The Best Camping Laptop

While online I came across a forum post where a person was seeking advice on a good camping laptop. This question really does sound insane but it just goes to show how strong of a hold technology has on our lives. Some of my most memorable times have been camping or spending time outdoors away from the controlling grip of technology. Camping has completely modernized as new devices have been introduced promising to make the camping experience more enjoyable. Really all they are doing is depriving us from one of the few pure focal activities in life. Camping should be a time of living with just the very basic supplies and focusing on human interactions and the tranquility of nature. As tents become more luxurious, and camping supplies turn into devices it seems that the focal practice of camping has been for ever defaced by the influence of the device paradigm. I think that it is vital for everyone to experience a temporary vacation from the stressfull and demanding control of technology; the problem is finding a place that has not already been affected by the paradigm.

Action Movie Deictic Discourse

As we were discussing the wilderness as deictic discourse the other day, I had an idea. Could my favourite movie, Princess Mononoke, be a deictic discourse on the relationship between the wilderness and industrialization? The animated film has incredible scenes of wilderness vistas and "big game" animal gods, contrasted with the mighty industrialization of a mining town and its warriors. I will post a link to a trailer, but if anyone's interested I can try and convince Prof. Langguth to let me show it on the projector after class; it successfully combines deictic discourse with the action/adventure movie genre.


Trailer (but it's better in the original Japanese):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkWWWKKA8jY

Nature

In class, we discussed how nature or being outdoors has become less and less of a focal point. I completely agree with this. Growing, we did not have game systems or even the Internet until I was in sixth or seventh grade. We had to entertain ourselves in other ways, mostly by playing outdoors. My friends, siblings, and I would rush through homework after school just so we could play outside for a few hours. During the summer, we were hardly indoors. Now, kids get excited when new versions of video games or game systems come out. They can figure out how to kill 500 people at once with a few buttons on a controller but cannot climb a tree. While this is all appalling and disturbing, there are those who take bonding with nature too far. We started watching "Grizzly Man" and learned a little about Timothy Treadwell and his idea of being with nature. There is something to be respected about his time with the bears and what he was trying to accomplish, but at the same time, one must ask if he was crazy? He sat there talking about how powerful these animals are and that the one in particular is dangerous. To me, it seemed almost as if he was asking to be attacked. I love nature as much as the next person, but there are boundaries that need to be respected. As I was watching the film, it reminded me of a similar story I had seen on "60 Minutes." There is another man living in Alaska and sharing his home with grizzly and black bears. To me, he seems a little more intelligent than Treadwell, but both are too extreme for my liking. These are wild animals that need to be respected, which includes leaving them to the land by themselves. I've provided a link to the transcript and segment of video from "60 Minutes." What do you think? Are they both crazy or can we learn something from the two men?

http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/stories/liambartlett/587148/the-bear-man

Nature on Exhibit

One concept that really stood out to me in today’s class discussion was Borgmann’s notion that parks have become museums of nature. This is certainly a valid classification for today’s public recreational parks, state parks, and resort parks; indeed, most parks seem to be offering no more than an artificial experience of nature. For instance, beaches are often outlined with boundaries that seem to separate human recreation from the uncultivated aquatic world beyond that point. In addition, many ‘nature trails’ consist of glorified sidewalks that coil around the edge of the wilderness; even ‘hiking trials’ through park forests come complete with steps and bridges over the smallest streams and up the smallest inclines. These trails offer a tour of the wilderness but provide few opportunities for visitors to venture off the designated path and truly interact with nature. Consider how often one hears parents telling their children “Don’t touch anything!” on nature walks. I even saw a sign at my local park that ordered visitors to “Please stay off the grass”, which, now that I think about it, reminds me of the “Please do not touch the exhibit” signs at art and natural history museums. Furthermore, if a group of people see a fallen tree across the path or a particularly flooded section of the trail, the individuals tend to turn around and retreat back to their vehicles rather than trying to find a way around the obstacle. Even the animal wildlife is intended to be kept at a safe viewing distance. In contrast, when my sisters and I walked along the creek in-between the ridges on the family farm two weeks ago, we encountered a half-eaten carcass of a large deer directly in our path. It is arguable that the experience of nature is being sugar-coated for the average citizen in America. The last remaining artifacts of the once vast wilderness in America are kept on exhibit at our public parks; however, the purity of this wilderness is tainted by mankind’s inability to function without the comforts of technology in its most basic forms. Ultimately, it seems that the more we succumb to the device paradigm, the more alien the natural world appears to us.

