So much to see, so hard to find

I decided to try this little exercise, too, and I discovered that it’s actually really hard! Like so many of you, I tend to use the same sites – MyBama, Facebook, YouTube, Blogspot, Shutterfly, and a few others – over and over and over again and don’t spend a whole lot of time exploring all there is out there on the web, even though I know there’s tons of cool stuff out there just waiting to be found. So I’m really pleased with all the stuff you guys found and I have to say that I struggled with this “assignment.” So kudos to you guys!

With that said, here are some sites I particularly like.

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com

Since I’ve brought this site up in class a number of times, I’m sure it’s no surprise that it tops my list. I love this site’s general tone – intelligent, smart-ass, literate. It’s a very text-heavy site, so it would be easy for the design to be really poor, but I think they’ve done a good job in making it easy to read and use. While the recaps can be long, I like the fact that they are broken up into fairly small textual segments (makes me think hypertext) because reading on a computer can be hard for most people, myself included. The forum design is clean and easy to navigate. I especially like the design changes that have taken place over the last couple of months as the site has been incorporated into the Bravo channel’s family. I like the pictures that are now up and I like that they didn’t totally throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak, and have kept a number of the distinctive pre-Bravo design elements.

http://www.okaydave.com

This site makes me feel so bad about my own website. I’ve been looking at this site a lot as inspiration and trying to emulate some of what I see here, but it’s not working the way I’d like. I love this site and really love looking at Dave Werner’s work. This is what an online portfolio should be – a very intimate, very up-close look at his work. Very polished and professional. I’m so jealous I could spit every time I look at this site! But, in truth, it actually motivates me to do better in terms of my own web design.

http://www.levitated.net/daily/levTremaFieldWhite.html

I learned how to use Flash (though I would still consider myself a novice) in 2004. It’s very cool and it’s really not that hard to use once you get the hang of it. However, it’s very time-consuming to make even a short, simple piece. So it’s kind of nice to look at some of the little pieces here and realize that you don’t have to make something really big. Some of the littlest Flash pieces pack a big punch.

http://www.whedonesque.com

While this site is not much in terms of design, it does what it is designed to do and I like that it is a collaborative site that members add information to. The goal is to provide a central hub for news and information on the Whedonverses (the “universes” created by the television writer Joss Whedon, creator of the legendary Buffy the Vampire Slayer). The coolest thing about this site is that Whedon himself posts periodically and he’s very passionate and eloquent when posting about his work and his core concerns, particularly women’s rights issues. I love a man who’s such an unapologetic feminist!

http://www.vh1.com/
I decided to check out Vh1’s website because I haven’t been there recently and I wanted to see what it was looking like these days. I love a lot of stuff on Vh1 – lots of trashtastic pleasures like Rock of Love and Best Week Ever and I Love the…(whichever decade, part whatever)! Plus, my best friend is an executive at Vh1 and we talk a good deal about her work and she’s always sending me the latest update about new shows and specials to check out. I was pleased with a lot of things I saw on this website in terms of design. While there’s a lot on this page, surprisingly, it doesn’t feel overly cluttered and I think that is because it’s got a coherent and cohesive look in terms of colors and design motifs/themes.

My Fave Five

TeddyandMoo.com

This website has a great setup and design. It is visually set up to be fun. It is updated daily and gives users great information about celebrities. The pictures on the website are my favorite part and a great way to stay informed on celebrity life.

Jessicastyle.com

This website offers users alot! It was my favorite website for quite a while. It offers many links to great shopping websites that I never would have found if it had not of been for this website. It has many "layers" or places to go which make it interesting. It is also set up very functionally and it is easy to navigate!

Perezhilton.com

I love this website! The posts are hilarious and it is a great place to find celebrity gossip. It is easy to navigate and is has a great set up design with fun colors. It is updated daily and is always a fun place to visit!

Tuscaloosanews.com

This is a different type of website than those listed above. This is a great place to find local news. The forums on this site are very intersting to read, even though they get off track sometimes.

Foxnews.com

This website is great! I go here for all of my news. It has a very patriotic feel once you enter the site and it is easy to find whatever you are looking for. The links make it very easy to navigate and it is functions well.

Five Flavorful Websites

http://www.howthingswork.com/

This website is great for learning about random things that you're curious about- it has neat little animations and explains it well. WARNING: Do not visit unless you have time to kill! One link leads to another that is just as interesting! My favorite explanations are the ones on cars- I love them and it was great learning about how engines and turbochargers actually worked, plus they have an in-depth look at our most advanced and powerful supercar- the Buggati Veyron.


http://www.addictinggames.com/

This free online game website has lots of games organized by category and constantly gets new ones. The layout of the page is user friendly and most of the games are actually pretty fun. It's great the way they have it set up, action games, puzzle games, shoot 'em up games... whatever you're in the mood for. I usually check out the Top 10 Games, because you can't go wrong there.


http://www.espn.com/

Home of sports worldwide! Great to check schedules, stats, and professional's opinions on who will win the big game, SEC title, etc. This website has everything that has to do with sports, from drafts to injuries to law suits against players. There are also video clips of highlights and interviews in case you missed the game (or more likely, just want to watch them again).


http://www.about.com/

This website has it all- urban legends, random polls and stats. It's like Wikipedia except without the user editing. It has the top 10 everything, from guitars to bands, and it's always interesting to read these; especially the ones from the past. Good for research, but I think it's more useful for fulfilling general interest and curiosity.


http://www.explosm.net/comics/1061/

This website has a comic called Cyanide and Happiness. It's very funny in a wry humor kind of way. A lot of it is very cynical (go figure) and throws you off from what you'd regularly expect. It's updated quite frequently. It's like reading the daily comics or sunday comics whenever you have time to, and you can access the archive and read whichever ones from the past that you want. Check it out!

My favorite websites

As I set out to find five “neat” websites, I found myself in a slump. I tend to stick to two websites: Facebook and MyBama. Since we could not describe the importance of these two, I simply googled “neat websites” but I had no luck. Then I realized that I do visit websites, but I don’t think of them so much as websites, rather as stores.
After reviewing my recent history of searches, I traveled to a few of them, keeping an eye out for good design. My favorite website was www.jcrew.com. This website featured a video intro with a slideshow of pictures and a narrator. What was neat about the video was that the background music, narrator, clothing, scenery all matched one central theme: “greeting the season from the isle of skye”. With bagpipes and a rich Scottish accent, I felt like I was actually overseas and I really enjoyed looking at the different clothing options.
Another websites that I thoroughly enjoyed was www.ralphlauren.com. This site also featured a video, but it had a noticeably different style. With soothing, classical music and clean videos of snapshots created a very “classy” feel. The fonts also matched this style, with serifs giving a gothic look. The layout of this page was symmetrical and also featured a good use of white space along the outside.
The third website I enjoyed was www.juicycouture.com. This also featured a video, but it was humorous. I really enjoyed the synchronized sparkle effects on the label and crowns. The fonts also matched the logo, creating a rich, British mood.
The fourth website I enjoyed that would be appealing to both sexes was www.nike.com. This website again featured a video of at first glance, looks like a football game. Upon closer examination, I realized that this was actually a video game playing but the graphics were so well developed that it looked real. This video appears to pop from the darker background, although it doesn’t look 3-D, the background looks like it fades and has depth. The fonts are very crisp and the site as a whole is very unisex, which could appeal to a wider range of people.
The last website I visited was www.lacoste.com. The main difference between this site and the others was that this site did not feature a video. However, the reason I included this site was because of the creativity in which they introduced pictures. This site was asymmetrical, with a white space box with no defined borders. Every few seconds a new model/style would fade strategically in to the undefined block of white space.

