Blog 3: Disembodied Telepresence

This chapter was very interesting and covered many topics. I for one hope that we never live in a life of telepresence. To not have human contact is unimaginable to me. There are times when I just need that interaction. I think that this idea of "living on the net" would in fact lead to isolation and therefore depression. There are times that I am alone for a while writing a paper, researching, or whatever it may be and then as soon as I'm around another human being I can't stop talking. You need that sense of human interaction. When I sit and talk to my sister I want to actually be sitting next to her. If a friend is in trouble and just needs a hug; can we do that through the internet? Another topic I found interesting was the extension on distance learning. The idea of how distance learning would effect the students and the teachers. Teachers feed off of their students and as mentioned in the book many use eye contact. How can one really get a feel for what the mood of the room or how the class is feeling through a camera? It's just like the difference between listening to cd and being at a concert or (as mentioned in the text) being at a play or watching a movie. They just aren't the same. There is a completely different feel due to the face-to-face/human interation. Another example mentioned in the text that really brought things together was the idea of a football player learning to play football simply through game tapes. It simply can't be done. You have to experience. You have to fail and determine how to correct that failure. This is all very interesting stuff that gets you to thinking. I surely hope that we do not come to time where everything is done on the Net.