Jace, I'm really glad we're working together on our blogs. It's sort of surprising that we can connect with each other and that we work well together. I'm grateful that we can communicate together without much difficulty in our blog posts and comments.
I feel like you payed attention to what I was doing in my videos, which was really sweet even though my videos were really boring. I had a feeling you wouldn't watch second video but it's kind that you did. You said how I'm kind of looking around while I was texting, which I didn't really see when I watched my video. Knowing the computer was recording everything I was doing made me kind of nervous, so I felt like I faked how I was acting at least a little bit. LIke the head-nodding to the music.
What kind of "statements" on technology do you mean? Do you want me to be less original and more restating what everyone else says? I like your question "what can we do that is not technology based?" a lot! It's kind of corny I guess but I go upstate to my dad's country house every other weekend, and my dad makes me take walks around the property. I realized last weekend when I was walking around I didn't even have my cell phone in my pocket, which was a little surprising for me.
As I keep saying, I look forward to working with you.
-Hannah
_____________________________________________________
Dear Amon, welcome back! I apologize if you feel like I was harassing you too much to get your work done. I bother Jace as well whenever he doesn't do his work by the deadlines Andy does. I understand that school is exhausting, then work must be on top of that but Andy gives us deadlines in advance so that we have enough time to get the assignments finished.
I'm glad you like the color of my videos. I think it was my brother's idea for the colors, but it was my idea for the old fashioned hat. I came downstairs in the hat and once I had to record the video my brother said I should do it in black and white. I'm never in front of video chat anymore, so once I was in front of the camera I became so aware that it was there, that I wasn't able to do anything without being conscious of the camera. I used to video chat all the time, but that's when I used to go on IM.
I didn't have much of an idea what to do for the first video, so my brother was trying to help me by telling me to text, and change songs on the ipod. There was a longer bit at the end of me on the ipod, but once the camera hit two minutes I found out it lost half of the footage. That's why I did the guitar for the second part.
I remember talking to go a long time ago on IM and learning you played the guitar. I'm just a beginner, but I'd like to get better at it. The guitar is an acoustic guitar, and it has nylon strings on it. My guitar teacher usually makes me tune the guitar by ear when he's teaching, but when he isn't there I prefer to use a tuner. Tuning by ear is sort of difficult. Do you use a tuner as well or can you tune by ear?
Oops. I text on the train, and I have even memorized that 14st doesn't have service in the train station. I also listen to music on the train most of the time, and notice how many other people are listening to their ipods while I am.
Don't worry, if you try being selfish again I will continue to bother you like I did the last time.
I look forward to reading and responding to your blog posts in the future.
P.s, I don't understand what you mean by an edited comment on your video. I wrote an edited one already, did I not?
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Homework #8, To Jace and Amon
Dear Jace: Even before you wrote the writing part of this, I thought your video was brilliant. It seems like you put a lot of time into editing it, while other people did not. Don't feel bad for being original! I know a lot of people taped themselves playing video games, but it's good to do something different. That's why I used a guitar tuner to tune my guitar for the second half of my video. I really like how you said something like "don't let digitalization control your lives" in your video, trying to give people something that we can take away from watching your creation. I also found it amusing when you said "A message from Jace, do your homework" when I had to bother you yesterday until you posted this.
The main thing I took out of what you wrote in your post, is that you do things you aren't aware of when you're immersed in technology. This is sort of like how you said when Russell watched his own video he did not notice he scratched his nose a couple times, and how he was also unaware of other things that he did. You also said how your brother is getting lazier, and technology is ruining his sleep.
I can also connect this to my little brother. My brother revolves around technology; whether it is watching the television, being on his blackberry, being on the computer.. He is always with technology. My brother really likes having a blackberry since you can check your email and be on the internet whenever you have your phone. He keeps trying to convince my mom to get a blackberry as well, which she does not want because she doesn't want her emails to be constantly nagging at her when she is away from her computer.
When you said how your brother is getting lazier, I connected it to how many days a week you work out in the gym. Are you working out more because your brother is being lazy and you do not want to be that way? Or are you doing that just because you want to? Why do you think technology makes you so frustrated and angry?
