New Technologies

''Technology'' is often associated with digital and electronics. However, ''technology'' has a formal definition of: The purposeful application of information in the design, production and utilisation of goods and services, and in the organisation of human activities. - http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/technology.html

This means that technology can relate to anything, from using a pencil on paper to an iPad. In 2012, technology has never been more advanced and broad. Over half the population have a mobile phone, and over 100,000,000 twitter accounts were opened in 2010. - http://agbeat.com/real-estate-coaching-tutorials/tech/internet-technology-statistics-and-infographics/

Years and years ago, 'technology' could refer to anything from pottery, carpentry to making fire. The word 'technology' was first used by the philosopher Aristotle. He concluded that technology is an emulation of nature, in that for example a car replaces a horse as a mode of transport.

Karl Marx, the father of Communism opposed technology and predicted it would be the downfall of Capitalism. “Right down to the eighteenth century, the different trades were called ‘mysteries.'"  Then, he continued, the veil of mystery was torn apart by “the modern science of technology.”

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Most recently, the 'tablet' has come into popular culture, ranging from an iPad to a Kindle. Every major technical company seems to have their own brand which does something more ridiculous than the last.

Rumours of an 'iPad mini' have arisen. The iPad came out in 2010. It was a massive success and now over 17,000,000 iPads have been sold over the past 2 years.
Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple at the time of release.

The iPad series hold many features, all the same as the iPhone with more added, such as the ability to download and read books. With it being Wi-Fi enabled, it is quite literally a handheld computer which is easier to see and to use than an iPhone. It comes with extras such as connector cables so you can download films, music and photos from your laptop and put them onto any other database such as a television or a different computer. It also has a camera and you are able to make video calls, or 'Facetime', wherever you are in the world.

The iPad 2 then followed, with some improvements made from the original. The iPad 2 was made thinner and 15% lighter than the original. It also installed a self facing camera as well as a camera on the back to make video conferencing and 'facetime' easier. Price is also a difference, as when the iPad 2 came out, the original iPad fell in price, originally priced at $300, it fell to $249 when the iPad 2 was priced at $400 originally. http://computer.howstuffworks.com/tablets/ipad-and-ipad-2-difference2.htm


The introduction of the 'mini iPad' which does literally everything an iPad 2 does, but just smaller and lighter is purely excessive. Apple have made this product simply because they can. The invention of the 'iPad' in general has provoked a change in the way we view technology, in that there was a new craze to have which made previous inventions out dated and old news. 

The Unabomber

Ted Kaczynski, or more commonly known as 'The Unabomber' is an American ex Harvard student convicted of a murder rampage lasting 18 years. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/terrorists_spies/terrorists/kaczynski/2.html

He handmade explosive bombs intended to injure and kill his victims. The name 'Unabomber' came from the reference the FBI used to call his case,  "UNABOM" (UNiversity & Airline BOMber) because of the nature of his bombings. 

He believed society was being destroyed by the growing dependence on technology. He made a manifesto on his entire beliefs and wants for society, which he requested be published in works such as The New York Times: http://cyber.eserver.org/unabom.txt

''My bombings were extreme but necessary to attract attention to the erosion of human freedom necessitated by modern technologies requiring large-scale organization.'' - Unabomber, in response to when asked about his actions. 

Media Change

There are approximately 7, 012,000,000 people in the world today. 5, 006,000,000 of those people have a mobile phone.

''Mediamorphosis'' is a term used to describe the evolution of media, mainly mobile phones. The majority of University students with a smart phone can show how the mobile phone is actually no longer just a mobile phone. They are now mini computers, with internet access, video and photo taking devices, GPS systems, sound systems and hundreds of other things as well as a phone. Ten years ago that would've seemed impossible and laughable. This can show that ''new media'' is always changing and that change itself is inevitable. 

The majority of people who own a mobile phone today are more than likely to hold an android phone. However the young adult generation of today will remember the excitement of receiving their first mobile phone at the age of 12/13. This phone, most likely a Nokia 3010i was mainly used for playing 'snake' and texting your mum what you want for dinner. 

With the development of technology, the younger generations are learning how to use them quicker than the older generations. Most babies and children's toys have some form of digital technology included in them. This means that children are learning to use this type of equipment from a very young age, and therefore will be more adaptable and more advanced in technology when it comes to their older years. 

Historical development 

Remediation: The act or process of correcting a fault or deficiency: ''http://www.thefreedictionary.com/remediation''

Digitisation: to transcribe (data) into a digital form so that it can bedirectly processed by a computer - http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/digitisation

This enables computer technology to progress into making new hardware for more advanced possibilities in media. For example, green screens in film and television. 

