Nick K's Blog

Pixelanthropy

nak0910 — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:08:07 +0000

Its interesting to see how much SL has grown since 2003 to now hold 9 million users. With more and more users comes more creative ideas about what to use SL for and how people can apply this virtual world to benefit real life. It amazing that someone has made $1 million through SL in real money. On top of that people are looking to make a positive impact and SL gives them a platform to do so where they might not have otherwise. there are businesses and new buildings going up everyday and there are also companies like Reebok who are choosing to take advantage of SL as another way to reach consumers. With SL people are able to interact with people they would never get to meet in real life and through relationships like this people experience oppurtunities they would not eperinece otherwise. One such experience is the donate a tree fund that was started on an island in SL. The real life money that is used benefits realindigenous trees in the rain forest. This is just one example of creative and really beneficial ways people in SL are helping to positively affect real life. It amazing what a relatively small tool can do to affect the way people think and act. SL makes it easier for people to open up and dismisses an social restrictions that real life might implement.

Two Questions?

Can SL sustain enough peoples interest in helping worthy causes?

Is 80% of internet users a realistic number for people who will have avatars by 2012?

SL Tour

nak0910 — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:24:53 +0000

Embodied space in virtual worlds

nak0910 — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:12:35 +0000

This Article talks about the community aspect of Second life and how people adapt to a specific society like you would see in Real Life. The best way to describe it is that some people develope a tribalistic type of enviornment where men can be dominant over women or even an almost religious twist where men and women will only form relationships with people from their “tribe.”

Second Life has been around since 2003 and is contantly growning. Everyday more and more people are linked up to SL and creating avatars to navigate the cyber world. The game-like space has more than 8 million active accounts. In a world where just about every aspect of ”life” is created by the users, civilizations spring up cut off by user made mountains or waterfalls or any other structure. It is conceivable that a monk monistairy could creat its own temple and individual avatars and still maintain silence. The possibilities are endless but just hwo far do people take these societies

The article specifically targets one community, the Gorean Communities. These are virtual simulations of fantasy novels from the 70s of Gor written by John Norman. This culture has a very complex social structure in which there are clear roles and actions of citizens which stem from men’s dominance over women which has become erotic impulses over time. Second Life has provided people with an oppurtunity to create themselves in a new way and become a part of a society in which they belong and can feel welcome. in some cases these bonds are stronger than anything that user could be apart of in real life, forcing us once again to rethink the way we veiw relationships in todays world.

Two Questions:

What impact do you think online societies have on the individual in real life?

Is it possible, in your opinion, for nonpersonal interactions like ones online to create stronger bonds between people than actual life experiences?

Ive Never clicked this much

nak0910 — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:42:37 +0000

With the development of new media technologies, people have beun to rethink the way they look at relationships. Just like in real life there are many forms of relationships, some more personal than others. In this reading, hyperpersonal relationships are disgused and more specifically the issue of trust. Trust is a funny thing and just not given out easily in any form. So how does it work online? According to this article there are 4 keep elements in lending and gaining trust. Reputation, Performance, Pre-commitment and Situational factors. For me trust is giving from feelings you get , watching the person in question and evaluating them on a varitey of criteria. It isnt enough for me to see that the person is a skilled navigator of the internet but I need proof of previous acts of trustworthiness. I also need to see that the person doesnt have any motives for trying to gain my trust in order to benefit themselves and a varitey of other factors go into it. Being someone knew to online relationships using avatars I am constantly finding myself asking, ” I wonder if this person is truely who they say they are.” Facebook and things of that sort are the same for me. Anyone can post a picture and vent on topics but in reality it might not be who you think. Because of the fact that there is no face to face contact I personally dont think I could ever truely trust someone if I dont truely know if they are who they say they might be.

Two questions:

Is face to face contact paramount with anyone else?

If trust is possible online do you think there is a market for online confessions for the church?

My second FLash Project

nak0910 — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:49:50 +0000

http://keep3.sjfc.edu/students/nak06299/Flash/BillsRoster.html

Avatars, Second Life and New Media art

nak0910 — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:22:33 +0000

After being exposed to second life and digital media technologies of its kind through my digital media class, you can see how these technologies have created a way for people to express themselves in so many ways. Using avatars people are able to create themselves in any image whether they want to be true to thier real life selves or create someone who in no way resembles any characteristic of themseleves. The possibilities are endless in these cyber societies and with that comes the freedom of unknown identity. This means a couple things. One thing is that social restraints are no longer present. Race gender sexual orientation or any discriminating factor that is unsubstantiated but inact in real life does not apply here. A member of the Klu Klux Klan could be best friends with an African American and never know it. Along with this point comes the issue of relationships. In these new cyber societies relationships can be formed just like in real life, people have even known to be married without ever meeting that person. Although there is no real personal interaction people can shop talk or just hang out with anyone they may run into while using programs like second life. Although these programs cretes certain benefits and freedoms they are still not yet perfect. As other reading have pointed out social predators enjoy the same freedom of unknown identity and use that as a cover to explore another way to socially victimize other users.

Two Questions?

Do you think more people create avatars who are similiar to them in real life or “radical” ones?

DO you think relationships online can be as strong as real life ones?