Interesting!

The Internet offers a wide variety of interesting sites. Over the course of my Internet usage I have found myself returning to several due to certain interesting purposes.

1.) princetennis.com--I love prince tennis and I feel that the have the most exceptional quality when it comes to equipment and this is reflected in their web design. Their web site allows users to search their tennis product along with following up on the pros that use prince. Upon first entering the web site I noticed that it is visually appealing and makes me want to take to the courts immediately! They also do a great job of showing customers who uses their rackets and where they stand in the USTA/world rankings. I feel that they convey a lot of very useful information about the applications and stats on each racket that most companies tend to disregard. Overall, I feel that the rich graphics coupled with the in-depth descriptions makes for a great advertising web site.

2.) Ratemyprofessor.com--As I have began to look at classes I will be registering for this Fall, I have found this website very useful. This sites lets users post reviews and comments on their experience with professors at their university in each particular class. Where it's lacking in design it more than makes up for in utility. I can honestly say that before I came to the University I had never used this web site--but so far it has been a life saver! I have avoided so very questionable professors that could have caused me some trouble in my future academic endeavors.

3.) damninteresting.com--One of my favorite sites to visit when I am bored is damninteresting.com. The sole purpose of this sites is to...well provide interesting facts. It is sort of like a smart-ass news network. It's not very well designed, but I love reading what some of the authors have to say like Carol Otte. I seem to have this uncanny ability to remember useless information and this sites just feeds me more material.

4.)Google Maps--When I am REALLY bored I like to pull up Google maps on satellite view and go look at places that I have traveled. One of my passions is geography--I know I'm a nerd BTW--and so it's so cool to see the topography of the land from a bird's eye view!!! I actually got a feel for how Venice's lagoon filtered into the canal as I zoomed in on Northeastern Italy. The graphics are amazing and it is very accurate.

5.) destinationorganic.co.nz-- Oddly enough I just saw this web site on my friend computer and found it to be extremely visually appealing! It's almost like artwork! My bet friend is very into organic food, eating healthy, and a lot of other uninteresting things and she was browsing for foods when she came across this online storefront based in New Zealand. I guess it would have helped to give some background info that she is studying abroad the and was searching for somewhere to buy her overpriced fruit.

Five Interesting Websites

http://abc.go.com/index
This is the ABC network website. I have always enjoyed going to this site to watch shows that I have missed that week or just to browse around and see what is new on the channel. The reason I think that this website is interesting is because it catches my eye. I like the use of the big icons for each show; they are colorful and the fonts are always unique. The website always has some type of big box with a scroll of the popular shows and their scheduled times. I also like how the main background color and scheme of the website is black. I think this makes the website look organized and sharp.

http://www.hutchisonschool.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1
This is my highschool's website. I have always thought that the technoloy council does a good job of making this website interesting to look at. The first page you are brought to is a slideshow that fades into different pictures of Hutchison and its attractions. It also gives you an organized toolbar at the top of links that you can follow to learn more about the school, or to find out information such as the lunch menu, times of sports games, and recent events. You will also find a lot of pictures of the students in academic and athletic settings. I think the website does a great job of portraying a positive image for the school through the interesting and organized design layout.

http://www.apple.com/
This is Apple's website. I really like this website because I like all of Apple's products such as the iPod, iPhone, Apple computers, etc. The website works a lot like these technologies do, and it also uses flash design. When browsing the website, it gives detailed pictures and tutorials of how their products work that are really cool. This website does a good job of leaving a lot of white space in their design, along with pictures that stand out and catch the eye. And again, I like how organized they have made the website; you can easily find what you are looking for.

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/
This is the website of Cosmopolitan magazine. I love the color scheme of this website (pink and orange), but it could be because I am a girl. But the website does do a great job with catching your attention right off the bat, although it can be a little overwhelming. There is a box that has scrolling pictures of things that you can find in the magazine and off to the sides are icons/links to quizzes, games, and message boards. This website is a lot like any other entertainment website that you can visit in terms of information and gossip, but I like the web design of this website the best.

http://www.rascalflatts.com/home.php
This is the country group Rascal Flatt's website. The first page that you come to is really cool because the color theme is black and red, and an interesting schedule of their concert tour is the first thing that you see. In the meanwhile, scrolling on the side are adds that catch your attention by their movement and colors. There is a picutre of the band in the background and icons that lead to other links.

Five Websites

Here are five websites that I found to be very interesting:

www.postsecret.com This website is a place that people send in their secrets too. The secrets are on postcards, and then the postcards are shown on the web page. The background is perfect for the subject matter because it is just plain black. It makes the website seem mysterious, just like the secrets. Also, the postcards are shown straight down the page, one after the other, but the line of them is slightly to the left side. This makes the page a little more interesting than if all of the postcards would have been listed in the middle of the page.

www.rolltide.com
This website always immediately gets my attention because near the top in the middle, they have alternating pictures. They change on their own about every fifteen seconds. Also there is a bar where different sports information about Alabama flashes. The background is entirely appropriate because it is red. It seems that everything on the site is red, white, or black. It is very easy to navigate because all of the individual sports Alabama competes in are listed on the left side of the page. On the right side it lists excerpts from the media reports on Alabama.

www.match.com I have never actually visited this site until now. I just remembered it as being an extremely popular website. When I looked at the home page, I saw that it was nicely organized. They have a picture of a person in the middle of the page, and that actually takes up the majority of the page. The picture has a quote from the person underneath it, and the picture can actually be changed. Just to the side, there is the place that you type in your information. I could not see much more of the website because it would not let me without joining.

www.yahoo.com My home page is set for yahoo, and it has always caught my eye. The news feed in the middle coupled by a picture always gets my attention, and sometimes I am genuinely interested. I think the middle of the page is a great place to put the news. Also it is easy to navigate because all of the topics are listed on the left hand side.

www.jkrowling.com
I discovered this page last year when doing a report on J.K. Rowling, and I have not forgotten its graphics. The home page looks like a desk with several different items on it. As you scroll over those different items it will tell you what you can click on and what the title of that section is. The same graphics continue throughout the page.