I just remembered how I was on facebook talking to you, as well as texting you at the same time. Sort of pathetic..
Keep digging into your thoughts Jace! I'm looking forward to reading more of your work in the future.
___________________________________________________
Amon, we had to answer questions to go along with our videos. I like that you can hear the clicking of the mouse, but other than that I don't really feel like you are using technology in the video. I look forward to reading more of your work in the future.
After he wrote the writing part:
Alrighty. Amon, I like how I can hear the clicking of the mouse while you are using the computer. I can see you looking around, listening to and watching what people are doing in the computer lab. I appreciate how you said "though I am most definitely pro-digital, I have not yet become too reliant on technology as a source of entertainment". There are so many kids that are way too reliant on technology, and it seems sort of pathetic to me.
I thought it was really interesting how you said that though you we not acting outwardly, you were reacting mentally. That's a really interesting concept. I feel that way sometimes, from the outside it may seem like I am emotionless, yet I could be in pain, or really happy on the inside. I remember when we went to six flags I got dragged on a lot of roller coasters, and while my friends were all screaming I was too scared to even do that.
It is interesting how you and Steph said that you both would not mind if your daughter, son, sister.. if they were spending all their time on the computer. While when I interveiwed some kids that said they spent ten hours of the day in digital life, I felt like that was too time consuming. I personally would not want my kids or little brother spending all that time on digital life. Even though my little brother already is a city kid obsessed with his electronics.
Keep up with the good work, and try to be on time in the future.
-Hannah
The main thing I took out of what you wrote in your post, is that you do things you aren't aware of when you're immersed in technology. This is sort of like how you said when Russell watched his own video he did not notice he scratched his nose a couple times, and how he was also unaware of other things that he did. You also said how your brother is getting lazier, and technology is ruining his sleep.
I can also connect this to my little brother. My brother revolves around technology; whether it is watching the television, being on his blackberry, being on the computer.. He is always with technology. My brother really likes having a blackberry since you can check your email and be on the internet whenever you have your phone. He keeps trying to convince my mom to get a blackberry as well, which she does not want because she doesn't want her emails to be constantly nagging at her when she is away from her computer.
When you said how your brother is getting lazier, I connected it to how many days a week you work out in the gym. Are you working out more because your brother is being lazy and you do not want to be that way? Or are you doing that just because you want to? Why do you think technology makes you so frustrated and angry?
I just remembered how I was on facebook talking to you, as well as texting you at the same time. Sort of pathetic..
Keep digging into your thoughts Jace! I'm looking forward to reading more of your work in the future.
___________________________________________________
Amon, we had to answer questions to go along with our videos. I like that you can hear the clicking of the mouse, but other than that I don't really feel like you are using technology in the video. I look forward to reading more of your work in the future.
After he wrote the writing part:
Alrighty. Amon, I like how I can hear the clicking of the mouse while you are using the computer. I can see you looking around, listening to and watching what people are doing in the computer lab. I appreciate how you said "though I am most definitely pro-digital, I have not yet become too reliant on technology as a source of entertainment". There are so many kids that are way too reliant on technology, and it seems sort of pathetic to me.
I thought it was really interesting how you said that though you we not acting outwardly, you were reacting mentally. That's a really interesting concept. I feel that way sometimes, from the outside it may seem like I am emotionless, yet I could be in pain, or really happy on the inside. I remember when we went to six flags I got dragged on a lot of roller coasters, and while my friends were all screaming I was too scared to even do that.
It is interesting how you and Steph said that you both would not mind if your daughter, son, sister.. if they were spending all their time on the computer. While when I interveiwed some kids that said they spent ten hours of the day in digital life, I felt like that was too time consuming. I personally would not want my kids or little brother spending all that time on digital life. Even though my little brother already is a city kid obsessed with his electronics.
Keep up with the good work, and try to be on time in the future.
-Hannah
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Homework #7, Interviews
Interviewing My Dad:
Me, Hannah: How has technology affected you both emotionally and physically?
