Week 9 Tutorial Task & Tutespark

Write about your chosen essay topic, your initial thoughts about this topic, and where you think you may begin researching it.

Why is privacy such a contentious issue for internet users? Discuss with reference to at least ONE social network service (or other web2.0 service)

I've chosen essay topic #3 as I believe it to be a very relevant social topic in todays society. With the emergence and growing popularity of social networking sites and other forms of online communication privacy is becoming a big concern for a lot of internet users. People so far have been too nonchalant about the personal information that they share online with not much thought as to who can access it.

There is a myriad of information about this topic so I will begin researching by looking at online journal articles and news stories. I will then look at the library for relevant texts.

Week 8 - Tute Task and Tutespark

Many writers have utilised cyberpunk as prefigurative social and political theory in the realms of urban studies, cultural theory and the sociology of the body. Below are some of the main, recurring themes.

Fusion of man and machine: In addition to cyborgs, sentient programs and robots, cyberpunk often blurs of what it means to be human. Traits we take for granted as representing humanity disappear via introspective looks brought on by the fusion of man and machine. This fusion also affects the control of perception - numerous storylines explore with influences to perception, usually involving some method of virtual reality environment to either mask or take the place of the “real world.”


Sources:

• http://au.tv.ign.com/top-100-animated-tv-series/54.html
• http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/22479

MAY/JUNE 2009

A Go-Go Cyborg Arm

Inspector Gadget … an Inspiration?

By Michael Rosenwald

People who have lost an arm have not traditionally had much hope of ever regaining meaningful function. Prosthetic arms have been controlled in a rudimentary way, by transforming residual shoulder movements or muscle signals into the ­simplest movement commands. These artificial arms cannot do two things at once, much less three or four. Amputees often toss them in the closet out of sheer frustration.

But the situation is starting to change, thanks to a team led by Todd Kuiken, director of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago's Center for Bionic Medicine. Kuiken has developed a novel surgical technique that, when paired with both motorized prosthetic arms already on the market and experimental bionic arms developed through a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program, affords amputees a remarkable degree of dexterity.

Claudia Mitchell, who lost her arm in a motorcycle wreck in 2004, remembers putting on a prosthesis after undergoing Kuiken's procedure and seeing it work for the first time: "You could not wipe that grin off of my face”. Mrs Mitchell is now working with her husband on additional gadgets that could be incorporated into the prosthesis. They have so far created a bottle opener that Mrs Mitchell says she wears to parties "People can't believe how this thing works," she says. "They want to know what else we have planned!"

Thrilled at the success of the prosthesis, Mr Kuiken has plans to approach the military with designs for a lightweight, bionic weapon worn on the arm for soldiers. Mr Kuiken says, “The possibilities are endless!”

Tutorial Task Week 7

1. What is creative commons and how could this licensing framework be relevant to your own experience at university?


‘Creative Commons is a worldwide project that encourages copyright owners to allow others to share, reuse and remix their material, legally. We offer a range of free licences that creators can use to manage their copyright in the online environment, each providing its own specific protections and freedoms. We have built upon the “all rights reserved” of traditional copyright to create a voluntary “some rights reserved” system’. (Creative Commons website)

Creative Commons have licenced free courses run by Peer 2 Peer University (P2PU). P2PU is offering free university grade courses online. This is relevant to Australian and international universities because the licencing framework used by Creative Commons enables people to access educational packages and courses online easily. It could be the future of secondary education.

2. Find 3 examples of works created by creative commons and embed them in your blog.


Example 1: African Sleeping Sickness Test

'Murdoch University scientists led by Zablon Njiru and Andrew Thompson have developed a simple blood test for African sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis or 'HAT') which they’ve published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases under a Creative Commons Attribution licence, making their findings accessible to the world'.
http://wiki.creativecommons.org/African_Sleeping_Sickness_Test


Example 2: Architecture for Humanity

Architecture for Humanity operates under the motto ‘Design like you give a damn,' it is a non-profit design services organization that aims to build a sustainable future through professional design, seeking architectural solutions to humanitarian crises. Co-founder Cameron Sinclair established the Open Architecture Network in 2007 which was developed in conjunction with Creative Commons and Sun Microsystems. Sinclair believes that Creative Commons licenses could act as a platform that designers could work from 'At the moment, the industry is in a very gray area and nobody knows what belongs to who, who’s really the designer, who’s liable. CC licensing could clear that up.’
http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Architecture_for_Humanity


Example 3: Cory Doctorow

Cory Doctorow is a writer, blogger, and futurist that has embraced the ideals of Creative Commons from the beginning.
Doctorow has been producing Creative Commons licensed works since 2003 with the publication of the first Creative Commons licensed novel 'Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom'. His reasoning for using Creative Commons Licenses was that by making his work available for free it has increased the number of sales that he gets.
http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Case_Studies/Cory_Doctorow

3. Find an academic article which discusses creative commons using a database or online journal. Provide a link to and a summary of the article.

Creative Commons Is Rewriting Rules of Copyright

By Ariana Eunjung Cha

Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 15, 2005; Page E01


This article discusses the emergence of Creative Commons Licenses into the mainstream. It refers to the use of particular licenses to distribute music and movies and the growing interest in Creative Commons Licenses as artists, authors and traditional media companies begin to race to capitalise on technologies such as file sharing and digital copying.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35297-2005Mar14.html



4. Have a look at Portable Apps (a pc based application) – provide a brief description of what it is and how you think this is useful.


Portable Apps Suite and Platform is a free download that enables you to carry your personal computer programs, bookmarks, settings, email and more on your portable device (USB, iPod etc). It is useful because it doesnt leave files or folders on your device and enables you to  access your software and personal data just as you would on your own PC. And when you unplug the device, none of your personal data is left behind.

Week 7 - Tutespark

Try some free software - good examples which are free and easy to download are: Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, Gimp, Audacity, amsn, pidgin, etc.


Try to use it exclusively for a few days - then decide whether you like it or not! Say why/why not.


For the purpose of this weeks Tutespark I have chosen to download the free web browser software Mozilla Firefox 3.5. It was fast and easy to download and install. Once I started using the software I liked it instantly, it was simply nicer to use. Firefox has thousands of add-ons to personalise your browser, plus so many more features to make using the internet faster and even more convenient. One feature I particularly liked was the 'Awesome Bar' which allows you to simply type a term into the location bar and the autocomplete function will include possible matching sites from your browsing history.





I also found it fun that you can choose from thousands of different pictures and photos in the 'Personas Gallery' to personalise the look of your browser. I used to use safari on my personal computer but after trying firefox I wont be going back. It seems faster, more personal and more fun to use!

Week 6 - Tutespark

Leading on from the lecture on online privacy & social networking....Who owns the content you put on the internet on various sites? This includes pictures, video, text, etc? Think about all the content you upload onto social networking sites - Do you own it? Who has the right to use your creations?
I think we like to think that we own it, it is after all our thoughts, memories, ideas, photos and videos, it is our choice to put it on the internet. BUT to refer back to the lecture, how do these big business's make their money?...are we working for them? Are they selling our information to the highest bidder? If they are using our information to make money maybe they own the content we so willingly upload. I think we own our personal information, but as soon as we willingly upload content to the internet without using copyright or other means of protection we are basically giving it away.