Five Websites

I searched Google for “cool website designs,” and I found a website that posts links to websites with the best designs every week. The website is:
http://coolhomepages.com/html/oldsotws.php, and this is where I found several of the websites below.

www.anasthesic.be/
I came across the webpage of a guy who actually does the graphic design for web pages, and I thought it had a very interesting yet simple design. There were three links under a graphic on the left side, and that side of the screen never changed. He also had a gallery of some of his artwork and web pages that he has designed. His webpage was not elaborate, but the links and pictures had animations that kept it interesting. The entire page was not filled with graphics, but there were small areas with collages of graphics and animations.

www.coca-cola.com
I clicked on a link to the Coca-Cola website, and I thought it had an interesting design. I didn’t really find much to do on the website, but I thought it was visually appealing. It was not quite as plain and simple as some of the other websites, but I thought that its graphics and color worked well. Some of the other coke websites are also interesting.

www.jkrowling.com/
I went to the J.K. Rowling official website, and I thought it had a really neat design. There is a smaller screen in the middle of the page that looks like the top of a cluttered desk. You can scroll over the various objects, and most of them are links. The objects move and make sounds. It thought the design was interesting because the outside of the page was very simple, while the links were found inside of a box that was not as simple.

www.creaktif.com
I’m not exactly sure what this website is for, but it looks cool. There is a house, and all of the links are windows of the house. The links show photos and other websites. The website is easy to navigate; the animations shown when you scroll over the links are really neat.

http://www.lmdesign.net/
This is another graphic design website, and I thought this website was really interesting in the way that you navigate. The first screen that you see describes what keys on the keyboard to use to navigate the site. There are lots of little squares that are almost 3-D, and you can scroll left, right, up, and down to view all of these squares, which are links to pictures of different designs. The navigation on this website was definitely very different from any website I have been to.

My 5 sites

Carfreaks.net- I think this site has an interesting design whil still making the layout relatively easy to use.

Apple.com- Very easy to use, uses simple colors but it is still aesthetic pleasing. It also doesn't have too much going on in the page at one time.

ESPN.com- I absolutely love sports and ESPN's web site makes it easy for me to find all of the information that I want, and I also really enjoy the color scheme.

Comedycentral.com- I don't know what it is about this site that makes me love it but I do. If I had to use one word to describe its style it would be entertaining.

eBay.com- This site not only has a gigantic selection of things that I don't need, but the color scheme makes me happy without giving off the scary clown vibe.

Those five sites

For the assignment, I have found five sites that I like. I don't particulary like the content of each, but they were mainly chosen for design elements.

www.marilynmanson.com – This site has very good graphics and mouse over effects. When moving your cursor across the page, the picture (although some are disturbing) flip and move as well. The focus object of the page shifts back and forth through the background, following the mouse. There seem to be few links on the page, but after clicking on various things, you can be directed to "hidden" pages.

www.frightfurnace.com – This site has some simplistic flash features that are fun to look at. It is a sight mainly for a haunted house during Halloween, so the simple graphics make the story behind them not seem too creepy. I like the subtle aspects as well. The steel bolted borders of the pages and font really make you think of Halloween.

www.customglamgirl.com – This site uses a minimal color scheme and several different fonts. All of the fonts go together well. Because there aren't many colors, the fonts don't look disorganized or like a little kid was playing with the features.

www.dexigner.com – The best thing about this site is the fish-shaped eye balls. You have to go look. They're actually cute. I like that the topics are put in thin vertical columns so that it is easy to see all of them at once. The blocks of color are just enough to not be too bright. With only a small amount of multiple colors, they don't become overwhelming or look like the designer was trying to hard.

www.mtv.com – I really like the background of this page. It's very edgy and abstract. I also like that they use blue for the titles. The pictures of all the starts are also very interesting.

From looking at these, the main thing I have noticed is that it's better to use large amounts of one thing, or small amounts of many things. This keeps the viewer from being overwhelmed or the site looking cluttered.

My favorite sites

Simply Dresses- http://www.simplydresses.com
I really like this website. I used it to get ideas for what I wanted my prom dress to look like. I never ordered from the site, but I would look for those same dresses in stores so I could try them on. The site does a very good job of serving its purpose. It starts by letting you pick what type of dress you are looking for. You can choose by the event which you need it for, the brands you like, whether or not you are plus size, or you can choose to only look at dresses on sale. It then directs you to a page full of pictures and prices of different dresses in the category you chose. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them. From the enlarged view you can change from front view to back view, you can see what colors the dress is offered in, and what sizes are available. If that dresses in the category you selected don’t satisfy you, you go back and pick another category. There are thousands of dresses to look at. You can also match shoes and accessories to your dress. After you select what you like, you can email your selections to a friend to get their opinion. The possibilities are endless.

www.lyrics.com
Lyrics.com is a great website to use when you need to find the words to a song. It’s easy to navigate. You can click on the first letter of the artist’s name if you know it, or you can type the name of the song in the search box. You can choose to become a member of the website and connect with friends, create playlists, and participate in forums. There are surveys to participate in such as voting on your favorite artist. You can also play music trivia. There is a list of “Top 10 songs” on the homepage that is helpful in finding popular songs.

www.zazzle.com
Zazzle is a site that lets you personalize items such as t shirts, postcards, mugs, posters, bumper stickers, buttons, bags, hats, aprons, ties, mouse pads, and much more. After you select what you want to create-a t shirt for example- you can choose the style, color, and size. There are hundreds of different style and color combinations you can use. You can design your shirt with pictures, text, or both. You can save what you’re working on and come back later or you can email it to a friend and see what they think. There are so many options to work with and the website does a great job of making it easy for you to create personal, meaningful gift for your loved ones or items for a group. There are also discounts when you order in bulk. The items ship in twenty-four hours.

The Crimson Ride- http://ua.transloc-inc.com/
I really like this website because I can look at it anytime of the day and see exactly where the buses are. I can also see the exact routes that they travel. It’s very useful when you are running late, or anytime really, to be able to find out right where the buses are and plan your route to catch one. The system is very accurate. I think it’s really good that the university provides that website for us.

www.howstuffworks.com
This website has a lot of really neat, interesting articles. A few examples are: why do girls wear pink and boys wear blue, how do toilets work, and costumes 101. It’s a lot of fun to explore all the topics and videos. There are also helpful how-to guides. You can choose a category to find something that you’re looking for or type it in the search engine. You can also sign up to get newsletters from the site.

5 Web Sites

1) http://www.checklandkindleysides.com/

This website has a really unique and interesting design. Everything folding out and into the ground is a design which I have never seen before. This website just caught my attention with its flashy design and interesting flash techniques.

2) http://www.hl2.com/

This website has another uniquely cool design. The different random animations on the three different parts of the heart are really confusing and cool, but I have no idea what they stand for. They are all different contacts and their clients.

3) http://www.brio.net/network/

Again, another website that has interesting animation and user interaction. The different figures who perform different functions really capture the viewer's attention as he is using the website. Each figure represents different parts of the company and helps a normal users understand fundamental parts to the company.

4) http://www.typorganism.com/

The DNA theme on the home page is very cool. Different functions of the website like the weight and weight and the Good News, Bad News and te Ascii-o-matic on this site are really cool. This website in itself has really interesting design, but the different functions it has are cool as well.

5) http://www.useunleaded.com/

This website has a cool design and flash animations. The theme of the gas pump throughout the site is a really cool idea. I liked this site. It was made from a company who is a think tank of advertising that helps out large companies and small companies alike. It is based in Dallas and seems to be a very professional and good company based on the website.

