Peer Reviews (Weeks 8+9+10+11)

Allo Interwebs,

Okay so I know I haven’t been consistently blogging lately and I am SUPER behind in terms of peer-reviews and since I write like 2 lines per blog post in regards to think I’m just going to smush them all together.

Week 8

Claudia mentions the “Oracle of the Bacon” as previously mentioned, where any actor can be linked to Kevin Bacon in a limit about of references.

Kenton tried to trick the system… but nada

Marcus focused on similar aspects to what I gathered from the Symposium in terms of net neutrality…etc

Week 9

Monique discusses not only the Barabasî reading but also another called “The Fabric of the Cosmos” and then continue to delve deeper in the power rule and the 80/20 rule

Simone‘s hilariously titled “20% of this post delivers 80% of the information” not only talks about the 80/20 rule but also asks: How does order emerge from disorder?

Stephanie wondered if a “network was just many webs?” in class and then furthered her understanding by determining that it was important to remember that the “concept of a web is that there is a centre”

Week 10

Coming back to Marcus, he basically just reiterates what occurred during the week 10 symposium… which I should probably get to as well…

Monique believes that there is an infinite amount of “creativity to be harnessed” in terms of databases, they will continue to grow and much like hypertext have no real end.

Stefan on the other hand is having a hard time with algorithms. Agreed.

Week 11

During week 11’s symposium the topic of conversation was also DataBases so Claudia listened for the first 20min but soon dozed off before Adrian mentioned “Design Thinking” and recaptured her attention. This basically means that we (as in Media Students) should start looking at ourselves as designers as we create material.

Cassie mentioned something about a “Fern-y Book”…

and finally Stephanie gives us a good low down on what is going on during the week 11 readings, which just makes my life easier.

Phew, glad that’s all out of the way.

Mwahx

Week 8 Symposium – Pavlov’s Dog

I know this is like 5 weeks late. Yolo.

During week 8s symposium we talked about multiple issues including: digital media, how it has affected the print media industry, how it has affected technology, neutral technology, the internet… etc

In this blog post I’ll be looking at neutral technology and the idea behind Pavlov’s dog in relation to technology today.

So the idea is that technology is neutral in a sense that he can do anything, however that is not possible due to the fact that each form of technology no matter or complicated or simple has a specific use. Despite that fact that you can use a technology with a different manner then it’s original intention is simply can’t perform every task it’s designated.

E.g. Eammer – has to come out of a history, who wanted a hammer, wanted to know how to make a hammer? (even a hammer is not a simple technology, how do you make one?) A Hammer is only used for certain jobs, it can’t be used to saw wood or even write with, therefore it is not neutral.

So basically: it would have affordances, it is better suited to doing something’s than other things.

The second issue is about our phones, specifically our mobile phones, Adrian asked during the lecture: Why must we go pick up our mobiles as soon as they ring? Why is there a sense of urgency? Whilst some phone calls might be important there are those we can leave and call back later but for us, whoever it may be we always attempt to pick up the phone when it rings.

Ironically, I was watching Orange is the New Black (awesome show) during that period of time and it reminded me of a scene. Where basically two of the characters were getting… intimate *ahem* However the phone rings and so they stop what they’re doing and one of the girls goes and picks up the phone and has this full on conversation! What even. Like who in the throes of passion just goes: ah shit man, need to go answer my phone might be someone important… like my mum… or my cat.

Week 8 Readings – Bacon and a Small World~~

Hello Interwebs,

Okay, I’ve been really bad lately and so today I am absolutely determined to get up to date with my blog posts! It is my time to shine!!! We’re doing readings today and for week 8, I had two readings: Six Degrees by Watts and Small Worlds by Barabasi!

LEGO~

Watts’ article seemed like a mixture between a dear diary and some science essay that went on for 26 pages to my displeasure.

Moving on…

Barabasi’s (that is a mouthful), seemed to follow a similar type of structure, but with more formal examples that are used to explain the point that was present.

Both articles discussed different types of linking between individuals and the strange logics of the universe. The idea that we are all oddly linked either loosely of through good friends is not a foreign concept for me. I grew up in a Chinese community where for reason whomever we spoke to that was from China originally somehow knew a friend of a friend of a friend’s, it was the most uncanny thing. One point I was at school where there was this other girl in my class who I didn’t really speak to, however one day as my dad was picking me up he saw another parent and it turned out they used to be best friends and guess who their child was… Yep, the girl in my class. Another time I found out that one of my neighbours (who ironically, not in relation to this story, went to the same kindergarden and highschool as me), worked at Donut King whose boss knew my mum… what? I don’t even.

Same thing goes for family back in china, I have nieces, cousins, aunts, uncles, brothers of family friends, sisters of aunts of nieces of step mothers I’ve never met before but somehow they all know who I am. I have a big family for a single chid I guess 😛

And then theres the Kevin Bacon Game. A game in which you could literally connect ANY actor to Kevin Bacon… Literally any actor, and they would be scaled based upon how many links in between. Majority of people I typed in were only number 2’s… except Lucy Lu, who was a 3. Success! I should be a detective.

Someone else give it a go?? I would love to find someone who Kevin Bacon couldn’t be linked to (instead of someone called Chris Evans the First…I couldn’t find out which one was the actual Captain America)