Blog #8: An Antiquated Technology…

I’ve been thinking a lot about the progress of technology lately. When one considers the evolution of technology over time, it’s not hard to notice an obvious pattern: the old and more ancient technologies are inevitably replaced by newer more advanced ones. Let’s take for example the progress of devices in communication. Years before modern cordless and cellular phones existed, the corded phones ruled the day. Corded phones claimed their precedence through the course of a small developmental evolution of their own. However, even the oldest looking telephone seems new when compared with the telegraph, a device which was invented almost two centuries ago. Again though, even the telegraph’s inception in the 1830s and 1840s improved upon the faculties and developments of its primitive predecessors. Communication technologies seem to move forward in ways in which Alexander Graham Bell and Samuel Morse could have only dreamed. Just as devices in the realm of communication have evolved, so too have machines endured transformation in almost every other conceivable area. Not surprisingly, the older is always succeeded by the newer.

In light of this documented progression, I want everyone to take a step back from the technological scene of today and try to imagine the future. It’s hard to imagine a world in which our contemporary devices are no longer thought of as cutting edge or modern. Yet, as the incessant progression of technological development tells us, one day all of our technologies will cease to exist as we know them today. With your now distanced perspective, try to envision a world in which everything is so new that even our generation is forced to ask its grandchildren how to operate the latest devices. In order to envisage such a world, a great deal of difficulty is usually encountered. In other respects, though, it’s not so hard to conceive of such an existence because of the presence of some seemingly archaic and inefficient devices today. There are several “modern” devices whose future evolution is imaginable because of their inept qualities today. I have made up a list of three contemporary devices which I think people will one day, maybe a century from now, look upon with laughter and disbelief.

1) The modern gas-powered automobile: Is it even hard to imagine how this clunky and antiquated invention will one day be replaced? I don’t think so. The automobiles of today just look and act old. The rumbling of the bulky and oversized engines, the emission of contaminating pollutants, and the constant need to repair and service these mechanical brutes illustrate their utter incompetence and antiquity. We’re still using cars which are essentially modeled after their ancient ancestors. Isn’t there a better means of transportation with another, more efficient fuel source that we can come up with?

2) Microwaves: Upon first glance, the microwave oven might seem competently designed and developed. However, microwave ovens suffer in a number of ways. Why do you think some researchers tell pregnant women to stay away from microwaves? They must not be as safe as we think they are. And even if they are safe if properly contained, what happens if a leak in your microwave oven develops unbeknownst to yourself? Moreover, the time microwaves take to work sometimes amazes me. Yes, I realize that when compared to a great many other things in our culinary repertoire, microwave ovens work at near light-speed. Yet, when I want to defrost something, a microwave can take more than 10-20 minutes (depending upon the size of the food being defrosted). One day, I think that humanity will invent a safer and more efficient version of the microwave oven.

3) Central Heating and Air Conditioning: Although heating and air conditioning may seem like it is already as about as advanced as it can be, I think the future will transform how we heat and cool our homes. The current system of heating and cooling our homes is very cumbersome: installation or overhaul requires putting in a rather large outdoor fan and linking this with an even larger apparatus in one’s basement. Additionally, the outgrowth from these machines is a mass of ducting and vents. Who could even imagine a more unwieldy or bulky machine? One day, I believe that heating and air conditioning will take on a more organic character, one which will shed its ungainly physical excesses.

For me, it’s not hard to visualize how these three devices will one day be thought of as old-fashioned or clumsy. Maybe you have a different list of modern devices which you think will one day be thought of as old or inept. If you can think of a couple, comment on this blog post. It should be interesting to see what type of world we each believe the future will hold.

Blog #6- The Wireless Future of Medicine

I urge everyone to watch this video, as it explains what medical capabilties we now have (or soon will) for monitoring our vitals signs:

http://www.ted.com/talks/eric_topol_the_wireless_future_of_medicine.html

To summarize the video, new wireless technologies on SmartPhones (including iPod Touches) now have the ability to keep tabs on all our vital signs, which include blood pressure, glucose levels, and for pregnant women, fetal heart rates and intensity of contractions. As an aspiring medical student, I find this to be fascinating; to have these technologies either already available or soon to be available, keeping track of a patient's road to recovery will become much easier than it is now (and even now it's still quite good).

At one point in the video, the speaker describes an application that monitors your sleep levels at night, when you are in REM, light, and deep sleep (the most rejuvinating kind). Additionally, another application monitors the caloric intake of food in real-time, as well as caloric expenditure while exercising.

