Category: Uncategorized

A new innovation to how we see phones

As many you might have seen the latest video regarding an innovative new phone that uses the concept of blocks, you would have understood the ramifications the supposed technology may make to our lives and the way we see the use of phones.

Phoneblocs is the name, and customization is the game.

The concept of the phone is simple:

  • You have a touch screen phone with removable components at the back
  • These components are connected via a universal circuit board allowing you to connect whatever you want
  • As such these components range from battery packs, to processors, cameras, and other intricate hardware details such as RAM and Memory
  • How this is all special: You basically make your own phone

As illustrated by the phones initial advertisement, the phone simply works by you being able to customize what you want on your phone.

–Want more battery life, Place a big ole’ battery pack on the back of you phone and do with some smaller issues like memory

-Like to take photos, Replace your camera unit with a higher quality camera and put more memory for photo storage and taking

– Want a phone which wan work fast, put the fastest processor on it and make it a supercomputer for your documents work and file storage

It goes without saying the implications of such a phone are magnamonious both socially, culturally and personally for each one Of us. A big motivation for the creators in making this phone was the economic and enviromental benefits it holds. With the digital age moving forward with greater innovations and ideas, there is large part of redundancies for all the phones computers and electronics which increases as we move onto bigger and better tecnology.

As such, this phone proves a solution, Wherein the adapating and improving nature of our technology is accounted for. With a phone that serves as a base, the components can always be changed and improved as they get better and better hence alleviating the need for mass disposal of phones with the simple action of removing and placing blocs.

Furtheremore, the components of the blocs that have been used can always be reissued and resold and cheaper prices or given to even perhaps communities and societies in need of essential communication technology.

A beautiful ideal and vision from the team at phoneblocs. Till today they are attempting to find sponsors and bring this crowdfunded campaign to life. With Motorola keenly interested, the team are looking at securing their sponsorship so that the phone may begin production. More to read at : http://www.cnet.com.au/google-motorola-teams-up-with-phonebloks-for-modular-phone-339345824.htm

 

Understanding of theories of action, double loop-learning and organization learning (Week 1.2 Reading, Chris Arygris)

 

In this week’s reading, our networked media students have learnt to understand concepts of thinking and action associated with organizations and people presented through Chris’ Arygris’ perspective in his blog “Theories of action, double loop-learning and organization learning”

Theories of action: Theories in use and espoused theories

Chris arygris has proposed that individuals general hold two value of theories related to thier actions. The first being espoused theory, and the latter being the theory they have used. (Agyris, 2012). Espoused theory relates to the theory they present to other individuals regarding their course of action in a hypothetical situation

For example, when someone is asked how he/she would behave in a certain circumstance, they may give a supposed theory of behaviour whereas their course of action might be completely different in the actual situation itself.  (Agyris, 2012)

Understanding this distinction allows us to question the extent to which an espoused theory of action truly reflects our actual behaviour and furthermore asks us to question the extent to which an espoused theory can be utilized

As such, delving into further attempting to bridge the gap betwen esposued theories and theories used, Argyris has indicated three key elements that work in identifying the aspects involved in the process of action(Argyris, 2012):

  • Governing Variables: the values and variables that people intend to keep within acceptable limits that are affected by the carrying out of an action
  • Action Strategies: The plans and moves used by people to keep their governing variables within an acceptable range
  • Consequences: The unintended or results of a person’s actions

Through these elements, it can be understood how individuals go about carrying theories of action. Ultimately, their action can result in a mismatch of their initial desires (I.E Their espoused theories of action and its intended consequence) or a match between their intention and the outcome, validating their theory in use. (Argyris, 2012)

As such, Argyris proposes two responses to correcting this mismatch which are:

…

Double Loop and Single Loop Learning

In view of learning from the result of an action, an organization may view the result of their action and change their Action Strategies to accomodate a better Consequence or result. Arygris defines this as Single Loop Learning

However in the event that an organization reflects on the result and rather changes its Governing Variables (this could be policies, regulations, standards), this as defined by ayrgris is double-loop learning.

As such organizations can use either mean of responses to adapt their theories of action in providing their desired consequences and results.

The power of Blogs In Our Lives (with assistance from Adrian Miles) (Week 1.2 Reading)

With the start of the new year, my introduction to the world of Networked Media has been, to say the least, interesting. However i express my thoughts regarding that in another post.  In this post, i attempt to unravel the seemingly simple but enigmatic world of blogging with the help of RMIT’s own Blogging expert, Adrian Miles and his perspective through his written work ” “Blogs in Media Education: A Beginning.”

In this writing, Adrian has expressed the functionality of blogging, its benefits and how it works in the world of social media and in an education field such as our course Networked Media. By understanding what a blog is first, we can attempt to unravel the mysteries that follow the process and technology.

