as LIS, but really working from a different model.
Elisa Varon

Digital Privacy - 2 views

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    I'm interested in the idea of digital privacy (or lack thereof). It seems nobody is particularly worried about their privacy online, and I'd like to learn a little more about this
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    After reading your article and thinking about my own opinions on digital privacy, I think that people aren't too concerned with their privacy because the virtual world seems so gigantic. I feel like a very tiny part of this world so I am more apathetic and unconcerned when it comes to my personal privacy than I should be. Sounds horrible, right? We, as a society, also tend to be very open about ourselves - even posting where we are at that second to everyone on our facebook!
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    wow...scary stuff!! i think that's a great topic with a lot to explore. a lot of content and some interesting psychological implications...funny how a lot of people ignore the issue since the evidence is pretty terrifying. but good to be aware since it affects us all.
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    Interesting to also consider the ways in which teens view privacy - particularly in comparison to the ways in which their parents view it: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/relationships/identity/famous-for-15-minutes.html?play. Glad I could bring danah boyd into the conversation here!
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    Elisa, I actually just got an email from Ravelry.com (an online knitting community) saying that their account database had been hacked and that I should change my password anywhere where I used the same email address and password to log in. I just went through this a few months ago when the Gawker Media servers were hacked! It's hard to rack my brain to remember every single website where I've signed up using my primary email address and go-to password. There are probably hundreds! God forbid I have accounts with that information that also have my credit card associated with it. It's scary to think about how much of me is spread all over the internet, and I can't even remember where in order to protect myself.
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    I think I fall into that category of people who care about privacy but then contradict themselves with their behavior. From the personal to more organizational, this report on cyber hackers was on NPR today. http://www.npr.org/2011/06/06/137000302/latest-hacks-could-set-the-stage-for-cyberwar
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    Um, I can't think of a more bone-chilling phrase than "cyberwar."
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    Steig Larsson made hacking look pretty cool. But it's interesting to think about how much is possible in the hacking world that we tend to forget about since our everyday use of technology has been so woven into our routines. Just saw this article and I found interesting to see the many sides of hacking: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jun/06/hackers-how-and-why-they-hack I always make fun of my dad for being a computer hypochondriac -- he always thinks that someone is hacking into his computer, so he has a million anti-virus and security programs (a combination which I think is actually destroying his computer). But it is a valid concern, though I think you have to just find a balance for your privacy since in extreme cases, your privacy can be a bit restricting.
Rebecca Martin

Mind Control & the Internet - 0 views

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    This book review seems a good companion to Justin's post below on artificial intelligence/human-computer interaction. The reviewer ties three different books together under the theme of how humanity seems to be integrating itself with its digital machines - including discussion of brain-computer interaction (whoa.) and Google's search algorithms or "contouring."
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    The section on the ideological dissemination of information as it relates to Google is eye-opening (and really worrisome). I think when we talk about Singularity, "fear" will continue to be at the center of our discussions. For some, the biological integration with machines is just too radical to fathom, though the daily use of the Internet is now commonplace. I think we can rightly call certain technologies "external minds" (@ Mary, above) - so it's really not so much the shifting sense of what are bodies are as it is the effect - or danger - of increasingly personalized information certain technologies host that should be cause for concern.
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    Later in the article she talks about the same concepts as Jesse Schell, in terms of racking up points for online activity, though she draws the conclusion that your information will be sold to advertisers. Really a fascinating article!
Nadine Palfy

Communications privacy complaints: - 0 views

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    Privacy issues in the communications sector are increasingly prevalent as new technology and new applications enter the market, such as social networking and the use of location based information. These new technology privacy issues add to the existing privacy issues in the sector, such as spam, telemarketing and the misuse of silent telephone numbers. Complaints are a vital element in privacy protection - indeed, the entire system of privacy protection in the communications sector is built on the receipt and management of complaints. There are few proactive requirements to protect privacy in the sector, and the volume and scale of business in the sector is so large that no regulator could hope to monitor compliance without relying heavily on complaints. Proactive steps are necessary and crucial, but this report focuses on complaint paths. The aim of this study is to analyse and compare common communications privacy complaint paths in order to obtain optimum outcomes for consumers through the development.
amanda brennan