Stuart: I think it keeps me on most of the day. It keeps me aware that people can contact me at any time of the day and night. It keeps me anxious unless I am able to actually switch off my phone.
Hannah: What about computers?
Stuart: It keeps me working. I am able to work all the time. It’s very useful, but it enables me to work most places. Also, people expect immediate response to their supposed urgencies. I think it increases our stress level and dumbs us down a bit. It becomes our work, and our form of entertainment. You know, our entertainment becomes our work in some ways. It’s hard to take a break without being interrupted. You have to actively take a stance to switch of technology around you. I think people sort of mindlessly point their way as well. They are able to direct through their texts and emails expecting immediate gratification.
Hannah: Could you live in a world without digital technology?
Stuart: Could I? Yeah I could probably live upstate I could (upstate country house). It would certainly be very different. But it’s really nice to slow down, I down it at the weekends. Even though I like to be able to look things up on the web. You could look up trees, birds, and nature. I wouldn’t really want to. I like to be able to watch a DVD when I want to. I like the flash-drives. But I do think it’s really important to get away from it and take private time. I thought it was a wonderful, wonderful day during the black out. When everybody took a breather. All the motors stopped humming, and the fans stopped warring. It was very peaceful. And it was a national day of not expecting anything from anybody. I just hope it doesn’t get to expect us to perform any faster than we all ready have to perform.
___________________________________________________
"Especially People, Who Care About Strangers.."
Jace And I Interviewing Strangers:
This is all choppy because I was jotting down notes.
A group of kids that turned out to be SOF students:
Use of digital technology: "Around ten hours"
Hours of it being productive: "About two hours."
"We're more dependent on them." "Need the computer [for things like] Google. Uses Facebook, in their spare time. FB is a good thing, for keeping in touch with family (one girl talked about keeping in touch with her aunts and cousins etc on facebook.)"
What about the things you watch on tv?
"Some are bad, and some are good." Two of the kids watch the national geographic and the news. The same little girl said she: "knows the difference between something that has a story-line, and something that is complete trash."
Stranger #2 (If counting the group of kids as a whole):
Hows many hours of digital technology? (Cell phones, computers, watching tv)
"About three hours. I'm looking for a job right now, so I'm on the computer a lot."
How much of that time is productive? "About a third of the time. Like an hour."
Good or bad? "There are both sides to it. You feel disconnected. Like now you can do things like interviews online, and you never know who you're talking to. Don't have any sense at all. It's making us more disconnected, yet making society faster. Facebook is useful for keeping in touch with people. Social intelligence is dropping. Everything in moderation is okay."
*note* the three hour estimate he wasn't even thinking of text messaging, even though we listed it as one of the digital devices. So his estimate may have been off a bit.
"Stranger" #3, Scott Chesler:
Spends about three hours using digital technology. About a third of the time is productive. "Increasing knowledge, working more efficiently. There is more knowledge, and more to access."
___________________________________________________
Interview with my best friend Alice, who is not in Andy’s class:
I was upstate this weekend at my country house, so first question:
Hannah: “Okay so, do you want to do the interview through texts or IM?”
Alice: “Text”
Hannah: “Okay. First question: About how many hours do you spend using digital technology? For example: texting, watching tv, going on the computer. In all?”
Alice: “In a day? I would say an hour and thirty minutes.”
Hannah: “Yeah in a day. Including texting?”
Alice: “Oh. Make that two.”
Hannah: "Okay. Next question. About how many hours of that are productive? For example having to use the computer for homework?”
Alice: “Forty minutes?”
Hannah: “Kay perfect. Next question. Do you feel like we’re getting ‘dumber’ with our dependence on technology, or ‘smarter’ because technology is getting better?”
Alice: “Dumber, Like when you watch tv and start to get numb. Its like its hard for real life to excite me after watching a soap.”
Hannah: “You mean like when you’re stuck in fantasy world after watching a soap then you’re back in the real world you’re not as excited?”
Alice: “Yes. You’re so exposed to action and drama that real action and drama doesn’t affect you.”