5 Interesting websites

http://www.movieprofiler.com
This website is really interesting. I just found it today while I was looking for my 5 interesting websites to post about, but I think I will definitely use it sometime in the future. On this website you can select different emotions or moods that you may be in or want to be in and based on your chosen criteria, the website will find movie titles for you to watch. This would be useful if you, for example, wanted to watch a good love story but couldn't think of a good one that you haven't seen. Or if you wanted to watch a good scary movie that may also be a good love story, you could put in both of these criteria and to what extent you want each of them (there is a min-max scale for each emotion option) and you would get suggestions based on your choices. There is also a top 5 list for each emotion. I think this website could be very useful to many movie-viewers. I know that sometimes I am in a mood to watch a certain type of movie but I just can't think of one that matched that mood that I haven't seen in a while, so this website could be helpful for me to make a good choice. The website is also very easy to navigate and the choices are easy to find, so it is very user-friendly.

http://www.ebaumsworld.com
This is a website that many people already know about. Ebaum's world contains tons of different funny and interesting videos and pictures, pranks and prank calls, jokes, games, and an online chat and forum. I haven't visited this website in a long time, but when I found it when I was searching for an interesting website to write about I watched some of the videos and read some of the jokes. This is a great website to visit if you are just bored and want something funny or interesting to laugh at.

http://9.yahoo.com
My homepage for my laptop is the Yahoo homepage, so sometimes the news catches my eye. Ususally if there is something unique or interesting I like to read the article or watch the video. If a video is listed on the main page, it usually is one of the top 9 videos of the day that play on Yahoo's "The 9." The 9 is a page that has 9 of the most interesting and important videos of the day. The videos range from news to celebrity gossip to random videos that may be popular over the internet. It is updated daily, so for a quick insight of what happened in the world today I like to quickly watch the short 9 videos. Usually the videos are less than one and a half minutes each, so they are not very time consuming. You also have the option of choosing another day's videos, so if you miss a day of "The 9" and want to go back and see what happened, you can easily do so.

http://www.disney.com
While I was looking for interesting websites, I came across two different "top 100 website" lists that listed Disney.com in the top 50, so I decided to check it out. It is definitely more of a kid's website (obviously hah!) but it is very neat. The graphics on the website are awesome and there are so many different things to do through the website. You can click on different options for different age groups to customize the site and what television shows or movies are displayed. There is also a moving circle that you can turn at the bottom of the site to pick the specific show that you want to get further options for. For each show or movie you can play games, participate in online discussions, buy dvds, and much, much more.

www.builder.com
This website was also found on a top 100 websites list. This website is very helpful. It provides tips and directions for making and designing a website. There are many articles about anything and everything involving the computer and internet. The website also provides downloads for you computer such a Microsoft visual and Java. There are many different links to click on depending on what aspect you need help in for your page such as strategy, design principles, development principles, etc. I don't know much about creating a website so I don't know a lot about all the information that is available through this site, but it sounds very helpful and I would definitely use it if I was to create a site and had questions.

5 Interesting Websites

1) http://www.switchcreative.com/

This is my friend's brother's website that I was talking about in class. I really like this website because of all the graphics. The author of this website is a graphic designer that has worked on websites and print ads for a variety of companies and individuals. You can click on "print" and "web" and see all of the projects he has completed thus far. I really like the layout of the author's website as well as all the ones he has created because of the graphics he uses. I like how the pages are eye-catching but not too cluttered.

2) http://www.aardman.com/

This is an animation site I found on a Top 50 Coolest Websites List that I find intriguing because of all the flash animation. Every link you click to has stuff moving across the screen and grabbing your attention. I think this website does a great job of displaying the ability of the animation studio and would therefore attract business for them.

3) http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/

I found this website on the Top 50 Coolest Websites as well and thought it was hilarious. It's just a collection of random quotes heard around New York. They have sections called "Overheard in the Office," "Overheard at the Beach," etc. It is so funny because we can all relate to a time when we accidently eavesdropped on a really awkward conversation, and this is a website dedicated to those moments. I guess you never know who's listening and where your conversation might be posted to!

4) http://moca.virtual.museum/

MOCA stands for the Museum of Computer Art. This virutal museum contains all kinds of images created on the computer. I found this site intriguing because there are some incredible images all created using programs on the computer such as Photoshop. It is intresting to see how the digital age has affected art.

5) http://www.fahrenheit.com/

Fahrenheit Studio is a LA based design studio that specializes in creating an image for their clients. They have worked for Warner Brothers, Sony, Fox Kids Online, and many other big names. I really like the layout of their website and the incorporation of graphics and flash. I think they chose very eye-catching colors and have it set up in a very user-friendly way. Often times graphic design websites seem hard to navigate but all of their information seems easy to find.

Interesting Websites

Sephora.com

This website is for the major makeup store, Sephora. The website is very user friendly. It is easy to find what you are looking for and get to where you want to on the site. It is organized and well structured, but still fun. It is filled with colors and images of the makeup, all beautifully displayed. I think that the site makes you want to buy the makeup from the way everything is presented, which is great marketing.

foodnetwork.com

Another one of my favorite websites. It is a lot like Sephora.com- easy to use and graphically interesting. The pictures of the food never fail to make me hungry. Plus I think it is an enjoyable site to just mess around on and search for different recipies.

Postsecret.com

I simply like this website because of what it is. I think it is awesome to read all these anonymous people's secrets. The images are alwyas really powerful too.

dontclick.it
I like this website because it took a lot of talent to create a website that worked this way. Somebody mentioned it earlier in the year for another HW assignment that we had and I think it has a lot of great graphics too.

www.apple.com
I love apples website. It is so interesting to look at without being overwhelming. Actually, it is my homepage. I love seeing all their new products and lastest tips. Right now they have a countdown for their new computer which I think is pretty cool...

If you're into blogging... which I'm not...

http://whybloggingshouldntbe.blogspot.com/

This is the blog I've started. I'm going to try to post stuff that will be worth the time to look at, plus my blogs for this class.
kat

Sex and Marriage with Robots?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21271545/wid/11915829?GT1=10450

I stumbled across this article on the msn news site. It is called "Sex and marriage with robots? It could happen." This, of course, intrigued me. So I clicked. After reading through the article, the title says it all. Robots are becoming more and more common in households and around people. They began only in factories, working jobs dangerous for humans with much more efficiency than humans. Then, robots began having more close contact with humans. The robot vacuums made a big step, being bought and owned by normal people.

But these scientists are talking about robots becoming more human, human enough for some to want a relationship with one. The author brings up people with social disorders that have problems forming relationships with other people. Sure, this might be ok for a few of them, but I think that actually forming relationships with people is what helps those with social problems. Also, the people that are very unlikable. David Levy, a researcher in the Netherlands, says that robots can be programmed to like people and to have the same interests as someone. So you could have a robot programmed to be your "perfect mate"? Seems a bit impersonal, if you ask me. This makes me think about my life and relationships, and of course, my fiancee. What always makes me feel so good is when someone does something for me or cares about me when they don't have to. It feels nice when your family does something nice, or your best friend since the third grade does something for you, but when it's someone you don't expect, it's even better. Like when my stepmom bought me a pair of shoes I'd been eyeing, it was great. But when Daniel, my fiancee, bought me a gift card for my favorite shoe store for valentines day (after only 3 weeks of dating), it meant so much more. Because he didn't have to. He didn't have to be sweet or thoughtful. A robot would be programmed to like you. They would have to. It seems like being loved by something that was built to love you wouldn't feel as special.