Searching for Safety Online: Managing "Trolling" in a Feminist Forum - 3 views

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    Really great working paper on trolling in a feminist forum -- what do communities do when outsiders attempt to derail conversation by intentionally trying to start arguements and cause rifts in the community.  A case study of two incidents within the same message board.
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    I first came across this "trolling" term when I had to sign up for Second Life for one of the first classes I took. What an introduction to Social Media that was!
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    Thanks -- this is good. It's interesting that they seem to recommend a more pro-active stance towards trolling. It feels somewhat counter-intuitive to me, but some of the best forums I participate in are pretty seriously moderated with little tolerance for the inane or offensive.
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    I should note that this isn't necessarily done to be inflammatory or to attack someone, but some people do this "for fun." I think it's "fun" when you're a younger teen trying to be snarky (in his eyes at least). From what I gather the "fun" is in making people jump through hoops for you. Kind of like poking the glass of the fishbowl and making the goldfish freak out.
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    Thank you for this, Amanda! I'm thinking about doing my project on interactions in niche online communities (like Reddit, fitness forums, and the mommyblog world), and trolling is a phenomenon that I definitely want to explore.
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    Oh rad! I was thinking about focusing on trolling specifically for my project. I've actually done a little research on Anonymous/4chan too if you ever want to share sources!
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    Started laughing when I saw that they did a study on trolling, so I had to read the article. Really interesting piece on technology and gender.
michelleamills

Social Media Controversy - 0 views

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    This is an interesting article which highlights how large companies failed in the social media world. Because Web 2.0 is a fairly new concept, there are new "rules" for businesses to follow, or they may face damaging results.
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    I wonder sometimes how much this is "there are new rules" or is this rather "companies have forgotten everything about consumer relations," regardless of the medium in which they are communicating. Social media can be dangerous in that it can communicate instantaneously how someone is feeling, possibly in a negative light, unless that person is careful to project the "right persona."
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    I think part of it is that the mistakes are made more glaring because they spread so quickly. That Motrin campaign might not have caused such as backlash if it appeared in women's magazines - even though it might have angered the moms, the response isn't as instantaneous and it doesn't build momentum in quite the same way. This was an excellent collection of articles, in my opinion, from the Economist last year. Most of the pieces came down on the side of social media as an opportunity, but it did talk a little about the loss of control, and worry about unforseen instances like the Domino employees. http://www.economist.com/node/15351002
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    I can't believe we're fourth on the list of facebook "hours." I would have definitely thought Americans were first!
Rebecca Martin

History of the term: Social Informatics - 3 views

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    For me it's helpful to understand a discipline by looking at the types of classes someone undertaking it might enroll in/teach. I found the Rob Kling Center for Social Informatics at Indiana University Bloomington in my surfing and thought it might be helpful for others as well to get a sense of what a primary course of SI study might entail. Perhaps most helpful though is that the center provides a history of the term, "social informatics" and a few foundational documents (nearly all by the center's namesake) of the discipline.
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    I love this sentence, "The term "Social Informatics" emerged from a series of lively conversations in February and March 1996 among scholars with an interest in advancing critical scholarship about the social aspects of computerization..." I always wanted to be part of a lively conversation. :o)
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    Does 1996 seem like it was a long time ago? Not sure, but I thought that getting some foundational information was very helpful!
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    While exploring the ACM journal today, I came across the article below that kind of relates to this thread. It talks about the growing popularity of "Informatics" (in general)as a college/university discipline, and how and why it has evolved as an off-shoot of Computer Science. http://cacm.acm.org.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/magazines/2010/2/69363-why-an-informatics-degree/fulltext
Mary Beth Davis

Designing a Gaming Curriculum... - 2 views

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    I felt like I hit the jackpot when I found this article on eSchool news. A company called 3D Game Lab offers workshops to teachers on how to design/incorporate games into their curriculum. As the article says, lessons learned from "Worlds of Warcraft" are applied to the design of games that cover school curriculum topics. Check out the link to the company and the You-tube video.
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    I really like the idea of teacher training on this topic. I have the feeling that gaming is a real "outlier" in the world of education... but isn't this where many students go after their school day is over? Why not start training teachers on how to make this part of the curriculum.
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    Elisa - I agree with you. I also think that just as necessary as training teachers, is getting administrators/directors of curriculum on board with the idea...! I think that's the bigger challenge...
Maggie Murphy

Artist Gets Visit From Secret Service After Secretly Photographing Apple Store Customer... - 1 views

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    This happened a few days ago now, but I forgot to post it until I went to talk about it in my journal this week! From the article: "Over the course of three days in June, artist Kyle McDonald captured the faces of Apple patrons in two of the company's Manhattan stores. He did this by installing a program on computers in the stores, which automatically took an image every minute." His idea was that the photos constituted an art project about what people look like when they engage with technology. The Secret Service confiscated his computers after an Apple Store employee traced where the photos were being transferred to. I thought this was interesting because it's an example of visual surveillance of people's physical presence/actions in public spaces like Greenfield talks about, rather than surveillance of their digital actions, which so much of the literature focuses on. I definitely think the artist's project constitutes a violation of the privacy of the people whose photographs he took, but I can't help thinking it's also a really fascinating project that wouldn't work if people knew their photo was being taken in that moment.
tomdiscepola