A rape in cyberspace

nak0910 — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:57:28 +0000

The first part of this reading to me is particularly interesting. In it the author takes the time to give what for lack of a better word is a warning. The warning is that the author itself has been changed by the internet and its abilities to alter worlds and perception so much so that the author is concerned that he will not be able to accurately tell the story of what happened except for to just tell the facts, since those regardless of outlook remain the facts. Without reading any further this is striking to me. As the article I assume goes onto to talk about sexual abuse throuh the internet the authors accounts in the beginning lend the reader a glimpse of just how powerful a tool these chat rooms or cyber communities can become.

As I read on it becomes clear that althoug the new technologies of today have created so many benefits the old saying holds true that you take the good with the bad. In this case these cyberspaces have created just another avenue for social preditors to attack innocent people. Sexual harasment in the real world these days can be as simple as a misconcieved gesture or unwanted look so where do you draw the line online? In our case here it is clear that the woman from seattle with tears running down her face was humilliated and felt very violated in any circumstance this would qualify as sexual harasment if not as the title says rape.

Two Questions?

Do you believe thier should be rape laws for acts done online?

Are their too many ways for predators to reincarnate themselves and avoid regulation?

OUR FAIRYTALE PODCAST

nak0910 — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:27:41 +0000

http://nak0910.podbean.com/

Digital Media Art

nak0910 — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 03:51:39 +0000

As technology has advanced our society has been brought to a new age, one in which people can freely express themselves in a new realm called cyberspace. This cyberspace is said to freely allow individuals to interact without the confinements of traditional encounters. It frees us of preconceived notions about an individual in terms of race or religion because often times an alias is given if anything at all. This new form of interaction is pivital, to those who accept it, to the new way of seeing digital media as art. Traditional art has always done something to appeal to the senses and depending on your background it moves people in different ways. The same can be said for digital media with the few differences including interactivity and the platform in which it is delievered.

The work I chose was “our perfect body.” This work overall is a statement about the emphasis on the appearance of women. The author of this digital media used interactivity to get mulitple women’s feed back to explain what they like and dislike about their bodies and to send responses in with a picture. The actual artwork itself was then created to form a frankenstein like creation of the body parts from all the different women that sent something in. There is no audio to this work, but the visual affect resounds. Even by looking through the responses of all the individuals you realize no one is really truely one hundred percent happy with the way they look. Unlike most art, this work plays on the fact that its not asthetically beautifully or in other words something you would want to hang on your wall. This work, I feel, wants the user to almost feel a sense of shock, maybe in the form of humor, to drive its point home.

Just like traditional art, digital art plays on certain content. Cultural or political meaning in some peices is the pure and simple reason for its creation. Other peices are soley based for asthetic value. No matter what the content some form of creativity goes into every piece, traditional or digital. In the case of “our perfect body,” this is no different. In some cultures this work might not be understand. It is common that in areas that are less developed there is not the same emphasis placed on a women in terms or their physical apperance. In our cultural however this piece could not be more relavant. Everyday women are bombarded with advertisements, televsion shows, movies and so on with images of what women are supposed to look like. The mere pressure from men, who generally desire stereotypical forms of what people see as acceptable women, makes it impossible for some to be comfortable with themselves. With that in mind the same argument could be turned around in a political sense. Depending on the scope of the author one could deduce this to be a call to action to bring the entertainment industry a reality check of what typical women are and that even those who dont fit the mode can be beauty. Although I dont see this as being the intentions of the artist it could be seen that way thr0ugh someone elses eyes.

The asthetic value of this digital art, as I mentioned before, seems to be more of an eye grabbing experience than an eye soothing one. Creativity plays a large role in any art, especially this. Almost like an invention the artist saw a need or a problem and came up with a solution. In this case the solution was an interactive way for women to vent about their issues with their own personal bodies in an annomous, diverse and open way with the end result being thier frankenwoman.

The recent debate over digital media as artwork has been spured on by the influx of digital technology. With this influx creative minds have created mulitple new ways of expression, ones with all the ear marks of art. Some are politically or culturally driven. Others appeal to the asthetic value that is different for all indivuals and some are simply f0rmed through creativity and the use of a new platform to use. With this new platform comes new elements. The major one is the interactivity seen between artist and viewer making the term “user” more appropriate. Does this interactivity make it any less art? Or does this inovation bring art to a new standard in which it is less about individual experience and more about a collective one? Either way nothing can say that this new digital media is not art, at the very least its just arts newest form.

To see the artwork I have discussed visit http://ourperfectbody.wordpress.com/

Digital Media Culture

nak0910 — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:13:44 +0000

One point main in the readings is the concept of cyberutopia. Simply stated cyberutopia is seeing what we call cyber space as a sort of magical land. Cyberspace itself refers to the computer generated virtual space of electronic culture. It is the enthusiasts of this cyberspace that see it as a utopian “above and beyond” the culture, history and problems of modern times. To these enthusiasts this space correlates with the ideas of heaven. This is because cyberspace does not actual exsist in the physical world but it is still a place where people visit daily. Added to all this is the idea that there is no racism or discrimination of anykind in cyberspace. It is open to all people regardless of your background and interactions arent complicated by preconceived notions of religion, race or sexual orientation. Although there are many who see this sort of cyberutopia, there are others who see it as a means for government control. There are already software programs in place that cross refrence things like social securtiy, state tax, and crime agencies in order to stop fraud and catch criminals. The argument is how long till the government uses these technologies in a way similiar to Orwells novel 1984?

Two Questions:

Do subscription websites or websites that require passwords offend the theory of the Democratic Vision?

How does identity in gaming change the way we view social relationships?