The article also mentions sex with the robots. Sure, it isn't far from the sex toys of today. But sex is made great by the feelings you share for someone. The article also mentions sex with robots as an outlet for illegal sexual urges, such as pedophilia. So they have sex with a robot that looks like a kid instead? To me, that sounds like it just condones that kind of behavior. The article also mentions bringing a robot into a good relationship. May provide for an exciting addition to open couples, or make it easier for tired wives to refuse their husband.

I think humans can only create successful and meaningful relationships with other humans. When feelings are mutual because two people have really worked to find each other, and learned how to get along and show compassion for one another. I don't think a robot can make a person feel what they need to feel from a partner in marriage.

Current Internet Issues

For our assignment, I decided to browse the Internet in search of websites dealing with the issues that we have been discussing in class for the past two months. I finally came across a website titled “Current Internet Issues”. Upon viewing this website, the first page lists six current internet issues for Americans today, and then you are asked to choose the issue that is most relevant to your interests. After choosing one, the website brings you to another page with a number of modules listed that you must choose from in order to learn more about the issue that you had previously chosen. These modules remind me of the hypertext that we viewed in class because they lead you different ways and through multiple explanations of certain issues on a variety of topics. I chose the issue of censorship and freedom of speech because it was similar to the articles we read in CyberReader on censoring the Internet. I think this website is interesting because instead of cramming all of the information about Internet issues onto one page, the website lets the viewer choose which issue they would like to read about, and then directs them to a few modules to even further their choice of what to read. I like this layout and organization because it does not overwhelm the reader with information all at once and on the same page.

http://tilt.lib.utsystem.edu/intro/issues.htm

How they see it

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/
The first post on Sunday, October 14th, said, "When my fiance left me I volunteered to go to Iraq hoping I wouldn't come back. I got the purple heart instead."This site shows photos that people send in that have statements added to them of personal secrets. Some are serious, some are funny, some are too personal to understand the meaning. All of these opinions are put on the same webpage, separated only by what day they are posted. The site shows so much into what other people think is important and how strangely our brains works. Some of the posts made me want to laugh, some cry, and some were obviously just stupid. However, every one showed something about the poster. The site is updated daily and is annonymous.From more searching I found that the site also has sound bites and videos of people revealing secrets. The site has this invitation posted under 'How do I mail in my secrets?'"You are invited to anonymously contribute your secrets to PostSecret. Each secret can be ahope, regret, funny experience, unseen kindness, fantasy, belief, fear, betrayal, erotic desire,confession, or childhood humiliation. Reveal anything - as long as it is true and you havenever shared it with anyone before. "As you can see, this is a place where one can go and let out everything. There are multiple mediums to express multiple feelings. I believe this is a good site for all types of people. It lets me see that I'm not the only one with little problems or who thinks things out of the norm. But could this be normal? The people posting on this site say they are doctors, fire fighters, soldiers, businessmen and women, elderly men and women, and others from all walks of life and all types of backgrounds.What is your secret today?

The Good and the Bad

While searching for my homework material, I came across the article ‘The Good, the Bad and the Internet” from Freedom Magazine. The article is an overview of what the internet is, and of the good and bad of the internet. It is relevant to our class because it is exploring the pros and cons of the internet or “cyberspace”. Since the internet is the main focus of our class, I think that it is important to recognize the good and bad things about the internet. It is a fairly short, surface level argument that focuses more on the problems of the internet than anything else. However, it still points out the main arguments in the debate and gets your mind thinking about all the different sides that exist. The article also touches on many points that we have already covered in class, such as privacy issues and the misuse of the ability to be anonymous. It also raises the question of incorrect information on the internet, which is something we have not talked about as much in class, but is still a very relevant problem with the internet.
What really caught my eye was the opening sentences of the article, “You may be a stranger to the Internet, the main artery on the so-called information superhighway. You may not even know what the Internet really is or how it works. You may not even own or use a computer. But even if you don’t know a modem from a mouse, the Internet knows you. Probably better than you care to be known.” This opening points out how the internet has become a sea of information, which is accessible to anyone with a computer. And, whether you like it or not, the world can learn about you by simply clicking a mouse and typing in your name. I also like how the article links to other articles that are related to the argument. It adds substance to the article and allows the reader to explore further on the topic. My favorite link was the “Introducing Ethics into the Computer World” because it talked of how a code of ethics needed to be established for internet users to make the internet safer. It pointed out that there is no real way to police the internet, so instead users must learn to be responsible and ethical when they use the computer. I think that this is a good solution to the internet problem, because it is too hard to get laws passed to regulate the internet- they almost always infringe on some right.
Another thing I liked about the article is how it did shortly point out the positive things related to the internet. Sometimes arguments tend to leave out the counter argument, but this article admits to the pros. The internet provides convenience and speed, because needed information can be accessed at the click of a mouse. It also points out that the internet has helped greatly in research because it allows the researcher to find needed data quickly. Overall, I just thought this article was a good article that mentioned a lot of the topics we have discussed in class over the past weeks.

Copy and paste:
http://www.theta.com/goodman/goodbad.htm

Rollercoasters are fun! ... Sometimes.

You know the whooping sensation you feel when you’re riding a rollercoaster? The crazy exhilaration where your stomach rises up and makes that funny swooshing feeling in your stomach over the crescents and you feel giddy? Then the opposite experience of the unexpected extra force pulling you down at the bottom? Well, never has a weekend, and the time leading up to it, in my life been full of up and downs, or could be more analogous to a rollercoaster ride. Not that I can remember at least. It all started when I realized we had a fall break. I was elated because I finally had a chance to return to my home in Baton Rouge. I eagerly anticipated seeing my family, eating Cajun food, and hanging out with my friends back in town. I also couldn’t wait to drive my 2001 Mazda Miata. Not having a car here at Bama hasn’t been terribly inconvenient for me, but I truly love driving and have a big time need for speed- and that’s really why I couldn’t wait to hit the gas and fly through the gears. I had made plans to ride home with my friend who lives in New Orleans, and everything was set. As fall break approached, I changed focus and began studying for my biology test which was in a week. These tests are huge, so studying early really helps me out. Then in chemistry class I began studying for my test which was, go figure, also in a week. This didn’t fully hit me until I literally lined up my syllabi next to one another and saw the horrifying alignment of my tests. The intimidating thought of my two biggest exams on the same day was bad enough, but it was worse that I would have to spend my entire weekend at home studying for the two tests upon my imminent return. Sadly I didn’t tell anyone about my return, so I could stick to what’s important. A couple of days before fall break, when the excitement of fall break returned, I got a call from my ride saying she could no longer take me because she had to leave a day earlier. Her profuse apologies didn’t do much to help my disgust. Luckily I found a ride home on the train, which I’d tell you about if I hadn’t slept through the ride. So everything was just fine and dandy until I got home. Why you ask? My car, my precious black convertible, got sold the morning of the day I returned. The morning. Needless to say, I got home that night night. So I had no chance to drive it again, or even say goodbye. I got over it quickly though because I knew it was coming, and immediately went to see my brother and my friends, which was great after so long. I alternated depressing bouts of studying with fun filled times of seeing my friends. Saturday I planned on studying and finishing everything, but I ended up watching college football all day. Bama won! I was happy. Then, in possibly the biggest upset (no pun intended) of the weekend, the LSU Tigers, whom I adore, lost to Kentucky. And then I had to study. So here I am now, back in Bama, my hair tousled and my heart still beating fast from my thrilling time of ups and downs.