Schema.org - 0 views

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    An interesting case of the big three search engines striking an agreement on structured markup data on web pages. If you really pay attention, you can watch the Internet evolve before your very eyes. (Internet Evolution sounds like a nice topic, huh?)
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    Here's a couple or articles/op-eds on the announcement of Schema.org. One posits it may be a movement toward monopolization of markup data by Google: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/is_schemaorg_really_a_google_land_grab.php ; the other that it's a boost for structured data: http://www.mkbergman.com/962/structured-web-gets-massive-boost/.
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    Thanks, Rebecca. The first document you listed made my head spin a little bit. I wasn't totally familiar with the importance of a competitor to W3C markup data (I just assumed that Google et al.'s innovation would mean progress), but the polemical suggestions of "land grabs" made me think... wow, this is something to really pay attention to. Now that I'm reading Amanda's latest posts on Google vs. Facebook in a business context, I'm wondering if the big three move to Schema.org represents something like a defensive strategy (maybe even a land grab!) against Facebook jumping into the market. Maybe social media can do a better job of searching the web for relevant documents - an operation, as I'm beginning to understand, depends so much on markup standards (it's news to me that so many different options exist). I'm not sure I really understand what's going on here... but thanks for pointing out the complexities!
tomdiscepola

Biblion NYPL App - 2 views

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    Another way to take the library away from the library. I'm interested to learn more about that "entire library experience" to launch soon.
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    The "Find the Future Game" looks cool too.
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    I got to play with the Biblion app a couple of weeks ago at work; the developers, Potion (http://www.potiondesign.com/#/home) have created a whole slew of incredible educational exhibits/experiences. I think overall mobile apps are a really interesting direction for digital libraries - making them increasingly portable and interactive. I remember feeling a bit of excitement in my interaction with the materials from the Biblion app in which my own fingers, rather than an extension of them in the form of a mouse, turned pages, rotated objects, pressed buttons, etc. - a stark difference from interacting with digital libraries that contain similar types of artifacts. I'm interested to see how the web-version of the Biblion app compares - in physical presentation and affective impact.
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    Wow! I'm so glad that you posted this! This makes history so accessible and interesting, and I'm looking forward to installing it asap on my ipad right now! I wish I knew about it this past semester for my junior high American history class I taught; they would have loved this.
Cynthia Tavlin

Alone in the Crowd - 2 views

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    Very recent Q&A with Sherry Turkle on "Alone Together" about our plugged in lives making people more lonely and distant. Interesting passage about teenage culture midway through
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    this is a great interview with Turkle and illuminates situations that many of us face on a daily basis. brings to mind the moment when you're with a group of friends and everyone is checking their phones! no way to win: not answering a text is rude, but texting while out with others is rude too. our attention spans are stretched to the limit--we're barraged by social comments, yet usually socializing while alone.
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    "Technology can make us forget important things we know about life." So true! Sometimes I feel so connected that I'm not even paying attention to the reality around me. In so many ways technology is amazing, but there are some negative consequences that we need to be aware of as well.
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    This really highlights one of the bad ways that technology impacts us; texting and checking Facebook are gaining precedence over socializing with people in the same room. It's depressing to think of how widespread it is.
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    I loved this article! I see customers at my work (a restaurant in a hotel) checking their phones all the time. One of my coworkers told me a few weeks ago that he was working when a big game was on tv. He was bartending and his bar was packed. Instead of having their eyes on the screen during the crucial moments of the game, many of his customers were sitting right in front of those tvs and ignoring them while their eyes and fingers stayed glued to their tiny phone screens, playing Angry Birds for all he knew. It was just odd, but sadly this way of life has been becoming more of the rule.
amanda brennan

Furious Over Microtransactions, EVE Online Community Explodes with Rioting - 0 views

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    There are currently huge riots happening in the virtual world of EVE online, a science fiction massively multiplayer online game, after the publisher changed the in-game currency, making clothes for players' avatars cost 20-25 USD a piece and space monocles cost 68 dollars. Also, the game has a parliament that meets in Iceland. woah!
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    It sounds like these gamers on on the verge of an epic win...obviously demonstrating their ability to change virtual worlds by way of impending cultural collapse. This makes me rethink Jane McGonical's talk. I was assuming all positive outcomes when applying the collaborative game play concept. Now I wonder what the likelihood is that simulations of real world scenarios (like ending world hunger) will produce not just a failed result but possibly create even bigger problems.
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