microserfs

5)Karla's statement is actually very easily deciphered. For years, theologists have been debating how Artificial Intelligence should be implemented. You come across so many moral questions when applying AI to machinery. On one hand, AI in video games can cause a greater sale, if only for the difficulty level. On the other, we wouldn't want to apply AI to a judge and jury system. Computers can only comprehend numbers so we must rely on the human brain for the actual AI systems. How scary would it be to face a judge with no sympathy or remorse; someone with absolutely no flexibility in their rules? The AI itself isn’t really the problem, however, it’s the programmers responses to the problems presented that we should truly fear. Now if we take this mentality and add it to the vast database of information hidden in the Internet we are faced with a near cataclysmic scenario. Susan stated a similar situation in her reference to the Borg and the “Village of the Damned” children. An ever evolving “entity” with access to our deepest secrets and no comprehension of human emotions. While the idea of artificial life is highly appealing to me I shake at the applications man would use this for. I like living in a world of science fact with the leaps and bounds we are making progress, but soon we may live in that world of science fiction. All those episodes of Twilight Zone I laughed at won’t appear so ridiculous. For the moment though we should be safe. Man may be faulted in many areas, except in testing and re-testing their new creations. As long as we use this technology with respect and responsibility, we may yet see a world of near instantaneous information.

4)Whenever you start a hobby or career that is perfect for you, you will always remember what got you started in that field. Whether it be an athletes first baseball or a racer’s first go cart you will never forget. Well, in this situation, I believe it was that first exploration of My Computer. I myself find it to be at the top of my all time favorite buttons list. It gives you access to every nook and cranny of your computer. This has to be his way of remembering that time. There is no physical trophy of that moment, so what better way to remember it than making a hymn to your inspiration for life? Even the way it’s constructed shows the authors enthusiasm. He had to learn and then repeat every line of binary to match up with his desired result. This takes a kind of dedication that you would only find with a die hard enthusiast of the subject. While I may be incorrect in my assumptions, because no one can truly know what was in the authors mind, it seems unlikely this was a “just for fun moment” in his life. This appears to be a genuine homage to something that is special to the author. The only other possibility is that it is a joke. Seeing as how I am unable to decipher the code I can only guess. In any case ,this is definitely a crucial piece to analyzing Douglas Coupland’s mind.

3) Have you ever been apart of something so profound, in your opinion, that it opened a new world for you? In Microserfs, the characters have been opened up to this event and unfortunately for some it ends up consuming them. If you look at a group of people who are introduced to a new comer you will find a very common pattern. The group and individual will start to absorb each others mannerisms. This is never more true than in the technology world. You begin to see computer code and problems everywhere in your life. Soon code becomes nothing less than it’s own language. This is shown in the authors comparison of Microserfs and Cyberlords. How many people can actually claim to know the difference? Look no further than any average teenager who is constantly involved in the computer community without even knowing it. I personally can’t count how many times I hear “LOL” from some kid on the street. At first, the only reaction I could give was a raised eyebrow. Now, I can not only reply but start my own conversations using this language. Now, I can’t help bringing over this language to a new group of people. More than anything else I believe it is a rite of passage. In many of the higher “geekier” circles the more “jargon” you know the higher your status. Much the same way sports fans trade secret information about their favorite teams players. All in all, it’s a matter of who you relate to and who your friends are. If you disagree try talking to a die hard fan of something you have no interest in.

reflection

I have taken three other classes online but this is the first class I have taken at U of M. I enjoy taking classes online because of the flexibility it allows for my work and school schedule even though I do have the tendency to procrastinate. This was the first online class that I really struggled in because there were some items that were not clear and hard to understand at first. I felt that the class would have been much easier to work around my other activities if what was originally posted stayed the same. I would start one assignment with the idea of what I wanted to do and how long I presumed it would take to find out later on that more had been added to it or taken away. The instructions were not as clear as I had hoped for either. I expected to be able to go online and read the assignment without having to then call you and clarify what I needed to do. Although I had some difficulties, there were some assignments that I really did enjoy. The visual advocacy project was very creative and allowed me to give and show my opinion on a topic that meant a lot to me. I was really disappointed though in the end because I had put so much time into the assignment but still received a less than perfect score. You gave examples of things I should have written about and what would have been interesting, but I wrote about what was important to me. I'm the one who lives with the racial snickers and comments from my family and thats what I felt was vital in my assignment. I also really enjoyed activity 2 because again it allowed me to express my thoughts on a song or poem that really meant something to me. I have really learned not to rely on the web for all my sources and there are other reliable references such as scholarly journals to research for the topic that I am researching. As for my blog, I will use it for future references but I do not think I will add any additional posts.