Interesting article

There have been several ongoing investigations surround the death of Princess Diana. An article was just released by the French Government claiming that the events that took place that night were no accident. Reports claim that the sequence of events documented does not match up with the events that actually took place. Many investigations into the death have taken place since the years of Princess Diana’s death, this particular one interests me greatly. This article about Princess Diana’s death was not unlike many other articles that have been written on the subject. It was unique in the fact that it was written so many years, a decade, after the car “accident” occurred.
I have always been fascinated with the British monarchy. When the Princess of Whales suddenly died in a car wreck, I was crushed. When the reports started rolling in that maybe, just maybe, this wreck was no accident, I became infatuated with following this story. I found this article on a website called Larouchpub.com. Although it is an older article, the things mentioned are still being debated about. The fact that the conspiracy is still being talked about and argued over tells me that there is more to the story than has ever or will ever we released.
In my opinion, the death of princess was constructed my the British government, or Monarchy, to put an end to the countless debates and controversies which surrounded the divorce of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. This article suggests that her death was a way to out an end to the era and start a new era in the Monarchy. The conspiracy started to become believable when reports of the King and Queen’s reactions were not satisfactory to the British people and the suspicions only became stronger when the actual events of the evening were released. Although the people of England loved the current Monarchy, they were infatuated, if not obsessed, by the Princess of Whales, otherwise known as “The People’s Princess.” this article claims that her death was a very symbolic one and changed the people of England forever.
The ongoing investigations into the death of Princess Diana continue to interest millions of people world wide, much like our own US controversies (think the controversy surrounding the death of JFK). These two particular controversies and scandals will most likely never be out in the open. The truth behind what really happened will be locked up in government safes, never to be released to the public. Although this is widely known, there will always be a great interest, much like my own, in articles that touch on these particular controversies. Especially the one regarding Diana, the Princess of Whales. I believe that this topic is very interesting because of the scandal that surrounds it.


http://larouchepub.com/other/2000/steinberg_diana_2727.html

Facebook

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/05/22/keele_facebook/
Should you be held accountable for what you write online? This is the central question behind the article published by Chris Williams in reference to a recent legal dispute at Keele University. Several students have contributed to a group on Facebook, "James Knowles is a Twat." Dr. Knowles is an English professor at the Staffordshire university. The university said that any more contributions on web sites like Facebook that could hurt the university would be dealt with very seriously." The university also sent out a waring e-mail to all students. Granted, this is not the most interesting case, but I feel it brings up several important issues. First, the idea that colleges actually look a social networking sites is something new to me. It was until recent that I learned that several prestigious universities actually looked at your profile on Facebook to determine admittance/scholarships. Second is the idea of censorship. Should the university have the right to tell its students that they cannot write what they feel about their professors. Does writing not also have some therapeutic benefit as well that allows the students to relieve some frustrations that they have with their professor? At Durham University, they went as far as blocking social networking sites between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. To me this seems to go a little far. By the time we reach college we are SUPPOSED to be developing into responsible adults and reducing our freedoms by treating us like children does not help matters. For me, as a college student addicted to Fcebook, I feel that these issues should be carefully analyzed because there is always a chanche that there will be a ripple effect from college to college in policy making.

Vote!

The link that I have chosen to add to our class blog is not a funny you-tube link, rather a tool that could be very useful come November of next year. With elections coming up and candidates campaigning hard, it’s hard to find the candidate that best suits your beliefs. Recently in my political science class, we conducted a public opinion poll that found that most people are unsure of who will receive their vote, and many are uneducated about major issues at hand.
My link is a political quiz that matches you up with a candidate after a few questions. This quiz should not be used to reveal which candidate you should vote for, rather give you numerous candidates that you should research.
This researching material can be found right on the site. By clicking on a candidate or an issue, you can see their views on the issue as well as how they have acted regarding the issue in real life (senate, house of representatives). It also gives you background research on the candidate.
Even if you don’t chose to use this link, I encourage everyone to find some way to research all candidates and not simply vote for who our parents are voting for or who your friends are voting for. Similar quizzes and databases exist where voters can learn about candidates, but caution is always necessary.
The Internet is a great tool most of the time, but often times faulty information is out there, especially rumors or made-up statements about presidential hopefuls. Voters should make sure the site they are viewing is legitimate. A good way to determine legitimacy is by looking at the URL. If it ends in .edu or .gov, then it is probably a reliable site. Also, many people create Facebook pages and MySpace pages that are definitely not run by the presidential candidates.
Even though it may seem early to some people, primaries are coming up and it would be better if the voting population was educated on issues affecting the U.S. right now and not simply voting based on political party or peer pressure. So I encourage people to research on their own so they are not influenced so much by the opinions of others.
I am still trying to look into each candidates platforms and feel like I’m making a bit of a dent, but I’ve realized that the Internet can’t be my only form of research. Interviews on television whether they are on news shows or the late show are excellent ways, and I feel the best way to get to know candidates. I guess this all comes back to my belief that the Internet isn’t real life and that you can tell more about a person from a 5 minute interview than you can from reading 5 pages about them.

Copy and Paste into Browser☺
http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460

Diary of a Mad, Mad Housewife

While searching for a website to look over and write about, I stumbled across a funny blog called "The Diary of a Mad, Mad Housewife." This weblog is written by a 40 year old woman who just voices out her random thoughts and opinion...on nothing important, just whatever comes to mind. I never thought a webblog would interest me, or that I would ever waste my time following one. But this one is pretty funny and I could see why someone might follow it (if he or she has time to waste that is). I first read the profile of this blogger because I wanted to gather as much background information about who she was before I actually read her posts so that I could put a "face" with posts. Rachel turned out to be a former newspaper editor and reporter from Massachusetts and now a mother or two. Maybe she stopped working for the newspaper when she had kids, I don't know, but obviously she still likes to write for the public even if it is just through a humorous webblog. I think read on to discover, or atleast for what she said I gathered, that she did quit work to stay at home and take care of her kids and do housework. But now she is wondering if that was such a good idea...I mean after all, "nobody bothered her while she was in the bathroom at work." The most up to date post that she had written was about when she went to a liquor store to get wine and she was carded...again she is 41...and stared at by a bunch of ole men who were trying to guess her real age. The post was really funny and Rachel is a very humorous and interesting writer so I decided to read many of her other posts. Her next post talked about how she seemed to be the only alumni for her class who has done absolutely nothing with her life for the past 20 years, except for make a blog which was posted next to her name under the accomplishments of her other classmates who became big-time lawyers and such. She seems to be proud of her blog, although it may not seem like a big accomplishment. I think this webblog is a place that Rachel can post her true feelings and escape from her busy reality and relax in her own world without having to worry about her kids or her chores or all the other things in her life that she is constantly doing. Throughout her many posts I have found that she somehow always incorporates the fact that although she may only be a stay-at-home mom, her job isn't as easy as it sounds. At one point she even doesn't post for awhile and then later comes back to say that she hasn't had time because she has been so busying worrying about what has to be done. She even uses pictures that she has taken to show her readers what she is doing. One of her posts is simply a picture of an overflowing laundry basket with extra clothes lying all over the floor beside it. Many readers made comments just about this simple photo (31 to be exact) so I read them and discovered that most of Rachel's blog readers are women who stay at home and do the chores that she does and can relate to everything she is constantly rambling about. Readers are going to read blogs that they can relate to, and this definitely proves it. This webblog also shows that writers can freely express their feelings and thoughts on the internet and blogs and other sites like these can be a great way and place to relax and excape from their busy lives.

