Keyboard Warrior

This week we have been looking at the horrible sides of the internet, we have been discussing cyber harassment and cyber stalking.

Nobody Knows I’m A Dog

It’s that old saying “On the internet nobody knows I’m a dog” that gets people thinking about anonymity and identity on the internet.

Who Are You Online?

Recently I have been studying, and thinking, a lot about our identities online. The voices we have and how we control them. I have also been thinking about how they change through different situations, different audiences and even different days.

Following You Everyware

In 1991 Mark Weiser introduced the term ‘ubiquitous computing’ to explain what he described as “machines that fit the human environment instead of forcing humans to enter theirs”. This, in simple terms, means that a computer can blend into the background of our everyday life, moving us into a time where we are using computers almost unconsciously.

Y, ROBOT?

The word ‘robot’ most commonly creates the mental picture of a mechanical object full of wires and with a strange voice as seen in many science fiction films and novels.

But where did these robots come from? Why were they first produced? And for what purpose? These are the questions, with many others I will come across along the way, are what I aim to make clear to me and you.

New Page

When creating my blog posts I do a lot of background reading from websites, books and lecture notes.

Intimacy With The Interface

It is more apparent than ever that the relationship between computer and human is the closest it has ever been. But is it as close at is will be?

The intimacy between human and computer is achieved through an interface. So what is it?

Web 2.0 – Is The Machine Using Me?

This week I have been looking at Web 2.0 and trying to answer the question ‘Is the machine using me?’

My initial reaction, as with almost everyone’s was ‘No, or course not.’ It was hard to imagine how the internet could be using me, I used it when, where and however I wanted to use it, I had always thought about it being on my terms. In theory I was in control of the machine, but is the reality?

Commuting Before Computers

As a daily commuter I have to admit I couldn't imagine a journey without my phone, iPod or laptop but I decided not just to imagine but try and accomplish it.

Interesting Reading – The Internet: Brave New World?

I have shocked myself with how excited by this module I am. The digital world is something I have always known about but never really thought about!

If It’s On The Internet It Can’t Hurt Me In Real Life…

There are many myths of the internet but I think the one that is most common and possibly most damaging is the misconception that the online world and the real world are not connected; that what happens in one cannot affect the other.

More Real Than Reality?

What is real is a century-old question, and one that has never been given a defined answer.

Since the introduction of technology capable of imitating and simulating reality the answer to this question has become a much greyer area.

Mediamorphosis

Defined by its creator as; “The transformation of communication media, usually brought about by the complex interplay of perceived needs, competitive and political pressures, and social and technological innovations,” (R. Fidler, Mediamorphosis – Understanding New Media, 1997) Mediamorphosis is more commonly known as the “digital metamorphosis”, this is to explain and estimate the changes of the digital world and its culture.

Difficult First Post

Nearing the end of my first week at the University of Bedfordshire and already knee deep in my first assignment (well, almost.)