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activity 2

t h i n k

I try not to about

the P A I NIfeel inside

Did you know you used to be MY?

All the days you spent with me Now seem so

far Away

And it feels like you don't… care anymore

And now I try hard to make it

I just want to make you PROUD

I'm never gonna be GOODenough for you

I can't stand another fight

And nothing's alright
‘Cuz we lost it all

Nothing lasts

f o r e v e r. . . . . . . .

I'm sorry
I can't be PERFECT

Now it's just too late and We can't go bACK

I'm sorry

I can't be PERFECT

I chose some of the lyrics by Simple Plan’s “Perfect”. This particular song starts out with a young man asking his father if he grew up the way his father had planned. Now that the son is older, he wants to know if his father disapproves of the choices he is making in life. The lyrics of this song are full of pain, loss and remorse. The tone of the song is very somber and full of sadness. I believe this man really wants the approval of his father for the choices that he has made in life but his father disapproves. His father wanted him to be this ideal person and be better than everyone else, but the young man chose a different path. He is feeling abandoned and is trying to apologize for whatever he had done that pushed his father away. He is also letting his father know that what happened between them, and the words that were exchanged, could never be taken back. I feel that he is trying to apologize to his father, but is also telling him goodbye, because he feels that it is impossible to be “Perfect”. I personally feel this song is about being able to communicate our emotions and feelings to those whom we have had strong bonds. I also feel that every human being has their faults so how could anyone be perfect? This song affects me personally because it represents everything I have been trying to communicate to my family for the past six years. I tried communicating to them, but in the end, it just was not good enough. This song affects me emotionally as well because when I read or hear the lyrics feelings of emotions overwhelm me.

Simple Plan's song, Perfect, contains a lot of emotional words and phrases that were quite easy to place emphasis on. I made the letter I stand out throughout the entire song to show ownership in a way. It’s bold, and dark, because when I sing this song it’s not what anyone else feels, just what I feel at that moment. When I hear the words it becomes my song. I’m the one who is sorry and hurt.

I placed a larger advert font on the only positive emotions in the song such as proud and perfect because they are the artist’s dreams. He isn't mad while saying this, he is hopeful. He is telling is dad through all the heartache, as if he was looking right into his eyes with a small smile, and saying I know I’m not perfect but I want you to be proud of me anyway.

On the word pain I made it red and black in a rough draft font to try and give a feeling of anger and emptiness. I put a slash going through it as if a person themselves was being hurt, pulled apart in two by what was going on around them. I wanted the same sort of emotion felt with the word hard. It’s in bold and strong; it shows you that it’s more than hard to make it, it’s almost impossible to get past. The words are also pushed together to help visualize anger in the man’s face and hear frustration in his tone.

Finally, I think the last, and possibly most important change, was with the words I’m sorry. I put them in cursive, and in almost a loving text. It shows that through everything this young man and his father have gone through, there is hope. Through all the pain, anger, and resentment, he still signs his work of art, his letter with a beautiful I’m sorry. There is no pain behind those words, just maturity, wisdom, and maybe a little love.

screen capture

Looking at my screen as a photograph, it was all just a blur. I never really noticed how many different applications or tabs I have open at once. Gossip magazines, email and AOL music player are just a few things that I have open on a daily basis on the web. Because I have all these unnecessary tabs open while I'm trying to compose, I'm unable to concentrate therefor, I procrastinate. The web allows me to look up the research I need in order to compose but web pages are chosen carefully. I say this because some people create web pages or blogs to post their opinion and not facts that I really need. For me, the web is all around a huge problem, it makes me forget about what I am supposed to be working on. All this new technology that comes out on the web is just another distraction. I feel that when I compose, I should only be using Microsoft Word and searching the web for information that will help me and not for music or gossip. The screen capture that I took represents my everyday searches but I know that when I am doing a particular assignment I should only have tabs that I need to complete my assignment. The internet is helpful to me in getting the information that I need rather quickly but I take my time to assure the validity and creditability of the site.