Kids on the Web

When I picked up a copy of The Birmingham News, the first thing that I saw was the headline “It’s 1 a.m. Do you know where your child is networking?” There were a couple of articles in this section about the internet, but I was only able to find one of them online. The link is: http://www.al.com/birminghamnews/stories/index.ssf?/base/living/1191140436141980.xml&coll=2, and the article is called “Social Site Dangers.” This article is about a social networking site called “bebo.com,” which I have never heard of. A lady saw her 12 year old niece on this site, and she was surprised at the explicit language and material displayed by some of the kids that were her niece’s age. She talked to her niece and some of the parents of the kids who had inappropriate web pages.

Although you have to be thirteen to register for “bebo,” the article explained that many kids either lie about their age or get their friends to make one. Although there can be good chats on this website, there can also be bad ones, such as cyberbullying. The article goes on to tell parents to warn their kids about what they display about themselves on the web; not only do their friends see their profile, but their future college recruiters or employers can also have access to their profile. Online predators can also have access to profiles; in July, around 30,000 registered sex offenders were removed from the MySpace network. Research showed that the majority of these networking sites have positive results for staying in touch with family and friends. Yet it would be wise for parents to know their kids passwords and see what they are doing online.

I thought this article was interesting because it relates to what we have been talking about in class, but it mentions a website that we never looked at. This article talked about identity on the internet, and it shows that pretty much anyone can have access to the internet. Another article that was in the paper that I could not find online told a story about a mother who made an account “bebo” without her daughter knowing, and she added her daughter as a friend. The mother said she was a 17 year old guy, and she kept messaging her 14 year old daughter to see how much information she would give out to an online stranger. The daughter did not give out her phone number or address, and finally the mother revealed her secret. I thought this was an interesting story because I never thought about people using different identities online to protect their kids. I just thought that most of the people who changed their identity were online predators, but this article showed that anybody can get online and pretend to be somebody that they aren’t. I liked how both of these articles dealt with the same issues that we have talked about in class, but these articles deal with a younger age group and a different website. I also liked how some statistics were provided to show us really how many bad people there are on the internet. Although it is scary to think about who can be looking at your information online, I think it is important to be aware of the dangers of the internet.

Benefits of YouTube

As I began to think about something on the Internet that is of interest to me, I instantly thought of a series of videos on YouTube. These videos really show just how much the Internet can do for someone. There is a user on YouTube that uses the name gotitans999. Any of his videos can be found by typing in “gotitans999” in the search box at the top of the page. I cannot remember how I came across one of the videos he has posted, but ever since then I have been hooked on watching them. I do not consider myself a great piano player, but if I happen to be around a keyboard I can actually play a few songs. The sad part is I cannot read music so it’s hard for me to learn new songs. The amazing thing about gotitans999’s videos is that he teaches users how to play popular songs. At first I thought it might be hard to follow or understand, but it was actually very easy. Someone who was just beginning to explore the piano would probably be able to learn how to play some of their favorite songs just by watching these videos and writing down what notes need to be played. I have actually learned to play songs such as “How to Save a Life” by the Fray, “Boston” by Augustana, and the part of the “Titanic” theme song by watching gotitans999’s videos. Each time I watch these, I find it amazing that I can learn to play something without having to take lessons, or even leave my room.
While I have benefited a great deal from these videos, I noticed that the user gotitans999 also had something to show for creating these awesome videos. When I watched some of his earlier recordings, he would just end by saying “Thanks for watching” or “Check out my next video”. Whatever he said just seemed like a simple conversation ender. On his newer videos, however, after he gets done teaching the song he has a great deal more to say now then he used to. While I was watching a new video of his, he started talking about his sponsors. I thought that was crazy and unbelievable. Gotitans999 talked about how his sponsors were helping him make a CD and DVD of all of his piano lessons. He used to have an actual job, but now all he has to do is keep making more videos of his piano lessons. I thought it was great for him to be able to do something he loved doing and make some money off of it too. Now while his videos are playing, he has information about how to order his DVD. The user gotitans999 got a huge break when a sponsor saw one of his videos on YouTube.

Blind Painter

When I was looking for something to write about, I ran across this video on YouTube.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P84bfFpVWE It is one of the most interesting and inspiring things I have ever seen. Usually when I look at things on YouTube, I expect to find silly things that make me laugh. I never really expected to find something as amazing and moving as this.
John Bramblitt is a student at the University of North Texas. He lost his sight at some point in his college career because of epilepsy. Although he cannot see, he paints beautiful pictures. He said that he turned to painting as an outlet for his anger when he lost his vision. He never really expected to be good at it.
If you ever saw a piece of John's work, you might wonder how he uses such vivid colors that go together so well when he can't see them. John has developed a hightened sense of touch in the absence of his sight. John says that he can feel the difference in the texture of the different colors.
It is amazing to watch John work as he sits so close to the canvas, feeling the area of the canvas with his left hand and painting with his right. The pictures that he paints are truly awe-inspiring.
When John could see, he loved to read. He said that he was the kind of guy who always had a paperback in his back pocket. When he lost his vision, that changed. He could no longer just pick up a book and sit down and read it for leisure. He had to turn to something else.
I've always had so much sympathy for people that are handicapped. But I don't think that I've ever really thought about how many of the little pleasures in life that they can't participate in. I usually take those things for granted. I love to read as well, and I can imagine that it would be very hard to become blind at a late age and no longer be able to do something that you have enjoyed for so many years.
John Bramblitt is a living example of "taking lemons and making lemonade." He says in the video that he would never have tried painting had he not lost his vision. Now he has a career in visual arts and so many people enjoy his work. Even though losing his sight was devastating for John, something good came out of it. I believe it was because John didn't give up.
If I had been a healthy person all my life then suddenly I had a handicap, it would probably be very hard for me not to sit around an feel sorry for myself. John Bramblitt has different plans. He has already inspired so many people with his talents and determination. He is now preparing to graduate from the University of North Texas and continue showing everyone how he "sees" the world.

I encourage everyone to watch this video. It is amazing!

Chris Picks

I was browsing a website called "Top 100 Bloggers" when I came across a blog called "Chris Picks." (http://chris-pix.blogspot.com/) I think this blog is particularly interesting because it is completely focused on music. We have talked a lot in class about the internet as an outlet for self expression and I think music is a great example of how people express themselves and how they relate to others. Music is an interesting form of communication because there are so many different genres. Chris' blog is simply a collection of his favorite music but he also includes a music video for people to watch. When I think of blogs I immediately think of an online diary, so I think this blog is interesting because it does not contain much writing. Chris shows how music can communicate a message without necessarily having to include much explanation. A person could learn a lot of Chris from the music he enjoys and the types of lyrics he can relate to. I also like the layout of this blog because it is easy to navigate and doesn't have a distracting background.