One highlight of the video describes the "new stethoscope", a portable ultrasound device that can much more accurately detect the beating of the heart and the contraction of the lungs and diaphragm; such a device will surely assist in the diagnosis of patients that might have heart arythmia or lung issues.

I feel this is exceptionally good news; future and current doctors will now be able to treat patients more efficiently and carefully than ever before.

Blog #7 Communication

After my dad, brother, and me finished watching some basketball, my family sat down at the table for dinner. This was very unusual today because I live at school, and my brother, his wife, and daughter live elsewhere- so my mom made dinner for seven. During dinner, my brother pulled out his cellphone, and immediatly my mom told him to put it away. He quickly responded with "I just want to check the scores" (of the basketball game). When he did this, I thought about something we had discussed in class about losing the focal point and about Matters of Ultimate Concern. We are so distracted by the gadgets and the easy access of this technology distracts the person from the real focus. Technology is so present in our day to day activies that even myself- who doesn't have an i-pod or texting- find myself easily distracted, yet easily annoyed with others. Losing focus on the family or communication is a matter of concern that needs to be addressed if the technological devices are becoming more and more prevalent in our day to day life. During dinner, my family was distracted from conversation, but my brother was busy on his phone updating his bracket. Do we even want to communicate with others anymore, or just acknowledge their existence?

Maps

In class today we had a brief discussion on GPS systems and maps and the idea of people being able to read a map. I know that anytime that I go on vacation I have an option of getting a trip tick. In order to get this you have to be a member of AAA (which is a traveling, insurance, vacationing, and roadside assistance organization). Any time I go on vacation I call AAA and they make a readable map for me. Instead of looking at a map they write out all the directions, kind of like map quest does. The only difference is they offer alternative routes, park areas, and other details that might be suitable for someone. I find this to be much easier than reading a map. I like the idea of reading directions rather than looking at a map and analyzing, planning, and thinking about the best route or idea, I find AAA to be much easier. This topic relates somewhat to the device paradigm. The idea of people losing there basic knowledge and skills is in effect in this case. I can read a map only due to being taught by my father at a young age to my teenage years, but every time my friends or my girlfriend are traveling they rely on their trusty GPS system or AAA. My question to anybody who finds this interesting is how can technology change the whole essence of a road trip and just going where ever the road takes us?

Changing Definition of "Family"

Today’s in-class group collaboration on Matters of Ultimate Concern got me thinking. The meaning of the word family is changing along with technology. It seems as though the traditional activities and functions of a family have been clouded by technology. It has indeed made tasks much simpler however it has only increased the workload of many. A traditional work week of nine to five with evenings and weekends reserved for the family is quickly becoming a thing of the past due to our always-on society. Conveniences such as the DVR offer us much enjoyment however we almost become enslaved to them as recorded shows begin piling up and we begin feeling the need to catch up on watching them. The meaning of the word family has become increasingly narrower as the members making up the family change, number of multi-career families increase, and devices influence the way we spend our spare time and interact with others. It used to be common for families to have a very nice meal every once in a while; one with the nice plates, glasses, silverware, tablecloth, and that required many hours to preparation. Families today tend to keep the nice china behind a glass door just for looks. Families are special because of the unique and strong bond shared by members. I fear that as they evolve and loose the very focal aspects that once made up their foundation, they will become merely a formality.

No More Family Dinner

Today in our class discussion of deictic discourse, we discussed things in our lives that have been altered by technology. One thing that has been affected by technology is the importance of family dinner. When I was younger, my whole family had a set time to eat dinner, normally around 5 o'clock. This time was a valuable time during my day, a time when all of my family gathered together to spend time with eachother and shed insight as to the things that had occured during the day. Many good memories have occured at the dinner table when my family was together, from funny stories to embarrassing moments that will never be forgotten. As my brothers and I got older, the daily family dinners began to diminish. The advancement in technology, with so many fast food restaraunts around, has contributed to the decline in family dinners. It soon became common practice to snag a burger at Wendy's on the way home from practice, and family dinner became a part of history. The time of day when the whole family was able to gather together no longer existed and the traditional family practice of cooking dinner and sharing it together was replaced with the fast food burger and fries.

Blog #7: A Response to “Vermont: Neighbors and Online Networks”…

The article “Vermont: Neighbors and Online Networks” presented a very interesting account of how the internet is being used as a tool to help procure and engender focal interaction and practices. In effect, an object (i.e. the internet) which Albert Borgmann would undeniably brand a device (if one scrutinizes the internet in a strictly straightforward sense) is being utilized in order to help develop focal activities of the most engaging variety. Focal practices are thus springing forth from within the frame of a device. As the article described, one individual decided to help better knit his neighborhood together in order to foster a greater sense of belonging and community. More specifically, he used the internet to create an online forum to help better connect his neighborhood. The results of his endeavors seem to be successful, so successful that his once small neighborhood forum has spread to several hundreds of communities all across Vermont. Small threads posted by individual citizens have worked to foster social interaction and relationships which would have otherwise remained nonexistent.

