Are Wii Children of the Revolution?

I think Wii are a great form of new technology however I don’t think that they are so big and “revolutionary” they are only getting all this excitement because of the hype of the creators. It was talked about for a long time before being released and even had previews which added to the hype. The game system may be new and have good technological modifications however it is a game therefore I do not think the word “revolutionary” should apply to it because it doesn’t affect the world greatly or people greatly all it is is a new and improved way for video gamers to play. Some of the new added features are good and interesting such as the controller because now people can get a bit of exercise while playing their games instead of sitting and staring at the tv while only moving their fingers. In addition the actual box seems to be a lot smaller which is also good because people will be able to save space. The fact however that Wii was originally suppose to be called Revolution surprised me because I think it is kind of lame. In addition I’m sure that they are probably thinking of a newer version of a game system right now so calling this one a revolution is kind of dumb and stupid. There may be some changes but there are always changes and there are always going to be changes so calling it Revolution would be pointless because they could just as well call their next game system Revolution or the one after that or the one after that. Overall I’m glad that they decided to not call this system “Revolution” and I do not think it is “revolutionary” in any way.

Reading in Cyberspace ?!?

1. The effect google’s library digitization has on its relationship with publishers is not good. According to publishers what google is doing is “copyright infringement” and not following copyright laws about “fair use.” Because of this publishers are suing google for its newly developed book search.

2. Google’s competitors like Yahoo and Microsoft don’t seem to be doing anything in response to the book search, they still have the same options and such on their websites. This may possibly be because google is much more popular and richer and can afford getting sued while they may or may not be able to afford it.

3. The impact this project could have on the access to information is many people will be able to view things that they couldn’t otherwise whether that be because the book is not published any more, they live too far to purchase the book, they want bits of information on a certain subject and can’t find it in their library, and so on.

4. Librarians could be threatened by this new development. If people can find all the book they need online they won’t need to go to the library or ask librarians to help them. If people stop going to the libraries, librarians won’t have anything to do and could lose their jobs while libraries themselves could be shut down or closed because of the lack of public attendance.

5. I think that google’s new development is very good. A wealth of information will be available to the public which wasn’t available before. I however think that to preserve our libraries we should still get some reading material from there such as novels, multicultural books, etc. This new development as said is very good but we don’t want to make so many people lose their jobs and many places end up closed because of it.

The Genographic Project

As I said in previous entries technology has grown and evolved greatly in the twentieth and twenty first centuries. We are now able to do many things we could not do before such as have long distance phone calls between people on different continents, email people quickly in a matter of seconds through the internet, track people using various devices, and analyze many things such as historical artifacts or remains using bits of DNA, bone, clothing, etc. These and many other various advancements in technology are what make the Genographic Project possible. People can now easily migrate by plane or boat or car when a couple hundred years ago people still could not do those things and had to depend on their own two feet or animals for transportation. This makes traveling, tracking and analyzing historical objects easy to do which is why now is a great time for the Genographic Project. We will be able to find out what our earliest ancestors were like, what their times were like, what or if there was art back then, and so on. This information might help us have a better understanding of why the world is the way it is and could help us revise our plans for the future. In addition I think future migration patterns will continue to bring more and more people to North America however after a while the land will be full and people will have to go somewhere else so possibly Europe because it seems to be improving more and more as the European Union continues to expand. In conclusion I think it is good that scientists are continuing to try and figure out our history because the information will be good to know for the future.

When War meets Video Games

1. Video games are so popular now because they have been for years. They are a good form of entertainment and fun for all ages. The technology of video games also keeps changing and improving while increasing in popularity. Not that many years ago there was a grey plastic box called Nintendo 64 and now technology has evolved so much that we have the X-box, Gamecube, Nintendo DS and many other variations of Video Game technology some which can be played with a small DVD and some that can have multiple players long distances apart. Video games haven’t become popular recently, they have been popular for a while now however they are more popular with every new and upcoming technology.

2. Yes I think realistic games desensitize people to the horror of war. These games make war and killing look fun when it is far from that. War is a horrible thing that shouldn’t occur but when it does it kills and hurts many people. It is almost as if these games are poking fun at war or encouraging people to kill when they shouldn’t. These war games could have a very bad influence on people especially those who haven’t yet been educated on war does to people.

3. I personally think that war games should not exist. They make war look fun and good when it is the complete opposite. War is a very sad but serious matter and people should not play games pretending to be in wars and killing people. You wouldn’t kill a person in real life so what makes killing someone in a video game any better? It may not be real life but it does and could influence people badly.

An I-pod Classroom?

1. Yes, I think I could learn well using an i-pod. I think it would be a good way to educate myself because instead of having to be in the classroom at a certain time and pay attention to the teacher so as not to not miss anything I would have everything on an i-pod ready for me to access and listen to any time I wanted.

2. I admit it would be a nice change and very useful for Mary Ward to embrace i-pod lessons however I still think that being in a class with a teacher is good. People have been doing for hundreds of years so why should our generation try to completely change something that has worked for so long and has worked so well. We should take advantage of this new technology however I think a good alternative to completely banishing classroom lessons would be to have both, in class as an introduction/explanation and the i-pod as a review. Even though this technology is great I think in class lessons somewhat force or push one to learn. Having to wake up early and go to school to listen to the teacher talk may not be the most interesting in the world but many people do not want to or aren’t able to learn by themselves so giving them i-pod lessons wouldn’t turn out well. They could end up failing classes or being too lazy to listen or watch the i-pod in the first place. School lessons work so well because if one wants to or not he/she has to go, attendance is checked and if one is there already what else is there to do but learn and try to achieve a good mark? My point is, school was created and is required for a reason, so we can learn. Even though Mary Ward is for self directed learning we still have some interaction and lessons with our teachers during scheduled days and seminars. We are all still students and some of us may be able to learn from an i-pod but I don’t think we should risk the education and jobs of many people to try this out when it is for “kinesthetic learners” and not all people are like that and may prefer or need real life interaction.

With the GOOD, comes the BAD

An example of modern technology today is the mp3 and mp4 player. These technological gadgets have many good qualities and effects but they have some bad ones as well. With the mp3 and mp4 players, we can carry around music and videos for our listening and viewing pleasure. All our favourite music, videos and even possibly pictures are on one device and we can play them any time we like. We have something to keep us busy when we are bored or have nothing to do, and if need be it is possible for us to put on an audio novel or something else educational as well. Some people may also enjoy listening to music while doing a task like homework, cleaning, crafts, etc. In addition some mp3s and mp4s have voice recorders so if we want to record a lesson or a note, it is also possible. Some mp3s and mp4s also have radio so if we get tired of our own music and things we can turn it on and listen to that as well. Despite these facts, there are some negative effects in having a mp3 or mp4 player. Because in order to listen to our mp3s and mp4s we must use earphones, our hearing is affected. If we set the volume to high our hearing may deteriorate so we must make sure to take precautions when using this kind of device. In addition the devices can only last for so many hours on their batteries. This means we must either have extra batteries or recharge our mp3 or mp4 in order to use it again which at unwanted or unexpected times may be a hassle. While their are some negative impacts such as hearing loss, it is preventable therefore overall the mp3 and mp4 players are great and useful new technologies.

Currently Under Construction

Blog is currently under construction I am working on the layout so sorry if stuff looks weird.

Agatha

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog for Communications Technology. There is something wrong with the other one (http://agatham.blogspot.com/) so I started again. Journal entries will be coming up soon. Thanks for reading! Bye!

•Agatha•