The reason I chose to search for a blog is because I think the most interesting thing about the internet is that anyone can post anything. I think it is fascinating to see the different ways that people choose to express themselves and this is one of the first bloggers I have come across that chose to use music in his posts.

Behind the Screens

Okay, so I’ve been thinking a lot about the question of whether technology makes our lives better, easier, happier, more fulfilled. The techie side of me wants to believe that technology helps us, takes us a step closer to a higher level of human endeavor. That’s the Star Trek side of me and it’s a very strong influence on my thinking, perhaps because I’ve been watching Gene Rodenberry’s beautiful vision of a better future for humanity since I was a very little girl (actually, since I was in utero, as my Mom devotedly watched first-run episodes of ST:TOS while pregnant with her eldest child). And Rodenberry’s vision was of a future in which technology enabled connection – warp drive spaceships and transporters propelled humans into new galaxies and onto new planets and, in the process, those humans met and, often befriended, the alien races that inhabited them. Technology literally brought humans (and humanoids) together.

However, anyone who knows science fiction knows that the Star Trek vision of the technologically advanced future is a utopian one, and there are plenty of dystopian visions that have long haunted those who imagine the future and its possibilities. I’m currently really caught up in Battlestar Galactica and that series’ central conflict – between humans and their rogue robot creations, the Cylons – embodies some longstanding fears regarding technological advances. The idea that our own technology might turn against us and consciously and methodically attempt to annihilate or enslave humanity is one that’s been at the heart of much fantasy and sci-fi and the question at the core of one of my favorite novels, Frankenstein. We have to be careful, lest we create monsters.

But robots and transporters and warp drives are all still but gleams in the eyes of dreamers. Our technology, while advanced, is still a long way away from being able to create an artificial intelligence capable of instigating genocide on the human race. Still, I think it’s worth asking what dangers lurk in our hard drives and how our ever-increasing dependence on technology is affecting our behavior and lives. That’s why I wanted to focus on technology for this writing class and it’s what is driving much of my own research. And, as someone who tends to have a positive and open-minded attitude toward technology, I find it necessary to make myself take the other side on occasion just to keep myself honest. Yes, technology is cool. It’s fun. If we keep at it, one day we’ll have those transporters and warp drives (okay, maybe I’ll draw the line at Cylons!) and our lives will be all shiny and wonderful just like in Star Trek. See, there I go again being optimistic. Time for a little healthy skepticism.

To that end, I’ve got a few articles that I came across over the last couple of weeks in the New York Times that raise some questions about some of our current uses of technology.

The first one, “E-Mail is Easy to Write (and to Misread),”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/jobs/07pre.html?em&ex=1192248000&en=15cb9ed482ae7136&ei=5087%0A showed up on October 7, 2007 in the Job Market section of the Times. I’ve long been concerned with the issue of e-mail as a communication tool and this article articulates some issues I’ve been talking to students about for some time.

The second, “Generation Q,”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/opinion/10friedman.html?n=Top/Opinion/Editorials%20and%20Op-Ed/Op-Ed/Columnists/Thomas%20L%20Friedman was Thomas Friedman’s op-ed column on October 10. It’s not so much technology-oriented, but he suggests that what he sees as the passivity of current 20-somethings is at least partially enabled by the Internet. He makes the point that real activism requires us to engage with the real world, not the virtual one. Not sure how I feel about this – I certainly think there’s a vast sound of silence all across the country these days – but not just among 20-somethings. And I’m not convinced that online activism is impotent. But I’m intrigued enough to want to think more about this.

Finally, “The Fakebook Generation,”
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802E5DB1730F935A35753C1A9619C8B63&n=Top/Opinion/Editorials%20and%20Op-Ed/Op-Ed/Contributors was a piece that appeared on October 6, 2007. The author, a recent Ivy League graduate, asks a great question about halfway into the piece about whether Facebook “enrich[es] adult relationships.” She’s right that those of us who use Facebook have been using it to essentially create these “stories” of our lives, narrating every event, momentous or not as if our lives depended on it. And yet, as she notes, it seems that this tool designed to bring people together has only “made us more wary of real human confrontation.” I wonder if that’s true. It seems I prefer to “talk” to people via computer than either on the phone or in RL. What does that say about me? About all of us who feel the same way?

In thinking about each of these articles and really pondering the disturbing questions they raise, I’m beginning to think that we hide behind the computer screen and we are becoming, not the brave and daring pioneers who man the USS Enterprise, rather we’re becoming cowardly, too afraid to face our own human fellows, much less new life and new civilizations. Are we burying our heads in electronic sand?

UFO Folklore

While surfing the internet today I found a very interesting site called UFO Folklore. Believe it or not, this site actually relates to some of our class material vaguely. I was immediately intrigued and I decided to explore this site more. The different pages on this site provide a variety of information that ranges from the interesting to the ridiculous. The first page I clicked on presented a list of different instances of supposed alien abductions and devices implanted into the bodies of the abductees. Other interesting pages include ancient UFOS, Area-51, Crop Circles, Disney Video, El Chupracabra (the Mexican goat-eating monster?), Foo Fighters, Men in Black, Moo-tilations, Roswell, and lastly/most confusing, Win Prizes! I clicked on the last link and realized that this site was created by a bluegrass band named the Art Gomperz Band. At this point my head began to hurt.

I’m still not sure if this website is serious or not, which is why I chose to write about it. To me this brings up the question of reality. Is this band’s website for real, or is it just a strange marketing ploy? But I think the most important question is; does it really matter? If the goal of the band is to get people to go to their site, and either be entertained or informed, does it really matter how they achieve that goal? I know this idea is kind of a stretch, but I figured I’d give it a shot.

Mostly I think that this website is extremely interesting, and should be visited by anyone looking for a bit of folklore and a good laugh.
The site can be found at http://qtm.net/%7egeibdan/framemst.html.

www.dontclick.it

I stumbled across this website earlier today and I thought it would be perfect for our class discussion. Alex Frank, from Germany, created and programmed this website that uses only mouseover instead of mouse clicks to activate buttons. I encourage everyone to try it. This innovative idea could become a monumental part of input devices in the future. From my experience, clicking with mouses and laptop pads takes fractions of a second every time we click. With this change of input, we could learn to become much faster at clicking and activitating things we wanted to click without having to. This very small change could save days if not weeks of computer time giving us more time for other parts of our life. Just like blinking takes a massive chunk of our life that we see away, clicking takes up an unnecessary time of our life away that we could have back. I believe that with the proper training and experience with this new technique we could lead much more efficient lives. I'm one hundred percent in favor for this new idea and would love to see it implemented as an option into Windows or other operating system or program. In addition, this might help to prevent many computer-related diseases resulting from clicking and using a computer mouse too much. I'm not certain if clicking affects different ligament problems associated with using a computer mouse too much, but if it does then this technique would be an even greater help. I enjoyed using this website, and I thought the three different guestures provided (the sideways movement, the circular movement, and the timer) would be great replacements for the traditional click. This definitely should be an option in each of our operating systems today.