Hannah: “Kay perfect. When I asked to interview you, you wanted to do the interview in person. Do you prefer hanging out with flesh and blood humans, or digital technology like texting?”
Alice: “REAL PEOPLE. I don’t even like talking on the phone that much.”
Hannah: “Haha. Same. Okay not sure how to make this into a question. In my posts and in class I discussed how we talked about people in the past having to pick a time and place to hang out because they didn’t have cell phones, and that if a person was over an hour late they were allowed to leave. Do you feel like technology in a way of having a cell phone handy is a good thing sometimes?”
Alice: “Well that’s the one thing I love about phones. I like to be a gypsy. It would be a huge problem for me to go home to the Bronx and call every time I wanted to see someone. I really enjoy living with the spontaneity of randomly seeing people.”
Hannah: “But it’s not that random because you can plan it through cell phones right? Cell phones are one of the main things that I think are a plus side of digitalization.”
Alice: “Sure. I meant random as in last minute. Like I wake up at someone’s house, make a call and am set for the day.”
Hannah: “Okay, out of curiosity. Were you here during the black out, and what did you do differently from a normal day?”
Alice: “Well, we had to sleep in the living room because the other floors of the house were too hot without ac.”
Hannah: “Okay this was perfect. Are there any more thoughts before we end this interview? Also can I put this all on my blog or is there anything I should leave out?”
Alice: “Put it all, by all means. I think that was all I had to say unless you have more questions?”
Hannah: “Okay cool. Thank you Alice for this perfect interview.”
___________________________________________________
Me, Hannah: How has technology affected you both emotionally and physically?
Stuart: I think it keeps me on most of the day. It keeps me aware that people can contact me at any time of the day and night. It keeps me anxious unless I am able to actually switch off my phone.
Hannah: What about computers?
Stuart: It keeps me working. I am able to work all the time. It’s very useful, but it enables me to work most places. Also, people expect immediate response to their supposed urgencies. I think it increases our stress level and dumbs us down a bit. It becomes our work, and our form of entertainment. You know, our entertainment becomes our work in some ways. It’s hard to take a break without being interrupted. You have to actively take a stance to switch of technology around you. I think people sort of mindlessly point their way as well. They are able to direct through their texts and emails expecting immediate gratification.
Hannah: Could you live in a world without digital technology?
Stuart: Could I? Yeah I could probably live upstate I could (upstate country house). It would certainly be very different. But it’s really nice to slow down, I down it at the weekends. Even though I like to be able to look things up on the web. You could look up trees, birds, and nature. I wouldn’t really want to. I like to be able to watch a DVD when I want to. I like the flash-drives. But I do think it’s really important to get away from it and take private time. I thought it was a wonderful, wonderful day during the black out. When everybody took a breather. All the motors stopped humming, and the fans stopped warring. It was very peaceful. And it was a national day of not expecting anything from anybody. I just hope it doesn’t get to expect us to perform any faster than we all ready have to perform.
___________________________________________________
"Especially People, Who Care About Strangers.."
Jace And I Interviewing Strangers:
This is all choppy because I was jotting down notes.
A group of kids that turned out to be SOF students:
Use of digital technology: "Around ten hours"
Hours of it being productive: "About two hours."
"We're more dependent on them." "Need the computer [for things like] Google. Uses Facebook, in their spare time. FB is a good thing, for keeping in touch with family (one girl talked about keeping in touch with her aunts and cousins etc on facebook.)"
What about the things you watch on tv?
"Some are bad, and some are good." Two of the kids watch the national geographic and the news. The same little girl said she: "knows the difference between something that has a story-line, and something that is complete trash."
Stranger #2 (If counting the group of kids as a whole):
Hows many hours of digital technology? (Cell phones, computers, watching tv)
"About three hours. I'm looking for a job right now, so I'm on the computer a lot."
How much of that time is productive? "About a third of the time. Like an hour."
Good or bad? "There are both sides to it. You feel disconnected. Like now you can do things like interviews online, and you never know who you're talking to. Don't have any sense at all. It's making us more disconnected, yet making society faster. Facebook is useful for keeping in touch with people. Social intelligence is dropping. Everything in moderation is okay."