This video shows the effectiveness of green screens and how it has massively helped film makers and photographers in the ease of creating a specific picture. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4gqHPdRKJM&feature=related

Interactivity: 

1.

allowing or relating to continuous two-way transfer of information between a user and the central point of a communication system, such as a computer or television

2.

(of two or more persons, forces, etc) acting upon or in close relation with each other; interacting http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Interactivity?s=t Having the internet has made Interactivity more advanced. However there is the argument that the popularisation of the internet and of telephones has ceased pure face to face interaction. Specifically in education, methods such as powerpoints, online guidance and ironically blogging are used as teaching methods that are supposedly more suited to students in 2012. Older generations simply learnt through teacher to class interaction, perhaps with a blackboard.''The attention span of an average internet user is now shorter than that of a nervous rabbit on crack'' - http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2009/07/07/did-the-internet-shorten-your-attention-span/ There are plenty of arguments stating that young adults and teenagers are less able to keep their attention focused on something as they are so used to digital devices such as the internet and TV where they don't need to sustain focus or think too hard as everything is offered to them by the internet or TV.

Academic Blogging - yay or nay?

What is a blog?

Blogs are internet based, simply they are renditions of a persons thoughts, findings, feelings or whatever they choose to write about published on a webpage. There are different reasons for having blogs, including entertainment, insight and academic. Content can vary depending on the topic of blog, however they can include text, pictures, videos, audio and more. An official definition of 'blog' can be found: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/blog. 

''A web site containing the writer's or group of writers' own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other Web sites.''

There are debates about whether blogging should be encouraged or stopped. Academic blogging in particular falls strongly under this debate. It is up to the individual which type of medium they prefer to compose and publish their work on. Blogging for academics, on the lines of showing research and findings can be a big advantage as the simple notion of being able to delete parts of work and re-write and edit when needed without having to physically re-write or go through any stress. Being able to access your work from anywhere as long as you have the internet is also a massive advantage as there is no physical possession of the work, which means there is no chance of loss or damage. Being on the internet, it can also be accessed by anyone anywhere in the world. It can even appear on Google if the right trick words are searched. This obviously has it's own advantages and disadvantages of copyright and plagiarism, depending on the importance and content of your work. 


''Why not force yourself to articulate your points in such a way that strangers could come to know your thoughts as intimately as your friends from grad school do?'' - Scott Eric Kaufman, a PhD candidate in English literature -http://organizationsandmarkets.com/2007/12/03/pros-and-cons-of-academic-blogging/


Blogging is obviously a lot more informal than classic types of academic workings, you have the opportunity to write more freely and intimately as the internet. In 2012, blogging is culturally relevant to society. There have never been more people on the internet, with an estimated 52 million users. ''http://www.newmediatrendwatch.com/markets-by-country/18-uk/148-usage-patterns-and-demographics''. 

The word 'academic' is often associated with old fat men with dirty beards and wrongly buttoned shirts. An association with this stereotype is also a passion of hatred for the changing cultures of today's young people, as well as bathing. It goes without saying that 'blogging' would be an entirely new concept for them and would most probably be intimidated by this new medium of working. 

''I have concerns about the notion that blogging will soon become the choice method of academic communication, or, worse yet, the notion that blogging ought to replace traditional forms of academic publishing.'' -  University of Alberta law blog, Barbara Billingsley - http://thoughtcapital.wordpress.com/2007/06/27/reluctant-academic-bloggers/

What makes a good blog?

For this first assignment, we have been asked to think, research and write about what a blog is and what makes a good or a bad blog. There are masses of websites which enable you to have your own blog, whatever the content. From Academic scientific blogs to Tumblr blogs about cats, the possibilities are literally endless. 

Being a free resource, you yourself are free to write whatever you want and publish whatever you want to the world. Blogs usually aren't private and can be accessed by almost anyone. The website 'blogger' however have their own policy to sustain decency and keep away from anyone being offended. 
http://www.blogger.com/content.g 

For this cause of showing our work, research and findings from seminars, personal research and general work on the matter, blogging is an incredibly useful tool to use. Going back and reading through and editing previous work is a big advantage to anyone as you are able to follow up and keep consistency flowing throughout the entire piece, or perhaps correct something that wasn't exactly right. 

On the terms of a 'good' blog, the content must be thorough and relevant, as well as presented in a way that's easy for your audience to read. Being on the internet, the audience could literally be anyone, however your target audience ought to be thought about, with the vocabulary you choose and the tone of your writing among other things. Remedial as it seems, blogs can become boring or monotonous with just pages and pages of text. Pictures, video and audio are great tools to use to help you demonstrate your points and just to entertain and create a rapport with the audience.