In regards to the use of the internet cited above, I believe that Albert Borgmann would be slightly hopeful but extremely cautious (this is kind of how Borgmann comes off to me throughout his entire work). Borgmann would likely be hopeful because of the great benefits to the engenderment of focal things/practices established through such usage of the internet. His caution, though, would arise from the fact that there seems to be, in this case, a reformation of technology which is occurring within the paradigm of technology itself (i.e. a device is being used to help secure focal things/practices).

The outright positive results of such a novel creation are quite obvious; as a matter of fact, the article works to list several. The “Front Porch Forum,” as the present online aggregate is now called, has enabled neighbors, especially those who are elderly, to become better acquainted. Many times, the initial awkwardness of visiting or conversing with poorly known neighbors works to defeat any seed of potential interaction and much more the chance at establishing any type of genuine relationship. The “Front Porch Forum,” however, ingeniously works to undermine this awkwardness by removing that often distressing first-time meeting. For lack of a better phraseology, the “ice” is essentially “broken” through more comfortable interactions within more secure settings. In this way, neighbors get to know one another at their own pace and can better prepare to later start a more grounded relationship with those they will one day tangibly meet. Apparently, many of the relationships and actions which have resulted through even the most simple of forum posts have been focal in nature (take for instance the procurement of a canoe for a little girl who wanted to go canoeing with her friends for her birthday). The beneficial outcomes of this type of networking are undoubtedly many. However, I believe that the “Front Porch Forum” does run the risk of establishing and maintaining disengagement and a lack of focal practices/things. It runs this risk if stagnation occurs. By stagnation, I refer to the idea that the “Front Porch Forum” may, by distancing the initial interactions between individuals, work to construct the safe environment of impersonal interaction. Neighbors, instead of acting on forum posts which call for interaction or neighborly assistance, might ignore forum posts which demand this. The onus thus rests upon the individual person using the internet forum. To prove my points about the ostensible negative features of “Front Porch Forum,” just look at Facebook. The same positive features mentioned above regarding “Front Porch Forum” could also be said about Facebook. Facebook brings groups of people together and works to create a great many events which could be considered focal in the strictest sense. Yet, many of us, on our recent essay exam, likely wrote about the disengagement engendered through using Facebook. Why is there disengagement if Facebook, like “Front Porch Forum,” offers benefits: because there are people involved. It is critical to note that the most absolute form of disengagement comes at the hands of the user. By failing to act upon opportunities for establishing relational intimacy, the Facebook user denies himself/herself engagement and exposure to focal things/practices. It is not hard to envision a re-creation of this scenario within the realm of the “Front Porch Forum.” Furthermore, another community, one which isn’t enveloped in the rural roots present in Vermont, might reject interaction and suffer stagnation due to its very cultural composition. The constitution of both the person and the culture appear to be important here. The internet forum also runs the risk of maintaining disengagement through its leanings towards mass commercialization. What started as a grass roots project to unite a neighborhood has now become a company which enwraps two Vermont counties. Although the spread is still minute when compared to the greater population of the United States, it is not inconceivable that “Front Porch Forum” could grow to become merely a commodity present for millions of consumers…I mean “neighbors.” I do realize that the article does seem to imply limits of about 400 homes in each forum community (this prerequisite smallness is definitely a step in the right direction), but I am still not sure that such a large number would fail to overwhelm forum users. It may push users into stagnation and relegate the usage of the forum to mere commodity. It is also plausible that larger forum communities could spring up as the company evolved to accommodate a more state/region-friendly outlook.

Internet forums represent an interesting possible means by which the reformation of technology could take place. Ironically however, they also remind us that it is ultimately humanity and not technology which stands in the best position to reign in the excesses of the device paradigm.