*note* the three hour estimate he wasn't even thinking of text messaging, even though we listed it as one of the digital devices. So his estimate may have been off a bit.
"Stranger" #3, Scott Chesler:
Spends about three hours using digital technology. About a third of the time is productive. "Increasing knowledge, working more efficiently. There is more knowledge, and more to access."
___________________________________________________
Interview with my best friend Alice, who is not in Andy’s class:
I was upstate this weekend at my country house, so first question:
Hannah: “Okay so, do you want to do the interview through texts or IM?”
Alice: “Text”
Hannah: “Okay. First question: About how many hours do you spend using digital technology? For example: texting, watching tv, going on the computer. In all?”
Alice: “In a day? I would say an hour and thirty minutes.”
Hannah: “Yeah in a day. Including texting?”
Alice: “Oh. Make that two.”
Hannah: "Okay. Next question. About how many hours of that are productive? For example having to use the computer for homework?”
Alice: “Forty minutes?”
Hannah: “Kay perfect. Next question. Do you feel like we’re getting ‘dumber’ with our dependence on technology, or ‘smarter’ because technology is getting better?”
Alice: “Dumber, Like when you watch tv and start to get numb. Its like its hard for real life to excite me after watching a soap.”
Hannah: “You mean like when you’re stuck in fantasy world after watching a soap then you’re back in the real world you’re not as excited?”
Alice: “Yes. You’re so exposed to action and drama that real action and drama doesn’t affect you.”
Hannah: “Kay perfect. When I asked to interview you, you wanted to do the interview in person. Do you prefer hanging out with flesh and blood humans, or digital technology like texting?”
Alice: “REAL PEOPLE. I don’t even like talking on the phone that much.”
Hannah: “Haha. Same. Okay not sure how to make this into a question. In my posts and in class I discussed how we talked about people in the past having to pick a time and place to hang out because they didn’t have cell phones, and that if a person was over an hour late they were allowed to leave. Do you feel like technology in a way of having a cell phone handy is a good thing sometimes?”
Alice: “Well that’s the one thing I love about phones. I like to be a gypsy. It would be a huge problem for me to go home to the Bronx and call every time I wanted to see someone. I really enjoy living with the spontaneity of randomly seeing people.”
Hannah: “But it’s not that random because you can plan it through cell phones right? Cell phones are one of the main things that I think are a plus side of digitalization.”
Alice: “Sure. I meant random as in last minute. Like I wake up at someone’s house, make a call and am set for the day.”
Hannah: “Okay, out of curiosity. Were you here during the black out, and what did you do differently from a normal day?”
Alice: “Well, we had to sleep in the living room because the other floors of the house were too hot without ac.”
Hannah: “Okay this was perfect. Are there any more thoughts before we end this interview? Also can I put this all on my blog or is there anything I should leave out?”
Alice: “Put it all, by all means. I think that was all I had to say unless you have more questions?”
Hannah: “Okay cool. Thank you Alice for this perfect interview.”
___________________________________________________
Monday, September 21, 2009
Homework 6. (Film Project) Part 1
I had two minutes of filming but it cut me off, so I made two parts.
Dear Amon and Jace
To Amon: I really agree with your way of thinking, and how you wrote this post. The use of language is much more sophisticated than I was expecting it to be. I appreciate how you mentioned some societies that live without technology, and instead live in nature. I wasn't thinking of that angle of looking at things, but instead of focusing on the future and wondering how things will be like while we're growing up.
For the conclusion, I really got and agree that it is important to balance technology in moderation within our daily lives. You also stated your fear that our dependance on technology may affect us negatively, which is a fear that I've heard coming up a lot lately in our class.
I don't really like to watch tv,but I have one in my room and I have noticed how every time my friend or friends come over, they turn on the tv. I haven't really gotten sucked into being addicted to televisions because I don't enjoy them unless I'm feeling desperate to get distracted or watch a tv show. Where you said " what we find as barbaric or just plain weird" it made me think of how when my friends ask me if I watch tv, and I say no they get really surprised and ask me what I do in my life without it. I don't think of myself to be too absorbed in many things of technology like tvs, computers.. But I do depend on my cell phone and ipod a lot.