What is a Blog?

As explained in detail by Adrian, A blog is a web-based publication consisting of entries of varying length submitted by an individual (Miles, 2006). However, not limited to its functionality of showcasing published works, a blog works as a networking tool allowing individuals to provide web links and references to other spheres of media publications and concurrently, other bloggers as well. As such, a blog can help work as a platform in giving the world accessbility to your inner sphere of opinions and thoughts, it is the ideal platform for canvasing your personal views and ideas. Futhermore, the system of a blogroll, which allows you to create tags and related categories, allows the organization of your posts and as such allows others to search for ideas and thoughts that you have posted in relevant categories.

See, its simple. Your write posts, other people can read it.

So what?

Honestly how much of a difference can that make in my life?

These were the thoughts that iterated through my mind when I first encountered the world of blogging because honestly, what more can blogging do.

However, when i read more of Adrian’s work and relevantly looked into understanding the networked world of blogging and its implications, I started looking at it through a different lens.

With that, I introduce to you the concept of Online Identity.

Online Identity

Ever since the early commerical emergence of the internet through the 90s, the web has become a vastly inter-connected network between various individuals. However, in the past there werent many tools for people to express their opinions, thoughts and ideas in various ways with only internet facilities such as messaging boards and relay chat at hand. With the initiation of ideas such as the blog, and earlier social networking sites such as myspace, this need was further catered to, however not as detailed as it could have been at that time.

Enter, (Drumroll), WEB 2.0! A concept many people referred to as the pivotal point at which each and everyone of us hooked up to the web could have a say and expression of their opinions through various forms of media. This started occuring with a critical prescence of  websites catering to uploaded user-videos, picture sharing platforms and multimedia messaging boards, user based media. This welcomed the world to the idea of a user-based web, which has now become the imminent reality

As such, this user-based wild web west has given rise to the concept of this, Online identity.  With each of us possibly holding access to social-networking services, blogs and user-uploaded media, we are in a sense, representing aspects of ourselves virtually through the uploads that we make. Through the use of a search engine or a provided link, another individual with no apparent connection to us is able to build perceptions about our personality, tastes, interests and lifestyle. This brings about a sense of online identity, in which our online activities and shared information are essentially representative of who we are as well. At times, it may not necessarily be the case as people are different and some might perhaps even share things they normally wish not to express in their normal lives.

However, regardless of what the nature of our intentions are, what we put online ultimately reflects back on ourselves. As Adrian had detailed, information disseminated through our online prescence allows others to make judgements and understandings about our personality, such as a prospective employer who is looking to understand who they are hiring (Miles, 2006). As such, it proves necessary for us to understand the concept of online identity and the implcations that it can make to our personal lives.

A key thought would be understanding how this may serve as a double-edged sword. While having an online prescence may prove great in selling yourself to a prospective employer, a picture of you smash drunk passed out on a club speaker sitting publically in Facebook may not.

(Credits to thepeoplescube.com, Taken from site)

We have to understand that without a foresight of the potential areas in which user-based content can affect our presentation of our online personas, it can at times work against our favours. With that comes the sensibility of understanding the added ‘weight’ our uploaded publications have both within a social and moral context of representating ourselves (Miles, 2006)

Education and Blogging

As explained by Adrian, the use of blogging in a networked course environment (such as this) brings about great implications and benefits to students With an ability to share information, fellow students are able to understand their peers better and share insights or ideas with one another (Miles, 2006). As a consequence, we are given an enhanced ability in adapting and learning by reflecting on our peers and even helping in validating their opinions (Miles, 2006). This even reaches out to relevant teachers and lecturers who can derive understanding from their students and provide their own inputs in helping further guide and assist students in their learning. Ultimately, its a networked system that allows educational groups to share thoughts and ideas and catalyse the learning and understanding between themselves and the subject they are studying.

On an ending note, I’d like to leave you with some inspiration on how detailed a blog can be. Here are some links to some of the most  accredited blogsites (some of which you’d be shocked to realize was a blog in the first place 😀 ). It simply shows the true potential of what blogs really could be and how far their visual and conceptual design can be extended to create a vast network on connected thoughts and opinions.

1.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

2.http://www.lifehacker.com.au/

3.http://www.gizmodo.com.au/

I hope you enjoyed this post and look forward to sharing more with you in the days to come. Be a true clint eastwood and operate through the wild west of social media like your backyard.

(Credits to www.ew.com)

In a similar vein, fellow Networked Media classmate Vanessa has a great post regarding SEO and how to help boost the your page ranking.

http://www.mediafactory.org.au/li-wen-ho/