Modern Day Baseball

In class today we discussed how Borgmann was a fan of baseball. In comparisons to the modern day form of the sport versus the 1940’s version, the rules are generally the same, but everything surrounding the game has changed drastically. If you attend a Reds game, it often seems as if the game is in the background of everything else. With events such as the Kiss Cam or picking if Mr. Red can beat Rosie the Red in a video race; it seems the sport is lost. If you are a baseball fan or just a sports fan in general, I would highly suggest going to either Fenway Park or Wrigley Field. I’m sure Borgmann would greatly approve of the atmosphere at both of these ballparks. In fact, the main scoreboards at both of the stadiums are not digital, something that really adds to the essence of the game.
As was discussed in class, with Free Agency now, a player is a consumer item. It would be unbelievable to picture players such as Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle in any other uniforms that their respective teams that they played for. Now, players like Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez are not really known for the jersey that they wore for all those years, but as individuals. It also seems clear that with the advancement of Performance Enhancing Drugs, that the game is watered down and the fans don’t really care as much as they did in the 40’s and 50’s.

Lighter Side of Technology

So far in my posts I have been pretty harsh on technology. So I thought I would take the time to list some of the better attributes that it has. So here are my top three positive attributes that the internet brings.

1. Through social networking sites people that I have avoided for ages can suddenly corner me into a conversation.

2. Through things such as twitter I can find out when people are using the restroom. Lord knows how valuable that information could be.

3. Through youtube I can watch as a heavyset girl finds the weightlimit on a table. (Scarlet Takes a Tumble)

P.S. As you might have guessed I am not completely serious here. But being serious all the time is not good for your health. Just watch the last batman movie for proof.

The Internet and Community

Please have a look at this article dealing with a way of using the internet that even Albert Borgmann might endorse. The basic idea is an internet forum called The Front Porch Forum that is designed specifically to build a sense of community within neighborhoods. Is this an example of the internet as a way of fostering "focal things and focal practices, or simply another example of the device paradigm shaping the way we live? Discuss.

Blog 4- "It's Not Science Fiction"

I'm sure most everyone has seen the new Air Force Paratrooper commercial; if not, click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izYAn7XDFys

Of course the army will invent and own most of the newest technologies in the world, but I have to say what is shown on this commerical is pretty awe-inspiring. Aside from the obviously computer generated environments and backgrounds, the soldier's headgear is able to go thermal, standard, among other views. Apparently, it also has the ability to identify a person and throw a picture of them along with a name, rank, etc. on a heads-up display (HUD). That capability is pretty amazing.

If technology like this exists, I wonder how long it will be before it is adapted by law enforcement personnel? By security devices? Even though I am often worried by what technology may pose to our lifestyle, at the same time I am relieved that newer technologies are being invented for the betterment and safety of mankind (including saving our brave soldiers in the military).

The Media Cart

(Pierce tried to blog earlier but the interwebz were down; silly devices)

This is a silly post, but it's spring break, so we don't have to be super serious. I am proposing that the media cart used in class constitutes a focal thing and not a device. I offer the following proof:
1)The use of class time is centered around how long it takes for the media cart to work.
2)The cart's finicky behaviour engages the class and focuses their attention on it.
3)The cart itself is the result of our culture; it would be too difficult if the projector and the laptop had to be carried around separately.

The floor is yours

Technology= Decline of English

It seems that technology is slowly putting a deathgrip on society. We are losing our basic abilities to communicate. I know I am guilty of putting "u" instead of actually writing out the word. IM technology and text messaging has caused a degradation of the English language leaving us with a bastardized version of it. I was spurned to comment on this fact when I was proof-reading one of my own papers and discovering many mistakes where I had used IM jargon instead of traditional english. Lord help us all and the english language!

Blog= Into Great Silence

Even though we did not get to watch all of this film last week I began to see what this film provokes and found myself attaching things to the film that maybe related to what our society teaches us today. As every had noticed this film lacked everything but picture, ranging from no sound and sometimes even the lack of movement. So I found myself immediatley critiquing the movie and trying to place that original five point plot that we always seemed to use in junior high english. However, I found it extremely difficult, and in today's society language is so important and I tried to sit there and interpret the film by what I saw. Yet, I found myself asking the question, "If they were "allowed" to speak what would they say?" This made it very difficult because there was no emotions that seem to come from this film either, these monks seemed to have one purpose and that was based around religion. I came to the conclusion that they were what I claimed as "pure." I only use this because they have yet to taste or use many of the devices or become corrupt by greed for monetary materialistice desires like most are today. I am not making a generalization about all people because there are many who would agree with Borgmann and want the focal points in their homes rather than the devices we have today, yet, those seem to be slimming as more devices come out. I myself am one of those who use devices on a daily basis and finding myself almost relying on them. I am not ashamed to admit this and I feel as if I am one of those cyborgs, but I do find that making a dinner with a family is better than popping a delicious microwaveable dinner in the microwave then thirty seconds later it is done. So in regards more to these monks I believe they are what some people would call more human than most of society today, yet are they lacking the opprotunity to become more than just human?