I really like all the things that you discussed in your post, like people not appreciating nature, how everyone has a remote on the couch, and your fear of the future. You could write about the kinds of electronics you depend on, i.e laptops, tvs, microphones, amps, etc.
Keep writing how you're writing! I look forward to reading more of your posts in the future.
_________________________________________________
To Jace:I like how even when this post is short it says your fears about technology to come. You realized things that people have not pointed out, like how the little computer guy talks about writing letters. I also notice sometimes that when I'm typing it sounds like I am writing a text message, which is a problem.
I think your main post is that we are getting lazier with how computers finish writing words for us, or how we have tabs open, and how the internet remembers links. I understand what you are saying in your post, and agree with you. It is more convienent sometimes for us not to have to type things out all the time, yet it slows down our way of thinking.
I noticed there is a new thing you can install called "top sites" which remembers all of the most recent websites visited. Top sites really irritates me because right now I am on my dad's computer which is not used a lot, so some of the top sites are blogger, and people's blogs.
Your thoughts are always enjoyable to read, yet you don't always push yourself to the next level. I think you could expand on your fears for technology in the future.
The main thing you made me think about is how on Word whenever you try and list things it automatically reformats and makes bullet points for the list. Everything on Word that tries to help me in that way annoys me.
Keep up the good work!
For the conclusion, I really got and agree that it is important to balance technology in moderation within our daily lives. You also stated your fear that our dependance on technology may affect us negatively, which is a fear that I've heard coming up a lot lately in our class.
I don't really like to watch tv,but I have one in my room and I have noticed how every time my friend or friends come over, they turn on the tv. I haven't really gotten sucked into being addicted to televisions because I don't enjoy them unless I'm feeling desperate to get distracted or watch a tv show. Where you said " what we find as barbaric or just plain weird" it made me think of how when my friends ask me if I watch tv, and I say no they get really surprised and ask me what I do in my life without it. I don't think of myself to be too absorbed in many things of technology like tvs, computers.. But I do depend on my cell phone and ipod a lot.
I really like all the things that you discussed in your post, like people not appreciating nature, how everyone has a remote on the couch, and your fear of the future. You could write about the kinds of electronics you depend on, i.e laptops, tvs, microphones, amps, etc.
Keep writing how you're writing! I look forward to reading more of your posts in the future.
_________________________________________________
To Jace:I like how even when this post is short it says your fears about technology to come. You realized things that people have not pointed out, like how the little computer guy talks about writing letters. I also notice sometimes that when I'm typing it sounds like I am writing a text message, which is a problem.
I think your main post is that we are getting lazier with how computers finish writing words for us, or how we have tabs open, and how the internet remembers links. I understand what you are saying in your post, and agree with you. It is more convienent sometimes for us not to have to type things out all the time, yet it slows down our way of thinking.
I noticed there is a new thing you can install called "top sites" which remembers all of the most recent websites visited. Top sites really irritates me because right now I am on my dad's computer which is not used a lot, so some of the top sites are blogger, and people's blogs.
Your thoughts are always enjoyable to read, yet you don't always push yourself to the next level. I think you could expand on your fears for technology in the future.
The main thing you made me think about is how on Word whenever you try and list things it automatically reformats and makes bullet points for the list. Everything on Word that tries to help me in that way annoys me.
Keep up the good work!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Thoughts on Technology today
I feel like through IM, video chat and many other forms of technology people get to know others how the want to be known. Individuals can see others how they want to see them instead of how they really are. There are times where crushes get developed not for who someone is but how a person wants to see them. Almost like a fantasy created around a real human being. I had a talk with my friend Alice over the summer about how her parents used to have to pick a time and place to meet up, and since they didn't have cell phones back then they were allowed to leave if it took longer than an hour for the person to meet up with them. Yet today we have texting and people always keep their phones on their persons, so some technology works to our advantage.
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